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The Challenge of Following Christ
Heb 12:7Heb 12:7 - - “Endure “Endure your trials as the your trials as the discipline of God, discipline of God, who deals with who deals with you as sons.”you as sons.”
Through revelation, God makes himself known…
…as well as his plan of salvation
God’s revelation comes to us even through
the most ordinary circumstance of our life.
Divine revelation can only be accepted by FAITH
Revelation is God’s initiative.
Through revelation God establishes a relationship with humanity
FAITHenables us to see God’s intervention even in
human history
we learn of a God who is active in human affairs…
Not a God who watches from a distance
The Story of the Rich Young Man
“Someone came to Him…”For the young man, the question is not so
much about rules to be followed, but about the full meaning of life. This is in fact the aspiration at the heart of every human decision and action, the quiet searching and interior prompting which sets freedom in motion.
This question is ultimately an appeal to the absolute Good which attracts and beckons us; it is the echo of a call from God who is the origin and goal of man’s life.
In order to make this “encounter” with Christ possible, God willed His church.
“Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?”It is essential and unavoidable question for the life
of every man, for it is the moral good which must be done, and about eternal life.
People today need to turn to Christ once again in order to receive from Him the answer to their questions about what is good and what is evil.
“There is only one who is good.”The answer to the question, What good must I do to
have eternal life?, can only be found by turning one’s mind and heart to the “ONE” who is good; only God can answer the question about what is good, ultimately means to turn towards God.
“If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments”
God has already given an answer to this question. He did so by creating man and ordering him with wisdom and love to his final end, through the law which is inscribed in his heart. The natural law is no other than the light of understanding infused in us by God, whereby we understand what must be done and what must be avoided. God gave this light and this law to man at creation.
The Ten Commandments are part of God’s revelation. At the same time, they teach us man’s true humanity. They shed light on the essential duties, and so indirectly on the fundamental rights, inherent in the nature of the human person.
Without love of neighbor made concrete in keeping the commandments, genuine love for God is not possible.
Jesus brings God’s commandments to fulfillment, particularly the commandment of love of neighbor, by interiorizing their demands and by bringing out their fullest meaning.
Our Challenges as Followers of Christ
The present generation is characterized by the extraordinary increase and gravity of
threats to life
THE THREATS TO LIFE DIRECTLY AFFLICT
THE WEAK AND THE DEFENSELESS
THREATS TO LIFE:
A.WHATEVER IS OPPOSED TO LIFE
Murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, suicide
B. WHATEVER VIOLATES THE INTEGRITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
mutilation, torments inflicted on body and mind
C. WHATEVER INSULTS HUMAN DIGNITY
Subhuman living conditions slavery
imprisonment human trafficking disgraceful working
conditions
ALL THESE ARE:Poisons to human society
Against the will of God
THEY ARE:Expanding with new prospects
Opened up by scientific technological progress
IRONY
Progress in science and technology
Regress in moral life
GRAVE CONCERN:
Broad sectors of public opinion JUSTIFY certain crimes against life
HOW?
By invoking the rights of individual freedom and
By obtaining exemption from punishment even authorization by the state, so that
these crimes can be done with total freedom
IT IS GRAVE AND DISTURBING THAT CONSCIENCE IS DARKENED BY WIDESPREAD CONDITIONING
AS A RESULT,IT HAS BECOME DIFFICULT
TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL
SYMPTOMATIC OF MORAL DECLINE
C. ROOTS AND SOURCES OF CONTEMPORARY MORAL TRENDS
1. Profound Crisis of Culture
CULTURE
pattern of human knowledge, customary belief, and behavior of a racial, religious, or social group
the characteristic features of everyday existence shared by people in a place or time
the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices
MAN FINDS HIMSELF LOST
2. Interpersonal difficulties
Aggravated by the complexity of society where people
no longer want to take responsibility for their neighbors
3. Situations of Acute Poverty, Anxiety or Frustration
CONCLUSION:
Our greatest challenge is to make THE CHOICE TO DEFEND AND PROMOTE LIFE , DEMANDING US
sometimes TO REACH THE POINT OF HEROISM
