Catholic Diocese of Broome

How is it that our country has become so secular in so short a time? How is it that many families, once steeped in faith have been reduced to mere reflections of a "soul-less" economy? Why is it that considerations of faith - belief in God, commitment to Christ, adherence to sound objective moral principles - have seriously diminished in the space of a generation or two?

These questions constantly occur to me as I reflect on the secular nature of our society - indeed the whole of Western society. At Christmas time, I received a card from a Christian organisation in Sydney that featured a parcel wrapped in green and red and festooned with a few bells and baubles. Inside it said "Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year".

Also at Christmas, our Prime Minister and the Federal Leader of the Opposition sent us seasonally adjusted greetings once again. But there is no mention of Christ, the Holy Family or anything else sacred. Even at the top it would seem, the political leadership in the country has paled to a non-religious mindset.

In late January, I attended a neo-catechumenate conference in Melbourne. The speaker was asking similar questions to mine. He made the observation that we are all so susceptible to the influences of secularism because "the water has been changed" and we are living in an environment that is secular and God-less. The globalised culture that attempts to define who we are reflects principally beliefs and commitments in which there is little or no place for God.

It seems to me that if the beliefs and values that matter are to prevail, then we have to change the water back again. That is to say, we need to live a life that is counter-cultural and develop for ourselves a living environment of faith and worship which will sustain a commitment to Christ and the world of God.

The Vatican II Pastoral Constitution Gaudiem et Spes spoke of the Church in the modern world, not the Church of the modern world. "The joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of people of this age are the concern of the followers of Christ," it stated. It went on to point out the imbalances in the modern world and listed the broader desires of all human beings while alerting us to the dangers of systematic atheism. The role of the Church in the modern world, the document continues, is to penetrate the world's dynamic movements with the spirit of the Gospel. To be a leaven in the midst of that which surrounds us.

This proper activity of the faithful is reflective, spiritual and practical. To put it briefly and succinctly, the people of God, you and I, need to resist thoughtless immersion into an imperfect world while recognising that it is through witness, proclamation and dialogue that we engage our secular world. "Led by the Holy Spirit, Mother Church increasingly exhorts the faithful to purify and renew themselves so that the sign of Christ can shine more brightly."

To live confidently the example and teachings of Christ is to create a world environment that is graced, purposeful and sustainable.