The spirit of relativism, which rules our society, insists that any choice we make, as long as it makes us “feel good,” is the right choice. God tells us that isn’t so. We have two choices, God, or not God. This is the question Joshua asks the Israelites just before his death after recounting the journey to the promised land of which he was a principle leader. (Joshua 24:15)
“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.” Lk 11:23
“Before a man are life and death, good and evil, and whichever he chooses will be given him.” (Sir 15:17)
This can pose great difficulty in our daily lives as so many things don’t seem to boil down to a simple black and white decision. So how do we approach life? Rather than just barreling through life and “winging it” we need to build a firm foundation for our lives so that when a situation presents itself we instinctively know what to do. This is called forming our consciences and conforming them to God.
Having served over 23 years in the military, I am aware this is how we prepared ourselves for daily events and especially for special events like refueling at sea or launching and recovering aircraft. We practiced, rehearsed, and continually reviewed proper procedures. If you didn’t do this or were prevented by distractions like DEI indoctrination, ships collided, ran aground, planes crashed, people died. Training had to be a priority, especially where safety was concerned. Doing the right thing became instinctive.
And practice and continued preparation is the way of spiritual warfare. When we sit back and become complacent or convince ourselves that we are “good” and do only the bare minimum (and even be selective about adhering to our faith), the devil has the upper hand.
And so we are called to choose; the way of God or the way of the devil. As Joshua told the Israelites on entering the promised land, “Choose whom you will serve… [secular gods], the gods in whose country you are dwelling. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) The secular call to “tolerance” rather than admonishing the sinner, puts us on the wide, easy path, which many follow. “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Mt 7:13-14
Our secular society and even religious leaders have been caught up in the intolerance of tolerance, calling good things evil and, rather than calling out sinners as is their duty, actually preach on accepting sin as the new normal. The Episcopal bishop of Washington, D.C., Mariann Budde, at the inauguration prayer service, called for acceptance of “the people in our country who are scared now,” Budde said. “There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children…” As seems to be the trend in so many religious leaders today, the message of sin and repentance is Catholic Vote characterizes Bishop Budde and the congregation she represents as follows: “The Episcopal Church to which the prelate belongs is a liberal mainline Protestant denomination that supports abortion, same-sex “marriage,” the subjection of children to experimental sexual surgeries, and the ordination of women.” All of these positions are highly political and are contrary to Catholic teaching.
“For mercy and wrath are with the Lord; he is mighty to forgive, and he pours out wrath. As great as his mercy, so great is also his reproof, he will judge a man according to his deeds.” Sir 16:11-12
And repentance comes after acknowledging our sin, which too many people are reluctant to do, and religious leaders seem to avoid teaching on it. In this way, they are misleading and failing the flock as God described in Ezekiel 34 and Jesus described of the scribes and pharisees in John’s gospel: “Jesus said, ‘For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and those who see may become blind.’ Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and they said to him, ‘Are we also blind?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, ‘we see,’ your guilt remains.’” (John 9:39-41)
“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” (Is 5:20-21)
Giving lip-service to the teachings of Christ while acting contrary to His teaching, especially where sin is concerned, is not an act of love of neighbor. If you love someone, you look out for what is good for them; the common good. Leading them into or even being lukewarm about them heading toward the cliff of sin is not love. “The only way one can ever prove love is by making an act of choice; mere words are not enough.” (Sheen, On the Demonic) Compassion for sinners does not mean we condone their sin.
The following quotes from Scripture and leaders of Christian teaching attest to the binary aspect of salvation.
“And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does what is true comes to the light, that it may be clearly seen that his deeds have been wrought in God.” (Jn 3:19-21)
“There is but one good; that is God. Everything else is good when it looks to Him and bad when it turns from Him.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
“Moral principles do not depend on a majority vote. Wrong is wrong, even if everybody is wrong. Right is right, even if nobody is right.” Fulton J. Sheen
“Very few people believe in the devil these days, which suits the devil very well He is always helping to circulate the news of his own death. The essence of God is existence, and he defines himself as: ‘I am who am.’ The essence of the devil is the lie, and he defines himself as” ‘I am who am not.’ Satan has very little trouble with those who do not believe in him; they are already on his side.” Fulton J. Sheen
“God has to keep reminding us of the two most obvious truths in the world: that we are not him, and that he is not us.” Dr. Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul, Cycle C,
Straddling the fence is not a viable option. Cafeteria, liberal, and progressive Catholics should take note. Form your conscience in accordance with Church teaching and live your faith. Witness is more effective than preaching; actions speak louder than words.
Image: Nicolas Poussin
Jesus Christ is King
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