The
book of Judges describes what happened after the death of Joshua and
before the establishment of the Jewish monarchy. Chapter two points
out that there was a tendency towards infidelity among the people.
"Abandoning the Lord, the God of their fathers, ….they followed
the other gods of the various nations around them." For example,
Jgs 17:1-7, tells that when Micah returned stolen silver to his mother
she had it melted down and made into an idol. There was also moral
decline. For example, in Jgs 19:22-29 we are told how, in order to
protect himself, a Levite gave his concubine to a group of debauched
men who had originally intended to sexually assault him. Instead,
they savagely raped her over and over again. Shortly, after her terrible
ordeal she died. The last verse of the book, encapsulates the basic
reason for such a widespread breakdown of faith and morals: "There
was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes"
Jgs 21:25.
A La Carte approach to morality
It has struck me on a number of occasions that this verse has considerable
relevance in contemporary Britain and Ireland where, in Yeats's words,
it often seems that: "things fall apart; the center cannot hold;…..the
best lack all conviction." Like other Western societies, ours
are postmodern, and secular. They maintain that, rather than being
an objective fact, all our knowledge - including moral knowledge -
is at best partial and provisional. Nothing is absolutely certain.
As a result there is a growing tendency to make ethics a matter of
private opinion. There is considerable evidence to show how many people,
in public and private life, have been rewriting the commandments to
suit themselves.
Over the past 20 years, three pan-European surveys have indicated
how many men and women in these islands adopt an a la carte approach
to morality by picking and choosing what seems right to them. They
do so in the name of personal conscience, believing that there aren't
any reliable, objective standards, for judging right from wrong. For
example, Ronan Keating the well known pop singer reflected the views
of many when he confessed in the Sunday Independent, May 12th 2002:
"I have my faith, I don't go to church now or have a priest dictate
how to live my life. I read the Bible and do things my own way."
Apparently he has become a Ronan Catholic! This privatization of morality
is evident in society in general. In recent years there has been a
significant increase in the numbers having intercourse before marriage,
living together as partners, using artificial forms of contraception,
engaging in gay sex, having abortions etc. Others advocate practices
such as euthanasia, artificial insemination and the cloning of individuals.
Their theme tune could be Frank Sinatra's, "I did it my way!"
I believe that, within the present context, Pope John Paul II's teaching
is prophetic. He maintains that humanity "is threatened by an
immense danger." When he wrote Splendour of the Truth (1993),
he was stating that we need to restore our reverence for God's authority
as the heavenly King. The Lord has revealed the moral precepts which
are reliably taught by the Church. In our search for ethical guidelines
we should make use of our reason as illumined by divine truth. Together
they tell us that there are acts, such as euthanasia, child sex abuse,
torture, rape, injustice, pornography and genocide which are always
intrinsically wrong. Intentions, circumstances or consequences can
never make them right.
Humanity is threatened by an immense danger
During his visit to Ireland in 1979, the Pope warned Irish people,
and by extension all Catholics in the Western world, that they are
involved in a tremendous religious and ethical struggle. He stated
in a prescient way: "Your country seems in a sense to be living
again the temptations of Christ: You are being asked to prefer the
kingdoms of the word and their splendour to the kingdom of God. Satan
the tempter, the adversary of Christ, will use all his might and all
his deceptions to win you for the way of the world. What a victory
he would gain, what a blow he would inflict on the body of Christ
in the world if he could seduce men and women away from Christ. Now
is the time of testing. This generation is once more a generation
of decision." Surely, the infidelities, scandals and defections
of recent years are proof positive that, sadly, these words have been
fulfilled in the lives of many.
Pray that you will not fail the test
What should people in the Charismatic Renewal do in order to redress
this situation? I think there are three priorities. Firstly, we need
to intercede for those who are torn between the beliefs and values
of the world and those of the gospel. As Pope John Paul said in Limerick
in 1979: "Dear sons and daughters…., pray, pray not to be
led into temptation….I ask you today for a great, intense and
growing prayer for all the people, …. for all the Church ….
Pray that you will not fail in the test. Pray as Jesus taught us to
pray: 'Lead us not into temptation'."
Secondly, we need to help fellow Catholics, who are sacramentalized
but not truly evangelized, to make a wholehearted personal commitment
to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. Otherwise, even if they
have a desire to carry the yoke of New Testament morality, it will
prove to be too heavy a burden for those who haven't yet experienced
the liberating power of the Good News. As a result, they will suffer
from understandable feelings of failure and condemnation, and walk
away from the Church. Surely this is what often happens, especially
in poorer city areas. This dynamic can only be reversed by means of
such things as personal witness, Life in the Spirit Seminars, Alpha
Courses, Cursillio Weekends, CaFÉ, RCIA, coupled with a radical
critique and reform of the unjust structures of society. It is only
when growing numbers of people experience a consequent spiritual awakening
that the Spirit will lead them to have both the conscientious desire
and the inner power to accept and live by the revealed truths taught
by the Church.
Thirdly, when people have become true disciples of Christ, we need
to inform them that in spite of what secular, postmodern culture maintains,
there are objective, unchanging ethical guidelines to live by. We
need to teach these truths with confidence, in the firm belief that,
although they are hard to carry out, they are a reliable guide to
true Christian freedom, and holiness. Wouldn't it be great, in the
years to come, if, as a result of intercession, effective evangelization
and good moral teaching, we experienced such Christian revival and
renewal in our two islands, that we could say: "In these days,
Christ is King, and everyone does what is right in God's eyes."
