Confronting Evil

When I was in college, there was a campus department/organization called Healthy Choices Task Force.  This was a group made up of faculty, staff, and students.  And contrary to their name, they promoted many ideas, programs, and activities that were anything but healthy.  One event they were planning on holding was called, “Healthy Pornography.”  (These words do not belong together!)  Working in the campus reservations office, I learned about this event several weeks before it was set to take place due to my supervisor, who also happened to be Catholic, drawing it to my attention in our reservation booking system and sharing his disgust and disappointment in this awful event that was being planned.  I decided to investigate it a little bit so I reached out to get a summary from the event planners on what the purpose and summary of the event was.  It turned out that their intent and goal for the event was to discuss and talk to students about how to view pornography in its different forms and it was going to be discussed in a positive light.  I could not believe that any sane adult would think it was a good idea to promote this.  As Catholics, when we come across evil, immoral, events, activities, or ideas that go against everything we believe we can either stay quiet and do nothing, or we can stand up and speak out.

Thankfully, my supervisor, who shared my faith, encouraged me to do something.  That weekend after mass on campus, I brought it to the attention of our campus minister Sr. Laura, and our priest, Fr. Scott.  We discussed the issue and prayed for the people involved with the event, that they might see the harm in it.  A few days later, a group of us from the Phoenix Catholic student org got together to write a letter to send to the Vice-Chancellor, Dean of Students Office, and the event organizers to express our concerns, letting them know it went against our beliefs and morality.  In the response we got from the vice chancellor, he indicated that while the University would not be making a definitive moral statement on the subject, they were rethinking the event and canceled it.  We probably didn’t convert anyone or change their minds in this whole ordeal, but we planted a seed and made an effort to make Christ known in a small way.  We made our voices heard.

I share this story because we all see these types of things all around us on a regular basis.  We live in a country that seems to have no moral compass.  Whether it’s in the media, forms of entertainment, different groups/organizations, or just other people or situations we encounter, immorality and wickedness are all around us.  Satan and the evil spirits truly “prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls”, as we pray in the St. Michael Prayer.

In these situations, we must make the choice to stand by Christ and our faith, even when it is hard, uncomfortable, and it seems like the whole world is against us.  The way we confront evil around us is not only through our words, but also through our actions and the way we live our lives.  And we should not be surprised when people who don’t profess faith in God and spaces that do not welcome Him have let the evil one seep in, resulting in behaviors and actions that are contrary to faith in God.  We must pray and continue our work that we have been given as disciples of Jesus, to share the Gospel and make Him known.
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When we choose to go against the ways of the world, holding firm to our faith and rejecting immorality and evil, people will take notice.  While we will likely not change people’s minds or make them change their ways, we may be planting a seed, or causing them to think about what makes us live differently, wondering why we so strongly believe what we believe.  When faced with two choices- to do nothing or to stand up, may we always choose to stand up for our faith, sharing a glimpse of Jesus with the world!