Given from the Catholic Broadcasting Station 2SM Sydney Australia
Choose a topic from Vol 4:
That is because the maxims of the Catholic Church are the maxims of the Gospel, maxims which cannot be reconciled with the maxims of the world, the accepted standards of a corrupt society. That brings you to the cross-roads where you yourself must choose between them.
To that I would say: "So much the worse for the world, at least ultimately." I am well aware of the opposition you mention; and I agree that to live a thoroughly Catholic life in the environment of today is almost as difficult as the early Christians found it in the pagan atmosphere of ancient pagan Rome. But we must beware of exaggerations.
It is too extreme to say that almost everybody infected by the poison of materialism, and regards the neglect of religion and even the denial of God as normal. Also, where it is a question of divorce and remarriage, or of contraceptive birth control, there are still very many non-Catholics who condemn them equally with Catholics. However I have to admit that, with the ever-increasing driftage from religion outside the Catholic Church, the idea that there is nothing morally wrong with the abuses you mention is becoming more and more widespread. But we must keep in mind that what is morally wrong in itself does not cease to be morally wrong in itself merely because it becomes widespread and popular,
That is too sweeping. That there are a lot of unscrupulous men in the business world who would allow no moral principles to interfere with their schemes for gain I admit. But they do not constitute the whole of the business world by any means.
If that were true, then I would have to agree that no man could be a good Catholic, yet survive in the business world, Rather than adopt the immoral methods of his rivals he would have to close down, And there are individual eases where good Catholic men have gone out of business rather than resort to immoral and dishonest practices. But I could quote case after case where good Catholic men, who have positively refused to forsake sound Christian principles, have succeeded in their professional and business lives�certainly sufficiently well for all practical purposes. It may be that they have had to watch unscrupulous rivals attain to a more spectacular success; but they have remained quite contented with their own lot, feeling more than compensated by peace of conscience in the religious fidelity to the law of God,
That is true in certain cases and to a certain degree; although we must not take it for granted that all who do as they please without regard to the moral law are not guilty, Many are conscious that they are doing wrong. Many, not so clear about things, half-suspect that their conduct is wrong but refuse to think about it, yet they are as obliged before God as are Catholics to do what is right, even though it means sacrifice and suffering. They lack the will to serve God as they should; but no good Catholic could envy them that!
That idea is based on a wrong outlook altogether. If a person loves God he desires to know and to do God's will, even though it involves self-denial. He does not envy those who do not know God's will, who do not do it, and who give themselves up to self-indulgence of all kinds; without scruple. Again, such an outlook is based only on thoughts of the obligations of the Catholic religion, forgetting the privileges and consolations attached to its fervent practice. One cannot envy those who have freed themselves from the obligations of the Catholic religion at the expense of forfeiting its privileges. Thirdly, in his Epistle to the Romans, St. Paul declares that the penalty of irreligion is to be delivered up to darkness of mind and a reprobate sense which no longer esteems the moral law; and this he describes as God's just punishment of such irreligion. (Rom., I, 18-24). Where is the injustice that those who try to be faithful to God are not also delivered up to that darkness of mind and indifference to moral obligations? If you say that, whilst Catholics cannot do so, other people can sin with impunity, one can only ask who wants to be able to sin with impunity? A genuine Christian is not one who wants to live like a pagan but who refrains from doing so only through fear, and because he cannot do so with impunity. He is one who wants to do God's will, and who is therefore happy both to know that will and to make the self-sacrifice necessary to fulfil it. For the rest, where others seem to be able to sin with impunity, if they do sin it will not be with impunity; whilst in particular items, in which ignorance of the moral law excuses their wrong-doing they will have to account to God for their ignorance itself. And even if they are not blameworthy for their ignorance, their comfortable non-observance of God's law will forfeit the eternal merit and reward, very great in heaven according to Our Lord, due to those who have heard the Word of God and kept it. You can safely leave it to God to see that all the requirements of justice will be fulfilled.
You would become a Catholic properly if you received due instruction, attained to genuine faith in the Catholic religion, and were duly received into the Catholic Church by any priest. Then it would be for you to try to live up to the ideals of the Catholic religion in practice. You should, of course, have the intention of doing so to the very best of your ability, although you would soon find that success does not come all at once. But you would also find a definite and sure moral and spiritual guidance which would leave you in no doubt as to what God wants you to do. You would also find put at your disposal means of assistance in your efforts of which you have not hitherto had experience. And you would realize that the dogmatic authority of the Catholic Church in matters of faith and morals, to which so many ill-informed people object, is indeed one of the greatest blessings God has ever bestowed upon humanity.
"THAT CATHOLIC CHURCH
A Radio Analysis"
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