Musings of a different type.

It occurred to me the other day, while praying my rosary, that we Christians too often intellectually understand that we are sinners and that Jesus died for our sins, but do we really comprehend what that means?

We are in a time of turmoil nationally, which means that many of us are in a time of turmoil personally. We have budget problems; we have moral problems; we have marital problems. You get the drift. Each area of our lives, however, presents an occasion for sin. We can cheat our employers at work or “fudge” on our tax forms; we can lie or let moral obligations slide; we can entertain the idea of cheating on our spouses. Our children see our confusion and observe closely how we handle these temptations and trials. It is my belief that a person’s character is reflected in what he/she does when no one knows about it. I also believe that there is always someone watching. That is why criminals get caught and children learn not to respect their parents. But a sermon is not my intent here. My meditations initiated these thoughts the other day, but they led me in another direction as well.

While mulling over occasions of sin, it occurred to me that people with whom I disagree, who make me angry with their ideas and policies, are humans too, also subject to God’s commandments. Should I not shudder for the state of their souls rather than rail at their wrong-headedness? Should I not be sad to think of the eternal reward in store for those who advocate abortion, for instance? What about the generations of people, who since the early 20^th century have rushed this nation headlong into a “godless” society, pushing God out of our schools, out of our government, out of our lives? Have I prayed for them? Have I done enough to inform them of God’s rightful place in this world? Have I allowed disrespect for God in my presence because I didn’t want to offend someone? How offended was God at these actions—or inactions--of ours? How complicit are we in these Progressivist goals? Have we really worked hard enough to ensure a place for Him in the world today? The Creator of our Universe has been pushed aside in favor of “multiculturalism” and “political correctness.” What is our responsibility now?

Each of us must seek the answer to that question in the recesses of his/her soul when communing with our God, but we must do it. I do believe that the only hope for the future of this nation—indeed our own personal future—is a return to the principles of Christianity, most of which, of course are based in the history of Judaism as well. We must love our neighbor—even our enemies. We must pray for those who revile us and despise us. The Passion of our Lord is the perfect example for us to follow: we must take up whatever crosses come our way in life, with reverence, and embrace them, as Jesus did. We must sacrifice for our enemies by praying for them and forgiving them, heaping “coals of fire” on their heads in so doing. We must at the same time learn to stand up and rebuke the evil in this world. We must not recoil from speaking out because it might offend someone. If the thought is right in secret, it is right in public.

Political correctness must die. We must execute it. I do not mean that we need to be mean-spirited or cruel, but we cannot hold back when our God is reviled, when our flag is desecrated, when our core values are insulted and devalued. We must stand up for them and for ourselves, or we deserve the same punishment and sorrow that will be heaped upon the enemies of God on Judgment Day. We deserve the kind of life we will have if the Progressives get their way. The inertia of inaction cannot be tolerated any more. We must act.