Canada in 1999.

EDITOR

The salvation of the just comes from the Lord, we learn from Scripture. As Psalm 37 puts it: "Trust in the Lord, and do good: so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart."

Hedonism 

Some years apo the International Synod of Catholic Bishops in Rome devoted itself to the study of the "consecrated life", that is, the life of men and women who live under vows to devote their lives to the service of the Church in imitation of Jesus. In the Apostolic Letter which sums up the deliberations, Consecrated Life (1996), the Holy Father lists three main problems facing the Church: hedonism, materialism, and the erroneous conscience. These run parallel to the three vows of those "in religious life": chastity, poverty, and obedience. These provide the values necessary to counter the three threats.

Today, in Canada and the rest of the Western world, hedonism has taken on proportions unheard of in the past. We know it in the form of "permissive personal morality," another word for immorality as seen by those who believe in unalterable, or "objective" standards of behaviour based on the Natural Law. To counter the concept of unchanging standards the pseudo-intellectuals who favour hedonism came up with the idea contrary to the Christian view, namely that morality "evolves," that is, what was regarded as false or unacceptable yesterday may well be true today. A recent headline illustrated this: "Adultery is no longer a sin," the author wrote, after observing modern behaviour and current television programs.

Hedonism provides the drive for the materialism or consumerism which has also blossomed since the early sixties. And it has made the malformed conscience its particular ally for the purpose of justifying itself.

In the West, hedonism--unlike at any time before--has succeeded in "institutionalizing" itself in legislation. For Canada, the crucial time was the three years 1967-1969 when legislation authorized and approved contraception, divorce, homosexuality and, worst of all, the killing of the preborn, abortion. All of these targetted the main foundation stone of society, the family.

Now hedonism, despite its outward debonair behaviour and confidence, is driven by fear. Fear to bind oneself for life, to have children, to have a large family, to have to give up selfishness in exchange for mutual self-giving. It is not accidental that the late sixties were marked by overpopulation scares and stories of the earth running out of resources. Indeed, these fitted the new legislation perfectly as a cover-up for the actions of the politicians and the nation's ruling classes, who were in the process of throwing off the standards of Christianity in their personal lives. These they now considered restrictive, and demeaning, and superfluous.

Do not be afraid

These are the problems we face in this last year of the twentieth century.

Freedom of conscience is never freedom from the truth, but always and only in the truth. It has nothing to do with its counterfeit, the right to self-will.

We must stand firmly on the side of life against fears and selfishness. The pro-life movement is one of the most positive aspects of Canadian public life. It "will grow stronger and continue to reach out to more people because it tells the truth," said the President of Campaign Life Coalition recently, "Telling the truth doesn't kill . . . abortion does."

"Do not be afraid to open the door of your home to Jesus Christ," Pope John Paul said earlier this year while speaking to families. "His divine plan will enrich your family, free it from every form of slavery and lead it to the full realization of its vocation. Build families in which the authentic values of love, respect for life, openness to others, and solidarity are lived."

It is on these ideas and sentiments that we must proceed to call out to all people of good will to join us in the building of a new world.

"Glory to God in the highest And on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased."

(Luke, 2:14)

Salvation of the just comes from the Lord.