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[source]: Catholic Exchange
[url]: https://catholicexchange.com/are-we-building-the-city-of-god-or-the-city-of-man/
Lifting His eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed: "Holy Father, keep them in your name that they may be one, just as we are one. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the Evil One. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth." (Jn. 17:11, 15-19)
St. John Paul II offered a three-step blueprint to reclaim the City of God—a culture of life and love rooted in truth—against the rising tide of the City of Man, marked by a culture of death. This plan begins in the human heart, extends to marriage and family, and culminates in socio-political action to transform society for Christ.
Restoring the Dignity of the Person
"The dividing line between good and evil lies within every single human heart." —Alexander Solzhenitsyn
The foundation of a culture of life rests on a true understanding of what it means to be human: to be created in truth and love, in the image of God, and called to communion with Him. Evil in the world originates when the light of the Spirit dims in individual hearts. These hearts, unmoored from divine grace, not only commit evil but inspire, coerce, or manipulate others onto paths of destruction.
Each person stands, as if before the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, faced with a fundamental choice: the City of God or the City of Man, Christ or chaos. Without Christ's divine life, the human person defaults to sin and death, enslaved by what St. John the Evangelist describes as the "lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 Jn. 2:16).
Yet, God does not abandon us to this struggle. Through repentance and acceptance of Christ's gift of self—offered in His passion, death, and resurrection—the human person is restored. In the Eucharist, Christ offers Himself fully, inviting us into an intimate union where His divine life flows into our souls.
Restored by grace, we are sent, like Christ, to be a gift of self, loving others in truth and living the truth in love. This mission begins with repentance—a turning away from the culture of death—and grows through a rediscovery of the dignity of every human life, from conception to natural death.
Restoring Marriage and Family
"The future of humanity passes by way of the family." —St. John Paul II
The restored individual becomes a gift to others, diffusing God's love through marriage, family, and neighborly charity. Today, marriage and family face relentless attacks. St. Lucia of Fatima warned that the decisive battle between Christ and Satan would be over marriage and the family, a prophecy unfolding today.
John Paul II wrote in his Letter to Families: "Unfortunately various programmes backed by very powerful resources nowadays seem to aim at the breakdown of the family. At times it appears that concerted efforts are being made to present as 'normal' and attractive, and even to glamorize, situations which are in fact 'irregular.' Indeed, they contradict 'the truth and love' which should inspire and guide relationships between men and women, thus causing tensions and divisions in families, with grave consequences particularly for children."
Socio-Political Activism: Reclaiming Culture for Christ
"When God is forgotten, the creature itself grows unintelligible." (Gaudium et spes, 36)
While the culture of death must first be expelled from our hearts and our homes, it must also be driven from our laws and public policies. Jesus' words, "You too go into my vineyard," never fail to resound in the course of history: they are addressed to every person who comes into this world (Christifideles Laici, John Paul II, No. 2).
In Evangelium Vitae, JPII analyzes various threats to human life. Taking priority are the threats to life at its beginning and end, through such means as abortifacients, abortions, infanticide, and euthanasia. These systematic attacks on life constitute a culture of death representing "a direct threat to the entire culture of human rights."
"Democracy cannot be idolized to the point of making it a substitute for morality or a panacea for immorality. The value of democracy stands or falls with the values which it embodies and promotes" (EV, 70).
The American Founding Fathers understood this principle. As John Adams said: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
The Church calls all the lay faithful to actively engage in the renewal of society and the transformation of culture. The Catechism teaches: "It is necessary that all participate, each according to his position and role, in promoting the common good. This obligation is inherent in the dignity of the human person. As far as possible, citizens should take an active part in public life" (CCC 1913-1915).
Christ or Chaos, Life or Death
"I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore, choose life, that you and your descendants may live." (Dt. 30:19)
This is the great choice that lies before every person, every family, every society, and every generation.
The Gospel of life is for all humanity. A society that tolerates the devaluation of life lacks the foundation for justice, peace, or true democracy. By restoring the dignity of the person, defending marriage and family, and engaging in principled activism, we build the City of God—a culture where love and truth reign. The future of humanity depends on it.