As individuals lose a spiritual vision, society becomes materialistic. Today the desire for more and more has overtaken economic discipline. Both individuals and government are spending more than they make. We are going deeper and deeper into debt.
Furthermore, our society has lost a sense of sin. Immorality has moved out from the hushed shadows of embarrassment to the light of public applause. TV, media and even government now extol immoral actions and lifestyles.
Not only is sex outside of a marriage between a husband and a wife simply accepted, but there is a virulent campaign to redefine even marriage itself. Strident voices promoting abortion and euthanasia contribute generously to the lamentable devaluation of human life at all stages.
We no longer live at a time where Western civilization embraces an essentially Christian worldview, with God as the Creator and Sustainer of this world. Reason has exalted itself. Without any reference to faith, it has fashioned a worldview which is secular and materialistic. In such an intellectual climate, all moral values become relative. While we, as Catholics, may be tolerant of individuals who choose to act contrary to the teaching of the gospel, we can never abandon our moral principles that come from Christ.