A few changes to the blog...

I added a few things to the blog…
In the sidebar to the right, I added some links to some posts that I consider important. Among these are: Patristics, Question and Answer, and the book reviews that I have written for The Catholic Company. All of these are ongoing projects and I will add new links as they grow.
A few words about each one:
Patristics is the study of the earliest Christian writings from the first few Centuries A.D. These texts teach us how the early Church understood the faith, how they worshiped, and what they believed doctrinally. I have been slowly reviewing the writings of these first Christians beginning with the First Century and moving forward. More to come in future posts.
Question and Answer: I have received many questions over the years concerning Catholic belief and practices. Periodically I will be selecting from those questions and posting a reply here on the blog. If you have a question to ask (anonymously if you prefer) please post a comment. (I recommend commenting on the most recent blog entry on the home page of this blog, even if your question is not relevant to the topic in that post. I will be more likely to see the comment in a timely manner if it appears in a current post.)
Book Reviews: I recently partnered with The Catholic Company website to write reviews of books here on my blog. Links to the book reviews I have written are listed under The Catholic Company Logo in the bottom sidebar of this blog. Just to be clear, I am under no obligation to write a favorable review – I write what I honestly think about the book and submit the review to The Catholic Company for use on their site. If you are shopping for Catholic books, religious items such as rosaries, statues, devotional items, etc. check out The Catholic Company on the web. They sell more than just books.
…Also I will be starting a new series based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The posts in this series will contain selected quotes from the Catechism on specific topics or with a common theme. I will not add any comments or explanations of my own, but will simply allow the Catechism to speak for itself. Under the heading “Catechism Quotes” (or something to that effect) in the sidebar I will give links to these posts for quick reference.

The Power of Artistic Expression

It has been said that, regarding pop music, you are either a Beatles fan or an Elvis fan. That’s not to say that you can’t like both, but most people do prefer one over the other. Supposedly this preference says something about your general outlook on life, and considering how very different these two icons of music are, there may be something to this musical test. Artists such as Elvis and the Beatles use their medium (in this case music and song) to convey messages, express the stirrings of their souls, and to arouse emotions. The type of music that appeals to each of us may indicate something about our own longings and beliefs and can even shape our psyche, stirring up emotions and evoking a personal response in us. All art (painting, sculpture, music, film, theatre, and even architecture and commercial graphics) can have this power to influence us and provoke. In this way, life certainly imitates art – and we often imitate without consciously realizing the power that it has over us.

This is not to say that music and art controls us. We do maintain our free will – we can freely choose to reject the message of a song or the power of a masterfully rendered painting. Art can be appreciated without being manipulated by the artist. For example, viewing a violent film does not necessarily mean that a person will act out violently, as long as that person can distinguish between reality and the art that is presented on the screen and choose to reject the violence. But studies have shown that repeated viewing of violence can lead to an increase in violent behavior, especially in young children who have a difficult time separating truth from fiction. And someone who is prone to violent behavior may have that behavior reinforced by viewing violent images. The same is true of sexual references in music, for instance, or the influence of pornography. When something ceases to be “art” and becomes purely provocative and sensual, it is easy to see how we can be manipulated by our senses and society can be negatively impacted.

Besides these concerns about violence and other behavioral issues we must also remember that the artist often uses his or her medium to convey some “truth” as he or she perceives it in the world. Thus the ideology, faith, and/or philosophical and political leanings of the artist must be accounted for in evaluating the impact of the art. The artist often has in mind an agenda, a purpose for producing his or her work. Religious artwork (a Madonna and Child, a Reclining Buddha, a Muslim prayer rug) or political propaganda (Soviet-style images of workers, or the World War II “Rosie the Riveter” posters in the United States) convey different messages depending on the artist’s beliefs. But in the world of ideas there are many competing concepts of the “truth.” Not all artistic representations can be correct. A painting that depicts the wonder of the incarnate God held in His mother’s arms, cannot be embraced on equal grounds with a statue of Buddha as he meditates on the mystery of his existence. One piece of artwork may be technically better executed, more beautiful, or striking, but the “truth” or ideological insight behind the art may be flawed. Meanwhile a lesser quality piece may convey a “truth” beyond words.

It is sometimes easy to be fooled into believing a “truth,” not because it is TRUE, but because it is beautifully portrayed: visually, poetically, musically, or on film, etc. But we must always remember that the artist manipulates the composition of the artwork to arrive at this desired effect. A well executed piece of artwork becomes believable when the artist’s treatment of the various elements blends together in such a way that his “truth” appears as the only possible explanation. We then enter into his world and understand things from his perspective. The messages conveyed in this way can be as varied and conflicting as there are artists who ply the trade. The important thing for us to remember is that these themes can subtly influence our thinking if we do not take the time to discern them and carefully weigh their worth. Some are more valuable and “true” than others.

Along the same lines as the Beatles/Elvis analogy mentioned above, the science fiction genera gives us two franchises that exemplify the meshing of art and ideology and the divergent results that can come from two creators’ differing visions. Star Wars and Star Trek present sci-fi junkies with two separate worlds to explore and to be entertained by. While the spaceships, lasers, and alien creatures may seem cut from the same cloth, there are stark differences in how these two worlds explain life, the struggles of humanity, and the world around us.

George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars, researched ancient myth, religion, and mysticism to come up with a fictional world in which Good and Evil clash and an unseen power known as the “Force” binds the universe together. In Star Trek, Gene Rodenberry, an avowed atheist, constructs a future for our own galaxy in which science rules the day and religion and myth play only a tangential role. In Star Wars, the Empire is clearly evil, while the Rebels are on the side of good. In Star Trek, good and evil are sometimes relative, depending on the alien culture encountered in a particular episode and the situation confronted by the crew of the Enterprise. In Star Wars, the good guys include the Jedi – the practitioners of an ancient “religion” with seemingly supernatural powers whose main objective is to ensure that good triumphs and their cause for justice spreads to every world in the galaxy. In Star Trek the heroes are the Federation – a group of non-religious (or at least not specifically religious) scientific space explorers whose main goal is to discover new worlds and observe them, but avoid influencing those worlds.

From their opening credits these two science fiction icons show their differences. Star Wars is set in a time “long ago.” This mythical story is meant to evoke ancient truths. Star Trek is set in the future. It leaves the past behind us and pushes forward, “where no man has gone before.” These tag lines tell much about how these two epic tales should be interpreted. A closer examination reveals more.

Gene Rodenberry had this to say about religion: “Religions vary in their degree of idiocy, but I reject them all. For most people, religion is nothing more than a substitute for a malfunctioning brain.” While religion was sometimes viewed favorably in some episodes of Star Trek, it was never a key component of the overall story arc and was occasionally seen as a flaw in some alien cultures. At best Star Trek is ambivalent toward religion. As Brannon Braga, a Star Trek producer, said concerning God and faith: “We wanted to avoid it to be quite frank. But we did very often explore theology through alien characters. Which frankly is much more interesting anyway. Whether it was the Bajorans and their religion or the Borg and their religion…That, I think, was more interesting. We wanted to keep Star Trek secular. The human facet of Star Trek secular.”

While the crew of the Enterprise in Star Trek examined religion from the outside as just another facet of human (or alien) behavior to be studied and analyzed scientifically, the main characters of Star Wars absorb religion into their lives. In the end, their faith in the Force wins the day. The climax of any episode of Star Trek likely includes Spock (the uber-logical science officer) analyzing and solving some mind-puzzle; whereas Star Wars ends with Luke switching off his targeting computer and blowing up the Death Star, demonstrating that the Force is certainly with him. And Obi Wan speaks words of encouragement from the afterlife.

This is not to say that Star Trek should be avoided by people of faith. There are many insightful truths and entertaining stories offered up in the Star Trek world. Some are very favorable toward faith and religion and even explicitly Christian in nature. Nor, on the other hand, is Star Wars a perfect example of Christian story-telling. The “Force” and the Jedi Order include elements of New Age mysticism, pantheism, and Gnosticism, and Lucas blends together so many different mythical elements that it becomes almost absurd in some of its contradictions and implausible assumptions.

As I have said on this blog before, Catholics should not mindlessly absorb the cultural trends and pop art that surrounds us on a daily basis. No art or mode of artistic expression should be taken at face value. But rather we should assess the relevance and moral worth of each piece produced for our consumption. We should know the ideals and values that shape each piece and how the subject could be viewed from other angles, whether the artist’s conclusions are based on false assumptions and how the artist has manipulated the medium to achieve the desired goal. Artwork may be fictional or unreal, but there is always some element of real life that makes the story, the painting, the song, believable on some level. There are themes and ideals embedded in art that can influence us in more subtle ways than we may perceive on the surface. We must question the “truth” of art and base our own conclusions on a higher TRUTH to which we must one day answer.

Catholic MP3s

The start of the summer has been busier than expected, and it seems that I have begun to neglect my blog. With lawn work, gardening, family events, and vacation planning I just haven't had the time to dedicate to writing. That should change as I settle into a more stable routine (and drier weather causes the weeds in the garden and the grass in the lawn to not grow as quickly). In the meantime I have a few links I would like to post...
While I work around the yard or in the garden I often listen to music to pass the time. I purchased a cheap little mp3 player (nothing fancy, but it gets the job done), and I transferred music from CD into mp3 format and acquired some music from friends and family. But I also found some great sources for mp3s online...for free.

Specifically, I would like to point out some Catholic sites where you can download lectures and other apologectics materials from people like Scott Hahn, Patrick Madrid, Steve Ray, Karl Keating, Peter Kreeft, Father Neuhaus, Father Groeschel, Father Corapi, Archbishop Fulton Sheen, and many, many others. There are also many EWTN broadcasts found at these sites, such as The Journey Home program.

You will find the links below:

Sonitus Sanctus
Catholic Audio
Evangelical Catholic Apologetics
Catholic Ipod

The quality of some of these recordings is not stellar, but what do you expect for free? The content however is excellent, and they allow for hours of contemplation while doing otherwise mundane tasks around the house. Great for listening in the car as well.

Also I'd like to point out an excellent source for Classical recordings:

Classic Cat

This site offers a HUGE selection of royalty-free music to download for free. Much of it is orchestral pieces by the likes of Beethoven, Mozart, Handel, Bach, Haydn, and all the usual names in Classical music (along with many obscure composers as well). Among these works are some choral pieces such as chant and Mass settings and hymns.

Enjoy listening!

Book Review: Wisdom for Everyday Life from the Book of Revelation

Making John's Vision a Lived Experience

At the start of 2010, with Lent just around the corner, I received my copy of Wisdom for Everyday Life from the Book of Revelation by Father Richard Veras. Whenever possible I try to arrange my reading around the seasons of the Church’s liturgical year, and so initially I planned to begin reading Father Veras’ book on Ash Wednesday, hoping to conclude well before Easter. An overview of the Book of Revelation seemed an appropriate way to reflect on Scripture throughout Lent.

Anyone remotely familiar with John’s Revelation, the final book of the New Testament, knows that the work is filled with bizarre creatures, strange prophesies of future events, battles that pit demonic forces against all that is good, and of course signs foretelling the end of the world. With that in mind, it is understandable that we might approach the Book of Revelation with a sense of dread, an acute awareness of our own failings and sinfulness, and a spirit of repentance - fitting stuff for the Lenten season. We might even ponder our own fate should the final epic battle take place in our own lifetime.

But as any good Catholic commentator on Scripture knows, and as the author of this book points out, the “battle” does indeed take place in our own lifetime, and for our very souls. As soldiers in this ongoing war, Revelation speaks directly to each of us, here and now. Of course, there are prophesies of future events (the precise meaning of which is unclear…no matter what any televangelist claims), but we also know that on some level the great “battle” against Satan, followed by God’s triumph over sin and evil, is happening within each of us now as we try to live out our call to Christian holiness. In this way the Book of Revelation has a personal relevance for each of us and is not simply a symbolic foreshadowing of geopolitical events that will precipitate the end of world. We must live out the Book of Revelation in our own lives just as we live out the rest of God’s Word.

The supernatural battle between good and evil happens every day in the decisions we make for or against Christ. With that in mind, Father Veras does not attempt to decipher some earth-shattering meaning for the Beast or the number 666, as many fundamentalists do. Nor does he claim to know when the world will end or who the Antichrist will be. What he offers instead (as the title suggests) is a personal application of the text of Revelation that can be used by every Christian in their daily life.

Certainly parts of Revelation are meant to address a broader worldview. Some of John’s vision encompasses whole peoples and nations and foreshadows things to come on a global scale; some passages apply to Christ and the Church as a whole. Father Veras does sketch out the general idea for these major themes. But throughout the text he consistently makes the case that the Book of Revelation speaks clearly to the average Christian, teaching us how to live the faith in a world that is at odds with Christian values.

On that note, one of the themes that spoke directly to me was that of marriage. Christ is the bridegroom awaiting His bride (the Church), who will be united to Him in the great heavenly wedding feast at the end of time. The image of marriage and the wedding banquet, the bride and the bridegroom, and spousal love stood out to me as a reoccurring symbol in Revelation - not only in the joy of our final union with Jesus, but also the contrasting “harlot” who represents unfaithfulness and a cheap imitation of marital love.

With marriage increasingly threatened in today’s culture and Christian morality in general under attack, the message of Revelation is more urgent than ever. Yet when reading John’s apocalyptic vision, it is easy for us to get distracted by images of seven-headed beasts and sinister horsemen We forget that God’s Word must reach into our souls and change us, not just put on a good show. The symbolic nature of apocalyptic writing often diverts our attention away from the deeper lessons hidden within the symbolism. But these lessons must be learned and applied to our everyday lives.

Father Richard Veras cuts through the difficult imagery and drives home the core message of Revelation. Behind the monsters and beasts, Revelation describes the kind of love that we must show to Christ and assures us of the love that even now He has for us. A chief example of this love can be found in our earthly marital unions which foretell the heavenly union we will one day share with God. In this regard, the Book of Revelation is a reminder for every Christian that we must live a spiritually chaste life in anticipation of our wedding day, as members of Christ’s Bride (the Church).

As it turns out, I did not read Father Veras’ book during Lent as I had initially planned. Much can be found there that would aid our Lenten experience (especially concerning sin and repentance as we evaluate the state of our own souls), but there is also much joy in these pages, the kind of joy and anticipation that is shared by a bride and groom as they approach their wedding day. Fittingly I read this book in the Easter Season, a time of rejoicing as we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ and await His final return when He will be united with His Bride. Equally significant, I began writing this review on the day of my tenth wedding anniversary, a traditionally symbolic number that coincides nicely with the numerology of John’s Apocalypse as well as its nuptial overtones. This chance convergence of events - of marital and Easter joy - made Father Veras’ insights both more relevant and more personal to me. Perhaps this was mere coincidence and should not be viewed as anything more. But it certainly caused me to appreciate more deeply the Wisdom for Everyday Life from the Book of Revelation.

To purchase this and other great books and Catholic products, visit The Catholic Company website.

Q&A: Call no one “Father”

Question: Why do Catholics call their priests “Father”? It seems clear that the Bible forbids this, as Jesus Himself stated: “And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.” (Matthew 23:9) When Catholics call their ordained clergy “Father” it is in direct violation of Christ’s command.

Answer:
As with many criticisms concerning Catholic practices and teachings, this common misunderstanding stems from a poor interpretation of Scripture. Here we have an isolated verse that is ripped from its context and used to (supposedly) “prove” that Catholics are an unbiblical people who willfully disobey God’s Word. I suggest we examine the surrounding verses so that the original meaning is not lost:

“But you are not to be called 'Rabbi,' for you have only one Master and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called 'teacher,' for you have one Teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Matthew 23:8-11)

The Protestant argument, as stated in our question above, proposes that Jesus meant these words literally. When He said, call no one on earth ‘father,’ that means you should call absolutely no one on earth ‘father’ – (period) – end of story. Thus Jesus instituted an outright ban on the use of this title among Christians. Catholics are obviously in disobedience to Jesus’ clear command.

A few problems arise from this literalist interpretation. It would mean that Jesus also forbade anyone to be called “teacher” (in vs. 10, above). If we take this verse literally, then Jesus breaks his own command just a few verses later by calling someone other than the Christ “teacher”: "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees…” (Matthew 23:13) Note that the word “teacher” is never avoided by Jesus after making this command; He uses it freely as a title for people other than Himself. Nor does the average Protestant avoid the use of this word. How many non-Catholic Christians – the very ones who criticize Catholics for calling their priests “Father” - call their Sunday school instructors “teacher”? This would seem to violate Jesus’ command every bit as much as Catholics calling their priests “Father.”

Surely there must be some other way to interpret this text. Jesus must not have meant to ban the word “teacher” since He Himself used it immediately after saying not to do so. He would not have made such a strict rule only to break it in His next breath.

Furthermore, notice in verse 8 of our passage from Matthew above: Jesus forbids the use of the word “master” (a form of which is “Rabbi”). But we all use a form of the word “master” whenever we say Mister or Misses. So do we violate this command of Jesus anytime we attach the word “master” to our own names? If Catholics are unbiblical then so are Mr. Protestant and Mrs. Evangelical.

But what about father? Are there any biblical examples of this title being used? The answer is a resounding, yes:

Paul calls himself a “father” in the same spiritual sense that Catholics use the term: “For if you were to have countless tutors [also rendered “teachers” – notice Paul uses this forbidden term] in Christ, yet you would not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father [‘I have begotten you’] through the gospel.” (1Corinthians 4:15) He even goes on to say in the very next verse, “Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.” (4:16) In his fatherhood, Paul is worthy of imitation. Paul often called those who were under his spiritual care his “children” implying his spiritual fatherhood.

In Acts, as Stephen is about to be martyred he calls the Jewish leaders “fathers”: “Hear me, brethren and fathers!” (Acts 7:2)

Also in Acts, we find a reference to “our father David” (Acts 4:25). Not all Jews were directly descended from David; nonetheless the title “father” is applied to David because of his spiritual fatherhood rather than a direct biological connection.

Jesus calls Abraham “father”: “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” (John 8:56) Often the Patriarchs (which is from the Latin for father – “pater”) of the Old Testament were referred to as “fathers” because of their great importance in the Jewish faith. Hebrews 1:1 does this as well: “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways…”

Shockingly, Jesus even calls the devil a “father”: "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth.” (John 8:44)

And of course, apart from the Bible, we cannot neglect to mention our everyday usage of the term. We all call our own male parent “father” and we use terms like “father of the country” or “founding fathers” for our secular heroes.

So why is it that Catholics are singled out, when clearly the Biblical and historical evidence shows that this passage from Matthew was never meant to be taken literally? Or more to the point, why did Jesus speak in such stark terms if He did not mean exactly what He said? How are we to interpret this passage from Matthew?

In Matthew 23:8-11, Jesus is using a rhetorical device called hyperbole – which means to exaggerate in an extreme way in order to make a point. We do this when we say things like, “I had to wait forever in line…” or “I’ve done this a million times…” No one takes you literally when you say these things, because everyone knows that you are overstating the truth in order to make a point. You are speaking in hyperbole.

So Jesus did not mean to forbid the use of certain words. Rather He intended to emphasize that our earthly experience of teachers and masters and fathers pales in comparison to the Teacher/Master/Father that is God.

Thus regarding teachers, Jesus’ point is this: Christ is the Ultimate Teacher. He is THE Teacher - above all other teachers. Just as Jesus is the most perfect of all human beings and deserves to be called Son of Man more than any of us do, so too does He deserve the name Teacher more than any earthly teacher does. Likewise, the word “Father” describes God as the Ultimate Father above all others. Anything we experience of fatherhood here on earth (even our own biological father) is an imperfect reflection of the divine paternity of God. The two are miles apart. And the same can be said of masters.

The reason Jesus is stressing this difference is not to ban these words from usage. The real reason is found in the final lines of our passage above: “The greatest among you will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Jesus is telling us to avoid puffing ourselves up with pride concerning titles and official names. We may be father, master, or teacher to our fellow Christians, but these titles bear with them a humble acceptance of servitude, not a grand air of superiority. Catholics call their priests “Father” because as priests they accept the role of service and self-giving that is a reflection of God’s own gift of Self as Father to us all.

Some final thoughts...on the media, politics, and the culture

Two previous posts have dealt with the media and the culture…
In one post (“We the Media…”) I explained that the mainstream news media gravitates to covering centers of political power while neglecting the most fundamental levels of society such as family, churches, local businesses and community organizations. This undue emphasis on the political has shaped our cultural outlook on politics and the power of the State, causing us to rely more heavily on government bureaucracy rather than personal freedom and the kindness of neighbor-helping-neighbor to solve social ills. We need a return to traditional social structures so that the State does not absorb the power once held by the people.
In a second post (“We the people…of God”) I continued on the same theme, using the “New Jerusalem” from the Book of Revelation as a reference point. The major idea being that our political aspirations are doomed to fail if we neglect God’s plan. We must base our government on principles that acknowledge a Creator and that recognizes certain inalienable rights are from God, not man. Any system that fails to acknowledge God and ignores natural law, which comes from God, becomes tyrannical as it assumes more and more power over life and death, freedom and equality. As Christians we must insist that religion and God be an integral part of our public discourse and help guide our political decision-making
Along this same line of thought, I just read a transcript of a talk given by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver Colorado for the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. I encourage everyone to read the entire transcript. The talk (followed by a question and answer session) discussed the media’s coverage of the Catholic Church and the responsibility of good journalism.
The Archbishop expressed concern that journalists who cover religion are often not as informed about the subject as other journalists when covering issues such as economics or politics. In his words:
“No serious media organization would assign a reporter to cover Wall Street if that reporter lacked a background in economics, fiscal monetary policy and these days at least some expertise on Keynesian theory. But reporters who don’t know their subject and haven’t done their homework seem common in the world of religion reporting, at least in my life.”
I would submit that this makes worse the problem I mentioned in my previous posts. When the media attempts to cover religion it often causes more harm than good. Reporters get the story wrong because they do not understand faith, religion, and theology. The culture grows more spiritually impoverished because our sources of news fail to provide correct information or a balanced perspective.
The Archbishop also had this to say:
“Journalism is a vocation, not a job. Pursued properly, journalism should enjoy the same dignity as the law or medicine because the service that journalists perform is equally important to a healthy society. I really believe that. You form people; you form the way they think and the way they live their lives. So journalists have a duty to serve the truth and the common good – not just the crowd, not just the shareholders they work for and not just their personal convictions. In other words, your core business as journalists is to explain in an honest way, with honest context, the forces and characters shaping our lives – our common life – together.”
Journalism certainly does “shape our common life together” which is why it is so important that our faith (which is so essential to our lives and to our culture) is correctly portrayed in the media. The sad fact is that our faith is often trashed and vilified in the media, or at the very least portrayed inaccurately. This makes even more important our task as individuals to engage the culture on matters of faith.

From all of this, we can conclude the following: 1) the media has a natural tendency to augment political power over faith and family, thus diminishing the power of these basic structures in society; 2) our current culture has drifted away from God and away from natural law as taught by our Juedo-Christian heritage, this feeds the power of the State and threatens the freedom and dignity of the individual; 3) when the media does cover religion it is often inaccurate or outright false coverage, which further erodes the culture’s perception of the faith and vilifies the Church.
The only solution is to be a vocal opposition. Change the culture and people’s minds by representing the Truth of our faith in our own lives. Use the media to our own advantage and engage in public discourse. Use every avenue available (newspaper and print, email, blogs, and networking sites) to point toward the Truth.

We the People...of God

In my previous post entitled “We the Media…" I explained that our culture is overwhelmed with news coverage that focuses on centers of political power. Journalists gravitate to politicians and political powers as the primary news-makers, and politicians use this media clout to accumulate even more control. This domination of the political above other segments of society has come to shape our cultural understanding of State power and the freedom of the individual within the private sector. We have been conditioned by the media to assume that “the government” needs to do something every time we are faced with some social problem or injustice. We are subtly influenced by this bias in the media to believe that politics is the driving force for our culture.

Unfortunately the mainstream media tends to neglect the local, private entities (i.e. family, churches, civic organizations, business and community leaders, etc.) which truly form the building blocks of society and the culture. The more the media focuses on the State and political power, the more society forgets the importance of the core cultural institutions at the local level. Instead the State becomes the end-all/be-all solution to our problems. To combat this, we must all remain aware of this tendency within the media to over-emphasize politics, and we must counteract it by shaping the culture in a Christian spirit. We must bring our faith to bear on the culture and give back to our families, churches, and local organizations the power they once held.

As a happy coincidence, after posting this piece on the power of media-driven politics, I attended a Mass where the celebrant preached along a very similar vein. As inspiration for his homily he focused on the Second Reading for this Sunday from Revelation (21:10-14; 22-23). Specifically, he zeroed in on the following verses:

“The angel took me in spirit to a great, high mountain and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God...The wall of the city had twelve courses of stones as its foundation, on which were inscribed the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb...I saw no temple in the city for its temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb.”

Our priest pointed out that the New Jerusalem descends from Heaven – that is, from God – because we are unable to build the City for ourselves. This Heavenly Jerusalem is built on the foundation of the Twelve Apostles – which is to say, on their preaching, and on their testimony concerning Christ and God’s revelation of Himself to mankind. There is no Temple in the City because Jesus (the true Temple of God) dwells in the New Jerusalem with His people. In the Heavenly Jerusalem, the “Body of Christ” (the Church) will be complete and our worship will be truly IN Christ. There will be no need of a Temple apart from Him.

Our priest went on to explain that for centuries Christians have seen in this description of the New Jerusalem a pattern on which to model our own governments. In our political structures we must recognize God’s power and authority in our lives, and that we owe everything to Him. We must have as our foundation an acknowledgment of God’s Revelation of Himself. We must realize that God dwells in each of us and therefore every human life is sacred and all persons must be treated equally.

Father then mentioned our founding documents as an example of this historic pattern. Especially in the Declaration of Independence, our nation was established with the idea that we owe our existence and our freedom to a sovereign God, and traditionally we have professed as a nation, “In God we trust.” Our rights come from a Creator and are not generated by politicians or government mandate. At one time our nation respected the sanctity of marriage and of life, and the importance of family, because all of these things come from God. Our government “of the people, by the people, and for the people” was established by a people of God and apart from Him our system will not succeed.

When too much power is granted to politicians and to the State, the fundamental structures within society can come under attack, as government assumes more and more power unto itself. Aided by the media, political power has grown so large as to threaten the family, attack the life of the unborn, and re-shape cultural norms that were once considered unalterable. We now turn to political power as the solution to problems that were once solved by “love of neighbor.” Love has been replaced by bureaucracy. We now assume that government programs can solve every injustice, yet our government has become alienated from the Author of Justice Himself.

Our priest ended his homily with a final thought… In the face of this political distortion we must insist on a return to God as the source of our rights and our freedom and as the foundation of our model of government. “To do so is not only the right thing to do as a faithful Christian, but also as a faithful American.”