During these last few years so-called ‘civil rights’ have become a sort of mantra used by those whose sole aim is ultimately the creation of a secularised society where God and His eternal, divine laws have no place anymore. Where does the faithful Christian stand, living as he does in a society where his beliefs seem to be lost in a cacophony of voices intent on eradicating any semblance of Christian living in a country where it had thrived for hundreds of years?

The answer is to be found in the teachings of the Gospel, in Church doctrine as providentially expounded in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and last but not least in the lives of the saints. The Christian will, together with St John Paul II, still strongly affirm that, despite everything, some issues, such as divorce, IVF, abortion, euthanasia and homosexual behaviour, are non-negotiable – thus risking the opprobrium of many, including some fellow Christians.

Let us remember that for Christ, what really mattered was not whether a situation was black, white or grey. What he repeatedly told us is that to him what is essential is whether one’s actions conform to the will of God or not. After all, Mary’s greatness lies in her complete acceptance of God’s will in her life which, in turn, changed not only her own life but that of the world forever.

Then, of course, there is a subtle danger that constantly hounds Christians today – political correctness. The temptation to speak and write solely of ‘acceptable ‘ and ‘safe’ subjects, however laudable they might be, such as climate change, migrants, poverty, the environment and racism, while carefully omitting any topic considered too ‘controversial’ and too ‘offensive’ to today’s mentality, is strong, and many Christians succumb to it.

Christ taught us what he considers to be the primary sins that we should flee from, such as evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness (Mark 7-21). One can, of course, delude oneself into believing that 21st-century society has evolved and that we can afford to see these eternal truths differently.

The Lord, who had thanked the Father for revealing divine matters to the ignorant while hiding them from the learned, made it clear that “the man who infringes even the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5-19).

Regarding those who repeatedly remind us that this country has moved forward where these so-called ‘civil rights’ are concerned, one can only say that, apart from now causing much sadness and certainly no peace of heart, such a road, unless sincere repentance takes place, can have only one final, tragic consequence – the loss of one’s soul for all eternity.

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