At one point in the Pope’s homily in Glasgow, Scotland, today he said:
The evangelization
of culture is all the more important in our times, when a “dictatorship of
relativism” threatens to obscure the unchanging truth about man’s nature,
his destiny and his ultimate good. There are some who now seek to exclude
religious belief from public discourse, to privatize it or even to paint it as
a threat to equality and liberty. Yet religion is in fact a guarantee of authentic
liberty and respect, leading us to look upon every person as a brother or
sister. For this reason I appeal in particular to you, the lay faithful, in
accordance with your baptismal calling and mission, not only to be examples of
faith in public, but also to put the case for the promotion of faith’s wisdom
and vision in the public forum. Society today needs clear voices which propose
our right to live, not in a jungle of self-destructive and arbitrary freedoms, but
in a society which works for the true welfare of its citizens and offers them
guidance and protection in the face of their weakness and fragility. Do not be
afraid to take up this service to your brothers and sisters, and to the future
of your beloved nation.
A few ideas to consider based on what said above:
- notice: the pope speaks about the
evangelization of culture, not only evangelization; - understand: relativism has become
dictatorial in all ways, particularly in its approach truth, how it understands true happiness and man’s eternal destiny is questioned, abused and rejected as unimportant for the 21st century person; - question: why and in what ways have some people relegate God, honest intercourse between faith and reason and human
dignity to the sidelines, what are the avoiding?, and why do voices of dissent get more credence than eternal truth; - question: has religion lost its ability
to guarantee authentic human liberty?, how can we propose otherwise?; - question: why do Catholics shy away -perhaps even
intimated from making their voice heard in the public square–from talking about
their faith in Christ as the supreme savior of all of humanity?; - how any true notion of what true
welfare of people is be neglectful of the unborn, the elderly, prisoners, children, the
poor and homeless, etc?