God sent Brendan a community that is almost like a desert, a community of vast power and fabulous wealth. He was sent to show that all lives are worth living. I believe Brendan is a canonizable saint, that he will become the patron saint of those with intellectual disabilities. There are many stories to tell about Brendan and his almost mystical faith.
I am the church. I am not afraid to be politically incorrect. I am not ashamed to proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah, and through Him and Him alone can our sins be forgiven. I do not believe that all religions are equal. Yes, I believe that Western civilization has progressed, making freedom more available and rights more equal because of the Christian faith that proclaims that rights and responsibility go hand in hand. No, I am not ashamed of the gospel. Yes, I am the church.
And this is where the typical Catholic parish falls far short. Catholic life today is so insipid, so divorced from supernatural realities, that most young people find it wholly uninteresting. Although faithful Catholics know there is supernatural power behind even the most bland sacramental celebrations, those who are not fully formed in the faith don’t usually recognize this. They see the blandness with their own eyes, and their eyes of faith are not developed enough to see the supernatural power underneath.
Calls for accompaniment of sinners are everywhere now, not least within the Church herself. But Christian accompaniment must mean more than just spending time together. God warned Ezekiel – who in turn warned the Israelites – “[If] you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death. But if you warn the wicked man. . .and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself.” Too many of the champions of contemporary accompaniment have forgotten that true charity is linked to the truth and to uprightness.
What is fidelity, or loyalty—especially marital fidelity? Is it staying with a person whom, after five or ten or twenty or forty years you still feel like staying with? Or is it living out the commitment to stay with that person, to love him or her, to overcome the difficulties of living together, to work at the love you have promised him or her (and the children that result from that love)?
Just as we have neglected the weekly Sabbath, our seasons are without rhythms of rest. Switching from the tired routines of the school year to the open space of summer should be a relief. Instead, in our anxiety and unfamiliarity with leisure, we opt to chop up the time into measurable weeks at robotics camp, music camp, art camp, volleyball camp. Some camps are good and worthy opportunities for enthusiasts to converge. Camps for the sake of filling the time are a sad substitute for real summer.
I’ve been motivated by Sound of Freedom to look around at data – to think outside the box of the film. But I don’t want to wade further into that swamp, largely because the numbers from advocacy groups and law-enforcement agencies vary wildly. Cops may care about victims, but their data are mostly about arrests. Advocates may be sincere, but they’re looking for funding.