Editorial: This is No Time to Retreat from the Culture, We Must Work for its Conversion

By Deacon Keith Fournier
12/1/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Our path is already paved with the insults, accusations and calumny of our fellow citizens. It will get worse.

We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that wide circles of the American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully.We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel and the anti-Gospel. This confrontation lies within the plans of divine providence. It is a trial which the whole Church must take up (Blessed John Paul II)

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CHESAPEAKE, VA (Catholic Online) - Two years before becoming Pope, Karol Cardinal Wotyla spoke to the U.S. Bishops. His observation was republished in the Wall Street Journal on November 9, 1978: "We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that wide circles of the American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully.We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel and the anti-Gospel. This confrontation lies within the plans of divine providence. It is a trial which the whole Church must take up."

And take it up we have. However, there is much, much more to do. The ground has shifted and the struggle is intensifying. Our cultural mission lies at the heart of what it means for us as Christians to be leaven, light, salt and the soul of the world. This is no time to retreat from culture, we must work for its conversion. What is needed are men and women of Christian courage.

The struggle we face in an increasingly hostile western culture involves a clash of worldviews, personal and corporate, and competing definitions of human freedom, human dignity, and human flourishing. We need to see our struggle in light of our own Christian history. I do not care how modern the issues of this age purport to be, humans do not change all that much, at least without grace. We need to engage the dictatorship of relativism which claims there are no truths and insist that there is Truth, it can be known - and it must govern our lives. This means facing persecution. Our path is already paved with the insults, accusations and calumny of our fellow citizens. It will get worse.

We are accused of being against progress and anti-science for defending the dignity of every human life - including the lives of our first neighbors in the womb. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are Pro-life because it is right. Science exists to serve the person, the family and the common good. In an age deluded by the architects of a cultural order of death we will never compromise on the truth concerning the dignity of every human life from conception through natural death. Science confirms what our conscience confirmed, those little girls and boys in the womb are our neighbors. It is always wrong to intentionally kill our innocent neighbors. To say and do otherwise is barbaric.

We insist that true marriage and family have been inscribed by the Divine Architect into the order of the universe. That is because they have. Truth does not change, people and cultures do; sometimes for good and sometimes for evil. Marriage is the first society into which children are to be born, learn to be fully human, grow in virtue, flourish and take their role in families and communities. We must not be afraid to make the claim that children have a right to a mother and a father. They do. Of course we care about the single parent family and the many broken homes. However, their existence does not change the norm necessary for a stable and healthy society. In tact marriages and families are the glue of a healthy and happy social order. We need to be a visible, palpable reflection of this truth about marriage and family in our own lives. To live a faithful marriage is now countercultural.

Our convictions and claims concerning life and marriage are not outdated notions of a past era but provide the path to the future. We also insist upon the existence of a Natural Moral Law which can be known by all men and women through the exercise of reason. This is not only a Christian position. It is the ground upon which every great civilization has been built. It is the source for every great and authentic human and civil rights movement. The Natural Law gives us the moral norms we need to build societies and govern ourselves. It must also inform our positive law or we will become lawless and devolve into anarchy.

The early Church was sent into cultures filled with people who thought they were advanced in light of the arts and sciences of their day. Yet, those cultures practiced primitive forms of abortion and even exposure, a practice of leaving unwanted children on rocks to be eaten by birds of prey or picked up by slave traders. Ancient Christian manuscripts such as the Didache (the Teaching of the Twelve), the Letter to Diognetus and other early Christian sources reveal that the early Christians were called to live in and transform cultures mush like our own. Cultures of use where people were treated as property, cultures of excess where freedom was perceived as a power over others and license masqueraded as liberty. They changed them from within.

Many of the gods and goddesses of the old pagan regimes they faced promoted lives of selfish excess, homosexual practices, and hedonism masquerading as ...

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1 - 10 of 13 Comments

Angele
5 months ago

The most important this I discovered this year is this:
Christians are RICH of the ability to forgive
Not many cultures encourage forgiveness as Christianity.
Jesus's answer: "One must forgive 77x7times" has been a guideline in my life;
and it is only this year that I realised that it is not the same for all cultures
In my multi racial country I met (non-christian) brothers not on speaking terms over football team... I was proud to tell that person: "Had u been Christian this feud would have ended a long time ago"
May the light love & peach of the AllMighty remain in our lives
DLL
5 months ago
Christianity is a religion that has faith that society will choose the greater good over the evil or poor choice. The family is father,mother,child and it is in family that the child forms in communion with a justice that is for the greater good. Justice for the greater good should be the goal of any society,because society in itself is community,a communion of personalities,meant to act together constructively for actuating the goals for achieving the greater good. Primitive and pagan societies governed by lesser effects,even evil practices,must in the end find their way to a better more harmonious,way of life. Evil forces are fires of destruction in all societies. If evil practices become the law that governs the practices of any nation then violent revolution from within seems to be the trend for changing it. This is a great evil. Unjust laws once enacted become deliberate laws to govern and oppress whole societies of governed people's. Hitlers Germany is a great evil for example and it took great violence and the death of many poor souls before this force of deliberate evil intent could be permanently extinguished. The fight against AIDS is first of all to teach sexual abstinence for instance. Sexual abstinence is not a popular world view. AIDS and other sexual diseases are the sad result for many of those afflicted by such diseases. Chastity is necessary for sexual health reasons. It is the greater good. Today it is not politically correct to make this even a reasonable viewpoint. Medical science will find a way to minimize the effects of these diseases but at very great financial costs. This is necessary but the contagion can be stopped by the practice of chastity,as well as the practice of marriage,as only being between one man and one woman. This is a juggle mental position as the greater good is not the choice for sound judgement on this issue anymore. The war between good and evil is that out of necessity,eventually the greater good must win. Harmony in society is action for all,is so all,can be governed by that which is the greatest good. Chaos is when people's or their governments choose to have rights without responsibility,except to simply enact and force agendas of evil,that are clearly not for the common good. Christ is the way,truth and the life. This is not the world view. Harmony for all people and the happiness of all people would be achieved if all people accepted Christ. Christ represents the greater good. The second coming of Christ could well be when the whole world finally accepts the fact that Christ is representative of the harmonious truth that is God,as God is as he says he is,"I Am". When God is we are. When God is not we are not. Chaos governs the pagans of history. Harmony rules all and all will willingly submit to the greater good,only when all share ultimately in the power of the Holy Spirit,that Spirit that re-news enlightens and enriches the life of each and every individual. Individual as well as societal freedom is a natural acceptance for self and a community of government,as well as the governed,that willingly submits to obedience to God. Christ represents to rule by love and God is the foundation for the rule. Christ is as we must all out of necessity be,obedient to God,because God is Love. The greater good is God. The ultimate world view is the Catholic one,but only if all universally believe in,have trust and faith in, and are obedient to God. Love is the rule of time and eternity. God is the source of all Love. All are created to be governed by love. Love is the greater good! Love is that strong foundation on which all can build on to create and maintain the greater good that ultimately eliminates evil as any sort of a choice to begin with.
Shalomi
5 months ago
To fight the anti Christ,we must realize a lot of truths of which 2 things are very much important.
1. We cannot fight him individually but as the Church, the one body with Christ as our head, we should fight.
2. Church is not merely the building in which we gather but it is we our self. Church ,the body of Christ is living! and it is us!

Word of God as the Spirit is the weapon. Hence we should start reading bible to know God's heart. Amen.

Visit www.lsm.org to know more about what God wants from us.
Emma
5 months ago
My husband is involved in contemporary Christian Music. When we're on the road during the summer, I see great reason for hope! Festivals and concert halls are packed with adolescents and young adults. These young people are fully aware that these are Christian Venues . They hunger for God! I do admit to wondering where they go and to what circumstances they return when the music stops and the lights dim, but I truly cannot, after witnessing their evident love for the message of the Gospel, accept that this is the time to retreat and sit on the sidelines! This is a generation that has not heard the Word of God spoken : neither in their homes nor schools. The majority, I dare say, do not attend churches. They are young and searching, but not a lost cause! They need us! They need Christ! They just don't know how to find Him! Following one concert this past summer some young people had been waiting in the parking lot by the bus. Young girls, about 13 yrs old, they asked for autographs, then a short conversation followed. One of these children had asked what church he attended, he identified himself as Catholic. This child was definitely surprised. Her response, tho not verbatim, "But you're Christian too, right? " Which led to further dialogue and ministry. I have to wonder about the naysayers. I honestly do. Our first and foremost calling is to worship God and bring souls to Christ! Not keep Him to ourselves! Jesus made it very clear, "Go out into the world and teach all nations! " The Holy Spirit gifted the first apostles with many different languages just so they could take Christ out into the world! Surely, we can speak to those who are lost in their own language. Unless we do, we are selfishly hoarding God and doing nothing other than "preaching to the choir!"
vance
5 months ago
Stephen, we will wake up when the USCCB wakes up.
Stephen
5 months ago
SYSTEMATIC CORRUPTION OF CULTURE! As revealed by former American communist leader Bella Dodd to Bishop Sheen, she said of the de-Christianizing of western civilization, "If the agenda ilk have their way, you won't recognize America fifty years from now." She was right! She revealed the agenda in the 1950s.... This all "didn't just happen" randomly from some mysterious and unforeseen forces of secularism. This demise has been incrementally planned to bring the Christian Republic to its knees. When will we wake up?
Tom McGuire
5 months ago
Think back to 1978. Maybe the Pope had in mind the forces of destruction of human life which which dominated human affairs at that time. The Cultural Revolution in China was ending; more then one quarter of the population was torn apart during the previous ten years. Children were recruited to destroy all that was old in an effort to transform an ancient culture. Violent revolution against autocratic regimes imitated the Chinese model in many parts of the world at that time. Today we have what is happening in the Middle East. The Pope’s vision of the challenges confronting the Church then and now reflect the signs of the times on a world wide level.

The 1999 document Pastoral Approach to Culture makes positive contributions on how the Church can meet the challenges of today. Challenges that are not to be found just in the Western World. As the document states in a very positive way there is a need to re-formulate the Christian faith to be more accessible to dominant culture.

“All over the world, a whole new range of possibilities is opening up for a pastoral approach to culture to bring the light of Christ's Gospel to the hearts of men. On many points there needs to be a re-formulation of Christian faith which is more accessible to dominant cultures, because of the competition caused by the profusion on all sides of diffuse forms of religiosity.”

Let us together reflect on this point. There are challenges to human dignity in every area of human activity, also opportunities. Can we begin to move beyond rhetoric of condemnation of the dictatorship of relativism and the evils of secularism and begin to find areas where human dignity and freedom is supported in today’s world?. Can we engage in dialogue with those who disagree with us rather than condemn? Reformulation requires coming to a deeper understanding of the culture and the ability to speak in the language of the culture. Our model is the Incarnation which we prepare to celebrate during Advent.
JoAnn
5 months ago
This picture only shows me what all the people that voted for Obama to run this country for 4 more years look like. God bless.
Jane hartman
5 months ago
As a convert to the Catholic Church, I feel as though much of our problem exists because many Catholics, perhaps even the majority of Catholics pick and choose their Catholicism. I was so surprised at the Catholic vote for president indicating that Catholics aprove of Obama's policies. We are a divided lot and that works into the side of evil, as "divide and conquer" is a game plan for them. If we as practicing Catholics and devout Protestants regardless of denomination would stand together on these issues, we would be an army for good.
mike robertson
5 months ago
Beautiful article. I was in the bank shortly before the recent tragic election. The famous young woman demanding taxpayer subsidized birth control up to $3000 per month was on the TV along with the radio personality who apologized for calling her a bad name. The bank teller looked at me and said "What's wrong with that man, telling that woman she can't have what she needs?!" She assumed only an alien from another galaxy would not agree with the "poor" woman. But I am not a Catholic democrat. I told the teller "I would not want my daughter talking that way". The teller kept quiet and finished doing her job. Just a small case of how we must fight for God and His Church. It made me feel really good. No wonder the Catholic democrats' candidate said he was proud of this woman-who is advocating an immoral lifestyle and setting a wretched example for our girls and young women, If she was my daughter, I would be ashamed of her. But the Catholic democrats' hero not only advocates stealing our money to pay for this woman's chosen immoral lifestyle. He advocates giving what God calls an "abomination" the same status as Holy Matrimony. He is waging an unprovoked war against the Church for her adherence to God's laws. And he advocates the legal killing of children even after they survive the attempt to murder them in their mom's womb. So I will never give up standing up for Truth against the corrupt social policy voted for by Catholic democrats. P.S. Their economic policy is brutal, too.

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