Waters of humanism
"Even a traditionally Catholic people can feel negatively or assimilate almost unconsciously the repercussions of a culture that ends by insinuating a mentality in which the Gospel message is openly rejected or subtly hindered.”
Words such as these could only be voiced by a person of great
intellect, faith and courage, such as Pope Benedict XVI, as he soldiers
onward in the footsteps of his predecessor, Blessed Pope John Paul II –
the Great. Like Pope John Paul, Pope Benedict lived in a country whose
profound, centuries-old culture, veritably linked with late antiquity,
had been savagely trampled by the forces of evil.
That the citizens of any country could allow it to drift nonchalantly
into a toxic stream leading to nowhere defies reason. Yet history
records that it has happened.
“Stream” is an especially suitable metaphor here, since Pope Benedict
voiced his warning in the magnificent Tri-Venetian region, that “blessed
land’’ distinguished by the banks of the Lagoon, the Canal of
Cannaregio and the fabled Grand Canal, leading to the “River of Light,”
and, of course, the incomparable St Mark’s Basilica. The ultimate “River
of Light,” we know, in faith, illumines the way to Christ, who must
always be our final goal. Any idea or movement that deviates from or
constitutes a barrier to His embrace cannot be labelled “progress.” On
the contrary, it can only amount to retardation and, when all else has
been tried, self-destruction. We are all made for God, as St Augustine
wrote on the first page of his immortal Confessions, and we shall never
rest until we rest in Him. Thus, argued Pope Benedict during his
pilgrimage to the Diocese of Trivento (the “Three Venices”), for man
today to surrender his soul to hedonistic, materialistic and/or
relativistic goals is self-defeating, because it is dehumanising. The
meaning of each and every human being is reflected in Christ, the Son of
God incarnate. There is no “humanism” worthy of the name without
reference to God. Was it not Dostoevski who, in typical philosophical
fashion, stated that to assess the human being without reference to God
is like sitting on a tree limb while sawing it off? Isn’t it bound to
crash? The great Jewish existentialist Martin Buber convincingly argued
that since God is the indispensable basis for every authentic “I-Thou”
relationship, as contradistinguished from an “I-It” relationship, every
“Thou” offers a glimpse through to the eternal “Thou,” namely, God.
Moreover, God is the absolute guarantor of every true interpersonal
meeting.
This editorial appeared in the 28 June online edition of The Catholic Transcript in Hartford, Connecticut.
Seeing no borders
In late May, Pope Benedict XVI
spent some time chatting with astronauts on the International Space
Station, including the crew of the US space shuttle Endeavour. His first
question was to Endeavour’s Capt Mark Kelly. It focused on the
absurdity of violence on earth, including the assassination attempt in
January on Kelly’s wife, Arizona Rep Gabrielle Giffords.
“From the
space station, you have a very different view of the earth,” the Pontiff
said. “You fly over different continents and nations several times a
day. I think it must be obvious to you how we all live together on one
earth and how absurd it is that we fight and kill each other. … When
you are contemplating the earth from up there, do you ever wonder about
the way nations and people live together down here?”
“It’s a very
good question,” Kelly replied. “We fly over most of the world and you
don’t see borders, but at the same time we realise that people fight
with each other and there is a lot of violence in this world.”
Though
the two were talking about warfare and violence (and how science can
help alleviate some of the regional tensions over energy resources) that
perspective of earth from space – “you don’t see borders” – is an
equally useful context for the ever-controversial debate over
immigration in this country, even among well-intentioned, intelligent
and informed Catholics.
To be clear: We’re not envisioning some sort
of imposed, borderless, global world order or the renunciation of
cultural traditions, national differences or culinary or linguistic
uniqueness of expression – none of which can be seen from space, either.
But
especially in America, where even our poetic tradition teaches us that
good fences make good neighbours, Christians have to fight the
temptation to wall up their souls against the outsider, the foreigner.
From
God’s perspective – one we, too, are called to develop through prayer
and the sacraments – every single human being on the globe and
throughout time is son and daughter, brother and sister. Loving service
to the “least of these” is the only requirement Christ demands for
entrance into eternal life. That’s the base line for Catholics – and our
political leadership – as they grapple with the very real challenges of
illegal immigration. Equally strong, however, ought also to be the
recognition that our immigration policies are flawed and unsustainable.
Not only is there a certain hypocrisy in simultaneously holding up
“border closed” and “help wanted” signs, there’s often too little
recognition that our policies have caused undeserved and real human
pain.
Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez, chairman of the US Bishops’
Committee on Migration, had this to say: “Our current policies are
breaking up families in the name of enforcing our laws,” he said. “That
should not be. We should be reuniting and strengthening families – not
separating wives from husbands and children from their parents.”
The
issues are complex and the solutions won’t be easy. But the only proper
perspective to move forward is recognition of the universal brotherhood
of humanity. Like the view of earth from space.
This editorial appeared in the 8 June edition of Our Sunday Visitor.