Have we lost our sense of shame?

For his sermon the priest talked about a conversation he had with a friend wherein both friends related their views of the evils of our times in the world.  After a while, both realizing the darkness of their conversation, they switched to lighter topics – but not before his friend summarized his view of the world in these words “we have lost our sense of shame”.

After the priest and his friend parted, the priest had to reflect on what his friend meant by our sense of shame being lost. It took some time to realize that indeed we have lost our sense of shame. When we watch any game of sports we see fights and brutal plays in which one player  may intensionally injure an opposing team player, counting on the referee not seeing the violation while we fans roar our approval when our side has done the deed.  Some such plays are considered not even in violation of the rules, but simply part of the game − in reality, we are watching a gladiator contest, rather than a game of sports.  Too many fans, sports writers, coaches, radio and television personalities express no shame over accepting such violence as normal.

When we encounter violence on the streets − one person brutalizing another, how many of us simply stand and watch for fear of being injured ourselves if we interfere to stop the violence? If we see a woman being gang-raped while many of us stand and watch presumably, again, out of fear for ourselves if we try to help; when we see someone on the sidewalk bleeding from some injury or writhing in pain, how many of us walk by and leave it to some Samaritan to help that individual?  When we act in this manner we have lost our sense of shame − a shame that, out of charity for another stricken person, would drive out fear of involving ourselves with helping strangers in need of help.

When we tolerate corruption in the workplace, in government and its agencies whose mission is to legislate and administer such legislation to benefit its citizens, but who too many times are more interested in helping themselves, then we have lost our sense of shame if we do not take reasonable and responsible actions to remedy such corruption.   If we do not vote responsibly by rejecting corrupt officials and supporting those who by their actions have proved to be servants of the people, then we can say we have lost our sense of shame.

When we tolerate the abuse of women through the dissemination of pornography through all types of media, when we tolerate advertisements used to sell practically anything by displaying in an unseemly way the female body which borders on pornography − but a seemingly acceptable “mild” pornography,  then we can say we have lost our sense of shame if we do not take measures to reform these abuses and restore a greater respect for the place of women as the true nurturers of society and not mere objects of pleasure and objects presumably to be used to increase sales.

Finally the priest reminds us that only through our return to a belief in God and a trust in God whose plan for us involves that sense of shame that we human beings are all His creatures who, good and bad alike, are showered with His love, mercy and grace every moment of our lives, which in turn, through His Son, Jesus Christ as our example, requires no less than our love, mercy and kindness to all our fellow human beings.