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A serious commitment to Christ leads to values that are
countercultural. As Pope Benedict said, “To believe in God means allowing
his commandments to guide the concrete choices one makes every day, even when
the values reflected in the choices are countercultural.” “A Christian,” he
said, “must not be afraid to go against the current in order to live his or her
faith, resisting the temptation of conformity” to secular culture. Pope Francis
echoed this sentiment in a homily he gave at the closing Mass of World Youth
Day in Brazil. He said, “In a culture of relativism and the
transitory, many preach the importance of enjoying the moment. I ask you
instead to be revolutionaries. I ask you to swim against the tide, yes, I am
asking you to rebel against this culture that sees everything as temporary and
ultimately believes that you are incapable of true love.”
From Jesus we receive the challenge to
be a “sign of contradiction.” The monastic life has always been countercultural. Separation from
the world, silence, a common life and sanctifying the hours of the day with
prayer are not the values of secular culture, in fact they are the opposite.
God has called each one of us here to illumine the darkness. You only need one
small flame to ignite a large fire, but it has to be protected from the wind or
it will be extinguished and smolder.
Photo by Brother Brian. Reflection by Father Emmanuel.
