I will always regret my trip to a local 7Eleven store some years ago. One day as I pulled into town on my way back from a long trip, I stopped in for coffee and a pack of gum. As I walked up to the counter with my items, I felt a sense of shock and anger as I was confronted with a rack filled with pornographic magazines. I was flabbergasted! As I gathered my thoughts to speak, I was greeted by the clerk, a nice, friendly man with a huge, welcoming grin on his face.
Hello, Miss! I hope you're enjoying the beautiful day out there. This all for you?
How could someone so nice not be affected by what was staring us both in the face? I was searching for the right way to protest the magazines but he continued his friendly chit chat, leaving me perplexed as to how to work a complaint into the conversation. I didn't want to offend him, so I knew I had to choose my words carefully.
There you go! Thanks for coming in, now. Have a great day!
Ahhh! I missed my chance! As I headed for the door, I turned back and looked. No one else was in the store, so I could ostensibly go back and say something. My palms got sweaty and I took a deep breath. Just then, the entrance bell rang and two more people walked through the door.
Good morning! Enjoying the beautiful weather?
Darn! I thought to myself. I missed the opportunity to speak my mind! He probably has no control over that sort of thing, anyway. Yeah, it would probably go in one ear and out the other. Oh, well. I reasoned my failure away. As I got in my car and prepared to back out of my parking space, I saw two young boys enter the store. Now, I felt really bad. But hey, it's not my store! I'm not responsible for what happens... Or am I?
Ever find yourself in a similar situation? It seems like so many people these days just go along to get along.
I know they shouldn't be living together, but I don't have the right to force my values on them.
It bothers me that this guy over here is deliberately deceiving his girlfriend, but hey, it's his life.
I know she's not coming to Mass anymore but nothing I can say will change her mind.
Sound familiar? But, this is not how it's meant to be. As Catholics, we are meant to be the salt of the earth and we need to take this seriously. Yet, it seems like we're just slowly loosing our sensitivity to sin because society is conditioned to be more interested in being happy and entertained in the here and now, and not really concerned about where they will spend their eternity. We're like a bunch of frogs in a pot of water that's slowly being boiled and we don't notice we're going to die because the water feels so good.
We shouldn't go along with what we know is wrong just so we can get along with others or not offend them. Be not afraid! as Pope St. John Paul II would say. Be not afraid to speak out, but remember to do so with real charity, not just a desire to prove how right you are. Make your protest but do it out of concern for the welfare of other people's souls, not just to win an argument.
You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men (Matthew 5:13).
That episode at the 7Eleven really held a mirror up for me to look in. I realized with shame that I was more worried about offending the clerk with my protest, rather than being concerned for the welfare of his soul, those boys, and anyone else who encountered those magazines. Since then, I always ask clerks to pass on the message to their bosses that they will lose my business if they keep the magazines up, but I also pass on a message of sincere thanks to managers who do not display them. In the words of Tom Petty, You can stand me up at the gates of hell but I won't back down.
I encourage everyone to take the words of St. Matthew to heart and really be Catholics who are the salt of the earth, living with the desire to not only get ourselves to heaven, but to arrive at the pearly gates with a crowd of friends :)
Feel free to send me your feedback at [email protected].
