Years ago, Kimberly Hahn, wife of well-known Catholic speaker Scott Hahn, expressed her gratitude for God’s assistance in keeping her from certain sins she could see in society.

All of us should echo her thanksgiving, because all of us have been, and are being, saved from evils that otherwise would overwhelm our best intentions to do good.

The recent release of videos featuring callous conversations by Planned Parenthood staffers about the sale of tiny body parts gives us a look at one worldview from which the sacraments and teachings of our Catholic Church protect us. We benefit greatly from those gifts.

Such an extreme example of inhumanity, however, should not blind us to the everyday temptations we ourselves face and must resist each day. Very basic, almost invisible temptations can steer us off the path to sanctity in small and larger ways.

We need the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist and confession, because we all are vulnerable. The same, basic, self-serving greed that we see at work in the abortion industry can bite at us as well. The fear found in many, if not most, of that industry’s clients is not unlike some of the fears we face.

Another gift of the Church is the lives of our saints, many of whom had plenty of sorrows and struggles. We need their holy examples. Most everyone’s life becomes difficult somewhere along the line. We might even experience unwarranted and stabbed-to-the-heart injuries. In these and other challenges, we run the risk of becoming bitter, of erecting inner barriers against outside pain, and of focusing overmuch on our precarious situations to the exclusion of concern for others and of trust in God.

The saints experienced similar challenges. They are a great gift from God to help us fight the good fight and finish the race, as St. Paul says. They inspire us and give us roadmaps to follow. They also will pray for us, and their heavenly prayers are powerful.

Greed and fear are common, but there are plenty of other temptations, including jealousy, coveting, lust (always a favorite of evil), feelings of superiority — and of inferiority, which brings its own twist on the potential for self-centeredness. At times we might feel like bad things are so stacked against us that we and our loved ones can’t help but be swept away — except for God and His all-powerful, saving help.

We might think it is a no-brainer to acknowledge the greatness of God and be thrilled when He comes to help us. He is our best bodyguard, our greatest protection. But evil works against our acceptance, tempting us to think that things are all up to us, pushing us to not trust that God’s will is for our benefit, and even making His help seem distasteful.

We must realize our need for God and welcome His sacramental and saintly gifts — and we really need to pray for others in our society whenever we realize how far away from God they’ve gone. The abortion industry employees, the corrupt business people, the thugs and thieves and all who feel entitled to things. That feeling of entitlement is a modern dilemma that greatly contributes to selfishness and blinds too many to concern for others.

So many people have not experienced the love of God in ways recognizable to them. They believe in luck or in forces that have their roots in evil. They have not been taught how to pray and why.

God loves them too — and it is our duty as followers of Christ to pray for the men and women we notice who so need our prayers. Our duty also is to model faithfulness — never knowing when our example of a God-centered life may jog the consciences of others.

Whenever Pope Francis and other church leaders say they are fellow sinners along with the rest of humanity, they are acknowledging the common struggle against evil. We are all in the same leaky boat.
Let’s encourage one another to keep praying, and to keep paddling.