The Decline of Reason
Fifth Sunday of Lent
“With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.”Ps. 130
Since the 18th century, reason has been enthroned as the idol of “intellectuals,” and under this pretext, they left God and religious beliefs, as always, with false and misleading labels, considering the religious as medieval obscurantism, when it was a brilliant time in every sense, when art flourished at its best based on the Christian faith, poetry, painting, architecture, and civilization, creating universities, hospitals, and the best humanity has had in centuries.
Now we are witnessing the decline of rationality, which was what distinguished us from animals, but man, moving away from God, decided to identify himself with his temporal bodily and animal dimension, becoming subjected to the tyranny of his instincts, denying his spiritual dimension and his soul, ceasing to seek truth, the meaning of life, and transcendence, which are the only possible foundations of freedom and happiness, human dignity, peace, and indeed civilization. That is why we are facing a true catastrophe, as we can clearly see daily in the news. How can we perceive this decline of reason, of the soul, and of human dignity? There are countless manifestations of this, but let’s see some examples:
- The doubt and questioning of whether the baby before birth is a living human being.
- The assertion that there are more than 100 genders to choose from, and that they have nothing to do with genitals or what the doctor “assigns” at birth.
- Believing that one can change sex, or race, or age… is a sick or demonic denial of reality and undeniable truth.
- Believing that there can be effect without cause, fruit without root, creation without creator.
- Thinking that everything we see in the universe and in the world can come from nothing, that everything came into existence by chance, without anyone wanting it.
- And as a consequence of this, we can also see the irrationality of wars, the legalization and spread of all evils such as drugs, alcoholism, harmful medicines and beverages, addictions, evil movies that can only do harm, etc.
- The fact that billions of dollars are spent in a day to watch an American football game while many have nothing to eat. That they prefer to have yachts, houses, or jewels, throw money in casinos and other addictions rather than helping needy brothers.
- The denial of evidence of faith, such as clear miracles, healings, the tilma of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the shroud of Oviedo, and the Holy Shroud, even though they are inexplicable and manifest the truths of the Gospel, as the Gospel itself reports the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, like the testimony of the apostles who gave their lives to defend these truths.
These are examples of what the Gospel says; many did not receive it, they preferred darkness, even in the face of the miracles of Christ himself, many refused to believe, SO AS NOT TO HAVE TO OBEY AND FOLLOW HIM. Many will prefer to reject the truth. Christ learn through suffering to obey. Hebrews 5.
Weekly Readings
Sunday: Jer 31:31-34/Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15 (12a)/Heb 5:7-9/Jn 12:20-33
Scrutiny: Ez 37:12-14/Ps 130: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 (7)/Rom 8:8-11/Jn 11:1-45 or 11:3-7, 17, 20-27, 33b-45
Monday: Dn 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 or 13:41c-62/Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6/Jn 8:1-11
Tuesday: 2 Sm 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16/Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29/Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22/Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a or Lk 2:41-51a
Wednesday: Dn 3:14-20, 91-92, 95/Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56/Jn 8:31-42
Thursday: Gn 17:3-9/Ps 105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9/Jn 8:51-59
Friday: Jer 20:10-13/Ps 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7/Jn 10:31-42
Saturday: Ez 37:21-28/Jer 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13/Jn 11:45-56
Next Sunday: Mk 11:1-10 or Jn 12:12-16/Is 50:4-7/Ps 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24 (2a)/Phil 2:6-11/Mk 14:1—15:47 or 15:1-39
Observances for the Week
Sunday: 5th Sunday of Lent
Monday: St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Tuesday: St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Saturday: St. Turibius of Mogrovejo, Bishop
Next Sunday: Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, Holy Week begins