Exiit qui seminar - God's Law
I had the opportunity to take a couple of days of R and R this past week (and they were much needed and much appreciated). One night I decided to watch a classic movie that I'd been meaning to watch for a long time. Before the movie began, the film company posted a disclaimer/apology for depictions that could be considered offensive to others. That was coupled, of course, with the removal of some books of a popular children's author that were in the same light. These are only two examples of the constant editing of the past that we have experience in Western culture.
While it is important to send the right and proper message in this world, we should acknowledge that there is a danger of evaluating the past with future looking eyes. This, by no means, absolves those of past generations from their actions, even the most heinous ones, but rather, that we can't assume that others "should have known better" just because they don't see the world with the same modern lens that we do, because in truth, future generations may look upon us in the same way. The goal should be for us to live our lives as mirrors of Christ and not necessarily become mirrors of the culture. That's why the Catholic Church was founded upon and is grounded in the foundation of the natural and the divine law. God's law will never change and carries across all times and cultures. In following the Lord, there will always be the same moral calculus that will be applied regardless of situations and social morays. The same applies to what we call the natural law. For nature, in its truest sense, is a reflection of the work of the Divine Creator. The natural law relies heavily on the philosophical 'Identity Principle', namely a thing is what it is and can be nothing else - just as God intended to make it.
The divine and the natural law are on full display in our first reading from the Book of Exodus where we hear Moses receive the Decalogue, the 10 Commandments, from the Lord on Mt. Sinai. They are the perfect union of how we, as Children of God, are supposed to love our Lord and all of His creation. The 10 Commandments are the practical bedrock of our life of faith and can easily be seen as this important Christian-Judeo morality has been woven into our culture by Western society. No matter what becomes popular or in vogue or even the "new" morality of our times, God's law given to Moses, the Chosen People of Israel and to us will perdure and remain. It is the Lord's will and desire for us to champion and to proclaim His holy law in season and out of season. Let us pray to the Holy Spirit that He may guide and strengthen us always to uphold His law
Sincerely Yours in Christ
Fr. Rob Sinatra
