Are you special, or do you conform to the spirit of the current age?

St. Paul tells us in scripture that: "we must not conform ourselves to the spirit of the age, but renew our understanding in the Holy Spirit".

Do we do this as Christians? Do I do this? Here is a quick question that may find you an answer: do you agree with the following statement: "It is a sad day when a 16-year-old unmarried girl gives birth to a child"?

If you agree with this statement, then you do not have a Christian perspective on matters of life. John Paul II told us that the birth of any child is always good, regardless of the circumstances. This is because that child is made in God's image and likeness and has been called into life by the Creator of the universe. Who could ever tell a child they shouldn't have been born?

What is sad, however, is that the mother had sexual relations when she was not ready, under God's law nor rational thinking, to do so. Girls who end up in this situation are not the main people to blame. The main culprit is the culture we live in that fails to inform young people of how to have relationships. In other words, it's everyone's fault. What can I do about it!? Speaking personally from my own experience, I too made many mistakes and learnt partly from my parents and the Church but mainly through trial and error. It doesn't have to be like this! Why isn't the Church doing something? The Pope and important heads of congregations constantly tells us these truths, but somehow these gets blurred and watered down, so that people in the pew do not know the truth unless they read documents produced directly from the Holy See in Rome. What has happened to our Church?

The rupture between sexual intercourse and the creation of human life is promoted by society so much these days that many think it is acceptable for 16-year-olds to be having sexual relations, yet the idea of a sixteen-year-old mother is abhorrent. Nonetheless, the UN statistics tell us that 64% of unwanted pregnancies are through failed contraception. Contraception does not guarantee "value free" sex. People of worldly mentality say we should follow the Swedish approach to sexual education, yet the Sweedish government statistics for abortion rates in 2006 are the worst in western europe (there are more than 600 abortions for every 1,000 live births), while US abortion rates have plumeted over recent years (around 150 abortions per 1000 live births), possibly due to the sexual abstinence programs which get more advertising and promtion than here) these worldly folk say the US is backward in its sexual education programs!

Jesus Christ calls us to be the light of the world, but christians too often blur themselves into obscurity. Many christian communites, churches and christian individuals do not realise that as Christians we have to think completely different from the rest of the world: how can we enhance the world and bring true meaning to human existence if we are no different from those around us? How can we be "the salt of the earth" if we are the same as the earth?

People on the street look back at previous generations and point out fault: Nazism, slavery, communism, bigotory, apartheid etc. but if one points out to these same people that our current society kills millions of human lives every year across the world through abortion, they think we are crazy for saying it must stop. Unless people are helped, they cannot rise above their own cultural problems. This is what we as christians are called to do. Let us take on this challenge with zeal and trust, so that we can do as the Lord says and "put out into the deep". Lord, give us the courage, strength and trust to do this!