Denver Catholic

14 AUGUST 22-SEPTEMBER 11, 2015 | DENVER CATHOLIC Perspectives L ooking back on the controversy that preceded Pope Paul VI's 1968 encyclical, Humanae Vitae, I get the impression that there was an even deeper issue in play than the question of the morally appropriate means to regulate human fertility. Underneath that debate, another issue was being con- tested: How should Catholics do moral theology? The forces pushing for a change in the Church's longstanding rejection of arti- fi cial means of contraception were also pressing for the acceptance of a new moral-theological method, "proportion- alism," as the approved Catholic way of thinking through the tangled issues of the moral life. Those defending the Church's traditional position were, by the same token, defending more classi- cal ways of moral reasoning. The change people denied that there were "intrin- sically evil acts," because, they argued, moral choices should be judged by a "proportional" calculation of intention, act, and consequence. The defenders of the tradition held that some things were always and everywhere wrong, in and of themselves. Thus in upholding the Church's understanding that using the natu- ral rhythms of fertility is the morally appropriate means of regulating births, Paul VI was also rejecting the propor- tionalists' push to become the lead dog in Catholic moral theology – a rejection that would be underscored in 1993 by John Paul II's encyclical Veritatis Splen- dor [The Splendor of Truth]. A brilliant article by a German Cath- olic philosopher, Professor Thomas Stark, suggests that the same dynamic – an argument beneath the argument – may be afoot in the controversies that will be aired again at the Synod of Bish- ops in October. In a painstaking analysis of the intel- lectual building-blocks of Cardinal Walter Kasper's theological project, Professor Stark argues that, for Kasper, the notion of what we might call "sacred givens" in theology has been displaced by the idea that our perceptions of truth are always conditioned by the fl ux of history – thus there really are no "sacred givens" to which the Church is accountable. To take a relevant example from last year's Synod: on Kasper's theory, the Lord Jesus's teaching on the indissolubility of marriage, seemingly "given" in Scripture, should be "read" through the prism of the turbulent historical experience of the present, in which "marriage" is experi- enced in many di£ erent ways and a lot of Catholics get divorced. And that histori- cally-determined "reading " will lead, in turn, to a tempering of what once seemed settled: the Church's understanding that those in second marriages, whose fi rst marriages haven't been declared null, cannot be admitted to Holy Communion because they are living in what is, objec- tively, an adulterous relationship. Stark quotes Kasper to the e£ ect that history is, well, everything. Moreover, what happens in history does not happen atop, so to speak, a fi rm foundation of Things As They Are; there are no Things As They Are. Rather, writes Kasper, "history is the ultimate framework for all reality." For the cardinal, then, there seems to be nothing properly describable as "human nature," a careful study of which will yield moral truths. There is only humanity in the fl ow of history. And just as there is no "human nature," but only historical experience, so there is no Scripture understood as a "sacred given." There is only the evolving reception of Scripture in a Church that is, so to speak, rafting down the whitewater rapids of history. Thus Kasper can write without blushing that "the truth of the Gospel can only emerge from a consensus." Which seems in tension with the notion that the "truth of the Gospel" is a gift to the Church and the world from Jesus Christ: a "sacred given." The tendency of some older forms of Catholic theology to reduce theology to a string of logical equations was a prob- lem, and the 20th-century rediscovery of history as a source of theological refl ection helped correct that tendency. But the Kasper approach, which is refl ected in the German and Swiss bish- ops' reports to the upcoming Synod, absolutizes history to the point that it relativizes and ultimately demeans rev- elation – the "sacred givens" that are the permanent structure of Christian life. And that is a serious problem. The Deeper Issue at the Synod George Weigel is a distinguished senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. The Catholic Di› erence GEORGE WEIGEL Courage & perseverance Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which di‚ culties disappear and obstacles vanish into air." JOHN QUINCY ADAMS S ummer is not usually a time of year fi lled with lots of activity in the public square.© It's a time for families to take vacations, for kids (and teachers!) to enjoy being out of school, generally it's a time to slow down and enjoy a little rest and relaxation.© While many of us have certainly enjoyed some downtime this summer it has been in the midst of a storm of activity in the pubic square.© Starting in June the Supreme Court of the United States legalized same-sex mar- riage for the entire country, Colorado's own Supreme Court refused to uphold the Douglas County school choice program based on anti-Catholic Blaine amend- ments and Pope Francis released an encyclical focusing on the environment. By comparison one would think the rest of the summer would be somewhat quiet but July was perhaps the most explosive month of the summer with the release of the horrifi c undercover videos, from the Center for Medical Progress, detailing the disgusting actions of Planned Parenthood as they sought to negotiate prices for the body parts of aborted babies.© July also saw a decision by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals saying that the govern- ment can force the Little Sisters of the Poor to violate their faith or pay massive IRS penalties for refusing to provide contra- ceptives in their health plan. We are only halfway through the month of August and already we have seen the James Holmes murder trial end with a life in prison sentence for Mr. Holmes, the release of more Planned Parenthood videos, and the kick-o£ to the 2016 election season with the fi rst Republican debate.© Activity in the public square obviously did not get the memo about taking a little downtime this summer! If you are like me, then you might be reading this list of activity and be com- pletely overwhelmed.© Overwhelmed at the sheer magnitude of the impact these decisions and actions will have on our culture, our faith, our families and our Church.© You would be justifi ed in this reaction, but we cannot allow our feelings of being overwhelmed, angry or sad to overshadow the important task that we have in front of us, namely to evangelize the culture.© Each one of us is called to bring the power of Christ to bear on the areas of education, the law, media, enter- tainment and politics. As Pope St. John Paul II once remarked "It is no use complaining of the wickedness of the times.Œ As St. Paul wrote, we must overcome evil by doing good (Rom. 12:21)…. To seek, love and bear witness to Jesus!Œ This is your commitment; these are the instructions I leave you!Œ By doing so, not only will you keep real joy in your lives, but also you will benefi t the whole of society, which needs, above all, consistency with the evangelical message." St. John Paul's words are as relevant today as they were when he spoke them in 1978. If we want to change our culture and our communities then we must begin by living our own faith honestly and with conviction; if we don't then we cannot expect to change the public square. Archbishop Chaput once said that "The worst enemies…aren't 'out there' among the legion of critics who hate Christ or the Gospel or the Church or all three. The worst enemies are in here, with us, all of us, clergy, religious and lay, when we live our faith with tepidness, routine and hypocrisy." In the face of all that is happening in our society let us be courageous people of faith and bear witness to the love of Christ in our families, our churches and the public square.© The Bishops of Colo- rado have called for a day of prayer and penance on August 28th in order for all people of good will to pray that those involved in research and medicine will fi x their sights on recognizing the sacredness of life and refrain from putting human life at the service of science. I hope that each one of us will take time out of our day on the 28th to o£ er prayer and pen- ance for these horrifi c actions. Jenny Kraska is the executive director of the Colorado Catholic Conference. Guest Column JENNY KRASKA " Participants begin to enter the Vatican's Synod Hall before the Friday session of the Synod on the Family, Oct. 10, 2014. PHOTO BY CATHOLIC NEWS AGENCY

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