Vos estis lux mundi

This Fox News story about the Mumbai attacks seems to speak directly tomy earlier post about the moral weight of technology: http://happyentanglements.blogspot.com/2008/12/trophy-of-gaius.html

We can only make moral judgements in light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Period. While the Natural Law can be of service to the Gospel in engaging those without faith, its use is limited in the spiritual battle over technology. Man is a master of self-deception & rountinely convinces himself that even the most indefensible & heinous crimes are not only justifiable, but actually the right thing to do.

Some reject the Gospel - either openly or in their minds & hearts, some actively fight to extinguish it, others hold it at a distance lest it demand something of them, others twist it to their convenience. But since there will always be some that reject the Gospel, there will be a force of sin & destruction in the world until the Lord comes to set everything aright.

So, do we just roll over & die?

Well, the Holy Father stated in his 12-Nov-08 address, "Without Christ, the future is dark." But he also affirmed that "Christians know that the light of Christ is stronger and hence they experience a hope that is not vain, a hope that gives certainty and courage to face the future."

"You are the light of the world."

Implies darkness, no? The opening of John's Gospel says the Light came into the world & shines in the darkness, "but the darkness could not overcome it." Interesting that the Latin word is Comprehenderunt - not overcome, but comprehend. The darkness did not comprehend it. The Gospel just doesn't make sense to those without the light of Christ. It always looks foolish when compared to the intellectual fashions of the day.

"Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Yet, we are not called to simply sit back & wait; we must engage the world now. In the same address, Benedict says we all bear "responsibility before Christ for the world and for our fellow man." He says, "We have to work to ensure this world opens to Christ, that it is renewed... to live our lives courageously." He certainly does not rule out the power of prayer, but shows how prayer & work go together. This work includes the courageous witness of the Gospel to others by our lives in word & deed - on one hand to scientists, governments, corporations, & on on the other to our neighbors, families, & even ourselves.

To paraphrase Chesterton, if we want to improve the human condition, we must put more effort into determining what we should do, instead of simply what we can do.