I Believe What I have Been Taught
 by Rev. Robert J. Hermley
                                                                                                                            

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There are those who claim that the color of a flower can e changed by adding certain chemicals to the soil.  Such elements are taken in by the root hairs and transported to the cells of the plant, and eventually change the color of the flower - or so the theory goes.

Since I m no a botanist, I do not have evidence of the validity of the statement, but I imagine that there are definitely some colors that can be affected by what the root hairs take form the surrounding soil.  It might not change the plant completely but it just might alter it a bit.  More than likely it will affect some plants of a greater or lesser degree than others.

There is no doubt, however, that in every day life, we are deeply affected by our surroundings and associates.  If we hear nothing but bad language and bad ideas, some of them might creep into our thinking process.  We will be less and less shocked by what we hear, and we just may absorb some of the evil that otherwise might have repelled us at an earlier stage in our lives.  It is a truism that we can become a part of all that we read, all that we think about, of all we laugh at and all that we prize.  Christ reminded us once, "Wherever your treasure is, there is your heart." (Mt. 6-21)

Every so often, then, it is a good idea to examine ourselves and ask, "What is it that I treasure most?" . . . is it my soul, my faith, my comfort, ease, money, sinful desires?  What is it that makes me uniquely me?  And perhaps we will see that the garden of our soul needs a bit of weeding.  Have I been growing well in the soil of my faith or have I ignored the weeds choking virtue off until I have no real life of my own left?  Am I letting the evil of my friends change the rosy hue of my soul?  Am I too timid to correct others who smirk at virtue?  Am I slow in the defense of the Church and of the Holy Father?  Am I afraid to stand up and say I am a loyal Catholic and I will not water down my faith for anybody?

Let us steadfastly stick to authentic doctrine and tell the world, "If there is anything wrong with me, it is that I believe what I was taught."