Good Versus Evil - Living a God Centered Life in the Presence of Evil

Present in society today there exists a blatant dichotomy between good and evil. While people are generally good and try to live a God centered life, the cares of the world and the presence of evil weaken our resolve. On the one hand we are spiritually fed with God’s grace, love, and eternal truth; and on the other hand, evil lurks like a wild beast ready to trounce upon its prey, warping the human mind and endangering the soul. Evil generates from two sources: our own imperfection and inclination towards sin (due to original sin), and the direct influences of the devil. The devil does indeed exist and he cunningly worms his way into our lives infusing our minds with lies, tricks, and delusions, under the guise of goodness. His (empty) promises that material wealth, supreme power, and earthly perfection will lead us to ultimate happiness, only plunge us into despair when we realize we have been duped. At times evil seems so prevalent that it prompts us to seek seclusion in a sort of spiritual cocoon, a place where we can hide - and bask and grow in the warmth of God’s love. However, like that butterfly that eventually emerges from its cocoon, we too must leave our comfort zone and rejoin the imperfect world. This by no means suggests that Earth is doomed, but even a small amount of evil emits a deafening roar and has the potential to infiltrate the heart like a snake’s poisonous venom. Goodness, while very powerful, speaks softly, like an innocent lamb passing unnoticed. Unfortunately, people tend to listen to a loud bark over a gentle whisper.  So how do we teach others to listen to the gentle whisper...  The answer simply stated by St. Paul, drown out evil with an abundance of good – infiltrate society with the love of Christ.  We do this by inviting Christ to accompany us to each and every activity, encounter or situation of our day - work, school, shopping, entertainment, even times of rest and sleep. Others will come to know Christ through our good example and love. Little by little, evil will be overshadowed by good and thus restore faith to mankind.