Jesus is the Only Answer to Our Global Decay

The Remedy of Self-Gift

I just finished preaching a retreat in Taiwan to catechists in Taipei. They are some of the few people pushing for the Gospel of Life in a culture that simply doesn’t value human life as inherently dignified. I’ve become more cognizant from speaking with them that every human heart carries an ache that remains incurable by the temporary balms of this world because the void within us was designed for the infinite. We traverse continents and cultures only to discover the same fundamental restlessness everywhere we go. People across the globe search for meaning in success, relationships, or social standing, yet they find themselves increasingly hollow. The truth remains that the deepest hunger of every human person is for Jesus Christ, the Alpha and the Omega, in whom we live and move and have our being. Without Him, we are travelers without a map or a destination, wandering through a wilderness of our own making.

While standing on the ground in places like Taiwan and observing the broader landscape of the East, one sees a chilling preview of a world devoid of Christian foundations. These societies often lack the historical structures of Christianity that recognize the inherent, unrepeatable dignity of every person as an image of God. Consequently, the concept of the human person has drifted into a cold, utilitarian paradigm where worth is measured by productivity or convenience. The purpose of existence has been reduced to the pursuit of comfort, leading to a profound selfishness that prioritizes individual ease over the sacrificial love required for a thriving civilization. This worldview treats the human life as a commodity to be managed rather than a gift to be cherished.

The demographic reality in Taiwan serves as a somber warning to the rest of the world regarding the consequences of this utilitarian mindset. We see birth rates plummeting to levels that ensure a social and economic demise because people have been convinced that marriage and children are burdens to be avoided. The prevailing narrative suggests that a “good life” consists of maximum autonomy and minimum responsibility, which leads individuals to reject the commitments of family life in favor of solitary leisure. This refusal to embrace the generative nature of love has turned these nations into the architects of their own disappearance. They have chosen the ease of the present at the total expense of the future, proving that a society focused solely on the self eventually ceases to exist.

I was raised with a similar mentality where money and possessions defined the ease and happiness of one’s life. We were taught that success meant accumulating enough wealth to insulate ourselves from the needs of others. This paradigm promises happiness yet delivers only a profound sense of isolation and spiritual poverty. The entire Asian continent currently suffers under the weight of this lie, especially within the developed nations where material abundance has failed to satisfy the soul. The hunger for a transformation that is only possible through the fullness of Christ’s truth is more pronounced today than at any other point in modern history.

Conversely, the West presents a different although equally dangerous manifestation of the same spiritual malady. Having enjoyed the fruits of Christian structures for centuries, the West has experienced unparalleled affluence and social flourishing. However, man has now largely rejected the God who provided these blessings in favor of a grotesque deification of the self. In the absence of real suffering or immediate turmoil, the modern Westerner believes himself to be the master of his own destiny and the arbiter of his own truth. This rejection of the divine has led to a different kind of rot, one characterized by moral confusion and the disintegration of the very institutions that built the civilization.

The deification of the self is an ugly sight because it turns the individual inward, away from the light of truth and the needs of the neighbor. When we make ourselves the center of the universe, we become small, petty, and fragile. This self-worship creates a culture of death where the vulnerable are sacrificed on the altar of personal convenience. Whether it is the utilitarianism of the East or the radical autonomy of the West, the result remains the same: a profound loss of what it means to be truly human. We have forgotten that our life has an end and a purpose much greater than our fleeting desires or our temporary comfort.

The only remedy for this global decay is a return to Jesus Christ and His natural and divine revelation. Only in Him do we find the correct anthropology that explains our origin and our ultimate destiny. Christ reveals to us that we are created for communion, both with God and with one another. He shows us that the human person is not a tool to be used, but a mystery to be loved. Through His life, death, and resurrection, He provides the template for how we are to live in a world that is passing away. Without this anchor, we are swept away by every passing fad and every destructive ideology that promises a shortcut to happiness.

The theology of self-gift stands as the central pillar of a flourishing life and a healthy society. Jesus teaches us that it is in giving ourselves completely away that we are truly happiest and most fulfilled. Real joy is found in the sacrifice of the father for his children, the devotion of the mother to her home, and the service of the citizen to the common good. This paradoxical truth flies in the face of modern wisdom, yet it remains the only path to a life worth living. When we embrace the call to self-gift, we break the chains of selfishness that keep us miserable and alone.

A society where everyone gives themselves away joyously as a self-gift is a society that can withstand any storm. In such a community, the common good is served because people see their talents and resources as gifts to be shared rather than prizes to be guarded. Families are built on the firm foundation of sacrificial love, providing a stable environment for the next generation to grow and flourish. This creates the right structures for continued prosperity across generations, ensuring that the nation remains vibrant and full of hope. The alternative is the slow suicide we currently witness in cultures that have abandoned the principle of sacrifice.

We must recognize that the problems of our age are fundamentally spiritual and require a spiritual solution. No government policy or economic stimulus can fix a heart that is closed off to the grace of God. The demographic crisis, the rise of loneliness, and the loss of cultural identity are all symptoms of a world that has tried to live without its Creator. We have seen the results of this experiment, and they are disastrous. The remedy and the solution is still Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Therefore, I offer this exhortation to everyone who has encountered the living Christ: rise up and share this truth with a world that is starving for it. We must be the evangelists who are burning with zeal for the Gospel, speaking to the specific hunger of every cultural heart. We must boldly go against the prevalent social norms that tell us to keep our faith private or to prioritize our own comfort. The transformation of the soul and the culture is only possible when we bring the light of Christ into the darkness of our modern age. Whether on the web or in the world, our mission remains the same: to feed the hungry hearts we meet with the Bread of Life.

If you have tasted the goodness of the Lord, you have a responsibility to lead others to the same banquet. We cannot remain silent while our brothers and sisters are sold the lie that marriage and children are hindrances to a good life. We must show them, through our own lives of joyous self-gift, that the opposite is true. True freedom is found in the service of others, and true life is found in Christ. Let us all return to Him with our whole hearts and commit ourselves to rebuilding a culture that honors the dignity of the human person and the sanctity of the family.

The state of the world may seem dire, yet we are a people of hope because we know the end of the story. The structures of man may crumble, but the Word of the Lord endures forever. As we look at the decay in both the East and the West, let us not be discouraged. Instead, let us see this as a moment of great opportunity for the Gospel. The deeper the hunger grows, the more the world will recognize its need for the only food that truly satisfies. Jesus Christ is the answer to every question the human heart asks, and it is our great privilege to proclaim His Name to the ends of the earth.

Let us move forward with confidence, knowing that the truth of Christ is the only thing that can truly save our families, our nations, and our souls. The path of self-gift is difficult, yet it is the only path that leads to the mountain of the Lord. May we be found faithful in our generation, witnesses to the power of the Gospel to transform even the most broken cultures. The world is waiting for the sons and daughters of God to reveal themselves. Let us answer the call and share the remedy that the world so desperately needs.

You can learn more about my mission and why I am currently in the East by visiting Why I’m in Taiwan Right Now. We must understand the Global Hunger for Bold Evangelists if we are to respond effectively to the crises of our time. Together, let us return to the foundations of our faith and be the light that this world so desperately requires.