Evening star., 1951-11-18

hC tCIG W tFtC SGuLCWeHL
issued yesterday By the Catholic
Bishops in the United States at
the close OF their annual meet
ing here folloUS..
GODS LAW: THE MEASURE OF
MANS CONDUCT.
An alarming parallel exists be.
tween the situation facing us to.
day and that which faced the
Roman Empire $500 years ago
The problems of the Empire
closely resemble those which sorel,
test us now-barbarism on the
outside, refined materialism ano
moral decay within. Confronted by
those problems. what were mer
of that time concerned with?
st. Augustine. who lived in that
period, gives us the answer in q
memorable passage:
They do not trouble about the
moral degradation of the Empire
All that they ask is that it should
be prosperous and secure. What
concerns u.s. they say, is that
every one should be able to in
crease his wealth so that he can
afford lavish expenditure and
can keep the weak in subjection
Let the laws protect the rights of
property and let them leave man S
morals al0ne Tet there he
sumptuous banquets where any,
body can play and drink and
gorge himself and be dissipated
by day or night as much as he
pleases or is able Let the noise of
dancing be everywhere and let the
theaters resound with lewd merri-
ment. Let the man who dis
likes these pleasures be regarded
as public enemy" (City of God,
Blk. II, 20D
Does not all this have a mod
ern ring? Has not a great part
Of our society been doing and
saying the same thing? With the
threat of the barbarian on the
outside, does our conduct reflect
the sobriety of citizens who are
conscious that a bell may be toll
ing for them and for civilization?
We have sent our young men
on military expeditions to far
off lands so that justice and free
dom may be kept alive in the
world; and yet at home we have
become careless about the found
ations of justice and the roots of
freedom. 1t cannot go wen with
us If We continue on this course.
The lessons of history are evil
dent to those with eyes that will
see. The Roman Empire disinter-
grated from within, and moral
corruption was the main cause of
Its decline and disappearance.
The same fate will befall us if We
do not awaken to the danger
which threatens from within our
own household. Mastery over ma
terlal things will avail us no.
thing. if We lose mastery over
ourselves.
MORALITY: THE NEED TODAY
Mastery over self is the pri-
mary concern of morality. The
right ordering of our lives in re-
lationship to other beings so that
we may obtain our true destiny
is the proper function of morality !
The fundamental problem which
faces US, then, is a moral one.
Morality involves the correct
and careful regulation of three
relationships: Man to God, man
to himself. and man to his fell
low men. These relationships are
so closely linked together that
to disturb one is to disturb the
whole moral order.
Morality, therefore. viewed inI
its entirety, has three dimen-
Sions: height, depth. and breadth
In its height, it scars up to God
the Supreme Being, from Whom
1t takes the definitive measure of
what is true and good. In its
depth, it penetrates the heart
of man. laying hold of his entire
personality so that even his inner
most thoughts and motives are
subject to its rule. In its breadth,
1t embraces men in every sta
ton and condition of life and
establishes mutual rights and
duties.
GODS WILL: MANS MEASURE
IN THE MORAL ORDER. |
BY nature, man is a creature /
subject to his Creator and re-
sponsible to Him for all his ac-
tions. BY selfish inclination. at /
times, he chooses to be something
else. assuming the prerogatives of
a Creator, establishing his own
standards of conduct, and making
himself the measure of all things
This prideful folly on his part
brings discord into his own life, |
and profoundly affects the whole
moral order. Frustration rather
than fulfillment becomes his
characteristic mark because hel
does not possess wholly within
himself the way to fulfillment. |
That he can discover only in
Gods plan.
Gods will. therefore, is the
measure of man. 1t is the stand
ard by which all human actions
must meet the test of their right
ness or wrongness. What con-
forms to Gods will is right; and
what goes counter to His will is
wrong. This is the great and
controlling rule of the moral
order. Unless man recognizes and
lives by this rule, he cannot come
to that abundance of life destined
for him by God.
If man is to reach this abun-
dance of life. which depends on
the fullness of moral character,
it must be through the way he
lives his everyday life. He has
no other course. It is idle and
dangerous for him to dream
otherwise. The thoughts, atti-
tudes, motives, judgments, and
deeds which make up his daily
round will determine his growth
in character.
En yo,,rt ,,en ol1 L,;. ~.~,,. A..