Brass Tacks (rant#4 the revenge)

Without religious instruction, and proper religious instruction then all the efforts of the present will dissolve in the future. Fewer pro-lifers, those that do take up the cause will be unsure as to the actual church teaching, they will get bogged down in the secularist double-speak that is the quality of life, human rights etc.
 Fewer young Catholics who think that waiting until they are married is the prudent and ultimately wisest decision, why? Because they have not been taught otherwise.
   Recently released amidst much fanfare  the new national directory for catechesis was launched, the blueprint for future religious education. Interestingly we have a section on the challenges that the Irish church faces in the new century. So concern for the environment, for immigrants, those who are socially marginalised etc. yes all noble and good causes. BUT not one mention of prolife issues, attack on the family or the hedonistic lifestyle that is being encouraged.  So trees, eastern europeans, beggars all deserve our christian witness and charity and this is how it should be, but to shirk away from abortion or pre-marital sex in case it offends someone is downright reprehensible.  Yet it is not surprising, during the election the labour party made it clear that if elected they would legislate for abortion (this is driven by the youth wing of the party who of course were educated in "catholic" schools), the response of the bishops??  Well the episcopal conference ( the herd) released a communique criticising the capitalist culture that got us into this mess, but of the labour election promise, not a word, no direction given to their flock, no censure , no condemnation and reassertion of catholic teaching. Truly the flock has been scattered and the shepherds have gone astray!!!!
     If in this most basic and one might say simplest expression of Catholic teaching , on the sanctity of life, there is no guidance, what hope is there for any aspect of our faith. True Catholic teaching will be replaced by fuzzy quasi-Christian social consciousness,  emotive, deviod of reason and at the whim of whatever fad is current in general society. Those who attempt to stand up for the faith, will increasingly be labelled, conservative, reactionary, denying lived  christian experience, and dare we use the word !!! Traditional!!!