From: CCCAMPER%MIZZOU1.BITNET@AUVM.AMERICAN.EDU (Elizabeth Stevens)
Subject: The easy way out....
Reply-To: Free Catholic Mailing List <CATHOLIC@AMERICAN.EDU>
Organization: University of Missouri-Columbia Campus Computing, 314-882-2000
Lines: 59


  Easy vs. Hard .....Easy on who?

I had a rare very personal talk with my mother last year.  She said
that when she and my father were raising we four children, they
did not try to raise us in this world as strictly as they were raised
in their Norwegian Lutheran community. They felt that we would be
alienated from them and it would create problems.
  In other words, my parent did the very tolerant, loving thing. They
raised us without conflict, without what we saw as unreasonable
demands and were always accepting, no matter what the circumstances.
  What happened was that I grew up believing in situation ethics and
never absolutes. I believed in a loving God, and my concept of God
never involved justice or punishment, nor was there any concept that
I may someday be held responsible for the things that offended
Him...sins that the "world" told me were OK.
  My parents are very good, honest and moral people. They raised
four extremely honest children. Yet, before coming to a more
complete knowledge of God (which includes the knowledge of justice
and punishment)I committed what I now believe to be many, many
grave sins. I lived with a partner outside of marriage, was married
and divorced ( only after physical abuse and no apparent hope for
change...but I shouldn't have married to person in the first place )
and more....
  My parents felt they were doing the loving,kind thing by allowing
us to be who we were, by not imposing their standards on us, and by
accepting unquestioningly everything we did without judgement or
counsel.
  Today, it is absolutely appalling for me to look back on what they
*did* accept without a word. It takes courages to dare to help souls
because you must speak up and say what is unpopular and
difficult and what people do not want to hear. You must be able
to say what is hard, and say it as Christ would, with love and
compassion. It involves risk....perhaps someone you love may not
want to hear and will stay away from you.
  This life is "but dust". As long as the comfort of this life
is our highest priority, we will fail God and fail those
with whom we come in contact.
  I wonder how many who engage in sex outside of marriage, who
support the "right" to abortion, who engage in homosexuality,
or who commit any of the range of sins that are plentiful in
this time have ever heard from a quiet, thoughtful, loving
friend that these things are *wrong*. No one ever told me that
what I was doing was wrong, and I saw multitudes around me
living the same way I was and they seemed like good, decent
people. (wouldn't kick dogs or beat the elderly or babies..)
It is more difficult for sinners without a genuine prayer
life to hear the Holy Spirit than it is to hear a loving friend.
Think about this the next time the Holy Spirit tells you that
a friend is in error, but you don't want to "cause trouble".
Righteous prayers is great power, but don't forget that we are
we are Christ's lips and hands on earth. Don't be afraid to
simply voice Truth when the situation calls for it. Say a
fervent prayer and ask the Holy Spirit for Love and guidance.
In more ways than we may realize, we *are* our brother's
keeper.

In Jesus and Mary,
Elizabeth