The Impact of the Catholic Church on Western Culture cannot be Understated

Can you be rational and believe the stories of the bible? How is believing that the sun will rise and fall everyday or that the trees will lose their leaves and flowers and die, but magically be reborn in the spring? Can a creator who designs a universe as complex as ours and a little blue planet called Earth with numerous factors that have to work in synergy to create life, be any more believable than someone rising from the dead? To me, the latter seems a heck of a lot more plausible to believe.

It seems to me that, as the western culture has become more comfortable and slothy, the vainer it has become. Believing it's responsible for all the wonders and that some entity called "nature", by itself, is responsible for everything by fluke or coincidence, instead of a creator, God. It reminds me of the Garden of Eden where the snake lies to Eve, convincing her that God doesn't want her to know the truth because if she does, then she will be like God. Similarly, I believe our human brokenness wants us to believe the lie, taking full responsibility for our good fortune but yet, rarely taking accountability for what's wrong with the world and often blaming God for it, if he even exists. It reminds me of a story I heard recently about somebody asking, if there was a God why would he allow such poverty and misery in Haiti? The answer was better put, maybe God is looking down at us asking, "why aren't you doing anything about it?"

History shows us as a culture gets softer and more self-indulgent, it will only lead to unpreparedness and destruction. I can’t help but think of a comparison of our culture with that of the Roman Empire. I am sure that every Roman generation grew up believing that they would enjoy the glorious past of their fathers and grandfathers, and that their children would enjoy it as well. Yet one day, one of those generations woke up and there were the barbarians at the gate. Enemies that came and stole a future which was taken for granted. Can you imagine being that last generation believing that your future and that of your children would be rich but then watch it snatched away?

This being unprepared reminds me of so many parables in the Gospels where Jesus warns about being prepared and ready for judgment. Like the story of the thief coming at night to break into the man's house or the one of the lamps being ready with oil, and so many more. The constant warning from Jesus about being prepared for our final judgment is also plenty relevant for modern cultures, to not take for granted that tomorrow will be like today. Because if you do, there will be another set of Gauls, Germanics or barbarians at your door when it's dark, putting you and your children in chains either literally or metaphorically. You only need to look around the modern world today to see plenty of examples of what happens to those who are unprepared.

Contrast this with, where would the modern world be without Christian values. Maybe something like this, abortion on demand, gender confusion, violence, theft, murder… complete anarchy, where the strong survive and the weak get crushed. However, conversely with Christianity, its effect on the western culture is generosity, volunteerism, charity, respect, tolerance, love for others who don't look like us, and pray for those who persecute you. How can any rational person deny this, when all you need to do is look around the world in areas where Christianity is minimal or non-existent and you witness some of the most soulless behavior on the planet.

The transformation of our culture develops from numerous fronts. Our individual and society’s moral compass is shaped by nature, yes, who we are born as, but as well from nurture, the lessons and values taught, what our teachers present being right from wrong, and our encounters with others. It’s the sum of these and other factors that construct our values and behavior. Stirring into all this our interactions with others, the transformation of our communities, countries and the world takes shape, either positively or negatively, depending on the total sum of our individual and cultural influences.

As individuals we often ask ourselves, what can I do to change the world, even my own little piece of it? To me, the answer is as we evangelize through our words and our actions, we only need to keep our focus on Jesus. We may only impact and transform our own heart and soul or maybe that of our family and our small sphere of influence, or, who knows maybe great numbers or countries. Whatever our impact, if we pray to do it with humility and without self-glorification, I am confident with all my being, that when our day comes that our ticket is punched on this Earth, that we will be embraced and told, "well done my loyal and faithful servant."

Photo credit for this blog post: Wikimedia Commons, File: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris 16 avril 2019.jpg

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