November 25, 2007

I hope that everyone had a blessed and happy Thanksgiving Day; it is always a blessing to be able to spend time with friends and family in giving thanks for the many gifts God has given to us. This Sunday is also the Feast of Christ the King, the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year. By celebrating this day, we “summarize” our entire year (and indeed all our lives) under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. As our King, the Lord Jesus asks for all our hearts, minds, and souls. He is, however, the most generous and benevolent of Kings who has given up His own life for our sake; by turning our lives over to Him, we actually gain freedom, peace, and joy. We live in the truth of who were have been created to be: sons and daughters of the Most High and Triune God, Who is Love itself.

Considering this (and praying to St. Andrew whose feast-day we celebrate on November 30^th!) as we prepare for the First Sunday of Advent next week, I would like to return to my commentary on The Golden Compass. It’s often very easy to either criticize a work of fiction without seeing its merits, or simply fire away at modern American culture because we seem so distant from God. What is more difficult, however, is to really engage the culture with the confidence that Christ’s Kingdom will really be victorious.

That is, we know that we have the truth on our side, but often present it with a grim or defeated approach. Or sometimes, we are afraid to allow the truth to be splendid but gentle at the same time. And sometimes, we just simply don’t know what the Church teaches. Therefore, we really need to educate ourselves first and foremost, and then make choices that coincide with this formation. Sometimes it will mean not seeing a movie “everyone is seeing” or sometimes it may mean not continuing a magazine subscription or particular cable channel. Each of these choices has as its foundation the decision to follow Christ as our King.

In the case of The Golden Compass, we cannot be afraid of the ideas Pullman presents, but on the contrary must form our minds to defend the truth of Christianity. Personally, I cannot see the value in supporting such a movie or novel, particularly because the author has even stated publicly in interviews that he is “trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief” (cf. Denis Grasska in The Michigan Catholic, 9 Nov 2007, p. 22). Nevertheless, we should be able to address these ideas in conversation and present thoughtful responses to these claims. Educating our children, in particular, must be a constant priority – not only in what the Church teaches, but why. The Church’s teachings are not arbitrary but founded on truth.

The Catechism is an excellent place to begin; even if we find it a little confusing or tough to understand at times, it provides the perfect foundation for our Faith. This “intellectual” formation is an essential way to keep Christ as the King of our lives and culture, and also to not fear when certain ideas may challenge the Church. Christ is the most powerful, and yet gentlest of Sovereigns. His Love provides the foundation for our lives; may we keep Christ the King of our lives and hearts every day – by how we pray, how we think, and work, and play, and most importantly, how we love. God bless you all!