It is no surprise that secularism continues to rise in the world and particularly in those countries which had a Christian tradition. God is placed further and further away from ordinary life and eventually has no part in decision making. Humanistic ethics has replaced solid morality based God’s laws including the natural law. The symptoms of this are divorce, concubinage, abortion, pornography, promiscuity, violence, increase in the use of drugs, and contempt for Christian teachings. People are more and more becoming dehumanized.
Pope Pius XII had this to say:
Not infrequently as a result of laicism the individual citizen, the life of the family, and of the commonwealth as a whole are all removed from the beneficent and wholesome influence of God and his Church. Day by day, the symbols and symptoms of those errors which corrupted the heathens of old, declare themselves more plainly and more lamentably. And all this in parts of the world where the light of Christian civilization has shone for centuries. (Summi Pontificatus, Oct 20, 1939)
This was written 70 years ago. We can well understand why because of the aggression of Nazism and Communism at that time. But are things so different today. Is there not always the beast at the door—the beast of power and control?
God gave us his laws for the purpose of protecting each person and human society. He wants us to be happy in this life as well as in the next. The disregard of each Commandment brings about some measure of misery to greater or lesser extent. Keeping God’s laws help us to respect Him and each other. We Christians must be the salt of the earth and the light to the world. We must be faithful and good spouses, peaceful, pure, and honest. We must give the example of respecting ourselves and each other; that is, we must see ourselves and others as children of God whom He loves dearly.
Each of us can ask: What can I do to make God more present in my family, in my neighborhood, in my workplace, in my school? We need Him; the world needs Him.
Fr. Stanley
