Indispensable Economics The Signs of the Times – Part V

Mar 27, 2009

In this series, we have seen the lot of nations that have abandoned God. God is truly the protector of those nations who believe in him, trust in him, and do his will. Even though salvation is of the individual soul, salvation takes place in the context of social units—family, neighborhood, country. God can protect the milieu within which we and our families and our politicians flourish, but he does so because the people want him to. God does not force himself on anyone. If a person or a society generally, by coldness or immorality, tells God that they want him out of their lives, he will get out. But this does not mean he totally abandons them. God is the “Hound of Heaven.” His constant baying never ceases to call us back to the source of all truth and of all love. He raises up saints in all walks of life to be prophets to continue this call. And of course, suffering comes on the society which no longer wants his protection because of his holiness.

 

There have been some recent studies showing that the United States’ society suffers from a Narcissistic personality disorder. Those with this disorder focus on themselves—their views, their needs, their ideas. They are supremely confident of their own abilities, and when they fail, they blame others. I have no idea how accurate these diagnoses are, but there is obviously some truth to them. A Narcissistic person would reject any need for God, nor would they care about others. These people tend to think that they are experts in things that others have spent their lives studying, but they have not spent five minutes studying. Hence, they have no need to listen to others; they have no need to pray. They are self-saved. They can defy God’s teachings and remain among the “pure.”

 

If this sounds like the behavior of some so-called Catholic universities recently, this is no coincidence. These universities are merely mirroring the Narcissism in the society. They do not need obedience to Church teaching; they do not need humility; they are immune from the Divine guidance that the Church gives. The same with Catholic politicians who openly defy clearly stated Church teachings as well as the public admonition of the bishops and even the Pope.

 

One can possibly excuse the non-Catholic and non-Christian for such behavior. The world lives in darkness. But Our Lord told us that we are the “light of the world,” and the “salt of the earth.” If we Catholics do not illumine the world, who will? If we do not flavor the earth, how will it be flavored?

 

The main way to perceive the will of God is prayer and listening to Church authorities on matters of Faith and morals. I believe from my own experience that many, many Catholics do not know how really to pray. Outside of vocal prayer, few know how to have a personal, interior relationship with God, and the Church in this country has always been remiss in teaching Catholics not only how to do this, but in teaching the very need for it. And if it was bad when I was a kid growing up in Catholic schools in the 1950s, it has been much worse since then. This has contributed to Catholics adopting the Narcissism of the society at large. Forgetting about God creates a vacuum into which we - you, me - are sucked. The vacuum also opens the door to secular saviors like Hitler or Obama (note: I am not saying that Obama is Hitler), and the massive growth of state power and manipulation of the people under the guise of helping others. For instance, most recently, the “Global War on Terror” phrase has been dumbed down to the “Overseas Contingency Operation.” If you have read Orwell’s 1984, you may perceive this as “newspeak,” as was President Clinton’s talk of taxing and spending as “investment.” (Take a look at a member of the English Parliament tell-it-like-it-is to the British Prime Minister on this link.)

 

It appears that the United States, and Europe before us, is now living in a big dream world. Folks, it’s not just bad economics—it is bad on every level, and most of all on the spiritual! Let’s not replay the past.