We live in such confusing times, don’t we?
The community of believers were of one mind and one heart.
Not so much. That verse from Acts is clearly not evident in the Christian community today, not even in our Catholic parishes. Since that is the case, we certainly cannot be surprised at the lack of unity in the blog-o-sphere, amongst fellow Catholics, can we? We all may be Catholics but we all sure seem to have different opinions about Catholic teaching.
Live and let live - it doesn’t affect me.
Having said that, many people struggle with very real issues concerning faith and morals and Church teaching. For instance, I never gave abortion a second thought for a very long time - I wasn’t married, I wasn’t in a relationship, I wasn’t having sex - so the whole issue of contraception and abortion seemed not to apply to me. I did indeed consider it a woman’s issue and therefore up to them. I changed my mind when I saw that a fetus was really a baby and not just tissue, and that being ripped apart to remove from the mother’s womb was indeed murder. Yet, before my discovery, I was still Catholic and going to daily Mass and Communion, all the while never giving the abortion holocaust a second thought.
Everyone is doing it.
An analysis of cohabitation, marriage and divorce data from 13 countries, including the United States, shows living together has become mainstream, USA Today reported. - Source
It was the same thing with my friends who lived together without benefit of marriage. They had been raised Catholic but no longer accepted Church teaching, some went to Mass and some did not. Some even went to communal penance services. Yes, I explained to them the need to go to one on one confession - but they disagreed. I didn’t nag them, stand up on the couch and yell at them. I pray for them. They know how I believe and how I have accepted Church teaching - which at times seems to be in opposition to everything they believe in. Each of us professes to be Catholic, and each of us go to our respective parishes for Mass.
Sin becomes virtue.
In the same way, contraception is practiced by many Catholic couples, as well as young Catholic single women, often encouraged by their Catholic moms. Few people bat an eye over such a revelation, and non-Catholics definitely think contraception is just fine. That said, how many today understand that before the pill became popular, contraception was a dirty word, a shameful practice? And of course, abortion was once considered a heinous crime as well. Legalization and popular opinion changed all of that… especially for Roman Catholics who follow their “conscience” in opposition to Church teaching. Constant propaganda, political lobbying, and education has facilitated our moral decline.
Grassroots.
“We need to start with states where we have the best odds of winning. When we’ve won in a critical mass of states, we can turn to Congress and the federal courts.” - Source
Likewise, the same can be said for gay issues. The most effective tactics for promoting the homosexual lifestyle is first of all increasing society’s awareness of the presence of gay people; “We are everywhere”. Outing people and encouraging others to “come out” is fundamental here. Then showing the “best side” of gay life is of prime importance in gaining acceptance and recognition. Even homosexuals who decide to reform their lives and live according to Catholic teaching are frequently encouraged to accept their orientation as a gift from God. All of these attitudes work together to give the impression that homosexuality is a God-given natural variant of human sexuality.
It has been an erosion process. A more or less quiet revolution that has been going on throughout the 20th century. The true way has been made subject to contempt. - 2 Peter 2:2
