George W Obama

Did you see that mash up photo of “George W Obama” that combined the faces of George W Bush and Barrack Obama? It looked real, yet weird in a sort of way. Whoever came out with it had less of an artistic reason, but more of a political commentary.

When Americans voted into office its first black president, it was because they had enough of President George W Bush, who had brought the US into a full-scaled war against terror and whose inefficiency was put to light in the aftermath of cyclone Katrina that devastated New Orleans.

But political observers have noticed that through the years, President Obama has morphed into his predecessor, certainly not in looks, but in policies. One such policy is the sharing by communications companies of Americans' phone records with the National Security Agency.

There are only two possibilities for people to become in this world: be Christ-like or Satan-like. You cannot be both good and bad at the same time. You are either good or bad. While there are those who romanticize Robin Hood who stole and distributed the loot to the less fortunate, such is not the way of God.

But we live in a world of compromise. More so that politicians advocate policies not based on principles or conscience but on popular will, if not mob rule. The most obvious example was Pilate’s decision of Christ’s crucifixion. ^“Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!” Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!” When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.” And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.”Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.” (Matthew 27: 22-26)

Why have abortion, prostitution and gay marriage, among others, been legalized? Because politicians have been swayed to calls not even by a majority of people, but by a loud minority. That puts sense in the mission prayer intention for June 2013 of Pope Francis: "That where secularization is strongest, Christian communities may effectively promote a new evangelization."

In his commentary, Scott P. Richert, “Here in Pope Francis's mission prayer intention we can see what the new evangelization really entails—evangelizing once again those who were once Christian but have lost the Faith. In that sense, the mission field of the new evangelization is all around us, as family, friends, and neighbours slip away from Christ and His Church.”

For how can Christians persuade non-believers in the Good Word, if we cannot convince even those among our own circle to stand for Christ and His teachings? If we fail in this, then we may see people around us with faces mashed up with the devil. We cannot let that happen.