10 Ways Catholics Can Transform Modern Culture

The following comes from the Aggie Catholics site:

Work on yourself first. The only thing we fully control are our own personal decisions. So, if we want to have any influence over culture or see any positive changes happen, we need to work on being saints first.

Evangelize, evangelize, evangelize. When we get to heaven, I believe the first question St. Peter will ask is "who did you bring with you?" The mission of the Church is to evangelize and it is why she exists in the first place. WE are the Church! We need to live out our identity better.

Pray. Then pray some more. Any true transformation will take place in the hearts of others because of God's grace being operative in their lives. Pray for them. Pray for yourself. There is no spiritual power without prayer.

Support groups that are doing good work already. If you know of groups which already exist and are doing great work in transforming culture then invest in them. Invest your time. Invest your money. Don't let another opportunity pass you by to put your money where your beliefs are. Also, don't be fooled into thinking we can change culture through politics. Rather, politics is a reflection of where our culture already has gone. Finally, we must also affirm what is still good about our modern culture and try to support those things as well.

Focus on Children and young people. Children are not the future of the Church - they are already part of it, so we need to make sure they not only stay in the Church but help the Church grow and thrive. We can assure this happens by forming them and loving them.

Learn from how others have transformed culture in the past. The negative changes in our culture didn't change overnight and neither will the positive changes. We need to focus our efforts in media, education, entertainment, etc to offer positive alternatives in these areas.

Dream big. Too many Catholics are fine with the status quo. This is not how God feels. He dreams big and so should we. The entire world needs to be transformed. Where do we start? By taking the next step. I might add that we need to support our leaders when they do the right thing.

Use all available tools. The internet, new media, tech, etc. These are at our fingertips now. Use them. Remember how the Industrial Revolution was driven by new technologies. The changes can be either negative or positive. The Church must always answer the "should we" and "how should we if we do" when it comes to progress.

Stick to the basics. Most modern people are basically un-churched, even if they go to church sometimes. This means they know little (if any) about a relationship with Christ, basic doctrined, etc. So, stick to the basics. The best place to start is the Gospel message. Do you know how to communicate it clearly and effectively?

Invest your time, energy, and talents in helping others. The best way to transform culture is to make sure you are helping those you have influence with. Family, children, spouses, friends, co-workers, etc. These are the people you stand the best chance of helping make positive changes. Those small changes can lead to cultural trends. So, don't underestimate them.