Catholic Community on the Jersey Shore
The Israelites experienced the consequences of rejecting God thousands of years ago, and modern society is following the same path. If the causes are similar, the results may be as well.
• Persist in sin, and receive the wages of sin: death (Rm 6:23).
• Condemn others, even silently, and be condemned (Mt 7:2).
• Fail to give alms, and cause others to suffer (Sir 14:4-9).
• Fail to evangelize, and reap a godless society.
• Put your trust in contraception and reap a culture of death.
• Sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind (Hos 8:7).
Our sinful, human nature tends toward death (Rm 8:6), and even pursues death. However, we have hope in Jesus, Who is our only Hope. When we live for Jesus alone, He breaks the destructive cycle of sin and gives us a new set of consequences:
• Repent, obey God’s commands, worship Him alone, and a thousand generations of your descendants receive His mercy (Ex 20:5-6; 1 Pt 2:10).
• Sow God’s Word, and reap much fruit (Mk 4:8).
• Trust God, give alms, and sow your money generously for Him, and He will wipe everything clean for you (Lk 11:42), open the floodgates of heaven to bless you beyond measure (Mal 3:10), and let you reap bountifully (2 Cor 9:6).
“I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life” (Dt 30:19). Break out of the vicious cycle. Obey God.