ViewPoints 26
catholicnewsherald.com | May 27, 2022 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Matthew Nelson
What makes humans so special?
F
ire up your imagination for a moment and imagine you are standing on a busy street corner with a handful of rosaries. Most people pass by hurriedly, but a stranger walks by and makes eye contact long enough for you to ask a simple question: “What do you think of the Catholic Church?” What sort of responses would you receive? My guess is that many, if not most, of the responses would be critical of the Church’s moral teachings, especially in the areas of sex, marriage and human life. Would you be prepared to confidently respond to those criticisms? Sound arguments often begin with basic facts that one’s interlocutor is likely to agree with. The late Catholic apologist Frank Sheed identifies one such key principle for defending the Church’s moral teachings. He writes, “Our treatment of anything must depend, in the last resort, on what we think it is” (“Society and Sanity”). This is the first principle we must establish before entering the depths of rational argument. And from that follows another principle on which all moral arguments hinge: Our treatment of man must depend on what we think he is. So then: What are we that makes us so special?
‘Man is a union of body and spirit purposed for heaven.’
MAN HAS AN IMMORTAL SOUL
In his book “In the Beginning,” Pope Benedict XVI affirms that the inner unity between faith and reason is reflected in the revealed story of creation and the scientific theory of human evolution. Science can inform us about man’s development as a physical being, but alongside the discoveries of science the disciplines of theology and philosophy can tell us more about man: that he has an immortal soul infused by God. Therefore, man is a unity of body and spirit, which makes him utterly distinct from the rest of creation. “Man is not merely an evolution but rather a revolution,” muses G.K. Chesterton. With this rational soul, man alone can know by his intellect and love through his will. Unlike the animals, we can freely choose, and we can deliberate before choosing. Another difference is that human souls are incorruptible, which means they are immortal. Death of the body is not the end for us. This potential to “share in God’s blessed life” for all of eternity sets us apart from animals (CCC 1).
MADE LIKE GOD
In the opening chapter of Genesis, God says: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (1:26). But what exactly is God like? And what are the particular attributes of God that we similarly possess?
God is infinite and perfect. Therefore, to describe Him, we use words such as all-powerful, all-knowing and all-loving. Although God thereby possesses power, knowledge and love without limit, we too are able – by virtue of the spiritual powers of our will and intellect – to exercise power, obtain knowledge and will the good of others, albeit to a finite degree. You can see these “likenesses” to God fully manifested in distinctly human activities, such as artistic endeavors, academic pursuits and charity work. But that’s not all. The opening to Genesis also introduces us to a “theology of the body.” The Church, especially through the teachings of Pope Paul VI and Pope John Paul II, teaches us that in our bodies we possess the sexual makeup through which we can enter into free, total, faithful and fruitful union with another. This nuptial love profoundly images the free, total, faithful and fruitful relationship between the three eternal persons of the Blessed Trinity.
SAVED BY GOD
“Christian, recognize your dignity” commands the Catechism (1691). There is perhaps no better and direct way to recognize your dignity than by looking at a crucifix. “The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me,” wrote St. Paul (Gal. 2:20). Just as Christ gave himself for Paul, so too did He suffer and die to save you. God desires for all to be saved (1 Tim. 2:4), and there is desire inside every man and woman to be saved. As C.S. Lewis puts it, “He died not for men, but for each man. If each man had been the only man made, He would have done no less.” Christ’s death on the cross both proves and symbolizes our human worth in addition to God’s undying love for us. We are not only loved by God, we are redeemed by Him. We are now free – with the necessary graces readily available – to fulfill God’s original plan for us: to “become partakers of the divine nature” and spend all of eternity in the bliss of heaven.
BACK TO THE STREET CORNER
Now, back to that imaginary street corner. Do you feel a bit more prepared to respond to the objections you will undoubtedly encounter? Remember: your objective in that scenario (or any evangelistic situation) is not to convert on the spot. Your task is to plant little mental seeds for consideration. If you find yourself at a loss for words, then I suggest starting with Frank Sheed’s first principle: that our treatment of anything must depend on what we think it is, from which it follows that our treatment of man must depend on what we think he is. What is man? Man is a union of body and spirit purposed for heaven. Only from this starting point can the truths about what is right and good for man as man become clear. MATTHEW NELSON is an apologist at the Word on Fire Institute and the author of “Just Whatever: How to Help the Spiritually Indifferent Find Beliefs That Really Matter” (Catholic Answers Press, 2018) and editor of the forthcoming volume “The New Apologetics” (Word on Fire Institute, 2022). He is also a scholar associate with the Society of Catholic Scientists.
Sr. Constance Carolyn Veit
Honor our elders creatively
A
s a Little Sister, I don’t usually follow pop culture trends, but something in the music world recently caught my attention. Last weekend the Eurovision Song Contest, the world’s largest music competition, crowned Ukraine over 40 other countries for its unique song combining rap, hiphop and traditional folk music. It was wonderful to see everyone gather around the Ukrainian musicians as they celebrated a rare moment of joy. But what really struck me was the subject of their winning song – “Stefania” is a tribute to the lead singer’s aging mother: “The field blooms but she is turning gray … She rocked me; gave me a rhythm. You can’t take willpower from me as I got it from her. She knew more than King Solomon….” “Stefania” was not the only Eurovision song to honor family ties. Portugal’s entry, performed in subtle harmonies by an all-female group, expressed the composer’s pain at the loss of her grandfather, together with her joy in having known and loved him. MARO, a Portuguese artist who attended music school in Boston, reflected on the meaning of her song, “Saudade”: “It’s about loss but it’s also celebration. It’s crazy how impactful our grandparents can be, and it’s a reference to so many values, including unconditional love.” Yes, it’s amazing how impactful our elders can be and how unconditionally they love us! These two songs brought joy to my heart as they reminded me of Pope Francis’ oft-repeated call for young people to remember and honor their elders. Throughout the pandemic, the media emphasized dark stories of the suffering and isolation of seniors. Now on a daily basis we see images of elderly Ukrainians who find themselves alone amid the ravages of war. We need a bit of “Good News” involving the elderly! Witnessing the love of these young Ukrainian and Portuguese musicians for their elders filled me with admiration and hope. On July 24, the Church will celebrate the second annual World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if young people across America used their talents to create music and works of art in honor of their elders on this special day? They may not receive a prestigious trophy or
international acclaim, but God will reward them with the joy of those who know how much more blessed it is to give than to receive! The theme of this year’s World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly is “In Old Age They Will Still Bear Fruit.” In his message for the occasion, Pope Francis observed: “Old age is not a time of life easily understood even by those of us who are already experiencing it. … The more developed societies expend large sums on this stage of life without really helping people to understand and appreciate it; they offer health care plans to the elderly but not plans for living this age to the full. This makes it hard to look to the future and discern what direction to take. On the one hand, we are tempted to ward off old age by hiding our wrinkles and pretending to be forever young, while on the other, we imagine that the only thing we can do is bide our time, thinking glumly that we cannot ‘still bring forth fruit.’” He continued, “The fast pace of the world – with which we struggle to keep up – seems to leave us no alternative but to implicitly accept the idea that we are useless.” Please do not allow your parents, grandparents or other elders in your life to accept this false idea, no matter how limited or disabled they may feel. No human being is ever useless or without value. No one is ever completely incapable of entering into relationship with others and making a difference in the world! And so, as July 24 approaches, let’s be creative in finding ways to honor the elders in our lives. Let’s show them we are grateful for their unconditional love and all they have given us. Let’s help our elders to appreciate the many ways in which they still bear fruit! Pope Francis told seniors that they have the responsibility of teaching the rest of us to regard others with the same loving gaze with which they regard their own grandchildren and that, having grown in humanity by caring for others, they are teachers of a way of life that is peaceful and attentive to those in greatest need. Let’s show them that we have learned these lessons well as we accompany them with reverence and loving attention! SISTER CONSTANCE VEIT is the communications director for the Little Sisters of the Poor in the United States and an occupational therapist.
