All the saints down through the ages including Blessed Benedict Daswa, have been inspired by this Christian vison of human life. They have lived it and spread it especially by the witness of their own lives, even in cultures hostile to their faith and in times of hardship and persecution. Until recent times this vision had to a very large extent, provided the ethical values and standards of behaviour of western civilization. These ultimately come from God’s law written in the human heart, and are clearly expressed in the ten commandments given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai.
These moral values underpinned the constitutions and laws of countries, including the United Nations Charter of Human Rights of 1948. Pope Francis pointed to this dependence of society on Christianity in an address to European Union leaders. He said, “At the origin of European civilization is Christianity without which the western values of dignity, freedom and justice would prove largely incomprehensible” (24 March 2017). These and other Christian values have indeed become incomprehensible to many people today, who have abandoned their Christian roots.