Combating the Secularization of our Society

It can be said that the mission of the Catholic Church is the eternal salvation of all mankind.  Believing that Jesus Christ is the son of God and that he, Jesus, founded the Catholic Church means that the best chance for anyone to achieve this eternal salvation is to be baptized into the Catholic Church and be subject to its teachings.  There is much we could add to this basic truth, such as the fact that sin is present all around us, that divine grace is the only remedy for sin, and that the best source of divine grace is from the sacraments that have been instituted by Jesus and entrusted by Jesus to his Church, the Catholic Church. 

But today, I’m thinking about how our culture, and, sadly, our government, seem to be in the business of secularizing our society and making this mission of our beloved Church more difficult, if not impossible.  Abortion, which the Church considers is the taking of a human life, a mortal sin, is now a legally protected right.  Prayer, whether taught to us directly by Jesus (think – the Lord’s Prayer) or initiated by our own human creativity, is now banned in public schools, such as at graduation ceremonies.  Private enterprise is now being forced to make activity that the Church considers to gravely sinful to be important, and even required, in their company bylaws and benefits.  Marriage between a woman and another woman or between a man and another man, which the Church considers a license to commit sin, is being legally sanctioned by our country’s laws.  Women’s bathrooms can be used by a man who believes he is a woman and men’s bathrooms can be used by a woman who believes she is a man.

Okay, others have a belief system that differs from the Catholic system.  They believe that the culture and the government should support their belief system too, and give them rights exemplified by the above examples.  There is some measure of common sense here.  The two divergent systems traditionally have been free to protect their believers and allow them the freedom to exercise their respective beliefs as they see fit.  But wait … even that is being taken away!  Religious liberty is being taken away.  For example, a business operated by a devoted Catholic, or that is itself a Catholic enterprise, is being required by law to offer a health care plan that includes prescribing artificial birth control pills and allowing abortion options.  This makes operating the business or enterprise a sinful endeavor and if the owner wants to follow Church teaching and be free from sin, he/she must close up shop.

The worst part is that there are Catholics in government positions (legislators, jurists, cabinet members) who support these dreadful actions.  Devoted Catholics, such as myself, are horrified.  How do we handle it?  Prayer is quickly becoming our only option.  I have begun a personal prayer regimen.  I have been attending Mass daily to offer the greatest prayer I know, the Mass, for the good of our beloved country.  I’m considering also offering a daily rosary for the same intention.  Our country is off-track and we need the help of powerful allies such as the Blessed Mother to keep us from destroying ourselves.  This was, after all, her message during her apparition at Fatima, Portugal, in 1917.  The eternal salvation of all mankind is the mission of our beloved Catholic Church.  Let us make use of our weapons.  Amen.