Social Butterflies Are We

The Catholic Church teaches:

1884 God has not willed to reserve to himself all exercise of power. He entrusts to every creature the functions it is capable of performing, according to the capacities of its own nature. This mode of governance ought to be followed in social life. The way God acts in governing the world, which bears witness to such great regard for human freedom, should inspire the wisdom of those who govern human communities. They should behave as ministers of divine providence.

I think America is losing its ability to be a great nation, because those who govern our human communities have rejected their responsibilities to behave as ministers of divine providence.  Rather, they have decided to behave as gods, blithely declaring to one and all that the ultimate goal is to be absent any and all humility. 

The scary part is the masses cheer this lack of humility, this refusal to see themselves as creatures, the disregard for the Creator.  The more boorish the behavior, the more the rabble screams in delight.  The entire country has become a WrestleMania Event. 

If I sound a bit discouraged, you are not far off.  On the one hand, I can understand why someone would be attracted to what seems like 'plain talk'.  However, what I cannot understand is why any of us 'nobodies' would ever in a million years think someone worth a billion dollars cares what we think, how we live or what our every day life is like, no matter how 'plain' the person speaks.

My father once told me I have a higher opinion of the human race than the human race deserves.  It was his way of telling me I am naïve, that I look for the best of people and that I am often shocked at the lack of basic common sense displayed by my fellow Americans.  While I believe we are, as a group, the most loyal and compassionate group on the planet I am also oft times saddened by the flat out stupidity of some of our individual choices.

I include myself in that group, by the way.

There is a reason I have such a high opinion of the human race and that is this: I am a Catholic.  I have been taught The Truth about life, God and the world around me.  I know what human beings are capable of being - good and bad - and I have a firm belief that the majority of us want to align ourselves with what is good.  We want to be God-like, to put on the mind of Christ, to do the next right thing.  Even our dumb choices are often motivated by the very thing which paves the road to Hell.

See, I believe what the Church teaches and the Church teaches:

1878 All men are called to the same end: God himself. There is a certain resemblance between the unity of the divine persons and the fraternity that men are to establish among themselves in truth and love.¹ Love of neighbor is inseparable from love for God.

I believe in the ultimate good of mankind being triumphant over the evil that distracts us, the evil we fall prey to when we forget that we are all called to the same end.  Because of this, I can forgive a lot.

But it still scares me when I hear otherwise intelligent men and women cheer on a loud mouthed, brash, ego driven billionaire in his quest for notoriety and more power.

St. Michael the Archangel, we need your help!