I was very pleased to read the Zenit.org interview with Bishop Robert Finn as a followup to his pastoral letter this morning. He had some very important and wise words to say about the problem of the continued "pornization" of our culture. In his first response the Bishop had these words to say:
"Pornography is a most pernicious symptom of this decline in the awareness of human dignity. Because of its ready availability, it has become so widespread -- touching young people barely beyond the age of reason -- that it is pandemic. Because of its addictive nature, I doubt that we as a global society have the will or the means to significantly inhibit the presence or availability of pornography. Yet, we should not give up on this effort to limit pornography. We have to persevere in this. As the Church, what we can and must do is try to recapture hearts, and fortify souls by deep conversion, the growth of the interior life, and the practice of the virtues."
It is going to take a huge effort on the part of all evangelist to address this issue, but we must. That is exactly what we here at True Knights are trying to do. But much more help is needed. We must do everything we can to help counter the effect that this has had on our culture: education, prayer, fasting and evangelization are all required in this battle. Saint Thomas Aquinas said that when man gives into the sins of the flesh his intellect becomes darkened, so much so that even simple truth cannot be understood. Is it any wonder that it is so difficult to share the Truth of the Gospel with people? Why so many are closed off to hearing the Truth? The collective "intellect" of our culture is becoming increasingly darker and darker. In fact Bishop Finn said this:
"I fear we have already crossed over. We are -- as you suggest -- numb to many of the destructive images, and this requires more and more images and more revealing images. The hunger for this gratification seems insatiable. The question is: Can the conversion that we sometimes experience, with the help of supernatural grace, in the heart of individuals, take place culturally?"
I pray it can...we must all pray everyday for the conversion of our whole culture. What is needed now is divine intervention.
Dear Heavenly Father, you and you alone know the hearts of all men and women. Help us, all of us seek out the only thing that can make us complete. As Saint Augustine said so many years ago...
You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You! Lord our entire culture is restless. Satan is luring us to our deaths with his poison. Help us to open our eyes so that we may see the lies that Satan seeks to imprison all of our souls for eternity in the depths of Hell. We pray for the purity, holiness and heroic efforts of everyone who seeks to bring your words of Truth to a dying world. We ask for your mercy, your love and your abundant grace. In Christ name we pray, Amen.
Read the Interview with Bishop Finn from Zenit News here:
Pornography's Death GripRead Bishop Robert Finn's Pastoral Letter:
"Blessed Are the Pure in Heart"Related Article in this weeks Nation Catholic Register:
Kansas City Bishop Takes on Porn GoliathDiscuss this Article on the
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