MEDITATION of the day

Remaining on the Vine

Although we rightly hold that apostolicity is one of the credentials of the true Church, some moderns find no merit in this claim. They rebel against everything that is old. They are caught in the current of a strange relativity which leads them to infer that only that which is new is true….

If the true nature of the apostolic Church is understood, it will be seen that length of years is not discordant with the vitality and the spirit of unspoiled youth. The doctrine preached is called the Gospel, which means the good news. Wonderment is not only a mark of youth, but also a characteristic of true scholarship. No matter how many times the theologians study the teachings of Christ, it is always possible to obtain deeper insight into God’s dealing with man, and man’s dealing with God.

Youth, impelled by love of change, should be fascinated by the good news because the redemptive influence of the Church seeks to change the human race from the bondage of sin to the freedom of sanctification, and to elevate souls already sanctified to a higher degree of union with God by grace. Industry, weakened by greed, is to be renewed by the application of the principles of justice. Political life that truly fosters the well-being of citizens will not impede the youthful impulse to attain citizenship with the saints. Finally, youth enlightened by revelation seeks not a city in ruins but a new and heavenly Jerusalem….

We who rejoice in the faith should see that spiritual recovery is accelerated by becoming better Catholics ourselves, and by expressing our charity for all in the form of prayer and good works, such as leading souls into the old but ever youthful Church. When a man becomes a Catholic a paradox is involved, because while he becomes two thousand years old, he forthwith also becomes by grace and by adoption what Christ is by nature: a child of God, a child of our Blessed Mother Mary. If the human race is to be renewed through a youth-movement that is unobstructed by time or space, it must heed the words of him who is the way, the truth, and the life. Christ said, Unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Monsignor Edward Betowski

Monsignor Betowski († 1969) was a professor of homiletics and a beloved priest of the Archdiocese of New York. / From Spurs to Conversion. © 1937 by Benziger Brothers, New York, NY. All rights reserved.