From the Pastor
August/13/2009
The Catholic Church does not generally favor any particular form of government of itself. While some forms have been more consistent with the Church’s teachings concerning the common good of society, and others have even defended moral values in the face of fierce opposition, there are still those forms that run contrary to Christ’s view of His Father’s Creation, and, hence, contrary to the Church’s point of view. But the ultimate aim of the Church is always what is best for the human person in order to achieve salvation. Therefore, it’s important to remember that what the Catholic Church puts forth as “social encyclicals,” are those that should address the state of human society. This is often done by attempting to rediscover for us the courage to plan the future of all humanity, not with the illusions of worn-out ideologies, but with the synthesis of all the elements that a dynamic, living organism --the Church-- can offer society itself.
In this “Year For Priests,” I continue to reflect more deeply on the writings of our High Priests on earth, Benedict XVI, and his predecessor, John Paul II, for they are filled with the witness of Jesus Christ the High Priest, whom they serve(d) as Chief Vicar. On July 7th, shortly after I arrived home from Rome, Pope Benedict XVI published his latest encyclical letter, “Caritas in Veritate” (Charity in Truth). As we know, the Church always seeks to apply eternal truths, which do not change, to the realities of modern life, which do change. Each time we read the homilies or addresses of the current pope, we notice that he possesses a very remarkable awareness of the realities of the modern world, with all of their strengths and weaknesses. Today, some people attribute the extremely large number of pilgrims recently going to Rome, including many non-Catholics, to the fact that they want to see and hear Pope Benedict XVI, most especially because of the ability of the average person to listen to and understand his exhortations and challenges. John Paul II was also a great teacher, but some of his writing style had been hard to follow because his deep philosophical, theological and practical reflections have been lost in the translation of his works.
One of the observations Pope Benedict makes in his encyclical in “Charity in Truth” concerns the dangers of sentimentalism. He clearly points out that if charity is not understood in the light of truth and with a proper understanding of the human person, it can easily lead to an arbitrary sentimentality, with a very weak foundation. It can also be manipulated for various purposes by appealing to the emotions alone. So the Pope tries to make this clear when he writes: “Truth needs to be sought, found and expressed within the economy of charity, but charity, in turn, needs to be understood, confirmed and practiced in the light of truth. In this way, not only do we do a service to charity enlightened by truth, but also help give credibility to truth, demonstrating its power to persuade and authenticate in the practical setting of social living. This is a matter of no small account today, in a social and cultural context which relativizes truth, often paying little heed to it, and showing increasing reluctance to acknowledge its existence.”
The Pope is saying that we do have a solution and we have to begin with love that expresses itself in truth. He rightly observes that without a firm foundation in truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality and love becomes an empty shell, to be filled in an arbitrary way. He also points out the tendency of our modern society to think that it can accomplish things on its own. Therefore, it can plan and control success or failure based upon its own programs and ideas, often seen without the light of objective truth. This real temptation is summed up at the end of the encyclical with the Pope’s heartfelt exhortation to view charity in truth and not apart from it.
Too many people have fallen prey to this fallacy and need to re-examine their fallacious notions and humbly come back to their wise and loving God, the author of all creation. May we always be vigilant- constantly aware that we are subject to the temptations all around us and be careful to listen to God speaking to us in our heart of hearts, “He who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.”
For your information, there is a Catholic-oriented radio program each weekday morning from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. broadcast over the Family Values Radio station WLVJ (1040 AM). It’s titled “Religion, Politics and the Culture.” The host is Dennis O’Donovan. It’s repeated on the weekday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. Often they will advertise news concerning our parish activities or those of other parishes in the Metro area. You might find its format very interesting.
Very Rev. Canon Tom
In this “Year For Priests,” I continue to reflect more deeply on the writings of our High Priests on earth, Benedict XVI, and his predecessor, John Paul II, for they are filled with the witness of Jesus Christ the High Priest, whom they serve(d) as Chief Vicar. On July 7th, shortly after I arrived home from Rome, Pope Benedict XVI published his latest encyclical letter, “Caritas in Veritate” (Charity in Truth). As we know, the Church always seeks to apply eternal truths, which do not change, to the realities of modern life, which do change. Each time we read the homilies or addresses of the current pope, we notice that he possesses a very remarkable awareness of the realities of the modern world, with all of their strengths and weaknesses. Today, some people attribute the extremely large number of pilgrims recently going to Rome, including many non-Catholics, to the fact that they want to see and hear Pope Benedict XVI, most especially because of the ability of the average person to listen to and understand his exhortations and challenges. John Paul II was also a great teacher, but some of his writing style had been hard to follow because his deep philosophical, theological and practical reflections have been lost in the translation of his works.
One of the observations Pope Benedict makes in his encyclical in “Charity in Truth” concerns the dangers of sentimentalism. He clearly points out that if charity is not understood in the light of truth and with a proper understanding of the human person, it can easily lead to an arbitrary sentimentality, with a very weak foundation. It can also be manipulated for various purposes by appealing to the emotions alone. So the Pope tries to make this clear when he writes: “Truth needs to be sought, found and expressed within the economy of charity, but charity, in turn, needs to be understood, confirmed and practiced in the light of truth. In this way, not only do we do a service to charity enlightened by truth, but also help give credibility to truth, demonstrating its power to persuade and authenticate in the practical setting of social living. This is a matter of no small account today, in a social and cultural context which relativizes truth, often paying little heed to it, and showing increasing reluctance to acknowledge its existence.”
The Pope is saying that we do have a solution and we have to begin with love that expresses itself in truth. He rightly observes that without a firm foundation in truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality and love becomes an empty shell, to be filled in an arbitrary way. He also points out the tendency of our modern society to think that it can accomplish things on its own. Therefore, it can plan and control success or failure based upon its own programs and ideas, often seen without the light of objective truth. This real temptation is summed up at the end of the encyclical with the Pope’s heartfelt exhortation to view charity in truth and not apart from it.
Too many people have fallen prey to this fallacy and need to re-examine their fallacious notions and humbly come back to their wise and loving God, the author of all creation. May we always be vigilant- constantly aware that we are subject to the temptations all around us and be careful to listen to God speaking to us in our heart of hearts, “He who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.”
For your information, there is a Catholic-oriented radio program each weekday morning from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. broadcast over the Family Values Radio station WLVJ (1040 AM). It’s titled “Religion, Politics and the Culture.” The host is Dennis O’Donovan. It’s repeated on the weekday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. Often they will advertise news concerning our parish activities or those of other parishes in the Metro area. You might find its format very interesting.
Very Rev. Canon Tom