The World Longs to Move in a New Direction
Last week the world watched as over 3 million people from around the world assembled on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to hear a simple, but profound message of love and hope. They came to hear a message about turning back to God, and away from the trappings of this world. The message was delivered with intellectual integrity because it was given by a man who has shunned the trappings of his office as Pope.
Pope Francis carries his own bags, lives in a spartan apartment and not the lavish living quarters previous Popes have used. He is driven about in a modest car, and not a limo. He is admired because he practices what he preaches. Pope Francis spoke of the need for today’s youth to take back the church, and to take to the streets to preach and share the Good News.
The Pope has struck out a new course for the church, one of fixing the world’s ills not from the pulpit…but from the pew. Pope Francis, in his infinite wisdom, knows that God’s message must be spread one heart at a time.
For too long the world; and especially our own country, has looked for a political solution to the problems we face. Those folks we have sent to Washington have tried to keep us dependent upon them to solve the problems on Main Street…not because it is the best way to solve our problems, but because it is the best way for our politicians to bask in the power of their office. Unlike the Pope, our leaders have become addicted to the trappings of their office. They aren’t about solving problems, just maintaining their standard of living…at the expense of ours.
We need to see the wisdom in the Pope’s logic…just as the church must be reformed from the pew and not from the pulpit…our country needs to be reformed one citizen at a time as well.
We need to understand that those who have been blessed have a moral responsibility to help those in need…but those in need also have a moral obligation to use the talents and gifts God has given them to be the best they can be as well. Just as it is morally unjust to withhold help, it is just as morally unjust to ask for help that isn’t needed.
Our prisons will continue to overflow until those committing crimes understand that they are not only failing themselves…but they are failing God as well. We can continue to wring our hands as a society over our crime rates, but at some point each person needs to understand that they have a moral obligation to harm no one.
We will never solve our drug problem until each addict understands God’s love for them, and that they are valued and needed, and they are altering God’s plan for their life. Filling our churches will do more for the drug problem in this country than filling our drug rehab centers.
We will never stop the sex trafficking of the vulnerable among us, until the consumers of pornography turn away from the sin of exploiting others. You can lock up all the pimps you can corral, but if no one wanted to buy the filth in the first place, there would be no demand…and therefore, no money to be made. The sad little secret is that the demand for pornography is not just confined to the pervert on the street corner…it’s also on the computer screen in the den of a luxurious home in the suburbs too.
Each person wakes up every morning with hundreds of decisions to be made about themselves and their interaction with others. Without the moral compass of God, how can one choose the right path? If our world is to be saved, it must be saved one heart at a time. We need to see that all life is important, not because the state says it is, but because all life comes from God; and is therefore precious and worthy of love. Our country will not be saved by what happens in Washington, but by what happens in each and every home. I will leave you with this…
“What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” – Mother Teresa
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