Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Over the Labor Day weekend I got a note from a friendly Catholic scholar who’s an expert in the history of religions. She teaches at one of Europe’s large secular universities. And while she doesn’t publicize her faith, neither does she hide it – a fact which does not always help her academic career.
Speaking of her relations with colleagues and students, and the difficult atmosphere in which she works, she wrote:
“Today’s moral conflicts [in the classroom and beyond it] are fundamentally about the structure of reality. In other words, is there an objective world with a stable, accessible nature or not? The two camps seem to be that of disorder (chaos, fluidity, partial relative truths, moral permissiveness, radical equality) and that of order (hierarchical structure, objective natures, clear moral goodness accessible to humans, etc.). To the first camp, the second camp seems rigid and deadening, that is, not in harmony with ‘reality,’ which for the first camp is a great mass of shifting grays, instead of blacks and whites, good and bad.
“The spirit of the first camp is ultimately self-destructive and cannot last, but in the meantime we need to live and navigate through this cosmic fight. I’m troubled by seeing so many of the students I teach choosing fluid darkness instead of the stable and clear light.”
Which brings us to the purpose of this column.
[hotblock]
Across the Archdiocese this week, Catholic high schools and parish schools are welcoming students back to class. As most Philadelphia Catholics know, the American parish school system began in our city. And thanks to our hundreds of dedicated teachers, administrators and staff — and equally dedicated parents — Catholic schools in Greater Philadelphia remain among the nation’s best.
But what does that word “best” really mean in a Christian context? Most of our schools do a great job of providing an excellent academic education in a safe environment. And they do it with very limited resources. This can have deeply positive results, especially for students from fractured homes or in the inner city.
But the why behind Catholic education – the reason it exists – can sometimes be overlooked. Catholic schools and catechetical programs like PREP are not finally about teaching young people to work hard, contribute to society, and be honest and kind to others. Clearly those virtues are important. But they aren’t ends in themselves. They flow from the larger mission of our schools and programs.
The goal of all Catholic education is to form young people in a strong Catholic faith, a faith rooted in the truth about God and humanity, a faith that can guide them to a fruitful life in this world, and home to the joy of eternal life with their Creator.
Catholic education starts with a simple principle: Facts and achievements are empty, or worse, unless they’re embedded in a pattern of meaning. The deepest hunger of the human heart isn’t for knowledge but for purpose. This is why Jesus’s words in the Gospel of John (8:32) have always had such power: “You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” Truth organizes reality. It gives meaning and direction to life, and in doing so, it sustains hope.
Thus it’s no surprise that in cultures that refuse to accept the existence of permanent, objective truths, or a commonly shared higher purpose to life, suicide rates rise along with a general callousness expressed in barbarisms like abortion and euthanasia. Differing cultures can account for the differing attitudes toward suicide in some countries. But even adjusting for that, the data are striking. Of the 25 nations with the highest suicide rates in the world, eight of them are in Europe. Wealth offers no immunity: South Korea and Japan also rank high on the list, despite their advanced economies. The exceptionally high suicide rate in nations like North Korea probably needs no explanation.
Here’s the point. The belief that truth exists, is permanent and knowable, and is worth pursuing and fighting for because it makes us free, is an affirmation of the goodness of life and the world’s loving Creator.
This enduring passion for truth is the fire at the heart of all Catholic education, from the first day of First Grade forward throughout life. So as another school year begins, it’s a good time to remember what we need to be teaching, learning and doing in our classrooms — and even more importantly, why.
***
Editor’s note: Next year, 2018, marks the 25th anniversary of the release of St. John Paul II’s great encyclical, Veritatis Splendor (The Splendor of Truth). Archbishop Chaput offers an extended reflection on the encyclical and its importance in the October issue of First Things magazine. See “The Splendor of Truth in 2017,” online at www.firstthings.com, beginning Tuesday, September 12.
Many of the most orthodox Catholics in the Philly region worry about the state of the Catholic Schools in Philly, particularly the non-diocesan schools, when it comes to orthodox Catholic teaching. From the issues at Merion Mercy several years ago to the fact that Saint Joe’s Prep held a day on campus with its alumni from the show “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” (where casual sex, drugs, drinking, and other immorality are glorified), many of the most faithful Catholics in the diocese are now homeschooling, rather than roll the dice with some of our “Catholic” schools….
TRUTH: 1) Jesus created His Holy Catholic Church to Help Everyone (…who is of goodwill, humble, and repentant) to get Safely to Heaven through the ‘narrow gate’, that Being Jesus Christ Himself, Who Is The Way, Truth and Life, through His Sacred Heart, given to us as the Bread of Life.
2) The Catholic Church and Her doctrine, which Is the only Church that Jesus Christ created 2000 years ago, Does Not and Has Never taught or led people into sin by Her teachings but maintains the Integrity that Leads souls to Heaven and away from sin and suffering whereas every single Protestant denomination has supported abortion, which is murder, and artificial contraception (that causes early abortions). Some so-called Christian churches even promote abortion on their website such as the church that former President Obama belongs to, which does not lead people to Heaven but the opposite and therefore is Not from God but is of fallible human origin…
3) All people are made for Heaven to love and be loved, created by God for God and we are all restless until we rest in Him and feel depressed, anxious, ill or incomplete until we are fully embraced by His Love and are in communion with Him, welcomed by God and all the Heavenly Host of Angels and Saints. Sadly and tragically, many Catholics and Christians are much less loving than they are created to be and are seeking to fill the void that Only God and His Divine Love can fill with cheap substitutes, some of which are very self and other destructive… Divorce fails to keep ones marriage vows which leaves a couple that has become one to seem separate but in fact they are still joined but one or the other partner or both may have become so hard-hearted that remarriage is only going to further complicate things and unless deep prayer, healing and repentance takes place then they are not headed for heaven… So the Catholic Church cannot support sin because it’s Goal Is to lead souls to Communion with God and Heaven. But maybe this challenge with the Dubia and controversy is to bring clarity to everyone about these Truths to save more souls!
It is unfortunate that the spirit of false, which is the devil himself, has embedded itself in some of our Catholic schools and supported by some of our Catholic teachers in the form of the LGBTQ agenda, and to the neglect of some of our hierarchal leaders, and which is resulting in now over 50 percent of our Catholic school graduates loosing their faith after graduation. When Truth is compromised in education of the young, faith is lost. Our Catholic schools must get back to teaching the Catholic Truth or stop calling themselves Catholic.
I went to Catholic schools for 12 years during the period you seem to long for – before the “LGBTQ agenda” took over. I am the only one of my five siblings to still practice the faith. They left not because of anything having to do with homosexuality but instead because at our schools priests were being arrested for pornography and middle-age male teachers were dating female teenage students. If you look at the history of our diocese the last forty years there is ample reason for believers to lose their faith and confidence in the hierarchy because they not only allowed this to go on, they tried to hide it from the authorities. Before you blame this alleged “LGBTQ agenda” of late you may want to consider that big huge elephant in the corner that can rather obviously explain the situation.
There is nothing more ridiculous than the need to continually add letters to the homosexual acronym it used to be only LGB now it is only correct to write LGBTQ and I have heard rumblings of more letters that will have to be added, what will be next? This continuous need to expand the definition by adding more letters and finding more depravities that should not be questioned.
I deeply appreciate His Eminence for his ability to speak clearly, truthfully and compassionately. His sincerity when speaking is also crystal clear. Your Eminence, thank you for all you have written, spoken and preached. I first met you and heard you speak when you were Archbishop of Denver and knew then what a powerful speaker you were and still enjoy hearing and reading you now and hope all who hear you can appreciate you words of truth. Philadelphia I hope you know how blessed you are to have him as your Archbishop
Good points also for those of us whose school days are long past.
All is relevant to truth. That’s why the cornerstone is so important. Only God can be one, everything and all else must be contingent in order to exist. All lies must have truth. Truth is the only one that stands alone.
Catholic school education is invaluable. My 4 sons had 12 years and 2 had Catholic college. They are now in their 40’s and 50’s and 3 are not practicing catholics but are still kind, caring, giving, generous men. We sacrificed to pay the tuition; went to retreats at Malvern, Marriage Encounter; Parent Effective classes; Prayer Meetings; taught Baptism classes and RCIA. One son is a cantor at mass. The other 3 are lost to the faith, but are very good people. I pray for them daily.
Truth is God – said Mahatma Gandhi, the apostle of peace and non-violence.
Acually, God is Truth. As Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6). The difference is subtle, but significant.