Europe’s Crisis of Culture
by Cardinal Josef Ratzinger
A translation of the lecture given in Italian by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XIV, in the convent of Saint Scholastica in Subiaco, Italy, the day before Pope John Paul II died. This lecture took place April 1, when he received the St. Benedict Award for the promotion of life and the family in Europe. (Translation by the Rome-based Catholic news agency www.zenit.org)
We are living in a time of great dangers and great opportunities for man and the world; a time which is also of great responsibility for us all. During the past century man's possibilities and his dominion over matter grew by truly unthinkable measures. However, his power to dispose of the world has been such as to allow his capacity for destruction to reach dimensions which at times horrify us. In this connection, the threat of terrorism comes spontaneously to mind, this new war without boundaries or fronts.
Above all, that of which we are in need at this moment in history are men who, through an enlightened and lived faith, render God credible in this world. The negative testimony of Christians who speak about God and live against him, has darkened God's image and opened the door to disbelief. We need men who have their gaze directed to God, to understand true humanity. We need men whose intellects are enlightened by the light of God, and whose hearts God opens, so that their intellects can speak to the intellects of others, and so that their hearts are able to open up to the hearts of others.
Only through men who have been touched by God, can God come near to men. We need men like Benedict of Norcia, who at a time of dissipation and decadence, plunged into the most profound solitude, succeeding, after all the purifications he had to suffer, to ascend again to the light, to return and to found Montecasino, the city on the mountain that, with so many ruins, gathered together the forces from which a new world was formed.
In this way Benedict, like Abraham, became the father of many nations. The recommendations to his monks presented at the end of his "Rule" are guidelines that show us also the way that leads on high, beyond the crisis and the ruins.
"Just as there is a bitter zeal that removes one from God and leads to hell, so there is a good zeal that removes one from vices and leads to God and to eternal life. It is in this zeal that monks must exercise themselves with most ardent love: May they outdo one another in rendering each other honor, may they support, in turn, with utmost patience their physical and moral infirmities . . . May they love one another with fraternal affection . . . Fear God in love . . . Put absolutely nothing before Christ who will be able to lead all to eternal life" (Chapter 72).
6 comments:
"W"'s posts continue to sound like they are written by a narrow-minded, narcosistic, bigot. Or should I say, a true conservative Republican. Yes, get with the real world, man.
To Anonymous,
Are your arguments that shallow and weak that all you can do is call your apparent opponent names? You would sound much more serious and possibly even right if you dealt with the arguments and made your case without resorting to name-calling. But then that would mean you would have to have a rational case to make, which from all your comments does not seem to be the fact of the matter.
To Over A. Barrel,
"How can all religions be correct when they contradict each other."
All religions are not correct. No Christian, as well as many other believers, would say such a thing. There may be, and I believe there are, truths expressed by more than one religion, such as it is wrong to intend to kill innocent persons. Religions do contradict each other at times. When they do, at least one of them is wrong. Perhaps all of them on that issue. As a Christian, I do not believe the Christian religion is wrong. I believe it is true. I believe there are aspects of other religions that are true and aspects of other religions that are wrong. Some of those areas are open to debate; some of them are matters of faith, and thus debate will only take us so far.
"In fact, all religions are based on falsehoods such as the existence of a creator or God."
That is quite a claim of certainty. Can you prove that God does not exist? I thought not. Can you demonstrate that the claim that God exists is a falsehood? I thought not. It is impossible. It may be that you do not accept the arguments for God's existence. Fine. But that does not mean the claim that God exists is wrong, a falsehood, or any other such conclusion.
"Are you going to go through your whole life believing a bunch of nonscientific religious drivel?"
Yes, of course. However, I do not regard it as drivel. And 2, Christian claims are not nor have they ever been scientifically shown to be false. I am not saying, keep this in mind, that they have been proven or demonstrated according to scientific standards. That is a misapplication of methods. Science cannot make conclusive statements about matters that are in themselves aspects of faith. Those are two different realms of being and thus two different realms of knowledge.
A question for you: And are you going to go through your life believing, yes, believing, that science is the only form of inquiry that can result in knowledge?
Science is good for what it is intended to evaluate and measure. But it cannot be used to analyze everything. Love, emotions, trust, risk, play, faith, anger, thought, and so on. Science cannot completely measure and evaluate these because science is limited in its scope. It is limited to certain types of phenomenon and must step aside when deeper realities and experiences are attempted to be known and understood.
Actually, it is a serious question in the sense that it takes issue with something you said.
I do not have to prove anything. I may choose to dialogue with you about the arguments for God's existence. However, I do not think they are what convinces someone to posit His existence.
I am not sure what your definition of "myth" is, but it seems we think of it differently. Which, actually, is fine with me. I would rather have clarity of terms than arguing different points.
That said, I do not think intelligent design is mythical. Depending on definition of "myth," religion can be a myth. And, as C.S. Lewis said, the Christian myth is just the one that is true. Is true in the myth portion not just the underlying meaning as with other myths.
Is science the only thing that is provable? If so, we have a much deeper and metaphysical disagreement, one that if not reconciled in some way means that our other points probably will never be resolved (or us coming to any agreement).
I think there is more to reality than the physical and material. Do you?
If not, then that limited worldview means there is so much in our experience that your view cannot account for and may even discredit to some form of psychological/emotional/psychosomatic/sub-conscious will.
If you do think there is more to reality than the physical and material, then how do you analyze, understand, evaluate those realities? Science cannot measure them. Philosophy claims to. Theology claims to. Even literature attempts to describe and illustrate them. They may be wrong, but I do not think so. I actually think they are expressive of realities that are real and help make the universe "make sense."
So, to answer your final question, yes, I am going to spend my life worshiping Jesus. I am at least going to try doing that. I do not think he is made-up in the sense you mean. And, moreover, I find it interesting that you think I fear death. I don't. It is actually the atheists, agnostics, and yes the unsure Christians that I know who do fear death. They are worried about nothingness, about a lasting legacy, about what their life will therefore mean, about finding meaning, and many other concerns that would seem to be appropriate if there is no afterlife.
I, on the other hand, do not fear death. I do not want it to come today, but if it does, then so be it. "Amen." I believe I might be in a much better state of existence with a much deeper and everlasting joy than anything I could imagine here on earth. Christians, you will find, when they hold to what they say they believe, should not fear death. We fear living apart from Christ much more. We fear sinning much more. And yet, when we do sin, it is in a way a happy fault because God affords us His forgiveness and grace to grow and be more closely to Him.
The non-believer does not have this solace.
What if He does not exist? Is my life's pursuit worthless and a waste? I think not. Even if my faith is not in something real, then at least I am psychologically happy (if not ontologically) and confident and finding meaning and purpose in the things I do. I am doing things, finding meaning, and then experiencing a joy and happiness that is only possible with living my life this way. So, even if my faith is not in something real, it at least impels me to live in a way that is very fulfilling, psychologically gratifying and meaningful, and thus filled with happiness.
Others who don't believe may have this similar experience in their lives, but then they might not. I am not sure. I just know that I am happy and am living a life I would not trade with anyone.
Can you or the atheist say the same? Perhaps. If so, good to you. If not, find some meaning and purpose and thus happiness in life.
Curious: why does my faith bother you so much that you write such critical comments about something that I would think does not affect you at all?
Seemingly, you do not even know me. Why care? If you are right, why care? Why bother? In a world with no God, what worth am I? in myself, to God, and to you?
As St. Thomas Aquinas so astutely observed, "To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible."
See Matt 7:6, also Matt 5:10-12. Then let "Over a Barrel" roll away.
W., I've asked Roman Catholic Blog to visit your site and add you to their Codex of Catholic Blogs. You truly belong there.
Kathy
Matt 7:6
“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you."
Kathy, it's very rude and tasteless to call people who think that your belief system is false dogs and pigs. Do you use your religion to cover up for the fact that you are really a mean and vicious person on the inside? You need to do some soul-searching of the secular variety.
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