In the past
decades, we have seen plenty of evidence on the streets and squares of our
cities of how pacifism can be perverted into a destructive anarchism or,
indeed, into terrorism. The political moralism of the 1970s, the roots of which
are far from dead, was a moralism that succeeded in fascinating even young
people who were full of ideals.
But it was a
moralism that took the wrong direction, since it lacked the serenity born of
rationality; in the last analysis, it attached a higher value to the political
utopia than to the dignity of the individual, and it showed itself capable of
despising man in the name of great objectives.
Joseph
Ratzinger, Christianity and the Crisis of
Cultures
Reflection
– I can’t exactly write my usual Saturday post on
‘this week in Madonna House’ for the simple reason that I was away all week and
have no idea what happened around here. So I thought I would do a little
throwback to the original blog format, dedicated to exploring the writings of
Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI. I still firmly believe him to be one of the
greatest if not the greatest theologians of the 20th century, and
his writings deserve a wide audience.
Ratzinger lived through the waves of
extremist politics and violence that gripped Europe in the late 60s and 70s—the
generation of the soixante-huitards were
his university students, and he had ample opportunity to study the phenomenon
at close quarters.
This
is a great question of our time, the perversion of idealism into
terrorism, and it is one we all have to grapple with. There have been numerous
examples in the media in recent months of ‘good, normal boys’ who have been
radicalized and become servants of the violent apocalyptic agenda of ISIS.
There is a real need to account for how this group, which to most people seems
frankly insane, can attract at least some young men, not even Muslim to begin
with, to itself.
There are those who would say, “Who cares?
If they’re with the terrorists, let’s kill them!” Others would say, “You see!
It proves that religion is inherently dangerous! End religion and the problem
goes away.” Others are… well, just perplexed by it all.
I would argue, as Ratzinger does here, that
the problem is not religion or high ideals, but religion and ideals not
moderated by reason and solid first principles. And this is precisely what we
have failed to give our children, dating back to at least my own childhood, but
certainly more so in the subsequent decades.
The human person is inherently idealistic,
and I would argue that there is no demographic more in need of, and hungry for,
real idealism than the young human male. Young men need a vision of life to
which they can commit their youthful energy and drive, lest it be directed to
destructive and wasteful channels.
We have not given young men this vision of
life; we have given them video games and internet filth. And we are then baffled
when at least some of the young men who are not satisfied with this diet of
distraction and debauchery are easy prey for the violent ideologues of the
Middle East.
The solution is not to stamp out the
idealism of the human person, but to provide an idealism that both extends to
the heights of heaven (and so meets the need for transcendence that is embedded
in our souls) and yet is intensely humanistic, intensely committed to the
irreducible value of the human person. We need to present a vision of life that
is inherently heroic, but that calls forth a heroism that is essentially
non-violent, directed at all times towards the care of the individual.
My own firm conviction is that Catholic
Christianity does provide ample heroic scope for life, setting forth the
essential call to love as Christ loves us, to be servants of the kingdom of
love in this world and to lay down one’s life for the sake of that kingdom. At
the same time, Catholicism has a rich intellectual tradition that undergirds and
supports its heroic visionary core, and a mystical heart—the sacramental life
of the Church—that is accessible to all and makes this heroic scope of life
possible for everyone, not just for the privileged elite few.
We cannot fight bad religion with no
religion, bad ideals with no ideals, radicalism with nihilism. The remedy for
the new wave of political and religious terrorism in our times is not to stuff
everyone with lots of goodies and diversions, but to present an alternative
that is compelling and beautiful.
Come to think of it, that is exactly what
happened ‘this week at Madonna House’, and every week at MH for that matter.
That’s exactly what our whole mandate and mission is here—to shine forth the
radiant vision of life and love that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has given us,
and that the Person of Jesus Christ has sustained in us by his grace. That’s
what we do here; that’s why MH exists.
So… come one, come all, especially come
all you young people seeking to find and deepen and live a vision of life that is
worthy of your greatness. There is such a vision, and it flows from the heart
of Jesus Christ eternally to the world and to every human being alive in it.
Denis: I hear that there was a snow storm at the end of the week in southern Ontario so I assume that you've driven back and are at home now?
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Tim
I beat the storm! Great weather going and coming (for once). And a great response to the mission.
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