Goodness in the Midst of Badness

I have been told by friends and parishioners who attend various Catholic parishes around the country that very few priests ever preach about sin. They skip the subject (except for an occasional vague reference to "bad choices" or "mistakes"), and aim at just being nice to everyone. It may be that they fear losing anyone, so they only preach the subjects that (they think) will make people stay. They feed their flocks pablum.

It should be obvious to anyone who reads this blog regularly, and/or who attends St. George, that I try quite hard not to fall into this trap of avoiding the subject of sin. Some might even say I preach about it too much! Whatever one's perspective, it is important for me to point out: not everything is sinful. I know that it may seem that all I can see is stuff that is wrong, but there is great beauty in this world, and we each must recognize that if we never see the good that God does in the midst of this fallen world, then we are missing the point of suffering.

We are called to go through suffering to sanctify ourselves and enable us to come to the fullness of salvation. Yet, in this time of darkness, God keeps our souls going by showing us little glimpses of His love, His grace, and His power. We (and, yes, I include myself) must make sure that we keep our hearts and minds open to the fact that God is still working on us. Christ is still ruling this world from His throne in Heaven, and He is doing so to bring good to all things.