“Novelties Don’t Satisfy”

I was struck by a phrase from a John Janaro article on Evelyn Waugh’s conversion to the Catholic faith. It reads, “After WWI the traditional past seemed swept away by a cataclysmic war. At the same time, (they) were pulled in every direction by the brave new world of technological mastery, by rapid changes that promised them powerful novelties which they could use to distract themselves from what they feared was ultimately a meaningless existence. Meanwhile, the overpowering skepticism that dominated religious thought and philosophy offered no real answers for those seeking a deeper purpose in life….they sparkled on the frenetic surface of life, but hid their desperate uncertainties beneath it.”  (ref. Magnificat 4-13-24).Wow, this could be applied to our current generation…but in spades. 

The world promises, but can never deliver….. ”it promises powerful novelties to distract from the fear of a meaningless existence”. All the latest novelties promise the brave new world that the past generations were too timid to find… “getting rid of the past, blaming everyone else for my problems, embracing the novelties of transgeneration, discarding the rule of law, casting aside religion, free sex and drugs….. the world stinks, so I’m going to find a new world of true happiness”. This futile search never seems to change as the centuries go by. It started in the Garden and is still alive in 2024. 

The fulfillment of that search and that emptiness in our hearts is only found in Christ. But why don’t more see and embrace this truth? Why don’t we see it more clearly? Why don’t the youth see this? I guess there’s many answers to that question…concupiscence, the influence of the world, flesh, and devil….. but I do believe that one key answer is that true disciples of Christ are “too few and far between”. 

Discipleship demands holiness, the giving of ourselves over to the love and will of God…. of being compelled by the majesty of God. Holiness is contagious. Holiness can’t be dismissed. Holiness gets the attention of people. Origen, the early Christian writer, said that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church”. When people were willing to give the ultimate sacrifice of their lives in serving the Lord, others couldn’t dismiss it, and gave their lives to Christ. Saints are needed to evangelize a confused world.

Wow Dave, lighten up just a bit. Hey I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. I’m convicted as I’m writing this. We may not be called to shed our blood for Christ, but we are called to love him with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as our self. It’s called the first commandment. As we do that we will be offering a compelling alternative to the “powerful novelties” that the world offers. Lord, help us to do that. Help us to be true disciples. Help us to fall more deeply in love with you. And that would be very good news for us and for the world.

And by the way, the good news of the John Janaro article and of Evelyn Waugh’s life is that “he ultimately began to see the Church as an island of sanity in the midst of all the chaos.” (ibid)