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Guest
Dear MarkAndrew,
Cordial greetings and a very good day. Jolly well said, I heartily concur with your remarks above, old chap. You are so very right, society generally and our youth are being systematically corrupted and poisoned by a steady stream of filth and it is about time that we Catholics registered our deep unhappiness and righteous indignation.
Whilst I would freely admit that not every single TV programme is unwholesome, it must be conceded that much in the schedules nowadays, including this deplorable reality TV, has a tendency to debase and foster a frivilous and hedonistic outlook that is the very antipathy of our holy religion. Far too much material now is brash and about the pursuit of happiness and worldly pleasure. What has a Catholic pursuing holiness to do with all this?
It admits of no doubt that a great deal of television is mind polluting and time consuming. It is deeply disturbing that many Catholics today have seemingly no scruple of conscience about spending an inordinate ammount of time seated in front of the ‘Devil’s tabernacle’ passively watching programmes containing very questionable content. How does viewing such ‘entertainment’ square with St. Paul exhortation: “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phillip. 4: 8). Poor St. Paul would have probably been accused, were he writing today, of wanting to take the Church in a Puritan direction and of being a joyless prigg. How times have changed, and not for the better.
Dearly beloved friends, we Catholics are worthy of better things than culturally unhealthy TV programmes - look to the noble army of saints who have kept themselves “unstained from the world” (Jam. 1: 27) and who perpetually strived after that holiness “without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12: 14). Our Catechism teaches us that holiness is required of *all *Catholics, thus we have a duty to keep ourselves pure and to ensure that we do not assimilate the distracting and demoralizing influences of the godless world in our midst. No holiness equals no Heaven.
Warmest good wishes,
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Pax