“There are ultimately only two possible adjustments to life; one is to suit our lives to principles; the other is to suit principles to our lives. If we do not live as we think, we soon begin to think as we live. The method of adjusting moral principles to the way men live is just a perversion of the order of things.” ~ Archbishop Fulton Sheen
It generally amazes me — and saddens me — when I see people who had at one time been solid in the faith begin to change their ways and accept the ways of the world. At one time, they lived very principled lives. They knew what the faith taught and they did all that they could to live by those teachings. However, the world began to wear them down.
Yes. The world is very good at what it does. It has a set of “principles” that go contrary to God and it puts them out there front and center for all to see. Not only are the principles of the world put out there, they are presented as being completely normal. If someone goes contrary to them, they are often the ones who are called wrong.
Let’s be really clear about this. Just because the vast majority accepts the principles of the world doesn’t make the world right. This fits in to the old saying that our parents used on us all the time, “If all your friends jump off a cliff, are you going to as well?” The world would want us to do just that. The world wants us to be a bunch of lemmings who follow one another blindly and who ultimately follow one another right off the edge of a cliff to our doom.
I see a lot of this happening on social media right now. Christianity is under fire. If someone writes about Christian virtues and principles, that person is castigated and blamed for hate speech. As a matter of fact, merely for being a follower of Christ and writing the truth, many have had their accounts locked or deleted. The world is working hard at removing witnesses to the Lord and replacing them with witnesses to the world.
The world can try to normalize actions, behaviors, and attitudes as much as it wants. The world might even get significant majorities embracing its so called values. That doesn’t make them right or proper. Right is still right and wrong is still wrong. The major problem comes about when people who used to lived valued lives choose to accept the values of the world. They act as witnesses to those who followed them and they can lead others astray.
Don’t be a lemming. Don’t be a sheep who blindly follows a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Cling to what you know to be true. Reject the falsities of the world. Ask God for the grace to discern between right and wrong, good and bad. In addition, ask God for the courage to remain steadfast in your faith.
FAITH ACTION: Know the principles of the faith. Accept the principles of the faith. Live the principles of the faith.