Ignorance of The Law is no excuse

"Honestly officer, I didn't know the speed limit was 30 MPH"

"Honestly St. Peter, I didn't know all those things I did and said were sinful"

Ladies and Gents, lets get right down to brass tacks, and make straight a path in the wilderness, as it were.

There are thousands upon thousands of collective reference works on The Christian Moral Life. If you are involved in deeper study of these principles, all power to you.

The goal of this Blog however, is to take more of a 50 foot view, and to impart practical wisdom, that is accessible to all. Wherever you are on your Faith journey, I hope this helps.

It may come as a surprise to some that in nearly every courthouse in our great country, the 10 Commandments are posted somewhere visible to all. (Much to the chagrin of the ACLU).

And if you dig a little deeper, just take a look at the facade of the Supreme Court building, and there, in all his glory, is a bas relief of Moses himself holding the tablets of the 10 Commandments.

Why? Because these Commandments, far from being an impediment to our lives, are the basis and foundation of all Moral Law.

These are the building blocks on which Order comes from Chaos. They are they keystone to our understanding of fundamental Truth, later to be fulfilled in the person of Jesus.

Scripture tells us that not only were these Commandments carved in stone, but also written on our very hearts. Kind of like a spiritual/moral compass. In this way, if we get off course, we regain our way by prayer and meditating on what The Law teaches us.

We should all know by now that murder, stealing, lying, cheating, being adulterous, disrespectful, disobedient, profane, and worshiping false gods is wrong. But this alone is not enough, for even the pagan knows as much. There are two very special directives that bind all the others together. Consider what Jesus has to say in Matthew 22: 36-40:

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Bold added for emphasis)

Think on this statement for a while, and ask the Lord to show you what it means for your journey. I'll be back later. In the mean time, have a Blessed week.

Marty

Next up: Consequences

Choose your Battles - Or be overwhelmed

So, what are we to do then? We broken members of the fallen human condition?

Clearly, as my sister JoAnne is so fond of saying, we must "Think globally, act locally." Thanks Jo!

Each of us is called according to our gifts, and naturally, by the promptings of The Holy Spirit.

But, are we listening? Are we tuned in to the Divine message being broadcast to us all?

I'll be the first to admit, sometimes my radio is unplugged, or even if I'm tuned in, I'm not really listening.

Burying our heads in the sand is not a solution (and we all know if we are not part of the solution, we are part of the problem)

Brothers and Sisters, we are at a moral crossroads. Sides are being taken, and the line has been drawn.

St. Paul addresses the Romans in this way: "Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good, and pleasing and perfect". (Rom 12:2)

Part of the reason we have fallen to where we are in this current age is because it is so easy to conform and to "Go with the flow". (More on this later).

The meaning of the word Tolerance has been mutated over time.
It used to mean something like this:
I hold belief A. You hold belief B.
While I do not espouse your belief, I recognize (tolerate) your right to have such beliefs.

Now it means something like this:
I hold belief A. (Ex. Abortion is perfectly OK) Do not make any comments about it for fear of offending someone (political correctness). Accept that the act itself is commonplace and there -fore OK. Neatly sanitize the language surrounding it (Don't you dare call it the murder of an innocent unborn child. Say "The products of conception were removed". Pressure the Judiciary Branch to pass a law making abortion legal, and finally, have the US Taxpayer subsidize the whole program. And Voila! You and I must tolerate the practice of subsidized murder.

Hello! McFly! Anyone home?
We have now, by "tolerance", circumvented the basis of all natural and Moral Law.
And this concept of the new tolerance is what is contributing to our downfall.

Coming up: Moral Relativism.

Be well.

Marty

Enough with the Palin bashing already!

From my perspective, and from all that I've read, Sarah Palin is a well -respected Governor (who beat the incumbent Republican Governor of Alaska; no easy task), who also happens to be quite morally sound, is not afraid to challenge corruption, is family centered, and who speaks with righteousness and authority, and is strong in Domestic Policy.
So, why is the Liberal Media so quick to not only try to discredit her, but to openly and viciously smear her, and her family?
Answer: The Dems drive the media, and are scared to death.
And of course, the time proven behavior comes out. We mock what we do not understand.
You see, the Dems are also trying to distract you from a thoroughly hollow and highly INEXPERIENCED Barack Obama. A media darling with "much in the showroom window, but nothing in the stockroom."
He has spent all of his freshman term campaigning, has missed nearly all ,if not all ,of his roll call votes, has never even been a Mayor, never mind a Governor (who by the way is also commander of the state National Guard), and has never even balanced a state budget! Yep, the Dems are afraid. Very afraid.
I hear the Obama camp has a new campaign slogan: "Don't confuse me with the facts."

Until next time,

Marty

The decay of Society - How did we get here?

• Take a good look at today's American culture. Don't just scratch the surface, really LOOK at what has been happening.

45 Million lives destroyed by abortion since Roe V Wade, not to mention the enormous psychological trauma suffered by the post-abortive mother.

Unprecedented rates of divorce as many couples enter lightly into marriage, or are ignorant of the sacredness of marriage and the work and commitment it entails.

The increase in the visibility of homosexual "unions" , which is attempting to shift focus from the truth that authentic marriage is the union of one man and one woman.

Not to mention tragic rises in teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease (the CDC just released figures that 1 in 4 people living in NYC have genital herpes), drug abuse, spousal abuse, single parent families, and on and on and on.

Make no mistake about it brothers and sisters, this did not happen overnight, any more than the Grand Canyon formed in a week.

Like the canyon, our morals and values have been eroding steadily for at least the past 5 decades. We give ground and make compromises a little bit at a time, rationalising all the while that "It's OK just this once" or "Its just a little white lie."

Until we realize that our collective societal soul has become pitch black.

British statesman Edmund Burke said it simply and accurately: "Evil flourishes when good men do nothing."

Take heart dear ones! Each of us all are equipped, or have the potential to be equipped, with The Whole Armor of God (Ephesians 6: 10-18). All is not lost, and much hope remains for our future good. More later.

Peace,

Marty

Back to the basics

A wise preacher once said "You don't have to believe in food, but sooner or later, you'll need to eat."
What are we hungry for today? And, importantly, what are we filling ourselves with?
We live in an imperfect world, and we are all more or less broken vessels.
Rejoice! The Lord works best through those such as these.
My goal now is to build this site on a firm foundation. We all know what happened to the guy who built his house on shifting sands, right?
I will try as best as possible to use firm Biblical Truth and solid moral, theological and philosophical teachings.
My hope is convey my observations soundly, and to leave the soap box in the laundromat.
*As this is an interactive Blog, Please, feel free to post your comments. That's what it's all about.*

Peace,

Marty

In the Begining...

Well...here it is.

My first ever attempt at Blogging.

At the urging of my dear friend and fellow parishioner Kurt, I am moving into the foray of the Blog. Kurt said, with great sincerity, "Marty, Blogging was MADE for you."
I looked at him sceptically, and with raised eyebrow said: "Kurt, the Internet is clogged enough already. Who the heck CARES what I have to say?"
He urged me on: "Don't worry about it..you'll be a natural".

And so, here I am.

My goal is to tackle some of the big issues of cultural decline and moral decay that threaten our society, in a forthright and accessible fashion. Hey, I'm just a pencil in the hand of God.

I also want to have FUN, and celebrate all of the good things that our Lord has given us.

I'm no Saint, but hopefully and prayerfully we can all learn something together.

Thanks Kurt...

Robur et Decum (Strength and Honor)

Marty