So
it is that because of the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the Devil, many Catholics do not practice their faith to the point of
standing out from those who are ignorant of Christ. In approaching the vexing
questions of modern society, too many Catholics take positions based on a
liberal-conservative spectrum, rather than on the teachings of Jesus Christ
which come to us via His church. Only genuine conversion, metanoia,the fruit of evangelization, will change this reality, allowing Catholics to experience the joy of faithful discipleship. No ideology may substitute for
real personal conversion. In essence, metanoia means to
question one’s own way of living, to start to see life through God’s eyes, and
turn away from conformity to this world. Genuine
conversion predisposes us not to see ourselves as the measure of all things,
but to a humility that trusts ourselves to God’s love, which becomes the
measure of all things. This was the central teaching of Vatican II: a renewed
call to the faithful to strive after holiness, which means doing the Father’s
will in all things, empowered by His grace.
In 1941, Tolkien wrote a masterful letter to his son Michael, dealing with marriage and the realities of human sexuality. The letter reflects Tolkien's Christian worldview and his deep love for his sons, and at the same time, also acknowledges the powerful dangers inherent in unbridled sexuality. From the letter: This is a fallen world…. the dislocation of sex-instinct is one of the chief symptoms of the Fall. The world has been 'going to the bad' all down the ages. The various social forms shift, and each new mode has its special dangers: but the 'hard spirit of concupiscence' has walked down every street, and sat leering in every house, since Adam fell….The devil is endlessly ingenious, and sex is his favorite subject. He is as good every bit at catching you through generous romantic or tender motives, as through baser or more animal ones. Tolkien advised his young son that the sexual fantasies of the 20th century were demonic lies, intended to ensnare u...

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