2019

Materialism has so thoroughly invaded our culture that the fate of one’s eternal soul is no longer a pressing issue for most non-believers. A ‘spiritual but not religious’ person may have a vague sense that all will be well, and so the question is not worth bothering with; the materialist believes that there is no such thing as a soul, and after death, there will be no part of ‘you’ to be anywhere at all.

Prayer must seem such a quaint notion to folks moving briskly along the information superhighway. Armed with headsets and cell phones, have they really got time to punch in God’s number? Have they even got time to be quiet?

When Origen wrote his introduction to the book Against Celsus, he drew a picture no apologist can afford to forget. He described our Lord standing alone and silent before His accusers in the judgment hall. Shrill voices bore discordant charges against Him, and He would not speak in His own defense.

Contra mundum, secundum naturam, ad maiorem dei gloriam! That is the mantra of integral ecology: to live one’s life resisting worldliness, according to one’s nature (and dignity), for the greater glory of God.