Blessed John Henry Newman and the Formation of the Laity
The formation of the laity is a life-long process, consciously undertaken in faith, as Newman well knew, but there is a special problem in awakening, retaining and reviving the Faith among the young. The problem is not new. It faces every generation. There are several reasons for this youthful resistance. In the first instance there is the natural disinclination of the young to accept the beliefs and customs of their elders. But one of the more corrosive causes of unbelief in the young is the relentless barrage of secularist propaganda that bombards them. Another contributory factor can be the reluctance (often well intentioned) of adults to give ‘a reasoned defence (apologia)… with gentleness and reverence’ of the Faith they hold (cf. 1 Peter 3.15). The fact remains that many people fail to recover the Faith to which they were introduced when young. Catholics may form the largest religious group in the United States, but it is said that the second largest consists of lapsed Catholics.
Saints and Super Heroes
Hollywood loves to blur the lines. One of the things I disliked the most about the Star Wars prequels is how it took a clear cut conflict between good and evil (Rebels/Jedis were good, Empire/Stormtroopers were bad) and turned it into a moral quagmire. This is a constant theme in Hollywood: make the good guys evil and make the bad guys good. But these past few years, a new genre has emerged that speaks to the heart of what it means to be good, the virtue of sacrifice, and the responsibility that comes with power. They are known as, ‘superhero movies.’
