The Dilemma & Responsibility We All Face
By: Cora Rapadas Lorenzo
I write this with the hope of making each one of us really think & contemplate of what we can do for ourselves, to our nation & to the world. The decisions & actions we make determines the direction and outcome of our goal in life, whether it be a good one or a disaster. We need to slow down, find time to spend it quietly, reflect and enjoy life that is lived with faith, hope, love and lot of prayers. Thereby only then we can experience true freedom, peace and happiness.
We are all aware of the changes in our country and global economy that is going down the hill. It is a concern for all of us in which it creates a great impact in our reaction and behavior towards this difficult time or rather an ongoing process which is getting worse without end. Obviously the gas prices have sky rocketed. The housing market remains weak. Companies are closing or merging. Unemployment line is getting longer and the list still increasing for people losing jobs. Many houses are on foreclosures. Many sick people are untreated because they have no health insurance. Standard of education is going down due to so many government budget cuts. College tuition fees have gone up. School and other services are closed. Health, police and fire departments services are cut back. There are so many deaths everywhere caused by crimes of homicide whether to an individual, group, family and even mass murders. There are numerous deaths from natural disasters either by flood, land or mud slide, storm (rain, snow, wind or sand), from hurricane or cyclone, tornadoes, from earthquake, sink hole, fire, and volcano eruptions. Overdose from drugs and alcohol are common cause of death on our society especially among the young and even to the senior groups. Death from car crashes happens almost daily. Even plane crashes are now happening quite frequently. There is so much abuse of different nature and neglect which leads to brutal cause of death. Committing suicide and euthanasia are not far off of the list of cause of death nowadays. Killing of the Innocent unborn babies and deaths from war and suicide bombings are very part of daily living on these days. Why is this happening to us? Is it because our society is taking away prayers and trust in God? Do we deliberately ignore his commandments and turn our back on Him? Or is it because people prefer to put faith and trust in the material security and on themselves?
On another hand we missed other things too, we do not see or perhaps we just don’t give attention in the deterioration of our practice and understanding of the importance of moral and family values. There’s a tremendous decline in adhering to the discipline of human respect and integrity which leads to the killing of the innocent unborn babies of 1.4 million a year and still increasing to this time. The choice of living or dying is left in the human hands, when other national leaders of our country and others in authority actively supports and promotes euthanasia. Pro-abortion is a swift decision that it is alright to be casually practiced. They are human babies who cannot vote nor whose cry cannot be heard for it is silenced by the people who are in control. And yet we get so upset and bothered when some animals, plants, trees or endangered species are harmed. We get it fast to put it in the legislation for the stop. Quickly a bill is passed for the protection of these endangered species. This clearly shows us that we have a society that has distorted preferences blinded by poor ethics.
Another issue is the normal setting of our society as a family. According to our human and moral law a family is composed of married parents of a man and a woman then the children. But nowadays this is obsolete. We are living in a modern world of civilization that to some they think morality, virtues and solid family values changes as the people change or according to their human needs and demands. I completely and totally disagree. Morality and virtues remains constant and never to change from the beginning of time. Many of our people from different walks of life are consumed by addiction in many ways. Addiction to power and greed, corruption in politics, lust of the flesh, immorality, solicitation of dirty and casual sex is just a few among the list. Many are addicted to gambling, to work, to drugs or alcohol and still they deny the existence of their problem. Excessive cravings of the flesh whether it is in food, in physical appearance, in defiled or degrading entertainment like in stand-up comedy, movies, TV shows, video games, internet connections our link for communications which could be good or evil. We have music to be enjoyed, appealing and uplifting but it is also invaded and used as the means of relaying evil influence of crime plot or violence or just plainly polluting the minds of our young. Some are just living a life of addiction of plain laziness without care for their life and their surroundings. Some have lost the sense of dignity of life. Families of broken homes are the norms and life style nowadays. Good parenting to our children becomes scarce. Parents are the first one that has problems of their own or in trouble so unable to set the good example. Many of our children are left without guidance, free to do whatever pleases them as long as it is easy and comfortable to them even they lose their good sense and values which leads them to live in the world of confusion.
We focus so much in our achievements in terms of money and power. High end life style is in. We are bombarded with cyber space technology which leads to a life dependent on convenience. Many suffers from these modern world pressures such as; fixation in their physical look, choice of living on fast food and spending so much time in entertainment to meet the needs of their physical bodies and mind. Life is spent in a fast mode loaded with busy schedule. People are challenged with high demand for consumerism. Accumulation of material & earthly goods seems to be a necessity but in the end true happiness is not achieved. All these are just expression of materialism.
People who are in power and so called influential because of their social status, wealth or achievements in politics, being as a celebrity in show biz or media, they think they are the architects of how the world should be and how the people should live in it. They are in control because the people give them the power to pull the string on the little ones, just like the puppets can only move whatever and however the master maneuvers it. We are satisfied as long as our physical and material needs are met without using our discretion if what we believe and practice is of and from God, the Creator. We all know that we are free to choose what beliefs we want to practice in the aspect of our humanity and the way we live our cultural, social and spiritual life. So many of the so called money wealthy, having good time of their life, remains powerful and appears to have no need of GOD as they think to themselves that they have everything in life. They have made it. That’s what they think. So they proclaim themselves that they are in control of their life. They easily influence and attract so many people who would listen to their indoctrination of their New Age teaching which is the opposite of what the Bible teaches. Propagating the belief in the spirit of light and yet claims, a “slain Christ has no meaning.” The journey to the cross should be the last “useless journey”. The Passion, Crucifixion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ are defiled. They proclaim themselves are the god. “People created god” these are in their teachings. And yet so many people follows their way because they are eager to live a life that they think is beautiful, peaceful, prosperous, feeling free, with no guilt feeling at all for sin does not exist in their belief. They are sinless so Jesus Christ coming is of no sense. Oh, how it gives me goose bumps to hear these words. What an abomination against God.
Perhaps I only have partly covered the issues and happenings that we are all facing, experiencing or even living it in our daily life. With all these happenings and life style we choose to have, what then do we expect for our life and world would be? Yes, in the beginning, the world was beautiful as created by God to be inhabited by His beloved creatures which man has dominion over the rest of His creations. For the Christians who believe that there is God the Creator of the universe, the galaxy, the firmament, the heavens and the earth and everything above the heavens and under the earth. He created our first parents, a man and a woman who lived in paradise, with full of grace of happiness, peace and joy. God gave them a gift too in addition, the “free will”. They were free to practice their freedom to love, honor and serve Him, whether to put Him first above all and follow his commands or disobey. But they chose to disobey so they experienced the consequences. They lost the sanctifying grace of true happiness, peace and joy which all men have inherited. But these were restored by God’s unconditional love for us men by sending His only Begotten Son the second person of the Holy Trinity thru our Lord Jesus Christ.
We ask these questions of why is it then that there are so much sufferings in this world? Frequent occurrence of different types of natural disasters is happening in every part of the continent. Poverty and homelessness is everywhere not only in the third world but even in the western world. These recent years to present we get the scare of these new and unknown untreatable illnesses caused by resistant virus from infected birds or other animals or unknown source. We are confronted with acts of violence, of terrorism and crimes which leads us to live in anger and distress. People behave in arrogance. Selfishness, greed, dishonesty and mistrust are the poor choices that others have to live through. Treason and corruption are being practiced. What is then left to us but a life of chaos and confusion? In short we are living in a world of turmoil wherein peace becomes invisible.
Many people are living in uncertainty, in fear, insecurity, in pain physically, emotionally, mentally and most of all are lost spiritually. Some are living with false happiness which is camouflaged by attainment of self glory and pile of material possession. This entirely sum up to one thing, people are living, applauding, supporting and enjoying the “culture of death”. People talk and complain about how difficult is life now but very few are willing to change for the good. And start living a clean life style with the observance of God’s teachings. We remain unchanged. Our actions and behavior continue to defile God’s plan which is for our betterment. Instead many choose intentionally to blasphemes, to disrespect, and utter His holy name so frequently in vain. Mocking Him is part in their jokes and casual conversation, disregarding His love and mercy. We do not invite God in our daily life. Some thinks they have the power and control over their own existence. It is much easier and attractive to accept and entertain the lure of evilness. And now we expect a prosperous, beautiful and peaceful life in this world when in fact we are in the midst of a culture of death meaning culture of sin. This cannot be. As if we take the equation of mathematics, sin equals death. NO LIFE. A person has body but with no inner spirit, the spirit of life that only God can give.
Many of us lost the sense of caring for one another. We are missing a great deal in the practice of generosity, kindness, charity and chastity.
Others have no more concept of sin. Everything is good and okay. This is what our present society is exposed to. And this is attractively conveyed to all humanity particularly to the young, the confused and the vulnerable. The moral and church law is observed the least. No wonder even the law of nature is also responding to our behavior and actions. As of June 10, 2008 still springtime here in USA the weather man broadcasted in the news about the nation’s weather situation: Heat Wave in the East Coast, Flooding in the Midwest, Snow in the Northwest, Fire in California and Rain/Thunder storm in the South. What a bizarre weather condition. Something we have to ponder, as to why this is happening. Is it because we are living a life like Sodom and Gomorra? We each have a share or participation to the outcome of our life destiny and of the world condition and that is, of how we use our free will. Do we use it for our own glory or for the glory of God who is the source of all good things? The outcome is determined by the belief we practice.
Now, that the national election for the country’s leaders is just few months away, citizens of the USA are facing a great responsibility as to whom they have to cast their vote. I hope we remember that God is in our midst. Let us invite Him to lead us to a right direction to a culture of life thereby we may experience a good change in every aspect of our governance. We want government leaders to lead the country to a well balanced and healthy economy with no promises that cannot be achieved. Honesty, truth and justice must be part of their agenda. We should have government leaders who promotes and supports LIFE and not Death especially on the part of the innocent, who are helpless and no voice. Family values must not be ignored. A judicial government that we can trust is a must. We need government leaders who genuinely believe in God, who seeks and gives their trust in Him and not to ignore His teachings. So they will be guided of how to run and fulfill their great duties and responsibilities to serve the country and the people who put them to their political seat. Otherwise we will continue living in misery with empty promises. A government without God is bound to fall into its own demise. So please be wise in choosing whom you are placing in the oval office to govern this country. In a situation wherein it is difficult to choose a candidate, let us then understand their personal character, their belief, their principle, their platform and their issues of concern for the betterment of our country and our lives. As a matter of fact and history tells us that to mention a few of our past good presidents or leaders of this country were then killed by assassination. This tells us that there is much corruption, evilness, and underground treason in the name of politics not just in here in USA but it also applies to almost all the nations in this world.
What can we do in our own personal way to make a change? The popular message of the political candidates in this election arena is change. What kind of change is it? Is it for the good or for worse? This remains to be seen. Perhaps words of promises are easily uttered but true realization remains abstract. In my own perspective and opinion, I still yet to wait and hope for the better candidates to run this country in the future time. With real sincerity, dedication, and love for the country and to serve the people with simple agenda of truth, care and justice. In short a real hero in every essence. I don’t know if someday this could actually happen. Maybe this is only a fiction but I still hope anyway.
For us Christians who believe in God, in the Holy Trinity and in Jesus Christ, who died for our sins so we can attain eternal life, can participate in our redemption by acknowledging and accepting the grace of God, His unconditional love, His divine mercy and justice for all mankind. Let us then fill our hearts with gratitude and love for God.
Yes, God is merciful and also just but with the people’s choice of denial and continuously defying HIM they will truly know the ultimate TRUTH when their time comes. This is for sure.
For the believers and non-believers I invite you to please remember that there is a Supreme Being, who is The God Almighty, our Creator, who is the ultimate one and only, who is in control of all, all-powerful, which in the end all mankind are subject to His divine Justice and His triumph will prevail.
