A fault for all times

Sometimes I amazed that more people aren't part of the Church. With all the evil in the world today, the majority of people seem to recognize that something is terribly wrong. Even if they don't specifically call it original sin, they know its effect. They look around and see so much suffering from divorce, murder, abortion, hunger, poverty, lies, and they assume that "that's just the way things are." They recognize that these evils shouldn't have a permanent place in this world, but for some reason they do. They are unconsciously seeing that man is fallen.

However, instead of turning to Christ, the true solution, they turn to a number of other things to distract themselves. They turn to physical pleasures, chiefly sex, to try to drown out the misery of the outside world. Or, they turn to ideologies that promise them a utopia, whether it be the socialism demanded by the Occupy Wall Street protesters or the laissez-faire capitalism so prevalent within the Tea Party. Both of these ideologies promise material salvation if only the right economic environment were present. Or, people turn to materialism, trying to ignore the evils of the world by enjoying fine food, fine clothes, the newest iPhone and the best video games.

Why isn't the love of Christ more obvious to them? Why does the infinite mercy of God not stand out to them in the midst of this worldly desert as an oasis of refreshment? Simple, it's something that's been with creation since the very beginning, since Lucifer turned towards his Heavenly Father and said "Non Serviam." Pride has always been present, and it continues to rear it's ugly head in our culture. Convincing arguments can be made that pride is at the root of all sin as it involves a fundamental rejection of God in favor of one's own self. If indeed pride is at the root of all sin, then we can also say that Christ came primarily to eliminate pride. Everything about Christ preaches humility, from the very idea that God would become man, to the fact that He would in turn die as an outlaw in order to save man. St. Paul says it best:

"Though he was in the form of God, (he) did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross." Philippians 2:6-8

Today, pride once again stands between man and God, between the world and the Church. It's pride that keeps so many from admitting they are wrong, from seeking God's mercy. So many people today will freely admit, "I'm not perfect" but then can't handle it when someone points out to them that they are sinning. They say that to call this or that a sin is to judge a person. They don't recognize that to call a sin a sin is simply to say they have done something wrong, and they need God's mercy like the rest of us. Even if they are "born this way" it simply means they are born with the propensity to sin, exactly as the Catholic Church teaches. Why then is it bad to say "you are sinner" when the statement "we all are sinners" is a commonly held fact?

However, the pride that hinders the conversion of those outside the Church is primarily the pride that is found amongst the members of the Church, especially the attitude of "I'm right and you're wrong." The reason people can't accept a Christian telling them "you are a sinner" is because they often get a hint of "and I'm a saint" from the Christian. The possession of the truth is something that leads many followers of Christ into a mindset of "I'm saved and you're not, unless you become like me." This type of pride blocks the non-Christian from seeing the mercy of God especially when Christians take a matter of discipline and elevate it to the matter of doctrine. They encounter a fellow sinner who uses Christianity as a prop for ego, rather than as a call to humility.

If we're going to convert the culture, then, we as Christians must be humble. We must learn from the words of Jesus, "Take up my yoke upon you, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart: and you shall find rest to your souls." Mt. 11: 29. If we focus on Christ, if we return to the most basic tenets of our Faith and hold true to them, we'll begin to realize how many barriers our pride puts up to those outside the Church. If we can learn humility from Christ, then others will be able learn humility as well, and in turn open themselves up to Jesus' mercy.