What do I do about all sin around me

[PiousTemplar]

I go to a public school, and am constantly absolutely surrounded by sin. There is so much sin that I just don’t know what to do. If I speak out, I will become the most unpopular person in school, and possibly loose all my friends. If I do nothing and pretend that nothing bad is happening, as I do now, I feel like a failure of a Christian without any courage.

What should I do?

 

[Spencerian]

I go to a public school, and am constantly absolutely surrounded by sin. There is so much sin that I just don’t know what to do. If I speak out, I will become the most unpopular person in school, and possibly loose all my friends. If I do nothing and pretend that nothing bad is happening, as I do now, I feel like a failure of a Christian without any courage.

What should I do?

Your plight will not be different as you enter college and the daily work life.

It’s not a matter of what you should do about sin. That’s a fact in our world. It’s a matter of what you do for yourself and others to resist sin.

For yourself, this may be easy. It seems that you know the path to resist. But when you must deal with people who are wayward (often, the young are just that), then what are we to do?

Christ noted this problem several times. In Luke 12:51, he notes that He came not to unite, but to divide, to pit mother against daughter, father against son, and the like. Why?

Christ said this because he knew that the pious must always take a stand against the sinful, no matter what the person’s status was be to the other.

In short, Christ knew that His message will not reach the sinful if His followers are passive. Not only must one believe, but prove your belief through actions. Classmates planning to sneak some alcohol and invite you to come? Decline. When asked why not, say the truth. Did you get ostracized? Perhaps. Did you make a stand, remain steadfast yourself while showing an example to others? Yes.

Are you likely to do this throughout your life? Yes.

The truth has a nasty habit of annoying those who ignore it. It sounds like you aren’t one of those people. There are others like you; you are not alone. Find them for support. You may need to take up your cross, but you can carry it with many others who do think like you.

 

[PiousTemplar]

Your plight will not be different as you enter college and the daily work life.

It’s not a matter of what you should do about sin. That’s a fact in our world. It’s a matter of what you do for yourself and others to resist sin.

For yourself, this may be easy. It seems that you know the path to resist. But when you must deal with people who are wayward (often, the young are just that), then what are we to do?

Christ noted this problem several times. In Luke 12:51, he notes that He came not to unite, but to divide, to pit mother against daughter, father against son, and the like. Why?

Christ said this because he knew that the pious must always take a stand against the sinful, no matter what the person’s status was be to the other.

In short, Christ knew that His message will not reach the sinful if His followers are passive. Not only must one believe, but prove your belief through actions. Classmates planning to sneak some alcohol and invite you to come? Decline. When asked why not, say the truth. Did you get ostracized? Perhaps. Did you make a stand, remain steadfast yourself while showing an example to others? Yes.

Are you likely to do this throughout your life? Yes.

The truth has a nasty habit of annoying those who ignore it. It sounds like you aren’t one of those people. There are others like you; you are not alone. Find them for support. You may need to take up your cross, but you can carry it with many others who do think like you.

Thankyou for such a thoughtful post

 

[Rence]

I go to a public school, and am constantly absolutely surrounded by sin. There is so much sin that I just don’t know what to do. If I speak out, I will become the most unpopular person in school, and possibly loose all my friends. If I do nothing and pretend that nothing bad is happening, as I do now, I feel like a failure of a Christian without any courage.

What should I do?

You are right: you’ll probably be ostracized - it’s high school. I would ignore what others do, and not participate in it in any way. If someone asks you to do something or participate in something that goes against your conscience, simply decline. If they ask why, tell them you don’t have any desire to do whatever they want you to do. You will show them with your example. Furthermore, I would be friends with those who do not engage in sinful and immoral behaviors. Surely you have one or two friends that don’t act like prepubescent baboons?

 

[Joe_5859]

When I was in high school, I went through a similar experience where I felt like I was just seeing sin everywhere committed by everyone (and their brother) and the whole world was one depraved mess!

One day, it really hit me how damaging this train of thought was for my own spiritual health. So I made the decision to give people the benefit of the doubt rather than the doubt of their benefit. It changed my perspective completely and I was much better for it.

Certainly, you will come into contact with those who are doing stupid and sinful things. Obviously, you don’t condone such things. But neither do you need to berate people constantly about their each and every misstep. My friends all knew where I stood. I didn’t need to single them out or tell them everytime I thought they were doing something wrong.

I think the Church’s approach with the Second Vatican Council (and in the years that have followed) presents us with a good model to follow in our evangelization efforts and – indeed – our daily living. Here’s a nice quote from Pope John XXIII at the start of the Council (emphasis added):

At the outset of the Second Vatican Council, it is evident, as always, that the truth of the Lord will remain forever. We see, in fact, as one age succeeds another, that the opinions of men follow one another and exclude each other. And often errors vanish as quickly as they arise, like fog before the sun. The Church has always opposed these errors. Frequently she has condemned them with the greatest severity. Nowadays however, the Spouse of Christ prefers to make use of the medicine of mercy rather than that of severity. She consider that she meets the needs of the present day by demonstrating the validity of her teaching rather than by condemnations.

Some articulate it as proposing rather than imposing. We propose the truth rather than condemning people outright. The truth has its own beauty and internal consistency. It has its own power to convert. If we propose the truth effectively, those things that are sinful and fallacious will be obviously wrong by comparison. People will make the connections themselves – which leads to deeper and long-lasting conversion.

 

[Scoobyshme]

I go to a public school, and am constantly absolutely surrounded by sin. There is so much sin that I just don’t know what to do. If I speak out, I will become the most unpopular person in school, and possibly loose all my friends. If I do nothing and pretend that nothing bad is happening, as I do now, I feel like a failure of a Christian without any courage.

What should I do?

You must start out by putting on all the armor of God. Righteousness, being in the state of Sanctifying Grace at all times, and not being afraid to die. Then, everything else is gravy.

Seriously, though, consider yourself to be at war. You are. And most of your comrades are getting their you-know-what handed to them by the enemy (Satan). The war of which I’m speaking, though, isn’t with flesh and blood, but with principalities and powers. The powers of darkness vs. the powers of light. Good vs. evil. And this war is more important than all the wars mankind has had in history up till this point, all rolled into one. Why? Because the fate of so many immortal souls are at stake! Nobody will care, 1000 years from now, who was most popular, had the most fun, etc. You, them, and I will be in either heaven or hell, forever. Period.

Keep praying, offering sacrifices, etc., and when presented with the right opportunity and God’s grace, humbly offer up the truths of Christ. For those who accept it, good for them. For those who do not, maybe you’re planting a seed for later. We need not see the harvest. We just need to work the Lord’s garden of souls. Plowing, planting, weeding, watering, etc. It is for Him to say when the harvest is.

 

[stayinthelight]

I go to a public school, and am constantly absolutely surrounded by sin. There is so much sin that I just don’t know what to do. If I speak out, I will become the most unpopular person in school, and possibly loose all my friends. If I do nothing and pretend that nothing bad is happening, as I do now, I feel like a failure of a Christian without any courage.

What should I do?

This is my first post on Catholic Answers Forum, besides my brief introduction in the greeting / newcomer forum.

First, I want to thank you for caring enough to ask people for help. That shows wisdom. You seem bright for your age, at least brighter than I was at your age.

Second, the comments above mine are really good. They seem like really good advice.

So much of our American culture is saturated with sin. As I’ve grown closer to God, I feel like I’m more perceptive and able to see just how sinful much of the world is, and how much suffering it causes.

If you do find yourself in a difficult situation, then please consider the following quote I found yesterday. A commenter on a different website wrote this, and it is really good:

“when we suffer in our hearts about all this, we are actually taking on our share of the Passion if we have the right attitude. The news can either make us bitter, or turn us into prayer warriors. Our sorrow, disappointment and hurt have redemptive value when offered to the Father through Jesus. (And I’m not saying we should ONLY pray—action, too, is necessary for those who are able.) Also, the more bad news we know about, the more we can intercede. Turn the bad news into something positive by calling God down into those situations through your prayer for the people involved.”

(Paul expresses a similar idea in one of the New Testament books. Sorry for not knowing which.)

If I had read that comment when I was in high school, it would flown right over my head. I would have thought it was just more flowery words. But I see the beautiful truth in it now.

If we have the right mindset, suffering brings us closer to Christ, and can even be a joyful, meaningful experience.

I’ll wrap this up by encouraging you to find like-minded friends. If you can’t find any in real life, then there are plenty here on the internet.

Take care.

 

[Bl_Pope_Pius_IX]

I go to a public school, and am constantly absolutely surrounded by sin. There is so much sin that I just don’t know what to do. If I speak out, I will become the most unpopular person in school, and possibly loose all my friends. If I do nothing and pretend that nothing bad is happening, as I do now, I feel like a failure of a Christian without any courage.

What should I do?

As I type this, I am at lunch. In the library in a public school. To my left is a poster proclaiming the goodness of homosexual marriage. Every where I look are beautiful young “ladies” wearing short shorts, tight pants, and the like. The condition of public schools in the US is deplorable and awful. I am in a worse case. Having a lack of funds, I had to leave my Catholic High school for this public one. I know not anyone and instead must live my day at school in silence. While my heart thrashes around in my ribcage at all the sin and vice happening around me.

You cannot do anything, for this is fact: You are not to be a martyr yet. Hold your tongue and pray. Pray constantly. Pray between classes, pray before school, after school, pray ALWAYS. Pray for your purity and the purity of all those around you, and pray for courage. Be in a constant state of grace so you can offer up these sufferings (along with the sufferings of Our Lady on Calvary) for those that don’t realize their wrong. You are the tool of God. A missionary in a foreign and heathenous land where you must preach the Gospel through your ACTIONS.

Go to Adoration at your nearest Church. Make frequent use of Confession, and get a Spiritual Director. The latter is vital. Having no outlet for your faith is so painful. There is a fine line between being a martyr and being a moron. Be a stonewall in your faith, keep it and guard it. But don’t, by all means, DON’T allow others to make you lose that faith and don’t let others scandalize anyone around you to lose their faith.

Keep it, my dear Catholic brother in Christ. As I pray for you, I ask that you pray for me.

Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us.

Saint Philomena, pray for us.

Mother of Good Counsel, pray for us.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us, and on the whole world.

The bell will ring in any moment, and I will again be cast into a den of lions.

~ Pius :knight1:

 

[Rascalking]

If it helps, try to overcome sin with love. Be a pleasent little solider of Christ.

I hated, hated, hated high school. 4 years of misery that couldn’t end soon enough. The bright side is I had a ROCKING college experience. Most people in my situation did as well.

God bless.

 

[Crumpy]

High school seems like it will be forever, but it will not be forever.

These irresponsible people will grow up and have to comply with some standard of morality or they will fail. What kind of families will they raise? How will they discipline their children? They will have to admit what is right and wrong.

They know NOW what is right and wrong, they are just seduced by the thrill of doing what is wrong – and daring everybody to make them do what is right.

I have taken a lot of abuse for trying always to be right. I encourage you to follow Christ – always.

Watch out for yourself, that YOU do not fall into sin. And, watch out for your reputation. Just make a point of quietly always doing what is right.

If someone confronts you, just say that you don’t understand. If you can, teach by example – saying that you don’t want anybody to get hurt, even their feelings.

A modern Jewish morality book that I read points out that even NOT hurting anybody’s feelings is the best strategy, the only thing that we should follow. Give correction when you have a chance to do so, peaceably.

Face it, you’re not going to make everybody happy. don’t worry about even trying for that.

You should always be able to respect yourself for what you have done and what you have NOT done. What a good feeling if we could all have that assurance, that we have done what is good and avoided what was bad. SOME others will recognize that you do what is right and they will tell you so.

 

[Paul_theApostle]

Like the sun rises and shines into the darkness,pray that Christ may let his light shine through you into the darkness of sin

Pray for the strength and courage to withstand sin,and pray for all your friends or the people you see immersing themselves in sin

‘Let your light shine before men’

 

[Monica4316]

I go to a public school, and am constantly absolutely surrounded by sin. There is so much sin that I just don’t know what to do. If I speak out, I will become the most unpopular person in school, and possibly loose all my friends. If I do nothing and pretend that nothing bad is happening, as I do now, I feel like a failure of a Christian without any courage.

What should I do?

focus on your salvation, don’t argue with people but don’t agree with the sin, just pray and “work out your salvation”. If someone is interested in your faith, tell them about it. If they ask you what you think, tell them the truth and don’t be ashamed of Christ. But don’t feel like you need to constantly tell people things… if you see someone doing something wrong, it can really help to pray for them.

God bless

 

[vontroster]

I go to a public school, and am constantly absolutely surrounded by sin. There is so much sin that I just don’t know what to do. If I speak out, I will become the most unpopular person in school, and possibly loose all my friends. If I do nothing and pretend that nothing bad is happening, as I do now, I feel like a failure of a Christian without any courage.

What should I do?

The greatest preaching you can do is the way you live your own life. If you try to preach to the people around you then they will tune you out and revile you. You have to consider that the majority of these people are not fully aware of the gravity of their behavior and its impact on the soul. They have been indoctrinated into a culture that tells them that everything bad is good and everything good is bad. They believe that the Christian moral and value system is just another set of oppressive rules set up by an oppressive institution. Another factor here is that we need to realize that the best thing we can do for ourselves is to take care of our own business. Jesus told us to remove the log from our own eye first. This doesn’t mean that you do nothing. It just means that when you take care of yourself and your own spiritual well being then you are better apt to deal with those around you. Now, when it comes to being surrounded in sin then the way you live your life should tell those around you that you simply don’t do certain things. If you are asked to participate in something sinful then you simply state that you don’t do that or “see you later guys I’m gonna go do something else.” You don’t have to be a holier than thou to live your life with dignity and grace. When you act in this way then those around you will notice that there is something different about the way you are living. If you seem happy and content to stay out of the sin they are participating in and don’t come off as a judgmental jerk they will want to know what you have. They will be naturally attracted to you. And if they speak all kinds of calumny and slander against you, rejoice and thank God.

 

[Contra_Mundum_1]

Try and see high school as preparation for life. Sin will always be there and we have to be able to live in such a world. Prayer, sacraments, company of other Christians is important. You can’t fight the battle alone, make sure that God is central to your life and he will give you strenght to endure all temptation and difficulties. As for being unpopular, is that really bothering you? Reality is that you can never please all people so you will always be unpopular and disliked by someone, no matter how hard you try.

 

[tektonik]

Pray for courage and ask for guidance on what to do. Pray for everyone in your school.

 

[Rock_Happy]

I go to a public school, and am constantly absolutely surrounded by sin. There is so much sin that I just don’t know what to do. If I speak out, I will become the most unpopular person in school, and possibly loose all my friends. If I do nothing and pretend that nothing bad is happening, as I do now, I feel like a failure of a Christian without any courage.

What should I do?

You lead by example. Not all people will appreciate it, but those who do will do so by attraction, not by promotion.

Treat everyone with respect.

The rest will follow.

 

[1463Mark]

Hello, PiousTemplar,
Perhaps a few lines may add to your perspective.
Remember that our Lord Jesus was the subject of a lot of rumors, when he went to the house of a publican to have a meal. He was and is God, and yet there were plenty of tongue waggers who accused him of various things.
My suggestion is, do not be afraid of socializing with sinners. In fact, over time, some of them may talk to you, about more serious matters.
The detail here, is do not condemn the sinner. You may know the sin is really bad, or only a little bit bad. But the one who judges sinners, is someone else [Jesus]. Besides, He does not judge the sinner in this life. He waits until the time when the soul leaves the body. Then Jesus shows up, as the Just Judge.
Many younger persons behave on the edges or boundaries of what we consider Christian morality. Some live far afield. That is their business, as individuals. Many of them are under huge peer pressures. So, my suggestion is, don’t view them negatively. As they mature, many will realize it is more practical, or more reasonable, to live inside the boundaries of Christian morality.
Some young persons you know or may meet, will try to entice you to follow a life of sin, or even of grave sin. They are basically testing you. They want to see if you really walk the walk, and not only give the impression of being holy or at least decent. Don’t worry. At some point, the test will be over, and they will know you are serious, without being proud in your moral standards.
If the sin you mention, has to do with controlled substances, simply stay away from them. Maybe someone will ask you one day why.
Keep in mind, that the different lists or schedules of controlled substances, did not appear overnight. They were written over a period of time, based on fairly lengthy scientific evidence. Most of them can be cataloged as poisons of one class or another, or can be cataloged as health hazards, or one class or another. If you are unsure, just ask a serious librarian, or go ask a detective. They can guide you to interesting info, on this topic.
I hope these lines help to give you a wider horizon.
Best wishes.
1463Mark

 

[stayinthelight]

Hello, PiousTemplar,
Perhaps a few lines may add to your perspective.
Remember that our Lord Jesus was the subject of a lot of rumors, when he went to the house of a publican to have a meal. He was and is God, and yet there were plenty of tongue waggers who accused him of various things.
My suggestion is, do not be afraid of socializing with sinners. In fact, over time, some of them may talk to you, about more serious matters.
The detail here, is do not condemn the sinner. You may know the sin is really bad, or only a little bit bad. But the one who judges sinners, is someone else [Jesus]. Besides, He does not judge the sinner in this life. He waits until the time when the soul leaves the body. Then Jesus shows up, as the Just Judge.
Many younger persons behave on the edges or boundaries of what we consider Christian morality. Some live far afield. That is their business, as individuals. Many of them are under huge peer pressures. So, my suggestion is, don’t view them negatively. As they mature, many will realize it is more practical, or more reasonable, to live inside the boundaries of Christian morality.
Some young persons you know or may meet, will try to entice you to follow a life of sin, or even of grave sin. They are basically testing you. They want to see if you really walk the walk, and not only give the impression of being holy or at least decent. Don’t worry. At some point, the test will be over, and they will know you are serious, without being proud in your moral standards.
If the sin you mention, has to do with controlled substances, simply stay away from them. Maybe someone will ask you one day why.
Keep in mind, that the different lists or schedules of controlled substances, did not appear overnight. They were written over a period of time, based on fairly lengthy scientific evidence. Most of them can be cataloged as poisons of one class or another, or can be cataloged as health hazards, or one class or another. If you are unsure, just ask a serious librarian, or go ask a detective. They can guide you to interesting info, on this topic.
I hope these lines help to give you a wider horizon.
Best wishes.
1463Mark

Hi Mark

You wrote “do not be afraid of socializing with sinners”

I’m not trying to call you out or say you are wrong, but what do you make of the following Bible passage:

1 Corinthians 5:11-13
What I meant was that you should not associate with a person who calls himself a brother but is immoral or greedy or worships idols or is a slanderer or a drunkard or a thief. Don’t even sit down to eat with such a person.
After all, it is none of my business to judge outsiders. God will judge them. But should you not judge the members of your own fellowship? As the scripture says, “Remove the evil man from your group.”

I agree with Mark about drugs.

You will probably be asked to try pot or some other drug at some point.

It really is best to stay away from drugs, and alcohol is a drug. Drugs do not solve problems, they create more. Cliche, but totally true. Eventually you will have to face all problems in the sober light of day. So it’s best to avoid any and all drugs if you can. Please try.

I know some people who have gone their whole lives without ever trying any drug or even taking a sip of alcohol. That’s so beautiful. Focus on the good things like God, nature, friends and family, learning. Try to love learning and searching for truth.

God bless you.

 

[EmeraldWings]

I go to a public school, and am constantly absolutely surrounded by sin. There is so much sin that I just don’t know what to do. If I speak out, I will become the most unpopular person in school, and possibly loose all my friends. If I do nothing and pretend that nothing bad is happening, as I do now, I feel like a failure of a Christian without any courage.

What should I do?

you’ve gotten alot of great advice, and i agree that you do much more by example, as one of the saints said(i think it was St. Francis de Sales) “Preach often, and when necessary, use words” action speaks louder than words, if you aren’t sure what to say or how to say it or when to “kick the dust from your feet and walk away”…then your example and prayer is best, and actually more powerful,
but remember that you are also still rather young, and you should work on yourself before you start working on others, you need to grow in the virtues and study your religion more, for one, because you don’t want others hearing you say one thing and see you doing another thing(being a hypocrite) and two, you don’t want to get backed into a corner with their tricky or cunning questions when you do try to speak out…so just be patient with yourself, and work at a comfortable pace, you can’t rush your spiritual growth, if you are getting frustrated with yourself or anxious, then that’s a sign you are trying to hard to do your own will and make things go your own way rather then trying to do Gods will…

it’s true that right now there is just sin everywhere you look…it can be very upsetting, but when it does get you down, just resort to prayer, go find a quiet place you can be alone and un-disturbed, and just pray…
and when you do witness sin that you can’t do anything about or don’t know what to do, then that’s also a good time to pray.
we’re also told that sometime, when you’re doubtful of what to do, then it’s best to do nothing(aside from prayer) because when you’re unsure of what to do but do it anyways, you may just make things worse…so the best thing for now is just to educate yourself better, which does take time.

and perhaps God has placed you in this circumstance for a reason other than speaking out verbally, maybe he’s put you there to try and motivate you to learn how to help people like you see…in which case, i would recommend reading the life of Saint Don Bosco(Here’s book 1 of his memoirs for free - dl.dropbox.com/u/37259614/Spiritual%20Readings/St.%20Don%20Bosco%20Memoirs%20of%20the%20Oratory.pdf )

just pray, read good catholic books, frequent the sacraments, practice the virtues, do penance for those around you, practice mortification, and seek refuge under Our Ladies mantel…this life is tough, but God is stronger than anything life can throw at you, so just stand by Him and always ask for His help,

and if you want to know what true friendship is, who your friends are and how to be a good friend yourself, read the first chapter of this - gaiaonline.com/guilds/viewtopic.php?t=13047835

okay, hope this helps, i’ll keep you in my prayers, take care.

 

[1463Mark]

Hello stayinthelight,
Good point, about 1 Cor 5.11-13.

What I observe is, the passage mentioned, makes a division between those ‘inside’ a group or household [the current term seems to be ‘fellowship’], and those 'outside the group or household.

It seems to me that the person who posted the original question, is in a high school setting, or in a junior high school setting. Maybe he or she is already in first or second year of college. The student body in any such setting is ‘inside’ a group, but it is rarely a religious-oriented group. Most likely, it is not a religious fellowship.

The passage cited has to do with religious-oriented groups, such as convents or monasteries. Even then, when a religious group grows beyond a certain size, differences will tend to appear.

In a high school, for example, it is likely the student body will be in the hundreds, or even in the thousands. In Mexico City, for example, there are some really large high schools. I’m sure there are also mega-schools in places like Los Angeles or New York City. Even the authorities [teachers and administrators] have disciplinary problems with some of the teenagers. I feel the person who posted the original questions, is not an authority in charge of discipline, nor a teacher of morals or some other related subject. He is probably one more student, among many. The same applies if he/she is already in college.

He may be morally very sensitive, and notices numerous situations, daily, that fit into the category of sin. This causes considerable unease, for him or her. Let us not forget, many so-called sinners just behave that way, because they have not been shown or exposed to another, morally higher, standard of behavior. The student-inquirer probably is better off taking care of his business as usual, and not to feel alarmed by what he sees or hears.

Best wishes,
1463Mark
:bible1::bible1::bible1:

Hi Mark

You wrote “do not be afraid of socializing with sinners”

I’m not trying to call you out or say you are wrong, but what do you make of the following Bible passage:

1 Corinthians 5:11-13
What I meant was that you should not associate with a person who calls himself a brother but is immoral or greedy or worships idols or is a slanderer or a drunkard or a thief. Don’t even sit down to eat with such a person.
After all, it is none of my business to judge outsiders. God will judge them. But should you not judge the members of your own fellowship? As the scripture says, “Remove the evil man from your group.”

I agree with Mark about drugs.

You will probably be asked to try pot or some other drug at some point.

It really is best to stay away from drugs, and alcohol is a drug. Drugs do not solve problems, they create more. Cliche, but totally true. Eventually you will have to face all problems in the sober light of day. So it’s best to avoid any and all drugs if you can. Please try.

I know some people who have gone their whole lives without ever trying any drug or even taking a sip of alcohol. That’s so beautiful. Focus on the good things like God, nature, friends and family, learning. Try to love learning and searching for truth.

God bless you.