Creating a Fully Human Culture

The secular culture is not thriving. We can see it in the disintegration of our arts. . . in the coarseness of our politics. . . in the corruption of our institutions. We can see it in the sorrow and dysfunction in the lives of our families, friends and colleagues, and yes, even in some members of the Catholic Church.

Who can provide us with the vision, the means and the way to create a new fully human culture? Are we waiting for the leadership of a think tank, political candidate or talk show host? Or, is our Savior already in our midst?

“Jesus Christ is the definitive answer to the question of the meaning of life, and to those fundamental questions which still trouble so many men and women on the American continent,” proclaimed Pope John Paul II (Ecclesia in America, 10). Through the life of the Church, Jesus Christ calls each one of us to collaborate with him to create a fully human culture — by responding to his offer to live with him in an intimate, personal way. Then united with him, we can steward his divine love in our families, schools, communities and finally, the world.

“Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a Person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction,” says Pope Benedict XVI (God is Love, 1). As the local Church, the parish is the place where this new way of human life with Christ is first received, experienced and then respectfully proposed to the surrounding culture. This life should reflect a new way of taking care of families, strangers, and especially, all of those who are sick and in need. It should reflect a new creativity in charity, stewardship and solidarity.

Life After Sunday witnesses to the wonder, beauty and attraction of this lush life: a life of divine love with those who live in his secure Presence. Through our Life After Sunday catechetical tools for parish life, and Lumen consulting and production services, we seek to help others recognize the living Presence of Christ in their own lives, so together we can build up a passionate Catholic culture in service to a wounded world. The life of the Church shows us how to get there…

Encounter Jesus Christ in the Eucharist...
The “source and summit” of the Church’s life is the real presence of Jesus Christ encountered in the Eucharist. For those in a state of grace, Jesus Christ offers himself fully and completely during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life within you” (Jn 6:53).

Full participation in Sunday Mass is an essential act of communion for every Catholic. Adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is another timeless practice of the Church that has borne tremendous fruit in the lives of men and women of every age. With Blessed Charles de Foucauld, we say: “You were no nearer to the Blessed Virgin and Saint Joseph in the cave at Bethlehem, in the house at Nazareth, than you are to me here now, so often, in the tabernacle.” Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament can help you recognize Christ’s living Presence in a deeper way at Mass and in your personal life. To begin, simply schedule one hour a week with Jesus in your local Church. Bring him all of your fears, worries, anxieties and sorrows and watch your life become increasingly transformed in him. To help others adore his living Presence in your parish, we recommend this wonderful pamphlet by our friends at Our Sunday Visitor.

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Encounter Christ in the Word...
The Church's liturgical year is ordered by her life with Christ found in the Scripture readings of daily Mass and the liturgy of the hours.

Make a commitment to spend time with the living Word everyday. Magnificat is a beautiful worship aid that contains morning prayers, the readings for daily Mass, evening prayers and reflections, following the Divine Office said all over the world by the Church everyday. Lumen Theological Advisor Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete and Vice President Mary Beth Newkumet are occasional contributors. To order, visit www.magnificat.net.

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Encounter Christ in Each Other...
Christ comes to meet men and women in the face of another human person. This is why the Church insists on the “communion of persons” found especially in our families, parishes, and consecrated community life.

Gather some friends for a deeper conversation about human life. Eat a great meal together and share a bottle of good wine! Looking for a tool that can spark some substantive conversation about the most important things in life? Download one of our 23 topics. If you are meeting regularly with friends, order one of Life After Sunday's small group discussion leaders materials. This witness about everyday life with Christ will help your group explore the very real ways we encounter him in our families, parishes and at work in our world. Need some advice about how to get started? Call Jessica at (800) 473-7980 or e-mail her at jessica@lifeaftersunday.com.

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Seek the companionship of His Mother...
The Church has always recommended the Blessed Mother as the perfect companion for those who seek the path to her Son.

Here is a fresh approach to the Rosary from the perspective of stewardship as a way of life. This rosary booklet, written by Mary Beth Newkumet and John M. Capobianco, is a great way to rediscover this timeless prayer to Our Lady. In addition to the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries, the booklet also features a supplement with Pope John Paul II’s new Luminous Mysteries. To order The Stewardship Rosary, visit the International Catholic Stewardship Council website.

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Encourage priests to live the fullness of their vocation...
A fully human culture cannot exist without the ministerial priesthood of Jesus Christ. Our priests depend on the friendship and encouragement of those who have encountered Christ “in the flesh.”

"The Vocation to the Priesthood" documentary was commissioned by The Knights of Columbus and produced by Lumen Catechetical Consultants, Inc. Written by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P., the 30-minute presentation not only presents the beauty and truth of the Catholic priesthood to families, but also reminds the many good Catholic priests of the honor and dignity of their call to follow Jesus Christ in this vocation. To order call the Knights of Columbus, Fraternal Services at (203) 752-4270.

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Encourage others to live the fullness of their vocations, too...
A fully human culture must also have a true understanding of the vocation of marriage, the vocation to the religious life, and the vocation of the laity to bring the life and love of Christ to the world.

"The Vocation to Marriage” and “The Vocation to the Religious Life for Women” are two more 30-minute award-winning documentaries written and produced by Lumen for The Knights of Columbus. Currently under production are the final two shows in the series: “The Vocation of the Laity” and “The Vocation to the Religious Life for Men.” To order these visual tools to promote authentic vocations, call the Knights of Columbus, Fraternal Services at (203) 752-4270.

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Engage the popular culture...
Pope John Paul II offered the following criteria in which to guide the popular culture on progress in the world: “the priority of ethics over technology; the primacy of the person over things; the superiority of spirit over matter” (Redeemer of Man).

In the Catholic tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue. Want to know more about the Catholic call to political responsibility? Watch the Lumen-produced presentations, "Faithful Citizenship" and "The Culture of Life and the Penalty of Death." Commissioned by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, these presentations show that our Catholic life with Christ in the Church is a gift to the nation for the common good when we act as faithful citizens. To order, visit the USCCB website.

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Show how Jesus Christ is linked to everything that is fully human...
The Church proclaims that for the followers of Christ “nothing that is genuinely human fails to echo in their hearts” (Gaudium et Spes, 1).

Lumen co-founder Msgr. Lorenzo Albacete’s book, God at the Ritz, engages the popular culture with a look at science, sex, politics, and religion. To order visit www.amazon.com. You can read other reflections by Msgr. Albacete on www.Godspy.com or by subscribing to Traces Magazine.

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