Denver Catholic

11 DENVER CATHOLIC | FEBRUARY 7-13, 2015 I don't tend to follow the deep thoughts of movie stars, celebrities, and other bright lights in the secular skies, but I recently read a Hollywood Reporter piece ("Julianne Moore Believes in Therapy, Not God (And Defi nitely Gun Control"), Jan. 28, 2015) about actress Juli- anne Moore that touched on some deeper phil- osophical questions. The arti- cle traces Moore's life: bad childhood, fi nding one's way, rise to fame, growing awareness of a deep inner void: "In her early 30s, Julianne Moore felt lost. Her professional life was soaring, her personal life shrinking." In crisis, the talented actress—and Moore certainly is talented—turned to religion. Sort of. "Unsure what to do, Moore turned to a therapist, who got straight to the point: She must give her private life its due." The actress explained that the "idea that you're the center of your own narrative and that you can create your life is a great idea. … I totally believe it. I've been really lucky, but I feel I've completely created my own life." Having "created" her own life, it's not surprising to learn that Moore has no need for the Creator: "She says she doesn't believe in God and has a strong sense that meaning is imposed on a cha- otic world. … I learned when my mother died fi ve years ago that there is no 'there' there." Structure and meaning, she opines, is "all imposed. We impose order and narrative on everything in order to understand it. Otherwise, there's nothing but chaos." Moore's need for therapy and subse- quent claim that she has "created" her own life reminded me of a passage by G. K. Chesterton, in an essay titled, "Upon This Rock." In it, Chesterton noted that the "sacramental system is everywhere based on the idea that cer- tain material acts are mystical acts; are events in the spiritual world." He then zeroed in on the sacrament of confession: "Of all the sacraments, it is, in the modern jargon, the most psychological. And the proof of it is that even the people who abolished it a few centuries ago found that they had to invent a new imitation of it a few years ago. They told the people to go to a new priest, often without credentials, and make confession generally without absolution, and they called it psycho- analysis. Catholicism would say that the lack of the confessional had produced a modern congestion and stagnation of secrets so morbid as to be reaching the verge of madness." Part of the madness is evident in the glaring inconsistency of Moore's meta- physics. She says there "is no 'there' there" and that structure and meaning do not exist—there is only chaos until we "impose order and narrative on every- thing." And where, I wonder, does that particular sense of "order and narrative" come from? If it's not "out there," it cannot be learned by observation. And since we are part of what is "there," how could we, inexplicably, possess an innate sense of something that does not exist? Consider an analogy drawn from sports: this is like an NFL player saying, without any hint of irony at all: "I don't care about the rules of the game. I don't care about the refs. I just play the game. I play it the way I want to play it. Period." Really? (Mind you, some players might say or think this, but it is complete nonsense). But that, in fact, is what Moore is saying: there is no meaning, only chaos, and so I create "meaning "—which logi- cally is a concept that cannot exist since meaning doesn't exist—and impose structure upon what is completely and inherently chaotic. However, one cannot help but sym- pathize a bit: Moore desired meaning, and realized it is located in having "meaning," getting married, and having a family. Don't you wish there was a religion and belief system out there emphasizing how life does have real meaning, and that marriage and family are fundamental to that meaning—not just on an individual level, but also on a social and cultural level? Don't you? Carl E. Olson is the editor of Catholic World Report and Ignatius Insight. A longer version of this article appeared on www.catholicworldreport. com/blog. Guest Column CARL OLSON G.K. Chesterton on the metaphysics of Julianne Moore A merica's next saint will be the man who evangelized California and is associated with the begin- nings of Los Angeles. Pope Francis announced t hat he intends to canonize Blessed Junípero Serra, O.F.M., when he comes to the United States next September. This is great news, and I am grateful to our Holy Father for this gift to California and the Americas. I wish the pope was coming to Los Angeles, which Padre Serra originally called El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora de los Angeles de Porci- uncula ("The Town of Our Lady of the Angels of Porciuncula"). But the pope told reporters that he will likely cele- brate the canonization at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immac- ulate Conception in Washington, D.C., because this will be a "national event." Indeed, Padre Serra's canonization will be a beautiful day in the life of our nation. It will be a day to remember that our state and our country—and all of the nations of the Americas—are born from the Christian mission and built on Christian foundations. It will also be a time to refl ect on the close spiritual ties that bind Mexico, the Hispanic people and the United States. When Padre Serra came from Spain to Mexico in December 1749, he walked nearly 300 miles to consecrate his mission at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe before coming to Califor- nia. His story reminds us that in God's plan of salvation, the Gospel was fi rst preached in this country by Spanish mis- sionaries from Mexico, under the sign of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the bright star of America's fi rst evangelization. But the Pope's announcement has also revived di§ cult and bitter memories about the treatment of Native Ameri- cans during the colonial and missionary period of California's history. The Church has acknowledged and asked pardon for the cruelty and abuses of colonial leaders and even some missionaries. The Church has also recognized with deep regret that the colonial project disturbed and, in some cases, destroyed traditional ways of life. St. John Paul II made these points during his 1987 visit to California and the American Southwest, and again during the examination of conscience that was part of the Church's commemoration of the millennial year 2000. We cannot judge 18th century attitudes and behavior by 21st century standards. But the demands of Gospel love are the same in every age. And it is sad but true, as John Paul said, that in bringing the Gospel to the Americas "not all the members of the Church lived up to their Christian responsibilities." Some Christians, in fact, "instead of o ering to the world the witness of a life inspired by the values of faith, indulged in ways of thinking and acting which were truly forms of counter-witness and scandal." But this was not the case with Padre Serra. Even critical historians admit that he and his fellow missionar- ies were protectors and defenders of the native peoples against colonial exploita- tion and violence. Padre Serra knew the writings and experience of the Dominican mission- ary, Bartolomé de Las Casas, in Central America. Like Las Casas, Padre Serra was bold and articulate in fi ghting against the civil authorities to defend the humanity and rights of indigenous peoples. In my own study and refl ection, I have come to the conclusion that Padre Serra should be remembered alongside Las Casas—as one of the pioneers of human rights and human development in the Americas. His 1773 memoran- dum (or Representación) to the colonial Viceroy in Mexico City is probably the fi rst "bill of rights" published in North America. In this document, he advanced detailed practical recommendations for improving the spiritual and material wellbeing of California's indigenous people. He criticized their cruel mis- treatment at the hands of the colonial military commander and he urged that the commander be removed from o§ ce. To prevent future abuses, Padre Serra demanded that the missionaries be restored to full authority over "the training, governance, punishment and upbringing of the baptized Indians and those who will be baptized." Such a policy, he concluded, was "in uniformity with the law of nature." The historical record confi rms what Pope Francis believes: that Blessed Junípero Serra was a man of heroic virtue and holiness who had only one burning ambition—to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the peoples of the New World. Whatever human faults he may have had and whatever mistakes he may have made, there is no question- ing that he lived a life of sacrifi ce and self-denial. And he died in California, having given his life out of love for the Gospel and the people he came to serve. The canonization of Padre Serra will be an important sign in this new era of globalization and cultural encounter. In our continental mission of the new evangelization, we have much to learn from Padre Serra and the fi rst mission- aries to the Americas. America's next saint, Junípero Serra Most Rev. José H. Gomez is archbishop of Los Angeles. He served as auxiliary bishop of Den- ver 2001-2005. Guest Column ARCHBISHOP JOSÉ H. GOMEZ

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