By: Patrick L. Beaudry
“Anything without heart, anything without love — and I mean politics, music, law, art, even religion — anything without love, no matter how brilliant, is finally inadequate and weak. At the end of the day, the human soul yearns to be loved, and to love in return. And it won’t settle for anything less.”
-Archbishop Charles Chaput
In his homily, Archbishop Charles Chaput outlines a path for success in remaking the world. While not a Catholic these points are basically universal even when extending beyond the bounds of religion.
When he discusses Love he addresses not only Love of God nor God’s love for us but brotherly love, love of work, family and so on. He goes on to discuss the Easter message, and our churchly missions before this statement. “But desire alone won’t remake the world. So how do we accomplish the work God sets before us?”
Regardless of faith, credo, religious beliefs this statement is true. You cannot remake the world, you cannot change the world on simply a hope and a desire to do good. There are critical steps that are required in order to succeed and specifically to make the world better.
A quick summary of Archbishop Chaput’s 5 steps are as follows.
1. “We need to wake up, shake off the cocoon of the world’s narcotic noise, and recover our clarity about right and wrong.”
2. “We need to seek out confession regularly and stay close to the Eucharist. We can’t lose hope when we know we’re forgiven.”
3. “We need to share Jesus Christ consciously with someone every day.”
4. “We need to show a little courage.”
5. “We need to be faithful to those who love us, and to those whom God calls us to love.”
These 5 points as I said apply to everybody not just Catholics, nor just Christians of every credo but everybody in between. As I read the papers today we are faced with more scandal in the public eye, than there has been in over 40 years. We could be discussing the abuse of Power at the IRS, the EPA, the Department of Justice, the State Department’s disaster that was the Benghazi response, the Department of Health and Human Services, the list goes on and on. Each one of these situations arose no doubt by good intended people trying to change the world. But a moral fiber has decayed in our society that allowed these good intentioned people to stray from their mission.
So how then can the Government that does not have the ability to establish a religion bring some of these ideals back into the soul of the workplace and restore some good faith and honest work ethic back into its workings? Go back to the Five points. They have been rephrased but the message and the meaning persists.
First: “We need to wake up, shake off the cocoon of the world’s narcotic noise, and recover our clarity about right and wrong.” This is perhaps the hardest of things to do. Understanding that which is truly morally wrong, versus what we disagree with. In a world absent the spirit and religious these differences are becoming greater and greater. The problem is, as a society we seem to find new things that are ‘morally wrong’ on a routine basis.
Chaput calls for us to pray, but for the irreligious this word is sometimes problematic. But what is prayer? Quite simply it is conversation and deep focused reflection of our needs wants questions and concerns. This conversation can be with: a higher power, ourselves, a public group, or just silent mediation. The important aspect is that we ask these questions because if we don’t ask them, if we don’t struggle with the battle of right and wrong, good and evil then we do not ever achieve clarity of mind.
An example of this failed vision comes from recent studies that show parents would rather have their children cheat on a test than to smoke, and children are being indoctrinated by the new God of health that it is morally wrong to smoke. Smoking is unhealthy but it certainly is not morally wrong to do so. Cheating, on the other hand demonstrates a weakness of character, and a willingness to break the rules as they don’t apply to an individual. Leaders need to not only be clear guidance and expectations but they need to review and hold both themselves and their subordinates accountable for their actions.
Second: We need to seek out confession regularly and stay close to the core values and history. We cannot forget who we are if we know where we come from. By seeking out confession I mean we must be honest with our shortcomings. We must come forward, be it to ourselves, a friend, even a superior. We can even do it like the Catholics and confide in a source that is sworn to secrecy on what is said, this can include Lawyers and to some extent therapists and Chaplains. Confessing ones faults, errors and shortcomings is good practice. It addresses not only the proverbial soul, but it builds within us a pervasive honesty and a strong character.
When it comes to knowing where you came from, this is simple. As Americans we are the heirs of Western Civilization. Regardless of ancestory, regardless of political philosophy, regardless even if you just became a naturalized citizen last week. We are the child and the future of western civilization. Know where you came from. In “In But Not Of” Hugh Hewitt wrote this list http://www.amazon.com/Hugh-Hewitts-Reading-List/lm/R1D2WUPMVCMMK9 of books covering the span of how we got to where we are. I highly recommend it to anybody who wants the cliff notes of history.
Third: We need to share consciously our driving force daily. If you are an Atheist, Agnostic, or not a Christian don’t get hung up on Archbishop Chaput’s words of the love of Jesus Christ. Share that driving force, is it honesty, is it love of work, of truth, whatever it is that guides you. This needs to be shared, not proselytizing but sharing that which makes you who you are and that which you believe. Not only will this keep you centered, but it opens doors for people. You demonstrate an open personality and no hidden agendas when you let people know the truth of who you are and what you believe.
Fourth: We need to have courage. Too often people don’t do what is right because they lack the courage to stand up in times of hardship, or in the face of adversity. Both the Army and the Navy have Courage listed in their core values, while the Airforce defines courage as part of integrity which is one of their core values. Whatever the situation we must have the courage to do what is right because it is right regardless of the consequences.
Fifth: We need to be faithful. We need to be faithful to those under our care, to those whom have entrusted and empowered us. We need to be faithful to our mission, our families and ourselves. We need to be faithful to those we love as well as to those we are called to protect serve or otherwise care for regardless of our true feelings.
Success and failure of our mission is not the point. I would rather lose every argument and every battle but know that I held true to my values, that I did not compromise those around me and that I lived up to an ideal greater than myself.
