Dear Deacon John,
We are the Borg. Lower your
shields and surrender your ships. We will add your biological and
technological distinctiveness to our own. Your culture will adapt to
service us. Resistance is futile.
[Wikipedia photo]
In
the fictional universe of Star Trek, the Borg are a collection of
species that have been turned into cybernetic organisms functioning as
drones in "The Collective," which acts in a hive mentality. They
assimilate new species into the Collective thus adding the new
acquisition's intellect and abilities. As part of the Borg, those
assimilated become a small part of The Collective, and lose all sense
of individuality.
Sounds familiar? It should because
this is the ultimate goal of the ideologies plaguing our culture today -
individualism and cultural relativism.
The number of
Catholics in the US hovers around 70 million. Many see the Catholic
Church in the US as respected and influential precisely to the extent
that we hobnob with the elite and get people to like us. That's how we
make ourselves relevant.
On this view, the goal is to
"build bridges." Anything distinctively Catholic and Christian can be
set aside until later. Once we have enough influence and relevance,
then we (someday) can bring Christ back into the conversation.
But
after decades of this failed strategy, still many strive to blend into
an increasingly hostile culture, and most Catholics have no idea what
the Church believes anymore or what is distinctive about her. We have
been assimilated, and our assimilation into "The American Collective"
has been disastrous.
Supported by a steady and
gradual death of conscience, Catholics in the US rationalize immoral
behavior and the politics that flow from acceptance of this behavior
that is contrary to the teaching of Jesus and His Church. And still many
are afraid to offend, setting Christ and His teaching aside in the
search for relevance.
Over the last few weeks we have
seen a number of articles from Catholic leaders concerning the upcoming
elections. This is welcome and entirely appropriate, despite what some
say. Yet, sadly, we are left trying to do in a couple weeks what many
have set aside for decades and it will likely have little effect. We
have done very little to influence the pool of potential candidates -
Catholic and non-Catholic. Although there have been faithful and
countercultural examples of courageous leadership in the Church all
along, and it seems that pockets of resistance continue to grow, as a
whole we have failed to authentically teach the Faith and reject
assimilation into the culture. In the last few decades, Catholics as a
bloc have become indistinguishable from non-Catholics, voting for some
of the vilest opponents of Catholic teaching, especially concerning the
sanctity of human life. Most notable was Barack Obama, who received a
majority of Catholic votes in both presidential elections.
Catholics
in the US are radically divided on the doctrinal and moral issues of
contraception, abortion, same-sex unions, sex education, and gender
ideology. Political candidates and their respective parties exploit this
reality. Further exasperating the problem, many Catholics who rise to
public service, instead of incorporating Faith into their leadership
duties, have caused scandal and confusion by their dissent from Church
teaching and endorsement of secular culture: Joe Biden, Anthony Kennedy,
John Kerry, Tim Kaine, and Nancy Pelosi, just to name a few.
As
a Catholic am I supposed to endorse the immoral laws and behavior of
this nation carte blanche because we live in an imperfect culture among
an imperfect people? Am I to ignore my identity as Catholic - a
disciple of Jesus Christ - because it offends others? Am I to remain
silent to the injustice done to the most vulnerable of our society -
the unborn child - because my government says it is legal to kill the
baby? Am I am to accept and pretend that the redefinition of marriage
and gender ideology are morally sound?
It may seem at
times that our efforts do not bear fruit. We see some victories, but
overall it is clear that God is granting our nation its collective
desire for a false "freedom" cut off from Him. But, my friends,
resistance to evil and a refusal to be assimilated is never futile!
Consider
a married Catholic couple I recently met. They told me they changed
their circle of friends because their friends' immoral behavior was
harmful to their family life, especially for their children. At first
they tried to patiently influence their friends, but when all attempts
failed, they had to decide what was best for their family.
A
medical doctor I recently met abroad was being persecuted because he
will not write a prescription for contraception. He is being threatened
with the loss of his license and potential livelihood. After numerous
failed attempts to defend his freedom of conscience, he now is forced
to move his family and practice to a new country.
Did
this couple and the doctor make the right choices? Should the doctor
have compromised -- assimilated -- and continued to partner with those
he did not agree with because he could still do good work as a doctor
-- helping people in need? Should the married couple have maintained
their friendship -- assimilated -- hoping that change would occur over
time while tolerating the negative impact upon their children?
Keep
watch over your manner of life, dear people, and make sure that you
are indeed the Lord's laborers. Each person should take into account
what he does and consider if he is laboring in the vineyard of the
Lord. - St. Gregory the Great
The command of the
Lord Jesus, "You too go into my vineyard" is a universal call that
echoes in every generation and is addressed to every one of us.
Catholics in the US are not exempt from this duty in Christ, but as
with every generation of disciples, the Lord Jesus is sending us out to
the byroads and marketplaces to proclaim the Good News -- Jesus is
Lord and by His cross He has defeated sin and death!
We
will shortly know the consequences of the elections, but no mater
their outcome the task and challenge before us is clear -- let us
recommit ourselves to true and heroic discipleship, while at the same
time defending life, family, the most vulnerable, and our Faith. Such a
commitment allows God to raise people of virtue, good moral character,
and skills worthy of leadership.
We have nothing to
fear as long as we live and act with courage and in Faith. Resistance
to evil is never futile; on the contrary, it is necessary.
