One of my least favorite phrases on earth is “you do you.”
It grates like nails on a chalk board.
It’s akin to saying “There’s my truth, your truth, no truth, all the truth, whatevs.”
Now, if it was a phrase used to concede to a person’s opinion on favorite soda, favorite color, where you want to go on vacation, or which decade’s music is the best, well, that would be fine.
But, it’s rarely, if ever, used in that way. It’s frequently used to forfeit a moral standard.
Somewhere along the way, Christians were silenced—or we gave up—in defending moral principles. We were told that you can’t ever really find the objective truth on moral issues and, therefore, you have no right to set moral standards.
This is and always will be a lie. The moral standard set for us today is that there is no moral standard. You see, you can never escape someone trying to impose a certain way of living on others.
In the name of being nice, because it’s Christianity’s highest “virtue” nowadays, we’ve watched a culture spiral into decay with little pushback.
Then we bemoan watching the sexualization of children, and politicians engaging in degrading acts, and our cities littered with filth, and drug abuse stealing lives, and everybody trying to one-up each other in slovenly appearance and crudeness.
We stopped holding the moral line because we thought that by allowing everything, it would make people more willing to hear about Jesus. If we are just passive and syrupy-sweet, we’ll attract people like flies to honey, right?
That has not proven true. In fact, it’s done the opposite. When people give themselves over to sin and vice, they worship themselves and it becomes increasingly harder to reach them.
St. Paul tells the Colossians, “Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.”
You hold a moral line, Catholic Pilgrims, because there has to be a standard in this life for the good of ourselves, others, and our communities. We can know the truth on moral issues and it’s only logical that not everything is acceptable. It is okay to say, “No.”
Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Wednesday.
