DO YOU YEARN FOR THE "GOOD OLD DAYS”?

For many years, my late wife and I helped to prepare couples for the Sacrament of Marriage. We believed in family life and we shared our experiences with them on weekend retreats called Catholic Engaged Encounter. I continue to be active in this ministry to engaged couples.  I’m thinking of the song “Remember When” by Alan Jackson who wrote a touching song about young love and renewed marital vows. 
Broken marriages are widespread in our country today along with many other social issues. Now we are facing a national election for the presidency.
Many people will be voting next month. Some of us joined prayer groups who pledged to pray  for our country to help find  our “Soul”.

In President Trump’s speech at the Republican Inauguration in August, he said that free speech on college campuses would be enforced by federal law. Conservative speakers were not too popular on campus and were barred from speaking at times by rowdy students. Many college campuses have leftist professors who have indoctrinated a generation of students with a relativistic philosophy. In fact our country is in the midst of much chaos and confusion as a result of the years of erosion created by the abandonment of The Ten Commandments of God that represent a universal ethical code of ethics to guide us. 
Why is relativism that is so widespread on our campuses? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, relativism is a theory that knowledge is relative to the limited nature of the mind. The conditions of knowing ethical truths depend on the individuals and groups holding them. 

During my college years, I had a course with a philosophy professor who professed his own atheistic beliefs. He left a lasting impression on a person who died recently. This person had a blog in our local newspaper proclaiming his atheism and admitting that his beliefs were influenced by this professor .
Today I started thinking of another philosophy professor named Alice von Hildebrand who helped many students find God in their lives.

I recall reading a book she wrote about her famous husband: the philosopher Dietrich von Hildebrand who defied the Nazis with his publications during WWII.
Alice became well known by those who saw her TV appearances on EWTN  or read her books or articles. She wrote a book called Memoirs of a Happy Failure that describes her life and experiences at the college where she was ostracized by her colleagues. 
She left a mark on a generation of students through her defense of truth with reason, wit, and love. By showing her students how truth fulfills the deepest longings of the heart, she liberated countless students from the oppressive relativism of the day, enabling many of them to find their way to God.
 I remember our society that Rabbi Jonathan Cahn noted in his book The Harbinger. His teachings are known for their prophecies and for exploring the deep mysteries of God's word. In his guidebook to The Harbinger, he posed these comments.

What specific things do you remember about America in the past? If you remember such things as these below, ponder or share.
•    There was prayer in schools.
•    Sermons on television closed virtually every station and broadcast day.
•    There were Christmas songs or plays in school and Christmas and Easter recesses.
•    Business and commerce closed down on Sunday because it was "the Lord's day."
•    The name of Jesus was spoken in public gatherings.
•    All men and women living together on television were married.
•    Pornography was something relegated to seedy places, and not easily accessible.
•    Living together was considered a sin.
•    The killing of the unborn was universally seen as immoral.
•    Divorce was uncommon.
•    The idea that marriage could be redefined was unthinkable.
•    The idea that images of God and Jesus could be used in comedy and mockery was unthinkable.
•    America was the number one creditor nation in the world, and there was little thought of a day 
     when its global preeminence could come to an end.

 In St. Paul’s First Epistle to Timothy, he instructs his disciple to give directions for the church’s ministry of prayer: "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:1-4).

In conclusion, we as followers of Christ are called to pray for those in authority and for good government.