Homily: Friday, 10th Week in Ordinary Time (Year 2)

 Readings: I Kgs 19:9a,11-16; Ps 27; Mt 5:27-32

________________________

A few days ago, as I read today’s readings, I found myself recalling many of the conversations I’ve had with atheists and agnostics over the years. In almost every one of those conversations I could detect a subtle, but very real, hope that God does exist. As one young self-declared agnostic said to me, "It would certainly make life more understandable, knowing there’s a God behind all this. As it is now, for me, life is pretty meaningless.”

Yes, without God, life becomes meaningless, just a physical, chemical accident. And yet that hint of hope has always been there. It’s really the same desire expressed in today’s psalm, a Psalm of David, sung 3,000 years ago:

I long to see your face, O Lord.

We all seek God, to see Him, to as know Him, and it’s true even for those who don’t believe in Him. As my mom use to say, “Hope can lead us to faith; otherwise, we’re just consumed by fear.”

Perhaps St. Augustine, who took a rather odd, winding path to the Catholic Church, put it best: “…our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

Yes, we’re all on a pilgrimage, brothers and sisters, even those who aren’t fully aware of it. We can wander aimlessly, achieving little, or we can open our hearts to the Spirit and let Him lead us.

A few weeks ago, in one of our Bible Study sessions, a participant, concerned about a tragic event described in Genesis, asked me: “Why would God do that? Why would He let that happen?” Well, we discussed the event hoping to achieve some understanding of God’s purpose. But in truth, what I wanted to answer him with: “How do I know? I’m not God!”

That’s really not a bad answer. So often, we simply underestimate our all-powerful, all-knowing God, whose ways are so far above us. As the Archangel Gabriel said to our Blessed Mother: “nothing will be impossible for God” [Lk 1:37]. I suppose the question for us is do we believe that? Or are we like Peter when Jesus rebuked him:

“You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” [Mt 16:23].

Just consider Elijah in today’s reading. Hunted by enemies who sought his death, in particular a rather evil queen Jezebel, Elijah seemed to have had enough, enough of everything, enough even of life. He actually hoped to die. But fed by angels, he obeyed God and made his way to Horeb, God’s holy mountain. There, God asked him:

“What are you doing here, Elijah?”

The prophet, zealous and faithful, told the Lord what He already knew “I alone am left, and they seek to take my life.” He was afraid and alone. So, God put on a remarkable display of His power. Then, when the noise and violence had ceased, Elijah encountered the God of Creation – as one translation put it – in a “sound of sheer silence.”

God passes by like a soft breeze and the man covers his face because God has not yet become man. Only then will we see Him in the flesh, face to face. And only then will we adore Him as well in the gift of His Eucharistic Presence. And that’s what the world needs today. With senses inundated by the noise of this world, how can people recognize Him as He passes by? How can they see His face or hear the sheer silence of His holy Word?

Elijah Hides His Face

Elijah, whose faith was beyond question, was often left in the dark by God. Yet the Spirit was always there, leading and aiding the prophet as he tried to accomplish all these missions he’s been given. God expects obedience, and in a sense says: “Just do what I say, and I’ll handle everything else.” For Elijah, God’s immediate purpose becomes clear over time. But His ultimate purpose looks ahead 1,000 years, pointing to something new and wonderful: humanity’s redemption by Jesus Christ.

How about us? Are you and I prophets? Are we courageous enough to evangelize, to be God’s messengers, to speak His Word to the world? Yes, we’re called to do just that. But like Elijah and Jesus we face a culture, a culture of death, that screams its lies at us.

In our Gospel passage Jesus gets the attention of the crowd with His vivid images of plucking out eyes and cutting off hands. He’s not encouraging bodily mutilation, but He is he’s telling them: this is serious stuff; pay attention.

Then stressing the sixth commandment, Jesus really addresses the dignity of every person, the respect people should have for each other. We cannot simply use others for personal pleasure or to satisfy appetites. For Jesus is really addressing the nature of love, which is not just an emotional feeling, or a physical attraction. As anyone who’s been married a while realizes, true love demands a continual decision.

In contrast to today’s cult of self-absorbed pleasure seeking, the Gospel sets high standards. Not only does love demand faithfulness but it also calls us to be chaste in both thoughts and actions. Interesting too is that Jesus puts men and women on a morally equal level, which later causes some dismay among His disciples.

Today we often encounter the painful breakdown of marital relationships. While each case must be treated with pastoral sensitivity, we cannot neglect the fundamental values Jesus stresses here.

I suppose it’s all encompassed in Jesus’ first words of His public ministry:

"Repent, and believe in the Gospel" [Mk 1:15].

Yes, indeed, we must change our hearts and minds, and accept the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ in our lives.

Schwarzenegger and the Face of God

Did you hear? Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Hollywood actor/body-builder and theologian, in a “shared discourse” with Danny DeVito, a diminutive version of Arnold, revealed that heaven and hell are mere fantasies. When asked what happens after death, he replied, “Nothing. You’re six feet under. Anyone that tells you something else is a f___ing liar.” 

The Austrian-born übermensch went on to say: “When people talk about, ‘I will see them again in heaven,’ it sounds so good, but the reality is that we won’t see each other again after we’re gone. That’s the sad part. I know people feel comfortable with death, but I don’t.”

Wow! After hearing these seemingly angry words of eschatological wisdom from Arnold, I’m sure the religious world will begin to rethink its entire attitude toward death and eternal life.

Okay, maybe not.

Arnold, because he denies life after death, is certainly no believer in the Judeo-Christian God. If he believes in any god it would be a merciless, hateful god, not unlike many of the pagan gods of the ancient world. In truth Arnold, although he might not admit it publicly, is an atheist, just another celebrity member of today’s expanding atheist culture. Today’s atheists, men and women like Arnold Schwarzenegger, deny human uniqueness. Without God there can be no real meaning and purpose in the natural world. And because they reject the presence of the sacred and transcendent, they really don’t know themselves because they don't believe they have immortal souls. Consequently, they neither encounter nor enjoy the true freedom God promises us.

Some say the atheist fears death because he fears oblivion. I disagree. The atheist fears death because he fears judgment. He fears coming face to face with the God who created him. The only way to escape God’s judgment is to cancel God, to cover or simply blot out His face. There are so many just like Arnold, people seeking only ephemeral pleasure, with no real concern for others, especially for future generations, those yet to be born. Without the face of God looking at them, they believe they can escape the eye of judgment and pretty much do whatever they like, focusing only on the here and now. We see it manifested in a consumerist society that in its most extreme form leads only to personal and societal destruction. 

You don’t have to be a theologian or sociologist to realize Arnold is not alone. I’ve focused on him simply because he went public with his comments on death and eternal life. But just consider how many other notables — politicians, Hollywood denizens, media talking heads, so-called educators — believe just what Arnold believes. Oh, they might even claim to be religious, or more likely, spiritual, but in truth they are essentially atheists. We can be fooled by listening to their words (unless like Arnold they occasionally open up) because they try to sound so good, so reasonable. The truth, however, is always in their actions. How did Jesus put it?

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits” [Mt 7:15-16].

Yes, indeed, sisters and brothers, just watch what they do; just examine the fruit and you will understand the nature of the tree.

Atheism and Down Syndrome

Richard Dawkins — I know you’ve heard of him...you know, the outspoken atheist biologist from Oxford — has once again come out and said something worthy of note. And again his target is babies born with Down syndrome. This time he advised parents who discover their unborn child has Down syndrome to “abort it and try again.” His reason? “It would be immoral to bring it into the world if you have the choice.” He then added, “It seems to me to be plausible that if a child has any kind of disability, then you probably would increase the amount of happiness in the world more by having another child instead.” (You can read an article addressing Dawkins' comments here.)

I know several wonderful people born with Down syndrome and, believe me, their presence in the world has added significantly to the overall happiness of humanity, certainly to that part of humanity that knows these people. (By the way, in a later interview Dr. Dawkins admitted not knowing anyone with Down syndrome.) But we shouldn’t be too hard on Professor Emeritus Dawkins. After all, he’s a committed atheist, so his position is really a logical outgrowth of his worldview. Any true atheist must take a utilitarian approach to everything, even matters of life and death. If we are simply the products of a cosmic biochemical lottery, humanity’s survival would seem to demand we do all in our limited power to ensure only the most “perfect” among us live — you know, to keep the human race pure. Hmmm...I think I’ve heard something like this before. Anyway, in this sense Dr. Dawkins is merely being consistently atheistic. 

But even a true atheist can make philosophical errors. Dr. Dawkins, for example, speaks of the immorality of permitting Down syndrome children to be born, and yet how can such a concepts as morality and immorality even exist within the atheistic worldview? Where, indeed, would morality come from? Certainly not from God or natural law or even cultural traditions. Or perhaps, for the true atheist, morality is like truth, a kind of movable feast, a flexible concept simply adjusted to fit changing situations. How did Pope Benedict XVI describe it? Oh, yes, the “dictatorship of relativism.” (You might want to read Benedict's homily on the subject, preached to the Church's cardinals. Here the link: Pope Benedict XVI: 4/18/2005.)

It must be hard to be an atheist, always having to adjust what you believe and how you view the world, based on the changing appetites and designs of humanity. How blessed you and I are, people of faith who believe in a loving God who not only created each of us in a unique act of love, but then revealed His will for us so we can live happy, fulfilled lives in this world and spend an eternity of happiness with Him in the next. Pray for Richard Dawkins. God desires the salvation of all.  

It continues...

On several occasions in recent years I've mentioned how our society is moving not simply away from God, but actively against God and His Church. I'd like to be able to say that this movement is happening only slowly, but I'm afraid Satan realizes he has a better opportunity to work his evil if he acts quickly.

Cardinal Sean O'Malley

Although it's been going on for centuries, the Scatterer has been particularly busy in Western Europe and the USA. For example, some years ago the legislature of the commonwealth of Massachusetts decided that the Catholic Church would have to stop its foster parenting and adoption services unless it agreed to place children with same-sex couples. Ultimately, the Church, in the person of Cardinal Sean O'Malley, refused to agree and, therefore, ceased providing these services. The courts supported the state, in effect saying that these family services had nothing to do with religion. The prohibition, therefore, was not considered to be a violation of religious freedom. In fact, the state courts maintained that any organization refusing to place children with same-sex couples acted for one reason only: it must hate gay people. Although the state legislature that enacted the legislation was (and remains) overwhelmingly Democrat,  the Republican governor at the time -- Mitt Romney -- and the Republican lieutenant governor both did little or nothing to encourage the legislature to revise the law. Although state laws vary, this same prohibition has been adopted by a number of other states causing Catholic Charities and other Church-related agencies to cease adoptions. You can read more about this here and here and here.

Massachusetts, of course, wasn't satisfied with abolishing freedom of religion for its citizens. No, it still has work to do because people might actually speak openly against its enforced political correctness. The state legislature has now enacted legislation designed to protect transgenders from a variety of evils, including the evils of religious belief and religious speech. This new law will be enforced by the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, an agency dedicated to eliminating discrimination against everyone but believers. And so the commission has decided that all churches must comply with the new law. This includes prohibiting the use of improper pronouns by Church leaders and volunteers since doing so would constitute harassment. Bre Payton, of The Federalist, writes:

"The potential infringements upon religious freedom are vast, as this new law basically provides the state and trans activists with a legal tool to force pastors into using terms that violate their beliefs (and basic biological facts).

"It also raises some serious constitutional questions. The Bible states that humans were created as man and woman in part so they would procreate, a blessed event. So if a pastor faces legal consequences for preaching the Bible, these new rules threaten their First Amendment right to the free exercise of religion."

You can read more about this latest governmental assault on the Church in a recent article published in Boston's Catholic weekly, The Pilot.

Archbishop Charles Chaput

One of our great bishops who never shies away from the front lines of this battle is Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia. In his weekly column, dated October 19, the archbishop shows us exactly where these battle-lines are drawn and who the enemy really is. Read it before you cast your ballot in the upcoming election. Here's a link: About Those Unthinking, Backwards Catholics.

Our nation's founding fathers not only included religious freedom in the Bill or Rights, but placed it in the very first amendment to our constitution. And even there they gave it primacy of place, listing it before freedom of speech, or the press, or assembly. They considered religious freedom to be the most important of all our freedoms. 

Today, however, our society has not only rejected religion, it has largely rejected God Himself. Despite all their religious allusions in stump speeches and public addresses, most of those who enact and enforce our laws are tacit atheists. By this I mean that they have essentially chosen themselves over God. They are convinced that their laws supersede God's laws, and by doing so they have chosen darkness over light. 

So far it's been a bland sort of atheism, but lately it's becoming far more virulent. It exchanges a belief in God for a belief in technology and science as the future saviors of humanity. It thrives on a kind of materialism that seems to have no moral or ethical boundaries. It argues for prosperity and peace but brings only hardship and strife. It's also a clueless form of atheism because it doesn't understand or refuses to accept that it is largely responsible for most of the growing ills confronting our societies today.

Pope Paul VI

I'm reminded of something Pope Paul VI said during a General Audience almost fifty years ago:

"In the world of thought everything is doubted today, and consequently, religion too: It seems as if the mind of modern man finds no peace except in total negation, in abandoning any kind of certainty and any kind of faith. He is like a person with infected eyes who finds no rest except in obscurity, in darkness. Is the realm of darkness to be the final end of human thinking, of man's unquenchable thirst for truth and of his encounter with the living and true God?" [General Audience, 14 June 1967 - Italian Only]

I don't fear the future, because at my age I don't have that much of a future to fear. Anyway, Our Lord told us only a few dozen times: "Be not afraid!" And so I'm determined to do just that until the day He calls me home. But what do we do in the meantime? I suppose we just continue doing what we've been called to do: we make disciples of all nations, starting right here at home. We preach the Word; we teach God's people all that He commanded us; and we touch those who need to feel God's healing hand on body and soul.

And for those of you -- and there are many -- who are worried sick about the upcoming elections, don't be. Each of us can only do our duty as citizens and Christians by voting. Just keep in mind that God's will must always surpass the ways of the world, and we should vote accordingly. And regardless of the outcome, the Lord of History will ensure His New Covenant with His people will be kept.

Atheist Defends the Church...Against a "Catholic"?

This brief video is truly remarkable. In it Piers Morgan, a nominal Catholic who disagrees with pretty much everything the Catholic Church teaches, turns to well-known atheist, Penn Jillette, apparently expecting to encounter someone who agrees with him. Instead, Jillette defends the Church and, in effect, asks Morgan why he doesn't just leave the Church since he can't seem to accept any of its teachings. Good question. Of course, Morgan, as usual, asks questions and then constantly interrupts, not allowing his guest to answer. Fortunately, Jillette perseveres and manages to make his case.

God With Us

In recent years I've encountered a surprising number of people who claim to be agnostic. But when I question them about their beliefs, I discover they are actually something else. Unlike the agnostic who claims ignorance as to the existence of God, these folks believe in God's existence but see Him as a hands-off God. Their view of God is really a kind of variant on the watchmaker analogy. Within the complexity of creation they see the hand of the designer, but believe that, after designing the universe and setting it all  in motion, He simply sat back passively and observed the results. God, in other words, is content to watch it all play out but would not lower Himself to get involved in the daily messiness of His creation. And so, to their way of thinking, the universe just chugs along, apparently doing what God designed it to do.

Because of the complexity and vastness of the universe, they also believe that we human beings, living as we do in our infinitesimally tiny corner of that same universe, are truly insignificant and can really have no effect on God's creation. Nothing we do could possibly result in any measurable change. As they see it, God is unwilling, and we humans are unable, to get involved.

The god they envision is more like a model railroad enthusiast. After putting his little world all together, he enjoys watching everything run smoothly, just as he intended. We are like the tiny model people standing on the platform of the model train station, simply the byproducts of some grander process. Their god is not a loving god, and we are not loved into being. We are simply there.

This kind of thinking, at least from my own observation, eventually results in the same kind of despair I often encounter among atheists. Perhaps the only thing worse than believing in no God, is believing in a god who doesn't love, a god who considers us no more than cosmic flotsam.

I don't know why I seem to encounter these beliefs more frequently, but I suspect it's at least partly the result of what people are taught in school these days. Perhaps too all those books by prominent atheists like Richard Dawkins have had an impact, as had all that talk about intelligent design. I believe most people find it easy enough to reject doctrinaire atheism, but not so easy to accept an omnipotent God who loves us so much that He not only became one of us but also died for us. Belief in the latter puts a lot of pressure on us as individuals and as a people. After all, how does one respond to such love? Perhaps that's why so many choose not to believe it and create instead a god who demands little if anything of them.

Of course we Christians do not and can not hold such beliefs. Indeed, central to our faith is our belief in the Incarnation. As Christians we believe that God not only got involved, but got very personally involved, in His creation when He became one of us in the Divine Person of Jesus Christ. We also believe He prepared the world for this Incarnational event through His active involvement with many others who preceded Jesus' coming into the world. The story of God's relationships with these predecessors is for us the story of salvation history. It's a story of sacred covenants, one after another, with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and David. It's a story of God's relationship with a People, a People He chose, and from whom would come the Savior of the World, His only Son, Jesus Christ. And it's also a story of God's Church -- One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic -- as His lasting gift to all of humanity. For it is through the New Covenant Jesus made with His Church that God continually makes Himself present to us.

This is why, for Catholics, the Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life." This is why the Eucharist is at the very center of our Catholic Christian worship. It is through the Eucharist that God makes Himself really present to us. It is through the Eucharist that we can share intimately in the Divine life of Jesus Christ, becoming one with Him and, through that same Communion, becoming one with each other. Yes, we are a Eucharistic people and a Eucharistic Church, a Church formed through the installation of the Apostolic priesthood at the first Eucharist in the upper room in Jerusalem, and continued daily throughout the world by the successors of those same Apostles.

It's no accident that Jesus introduced the New Covenant at the Last Supper, the First Eucharist, with the words:

“Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.' And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you'" [Lk 22:19-20]

St. Paul, of course, is explicit when he describes the Eucharist:

"Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself" [1 Cor 11:27-29]

And we find near unanimity of belief in the early Church when it comes to the Real Presence of Jesus' Body and Blood in the Eucharist. St. Augustine (354-430 A.D.), for example, preached the Real Presence again and again:

"That Bread which you see on the altar, having been sanctified by the word of God is the Body of Christ. That chalice, or rather, what is in that chalice, having been sanctified by the word of God, is the Blood of Christ. Through that bread and wine the Lord Christ willed to commend His Body and Blood, which he poured our for us unto the forgiveness of sins" [Sermons 227].

"What you see is the bread and the chalice; that is what your own eyes report to you. But what your faith obliges you to accept is that the bread is the Body of Christ and the chalice [wine] the Blood of Christ" [Sermons 272].

"...I turn to Christ, because it is He whom I seek here; and I discover how the earth is adored without impiety, how without impiety the footstool of His feet is adored. For He received earth from earth; because flesh is from the earth, and He took flesh from the flesh of Mary. He walked here in the same flesh, and gave us the same flesh to be eaten unto salvation. But no one eats that flesh unless he first adores it; and thus it is discovered how such a footstool of the Lord's feet is adored; and not only do we not sin by adoring, we do sin by not adoring [Commentary of the Psalms 98:9].

Sadly, some of our Christian brothers and sisters reject this belief in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, a belief held by virtually all Christians, all members of the universal Church, for its first 1,500 years. The Reformation really did very little in the way of reforming the universal Church -- such needed reforms came soon thereafter but from within the Church itself. Instead, the reformers ended up creating a whole slew of splinter churches, each with its own set of beliefs and modes of worship. The result is today's countless denominations, each claiming to possess the truth. How did St. Paul put it?

"But if I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth" [2 Tim 3:15]

A thousand different churches cannot all be the "pillar and foundation of the truth." No, Jesus desired unity among His disciples, but we have shattered the unity of Christendom. No Christian can believe this is what Jesus wanted when, on that night of the first Eucharist, he prayed:

“I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me" [Jn 17:20-23].

Even on that night, however, there was already disunity, a disunity that would lead to Jesus' arrest only hours later. And Judas wasn't the last. Even Peter, who would go on to lead the Church in its infancy, failed on that same night and denied that very Creative Word of God who had loved him into existence. The early Church was plagued by heresies, and most of these related to the very person of Jesus Christ. But the Church prevailed, just as it has prevailed through all the disruptions and calamities since. It has survived countless attacks from within and without and through it all kept the deposit of faith intact. 

Since Jesus' prayer is always efficacious, we can only believe that this unity for which He prayed will one day come to pass. This is why the Catholic Church has been so active in pursuing unity through a real ecumenism that, at its heart, protects the truth. How blessed is the world that Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI have devoted so much of their papacies to the unity for which Jesus prayed. 

I really believe that the ever increasing persecution experienced by Christians throughout the world today will drive us toward each other and lead us ever closer to that desired unity. The Roman world watched Christians respond to persecution with joy, saw God's love shining through their lives, and wanted to taste whatever it was that brought joy from suffering. They ended up tasting it in the Eucharist, through which He remains with us. After all, he promised not to leave us -- "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you" [Jn 14:18] -- and through the Eucharist He comes to us daily.

And so it will happen again as in the midst of it all, God continues to give us signs through the work of His Holy Spirit. And the Spirit blows where it wills...

All of this reminded me of Joan Carroll Cruz' book, Eucharistic Miracles, a wonderfully fascinating description of some of the Eucharistic miracles through which God has blessed the world and led so many people to come to know Him and believe.

Pray for unity.

God's peace...

Atheist Military Chaplains?

Here's one you might have missed. Apparently some atheists in the military want to have their own chaplains and lay leaders. It seems they're bummed out that they're deprived of whatever it is they think believing chaplains provide for their faithful.

I'm just trying to understand what exactly an atheist chaplain would do. Would he or she conduct services during which the unfaithful would gather together and do what? They obviously wouldn't pray. Would they sing hymns to the great emptiness of the universe..."A mighty fortress is our void..." Maybe they'd simply sit around and discuss the meaninglessness of their lives as biological accidents with a future devoid of any vestige of hope. Boy, that would sure be uplifting.

Would an atheist chaplain provide some form of solace to a mortally wounded soldier on the battlefield?

"Well, son, you're obviously dying and about to enter the nothingness of death. If you're in pain you might as well put a bullet in your head now. After all what's a few more minutes of life if it's a miserable few minutes?"

Or maybe the atheist chaplain would take a more pragmatic approach to the whole idea of the military and simply counsel all his faithless followers to desert. I can hear his sermon now:

"We've all been fools to join the military. After all, we're atheists. We have only this one life. We all know that there's no living source of moral or ethical behavior. Nature is completely amoral. Morality and patriotism and self-sacrifice are all a part of the sham perpetrated by these phony religions just to exert power over the people. Are you going to sacrifice your life, your one and only life, for these power-hungry charlatans? I say, 'No!' Let's go AWOL and head for Vegas."

As someone who spent many, many years in uniform, it all seems a bit odd to me. Let's hope our increasingly politically correct military rejects the idea.

Being is good, because God is.

Vatican Inititative: Courtyard of the Gentiles

In keeping with the Vatican's continued emphasis on evangelization, it has initiated a most interesting effort aimed at increasing the quality of the dialog between the Church and both atheists and agnostics. The effort, in the form of a new foundation set up by the Pontifical Council for Culture, is called the "Courtyard of the Gentiles."

Model of the Courtyard of the Gentiles at the Temple in Jerusalem (destroyed by Rome in 70 A.D.)

The name of the foundation is derived from the outer courtyard of the Temple at Jerusalem, the place on the Temple grounds where Gentiles were welcome to come and pray. Providing the impetus to this new effort, Pope Benedict stated that Jesus viewed the courtyard as a place “cleared of extraneous affairs so that it could be a free space for the Gentiles who wished to pray there to the one God, even if they could not take part in the mystery for whose service the inner part of the Temple was reserved...I think that today, too, the Church should open a sort of ‘court of the Gentiles’ in which people might in some way latch on to God, without knowing him and before gaining access to his mystery, at whose service the inner life of the Church stands.” The pope went on to say, "To the dialogue with other religions we must add dialogue with those for whom religion is something unknown, for whom God is unknown and who nevertheless don't want to remain without God but want to get closer to him at least as an unknown." [Address to members of the Roman Curia, 12/21/09]

The foundation, which was introduced by the Vatican last year, is now operative and will involve open discussions with a wide range of people, including diplomats, academics and other intellectuals. Its aim is the search for truth and thereby to help atheists come to an understanding of theological thought and to accept its seriousness.  The first of these meetings will take place on March 24 to 25 in Paris at UNESCO headquarters, at the Sorbonne, and at the French Institute.

Even though it is not specifically evangelistic -- the Vatican has stated that its purpose is not to convert atheists, but rather to increase open dialog on such fundamental issues as life, death, good, evil, etc. -- the Courtyard of the Gentiles can only help nonbelievers appreciate the depth of theological thought and decrease the tensions that so often mark the relationship between the Church and the secular world.

Read more here: Courtyard of the Gentiles Initiative

Secularism and the Church in Spain

Having just returned from a trip during which we spent about a week in Barcelona, I couldn't help but notice the obvious secularism of the people. I believe it's safe to say that Spain, sadly, is no longer a "Catholic" country. On Sunday morning, for example, we attended the 9 a.m. Mass in the Barcelona Cathedral, joined by only a scattering of worshipers. Although I can't be certain, it seemed as if the majority of this small congregation were foreign visitors like us. The 11 a.m. Mass, which included a full choir, was only slightly better attended. Indeed, by noon the square in front of the cathedral was packed with people who came only to listen to the music of a live orchestra and take part in the Sardana dance that celebrates Catalan culture, unity and pride.

Hundreds gather outside the cathedral on Sunday...but there are few disciples in the pews and no Zacchaeus in the tree looking for Jesus

I recently read that although 94% of Spaniards are Catholic, Mass attendance has dropped from 44% in 1980 to only 19% in 2008. Considering the rate at which this change has taken place, I expect it is even lower today. The most recent figure I've seen for Spain is 13%. (For details on worldwide Mass attendance, click here to access the tables published by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate -- CARA -- at Georgetown University.) Spain, of course, isn't the only European nation to have largely abandoned the Faith. 2008 attendance among German Catholics was at 22%, among the French only 12%, and in the Netherlands a minuscule 7% of Catholics attended Mass weekly.

I don't think I'm going out on a limb to assert that Catholics who have stopped attending Mass are, in effect, no longer Catholic. Without the grace of the sacraments, without the opening up of the Word of God, without the guidance of Church teaching on moral and other matters, without the support of a loving community of faith...in essence, without the Church, one drifts ever more deeply into a life where God too is absent, into a state where the urgings of the Spirit are no longer recognized.

During our recent visit, I saw lots of evidence of a Catholic past, but very little of a Catholic present. Most people with whom I spoke seemed to view the Church as something that once mattered to their ancestors, and perhaps even to their parents or grandparents, but certainly did not matter to them. One young man who worked at our hotel said he was an atheist, but still considered himself a Catholic. As it turns out, he cannot let go of his Catholic heritage which forms such an integral part of his cultural identity. Completely uncatechized, he knows absolutely nothing about the Catholic Church except what he encounters in the secular media. God and Faith and Church, then, play virtually no active role in his life which seemed to be focused solely on worldly success and pleasure. I told him I'd pray for him. He looked surprised, but then said, Thanks." Perhaps a sign of hope? Maybe he'll be urged by the Spirit to attend the World Youth Day scheduled for August 15-21 in Madrid. I pray he will respond.

This young desk clerk in Barcelona is really not that far removed from many American Catholics who, for a variety of reasons, have drifted away from the Church but still call themselves Catholic. They might not be declared atheists, but they live lives of virtual atheism in which God is largely forgotten. Believe it or not, we can even find these folks among regular weekly Mass attendees. Not long ago a man approached me after Mass and said, "Nice sermon. I don't usually like coming here to Mass." Half-jokingly I asked him, "Well, then, why do you come?" He just pointed to his wife and said, "She makes me."

All of this came to mind when I read a story about a group of Spanish activists whose planned disruption of a speech by Madrid's archbishop, Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, forced the cancellation of the event. The cardinal had been invited to speak at the Autonomous University of Madrid on December 1. His subject? “The God who Is Unknown to 21st Century Spaniards.” It seems that, for some Spaniards, the "unknown God" will remain that way, at least for a while.

It's remarkable how left-wing activists no longer even pretend to believe in freedom of speech or other traditional, liberal concepts. Now they simply attack anyone whose beliefs differ from their own, particularly those who speak of God and His plan for humanity. The Catholic Church, then, has become their most frequent and hated target. Read more here: Activists Force Spanish Cardinal to Cancel Lecture.

Spanish Youth Praying & Singing at Montserrat Monastery

Keep the Spanish people and the Church in Spain in your prayers. Many young Spaniards, dissatisfied with the emptiness of the world's attractions, are turning to the Church and rediscovering the Faith of their ancestors. And so, pray too for the success of World Youth Day 2011.

Pax et bonum...

Atheists and Billboards

Have you seen the billboard put up by a group calling itself American Atheists? It's located in North Bergen, NJ right outside the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, the tunnel is one of the key access routes into Manhattan. The billboard, which depicts the Bethlehem Nativity scene in silhouette, complete with Mary, Joseph, the Babe in the manger, a donkey, and the three magi, all illuminated by a bright star in the heavens. Across the top of the billboard are the words, "You KNOW it's a Myth / This Season, Celebrate REASON!" (See below.)

Atheists' Billboard in New Jersey

If the comments I heard this morning at the soup kitchen are typical, a lot of Christians seem to be very upset about this billboard, considering it a sacrilegious affront to their faith. Personally, I don't find it very offensive at all, and certainly not sacrilegious. Indeed, it's pretty much what one would expect an atheist to say about Christmas. In truth, the billboard is actually far less offensive than much of the anti-Christian pornography that passes for art these days. And, too, it's important to realize that the American Atheists -- God bless them --  have every right to buy space on a billboard in New Jersey or anywhere else in the USA where freedom of speech is protected by the Constitution.

Actually, I'm far more inclined to pay attention to what atheists have to say, than to the words of many others. At least atheists believe in something, even if that something is nothing. Speaking with a true atheist about God and faith and transcendence is actually far more interesting and productive than speaking with an agnostic or even a lukewarm Christian who really doesn't know what he believes and seemingly doesn't care. And don't forget what Jesus said about those lukewarm Christians: "I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth" [Rev 3:15-16]. I'm with Jesus: Give me a cold atheist over a lukewarm believer any day of the week. Believe me, they're a lot closer to God than many others.

It's also important to understand the purpose of the billboard. Sure, it's designed to upset people, maybe even shock a few. But as a representative of the American Atheists stated, this billboard and its message are not really aimed at Christians; rather they're aimed at atheists who hypocritically celebrate Christmas despite their non-belief. I suspect this is true even though it's a rather absurd concern on their part. Many (most?) people today, even many who claim to be Christians, don't actually celebrate Christmas -- i.e., the birth of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ -- but celebrate instead some ill-defined "holiday season" as a time of gift-giving and parties and family reunions. As one parishioner told me a few years ago, "Christmas? It's for the children." Like him, I really don't think those atheists who take part in these holiday festivities give even a moment's thought to Jesus Christ.

I'm also more likely to give atheists a pass since most really don't understand the close relationship between faith and reason and have probably never read Aquinas. And few, if any, atheists are very familiar with Scripture, so they have at most a vague concept of the relationship between the Old and New Testaments and the truth of Scripture. If one comes to Scripture from somewhere other than faith, I expect it does seem like a myth. Of course this is why so many of today's Scriptural scholars are at best agnostics.

And finally, I really believe the billboard might turn out to be a plus for Christianity. I don't know about you, but when I'm driving in heavy traffic and happen to notice a billboard, I can rarely look at it long enough to read its message, but rather form a quick gestalt-like perception of what it's all about. With this particular billboard all I would probably see is a rather nice Nativity scene causing me to utter a quick prayer: "Thank you, Father, for giving us Your Son. Your love is unsurpassed."

Pray for our atheist brothers and sisters. Once they hear the Good News, many of them will lead others to Jesus Christ.

Catholic School Fires Atheist Teacher

Usually when we read about someone losing their job, we are saddened, especially today given the current state of the economy and the exceptionally high rate of unemployment. Keeping a job isn't always easy these days. But then I read a story about a fired teacher on the USA Today website and found myself saying aloud, "It's about time!"

Abby Nurre, 26, taught math at St. Edmonds Catholic School. in Fort Dodge, Iowa. But then the young teacher decided to join Atheist Nexus, an website for "nontheists." She went on to confess on her Facebook page that she did not believe in God. When the school discovered her professed atheism, she was called into the principal's office and asked for an explanation. This led to her suspension and eventual firing by the school board. The Diocese of Sioux City supports the decision to fire Nurre. Diocesan spokesperson, Kristie Arlt, stated, "The main thing is that she stated she didn't believe in God. It's pretty hard to put that same teacher in front of students in a Catholic school system." No kidding.

Well, it seems the young atheist is all aflutter over her firing and can't understand why the Catholic school system sent her packing. She actually sees no problem with an atheist teaching in a Catholic school.

The case has received a bit of publicity because the school wanted (appropriately) to deny her unemployment benefits since her beliefs (or lack thereof) violated the terms of her employment. A judge, however, ruled otherwise asserting that the school didn't prove misconduct. Ms. Nurre remains upset and told the Associated Press, "It still doesn't take back anything that happened, I never got to say goodbye to the kids."

She also, apparently, remains confused as to her beliefs: "I'm not an atheist. I'm not a Catholic. I'm not a Christian. I'm somewhere in between." Well, I'm glad she cleared that up.

I don't think I've ever run into a teacher in a Catholic school who openly professed atheism, but I have met a lot who openly and publicly (in their classrooms) disagree with Catholic teaching on all kinds of moral issues. They, too, should not be teaching in Catholic schools.

Three cheers for the principal, the school system and the Diocese of Sioux Falls.

Secular Humanist Choir

Paul Nichols, who writes (and draws) the Catholic Cartoon Blog, has penned his idea of what a secular humanist choir would be singing during the Christmas season.

The way things are going in this country, I suspect that we'll soon be hearing this sort of thing during some future Christmas season. Christmas Carols by and for atheists...something to look forward to.

God's peace...