Denver Catholic

18 DECEMBER 24, 2016-JANUARY 27, 2017 | DENVER CATHOLIC Perspectives Christmas and the divine proximity I n October 2001 I had a long con- versation with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. It was but weeks after 9/11; a new century and millennium were opening before us; and I wanted to get Ratzinger's view on the main issues for the Church and for the- ology in the twenty-fi rst century. The man who would become Pope Benedict XVI was deeply concerned about the moral relativism he thought was corroding the West, and located its roots in western high culture's refusal to say that anything was "the truth," full stop. This was a serious problem. For when there is only "your truth" and "my truth," there is no fi rm cultural foundation for society, for democracy, or for living nobly and happily. Then Ratzinger turned to Chris- tology, the Church's refl ection on the person and mission of Jesus Christ. Both the Church and the world were su‹ ering from a "diminishing Christ," he suggested. Some wanted a less assertive Christology to avoid con- fl ict with other world religions. Some wanted to make Jesus "one of the illu- minators of God," but not the unique, saving Son of God. Both these inter- pretations were deeply problematic, the cardinal continued, because they pushed God farther and farther away from humanity. "If Jesus is not the Son of God," Cardinal Ratzinger said, "then God really is at a great distance from us." So perhaps the chilling sense of the absence of God evident through- out much of the western world was "a product of the absence of Jesus Christ," who is not just moral exemplar but Savior, Lord, and God- with-us – "Emmanuel." On the other hand, "if we see this Jesus" born for us and crucifi ed for us, "then we have a much more precise idea of God, who God is, and what God does." Then the cardinal connected the dots to 9/11. A "more precise" idea of God, gained through an experience of God-with-us, was not only important for the Church and its evangelical mission. It was also "crucial for the dialogue with the Islamic world, which really is about the question, who is God?" Fifteen years later, that typically brilliant Ratzingerian analysis seems even more salient – and not just in terms of whatever dialogue may be possible with Islam, but in terms of us. Loneliness is the modern pre- dicament and it's getting worse. I was recently in New York, and as walking is the only way get around traŸ c-choked Manhattan, I hoofed it. And what powerfully struck me is how isolated the denizens of the Con- crete Jungle are – and are by choice. For the vast majority of people you bump into (sometimes literally) on the sidewalks of New York are living inside their own reality: Pod World, I started calling it when the iPod was all the rage. Today, there are very few New York pedestrians to be found without ear buds of some sort stuck into their heads. The iPod is ancient history, but the buds are still there, and so is the isolation. Social media is no antidote to this isolation, for tweets or Facebook postings (not to mention comment threads beneath online articles) are not substitutes for real conversation. In many cases, I fear, they intensify the loneliness and the self-absorption from which it often springs. Christmas reminds us what Chris- tians have to say to this pervasive loneliness. We say "God is with us," as throughout the Christmas season we celebrate the divine answer to the Advent plea, "O come, o come Emmanuel." That plea did not go unrequited. We see the answer to it in the crèches in our homes. God is with us, not in awe and majesty, but in that most accessible of human forms, the baby who reaches out for our embrace. God is Emmanuel, God-with-us, in the midst of our lives, not outside them. A few years ago I began col- lecting Fontanini crèche fi gures, and while the display is now as big as it's going to get, there's a reason why the manger in our crèche is surrounded by dozens of fi gures: decoratively speaking, that's the best way to express my conviction that the Lord of history came into history to redeem history in the midst of history. He is Emmanuel. He is God- with-us. We are not alone. Merry Christmas. The Catholic Di® erence George Weigel is a distinguished senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. GEORGE WEIGEL A letter from purgatory A gentleman named Harmon Hallett, the father of a friend, died recently. In a Facebook post, she wrote "He was very adamant about not being eulogized. He was terrifi ed nobody would pray for his release from pur- gatory. He was sure he was headed there fi rst and said on more than one occasion 'I don't want anyone thinking I'm a saint! I want them praying for me!'" I can relate. The beauty of the Cath- olic funeral is that it is centered around praying for the deceased person. But funerals have evolved from occasions of prayer to "celebrations of life." I don't want this happening at my funeral. In fact, I so don't want it to happen that, several years ago, I wrote a letter, to be read aloud at my funeral Mass. I lost it somewhere along the way. But, inspired by Harmon Hallett's example, I have re-written it. I want this, in its entirety, read at my funeral: So, apparently I'm dead. I'll make this brief, as I'm not entirely certain of the protocol involved in speaking at one's own funeral. And I'm sure you're all anxious to get to the reception, which I hope for your sake will in some way involve cocktails. In the mean time, I have just one request: If anybody stands up here and says "She is in Heaven now," I want that person removed from the pulpit. Immedi- ately. Because I'm not so sure that I am. I believe in the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory. And I believe that my per- sonal best case scenario will probably involve some time there. Not because I've lived a double life or committed any big, secret sins or anything. Just the garden variety selfi shness and weakness that I'm sure many of you observed, but can't mention right now because you are supposed to "speak no ill of the dead." But I, as the dead, can speak any way I like. I believe that Jesus died for my sins. Absolutely. I also know that I responded very imperfectly to the graces he won for me. And that, since "nothing unclean enters Heaven," I could probably stand some purifi cation before standing in the presence of the eternal God. During that process, I'm going to need prayers. So I don't want you to canonize me. I want you to pray for me. How? Have Masses said. It's easy. Just go to any Catholic parish o‚ ce, make a donation and request a Mass for the repose of my soul. Or more than one. As I write this, Masses can even be ordered on the internet. By the time I die, who knows? Maybe you can have a Mass said just by thinking about it. And say prayers for me. With any luck, that little holy card they hand out will contain a prayer. If not, go with this one: "May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace, Amen." Say that a lot. I know some of you don't believe in all of this. That's okay. Do it anyway. Humor me. Others may be thinking I'm being unduly humble, and all of this isn't necessary. Again, humor me. Because unless I was martyred — unless my death was immediately preceded by a gunman asking if I believe in Jesus Christ — I am relatively certain that I will need the prayers. Actually, even if the gunman scenario actually hap- pened, you should still pray for me, as it is possible I misunderstood the question and thought he was o¢ ering me fries or something. And don't think that, if I'm wrong and I actually made it to Heaven in a straight shot, all of this prayer will be wasted. I am quite certain that God will make good use of it. You can view all of this as an invest- ment. You pray for me now, and I will pray for you when your time comes. Because I will be keeping tabs. Okay, so now you get back to the praying and saying all the nice things that people say about the deceased at funerals. But don't let anybody get too carried away. With love from the Great Beyond, MB Guest Column Bonacci is a syndicated columnist based in Denver and the author of We're On a Mission from God and Real Love. MARY BETH BONACCI

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