This should serve as a wake-up call to Catholics and all other people of faith here in America. Do not become lukewarm and indifferent about your faith in God. Do not sit back and let the state overpower you and gain ultimate authority in your lives. Remember to put the things that really matter first.
One of the most deadly vices is sloth. Sloth is not necessarily laziness. Our society is “Martha-oriented,” rushing to and fro, yet all the while fleeing away from dynamic and living relationships with God and with one another. In the words of insightful Catholic philosopher, Dr. Peter Kreeft, “Modern man has sloth, that is, sorrow about God, because God is dead to him. He is the cosmic orphan.” Jesus said “Seek and you will find.” Seekers become finders. It is those that do not seek that remain in the dark. And the void that remains will be filled by some entity that binds, controls and ultimately enslaves.
Most of the government officials, magistrates, lawyers and other persons involved in attempts to diminish religious freedom and influence in the public realm come from backgrounds devoid of a dynamic and life-generating faith in God. Many are more concerned with establishing and exerting their own power and influence on others, and upon making their mark in human history by erecting monuments to themselves. They are afraid to bend the knee and to rest before the Source of all that is. They are unable to confront their own fears and inadequacies, and dare not reveal them. They dwell in the darkness and would rather the mountains fall upon them and cover them over.
That is exactly why it is essential to continue to shine the light of faith, by what we say and what we do, and not to shrink into a compartmentalized faith. There is a time to take a bold public stand for faith, and that time is now.
