Lessons For America Today : Archbishop Dolan

The very basic premise of this article is "live what you believe" and if you find that you can't or won't, then you are lost. Courage to live what you believe to be true is the foundation of our country. Our forefathers wrote the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution based on courage and principles -

Achbishop Dolan has a very important lesson for us all here - if you live outside of a belief in something greater than yourself, then your world is too small for the rest of us to live in. You have isolated yourself from your real potential and diminish the rest of us at the same time.

America is not here to change to meet the new demands of this era of "change", those outside the spectrum of reality must change to meet the responsibilities and rewards of living in America.

Our country today is divided between those that believe in things that are greater than our selves: God, Country, Liberty, Freedom and the Right to chose our own destiny, and those that don't.

Keep the faith -


KEEPING THE FAITH
By KATHRYN JEAN LOPEZ

March 1, 2009 *They were "climactic times."

There was "a lot of good, creative, vibrant, promising movement . . . all prompted by the genuine call for reform." But there was also "a lot of doubt, error, hurt, confusion, and downright silliness."*That sounds awfully familiar, doesn't it? But it's not about today's economic or political scene. The writer is Archbishop Timothy Michael Dolan, the new shepherd of New York's Catholics, in his 2000 book "Priests for the Third Millennium" - taking about the tumultuous times following Vatican Council II.

Specifically, he is describing the scene in the archdiocese of St. Louis in the summer of 1967: There was a crisis of faith in the seminary, as one-fourth of the priests on faculty had left the priesthood, and - writes Dolan - "the theology being taught was anything but of the Church."George Gottwald, a bishop who was nearing retirement, walked into the chaos and was challenged by a faculty member: "I dare you to tell me what we can possibly teach our students now that has not changed, that will not change, that can be stated with any amount of conviction at all! I dare you to tell me!"The answer was: You've gotta have faith.

Dolan recounts: "In the midst of doubt, ridicule, snickering, and confusion, the bishop simply stated 'the Apostles' Creed' " - the ancient profession that begins "I believe in God" and ends with "the life everlasting." The bishop "dared to state that there are certain truths that can always be counted upon because they come from God and not from us!" In our own city, try going for a walk, to clear your mind of the woes of politics and finance. Well, good luck. Advertisements around the city, on phone booths (we still have some) and at subway stops, seem to perfectly capture the moment. On one, a poster for Fox's new series "Lie to Me" - with just that text. Another implored "Trust Me."

Signs - from Wall Street to uptown - that are signs of, or pleas against, unbelief.The troubles were not far from the minds of those who gathered for the 8 a.m. mass at Saint Patrick's Cathedral on Monday, just a few hours after news officially broke that the Vatican would be appointing Milwaukee's Archbishop Dolan to replace retiring Edward Cardinal Egan. From the pulpit, Egan couldn't help but mention the financial meltdown and the bailout culture, which - these are my words, not his - are all about trust and integrity and a lack thereof.

The Gospel Catholics read that day at St. Pat's couldn't have been more appropriate. The Evangelist Mark relayed the story of a boy wracked by evil spirits. Jesus told the boy's father, "Everything is possible to one who has faith." The father replied, "I do believe, help my unbelief."That is Dolan's task, and all evidence suggests he's up to it. His face beamed with joy Tuesday, and his is the kind of effervescent smile that compels one to want the serenity he has. He's personable - he may be seen at one or the other of the new stadiums, throwing a first ball - but he'll also guide with a firm and clear hand. He's focused on the essentials: The Mass, he said at St. Joseph's Seminary in Dunwoodie on Monday evening, is "the most important thing that I ever do."

The new archbishop arrives at a moment of what the current pope, following the lead of his predecessor has referred to as a "new evangelization." Living the lessons he's instructed countless seminarians on, he brings to New York a blunt, forthright teaching style, laced with humor and born out of love.

In his book, he relays the story of a priest who had gotten inappropriately involved with a woman. The priest was planning on going away with the woman to find God's will. "Fat chance," Dolan wrote, that God's will would be discerned with that kind of continued imprudence. He was admonishing the seminarians to be authentic, a lesson that could keep us all out of trouble.Dolan, much like the new Pope Benedict, has been described as "conservative." If that means that they resist the calls of those who say the Catholic Church needs to change, that it is out of date for the modern era, then that's true. They've dedicated their lives to protecting it.

But conservative does not mean unwelcoming. It means someone who knows that a church that succumbs to the wills of the day, that surrenders to a pernicious moral relativism, is very far from what Christ founded.

You cannot say - as so many American politicians do - that you're an "ardent, practicing Catholic" and not speak out against the human-rights violation that is abortion. This is not a question of conservative or liberal Catholicism, it's a case of being Catholic or not.

Those who say the church will lose more members if it doesn't change miss the point - whatever compromise is made will only beg another discussion. If you call yourself Catholic and boldly live as if that means nothing, you have already left.

Dolan will tell you what you can do to get back, will accept you with open arms, but he'll be blunt about the situation - the Church does not change for you; it is you who is changed by faith.

The Gospel of John tells us that as Christ was being crucified, he said, "I am thirsty." In March 2009, who isn't? We're thirsty to actually trust the guy on the sign - of the bank, of the parish, of the political party. We're thirsty for someone who believes something real and true and time-tested and coming from a source greater than David Axelrod.

The new archbishop knows and has faith in such a Presence. George Weigel, the papal biographer, wrote at the beginning of this decade that all of the woes of the Church can be traced back to a lack of "courage to be Catholic." Dolan embodies that courage and will likely inspire New Yorkers to their knees and all of us to live - at work, at play, and yes, at Church - what we believe.

/Kathryn Jean Lopez (klopez@nationalreview.com) is the editor of National Review Online./Home http://www.nypost.com/