On April 19th, 2008, I attended a Catholic youth rally at the St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers, New York. I was surrounded by more than 25,000 enthusiastic Christians from thousands of parishes across the country. Many musicians and singers performed for the crowd, including Toby Mac, Fr. Stan Fortuna (a rapping priest), and Kelly Clarkson.The main event, of course, was the arrival of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI. After being welcomed with gifts, prayers, and heavy applause, the Pope addressed the crowd on a wide variety of issues. He outlined the weaknesses and sources of evil in our society, while urging the youth to overcome such flaws by demonstrating their Christian faith in their own communities and homes. The strength of his words conveyed an important message to all those listening, one of love, hope, and courage. We also realized that the future of the Catholic Church lies in the hands of the youth who are the future generation. It is our duty and calling to live in accordance with the teachings of Jesus, and to spread the message that we received from the Pope to other people across the world.
Christians may appear very enthusiastic in acknowledging this important duty. However, the mission to spread the teachings of the Church is indeed a difficult challenge to undertake. Although during the youth rally Pope Benedict revitalized the Christian spirit to spread the teachings of the Church, this rekindling is only temporary. Many believers soon give up on their mission to publicly spread their faith because they realize that it is a heavy burden to carry, and they return to their former sinful existence. The failure to thoroughly act in accordance with Christian teachings is evident in a recent report by the Georgetown-based Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. According to their research, eight out of every ten adult Catholics in the Untied States are satisfied with the leadership of Pope Benedict XVI. However, only twenty-three percent of these same Catholics attend Mass every week! In other words, many believers can “talk the talk”, or listen and approve of the pope’s direction, but they fail to “walk the walk”, as they find it too difficult to act in accordance with his teachings.
Thus, when Christians respond to the message of Pope Benedict XVI, two distinct groups emerge. One group listens and agrees with his words, but they will not act on them. The second group will listen and agree with the pope’s message, but they will also apply his teachings to their own lives, and they will take actions that actively strengthen their Christian faith. In the New Testament, James addresses this separation of thought and action:
“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:22-25).
Therefore, in order for the Catholic Church to grow and for the Christ’s teachings to be spread effectively, it is vital that believers both listen and act. We cannot conceal our faith. This does not mean that we must preach the Gospel in work or at school. However, it does mean that we all should make an honest effort to attend Mass, to engage in prayer, and to live moral and ethical lives.
The conflict between thought and action is largely a personal struggle that helps to define our strength of faith, and it was indeed an important topic that the pope addressed, acting as a sort of personal counselor. However, Pope Benedict XVI also addressed issues concerning society as a whole. During his three years as pope, he has tried to promote the peaceful coexistence of both science and religion, as he has attempted to achieve a balance of reason and faith. The imbalance of such ideas lies at the heart of today’s world conflicts, especially those injustices that are prominent in the Middle East. In countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan, extremists take actions solely based on faith, as they fail to think reasonably. Terrorists attack innocent people without accepting social standards of moral and ethical justice. At the other end of the spectrum, some people ignore faith and live solely based on reason. Such an existence causes people to be consumed by wasteful materialism, and they focus completely on the present, while ignoring morals and ethics that would otherwise lead to the afterlife. Thus, living on both extremes has the potential to produce negative consequences, and even sin. As a result, it is vital that we listen when the pope advises us to abolish the war between reason and faith, and we must work to establish a society that allows these ideas to coexist peacefully.
During his visit to the United States, Pope Benedict XVI was successfully able to convey a message of peace and justice. However, his words merely planted the seeds of such peace and justice. Now that the Pope has left America, it is our duty to follow his teachings, and to water these seeds to promote morality. We are the future of the Catholic Church, and through our actions we can create the refined world that His Holiness spoke of at the youth rally:
“And new injustices have arisen: some are complex and stem from the exploitation of the heart and manipulation of the mind; even our common habitat, the earth itself, groans under the weight of consumerist greed and irresponsible exploitation. We must listen deeply. We must respond with a renewed social action that stems from the universal love that knows no bounds. In this way, we ensure that our works of mercy and justice become hope in action for others.”
I am very grateful for the generous hospitality of Fr. Bohdan Danylo, rector of St. Basil College Seminary in Stamford, NY. I would also like to thank my pastor, Fr. Kiril Angelov, at St. Josaphat’s in Rochester, NY, who gave my brother and me this great opportunity to participate in such a momentous and spiritual experience. Pope Benedict XVI truly inspired us, and it is my hope that his words and actions will have a lasting impact on our world and society. Vive il Papa!
