by Father Robert Lauder

First in a series

This series on Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation “The Joy of the Gospel” has been planned for some time. In fact, I think that as soon as I read the text several weeks ago, I decided that I had to write a series about it. Some of Pope Francis’ insights are brilliant; several are beautiful, and many are inspiring.

There is so much that is special in “The Joy of the Gospel” that even a series of columns will not do it justice. I am hoping that this series encourages readers of this column to go to Pope Francis’ writing. I don’t think that anyone who does should be disappointed.

Reflecting on all the topics that Pope Francis writes about in the exhortation, I decided to start the series by commenting on Pope Francis’ insights into culture. In trying to understand how important a culture is to help people grow in their faith or unfortunately, make it difficult for people to believe and live as Christians, I find an idea that philosophers use helpful. The idea is expressed in the word “co-existence.” It means that on every level of being human we co-exist with other persons.

Familial Influences

Obviously we co-exist with our parents and our siblings. I think it is just about impossible to overemphasize how much our parents and brothers and sisters influence us. Sigmund Freud, I have been told, thought that between the ages of three and six, our basic personalities are established for life. By the time we are six years of age, it’s all over! I don’t believe that, but I do believe that when we are infants, we are extremely impressionable and so parents and siblings have a serious obligation to pass on good values.

In schools, we are dependent on teachers for knowledge. Throughout our lives, and especially when we are young, we are deeply affected emotionally by others. Of course, for better or worse, the media can have a tremendous impact on us.

Pope Francis wrote the following about culture:

“The People of God is incarnate in the peoples of the earth, each of which has its own culture. The concept of culture is valuable for grasping the various expressions of the Christian life present in God’s people. It has to do with the lifestyle of a given society, the specific way in which its members relate to one another, to other creatures and to God. Understood in this way, culture embraces the totality of a people’s life. Each people in the course of its history develops its culture with legitimate autonomy. This is due to the fact that the human person, ‘by nature stands completely in need of life in society’ and always exists in reference to society, finding there a concrete way of relating to reality. The human person is always situated in culture: ‘nature and culture are intimately linked.’ Grace supposes culture, and God’s gift becomes flesh in the culture of those who receive it.”

I love the way that Pope Francis relates culture to the graced people of God – how he links the mystery of God’s people to expressions in a culture.

If it is true that to live in intimate union with God means that we share in God’s intimate life of unlimited love, then the sharing ought to become visible at least occasionally in a culture. Of course, that sharing in God’s life accounts for all the wonderful actions that people perform, such has being merciful and forgiving, being unselfish, being concerned about those less fortunate and countless other good actions.

Contribute to Culture

But sharing God’s life ought to inspire people to become educated so that they might help others and even be able to contribute to a culture’s art, film, theatre, music and literature. I am not suggesting that sharing God’s life makes you a talented writer or musician or skilled in any other art form, but I am suggesting that if God is pure self-gift and we share in God’s life, then we ought to try in any way we can to create a culture that helps people live as images of God.

For most of the years that I have been a priest, I have been involved in education. Partly because of my interests and partly, I hope, because of Providence, I have tried to interest seminarians, university students and parishioners in literature and films that in one way or another reveal the mystery of God. I have no illusions about how successful my efforts have been, but even if very few have been influenced by my apostolates, I will continue to try because I think it’s what I should be doing as a university professor. I have a feeling Pope Francis would agree with me.[hr]

Next week, Father Lauder looks at Pope Francis’ observations on the breakdown of the Catholic faith in today’s world.[hr] Father Robert Lauder, a priest of the Diocese of Brooklyn and philosophy professor at St. John’s University, Jamaica, writes a weekly column for the Catholic Press.