Until recently I had found it amusing to reflect on how different the world is now compared to when I was a child. Telling kids about a world without internet
shopping or smartphones and receiving eye-rolls was harmless entertainment.
Now I’m at an age where it’s not uncommon for me to tell young, engaged couples about movies I saw before they were born, and my heart weeps for those who did not experience the thrill of the original Jurassic Park in theaters. But alongside all the trivial or amusing ways in which things have changed over the last thirty-odd years, there have been darker developments, to be sure. This week, our parishes are participating in an effort called “Safe Haven Sunday” because of the exponential and devastating increase in the availability of  pornography to young people growing up today.

We spend a lot of time as a parish staff discussing how best to evangelize and spread the Gospel, and rightly so. It is the fundamental mission of a Catholic parish to live out the Great Commission by teaching others what Jesus has taught us, and to baptize in the name of the Father, and the Son,  and of the Holy Spirit. But many of those efforts can be stopped before they ever start because of the grave obstacles placed in our path by the culture of death in which we live. The  average age of first exposure to inappropriate content on the internet and elsewhere continues to drop, and now it is statistically expected that by the time a child  reaches the age of ten, they will have been exposed to the seedy underbelly of the “adult entertainment” industry, either intentionally or because of a lack of protection put in place by those responsible. I often tell parents that even if their kids aren’t looking for it, it is looking for them. It is a multi-billion-dollar industry, and the dens of vipers that run these foul businesses are constantly on the hunt for the next generation of customers. If they must destroy lives, souls, and innocence in the process of making money, then that’s the business, and it’s a price they are willing to pay.
 
There is a culture of shame, secrecy, and silence that facilitates this, and turns what might have once been an accidental exposure into a vicious cycle that traps people and prevents them from being free to give themselves fully to the vocation to which God is calling them. The internet, in addition to opening doors and strengthening some forms of communication, has also led to the explosion of this industry because of the three ‘A’s’: availability, anonymity, and affordability. The societal hurdles that once protected people from this scourge are no longer present, and the Church, the Body of Christ, has paid the price for it.

This Sunday we are handing out an excellent resource to help parents understand the steps that they can take to protect their children from falling victim to this trap, and so we encourage you to pick up a copy of Equipped for your family so that you can be better prepared for this challenge that so many previous generations of parents did not have to face like we must today.  Much like the challenge of restoring the Sacrament of Reconciliation to the everyday practice of the Faith, this battle is one that must be fought on several fronts. There is much work to be done to free those who have already become slaves to sin, and even to convince them not to despair, and that God wants more for them than they are willing to accept for themselves. No matter how hopeless it seems, freedom from lust and temptation is possible, and we will never live out our vocations with integrity until we start to heal from these wounds.
 
But even while we engage in that battle as individuals, as families, as parishes, and as the People of God, we can take steps now to give the children of this generation a head-start in this fight that many of us did not have. Please join me in praying for the success of this initiative so that our children can embrace a life in Christ with fewer obstacles in their path, and never be afraid to bring this struggle to the confessional, or to me or Father Jeff, who have been placed here as your spiritual fathers. One of the lessons of Fatima is that the final battle between Good and evil will take place over marriage and the family. This stands at the heart of God’s Will for us. It is not a fight we can ignore, but more importantly, it is a fight in which God has already won the final victory.
 
Prayers always,
Fr. McC