Be a law-abiding do-gooder

Sometimes being a Christian is not that complicated.

Yes, sometimes there is a direct, explicit, and unavoidable conflict between God’s law and the laws of particular governments or between what is truly good and what popular opinion feels is good.

When those conflicts arise, we must certainly cling to God and his truth.

But most of the time, in most places, we can and should obey lawful authorities and go along with people doing "good work" even if these authorities and people do not believe as we do. Among other things, it is part of our being good witnesses.

By the grace of God, we have been blessed with the true faith (yet that should not be a cause for smugness on our part).

If St. Paul in today's first reading (Titus 3:1-7) could write to Christians living in a thoroughly pagan society, how much more do these words speak to us, even as we strive to remain faithful to Christ in a culture that seems increasingly "post Christian":

Admonish them to be subject to princes and powers,
to obey at a word, to be ready to every good work.
To speak evil of no man, not to be litigious but gentle:
shewing all mildness towards all men.

For we ourselves also were some time unwise,
incredulous, erring,
slaves to divers desires and pleasures,
living in malice and envy,
hateful and hating one another.

But when the goodness and kindness
of God our Saviour appeared:
Not by the works of justice which we have done,
but according to his mercy,
he saved us,
by the laver of regeneration
and renovation of the Holy Ghost.