15 minute read
Viewpoints
from May 27, 2022
26 CATHOLIC NEWS HERALD
Matthew Nelson
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What makes humans so special?
Fire 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 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. ‘Man is a 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 union of body our bodies we possess the sexual makeup through which we can enter into free, total, faithful and fruitful union with another. This nuptial love and spirit profoundly images the free, total, faithful and fruitful relationship between the three eternal persons of the Blessed Trinity. purposed for SAVED BY GOD “Christian, recognize your dignity” commands the Catechism (1691). There is perhaps no better heaven.’ 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. catholicnewsherald.com | May 27, 2022
Sr. Constance Carolyn Veit
Honor our elders creatively
As 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!
Kelly Henson
Where is the Lord’s abundance?
The past few years have hit many of us with the gentle touch of an avalanche. As I have watched my family and many close to me face illness, fear, financial worry, major life changes, loss and depression, a question lurks in the background: “Where is the Lord’s abundance?”
I was struck when reading Luke 5 recently by how much our suffering can blind us to God’s gifts and God’s calling in our lives. In that chapter, Luke tells the story of the calling of Simon Peter. Simon has just arrived at the shore after a disappointing night fishing and begins to wash his nets. There is a large crowd blocking his way home, and this Jesus character suddenly wants to use Simon’s boat as a podium. Then, after his speech, Jesus tells Simon to row the boat out on the lake again to fish, at the wrong time of day.
The fishermen catch such a multitude of fish that the nets begin to rip, and they need the help of another boat; then, both boats nearly sink under their load. Simon and his fellow fishermen James and John were astonished and humbled by this surprising abundance. Jesus obscurely calls them to become “fishers of men,” and they leave everything to follow Him. How inadequate these simple men must have felt in the train of a teacher who quotes Scripture with ease and heals the sick with a word! Everything familiar was taken out of their hands, and yet these tenacious men had exactly the characters necessary to be called into God’s most important work.
Imagine if Simon Peter had said “No” to Jesus’ request to use his boat. It would have been perfectly reasonable under the circumstances. When we are similarly tired and disappointed, it’s easy to reject the gift of presence. We push others away, shrug off offers of help, neglect those dearest to us, and throw our attention into distractions and remote social networks that demand less authenticity. Sometimes Jesus shows up in our low moments in the face of a loved one, and we don’t receive Him well because we feel unworthy of attention or unequal to putting on a pleasant face for them.
Imagine if the fishermen focused so much on the breaking nets and the sinking boats that they couldn’t appreciate the wealth of fish that had been bestowed on them. Often, I have heard mothers murmur, “I’m not sure why God sees fit to trust me with so much!” Sometimes abundance can feel more like a burden than a blessing. Having a vehicle means it can break, having a roof means it can leak, having children means you’ll be patching knees and hearts daily, and having the ability to invest in ministry or business or studies or whatever God is calling you to in this minute means that you will experience the brokenness of this fallen world in the midst of the particular abundance that God has given you. Acceptance and a cool-headed process of humility, curiosity, creativity and discernment before action in these moments is a grace rarely asked for, but it is the crux of true freedom.
Imagine if these straightforward fishermen had refused God’s call because they didn’t have enough information to weigh every pro and con that the Messiah’s request would bring about. We too will never have all the information we need to perfectly protect ourselves in this world. Faith, hope and love are not icing on the cake of control. They are the crux and cross of the Christian calling. We have to make our choices with prudence, but we should also ask how faith, hope, and love figure into our choices.
Often in the lives of the saints, they habitually follow order and prudential behavior, but they reach a moment where Christ asks them to be a fool for Him, to forgo the tidy habits of the mechanized world and step into the riot of beauty in the land of the living. Only He perfectly sees that vision until the New Jerusalem is established, and we must trust His lead in those moments when we feel convicted in the silent dialog of our hearts with Him.
Simon Peter learned that if he focused on broken nets and waterlogged ships, he would not receive fish and the even greater favor of God’s calling. If he feared the storm, he would not walk on water. And if he gave in to the uncertainty of his own betrayal and refused forgiveness in his weakness, he would not accept the keys of the kingdom and the grace to wield them.
No inflation index, virus, social upheaval or personal cross is more powerful than the Providence of God. He just has an odd way of showing His care, and we have to ask to have the eyes to see His Love bursting through our expectations of what ought to be. Because there, at the root of our deepest fear and most personal hurt, is where He is waiting for us with fullness and mission.
KELLY HENSON is a Catholic writer and speaker who explores the art of integrating faith into daily life. She and her family are parishioners of Our Lady of Grace Parish in Greensboro. She blogs at www.kellyjhenson.com.
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