The peace of obedience

[StudentMI]

I just wanted to share this. It is not intended to be political, I merely use that as an example.

I do a lot of reading, in particular a lot of political reading. And I at times become troubled by how what I believe may be true conflicts with the social doctrine of the Church, or what the Church teaches in general. It seems like I must follow what I believe to be true, like God will forgive my straying conscience if I sincerely believe something to be true. And I feel contented at that.

But eventually I become troubled and realize there is a fault in my understanding, somewhere, that shakes the entire edifice I have constructed or that others have constructed and I have latched on to. And I realize it’s built on sand. Then I realize how the Church was correct on this or that issue. And I ‘return’ to the Church’s view. And I feel such peace at this.

I don’t mean to sound fickle, but it’s just a constant motion of straying and coming back, sometimes in a moment. But the point is the peace of obedience to the Church’s teachings, a confirmation of the repeated idea that if something the Church teaches seems to conflict with something else, then the fault lies in our understanding, not what the Church teaches.

Anyway, I just wanted to share. There really is a peace that comes with obedience to our Mother, the Church.

 

[christofirst]

I agree that a well formed, well informed conscience is the best way to achieve the integrity between our opinions and our faith which can bring a sense of inner peace.

To be conformed with Church teaching, we must agree on the absolute truths, such as the life issues, and yet we can still disagree on the best ways to promote life in the world around us. I do not think this is a bad thing, even though many will insist that their way is the only way, especially when it comes to politics.

 

[JanR]

Expanding on this, many people view the Ten Commandments as being restrictive and stifling. But in reality, they are rules of freedom. The Ten Commandments are liberating, and obeying them keeps people free.

For example: If everyone obeyed “Thou shalt not steal”, nobody would have to lock up their property, copyright anything they composed, or fear home invasions. There would be no need to invest in alarm systems. Money would never be counterfeited, and life would be much better and easier for all.

If everyone obeyed “Thou shalt not bear false witness”, nobody would have to fear being falsely accused – and possibly wrongly convicted – of any crime or other wrongdoing of which they are innocent. They would not be gossiped against, nor prejudged in the absence of truth.

And so on …

If everyone obeyed all Ten Commandments, we would all trust God, value our families, treat others fairly and honestly, and be completely content with the blessings we have in this life.

I can’t think of anything more liberating than that.