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If you are among the wise men and women who (1) value the pursuit of wisdom and the acquisition of moral virtue necessary (2) free your heart and mind from slavery to sin and passion (John 8:32-34) to (3) develop your higher spiritual faculties (John 6:62-63) thereby (4) opening your soul to continual illumination by the Spirit of the Holy Trinity (John 14:26), which is necessary to (5) advance in the perfection of wisdom through love manifest in selfless service of God and neighbor (John 12:24, 15:13; Matt. 5:48; 1 Cor. 13:1-13), which leads to (6) union with God (1 John 4:16; Rev. 19:7); if you value these things, you will cherish the Kolbe House of Studies. It is its mission to educate and form men and women in truth and wisdom, justice and love, civic affairs and professional demeanor so as to competently engage in the work of Christian social renewal. Daunting as the times are, this is a mission undertaken with humility, yet with boundless confidence in the Spirit of God (Matt 19:26). In this regard the Holy Spirit, speaking through the Fathers of Vatican Council II, has assured those working in the educational and social apostolates that: With "the help of divine grace there will arise a generation of new men, the molders of a new humanity” (Vatican Council II, Gaudium et Spes, para 30). However, the same Spirit who promises that the builders of a new humanity will be forthcoming would have us also realize that: "This development cannot occur unless individual men and their associations cultivate in themselves the moral and social virtues and promote them in society" (ibid). For this to happen, those who have been and who are being called "...must be carefully educated to a higher degree of culture... so that there can be produced not only men and women of refined talents, but those great-souled persons who are so desperately required by our times" (para 31). Men and women of "refined talents" and "great-souled" persons do not spontaneously pop up on the scene like ersatz New Age Avatars. Refined talents and well developed souls require "a higher degree of culture" provided by institutes of higher learning whose masters drink deeply of the River of Water of Life and are thereby animated by the single greatest Soul in all of creation: The Soul of God's Spirit, the Spirit of Divine Wisdom and Love that flows as a river from the Throne of God through the Heart of Christ (Rev. 22:1), the Son of Mary. For two thousand years this river of divine grace has enriched the Church with doctors, saints, statesmen, learned fathers and scholars. Thus, it is the Church that Christ established as the light of the world (Matt 5:14) and the teacher of nations (Matt 28:19). As such, it is the Church that gave the world its universities and colleges. Catholic Higher Education, when authentically Catholic, is thus a treasury of wisdom and a storehouse of love, a rich and enduring cultural patrimony that exists in the soul of the Church and animates its schools, colleges and universities, which endeavor to keep the cultural patrimony entrusted to them alive while operating in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation" (Phil 2:15). Unfortunately, the Church and her colleges and universities have lost much of their former glory. In a culture of darkness, they are often led by "an enemy" who entered unawares while "everyone was asleep" (Matt 13:24-28). This enemy frequently sits as her counselor and sees to it that her pews are populated by bad seed, heretics, schismatics, liars and thieves. According to Sacred Scripture, some even pretend to be bishops and ministers of justice. "For such false apostles are deceitful workmen, transforming themselves into the apostles (bishops) of Christ. And no wonder: for Satan himself transformeth himself into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his (Satan's) ministers be transformed as the ministers of justice, whose end shall be according to their works" (2 Cor. 11:13-15) These "false apostles", allied clergy and laity do not drink pure water from the River of the Water of Life that flows from the Throne of God and the Lamb. Rather, they drink polluted waters provided by another river, the river of death and deceit that flows from the mouth of Satan (Rev. 12:15). He has been released from the abyss (Rev 20:7) and has gathered his legions, that "number as the sand of the sea" (Rev. 20:7). Over the course of two centuries they have surrounded, infiltrated, deceived and divided God's people with the goal, if possible, of destroying the Holy City mystically known as the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:1) and as "Zion...the city of the living God" (Heb 12: 22-23). Catholic education, in the words of G.K. Chesterton is "reeling but erect." Confident that Christ will never abandon His Church (Matt 28:20), John Paul II spoke of its teaching mission in the context of Vatican Council II, which assured God’s people that in spite of the darkness that surrounds them; in spite of the dizzying din and mass confusion that typifies the modern world; in spite of all this, a new generation of men will be forthcoming: With "the help of divine grace there will arise a generation of new men, the molders of a new humanity” (Vatican Council II, Gaudium et Spes, para 30). They will arise.... As such, the holy father expressed his optimism regarding the continuity of the Church's patrimony, the treasury of wisdom and storehouse of love, beauty and knowledge spoken of above. This once magnificent patrimony, plundered but still existing in the soul of the Church with never fading divine potential, can once again animate its schools, colleges and universities. Trusting in the power of the Holy Spirit, John Paul II along with the Fathers of Vatican Council II spoke assuredly of the rebirth of Christian Culture and its expression in the modern world. Among his last words, he confidently entrusted the work of renewal to all those sanctified men and women who are now, and will be in the future, called upon to achieve it: "I wish to entrust this great treasure (patrimony) to all those who are or will be in the future called to realize it" (Last Will and Testament). The sainted pope foresaw the Church engaged in the exhilarating task of social renewal and therefore exhorted her lay men, women and youth to prepare themselves to become “builders of a new humanity”: “Young people of every continent; do not be afraid to be the saints of the new millennium! Be contemplative, love prayer; be coherent with your faith and generous in the service of your brothers and sisters, be active members of the Church and builders of peace. To succeed in this demanding project of life, continue to listen to His Word, draw strength from the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Penance. The Lord wants you to be intrepid apostles of his Gospel and builders of a new humanity” (June 29, 1999). This integral goal of the Church (the goal of personal sanctification and social renewal of all things in Christ), what St. Augustine referred to as building the "City of God" and St. John Paul II referred to as building the "Civilization of Love" is also a primary goal of the Kolbe House of Studies. It is a profoundly serious and personal endeavor, because every builder, united with Jesus as our Head, is himself a living stone in the Body of Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, in building up of the Kingdom of God. Our faculty, administrators and students, united with all of God's people, are called to serve, offering up their lives for this endeavor. “Be you also as living stones built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). Saint Augustine grasped the ineffable profundity of this mystery associated with the work of personal sanctification and social renewal: “Let us rejoice then and give thanks that we have become not only Christians, but Christ himself. Do you understand and grasp, brethren, God’s grace toward us? Marvel and rejoice; we have become Christ. For if he is the head, we are the members; he and we together are the whole man.... The fullness of Christ then is the head and the members. But what does “head and members” mean? Christ and the Church” (Saint Augustine as quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, para 795). Thus, in closing, John Paul II's words are appropriate: "I wish to conclude this Message of peace with a special appeal to you, young people of the whole world, who are humanity's future and living stones in the building of the civilization of love" (Pope John Paul II). Building a "civilization of love" is a noble task, a daunting task that requires concerted effort to develop the intellectual, moral and spiritual virtues necessary to be a qualified master builder. Many are called to build the Body of Christ, but few are yet prepared. St. Paul therefore forewarned every Christian to take the task seriously and to be extremely careful how he or she builds. “According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, the work of each will come to light, for the Day will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each one’s work. If the work stands that someone built upon the foundation, that person will receive a wage. But if someone’s work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved but only as through fire” (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). By God's grace and your efforts, you can acquire the intellectual, moral and spiritual virtues and professional skills necessary to contribute to social renewal. The work is "urgent" and everyone is called to participate. "The most holy council, then, earnestly entreats all the laity in the Lord to answer gladly, nobly, and promptly the more urgent invitation of Christ in this hour and the impulse of the Holy Spirit" "Everyone should diligently prepare himself for the apostolate, this preparation being the more urgent in adulthood. For the advance of age brings with it a more open mind, enabling each person to detect more readily the talents with which God has enriched his soul and to exercise more effectively those charisms which the Holy Spirit has bestowed on him for the good of his brethren." The Lord has Himself "... invited all the laity to come closer to Him every day, recognizing that what is His is also their own (Phil. 2:5), to associate themselves with Him in His saving mission" (Apostolicam Actuositatem). You can take a major step: Register for a course today.
Electronic Format and Graphics Copyright © by The Kolbe Foundation August 14, 1999 |
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