This is the text on which I based my talk on Apologetics for Spirit and Truth, Monday Night Adoration, organized by the Catholic Student Organization on January 11th, 2010.
Tonight I'm going to talk to you guys about apologetics. Some of you already know what apologetics is all about and you're probably better apologists now than I will ever be. But there are also others among you who are probably wondering what the heck I'm talking about or just have a vague notion about it. Anyway, it's always good to start with a definition, just to put things in order. If you look it up in the dictionary, you will find that it is a systematic, argumentative discourse in defense of a doctrine. This definition doesn't really help, with all these confusing and complicated words. Basically, what it means is that apologetics is a backed up defense of the faith.
Now, this defense of the faith can be, in some occasions, not more than an explanation of what we believe in. Like when someone asks you what the Mass is, or why the Church teaches something about a certain issue. But on other occasions (and these are the ones I personally enjoy the most) it means to actually get in an argument or a debate over the truths of our faith and defend it. It becomes a sort of intellectual duel and if you love a good fight (like I do), you will discover that these are the type of battles that are really worth fighting.
But even if you don't like to fight or argue you will need to learn how to defend your faith because these fights will show up whether you like it or not, especially in a secularist and hostile world like the one we live in. You see, apologetics is not about fighting for the sake of fighting, that's just stupid. Many times there won't even be a fight at all. The whole point of apologetics is to bring others to the Truth of Christ. They are an essential part of our vocation as Catholics to preach the gospel to all nations. What we learn in Apologetics classes is how to give reason of what the Church teaches so that we can go on to teach others. The whole point of these “fights” is to win souls for Christ!
I said before that these “fights” will come to you, whether you like it or not so you've probably already been an apologist, even without knowing it. Let me explain that in greater detail. I like to see apologetics in three different levels. The first level is what I call one-on-one apologetics. This is when you are hanging out with your friends and your conversation moves into the matters of faith and beliefs. These tend to be friendly conversations since they are mostly motivated by curiosity about the teachings of the Church. If these are so friendly and nice, how come you have to be prepared for them? Well, because, believe me, these situations can be scary and it is very easy for us to fail to witness to the Truth. I gotta come out clean and tell you guys that I have personally failed on this many times. The devil is present at those moments whispering into your ear that your friends are going to make fun of you, or that they won't understand and you'll look like a fool. That is a lie! If you bear witness with your life and then you have the courage to bear witness with your words as well, your friends are going to notice that you are a congruent person and they'll admire and respect you. And when they respect you, they'll look you up when they need advice because they'll know you will speak with the Truth. They'll ask you for advice because they know that you'll tell them what they need to hear, not what they want to hear! I'm sure most of you have gone through this kind of experiences, and, as I told you, they probably happened without you expecting them to happen. You have to be prepared so you don't mess up when the opportunity to evangelize your friends shows up. It is really important! Don't you want all your friends, relatives and acquaintances to believe in Christ and to live in the light of his Truth? Then take these things seriously!
The second level of apologetics is what I call classroom apologetics. I'm sure many of you have had your share of these experiences too. We've all had to deal with a hostile professor or an annoying classmate who will go on bashing the Church and its teachings. How many times has this happened and you've remained silent? Don't you see how important it is for you to speak up? It is a known fact that many college students will be deeply influenced by what they hear in their classrooms. If all they hear are the lies that these people feed them, then they will build their lives around those lies. And these people are the future leaders of the world. You have the opportunity to influence their lives and their future decisions by being a witness of the Truth! Is it hard? It's extremely hard! The devil will be there telling you to remain quite, he'll tell you that if you speak up people will think you're a fanatic, an ignorant or that you are intolerant. He'll tell you that your professor is way smarter than you are so you shouldn't question him at all. Well, guess what? All those things are lies! The purpose of a university (the Catholic Church invented them, by the way) is to seek for Truth. That they've become so secularized that they've forgotten their purpose shouldn't be an excuse for us not fighting to recover it. When you're classmates see that you have the guts to stand up for what is true, even if it means contradicting a professor, you will have made a deep impact in their lives. Could you get in trouble for this? You could, but then again, being a good Catholic implies being a bit of a rebel. Not a rebel without a cause, but rather, a rebel with a very good cause: the salvation of souls.
So finally we reach the third and last level, which is the apologetics of the culture. This is where apologetics are taken to the very front lines of the culture wars. And this is absolute hostile territory. This is where the World itself, with all its power, is set against the Truth. But this is also where the great stars of apologetics, the greatest apologists have fought and inspired the rest of us. This is where Thomas Aquinas refuted every single one of the heresies of the Middle Ages, where G.K. Chesterton and Cardinal Newman stood as beacons of the Truth amidst the darkness of their time. This is where John Paul II and Benedict XVI stand in our days. They are our leaders in this war. We might not be called to take their place, but we still have a role to play in this epic battle. We might not be called to be generals, but there's no doubt that we are called to be soldiers. It our duty to listen and learn from their teachings and to spread the word about them. One day you will have to be an apologist in your family, at your job or in the public square and there you must defend these truths that have been handed down to you. I won't lie to you, when I look at the current situation of the world, the view is pretty bleak. Things look really bad out there. This can be discouraging. Nonetheless, you might remember the words John Paul II had for all young men and women a few days before he died: “Be not afraid of being witnesses of Christ to the world!” We mustn't be afraid! We will find courage in the Eucharist!
That is why we are here tonight. We are called to do something that is way beyond our capabilities and our strength. The reality of the world and its attacks on the Truth is overwhelming. When we look at the enemies of the Church it’s normal to be scared out of our minds because there is no way we can defeat them. That is why we are here tonight. We will be kneeling before Him who is the Truth and whom the World killed only for Him to rise again. We will be kneeling before Him who already defeated the World! Remember that He came down to Earth and experienced in his own flesh that same fear and doubt that you feel. He understands. You can tell Him with all confidence: “Lord, it's impossible for me to defeat the enemies of your Church” and He'll say: “I know, but it's not impossible for Me”. He knows what it's like and He'll give you the strength to stand firm. Be not afraid for He has already triumphed over the World!
No hay comentarios.:
Publicar un comentario