Saints and Other Models

Once upon a time, in a school district far, far away, each morning half-asleep school children would place a hand over their heart and recite the “Pledge of Allegiance.”

“Neither Hollywood nor Broadway produces entertainment the way they used to. They just don’t create great movie dialogue the way they used to. As a culture we don’t say great prayers the way we used to. As a culture we don’t dream great dreams the way we used to. Now, everybody wants to be a pampered, photographed local celebrity.”

It is natural to seek goodness and kindness in others. Our lives are filled with the search for the perfect role model, someone with whom we can identify, someone with whom we can imitate. It is natural to want a hero. We need to have someone to believe in, to encourage us to dream, to inspire us to be better, to challenge us to be more, do more. From our childhood we seek companions, we seek heroes. We create a private mythology filled with damsels and demigods, wishes and wisecracks. The situation is lyrical, the implication is ethical, the circumstance is moral. We look to literature, cinema, everyday life for role models, for unofficial teachers to help us navigate the lows and highs of the human condition. As Catholics we have the lives of the Saints to provide a blueprint on how to live a good Christian life of chastity, humility, charity, and obedience.

The existence of their Faith provides them with an excellent courage and conviction to do God’s work, to help the poor. Each day I think of the veracity of good men. Each day I think that humankind is moving away from being wholesome and altruistic toward being selfish and vain. Being Christian allows me to view the world with hope and mercy. Being Christian allows me to see that the Holy Eucharist is beautiful and nutritious. Prayer, believing in God, attending Mass sweetens life, makes each moment more tolerable. Our belief in God can help us improve our lives and our society, when actually, or ideally, we manage to love our neighbors unconditionally without any strings or expectations. Remember we are children of God. We listen for his call. We obey his Commandments. We have the Bible and other good books to guide us toward God, with meditation, with prayer. Remember that love and hope create the language of God. Let our humility, charity, mercy and each circumstance of our days create anecdotes of tenderness.

The search and desire for goodness and kindness often is the dream of youth, and the most serious occupation of our mind. We travel into different neighborhoods, different churches to find evidence of God, to see a glimpse of him in the life and actions of others. We must always remember and cherish our faith. We are Christians; we are hospitable and hopeful; we are believers; our Faith is more valuable and precious than gold; our Holy Eucharist is more delicious, more nutritious for our souls; we gather for prayer; we gather to remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Our lives do not have to be comfortable but we must have humility and offer hospitality to all, especially those who are destitute, marginalized in any way and who need mercy, charity and compassion. Our lives do not have to be comfortable but we must create a time for prayer in each day, for prayer and reflection can make our Christian lives intrinsically rich with love, hope, and understanding. As Christians we must always be hospitable, humble people.

The Moon, The Clouds, and Three Vows

Writing an essay is sometimes a difficult endeavor. A topic or theme has to be chosen. A position decided upon. An attitude embraced and expressed in words and phrases, both succinct and yet descriptive. Writing about my impression of Catholicism is both daunting and comforting.

There is no topic. There is no theme. I shall share my stream of consciousness. Or my meditation on humanity. Yes, this shall be something between a meditation and a stream of consciousness.

There are white clouds against a washed out blue sky. The Washington Monument looks neon white in the distance. I have been thinking about a vow of chastity, a vow of poverty, and a vow of obedience.

The three vows have bounced in and out of mind during the last two days. Which vow is most appealing? Which is most troublesome? Chastity. Obedience. Poverty. All three of them can easily be romanticized. The vows suggest a beauty, a yearning for purity that is decidedly simplistic, decidedly opposed to the hectic, free-wheeling life of rampant consumerism.

This is an age of materialism and pettiness. Love is a commodity. Great conversations center on drinking, sex, boss avoidance, Delaware tolls, iced tea. Jobs often are not vocations but a means to an end. Materialism provides a wonderful background and handsome props. But, it also produces a brittleness, an anxious fragility. This is not the time to examine one's conscience. This is not the time to sit silently, thinking about God. This is not the time to write an essay.

For many those statements are true. But, for a few, a select group of brave adventurers who understand modern life and it's difficulties, who understand and accept the beauty, strength, and peace of chastity, obedience, and poverty, let them always be our guides and our inspiration.

I can see the moon, white and shining, against the washed-out blue sky. It is a little beyond eight o'clock. I can see a jet flying above the clouds. It is Friday. This sunset has an unworldly beauty, like something created for a Hollywood science fiction movie. Another jet appears and flies against the white cloud as it moves above them.

The three vows possess an unworldly power, otherworldly serenity. There is a hint of something real, something beyond ordinary, day to day comprehension.

There is an ancient naturalism in them.
I am drawn to the three vows. This is not the essay I had planned on writing. This is not the essay which was arranged in my mind.

I am left with a question of personal conviction, personal bravery, personal conscience. Looking at this July sunset, with the moon and clouds, I ask myself, what am I willing to do for God.

Writing an essay is sometimes about presenting a solution; however, sometimes, it might also be about presenting the unasked question.