Day 42. Building a Culture of Life
A new generation of builders is needed. Moved not by fear or violence but by the urgency of genuine love, they must learn to build, brick by brick, the city of God within the city of man.
St. John Paul II, World Youth Day, Toronto 2002
Maybe you’re not convinced that things are as bad as all that. The picture I paint may seem too apocalyptic and depressing. Sure, there are problems with society. Haven’t there always been? It’s not like the Roman Empire when they were feeding Christians to the lions, right? People seem to be doing okay despite pandemic stress, social strife, and financial strain. So why all the alarming stuff about ruined culture, exile and slavery?
It is a great wisdom to recognize the times in which you live, to see things as they are. It is a great poverty to be blind. Open your eyes and look around. Examine for yourself what society is telling you, what society is selling you.
Commentators and spiritual people more intelligent and insightful than I are saying similar things. Culture is breaking down. Family is falling apart. God’s people are being taken in, taken captive – like the citizens of ancient Jerusalem.
So what is this exile and slavery I speak of?
The exile this generation experiences is individualism itself. It is an internal exile. We are socially disconnected which makes us feel lonely and empty inside. Arthur C. Brooks, sociology professor at Harvard notes that, "The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration has declared a 'loneliness epidemic,' specifically citing the increasing phenomena of 'no participation in social groups, fewer friends, and strained relationships' as culprits." Further, notes Brooks, "For health care companies, loneliness is driving up costs. The insurance company Cigna has devoted significant resources to understanding why social isolation is increasing, finding that in 2018, 46 percent of Americans felt alone" [1].
What drives such high levels of isolation? Some factors are unexpected, like the long, strange season of Covid lockdowns whose social impact we’re still trying to grasp. Other factors are unintended like the loneliness resulting from the widespread use of smartphones and social media, which disproportionately impacts younger women. Jonathan Haidt, social psychologist and author of "Kids in Space: Why Teen Mental Health is Collapsing," explains that most girls are drawn to "visual platforms" like Instagram and TikTok. “Those are about display and performance. You post your perfect life, and then you flip through the photos of other girls who have a more perfect life, and you feel depressed.” He calls this phenomenon “compare and despair” and says: “It seems social because you’re communicating with people. But it’s performative. You don’t actually get social relationships. You get weak, fake social links” [2].
Lastly, there are factors more intentional in nature. Dutch sociologist Eric Hendriks-Kim observes the influence of progressive ideology holds sway in most modern universities. “Progressive liberal ideology,” he writes, “seeks to downplay cultural wholes. ...Indeed, the pseudo-solidarity of identity politics further atomizes the individual by undermining the legitimacy of inherited cultures. This outcome is not accidental. Progressive liberals seek to weaken the hold of larger cultural collectives by erasing them from their accounts of the social world, accounts they disseminate using their dominance in the West’s humanities and social science departments" [3].
With no culture handed on to warn and protect us, no tradition to unite us, we as a society have been invaded by destructive influences and taken captive by addictions to various patterns of personal and collective sin.
Sexual sin is the most obvious example of our growing captivity. It is our modern society’s leading obsession. There was a time when our addiction was merely about “having” sex. You had only to note the commercials during a major sports event to see ample evidence that sex was the engine of our economy (used to sell everything from pick-up trucks to tortilla chips). That’s changing now. We no longer joke endlessly about sexual exploits. The youngest generation obsesses about sex in a different way - as identity instead of activity. Sure, there’s still plenty of hooking up, but the story is no longer “boy meets girl.” Now it’s “boy becomes girl.” And whether the focus is sex-as-activity or sex-as-identity, one common thread remains: obsession with the human body. We’ll be taking a closer look at this in the days ahead.
It isn’t hard to see the connection between individualism, sexual sin and the deconstruction of gender. With no culture and therefore no sense of how to build stable, deep relationships, we grab for what seems to provide a sense of identity, intimacy or meaning to ease our loneliness. Sex is especially powerful and, with apps like Tinder, easily available. So we go for it, hoping we’ll find love…only to be devastated when things fall apart. The increasing pain we feel with each failed relationship we then medicate with alcohol and drugs. Is anybody tired of living this way?
Maybe you’ve managed to avoid these patterns of behavior. Maybe you’ve seen through the shallowness of a “culture” that laughs and parties its way to self-destruction. But don’t you wonder what is to be done? If we are enslaved by sin, how can we get free? If we are in exile, how can we find our way back home? If we are to rebuild culture, how can we begin the process of reconstruction?
Yesterday I admitted that I do not know how to fix our disintegrating culture. There was, however, someone who did know. St. John Paul II wrote much about culture during his extraordinary pontificate. He described the Culture of Life that stands in stark contrast to the Culture of Death and the deconstructed ruins that surround us. His writings offered a vision for a second springtime of Christianity and a resurrection of Christian culture. John Paul also expressed great hope for this generation as the quote above indicates. Take the compliment. You are destined to do great things!
The Culture of Life is not a return to the Holy Roman Empire of old. It is not, as some fear, a Catholic power play, not the domination of non-Christians by Christians. George Weigel, the saint’s official biographer wrote: “John Paul II did not propose a return to the premodern world. Rather, he offered a thoroughly modern alternative reading of modernity. John Paul II’s thought and his teaching were a challenge to look at the modern world, its triumphs and its struggles, through a different and perhaps more acute lens; they are a challenge to cleanse ourselves of metaphysical boredom and rediscover the mystery and adventure of being” [4].
The Culture of Life that John Paul described is a way of life animated by the Holy Spirit, structured on the gospel. It is embraced by individual persons, but lived out in community. It is not imposed on a diverse, pluralistic world. It is proposed through the lived example of each Christian – and through communities of Christians living in solidarity – who understand the Culture of Life and allow it transform their daily living.
We will not be reconstructing our fallen culture in the second part of this discernment Novena. We will, however, be taking a personal accounting of the ways we order and structure our relationships. The renewal of culture begins in the soul of every person who chooses generosity, charity, and self-giving over the wasteland of self-centered individualism. I’ll be leaning on the writings of St. John Paul II heavily in portions of the upcoming weeks’ reflections. Keep your eyes open for these points especially.
Think of this part of our Novena as survival training. If you’re going to pursue a vocation – any vocation – it’s smart to see what’s going on around you. It’s smart to understand what ideas and expectations about relationships you’ve unconsciously absorbed. It’s smart to hold them up against the light of the gospel and see what they’re really made of.
The root of the word “culture” is “cult”, that is, “worship.” If we are to internalize the Culture of Life, we must reorient our understanding of worship – our relationship with God – and then put our human relationships in proper balance as well. That’s why the temple will provide the form and direction for our reflections. The design of this great structure was not human in origin. It was revealed by God to Moses on Mount Sinai and was made as “a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary” (Heb. 8:5). In other words, if you want to see something of the way heaven is arranged, study the temple.
I believe that the temple’s floor plan offers us clues as we attempt to restructure and renew our own understanding of right relationships. The temple reflects the order of heaven. Heaven is the place where all relationships are in just and proper balance. So, the temple’s design is, I believe, a blueprint for relationships in good order. At least that’s my theory. We’ll see if it holds up.
Novena Prayer
Jesus says: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”
Pier Giorgio responds: What wealth it is to be in good health, as we are! But we have the duty of putting our health at the service of those who do not have it. To act otherwise would be to betray that gift of God.
Let us pray: Blessed Pier Giorgio, help me to seek God’s righteousness, His plan for my life and for the salvation of the world. Show me the way to self-surrender, so that I may desire nothing more than to be of service to the Lord and His Kingdom. Lead me to the table of love, where I will be satisfied.
Blessed Pier Giorgio, I ask for your intercession in obtaining from God, Who is righteous and just, all the graces necessary for my spiritual and temporal welfare. I confidently turn to you for help in my present need: (in your own words, ask for the Lord to give you greater charity in all of your relationships and to purify them from all self-interest).
A Book of Prayers in Honor of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, by Rev. Timothy E. Deeter
Make it My Own
Daily Discernment Workbook
WORLDVIEWS
1. Underlying Assumptions
The following four charts describe commonly held beliefs in modern society and the reasoning behind them. They have this in common: all of them conflict with core Catholic teachings. I’ll try to spot the errors – and also be honest in answering what I think about these ways of thinking.
2. Rethinking Pluralism.
When I realize how counter-cultural Catholicism is, I may find myself objecting, “I don’t want to impose my beliefs on others!” It’s one thing to say the Catholic faith is true. It’s another to force people who aren’t Catholics to accept the things I believe. Maybe I wonder if “live and let live” isn’t the best way to get along in a world with so many contrary claims about truth. There are three things that I may find helpful in rethinking this.
A. Catholic values vs. Human values.
Our first step is to make a helpful distinction – the difference between Catholic values and human values. We start with a statement and a question: The teachings of the Catholic faith, because they come from God, deal with every aspect of life. Does that mean we shouldn’t apply any Church teachings to others? Think about the following teachings. Which would I say only apply to Catholics:
Thou shalt not kill. ▁▁▁ Applies to all. ▁▁▁ For Catholics only.
Provide for the needs of orphans and immigrants. ▁▁▁ Applies to all. ▁▁▁ For Catholics only.
Avoid war and work for peace. ▁▁▁ Applies to all. ▁▁▁ For Catholics only.
If I chose the first option for all three, I might worry about what this implies. Are we saying that all values that the Catholic Church upholds should be required for everyone, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, to follow? This is where the distinction of values is key. Isn’t it more accurate to say that when the Church teaches on specifically Catholic values – on beliefs and practices particular to the observance of the Catholic faith – we should not impose these on non-Catholics? That’s why we would never pass laws requiring everyone to observe such Catholics values as…
Not eating meat on Fridays during lent.
Going to Church on Sundays.
Going to confession regularly.
However, when the Church teaches about human values, we should be able, like everybody else in a pluralistic society, to vote and promote these views. Some examples of human values would be…
Slavery is wrong.
Human life begins at conception.
Deliberately killing a dying person is always wrong, even when he or she requests it.
Marriage is between one man and one woman.
Q. Have I been told or have I concluded from things I’ve learned that I shouldn’t “impose” Catholic views about these issues on others? Which ones?
B. The Nature of Democracy
The second part of our rethinking is to consider whether it’s accurate to say that only Catholics are imposing on others when we vote according to our consciences. Aren’t all people in a democratic society “imposing” their point of view? Here’s what one Church leader says,
Democracy requires a vigorous public struggle of convictions and ideas. And the convictions of some people always get imposed on everybody else. That’s the nature of a democracy. So why should faithful Catholics play by different rules and a misguided sense of good manners.
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput O.F.M. Cap. [5]
Would an environmentalist say, “I think pollution is bad, but I wouldn’t impose that view on others”? Would a healthcare professional say, “I believe smoking is bad for you, but I’m not going to impose that on others”? Why do I think traditional religious views are singled out for exclusion from the Public Square?
C. We’re not imposing.
The fear we confront in society is that the Church wants to dictate rules as laws of the land and force its beliefs on everyone. “Theocracy!” is the cry of those who want no sign of Catholicism to be seen in society. St. John Paul II, in a famous speech to the United Nations, defended the right of Catholics to be witnesses of our faith in the world – we want dialogue, not intolerance.
As a Christian, my hope and trust are centered on Jesus Christ,.... [he] is for us God made man, and made part of the history of humanity. Precisely for this reason, Christian hope for the world and its future extends to every human person. Because of the radiant humanity of Christ, nothing genuinely human fails to touch the hearts of Christians. Faith in Christ does not impel us to intolerance. On the contrary, it obliges us to engage in a respectful dialogue. Love of Christ does not distract us from interest in others, but rather invites us to responsibility for them, to the exclusion of no one....Thus as we approach the two thousandth anniversary of the birth of Christ, the Church asks only to be able to propose respectfully this message of salvation, and to be able to promote, in charity and service, the solidarity of the entire human family.
St. John Paul II [6]
The Church proposes; she imposes nothing.
St. John Paul II, Redemptoris Missio #39
This is a different approach to pluralism and tolerance than I’ve had before. Yes/no? My thoughts…
Conclude with
“Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be.
World without end, Amen.”
[1] - Arthur C. Brooks, From Strength to Strength, Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life, New York, Penguin Publishing Group. p. 179
[2] - Jonathan Haidt on the 'National Crisis' of Gen Z, by Tunku Varadarajan, Wall Street Journal, 12/30/2022, accessed from WSJ website 3/20/2023
[3] - Eric Hendriks-Kim, Why China Loves Conservatives, First Things magazine, Jan. 2023
[4] - George Weigel, The Cube and the Cathedral, Europe, America, and Politics Without God, Basic Books, New York, 2006, p. 169
[5] - Archbishop Charles J. Chaput O.F.M. Cap., St. Paul in the Public Square, First Things Magazine, June/July 2009
[6] - St. John Paul II, Address to the 50th General Assembly of the United Nations, #17, accessed 4/17/2023 at https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/speeches/1995/october/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_05101995_address-to-uno.html