In today’s society, there are many acts
and behaviours that have been normalized
by the media and the people around us. We
see some of our favourite celebrities and
athletes drinking, swearing, smoking and
anything immoral you can think of. The
media shows us this and tells us that it’s ok
that they are doing those things, as it is
“normal”. As a result, this behaviour gets
reflected onto society, and everyone begins
to copy them. We see our friends swearing,
we may see them drinking/smoking at a party or picking on someone in the halls because they want to appear cool in front of their peers. All of this has a negative impact on us, and it makes it harder to act Christian in our society today.
Jesus said to us “You are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:14). He tells us that we are the ones who bring light to the darkness in society through our actions. But how? It is hard for us to act in a Christian manner, when everyone around us—especially our close friends—are doing all these actions that are sins in the eyes of God.
Reading the Bible is an important part of our lives, as it is God’s word. When we read it, we understand his message and it keeps our minds set on our goal. Seeking help or advice from our fathers of confession are very helpful as the priest is the representation of God himself in our church led by the Holy Spirit. Going to Sunday school is also extremely important because we are taught about important life lessons and how to deal with our troubles, through the stories of saints.
When we read the stories of saints, we understand how God is always with us in our struggles and how through fasting and prayer, we get closer to him. The saints are perfect examples to us on how we should properly live our lives. In the new testament, St. Paul states that “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct” (Hebrews 13:7). This way, we will not be seeking to have any other people who live worldly lives as our role models, but it should be the saints and we should look up to them and learn from their stories, in order to strengthen our relationship with God.
All of these are some examples of what we can do to help us act as Christians in today’s society, even when we don’t want to. It is important that we don’t allow any negative influences on us, and that we act as the lights of the world, through our actions.
