Saturday, January 13, 2018

How do you carry on a political discourse today?



I came across this great video of Brian's almost immediately after having watched another by a good man, who had left the Catholic Church at age 16 and now returned. This man seemed to think that upping the content in catechism class would solve the problem which drove him from the faith at age 16. Granted, in four minutes he may not have been able to express himself fully, but at any rate I am going to go with Brian's premise concerning what separates the sheep from the goats in our world.

This is a video which references a previous one, which may help to understand Brian's point. We are talking about culture in both and the role the media play, simply or blatantly for the sake of merchandising and no more, in establishing popular culture at an all time low: buy, buy, buy. As Brian puts it, the media's siren song is an ode to "coolness" which cannot be other than the ultimate personal and social shipwreck.

Until watching these two videos of Brian's I have to confess that I was rather pessimistic about getting a handle on culture for the sake of the Gospel. Without going horse-and-buggy-Amish, I am now convinced that we stand to gain through reasoned discourse and a return to discipline in the home.

More than a decade ago, I remember the struggles of my cousins with their teenage son over the question of his wanting a cellphone just because everyone else had one... cool! Back then and now, it was a matter of reason and vigilance, which had those parents balking at their son's demand. Today, on that slippery slope, the same domestic argument would have to deal with whether a nine or ten year old shouldn't have the latest IPhoneX or whatever. 

We need to draw the line in our own lives and creatively establish a nurturing family culture, which is ruled by the presence of the Loving Christ and His Blessed Mother within our homes. All else has its measure or else its judgment as toxic and excluded.

As priests, we have to represent a pole of attraction to draw folks ever so gently away from coolness to Christ. We need to refocus and regroup, putting prayer at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of everything we do.

ACTIONES nostras, quaesumus Domine, aspirando praeveni et adiuvando prosequere: ut cuncta nostra oratio et operatio a te semper incipiat, et per te coepta finiatur. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.  

DIRECT, we beg Thee, O Lord, our prayers and our actions by Thy holy inspirations and carry them on by Thy gracious assistance, so that every work of ours may always begin with Thee, and through Thee come to completion. Amen.

  

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