{"id":2444,"date":"2013-02-28T11:03:00","date_gmt":"2013-02-28T11:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/theologian-says-cultural-renewal-starts-with-catechism\/"},"modified":"2013-02-28T11:03:00","modified_gmt":"2013-02-28T11:03:00","slug":"theologian-says-cultural-renewal-starts-with-catechism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/02\/theologian-says-cultural-renewal-starts-with-catechism\/","title":{"rendered":"Theologian says cultural renewal starts with Catechism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Merrimack, N.H., Feb 28, 2013 \/ 04:03 am (CNA<\/a>).- A U.S. theology professor's new book seeks to revitalize society through the \u201cintegrated whole of the Catholic vision,\u201d found in the four pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.<\/p>\n

\tDr. Ryan Topping of Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, N.H., said that the task of evangelizing formerly Christian societies \u201crequires effort on all fronts.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cBishops have their part, as do religious, as do politicians; but it is in the field of the family that most of us need to begin our work,\u201d he told CNA Feb. 26.<\/p>\n

\tTopping's new publication, \u201cRebuilding Catholic Culture,\u201d was released<\/a> in January by Sophia Institute Press.<\/p>\n

\tIt outlines his belief is that Catholic tradition, as it is found in the Creed and in the Church's liturgy, moral teachings, and mystical practice, must be recovered if Western culture is to be shaped by Catholicism again.<\/p>\n

\tThe book concludes that the four practical measures which need to be taken so that Western culture can be evangelized are an end to abortion; having more children; teaching them Latin; and building beautiful churches.<\/p>\n

\tThe first three all concern the rearing of children and family life \u2013 the first school of prayer \u2013 to which much of Topping's thought is directed.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe first vocation crisis is in the family,\u201d he said. Recognizing that grace builds on nature, he pointed out that prayer before meals only makes sense when families bother to eat together. But \u201cin many homes basic civilities \u2013 like eating together \u2013 are no longer habitual.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tSmall natural acts like eating as a family are the first steps toward sanctity, and towards evangelization, he said. He highlighted the the link between culture and cult \u2013 worship. \u201cFor Catholic family life, this means that all our routines must, somehow, be ordered to or flow from the Mass,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cEach Sunday for us is to be a 'little Easter'\u2026We need desperately to relearn the joy of leisure. After Mass, have a feast. Put away the computer. Invite someone over from church. Read to your kids. Walk with your wife. Play the piano,\u201d offered Topping, who is a father of five.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cSince our house is full of young children, our family has grown particularly fond of the Feast of St. John Bosco,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWhenever his day roles around, we invite other children, tell the story of his life, then turn our house into a carnival with jumping competitions, shoot-outs, and musical chairs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tTopping believes the recovery of Latin is important because \u2013 as mid-20th century pope John XXIII said \u2013 it unifies, stabilizes, and elevates.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cMost of the contemporary educational establishment is terrified of the classics because they breed in students a kind of independence of spirit that massive state funded institutions cannot manage,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cPlaces like Christendom College, Our Lady Seat of Wisdom, and Thomas More College \u2013 where I happen to teach \u2013 have become islands of sanctity in part because they put students in touch with the great works of Christian civilization.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tTopping also touches on sacred architecture in his book, writing that \u201cthe recovery of beauty as a theological category has been one of the singular gains in Catholic thought in more recent reflection.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHe hopes that Catholic churches, and liturgies, will become beautiful, enchanting places and events that have an evangelizing power.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cLiturgy must seek first to show the glory of the Lord\u2026revive cult, and culture will eventually follow,\u201d Topping writes.<\/p>\n

\tIn his remarks to CNA, he noted that \u201cenchanted liturgy\u2026is in the first instance liturgy faithfully rendered,\u201d adding that participants at Mass must first of all be prayerful.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cAs Pope Benedict XVI has taken great pains to make clear, active participation refers primarily to an interior motion,\u201d Topping said. \u201cWe are active at Mass not so much when we are busy, as when we are attentive.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIf the Eucharist is the summit of the faith, then our music, posture, and dress ought to communicate devotion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tTopping discussed how reason can reach objective artistic judgments about sacred music and art, and that such judgments are not \u201cmerely a matter of taste.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\u201cA long tradition of philosophical thinking \u2013 beginning with Plato \u2013 concludes that each kind of music contains its own distinct ethos, or moral character\u2026Liturgy requires the right setting too, the right mood or feeling, which is why not any form of music will fit,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cRebuilding Catholic Culture\u201d includes a foreword by Dominican theologian Father Aidan Nichols, who praises the book's compelling yet easily accessible approach.<\/p>\n

\tReflecting Topping's recognition of beauty's power to evangelize, the book includes a prominent use of poetry and visual art.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe images in Rebuilding Catholic Culture are drawn from various countries, themes, and times, including our own,\u201d Topping said.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIn a modest way I hope that the images and poetry can add vigor to the claim that Catholicism not only transformed our culture in the past, but can do so again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tHe is concerned to show that \u201cCatholicism is not only true. it is beautiful.\u201d The presentation of the faith, he added, \u201cmust not only be logically compelling, but aesthetically, and morally convincing\u201d as well.<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Merrimack, N.H., Feb 28, 2013 \/ 04:03 am (CNA).- A U.S. theology professor's new book seeks to revitalize society through the “integrated whole of the Catholic vision,” found in the four pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
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