To lower our standards is to commit slow moral suicide. God gives us eternal life (death) at times to protect us–either from ourselves or from other things that could corrupt us. Some, like Maria Gorretti, hold such an immense love of God inside them they would rather give up their earthly lives than their heavenly one. God has mercy and ushers them into His kingdom of heaven where nothing can hinder them anymore, or separate them from Him.

The Natural Law is written in our hearts, whether we acknowledge it or not. It is an invisible reality that helps us determine good from evil. Natural Law is universal and indiscriminate. It is what holds us accountable to ourselves, to each other and to God.

11-year-old Maria Gorretti held the law of purity so close to her heart that nothing could rip it from her: not the threat of violence, fear of death nor immense physical and emotional pain and suffering. She protected her right to purity with fierce courage and love.

The absence of the Natural Law would mean immediate degradation of societal protections of children like Maria and families, which is what we are witnessing today.

The Ten Commandments illustrate the Natural Law perfectly, and provide us with safeguards against individual, familial and cultural evils.

Here they are listed:

1. I am the Lord, your God. You shall not have other gods besides me. (This prevents worship of goods, persons and self, which lead to narcissism and using others for pleasure.)
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. (This prevents the breakdown of the sacredness and primacy of God, allowing us to receive His richness and blessings in our lives.)
3. Remember to keep holy the Lord’s day. (This prevents us seeking other pleasures outside God (i.e. chasing after the emptiness of money and endless comforts).
4. Honor your father and mother. (This prevents the breakdown of family life and the disintegration of respect we owe our older generations.)
5. You shall not kill. (This prevents the elimination of innocent life God created for a purpose.)
6. You shall not commit adultery. (This prevents us using one another for selfish pleasure, thereby protecting family life in society.)
7. You shall not steal. (This prevents society from descending into envy, greed, war, violence and self-destruction.)
8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. (This prevents violence against all that is truthful. It also prevents division within families and with neighbors.)
9. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. (This protects the integrity of family life and allows us to see our individual God-given blessings.)
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods. (This prevents our self-destruction due to greed and envy.)

Following the Natural Law gives us perfect freedom to pursue our dreams, and guides us on our journey to heaven.