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by Brendan Malone

Four practical things we can all do in response to the ugliness at the Olympics:

1. Pray for Thomas Jolly and ALL of the other people who were involved in the hedonistic debasement of Christ at the Opening Ceremony.

Christ loves them, and He sacrificed Himself in total self-giving love for their salvation. When the prodigals are squandering their inheritance and dining in the sty, we need to imitate the welcoming love of the father and not the closed disdain of the older brother.

There would be much rejoicing in Heaven if, instead of becoming a diabolical portal to usher more rage into the world, this incident became the catalyst for increased Christian prayer and the portal for God’s saving grace in the lives of these people. (Romans 8:28)

In Catholicism, we have this beautiful prayer that you might like to use:

“O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Your mercy.”

2. Do a quick examination/audit of your own life, relationships, marriage and/or family life.

Are there areas of discord? Places where love is lacking on our part? Places where chastity is lacking?

If so, ask for God’s help, and then commit yourself to improvement in these areas. Make the world more like the image of Christ’s self-giving Last Supper and less like the image of Dionysus’ cruel, hedonistic self-gratification.

3. Do something that makes it harder for hedonism to take root in your life.

Make an extra little sacrifice today by doing something that is not required of you. Shut down your screen a little earlier tonight and spend some time reading the Scriptures or contemplating Christ instead. Do something that requires discipline and even a little bit of suffering and struggle on your part.

4. Do something practical that brings goodness, truth and beauty into someone else’s life today.

The answer to a culture lacking in goodness, truth and beauty is to foster that very goodness, truth and beauty in your own local community. If you do that, you’ve just changed the shape of the whole world.

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Brendan Malone is a New Zealand husband, father, independent media commentator, and Director of The Lifenet — a Christian ministry dedicated to planting and nurturing the seeds of leadership, virtue, and ethical concern through goodness, truth, and beauty.

Image courtesy of Adobe.