Denver Catholic

22 APRIL 28-MAY 11, 2018 | DENVER CATHOLIC Perspectives Baseball and Synod 2018 I trust it won't cause heartburn among the editors of Common- weal if I confess to having cheered at a recent article they posted, "Quit Trying to 'Fix' Baseball." Therein, Pro- fessor Greg- ory Hillis of Bellarmine College took on MLB Commis- sioner Rob Manfred's eƒ orts to appeal to millennials — creatures from that deep lagoon known as "social media" — by speeding up the pastime. Professor Hillis called the ball foul, and I heartily concur. Baseball is a foretaste of the Kingdom of God precisely because it doesn't work by clock-time, like football, socc er, basketball, lacrosse and hockey. A baseball game could, in theory, be eternal. So, to enter the transcendent time-beyond-time of a ballgame is to experience a bit of what awaits us at what the Book of Reve- lation calls the Wedding Feast of the Lamb: an eternal present. As Professor Hollis points out, Americans, who live in increasingly thin-sliced fractions of time, need a break from all that. And to tinker with baseball's hallowed structure in order to appease a generation marked by attention-defi cits is a concession that ought not be made: precisely for the sake of those addicted to instant grat- ifi cation, instant communication, and instant linkage to whomever, wher- ever, about whatever. Baseball slows down a generation that badly needs a sense of repose. Thus far, Commissioner Man- fred's tinkering hasn't done irrepa- rable damage, although I do object, vigorously, to the silly, allegedly time-saving device of signaling an intentional walk rather than delib- erately throwing four consecutive pitches outside the strike zone. Prior to this lapse into subjectivism, base- ball was a rigorously objective game: a baseball act wasn't completed until it was, well, completed — the home run hitter must touch all the bases; the catcher who drops a third strike must complete the play by throwing out the batter at fi rst. This insistence on the completed act taught something important, analogically, about the rootedness of the moral life in reality. That's now being jeopardized, and things could get worse if the major leagues adopt such gnostic devices as starting extra innings by giving the team at bat a man on second base. Professor Hillis neatly sums up his indictment and his concern: "Perhaps more thought needs to be given to the idea that ... baseball's popularity prob- lem isn't a consequence of a broken game, but of a society whose ability to enjoy the leisure of baseball has atro- phied." Maybe baseball should oƒ er young people what they need, which is an experience of true leisure, not what they think they want: another quick buzz. And that brings us by a roundabout route to the upcoming Synod of Bish- ops on youth ministry and vocational discernment. Just before Easter there was a "listening " session in Rome, hosted by the Synod general secretar- iat, in which several hundred (hand- picked) young adults told senior Church o™ cials what they liked and disliked about Catholicism. No new ground was broken, and the confer- ence's rather dull fi nal document (which bore telltale marks of having been drafted beforehand, and not by young people) was equally un-news- worthy. Perhaps that's because the entire exercise was misconceived. I've been asked dozens of times why John Paul II was such a pied piper for the young. And my answers are always the same: his transparent honesty and his challenge. John Paul never asked young people to take up any challenge he had not accepted, or bear any burden he had not borne. That was palpable, and young people, who have very good baloney detec- tors, sensed it. Then there was the challenge. In many variations on one great theme, John Paul II said to the young, in eƒ ect, "Never, ever settle for anything less than the spiritual and moral grandeur the grace of God makes possible in your life. You won't always succeed. But don't lower the bar of expectation. Get up when you fall, dust yourself oƒ , seek reconciliation — and then try again to live a life of heroic virtue. Don't settle for anything less than that." The response was tremendous. Synod-2018 should refl ect on that. In a world that panders to them, maybe what those who will create the human future really need is challenge — com- pelling, compassionate, and mer- ciful, to be sure. But challenge: the challenge to meet in Jesus Christ the answer to the question that is every human life, and through him to live nobly for others. The Catholic Diª erence George Weigel is a distinguished senior fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C. GEORGE WEIGEL A pilgrimage through the arts I recently visited the Denver Art Museum to see the Degas: A Pas- sion for Perfection exhibit, which runs until May 20. My kindergartener summ ed up the thematic content: "Horses and dancing girls." With this inspira- tion, Degas' genius spanned an array of materials — graph- ite, char- coal, ink, pastel, paints, and sculpture — as well as a spectrum of vision, from rough sketches and undefi ned abstraction to unexpected color and precision of line. As Catholics, we have abundant oppor- tunities to enter into the beauty of our faith through art. Here are some recent books to help us do so. PAINTING Paint- ing serves as a good entry point into the Catholic arts and Madeline Stebbins' Looking at a Masterpiece (Emmaus, 2017) pro- vides not only over 40 paintings, but also guides us in how to understand them. It is a large book, which repro- duces the paintings in beautiful fash- ion. Chapter 19, "A Beautiful Jour- ney," features Francesco Botticini's "The Three Archangels with Tobias" (c. 1470) and typifi es the pilgrimage through the arts, as we imitate Tobias in being led by the hand through a journey of beauty, drawing us more deeply to God. ARCHITECTURE Gijs van Hensber- gen also leads us on a tour of the greatest modern church with his The Sagrada Familia: The Aston- ishing Story of Gaudi's Unfi nished Masterpiece (Bloomsbury, 2017). Hensbergen describes the complexity and para- doxes of the church and its architect, Antoni Gaudí, whose cause for can- onization has been opened. Sagrada Familia, a shrine to the Holy Family, is thoroughly modern and even sur- realist, while conveying a truly tran- scendent and beautiful vision. MUSIC Anthony Esolen oƒ ers us not simply a theoretical overview of great Chris- tian hymns, but a guide through these hymns, with an accom- panying CD, in his Real Music: A Guide to the Timeless Hymns of the Church (TAN, 2016). He arranges the book's chapters based on major themes, such as the psalms, major events of salva- tion, the Holy Spirit, and the Eucha- rist. This beautiful guide could help Catholic singing come alive again, both in the home and in parishes. The Catholic Reader R. Jared Staudt, PhD, is a husband and father of six, the catechetical formation specialist for the Archdiocese of Denver, a Benedictine oblate, prolifi c writer, and insatiable reader. DR. R. JARED STAUDT

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