By Meg Jalsevac
Archbishop Chaput was joined at the conference by other noteworthy scholars including Dr. William Donohue of the Catholic League who gave the keynote address entitled "Uncommon Alliance: Religious Conservatives Unite." Father Richard Neuhaus of First Things also addressed the attendants in a talk entitled: "The Role of the Catholic Public Intellectual ." According to the Law School's website, the two day conference included over 200 other speakers and 70 discussion panels.
Chaput began his address providing a rudimentary sketch of an "anonymous society." The society described had devastating fertility rates, promiscuity, and a lack of regard for the sacredness of the family and of unborn human life. The archbishop explained that while the description of this "anonymous society" could very fittingly be applicable to today's society, in fact, he was referring to Roman society around the time of Christ.
"Let me explain it this way: People often say we're living at a 'post-Christian' moment. That's supposed to describe the fact that Western nations have abandoned or greatly downplayed their Christian heritage in recent decades. But our 'post-Christian' moment actually looks a lot like the pre-Christian moment. The signs of our times in the developed nations-morally, intellectually, spiritually and even demographically-are uncomfortably similar to the signs in the world at the time of the Incarnation."
"But I do believe that the challenges we face as American Catholics today are very much like those faced by the first Christians. And it might help to have a little perspective on how they went about evangelizing their culture. They did such a good job that within 400 years Christianity was the world's dominant religion and the foundation of Western civilization. If we can learn from that history, the more easily God will work through us to spark a new evangelization."
Chaput explained that the spread of Christianity in the early days was due, not only to people's acceptance of the truths taught by the Apostles, but also because "[b]elieving in the Gospel meant changing their whole way of thinking and living."
"From the start, to be a Christian meant believing that sex and marriage were sacred. From the start, to be a Christian meant rejecting abortion, infanticide, birth control, divorce, homosexual activity and marital infidelity-all those things widely practiced by their Roman neighbors."
Chaput then continued by reinforcing the importance of a respect for life in today's society. "As this audience already knows, Christian reverence for the unborn child is no medieval development. It comes from the very beginnings of our faith. The early Church had no debates over politicians and communion. There wasn't any need. No persons who tolerated or promoted abortion would have dared to approach the Eucharistic table, let alone dared to call themselves true Christians."
"And here's why: The early Christians understood that they were the offspring of a new worldwide family of God. They saw the culture around them as a culture of death, a society that was slowly extinguishing itself. In fact, when you read early Christian literature, practices like adultery and abortion are often described as part of 'the way of death' or the 'way of the [devil].'"
Chaput drew his address to a close with a charge to his audience to "to recover our Catholic identity as disciples of Jesus Christ and missionaries of his Church." He explained that to be a good citizen of our nation, we must first remember that "we're citizens of heaven first."
"We're better Americans by being more truly Catholic -- and the reason why, is that unless we live our Catholic faith authentically, with our whole heart and our whole strength, we have nothing worthwhile to bring to the public debates that will determine the course of our nation."
His final words reminded the conference attendees that living and preaching the truth will not necessarily bring popularity according to today's standards but that that should not deter us from speaking up "respectfully, in a spirit of justice and charity, but also vigorously and without apologies...In the end, if we want our lives to be fruitful, we need to know ourselves as God intends us to be known -- as his witnesses on earth, not just in our private behavior, but in our public actions, including our social, economic and political choices."
Read Archbishop Chaput's entire address at:
http://www.archden.org/images/ArchbishopCorner/Addresses/chu... ;
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"In Cordibus Jesu et Mariae"
