Franciscan at Home

Moral education, especially in schools, deserves sensitive attention in a world divided along the fault lines of religious, irreligious and cultural diversity. Choosing how to make personal moral decisions requires an ability that is acquired, not implanted by nature. Helping individuals to make moral decisions is arguably a catechetical priority in Catholic education, but in schools, confessional or secular, this is not always considered to be a priority in an already crowded curriculum. A belief that human beings are free to do what they want to do within broadly utilitarian limits is already well established and virtually undisputed in a secular society. Liberalism tends to replace traditional religious beliefs about the source of ultimate and decisive moral authority with a utilitarian ethic based upon an unchallenged advocacy of autonomy and the virtues of relativism. The notion that there are moral absolutes to be acknowledged in the regulation of human affairs, as taught by the Catholic Church, is denied with dogmatic vehemence by advocates of moral relativism. Questions about the importance of the family, human relationships, or human rights and responsibilities, are thus approached in the spirit of non-interference. Learning to discriminate (a dangerous word) between the utility, the validity, not to mention the truth, of different responses to moral questions is discouraged if not forbidden in schools. ‘Multiculturalism’, once commended because it was said to promote the ‘enrichment of culture’ through an empathetic study of religious and cultural diversity, has begun to trivialise the religious and cultural traditions it was intended to affirm and celebrate.

Without guidance in their formative years, many people find themselves unable to think clearly about the important moral decisions they have to make, incapable of reflecting thoughtfully about the issues rather than merely disinclined to do so. The sceptical critic and the curious inquirer alike are thus deprived of a coherent account of the essential guidance offered, not least by the Church. It is tempting for teachers to employ an ostensibly ‘non-indoctrinatory’ method in the classroom in order to promote openness, objectivity, fairness and balance. This approach, paradoxically, curtails the education of the critical faculty. Were students to be left without guidance and advocacy in the rest of the educational curriculum ‘to choose for themselves’, it would rightly be judged to be an abdication of the teacher’s responsibility. A laissez faire approach in moral education shows a failure of nerve. The resulting face-off between those who favour a faith oriented approach to morality and those who favour a secular approach to ethics without reference to religion is of little use in developing the critical faculty. A ‘hands off’ approach is often justified on the grounds that ‘indoctrination’ is to be avoided, but in educational terms the resulting neglect is culpable. Fear of being accused of indoctrination makes teachers cautious about any approach to moral questions that might be prescriptive and didactic, yet an ostensibly ‘neutral’ description of what is acceptable to different groups of people can, and often does, conceal its own dogmatic ideological agenda.

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Fr. Stravinskas argues that young people today are looking for a form of worship that is ennobling and uplifting, based on traditional forms of liturgy.

We hear a great deal today about ‘culture’: the youth culture, the culture of life, theculture of death, the anti-culture. And so, I would like to begin my reflections by demonstrating the connection between culture and worship. As a die-hard Latin teacher, I want to establish the etymological linkage. The word cultura (culture) comes from the word cultus (cult, as in ‘worship’). To enter into a language is to enter into the mindset of a people.

Thus, one can say that for the ancient Romans, ‘culture’ was rooted in ‘cult’ or worship. We can smirk at the Greeks and Romans of old with their thousand little gods and goddesses inhabiting the Pantheon but, for all that, they still lived within a transcendental horizon. In other words, the individual human being was answerable to a higher and ultimate authority. And within that horizon, those peoples forged impressive cultures. Similarly, within the Christian scheme of things, we find that what historians have dubbed ‘TheAge of Faith’– the high middle ages – produced a nearly unimaginable font of literature, art, music and architecture – unrivaled to this very moment.

As a teaching method in catechesis, dialogue is often given a prominent place: it is seen as a ‘democratic’ mode of teaching, enabling a range of views to be heard and considered within a relationship of mutual give and take; it seems to be respectful of the learner, speaking ‘with’ rather than ‘to’ the person, allowing the other into the teaching which is taking place; and it can develop the learner’s potential, encouraging the development of critical and intellectual skills through a mutual and shared engagement with questions.

Many go further, arguing that catechesis should privilege dialogue as the preferred means of communication of the Faith.

The Church documents speak of God’s ‘dialogue of salvation’[i] being at the heart of catechesis, so that ‘The wonderful dialogue that God undertakes with every person becomes its inspiration and norm’.[ii] God speaks his word and seeks the response of his creatures. God reveals to man the plan he is to accomplish and calls for a response in faith to that Revelation. At the beginning of the first part of the Catechism this fundamental orientation of catechesis towards dialogue is implied: ‘The dignity of man rests above all on the fact that he is called to communion with God. This invitation to converse with God is addressed to man as soon as he comes into being’.[iii] Cavalletti rightly emphasises that in catechesis there is a call to ‘be attentive to the dialogue that is concretized in the covenant’.[iv]

Pope2You.net

A Vatican webpage designed with the aim of bringing the words and messages of Benedict XVI to the youth. This site features the Pope’s message for the 43rd World Day of Communications. From this site, young people can send virtual cards to friends that contain an attractive image of the Pope and a quote from one of his addresses.

Pope2You.net also contains the follow features:

Facebook application
iPhone application
The Vatican’s official YouTube channel (http://youtube.com/vatican)

‘I am conscious of those who constitute the so-called digital generation and I would like to share with them, in particular, some ideas concerning the extraordinary potential of the new technologies, if they are used to promote human understanding and solidarity.’

With these opening words, Pope Benedict communicated his message for the 43rd World Communications Day on May 24, 2009, which held the official title: ‘New Technologies, New Relationships. Promoting a culture of Respect, Dialogue and Friendship.’[i]

In sum, our Holy Father addressed the reality pervasive in the lives of those popularly identified as Generation Y as well as those born in the 1990’s and the 21st Century in Western or First World countries, whom sociologists now identify as Generation Z, Generation I, or the iGeneration (‘i’ for ‘internet’).[ii] We are experiencing ‘fundamental shifts in patterns of communications’ that affect how we relate to one another. The digital world brought upon us by the advent of the Internet and cellular communications has changed the method by which we converse and relate in our day-to-day lives.

But how is this authentic experience of grace appropriated without the negative side effect of disaffection from communion with the Roman Catholic Church and casting one’s hermeneutical loyalty in the arena of biblical fundamentalism? The answer is to be found in the early Patristic practice of uniting the spiritual sense, a highly personalized appropriation of the biblical message, with the living tradition of the community of faith.[ii] We shall begin by first noting some of the features of fundamentalism, both biblical fundamentalism and a peculiar manifestation of fundamentalism among Catholics.

In this article, we will explore several quality resources that use developments in media technology to enhance/aid our catechesis. First, we look at the technology available to us to display DVD media.[i] Then, we dive into three specific resources that bring leaven to the new culture created by recent advances in technology.[ii]

In the previous issue of The Sower (April 2009) we began to look at the writings of Dietrich von Hildebrand, and at his reflections on contemporary culture. His essay ‘Efficiency and Holiness’ speaks about the ‘heresy’ of efficiency. He argued that this involved a certain idolatry of work, especially of professional work.

What did he mean? He saw this heresy present in the estimation that is often given to the realm of work, almost considering that it is here that we find the highest pinnacle of human life. Von Hildebrand does not mean in any way to demean the high dignity of work in man’s life, but rather sees the problem as one of shifting our understanding of man’s center of gravity away from the primary vocation to be a person, to that of our work and achievements.

Where work is placed at the centre, the alternative we seek tends to be, not God, but amusement. And because this is not our true centre, other things become distorted as well. ‘Recreation’ and ‘relaxation’ become the label for all that is worth seeking apart from work. Von Hildebrand argued that we begin to approach the question of the good life simply in terms of amusement, so that any understanding of life’s real depth and dignity is frustrated. We neglect the spiritual, neglect the need for recollection. We let ourselves be distracted.

How is this manifested in the realm of faith and catechesis?

En esta nueva serie titulada Tecnología y Catequesis, exploraremos el rango de posibilidades que se nos presentan como catequistas armados con nuevos adelantos en la tecnología mediática. Este primer artículo explora la potencial que se nos ofrece, mientras que los artículos subsecuentes tratarán de aplicaciones más prácticas con ricos ejemplos.

Mientras escuchaba la radio católica durante mi camino a la oficina esta mañana, un popular locutor de radio mencionó que si viviera hoy San Pablo, estaría valiéndose de estudios de televisión y torres de transmisión de la radio en lugar de pluma y papiro. “De veras que sí,” pensé mientras ponderaba las posibilidades que nos presentan y qué tan bien hago uso de estos prospectos en mi propio ministerio.

Debemos de preguntarnos, “Se está comunicando el Evangelio a través de estos varios medios de comunicación?” No solamente tenemos que estar produciendo y usando medios de calidad que compitan con sus homólogos seglares, sino también darnos cuenta que todo este consumo mediático afecta a nuestros estudiantes. Hoy en día, un retroproyector blanco y negro grita: “¡Anticuado!”, mientras que un proyector digital de videos causa sorpresa. Cuando referimos nuestros estudiantes a un sitio web católico con diseño elegante, enseñamos un DVD entretenido y sólidamente catequético, o pasamos una presentación PowerPoint con video clips incrustados, enviamos el mensaje de que el Evangelio es relevante y siempre actual. En un sentido, nos hacemos “todo para todos, para ganar por lo menos a algunos, a cualquier precio” (1 Cor 9:22).

La tecnología tiene la capacidad para mejorar y traer eficiencia a nuestros esfuerzos catequéticos de distintos modos, muy aparte del arte de la presentación. Las hojas de cálculo, los notebooks portátiles, las bases de datos, el software de procesamiento de palabras, los documentos PDF, las redes de área local y el acceso inalámbrico a la Internet son todos adelantos tecnológicos que nos pueden ayudar. Estas poderosas herramientas electrónicas dan velocidad a la diseminación del Evangelio. El sistema de caminos de Roma dio a San Pablo un eficiente medio para comunicarse con un público distante en sus muchas cartas. De modo similar, la carretera de la Internet da alas a las e-pístolas de nuestros obispos para instruir y guiar al rebaño de Cristo.

In this new series titled Technology and Catechesis, we will explore the breadth of possibilities before us as catechists armed with new advances in media technology. This first article will explore the potential before us, while subsequent articles will address more practical applications with rich examples.

As I was listening to Catholic radio during this morning’s commute to the office, a popular radio show host mentioned how if St. Paul were alive today, he would be using television studios and radio towers in lieu of pen and papyrus. “How very true,” I thought to myself as I pondered the possibilities we have before us and how well I am availing myself of those prospects in my own ministry.

We must ask ourselves, “Is the Gospel being communicated through these various forms of media?” Not only do we need to be producing and using quality media that will contend with its secular counterparts, but we also need to realize that all of this media consumption affects our students. Today, a black and white overhead projector screams: “Ancient!”, whereas a digital video projector raises eyebrows. When we point our pupils to an elegantly designed Catholic website, show an entertaining and solidly catechetical DVD, or run a PowerPoint presentation with embedded video clips, we send the message that the Gospel is relevant and ever-fresh. In a sense, we become “all things to all men” so that we “might by all means save some” (1 Cor. 9:22).

Technology is able to enhance and bring efficiency to our catechetical endeavors in ways apart from the art of presentation. Spreadsheets, portable notebooks, databases, word processing software, PDF documents, local area networks, and wireless Internet access are all technological advancements that can aid us. These powerful electronic tools give speed to the spread of the Gospel. The Roman empire’s road system gave St. Paul an efficient means to communicate with a distant audience in his many epistles. In like manner today, the Internet highway speeds along our bishops’ e-pistles to instruct and guide the flock of Christ.