04/09/19 16:19
I have taken to riding my bike on the forest preserve trails. One Sunday afternoon, to unwind from a long day at the parish and a very good dinner, I decided to hit the trails.
After I had finished my ride, I was pulling into the parking lot to stretch and there pulled up three cars full of young people and their children. Now as I mentioned this was Sunday, so I thought they, like me, would be taking advantage of the wonderful weather. Out they all came and the men started tossing a football around while the women and children were getting their spring jackets on to begin their walk on the trails.
All of a sudden the men started talking with one another and every sentence was laced with an expletive of one kind or another. Some sentences contained the “f” word in various forms. All of this was in earshot of the children.
I reminded myself, before I rushed to judgment that maybe these were not religious people, but then I thought, so what! I am a religious person and of all days to hear this, let alone model for your children this kind of behavior, I became enraged and left the forest preserve as fast as possible.
Has vulgar language and even disrespectful behavior become so commonplace, that there is nothing left of decency? I remember when I was small, you never swore- even the mention of the word “hell” would bring the wrath of my father and mother. They swore in the heat of the moment, but never used the “f” word in front of my sister and me.
I thought about confronting them but then thought the better of it, because you never know how people will react in this day and age. But also I thought, what good would it do?
That’s how I ended my Sunday- being snapped back to reality that not everyone believes in the risen Christ and what He died for and certainly not everyone believes in common decency and respect. I am afraid we have a long road ahead of us.