This homily borrows heavily from Peter Kreeft's Lecture, "Lost in the Cosmos"
On the ancient
temple of Apollo at Delphi there was an inscription made famous by Socrates: it
said: “Know Thyself.” This inscription presupposed two questions: first, who
are you? And, second, how would you know who you are?
* * *
In our modern
world, it is a strange paradox that many people know more about the arts and
sciences than they do about themselves. Some astronomers, for example, know
more about the universe than they do their soul. The same can be said of any
profession, really. What is interesting is that, today, many people know more
about current events than they do themselves. Many can tell you all about the
complicated dynamics of the Middle East, but when asked whether they have a
soul, they respond: “I don’t know.”
Often, we in the
modern world think we are smarter than those who came before us. Ancients, for
example, made the mistake of trying to understand the cosmos by myths instead
of science. They turned things (like the sea) into persons and so personalized
the universe. We know better: the sea is a thing, not a person. But modern man took
those conclusions too far and deduced that persons are simply things.
This deduction
overlooked a very simple truth that we learned as children, that while there
are similarities between things and persons, there is also a fundamental
difference: a Person is a “you,” a “me”—and not simply an “it.” We are a part of nature—and there is
something about us that is separate from it—something that is super-natural
(literally, something above the regular order of “things”).
And so Jesus
tells us: “You are the light of the world.” This is not simply a moral
exhortation. It is also a statement about who we are. You are the light of the
world—you are not simply another object or another thing in the world. Indeed,
there is something about you that illuminates the world. Hence, you are its
light.
The discovery of
who you are, therefore, is predicated upon having a way to illuminate the
illumination. We need more than the scientific method to tell us who we are,
because that can only tell us about the natural side of things. We need a way
of thinking that can know the supernatural light found in Persons. This higher
way of thinking is called wisdom.
It is wisdom that
helps us to know who we are. It is wisdom that tells us “You are the light of
the world.” It is wisdom we are looking for when we are trying to process,
understand, and judge current events. However, it is precisely wisdom that is
lacking in our world. Because many lack wisdom, many see the human person and the
solutions to his problems as a great unknown.
* * *
In his fictional
book, “Lost in the Cosmos,” Walker Percy weaves a tale of a post-apocalyptic
world where a remnant of humanity departs Earth in a space craft towards the
system Alpha-Centauri, looking for a new home. Upon reaching the system, the
space craft is told to halt. The Alpha-Centaurians wish to judge the danger
that the Earthlings may pose to them.
In their wisdom,
Alpha-Centaurians have found that the cosmos contains three species of
intelligence which they call C-1s, C-2s, and C-3s. C-1s are innocent, unfallen,
and harmless. C-2s are fallen—alienated from themselves, God, each other, and
nature, and prone to selfishness, competition, and violence. C-3s are simply C-2s
but who have come to know themselves, become of aware of their predicament, and
asked for help—C-3s realize the need for repentance, and humility—which is the
beginning of wisdom.
The
Alpha-Centaurians determine through some significant and probing questions that
Earthlings are not C-1s. Then they ask: “Have you asked for help?” The
Earthlings have no idea what that could mean. Then the Alpha-Centaurians
realize that the Earthings are C-2s, not C-3s. Permission to land is denied.
The last humans die in orbit.
* * *
I tell that story
not as an attempt to address the immigration issue by some kind of back door.
Rather, it is an attempt to address all of our current issues: gender
confusion, the definition of marriage, the determination of when life begins,
the world’s tendency towards war… All of these stem from a fundamental misunderstanding
of who we are precisely because it is wisdom—that supernatural help to our
supernatural person—that has been rejected by modern man.
The modern-day philosopher
Peter Kreeft rightly points out: the road to hell is not paved with good
intentions, but with self-help—to say, “I don’t need a Savior, I don’t need
anyone telling me what I need to do. I don’t need anyone telling me who I am.”
And that’s a bad position to be in because another wise man, Jesus Christ, said
““I didn’t come to call the righteous, I came to call sinners.” Wisdom reminds
us, therefore, that the only people that Jesus didn’t come to save are those
who think they don’t need saving. Ironically, those are precisely the ones who
are lost.
* * *
When I consider,
therefore, the current issues and surrounding world reaction, I turn to wisdom
and she counsels me, saying: “Fear not him who is only able to destroy the
body. I will tell you who to fear: fear him who is able to destroy both body
and soul in hell.” In other words, do not fear the bombs of terrorism—for bombs
only destroy the body. Rather, fear the philosophies of this world that lead to
the destruction of the soul.
I mean not to
take anything away from those authentic and productive conversations that are
being had concerning immigration and other civic matters, but I think Americans—and
really, the world—at large should be all the more concerned about its blind
assimilation of philosophies and moralities that are foreign to our dignity and
which extinguish our supernatural light (or, as Jesus notes: salt losing its
flavor). The most destructive of which are secularism, doubt, and practical
atheism. These are the bombs that are destroying souls. And these are particularly insidious because
they aren’t, for the most part, carried in by terrorists or immigrants—they are
carried in by high school and university professors. And sometimes, God forgive
us, by priests and parents and close friends.
* * *
You are the light
of the world. This means, 1) you have a supernatural dignity that can only be
revealed and known by a higher order of knowledge called wisdom. And 2) this
light will point out to the world the narrow way through our current
problems—and that the ways is indeed narrow and that to navigate it
successfully, humanity needs supernatural light, needs wisdom, needs God. In
other words, we need to ask for help. This asking is called prayer and is
accompanied by the humility of repentance. You’ll notice that this approach is
dramatically different than the riots, rash judgments, and emotional reactions
swirling out there. Wisdom is a light shining in the darkness—and that is who
you are. Wisdom for the Gentiles, light of the world.
In a particular
way, I pray for our youth, that you will surround yourselves with good friends
whose light of faith is bright. I pray that our Lord protects you from
secularism. And I pray that He give you the fortitude of the Holy Spirit to let
your light shine before all to see—and especially when the world has grown dark.
No comments:
Post a Comment