40 years after the Church threw open the windows, the better to reach out to Modern Man, a poll shows Catholicism is all but dead among young Romans and the Spaniards seem not far behind. The only encouraging point in the picture is the rather startling absence of happy talk in the first story.
Jim,
I’m taking a break
Jim,
I’m taking a break from an activity you will recognize: writing a CLE paper on LLCs and LLPs, but wanted at least to congratulate you on your reception into the Church.
In addition, I see you have found one of the interesting sites at Espresso Online. I saw the article on Roman youth a little earlier and was saddened but not surprised. Perhaps Cardinal Ruini can, through diligent effort, set things straight there, but I do wonder…
The question seems to be whether (a) the message needs to be “improved” either by reverting back to something like the Catechism of the Council of Trent or just applying better means of communicating the new Catechism (using these as shorthands for the whole range of propositions in the Faith in their traditional and “updated” versions)(see, e.g., the interesting earlier Espresso article on the new book questioning the current approach to ecumenism), or (b) the human recipients of the message need to be induced to listen with greater love and generosity.
I personally waffle back and forth on the answer depending on the day, but for right now I am inclined to think maybe the latter is really what is needed: we need to be persuaded to learn more profoundly from Our Lady and the saints the art of shutting out the attractions and noise of the world in order to listen to Our Lord and His vicar more deeply, and to respond much more generously.
A very interesting book to read in this connection is Fr Aidan Nichols’ latest: “Spirituality for the 21st Century.” I’m reading it now and cannot recommend it too highly. It’s worth the price just to read the chapters on St Therese of Lisiuex, and Dom Columba Marmion.
We might ask Our Lady, St Therese, and St Therese’s great spiritual friend, St Theophane Venard, martyr of Viet Nam, to grant us, by their prayers, the quiet and generosity we all need in this time.
All the best,
Woody Jones
I suppose it’s true that
I suppose it’s true that “how it’s presented” tends toward technical issues, and lots of the problems we have today have to do with overemphasis on technique and manipulation. So “how do I listen and receive” might be the most productive question. After all, the thing that’s most likely to make B accept the faith is the example of A, who does so himself.
Still, I think there are advantages to speaking clearly, in season and out of season. That way when someone’s willing to listen the word will be available. And to a newbie it appears that a weakness of the Church in recent years has been a failure to speak clearly.
Good luck with your paper! Brings back old times …