Position Papers – May 2020

A REVIEW OF CATHOLIC AFFAIRS May 2020

Issue 539 €3· £2.50· $4

Coronavirus & Christianity – ruination or resurgence?

MICHAEL KIRKE

The sacraments in time of pandemic REV. GAVAN JENNINGS

Films: Emma JOHN MULDERIG 1

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A REVIEW OF CATHOLIC AFFAIRS

CONTENT

Editorial 2

by Rev. Gavan Jennings In Passing: Coronavirus and Christianity – 3 ruination or resurgence?

by Michael Kirke In Praise of Christian Media 9

by Tim O’Sullivan Cardinal Pell, Moral Outrage, and the Rule of Law 12

by Theodore Dalrymple Tragedy, contingency and a deeper sense of God 16

by Bishop Robert Barron The sacraments in time of pandemic 19

by Rev. Gavan Jennings Marian Times 23

by Rev. Donncha Ó hAodha The future of work 28

by Lindsay McMillan Books: Deaths from Despair and the Future of Capitalism 33

by James Bradshaw Films: Emma 39

by John Mulderig

Editor:

Rev. Gavan Jennings

Assistant editors:

Michael Kirke, Pat Hanratty, Brenda McGann

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Editorial T

here is a saying attributed to St. Augustine: “A Christian is an Alleluia from head to toe” – whether it is accurate or not I don’t know, but it does express well the notion that each Christian must be permeated by supernatural optimism. From Easter Sunday onwards everything has “worked out for the best” for Christians, just as St Paul said it would when he wrote: “We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28). Simply every apparent tragedy in the history of the Church keeps turning out to have been a blessing in disguise.

Recently in the readings of Mass we have read of the mob martyrdom of St Stephen, which of course forced the very first expansion of the Church beyond the confines of Jerusalem: “And on that day a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem; and they were all scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles” (Act 8:1). Furthermore, if St Catherine of Siena is to be believed, it was the prayers of the dying Stephen which would lead later to the dramatic conversion of the arrogant Saul who witnessed and approved of the first Christian martyr’s death. And on it goes for the coming centuries: from martyrs come new Christians (as Tertullian famously observed in 197 AD: “The blood of the martyrs is the seedbed of the Church”); from heresy comes clarification of doctrine; from persecution comes the purification of Christians, from Christian hostages come missionaries, and from barbarian invasions come new fields of evangelisation.

This same spirit of invincible optimism should also inform our attitude to the coronavirus epidemic which has swept the world bringing death, isolation and financial chaos in its wake. We must be convinced – without turning a blind eye to the real suffering it has caused – that from the coronavirus much good can come, both directly through creative innovations it inspires in the life of civil society and the Church, and indirectly through bringing about a re-assessment of our priorities and a deeper conversion towards God in turn.

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In Passing: Coronavirus and Christianity – ruination or resurgence?

by Michael Kirke

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n the cover story of the Easter edition of The Spectator, Luke Coppen, lately editor of the Catholic Herald and currently London correspondent for the Catholic News Agency, contemplated the strange ghostly panorama of worship around the world just now. For Christians it was, he said, an Easter like no other. It was, in some ways. However, it did resemble another Easter – the very first Easter.

into two broad camps: those who believe the crisis will lead to a religious revival and those who think it will hasten the demise of organised religion. Ruination or resurgence, which one will it be?

The first of those outcomes, ruination, is not an option for Christianity because ruination and the divine are incompatible. The unbelievers around the foot of the Cross on that first Easter weekend scoffed with words that sceptics Coppen went on to look at the have continued to parrot ad two interpretations which are nauseam down through the cennow being offered on the subject turies: of the future of Christianity in the And those who passed by light of this strange social, ecoheaped abuse on Him, nomic and religious landscape shaking their heads and which we currently find ourselves saying, “Aha! You who are inhabiting. going to destroy the temple He found Christian thinkers split and rebuild it in three days, 3

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come down from the cross and save Yourself!” In the same way, the chief priests and scribes mocked Him among themselves, saying, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself!…

where the false turnings of mankind have brought us.

We might begin by reflecting on a penetrating analysis of the state of Christianity by the young Fr Joseph Ratzinger in a 1958 lecture. In that famous – long and But He did – and He saved us as indeed difficult – lecture, he gave well. us a map of what a deep and genuine resurgence of the ChrisThe second option, resurgence, is tian Church might look like. a more credible outcome. But as a hope, particularly in the terms in According to religious statistics at which we think about it, it is tain- that time, he pointed out, old ted with superficiality. History is Europe was still a part of the earth really not such a fickle thing to al- that was almost completely Chrislow itself to be turned on events tian. But, he said, that statistic is of the ultimately passing kind as false: “This so-called Christian is this temporary terror.

Europe for almost four hundred years has become the birthplace of If we are looking for a resurgence a new paganism, which is growing of the kind which were imagined steadily in the heart of the to have occurred in the so-called Church, and threatens to underGreat Revivals of the past, resur- mine her from within.” That was gences filled with, and built on, a 1958. We now know how the grip dreamy enthusiasm for the King- of that new paganism has dom of God on earth, we will be tightened and indeed strangled foolish – and disappointed. The whole swathes of the Christian work which has to be done and West. the power which will bring that resurgence about requires a His analysis was as stark as it was deeper supernatural outlook and startling: a more profound appreciation of The outward shape of the the ways of God than are conmodern Church is determtained in this kind of philosophy. ined essentially by the fact It will also require a better grasp that, in a totally new way, of the long view of history and of she has become the Church 4

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of pagans, and is constantly becoming even more so.

She is no longer, as she once was, a Church composed of pagans who have become Christians, but a Church of pagans, who still call themselves Christians, but actually have become pagans.

Paganism resides today in the Church herself, and precisely that is the characteristic of the Church of our day, and that of the new paganism, so that it is a matter of a paganism in the Church, and of a Church in whose heart paganism is living.

Summing up his description of how he saw things back in 1958, he said: One should speak rather about the much more characteristic phenomenon of our time, which determines the real attack against the Christian, from the paganism within the Church herself, from the “desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be” (Mk 13:14).

In the lecture he took us through the historical process in which the Church’s mission grew and de-

veloped – the path to the era in which we now find ourselves, and from which, if there is to be a meaningful resurgence, we must emerge with a renewed co-redemptive response to God’s call to both increase and multiply and preach the Gospel to all men.

When the Church had her beginning, he explained, it rested on the spiritual decision of the individual person to believe. There was an act of personal conversion. The Church was a community of believers, of men and women who had adopted a definite spiritual choice. Because of that, they distinguished themselves from all those who refused to make this choice. In the common possession of this decision, and based on the strength of the conviction with which it was held, the true and living community of the faithful was founded, and also its certainty.

Furthermore, because of this, as the community of those in the state of grace, they knew that they were separated from those who closed themselves off from grace.

Grace, and the sacraments through which grace was channelled to believers, was the sine qua non of this community. But it was a community which reached out, constantly, to evangelise those not sharing their treasures.

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But by the Middle Ages, as Fr Ratzinger described in his lecture, this dynamic changed. The Church and the world now became identical, and so to be a Christian fundamentally no longer meant that a person made his own decision about the faith.

Being a Christian became, a political-cultural presupposition.

Today, this outward identity of Church and world has remained.

What has disappeared is the conviction that in this, that is, in the “unchosen” belonging to the Church, also that a certain divine favour, a heavenly redemption lies hidden. By which I think he meant, so called nominal Christians have neither an interest in nor any sense of grace.

What he proposed back in 1958 is as pertinent today as it was then: It must become clear that Sacraments without faith are meaningless, and the Church here will have to abandon gradually and with great care, a type of activity, which ultimately includes a form of self-deception, and deception of others. In this matter, the more the Church brings about a self-limitation, the 6

distinction of what is really Christian and, if necessary, becomes a small flock, to this extent will she be able, in a realistic way, to reach the second level, that is, to see clearly that her duty is the proclamation of the Gospel.

In short, resurgence will be a matter of depth before it becomes a matter of expansion. He added to this the ideal that, naturally, among the faithful, … gradually something like the brotherhood of communicants should once again be established who, because of their common participation in the Lord’s Table in their private life, feel and know that they are bound together. This is so that in times of need, they can count on each other, and they know they really are a family community.

This family community, which the Protestants have, and which attracts many people to them, can and should be sought, more and more, among the true receivers of the Sacraments.

The individual Christian will strive more earnestly

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for a brotherhood of Christians, and, at the same time, try to show his shared humanity, to unbelievers around him, in a truly human and deeply Christian way.

Hence Christianity in the world of time and space has existed always as an exterior unity, as a visible community, as a Church. Christianity has always demanded that its interior unity should be embodied and exhibited in an exterior unity. Christianity has ever been an ecclesiastical Christianity; it has never been anything else.

In other words, it will become a resurgence of evangelisation, of mission, as well as of personal conviction and commitment of love. This, of course, echoes what Karl Adam wrote in The Son of God back in 1934 (Scepter Pub- So, post-Corona will there be a relishers, Princeton, N.J. 1992, p surgence? There will, but it will be 14): so because resurgence is in the DNA of Christianity. Resurrection The third mark of Chris- is something Christians profess tianity is its sociological and proclaim every time they atform. Because the Man Je- tend Mass. But it will be a resursus, the personified “ We ” gence founded on more than the of the redeemed, embraces simple goodness and generosity, in his Person the whole wonderful though that may be, of multitude of those needing the thousands, hundreds of thouredemption, Christianity is sands indeed, now responding so essentially a union of the heroically to the needs of their felmembers with their Head, low-human beings in this Covida Holy Community, a Holy crisis.

Body. There is no such thing as an isolated and sol- The salvation of mankind is a diitary Christian, for there is vinely wrought-thing – with no isolated and solitary which everything that is human in Christ. This interior and in- us must cooperate. But without visible union of the mem- our recognition and acceptance of bers with the Head neces- that divine intervention – and the sarily presses for an exterior sacramental signs it has gifted to us unity equally close-knit. – Christianity has no meaning.

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Without this, our lives and our actions might for a time remain christian but they will not be Christian.

The terms and conditions for a Christian resurgence are encompassed by the words and spirit of the collect prayer of the Mass of Divine Mercy Sunday: God of ever-living mercy, who, in the very recurrence of the paschal feast, kindle the faith of the people you have made your own, increase, we pray, the grace you have bestowed, that all may grasp and rightly understand in whose font they have been washed, by whose Spirit they have been reborn, through whose Blood they have been redeemed.

...the author Michael Kirke is a freelance writer, a regular contributor to Position Papers, and a widely read blogger at Garvan Hill (www.garvan.wordpress.com). His views can be responded to at mjgkirke@gmail.com 8

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In Praise of Christian Media

by Tim O’Sullivan

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silver lining of the current lockdown is the increased focus that it has placed on Christian media and internet resources and an increased appreciation of the contribution that they make.

Long before the lockdown, of course, Christian papers like the Irish Catholic or magazines like this one or the Sacred Heart Messenger and Christian radio stations like Radio Maria and Spirit Radio had a significant outreach but this outreach has now arguably become more important than ever. In the case of newspapers and magazines, full or digital subscriptions represent a workable alternative where it is no longer easy to access the printed copy in shops or churches.

A major international player in the world of Christian media is the US-based Eternal Word Television Network or EWTN (ewtn.com). Founded by Mother Angelica on a shoestring in 1981, it has grown into a major global network. I very much appreciate its presence at major moments in the life of the Church, such as the Good Friday celebrations from Rome or those times when the Pope goes on pastoral visit or pilgrimage around the world.

Having once lived in France, I have a strong interest in Catholic media there, some of which are quite advanced in their development and represent an interesting model for other countries, particularly as they were developed in a secularised society. Thus, the 9

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Catholic broadcaster KTO (ktotv.com), which was established in 1999, provides highly professional coverage of major Masses from across France and from the Vatican as well as the Prayer of the Church from various monasteries and a host of other programmes.

The Catholic radio station, Radio Notre Dame (radionotredame.net), which was founded by Cardinal Lustiger in the 1980s, has an extensive daily schedule, including Mass and other religious services as well as an impressive cultural output, covering travel, cinema, history and many other spheres. Both stations also cover current affairs in a highly professional way – I recall in this context the fair but searching interviews with the leader of L’Arche on both channels at the time of the recent Jean Vanier report.

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France is also blessed with many high-quality periodicals like the monthly magazine, La Nef (lanef.net), the fortnightly, L’Homme Nouveau (hommenouveau.fr) and the weekly magazine, Famille Chrétienne (famillechretienne.fr).

While this article is focusing on specifically Christian media, the national broadcaster also deserves a mention. At times in Ireland, in recent decades, one has had an impression of parallel universes at play – for example, there was, on the one hand, the world according to RTÉ and, on the other, the day-to-day life of the Catholic population. To be fair, one should acknowledge here the excellent coverage on RTÉ over the decades of Mass on Sunday or Holy Days or of major Masses from Rome.

Nevertheless, it has also been true in Ireland in my lifetime that thousands might attend a Novena

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in Knock or Clonard or Galway rent crisis and it now makes availand that this would pass largely able Mass and other religious serunnoticed by the national broad- vices from across Ireland and the caster.

UK. A pleasing aspect of the current crisis is that the day-to-day life While my parish also has its own and practice of many people have website, the churchservices.tv webreceived more attention from the site has facilitated my virtual atState broadcaster. One should tendance at Mass in my own parish mention here specifically the very welcome and very professional and in many other parishes coverage of daily Mass during the throughout the country. I have lockdown on the RTÉ News Now drawn nourishment, for example, channel. This has clearly met a thanks to this website, from “virtustrong need of people around the country to pray and stay in con- ally” attending Night Prayer from tact with the Mass even where Letterkenny Cathedral, led by physical attendance is impossible. Bishop McGuckian, which has been a source of nourishment and Finally, this lockdown writer would like to express appreciation support during the lockdown. for the wonderful work of the website, Church Services TV One has had a strong sense at this (churchservices.tv), which was es- Night Prayer, as well as in many tablished as far back as 2005 to other services accessed through the stream Church services over the same website, of being part of a Internet and to expand the reach of parishes and other religious or- community of prayer and worship, ganizations. It could be said to even when one cannot see one’s felhave come into its own in the cur- low-worshippers! ...the author Tim O’Sullivan has degrees in history and social policy and taught healthcare policy at third level. He is a regular contributor to Position Papers.

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Cardinal Pell, Moral Outrage, and the Rule of Law

by Theodore Dalrymple

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he coronavirus pandemic notwithstanding, other things continue to happen in the world. The overturning of Cardinal George Pell’s conviction in Australia for sexual assault of two boys is one of the few items to break through the pandemic’s hegemony over the news cycle. The case is important and not only because of the eminence of the accused. Among other things, it reveals something alarming about the influence of fashion, moral enthusiasm, and ideology on the administration of the law.

decade earlier when Pell was Archbishop of Melbourne. There was, in effect, no collateral evidence; the accusation rested exclusively on the testimony of the alleged victim.

Cardinal Pell stood trial. A first jury could not agree; in a retrial, the jury unanimously found him guilty, and he was duly sentenced to six years in prison. The Cardinal maintained his innocence throughout, and indeed, he could have hidden behind diplomatic immunity to avoid trial altogether, but whatever impression of innocence Cardinal Pell, an advisor to the this fact might have created, it Pope, was accused by a young was of no evidentiary value. man of sexually abusing him and a friend (who had since As was to be expected, the committed suicide) about a Cardinal appealed his conviction 12

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in the appeals’ court of Victoria, the state of Australia in which he was convicted. His appeal was turned down and his conviction upheld. The Prime Minister of Australia (in my view disgracefully, since a further appeal to Australia’s highest court was inevitable) thanked the court of Victoria for doing its job, suggesting that it had come to the right decision.

The case aroused enormous passion. Many of those who adhere to the guilty-if-accused school of jurisprudence rejoiced at the Victorian appeals court’s 21 decision. There were others who refused to entertain even the possibility of the Cardinal’s guilt.

The appeals’ court ruled that there had been no fault in the conduct of the trial. It also ruled (with one dissension) that a reasonable body of persons could have come to the conclusion that the jury came to.

It was reasonable for the jury to believe the testimony of the alleged victim under crossexamination, even if it would also have been reasonable to doubt it – as I would have done – and vote for acquittal.

Of course, it is terrible for someone who has suffered abuse to not be believed, but it is also terrible for an innocent man to be wrongly accused.

In reaching their conclusion, the two judges who voted for I went to the trouble of reading the upholding the conviction said the court’s 300-page judgment and the testimony of the alleged victim dissension from it. Under the law, was compelling and believable. It the possible grounds for appeal in was not as if he had alleged such a case were in effect two: that something that was intrinsically there had been some error in impossible (for example, that he procedure (for example a had been abused in Melbourne misdirection of the judge), or that while the Cardinal was in Rome). the verdict was so perverse and The judges, however, did not against the evidence that no body seem to me to give enough weight of rational persons could have to the possibility that the alleged come to the verdict that the jury victim might have been a good came to. In this case, a third actor, and that no one is immune grounds for appeal (the emergence from belief in convincing liars. of new evidence unavailable at the But this, fundamentally, was time of trial) was not relevant. beside the point: the testimony 13

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was not so ridiculous that no sensible person could have believed it to be true. And that was the test.

I think that, on narrow grounds, the appeals’ court might have been right, and yet I also think that a grave injustice had been done. A tiny thought experiment would demonstrate why.

Suppose I were to allege that my house had been burgled ten years ago and that certain of my possessions were taken.

Furthermore, the burglar was my next-door neighbour: I know it was he because I caught him at it.

There is, however, no collateral evidence to my testimony that there had been a crime, or that my neighbour had committed it.

Would anyone take my accusation seriously enough even to investigate it, let alone bring it to trial, even if I pointed out that other persons with one or another attribute in common with my neighbour had been convicted of burglary?

more shocking that is was brought to trial and ended in conviction. As stated earlier, of course, it is terrible for someone who has suffered abuse to not be believed, but it is also terrible for an innocent man to be wrongly accused, even if he is eventually exonerated. It is part of the unavoidable tragic dimension of life that both are possible: not for nothing is the prohibition of bearing false witness one of the Ten Commandments. No one is guilty merely because he is accused.

What is the difference, then, between my hypothetical case and the real case of Cardinal Pell?

Most likely, it is the surrender of legal administration to the political and emotional pressure of those who believe that certain categories of crime are so heinous that the normal safeguards against false conviction can, indeed must, be abrogated. Better that ninetynine innocent men be convicted than one guilty man be acquitted, especially when he already belongs to a category of persons The same principle demonstrates whom one dislikes. the problem with the case against Cardinal Pell. It is shocking that it University campuses, with their was ever seriously investigated at censorship and de-platforming, all in the absence of any other have demonstrated just how possible evidence, and it is even shallow is the commitment of 14

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some people to the notion of freedom of speech and thought.

Likewise, the case of Cardinal Pell has illustrated how shallowly implanted is the commitment of some people to the principle that a man is innocent until proven guilty, once moral enthusiasm for a cause takes over. This, be it remembered, take place in polities in which the principles of freedom of speech and the rule of law are supposed to be deeplyrooted.

direction. There are even fears for the safety of the Cardinal after his release, so certain are his calumniators of the rectitude of their outrage. But the High Court of Australia has, at least, given an overdue victory for the rule of law.

Things are often more fragile than one supposes, including the commitment to basic rights of the accused. Associations in defence of victims of abuse in Australia are said to have been shocked by the court’s overturning of the Cardinal’s conviction.

Would they prefer detention without trial, and guilt without proof? Perhaps, if it was under their ...the author This article first appeared on lawliberty.org and is reprinted with the kind permission of the editor.

Theodore Dalrymple is a retired prison doctor and psychiatrist, contributing editor of the City Journal and Dietrich Weissman Fellow of the Manhattan Institute.

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Tragedy, contingency and a deeper sense of God

by Bishop Robert Barron

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have lived in Santa Barbara, California for the past four years.

In that brief time, my neighbors and I have experienced a number of real tragedies. Just over two years ago, the terrible Thomas Fire broke out in my pastoral region, in the vicinity of Thomas Aquinas College (hence the name). For a frightening month it made its devastating way from Santa Paula through Ventura, Carpenteria, Montecito, and eventually commenced to devour the foliage on the hills just north of my home. As I was standing one Saturday morning on my front lawn, staring uneasily at the flames, a retired fire captain stopped his car and yelled out the window, “Bishop, what are you still doing here? Embers are flying everywhere; this whole neighborhood could go up.�

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We were all relieved when, just days later, rains finally came and doused the flames. But that welcome rain became, in short compass, a deluge, prompting a mudslide in the fire-ravaged hills above Montecito. Twenty-five people were swept to their deaths. In November of that same year, 2018, a disturbed man walked into a crowded restaurant and bar called the Borderline, located in Thousand Oaks, in the far eastern end of my pastoral region. He opened fire at random and killed thirteen people, including a brave police officer who tried to stop him. On Labor Day this past September, thirty-five people, sleeping below-decks in a diving boat moored just off the coast of Santa Barbara, were burned to death as

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fire roared through cramped quarters.

their radical contingency of the world, to give it its properly philosophical designation. This I have thought of all of these means, to state it simply, that tragedies as we Santa Barbarans, everything in our experience is along with the entire country, are unstable; it comes into being and dealing now with the coronavirus its passes out of being. Think of crisis. I think it is fair to say that, every plant, every animal, every at the turn of the year, no one saw insect, every cloud, indeed of this coming. No one would have every mountain, planet, or solar predicted that tens of thousands system, if we allow for a sufficient would be infected by a dangerous passage of time: they all come to pathogen, that thousands would be and will eventually fade away. die, that we would be shut in our And though we habitually divert homes, that the economy would ourselves from accepting it, this go into meltdown. What seemed contingency principle applies to just a short time ago a fairly stable each of us. Whenever we get state of affairs medically, really sick, or a good friend dies, politically, and economically has or a weird virus threatens the been turned upside down. Now, I general population, this truth don’t rehearse all of this negativity manages to break through our to depress you! I do so to make a defenses. Teilhard de Chardin, a theological point. theologian-scientist from the last century, said that he acquired a All of the tragedies that I’ve keen sense of his own mortality recounted are but dramatic when, as a boy of three, he saw a examples of a general truth about lock of his newly cut hair fall into the nature of things, a truth that fire and burn up in a split second. we all know in our bones but that we choose, typically, to cover up Why shouldn’t this perception or overlook. I’m talking about the simply lead to existential despair,

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a Sartrean sense of the meaningless of life? Thomas Aquinas has the answer. The great medieval scholastic said that the contingency of a thing tells us that it doesn’t contain within itself the reason for its own existence. This is why we naturally and spontaneously look for the cause of a contingent state of affairs: Why did that cloud come to be? What is keeping that insect alive? Why am I writing this article? But if that cause is itself contingent, then we have to look for its cause. And if that cause is contingent, our search must go on. What we cannot do is endlessly appeal to contingent causes of contingent states of affairs. And thus we must come, finally, to some cause that is not itself caused and which in turn causes contingent things to be. And this, Aquinas says, is what people mean when they use the word “God.”

sickness and tragedy—in hospitals, nursing homes, and funeral parlors—because they are providing a pathetic crutch to those who can’t deal with the sadness of life. But this is hopelessly superficial. Religious leaders do indeed go to those places, precisely because it is there that people experience their contingency with particular acuteness and such experiences open the mind and the heart to God. When we are shaken, we seek by a very healthy instinct for that which is ultimately stable.

At the end of World War II and in the wake of September 11th, churches were filled across our country, and I would be willing to bet, when the coronavirus passes, they will be filled again. I would urge you to read this phenomenon not merely psychologically but metaphysically: tragedy sparks an awareness of contingency, and an Critics of religion sometimes say awareness of contingency gives that priests and ministers present rise to a deeper sense of God. themselves at moments of ...the author This article first appeared at: www.wordonfire.org.

Bishop Robert Barron is an author, speaker, theologian, and founder of Word on Fire, a global media ministry. This article has been reprinted with the kind permission of the editors.

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The sacraments in time of pandemic

by Rev. Gavan Jennings

Introduction The cloud that is Covid-19 has an important silver lining: it helps us to realise what things in life are of real importance. Last month an opinion poll commissioned

by Iona Institute showed that the great majority of people in Ireland will value family and the elderly more after the lockdown ends, while a third of people polled believe that we will be more spiritual as a result of the pandemic and a fifth of people say that they are praying more than usual (see the Iona Institute website: www.ionainstitute.ie).

Access to the sacraments has been greatly restricted by the lockdown and it appears that elements of a lockdown will be in place for months to come.

I would like to share with you some practical points regarding the sacraments of the Eucharist and Confession that can help you get at least some of the graces of these sacraments despite being physically unable to receive the actual sacraments themselves.

The Mass Watching Mass on TV or online is not quite the same as the real thing. And yet it is certainly much better than nothing, and if we watch the Mass piously we can certainly gain much grace. Here are six practical ideas to help you attend Mass well online: 1. Try to follow Mass online with other family members, rather than just by yourself.

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2.

3.

4.

5.

We will notice the support of their company and it also helps us to avoid distractions. If you find a time that suits you all, this can become a key moment in your day.

Put a crucifix or a picture of Our Lady near the screen to set the scene a little.

Dress well for Mass – leaving pyjamas for bedtime and tracksuits for sport.

Follow Mass as if you were in church: stand for the reading of the Gospel, kneel for the Consecration, etc. Gestures matter.

At the time of Holy Communion, pray a spiritual communion, such as that popularised by St Josemaría Escrivá: “I wish, Lord, to receive you with the purity, humility and devotion with which your most holy Mother received you, with the spirit and fervour of the saints.”

6. Don’t be in a hurry. The Mass has an immense value and there is a lot to pray for these days. Stay some moments after the Mass to pray to God for those who 20

have died, for the sick, for health care professionals and politicians and of course for the Church, the Pope and clergy (see https://opusdei.org/eses/article/consejos-misacasa/).

Spiritual Communions For centuries the Church has recommended the practice of “spiritual communions” – that is the personal expression of the pious desire to receive Holy Communion at a time when one is actually unable to receive it. It has been recommended by many saints as far back as St Thomas Aquinas who in his turn was inspired by the theology of St Augustine many years before.

St Josemaría Escrivá heartily recommended the use of spiritual communions: “What a source of grace there is in spiritual communion!

Practise it frequently and you'll have more presence of God and closer union with him in your life” (The Way, 540).

The various authors who have written on the matter agree that the effects produced in the soul by a spiritual communion are the same as those produced by the actual reception of the Eucharist.

What differs however is the

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amount of grace produced: in the case of the spiritual communion the amount of grace received is limited by the extent of our desire, but not so with physical reception.

The spiritual communion is a temporary substitute for the real reception of Holy Communion, but can never equal the power of the sacrament itself.

How does this work? Only God is the author of grace in our soul, so when we make a devout spiritual communion when unable to receive Holy Communion, God treats the Eucharist as having been received (in a similar manner as happens in Baptism and Confirmation by desire) – in other words God, who is everywhere, overcomes the physical distance to link us and the Eucharist.

Confession People sometimes ask can they have confession over the phone, or online. The answer is no.

Besides the fact that confession online or over the phone would never be safe from eavesdroppers, confession always requires an encounter “in the flesh” between the penitent and the priest who represents – we might even say “impersonates” – Christ, listening to the confession of sins before

forgiving those sins. This requirement does not change in times of pandemic. Priests still must be available to hear the confessions of the faithful, though taking all due precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.

A priest could still however use the TV or the web to have nonsacramental preparation for the sacrament of confession, for example through an online consideration of the sacrament of confession with an examination of conscience which would increase contrition and the desire for sacramental confession at the opportune time. In this way a person could receive by anticipation the grace of the sacrament.

This is so because something very similar can happen with the sacrament of confession as with the spiritual communions and the Eucharist. When we are unable to go to confession for some reason beyond our control, we can gain the benefits of sacramental confession through an act of perfect contrition. Recently Cardinal Piacenza, the head of the Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary – which deals with matters related to the sacrament of confession – reminded the faithful of this fact: Where the individual 21

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faithful find themselves in the painful impossibility of receiving sacramental absolution, it should be remembered that perfect contrition, coming from the love of God, beloved above all things, expressed by a sincere request for forgiveness (that which the penitent is at present able to express) and accompanied by votum confessionis, that is, by the firm resolution to have recourse, as soon as possible, to sacramental confession, obtains forgiveness of sins, even mortal ones (cf. CCC, no.

1452).

Conclusion We often hear that God gave us the sacraments as channels of grace, but not prisons of grace; that in other words God is not restricted to his sacraments in order to give us his grace. God gave us the sacraments – in all their physicality – as the most

appropriate means of dealing with us spirit and flesh creatures.

In the words of St Josemaría Escrivá: What are the sacraments, which people in early times described as the footprints of the Incarnate Word, if not the clearest expression of this way which God has chosen in order to sanctify us and to lead us to heaven?

Don't you see that each sacrament is the love of God, with all its creative and redemptive power, given to us through the medium of material things?

(Passionately Loving the World, 53).

These days of involuntary separation from the sacraments, especially from the Eucharist and Confession can serve to increase our appreciation of what God gives us there, and to heighten our desire to meet Jesus once again “in the flesh” in these divine gifts.

...the author Rev. Gavan Jennings is a priest of the Opus Dei Prelature and the editor of Position Papers.

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Marian Times

by Rev. Donncha Ó hAodha

A small bright light in the silent Her grief is immense. If we who are sinners suffer when we see darkness wrongdoing and injustice, how She sits quietly, in the stillness much more sensitive must she before dawn breaks. She is utterly who is the Immaculate exhausted, drained in body and Conception be to every form of spirit. She was not spared the evil, and especially to the supreme horror of Golgotha and all that injustice of the Passion of the Son preceded it. She has felt the pain of God? of her Son’s abandonment by those who should have been most But her suffering on Holy loyal to him. When everyone else Saturday is not wasted. Rather it is a living prayer for the Church fled, she stood by him. which is being born, for all who She has grieved for her crucified will come to believe in Jesus and Son and for her other children who will welcome the grace of who through sin have all in some salvation. She makes acts of faith, way contributed to his Passion. hope and love as she confidently “The Virgin of Sorrows. When awaits the Resurrection. Speaking you contemplate her, look into of Holy Saturday, Pope Francis her Heart; she is a Mother with says that “Our Lady spent that two sons, face to face: He … and day, the day that would be you” (St Josemaría, The Way 506). dedicated to her, in prayer and 23

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hope. She responded to sorrow with her risen Son, so that she too with trust in the Lord” (Easter could delight in the fullness of Vigil Homily, 11 April 2020). paschal joy. Present at Calvary on Good Friday (cf. Jn 19:25) and in The Great Light the Upper Room on Pentecost (cf.

Acts 1:14), the Blessed Virgin too And now, all of a sudden he is was probably a privileged witness here. “I am risen and I am with of Christ’s Resurrection, you always” (Ps 139:18). It is completing in this way her impossible to put into words the participation in all the essential radiant joy of that first meeting of moments of the paschal mystery” the Risen One with his most (St John Paul II, Audience, 21 faithful disciple and apostle, his May 1997).

Mother. It is extremely intimate and ineffable. Perhaps this is why On Holy Saturday it is as if the it does not figure in the Gospels. world is shrouded in darkness and Just as the sorrow of the silence. The Redeemer lies silently Immaculate Conception is in the tomb. Were the angels to unfathomable, so too is her joy look down from heaven on that (cf. Is 61:10-11). day, they would see a world covered in shadow, yet with one “Indeed, it is legitimate to think small, strong, warm, bright light. that the Mother was probably the This is the light of Mary’s faith. first person to whom the risen On Holy Saturday, when the Jesus appeared. Could not Mary’s whole of creation shares in the absence from the group of women sleep of the death of God’s Son, who went to the tomb at dawn Mary’s heart is awake. She as it (cf. Mk 16:1; Mt 28:1) indicate were incarnates the faith of the that she had already met Jesus? Church in her very person. The This inference would also be light of faith, hope and love shine confirmed by the fact that the first brightly in her as she prepares for witnesses of the Resurrection, by the moment when Christ will Jesus’ will, were the women who faithfully accomplish what he had remained faithful at the foot promised. “I slept, but my heart of the Cross and therefore were was awake. Hark! My beloved is more steadfast in faith (…) It knocking. Open to me, my sister, seems reasonable to think that my love, my dove, my perfect Mary had had a personal contact one; for my head is wet with dew, 24

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my locks with the drops of the night”. These words of the Song of Solomon 5:2 seem to express the intimate dialogue of Mary and her Risen Son. Mary’s day

star of hope for us?” (Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi 49).

Mary’s light is always a reflection of Christ’s, just as her day Saturday, is inseparable from Sunday, the great day of the Lord (cf. Ps 118:24). “Since the Resurrection took place on a Sunday, we keep holy this day, instead of the Sabbath as did the Jews of old”, says St Thomas Aquinas. “However we also sanctify Saturday in honour of the glorious virgin Mary who remained unshaken in faith all day Saturday after the death of her divine Son.”

Why is Saturday dedicated to Our Lady? Because, as St Bernard explains, “in Mary alone did the faith of the Church remain steadfast during the three days that Jesus lay in the tomb. And although everyone else wavered, she who conceived Christ in faith, kept the faith that she had once for all received from God and never lost. Thus could she wait with assured hope for the glory of Mary’s month the Risen Lord”.

The tradition of dedicating the The light of Mary’s faith, which month of May to Our Lady goes kept burning brightly on Holy back many centuries. In ancient Saturday despite all the odds and Greece and Rome the month of in the midst of untold suffering, May was associated with pagan merged into the splendour of goddesses connected with fertility Christ’s radiance on Easter and spring-time (Artemis and Sunday morning. Mary leads us Flora respectively). Christians saw into the glory of Christ’s true motherhood and life-giving Resurrection. “Certainly, Jesus in the Blessed Virgin.

Christ is the true light, the sun that has risen above all the Pope Pius VII was taken prisoner shadows of history. But to reach and transported to France after him we also need lights close by - the second invasion of the Papal people who shine with his light States by Napoleon. There he had and so guide us along our way. to remain until the French defeat Who more than Mary could be a in 1814. The Pope was able to return to Rome, to a tumultuous 25

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welcome, in the month of May. Pius VII, whose cause for canonization was opened by Benedict XVI in 2007, approved the custom of dedicating the month of May to Our Lady in two rescripts of 1815 and 1822.

The Venerable Pope Pius XII solidified May as a Marian month by establishing the feast of the Queenship of Mary on 31 May. After the Second Vatican Council, this feast was moved to 22 August, while 31 May became the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Is it opportunest And flowers finds soonest?

In his beautiful poem, May Magnificat, Gerard Manley Hopkins asks and seeks to answer the question of why May is the month of Our Lady. Here are some verses, but the poem is well worth reading in full.

This ecstasy all through mothering earth Tells Mary her mirth till Christ’s birth To remember and exultation In God who was her salvation.

May is Mary’s month, and I Muse at that and wonder why: Her feasts follow reason, Dated due to season – Candlemas, Lady Day: But the Lady Month: May, Why fasten that upon her, With a feasting in her honour?

Is it only it being brighter Than the most are must delight her?

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Ask of her, the mighty mother: Her reply puts this other Question: What is Spring? ; Growth in every thing – (…)

All things rising, all things sizing Mary sees, sympathising With that world of good, Nature’s motherhood. (…)

Well but there was more than this Spring’s universal bliss Much, had to say To offering Mary May (…)

Hopkins sees May as Our Lady’s month, because it is the month of light and vibrant growth and above all because it is a time of joy. It reflects her Magnificat (cf.

Lk 1:46 ff.). Indeed while every Saturday and every month of May are special Marian times, the truth is that every day is filled with the joy of Mary since Christ her Son is the Lord of history who has triumphed over sin and death forever. He is always by our side and he is always “on our side”.

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The undying light of the Church

Gearailt, an unfortunate eighteenth century Irishman who Mary’s Magnificat was a had felt forced to turn from this prophetic announcement of the Catholic faith bears out this ultimate victory inaugurated by intimate conviction faith: our Lord’s Resurrection, as well as a canticle of thanksgiving for the There is a part of the Saxon work of salvation. As such it is the Lutheran religion which, basic “theme-tune” of the Church though not from choice, I always and everywhere. To be have accepted, that I do not Catholic is have the joy of Mary like – that never a petition in our souls and in our daily lives. is addressed to Mary, the So while we may seek to honour Mother of Christ, nor Our Lady in a special way on honour, nor privilege, nor Saturdays and in the month of prayers, and yet it is my May, we know that her brightness opinion that it is Mary who and joy, a participation in the life is tree of lights and crystal of Christ risen, accompany us of Christianity, the glow every day of our lives. and precious lantern of the sky, the sunny chamber in Light, Life and Joy: These are the the house of Glory (cf. D. trademarks of Mary and of the Corkery, The Hidden People she has mothered in Christ Ireland, pp. 283 ff). (cf. Rev 12:1). Light, Life and Joy are the inheritance of all God’s children and are essential characteristics of the Church of all places and all times, even in times of distress or apparent failure.

The testimony of one Piaras Mac ...the author Rev. Donncha Ó hAodha is the Regional Vicar of the Opus Dei Prelature in Ireland, author of several CTS booklets and a regular contributor to Position Papers.

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The future of work

by Lindsay McMillan

L

ast year human relations think tank Reventure (A Future that Works) published a report on how the loneliness “epidemic” is impacting workplaces in Australia. Now, in the middle of another epidemic that is shaking economies and the world of work, feeling isolated in a huge, open plan office seems the least of a worker’s worries. MercatorNet asked Reventure’s managing director, Dr Lindsay McMillian, about the threats and opportunities arising from the coronavirus situation. ***** The coronavirus pandemic has led to a massive disruption of (paid) work, among other things.

The threats to individuals, busi28

nesses and the economy are fairly obvious, but do you see any opportunities arising from this situation?

Our research focuses on the impact of work on humanity. It is within this framework that I am confident that we will survive, renew and become better in the way we interact with each other and within the work context. It may seem out of reach at present, but a worthy pursuit, nevertheless.

Clayton Christensen, a Harvard Professor who writes on all aspects of “disruption”, makes the point that it is out of the unknown that some of the best ideas emerge. He talks about unlocking the potential of individuals to think differently

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about the way they work, interact and discover. Chaotic times like we are experiencing provide an immense opportunity to build new and innovative businesses.

gile. The fallout from COVID19 is an opportunity for us as a society to be more responsive, engaging and enterprising.

The downside of this is the loss of many face to face relations.

As humans we need to feel connected and engaged with others.

We need to ensure that human flourishing is key in all our conversations and designs for the future. There is no playbook that helps us understand what is happening now, tomorrow and next week. We have never been down this road before. However, the human spirit can rise to the occasion when everything around us is turbulent and fra-

the negative feeling one feels when they are isolated and not engaged emotionally with another person. If a person feels lonely, then they are! They do not feel like they belong.

People working from home now are physically isolated We should not let this time pass from their colleagues, but your us by. A key element that will research has shown that more drive this endeavour is the time than a third of Australians we now have to be still, reflect- already felt lonely or isolated at ive and thoughtful. Already, e- work? Why is that? health is becoming the norm for Some people relish working many, home deliveries for all as- from home while others need pects of life are on the increase, the energy and sounds of an manufacturing is becoming office to feel more productive. more agile, food production is One of the streaming services keeping pace with the changing now provides ‘office sounds’ to way we consume, which in- make workers feel like they are cludes a move back to more at work. But we found that even home based cooking. Apps that with colleagues around them, connect us across the globe are there are people who feel out of also on the rise. place and alone. Loneliness is

We can postulate why there is a growing loneliness epidemic in Australia. Some researchers indicate that technology provides a false sense of connection. We can have many Instagram or Facebook friends but still feel alone.

Our research confirms this fact.

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Friendship becomes something artificial. In the workplace, strangely enough, open plan offices have also created lonely workers; having many people in the same space does not necessarily make one feel more connected.

As a society today, we tend to value transactions more than relationships, but we can see emerging from COVID-19 circumstances a hunger to recapture the relational power of just being human. I have heard that people are Zooming with friends or contacts that they have not spoken with for some time. Only time will tell if this deep human desire to feel connected remains once our world of activity resets.

Should employers have to care about the wellbeing of their workers, especially if the problems arise from outside the workplace?

Is it worth their while?

This is a challenging and real issue within business today. There is a conversation that suggests concern about wellbeing in the business setting is a fad, and that it is not the role of a business to create happy employees.

As one CEO commented, “we expect that employees we have 30

and recruit will come to work demonstrating resilience, determination and a focus on performance and productivity.” In short, they should come to work, “well and fully human”.

From our expansive research, a key element is that work is now 24/7/365. We are on call all the time and connected, all the time. The “need to know” syndrome is real. Large office buildings are now open 24/7. But of course one can’t simply turn off what is happening at home, with the children, caring for ageing parents, and of course personal relationships outside work. So, there needs to be recognition that work, and home and other activities are intertwined. Our research of the top 10 human relations directors found that they have developed some very creative ways to ensure that home and work can coexist without guilt and with high degrees of wellbeing.

Some cultural observers say we have become too fixated on work, at the expense of family life and relationships generally.

They talk about “workism” taking over from “familism” as a social ideal. Does this explain some of the unhappiness around work?

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If work has become all consuming, we need to ask ourselves: “What is important to me?

Where do I find my identity?

Does consumerism, time on screens, money for the next experience or social recognition make me who I am?�

Our research found that the big driver of work decisions these days is the deep desire to find purpose and meaning. This was noteworthy among millennials who indicated they would seek out an organisation that has a big picture of creating value and meaning that resonated with the employee. Furthermore, they would give up bonuses and other benefits if the company’s values and intent was in keeping with their own interests and desires.

Purpose and meaning needs to be grounded in something bigger than just receiving a monetary reward for effort or activity.

And yes, where this is not evident individuals will just leave!

Our research discovered that millennials will remain in a role around two years. Given this is a fact, then there are many Australian workers who may be unhappy and searching for something that their work cannot accommodate.

There seem to be two possibilities for the people now working at home with their family around them, including children who also need to be educated: they will either go crazy, or learn to value the work and life of the home more. Your comment?

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COVID-19 has thrust us into a world that has changed dramatically all aspects of life, including the confines of our home and school. We clearly need to reconfigure how we do “school” and “work”. This requires open communication, discernment and judgment with love, care and compassion. It will need to be led by the adults in the environment.

We need to reimagine what is important within families. Conversations like this are rare. We have now been forced to wrestle with what is important in life.

We are working within a stress test context. The challenges within a family with children may create a crazy world of high demands. We need to revaluate what is important. Routines and responsibilities will need to be redefined and this in turn will bring some sense of normality. I acknowledge that this will not be easy. The fact is there is no playbook for the situation we have been thrust into!

Character will be central to future success, and this is the indispensable work of the home.

The character traits that will be critical for us to manage the new world order will be resilience, kindness, authenticity, trust, and compassion. The way we communicate is changing. We need to recognise that our desire to gather together, in groups, large or small, may change forever. I am very optimistic about the future.

...the author Dr Lindsay McMillan is a leading academic, thought leader and social commentator exploring the impact of the current way we work on humanity. He is the managing director of Reventure Ltd. 32

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Authors: Anne Case & Angus Deaton

Books: Deaths from Despair and the Future of Capitalism

by James Bradshaw

D

eaths from Despair and the Future of Capitalism, published in March, is yet another in the growing list of books examining increasing social and economic divisions in the United States. The coauthors Anne Case and Angus Deaton – a married couple who are both Economics professors in Princeton University – focus their work on America’s growing mortality crisis: what is happening, why it is happening and how the problem could potentially be fixed.

opioid addiction) or suicide being recorded in the US. Even in a country as populous as America, the death toll is remarkable. In 2017, there were 157,000 of these deaths nationwide.

Case and Deaton focus in particular on American whites, a group which has historically been privileged compared to other groups, but who are far from immune to the growing despair afflicting less affluent parts of the country. So great has been the carnage that overall death rates Case and Deaton coined the among middle-aged people have phrase “deaths from despair” in been increasing, a trend which runs 2015 to describe the growing contrary to what occurred in the number of fatalities from twentiety century, an era in which alcoholism, drug overdoses medical advances helped to save (including those caused by huge numbers of younger people 33

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from cancer, heart disease and other ailments.

in community,” Case and Deaton write. “A four-year degree has become the key Shockingly, as a result of this marker of social status, as if there increase in deaths from alcohol were a requirement for and drug addiction and suicide, nongraduates to wear a circular life expectancy at birth fell year- scarlet badge bearing the letters on-year for the America BA crossed through by a population as a whole between diagonal red line.

2014 and 2017. A decline like this has not taken place for one Case and Deaton draw the hundred years. The fact that attention of readers to the dark death records include details on side of modern America, which the educational attainments of is somewhat meritocratic, but the deceased allows Case and which has grown more stratified Deaton to come to another and divided as well. The gap unsurprising yet stark between highly-educated people, conclusion: deaths from despair particularly those working in are far, far more common among high-tech and knowledge-based those Americans who have not industries, and those with a high graduated from college. school education or less has widened greatly. This gap is not In every respect, this cohort of just educational or professional – the population is suffering. its effects are felt in all areas of life.

The widening gap between those with and without a There are many explanations for bachelor’s degree is not why this has come about. only in death but also in quality of life; those Globalisation and technological without a degree are seeing developments have dramatically increases in their levels of reduced the demand for pain, ill health, and serious America’s low-skilled workers. A mental distress, and case in point: of the sixteen declines in their ability to million new jobs created in the work and to socialize.

US between January 2010 and January 2019, fewer than three “The gap is also widening in million were for workers without earnings, in family stability, and 34

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a four-year degree. Even for those fortunate enough to have work, the outlook is bleak.

Labour-intensive services required by large companies are increasingly being outsourced, either to companies based overseas or to small outside firms whose employees enjoy few of the benefits offered to employees of successful multinationals.

In this environment, wages have stagnated for those without the skills to compete for high-paying jobs in the growth sectors of the economy. Millions of other ablebodied men and women have checked out of the labour force completely and no longer look for work. A core contention within this book is that America’s much-criticised healthcare system has played a central role in creating these problems.

sums in buying political influence, and Case and Deaton believe that this has contributed to the epidemic of opioid addiction most noticeable in economically-distressed areas, due to the over-prescribing of painkillers. Excessive medication has not made the patient better: instead, ill health is plaguing Americans. Right now, 100 million Americans suffer from chronic pain, and 98 million Americans were prescribed with opioids in 2015.

As with everything else, social inequality is clearly reflected in the basic health indicators.

Economic and physical breakdown has also gone handin-hand with a social breakdown.

As the authors make clear, marriage rates for the less educated have fallen compared to their college graduate peers, America’s unique healthcare and this trend has far-reaching system – where health insurance implications for broader society. coverage is provided

by Case and Deaton also lament the employers – is uniquely flawed growing secularisation of when it comes to providing America’s lower classes. security to workers in an increasingly precarious economy Once more, this is not a process where long-term employment at which is unique to people who the same firm is increasingly tend not to have a college uncommon.

Pharmaceutical education or a highly-paid job. companies and the broader But abundant quantities of data healthcare industry invest vast from the social sciences show 35

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that secularisation, out-ofwedlock births and the disintegration of family units are far more common at the base of America’s socio-economic structure than at its apex. Faced with poor economic outlooks and bereft of the familial ties and religious commitments which once gave meaning to life, despair has set in to a frightening degree. A bottle of alcohol or an extra prescription of opioids is a dangerous temptation in such an environment, and so is a loaded gun.

If the book sounds familiar, you may have read something similar in recent years.

•

•

36

In 2015, the well-known sociologist Robert Putnam wrote Our Kids: a book which focused on the massive opportunity gap between American children born into different circumstances.

JD Vance’s beautiful Hillbilly Elegy became a best-seller the following year, and in 2019, Tim Carney’s Alienated America examined how social capital has collapsed in many parts

of America, while being retained in others.

The most important book on this subject, however, was published long before this, way back in 2012. Charles Murray’s Coming Apart described the bifurcation of American society: economically, geographically and culturally. Just like Case and Deaton, Murray focused his analysis on white working-class Americans, but he came to very different conclusions to those reached by Case and Deaton.

The fact that much of the ground has been covered before by Murray and other authors does not take away from the merits of this thought-provoking work, which poses a number of questions, one of which is – could a similar epidemic of deaths from despair occur in Europe?

Statistics as grim as those recorded in America have not yet been replicated on this side of the Atlantic, although Case and Deaton (a Scotsman) do point to rising numbers of similar deaths and slow rises in household earnings in the UK as possibly representing storm clouds on the horizon.

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Their suggestion that Europe’s stronger safety nets and healthcare systems have prevented similar outcomes from coming to pass sounds slightly premature.

There are two other strengths of this book.

core

Unlike the libertarian Charles Murray, Case and Deaton believe that legislative reforms can help to fix the serious problems they After all, many of the same all see.

Their policy processes have been playing out recommendations – universal across Europe for many years. healthcare and reforms to limit the power of the pharmaceutical • Declining industrial and industry, wage increases and a manufacturing bases? possible move towards adopting Check. more apprenticeship-based third-level education – can be • Increasing accepted or disputed, but at the disillusionment with the very least they demonstrate an political class and rising open-mindedness when it comes support for radical to finding policy solutions. alternatives? Check.

Secondly, and as importantly, • Decreasing faith in unlike many commentators in traditional institutions academia or elite policy circles, such as churches? Check. the co-authors recognise that what is underway in the United • Growing social States is not merely an economic dysfunction and family problem, in the same way that breakdown, particularly man is not merely an economic among poorer people? creature. “Declining wages are Check. part of the story, but we believe The special circumstances of the that it is impossible to explain through declining United States – and the nature of despair material advantage,” they write. the health system – may have accelerated the process of societal We believe that much breakdown in the US, which more important for despair could turn out to be a trendis the decline of family, setter rather than an outlier. community, and religion.

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These declines may not have happened without the decline in wages and in the quality of jobs that made traditional working-class life possible. But it was the destruction of a way of life that we see as central.

That way of life had religion and the nuclear family at its heart, and its destruction has paved the way for the despair which has afflicted tens of millions of Americans. Secularisation and atomisation did not come about by accident, and the passing of the old order was heralded by many as representing liberation.It still is heralded, in spite of the mounting evidence of the price which has been paid by the most vulnerable in society.

If European leaders and influencers – be they in the political, educational or media spheres – do not stop to consider what is being done in the name of progress, then the present misery of America could be our future too. ...the author James Bradshaw works for an international consulting firm based in Dublin, and has a background in journalism and public policy. Outside of work, he writes for a number of publications, on topics including politics, history, culture, film and literature.

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Director: Autumn de Wilde Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Josh O'Connor

Films: Emma

by John Mulderig

Emma (Focus) is a delightful screen version of Jane Austen’s classic novel, lovely to look at and abounding in gentle humour. Only the momentary introduction of a bit of visual earthiness, presumably meant to balance off the overall painterly elegance of the picture, hinders endorsement for younger viewers. That’s a shame because this is otherwise a perfect entrée into Austen’s delicate world.

Comic misunderstandings ensue when the young British gentlewoman of the title, pertly played by Anya Taylor-Joy, tries her hand at matchmaking. The principal object of her ill-judged efforts is her fortuneless friend Harriet Smith (Mia Goth).

Born out of wedlock, Harriet is

a student at a nearby boarding school in which Emma takes an aristocratic interest.

When she’s not meddling in Harriet’s romantic life, Emma busies herself flirting with Frank Churchill (Callum Turner), a visitor to her small country town. Like many of Emma’s actions, this dalliance provokes the disapproval of George Knightley (Johnny Flynn), an old friend and relative by marriage with whom Emma frequently locks horns.

As scripted by Eleanor Catton, director Autumn de Wilde’s feature debut captures perfectly Austen’s droll insights into human nature. The mild eccentricities on display range 39

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from the medical paranoia of Emma’s father, Henry (Bill Nighy), with his perpetual fear of drafts, to the good-hearted dullness of Miss Bates (Miranda Hart), a trivialities-spouting neighbor.

well inspire an interest in Austen’s immortal body of work. So, on balance, Emma registers as possibly acceptable for older teens.

The film contains fleeting rear male and partial female nudity In keeping with the in a nonsexual contest, an consummately proper source illegitimacy theme and one mild material, serious emotions are oath. The Catholic News Service usually conveyed by the subtlest classification is A-III – adults. of gestures and passions are The Motion Picture Association generally kept under wraps. rating is PG – parental guidance suggested. Some material may Yet, as though to burst the not be suitable for children. bubble of refinement, the adaptation introduces one scene in which we see George, from behind, being undressed by his valet and another in which Emma, seen in profile, lifts the back of her skirts to warm her bare posterior in front of a fireplace. While far from racy, and probably true to the cruder flip side of early 19th-century life, these moments may give some parents pause.

Still, this is, overall, such a toothsome treat that it might ...the author John Mulderig is a guest reviewer for Catholic News Service. Copyright (c) 2020 Catholic News Service. Reprinted with permission from CNS. www.catholicnews.com 40

Pope Francis’s prayer to Mary

O Mary, You shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope.

We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick, who, at the foot of the cross, were united with Jesus’ suffering, and persevered in your faith.

“Protectress of the Roman people”, you know our needs, and we know that you will provide, so that, as at Cana in Galilee, joy and celebration may return after this time of trial.

Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform ourselves to the will of the Father and to do what Jesus tells us.

For he took upon himself our suffering, and burdened himself with our sorrows to bring us, through the cross, to the joy of the Resurrection.

Amen.

We fly to your protection, O Holy Mother of God; Do not despise our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from every danger, O Glorious and Blessed Virgin.