(This is a continuation of a series of reflections drawing on the core values mentioned in the Diocese of CK pastoral plan)
Promoting Catholic culture is not directed only inward toward the members of the Catholic Church but has an external component as well. During the 11th and 12th centuries Europe underwent a significant transformation. The politics of Europe experienced change as nations began to emerge from the prior Hodge-podge of feudal lords and strongmen. The rise of universities promoted the spread of knowledge. The Church was given a shot in the arm with the emergence of a flood of saints to inspire the people and to call Church leaders into account. The corruption of the late middle ages was challenged by a series of reformer popes. Other social and economic institutions that had been stagnant for centuries seemed to undergo significant changes. New art forms and majestic architectural styles emerged during this period. While some of these changes had their roots in reform within the Church, many changes flowed from Gospel values that saints and the common folk were demanding that leaders in the Church and community take seriously. Many historians speak of this period as a flowering of Catholic culture. It was a time when the faith of the people profoundly influenced the general culture and societies in which Catholics were living.
St. Augustine lived in the century after Constantine and the transformation of the Roman Empire from a pagan to a Christian empire. While the politics of Empire promoted Christianity, the deeper spiritual transformation of the people was much slower. Augustine reflected on this challenge for many years and wrote a book called “The City of God”. He argued that it was the deeper conversion of people’s hearts that brought about any lasting transformation in society. This conversion required that people turn away from the self-seeking values of empire, which he characterized with the image of the “City of Man”. As people and their civic leaders lived out the Gospel values, society would be transformed into the “City of God”.
There was both an individual and a community component to the promotion of Catholic culture.
The individual component of building Catholic culture is simply our personal conversion of heart. In science there is the idea of critical mass. This refers to the point in a process where enough elements are present for the process to occur and almost immediately the process takes place. As we live out our faith, we contribute to the critical mass of believers. When there are enough of us who are trying to be real disciples of Christ and live out Gospel values, not only are our individual lives transformed but society in general begins to reflect those values to which so many of its members are committed.
The community component of promoting Catholic culture involves engagement in the policy making structures of society. It involves promoting policies in the general society that reflect Gospel values at their best and opposing policies that are fundamentally contrary to Gospel values. We see this community component in the various attempts of the US Bishop’s Conference to promote policies that respect life from conception to natural death and oppose policies that are harmful, biased or mean spirited. One may not always agree with the specific strategy undertaken by the bishops, but it is not difficult to see that the bishops are attempting to strengthen the community component of promoting Catholic culture in the broader American society.
The challenge today is that we live in a pluralistic society where many cultures, religions, political ideologies and traditions interact and struggle to find ways to get along. We can’t transform the world around us into a Catholic culture by force of arms. Yet, we are still called to promote a Catholic culture.
Earlier I mentioned dialogue as one approach to promoting Catholic culture. In the long run it seems to be the best approach. It allows different people to get to know one another and to work together where they share a common vision and fundamental values. Dialogue allows different people to understand their differences and to learn to respect one another despite the differences. Dialogue operates in the marketplace of ideas but also in the rough and tumble of our neighborhoods, if we give it a chance. It doesn’t require that we convert anyone to our way of thinking or living, nor does it require that we be converted to anything else. Rather the goal is that everyone grows in their awareness of each other and their respect for each other. This begins with reaching out to our neighbors, listening to them and sharing with them. Eventually we may be able to work together to build a better community. In one sense reaching out in this way to improve our relationships with others is a manifestation of Catholic culture at its best