Day 250: Conversion in Society (1886-1896)

• It’s Day 250!!

• CONVERSION AND SOCIETY

• Paragraph 1886 says, “Society is essential to the fulfillment of the human vocation. To attain that aim, respect must be accorded to the just hierarchy of values, which ‘subordinates physical and instinctual dimensions to interior and spiritual ones:’ Human society must primarily be considered something pertaining to the spiritual. Through it, in the bright light of truth, men should share their knowledge, be able to exercise their rights and fulfill their obligations, be inspired to seek spiritual values; mutually derive genuine pleasure from the beautiful, of whatever order it be; always be readily disposed to pass on to others the best of their own cultural heritage; and eagerly strive to make their own the spiritual achievements of others. These benefits not only influence, but at the same time give aim and scope to all that has bearing on cultural expressions, economic, and social institutions, political movements and forms, laws, and all other structures by which society is outwardly established and constantly developed.”

• This means we need conversion

• Our society has to recognize that we are spiritual beings

• The physical is subordinated to the spiritual and interior

• We need to get a right ordering to what is most important

• Dr. Peter Kreeft said, “Any individual you ever meet will outlast every civilization that has ever been created.”

• Whether that individual is great or small

• Whether that individual is incredibly wise or deficient in wisdom

• Whether that individual is powerful or paralyzed 

• Every individual human being will outlast every human society

• Therefore, the human being is essential

• The human being has a dignity that cannot be wiped away, taken away, or mitigated

• We need to know what the value of a thing is in order to appropriately use it

• Let’s pray!!

Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in Heaven, we first praise your name. Above all things may you be glorified. In all things may you be glorified. And you filled this world, Lord. You have filled our lives with good things. Help us to recognize the best things and place those above the good things. Help us to recognize you as the ultimate best thing and place you at the pinnacle, you at the top, to treat you, the ultimate being, as the ultimate being, and everything else as less than the ultimate. Help us to treat you as you are for who you are, God himself. Help us to keep the best things best, the better things better, and the good things good. Lord God, help us to order our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart. We make this prayer in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen”

• So there we have it!!

• Fr. Mike forgot to mention something yesterday

• Paragraph 1882 says, “Certain societies, such as the family and the state, correspond more directly to the nature of man; they are necessary to him. To promote the participation of the greatest number in the life of a society, the creation of voluntary associations and institutions must be encouraged ‘on both national and international levels, which relate to economic and social goals, to cultural and recreational activities, to sport, to various professions, and to political affairs.’ This ‘socialization’ also expresses the natural tendency for human beings to associate with one another for the sake of attaining objectives that exceed individual capacities. It develops the qualities of the person, especially the sense of initiative and responsibility, and helps guarantee his rights.”

• What do we need?

• Family and the state

• That is the most basic 

• AND YET…

• There is participation in other voluntary institutions

• For example, those that relate to economic and social goals

• Like the Boy Scouts or the Girl Scouts

• Things like the Lions Club

• Or the local volleyball league or softball league (NO PICKLEBALL!!! I declare pickleball to be ANATHEMA!!! 😛)

• These things add dimension and color and power to life

• Let’s listen to Fr. Mike’s example…

• It is so important to have societies because we are made for relationship

• Societies enable the gifts of the individual to go beyond the individual

• Societies enable us to share our gifts and enables us to share others’ gifts

• IN FACT…

• St. John XXIII said in Paragraph 1886, “[We should] always be readily disposed to pass on to others the best of their own cultural heritage; and eagerly strive to make their own the spiritual achievements of others.”

• WE BELONG TO EACH OTHER!!

• Even in the sense of the global community

• Whatever I have, if I can share it with you, that is wonderful

• Whatever you have, if I can take that and incorporate it into my own life, that is just a blessing

• IT IS SO GOOD!!

• One of the things we have to realize is that there are many expressions of society

• Paragraph 1887 says, “The inversion of means and ends, which results in giving the value of ultimate end to what is only a means for attaining it, or in viewing persons as mere means to that end, engenders unjust structures which ‘make Christian conduct in keeping with the commandments of the divine Law-giver difficult and almost impossible.’”

• THIS IS SO IMPORTANT!!

• The ultimate end, meaning God, has to be the ultimate end

• We can never replace the means for that end

• We can never value the means MORE than the ultimate end

• We can never view persons as mere means to that end

• Remember, the human person is the only creature that God made as an end in Himself

• So we must NEVER treat human beings as mere means to any end

• We have to have the right valuing of our priorities

• The term PRIORITY is really interesting

• Let’s listen to Fr. Mike explain…

• The reality is that there can only be ONE priority

• If priority means FIRST then there can only be ONE FIRST

• GOD IS THE PRIORITY!!

• GOD IS THE ULTIMATE END!!

• Therefore, all other ends are subordinate to that ultimate end

• WE HAVE TO KEEP FIRST THINGS FIRST!!

• Paragraph 1888 says, “It is necessary, then, to appeal to the spiritual and moral capacities of the human person and to the permanent need for his inner conversion, so as to obtain social changes that will really serve him. The acknowledged priority of the conversion of heart in no way eliminates but on the contrary imposes the obligation of bringing the appropriate remedies to the institutions and living conditions when they are an inducement to sin, so that they conform to the norms of justice and advance the good rather than hinder it.”

• Human beings are physical

• We are also spiritual

• We are also moral

• The freedom that we have, which is intrinsic to our nature, must always be respected

• There is a degree to which we will always need inner conversion

• Why?

• While we have dignity and goodness, and while we are made in God’s image and likeness, we are also BROKEN

• There is a PERMANENT NEED for inner conversion

• Any hope for some future far off utopia does not exist 

• It is impossible in this life to create this utopia

• We think that if we get our social structures, education, healthcare, and society RIGHT, then we will be fine and have utopia

• THAT IS A LIE!!

• Why?

• Because we are not mere animals or robots

• We have moral capacity and we have brokenness

• We have a permanent need for our inner conversion

• If we are going to have social changes, we HAVE to have interior change

• There are such things as broken structures that are unjust

• These broken structures come from a broken heart

• These broken structures come from a broken human person

• We always have to acknowledge that there is a permanent need for inner conversion

• Every human being is called not simply to change social structures

• Every human being is not simply called to try to fashion a utopia of this world

• We can’t do that

• Saying that does not mean to just take care of yourself

• Part of having a conversion of heart and living a virtuous life is seeing how we can make an impact on the world around us

• When we see injustice, how can we make sure that we are acting against that injustice?

• How can we make sure that we are willing to right wrongs when we find those wrongs?

• THAT IS PART OF INNER CONVERSION!!

• Just because we are concerned about our own individual soul does not mean that everyone else can go their own way

• Placing a high value on your own immortal soul does not mean that we simply ignore everyone else

• It means that we do what we can to address remedies to institutions and living conditions when they are an inducement to sin, so that they conform to the norms of justice and advance the good rather than hinder it

• Paragraph 1889 says, “Without the help of grace, men would not know how ‘to discern the often narrow path between the cowardice which gives in to evil, and the violence which under the illusion of fighting evil only makes it worse.’ This is the path of charity, that is, of the love of God and of neighbor. Charity is the greatest social commandment. It respects others and their rights. It requires the practice of justice, and it alone makes us capable of it. Charity inspires a life of self-giving: ‘Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.’”

• Remember what justice is: giving another what is their due

• Love alone makes us capable of justice

• Charity inspires a life of self-giving

• If we are going to be able to discern between the cowardice that gives into evil and the violence which, under the illusion of fighting evil, only makes it worse, we have to be able to walk the PATH OF CHARITY

• We have this rich history of Catholic social teaching

• We have this view of what it is to have a Christian society or what it is to be a Christian living in a non-Christian society

• What is a well-ordered human society?

• What is the way in which human beings can flourish the best?

• Fr. Mike is praying FOR YOU!!

• Please pray for Fr. Mike and for each other!!

• I’ll see you when I see you!!