Dr. Francis Collins directed one of the most significant and amazing scientific projects in modern times. The genome project arrived at the genetic code for humans. It has over 3 billion letters and, if written on paper and the papers stacked on top of each other, the pile would equal the height of the Washington monument!
Collins was not raised with any serious religious training and went through a period of agnosticism in his late teens, then in college believed he was an atheist. Then he read MERE CHRISTIANITY by C.S. Lewis and changed his mind about atheism. Now atheism struck him as denying reason. He began to search for God and found God in the Christian faith. What is an amazing story is his capacity to embrace science and faith in beautiful harmony. His book THE LANGUAGE OF GOD is a first rate read for anyone espousing atheism but open to learn.
Do you want to find God? Then be silent, for long periods of time. Meditate. Contemplate. Disengage from the need to accomplish and God will find you. Open your soul to the blessings that surround you. Realize that you are not the center of the universe. And halt the rat race. Make time for the inner life –your relationship with God and the One whom God sent, Jesus. Practice prayer and the interior life.
What is it in our current culture that encourages us to think we are God's equal? Little need to wonder and worship, little inclination to lie down before our Creator God and adore, no desire to bend one's knee in the presence of the Holy One. There is something beautiful that happens in the human heart when one is kneeling before God.
MODESTY. Recently, on a walk around McMurray Field in Como Park, I witnessed Somali high school girls playing soccer. Temp about 75 degrees. Sportswear? Long pants under variously colored and billowing lenghty skirts, full tops with only the wrists and hands bare. Heads covered. And lots of laughter, kicking, running and the rest. What a contrast to American culture which has sexualized girls to the point of seductiveness. Modesty has been largely lost. Here at CDH I applaud our female students who choose to be countercultural, whose choice of fashion honors their gender whle not compromising their sexuality. I applaud the girls dance teams who draw a stadium’s fans to their skills not their skin. I applaud the wearing of uniforms which draws attention to personalities rather than private parts. Be counter cultural, CDH. Give the world what it needs most: genuine reverence for sexuality and the moral fiber and moral courage to express it. (Counter Cultural Catholics)
Modesty is as important for boys as it is for girls. I applaud our male students whose language is respectful of both male and female sexuality, who wear their pants around their waists not their butts with underwear exposed, whose respect for their bodies is not determined by measurements against the "perfect body image". Our Western culture seems intent on the sexualization of both males and females. The pressure from the media to be sexy above all else is having its negative effect on children and teens. Check out the recent rise in boys suffering from the disorder of anorexia, a disorder we used to think was exclusively female. Charting the waters of social pressure in a society that pushes body image over character, that lives by the dictum that "sex sells", is a challenge for Christians of all ages. Countering the prevailing winds of a culture that sexualizes most everything requires wisdom and courage. It’s worth the effort. (CCC)
STANDING UP for the Faith. Why is it so hard sometimes, at a Catholic school, to stand up for the Catholic faith? Here at CDH, it happens occasionally that a student speaks in favor of Catholic doctrine or chooses to confront an anti-Catholic attitude, and is made to feel like he or she is in enemy territory! I applaud the young Catholic who gives witness to Catholic teaching and who doesn’t wither or back down when challenged. In fact, the challenges are good practice for life in the real world. Thank God for courageous believers in Jesus who stand up to respect life from conception to natural death, who work for the causes of justice and peace, who, by their example, encourage the practice of Catholic customs and devotions, who love their Church and work to improve its effectiveness in the world. (Counter Cultural Catholics) (Cf: blog articles on Institutional Church, Catholic bashing)
HIGH ON CHURCH. Blessed are the CDHers who are smart enough and wise enough to love their Church. They know that, the Church, like all institutions, is not perfect, but without it life in Minnesota (and worldwide) would be infinitely less. Blessed are the young women and men who appreciate the sweat and struggles of the selfless Catholic men and women upon whose shoulders they stand. Saints, really, who gave their lives so that present and future generations could get a good education, decent health care, dignified work, and healthy family life. I applaud the CDHers who are wise beyond their years, whose hearts are grateful to the Sisters of St. Joseph, the Christian Brothers, their pastors, teachers, coaches, counselors and parish workers for contributing to the quality of life we enjoy here. Most of it is done quietly and without fanfare. But it serves as the foundation of the good life we have. CCC’s do not bite the hand that has fed them. Local Catholics have contributed mightily to the common good of this part of the world. Counter Cultural Catholics appreciate the importance of having strong religious institutions and say so.
MEALTIME. What do counter cultural Catholics bring to their family dinner table? 1) A smile, 2) a story to share, 3) a moment to thank God for the food and the love someone put into its purchase and preparation, 4) an offer to help set the table, and 5) the offer to help clean up afterwards. Recent research has discovered what wise folks have known forever, that children and teens who regularly sit down and eat with their families, do a whole lot better in life than those who do not. I applaud CDHers who choose to be human at mealtime, who respect the blessings of what’s on the table and who put it there, and who truly try to appreciate the blessings of family mealtime. No texting, no TV, not even homework at the dinner table. Be counter cultural! When you sit down to eat, EAT and MEET, for heaven’s sake! Don’t do like the pagans do…and snub the other guests! The attitude of GRATITUDE is the most basic ingredient of a good meal! It makes the spirit of hospitality possible! (Counter Cultural Catholics)
STUFF AND SIMPLICITY OF LIFE. Wow! What a challenge it is to not get seduced by the social pressure to wear the brands, stuff the i-pods, talk the trendiest attitudes! No question about it: we humans like stuff. With tougher times looming, the Gospel call to simplicity will bring welcome relief to anxious stuffers. Do I really need another thing? Is this where I ought to be spending my money? I applaud CDHers whose hearts are set on simplicity of life, who are satisfied with less, and whose priorities challenge the materialism and consumerism of Western culture. I will never forget the Kenyan mom, living in a hovel in a Nairobi slum, whose own cupboards (if she even had any) were empty, who offered a piece of fruit for the poor during the offertory procession at Sunday Mass. I had to ask her afterwards how she could give something when she had so little. She responded: "I have enough for today. Perhaps someone else does not." Wow! What trust in God. What generosity! What simplicity of life. (Counter Cultural Catholics)
SUNDAY MASS. Contemporary American Catholic practice of Sunday Mass attendance is at low tide. I applaud CDH students who give high priority to Sunday Eucharist, who have the courage and moral strength to participate at Mass even when their parents might not. The basis of morality is reverence for God. Reaching back to Moses and the Ten Commandments, over three thousand years ago, is this foundational moral tenet: Keep holy the Lord’s Day. When that is in proper order, the rest of life falls into place. I applaud CDH students who rise above the social pressure that puts God in second place or worse. Thank God for the courage Catholic teens have to be counter cultural, who do the right thing because it is the right thing to do: give Sunday Eucharist and worship of God in the community of faith top priority. (Counter Cultural Catholics)
UPBEAT FOR THE FAITH. I applaud my fellow Catholics who live and love their faith, who see the tremendous good that is happening in parishes all over the world. At St. Olaf church in downtown Minneapolis where I was pastor for 12 years, not a day went by that did not see food, clothing, and furniture donations come in from generous parishioners, and food, clothing and furniture go out to folks in need. Torture victims, immigrants to the U.S., found comfort and employment assistance, elderly and the disabled had Eucharist, food, and friendly visitors brought to them. Hungers of a spiritual nature brought people together in small groups to study scripture, discuss and work for justice, find meaning in their work and professions, find strength in prayer, sacrament and a hospitable community. ALL OVER THE WORLD, the compassion and love of Jesus Christ is being felt through the saving presence of Catholic parishes. Not only "there", but here as well. Thank you, Catholics active in your faith communities. You are a blessing to us all. (Counter Cultural Catholics)