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ALIVE
IN CHRIST
Choosing Right or Wrong
Murder,
stealing, cheating is wrong and most people accept
these as wrong. But, how do you know if things are
right or wrong? Is it because someone told you or
you have deduced your conclusion from the dictates
of your conscience?
Our Catholic Faith teaches us that in order to determine
if things or an action is right or wrong, we must
appeal to an authority. This authority is the ‘natural
law.’ Natural law is as strong and binding as
physical laws such as gravity and energy. They do
not depend on our interpretation or feelings, they
exist independently. As the law of gravity was true
and it is still true today. We change but truth does
not.
Hence, when we define murder as wrong, it is wrong
regardless how angry we are, how much higher our status
than the victim and it makes no difference if the
person “deserves” it or not.
Reality is we choose or judge most of the times based
on our emotions and feelings. We look at the person
and not the issues he/she is saying. We choose one
over the other in consideration of our future. We
say yes even we know it is wrong because majority
says yes and we don’t want to go opposite the
tide.
We would even hear from our own ranks words such as:
‘What is true for you is not true for me’
-- ‘Don’t impose your values on me’
-- ‘You have no right to tell me what to do’?
These words are very popular. Unfortunately, they
have been taught in schools. How many teachers have
you heard say, “Come on guys, don’t be
scared. There is no right or wrong opinions.”
Pope Benedict XVI said: the belief that ‘the
intention’ is the main criterion for judging
the goodness of a person’s behaviour is ‘dangerous
subjectivism’, present in the culture of moral
relativism of our time. Even our very own Bp. Henry
said in one of his confirmation homilies: ‘good
intention is not enough.’
Abortion may be legal but it does not make it morally
right. Accepting money from evil sources does not
justify your intention of helping and giving to the
poor. Stealing office supplies from your places of
work is still wrong regardless that all others are
doing it too.
It
takes courage to stand apart from what is merely current
or popular. More than ever as our world turns very
secular we need strength to distinguish ourselves
and to summon the world to God’s truth.
We may be lacking in terms of knowledge about morality,
Catholic apologetics and theology. But we have a God
who is committed to help us. If we learn to subject
ourselves to Him in prayer and ask guidance on our
everyday life, we will always find ourselves in God’s
favour.
Contributed
by:
Ferdie
Gayos
CFC-FFL Calgary
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