Posted on 09/01/2014 2:13:59 AM PDT by markomalley
In Sunday’s Gospel the Lord sets forth the theology of the Cross and redemptive suffering. In so doing he sets forth a doctrine that is utter absurdity to this world. The indignation of the modern world against the Cross borders on outrage. Why is this? Simply put, hedonism. Hedonism is the worldly “doctrine” that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life. It comes from the Greek word hēdonē “pleasure” and is akin to the Greek hēdys meaning “sweet.”
Of course pleasure is to be desired and to some degree sought, but it is not the sole good in life. Indeed, some of our greatest goods and accomplishments require sacrifice: years of study and preparation for a career; the blood, sweat, and tears of raising children.
But hedonism seeks to avoid sacrifice and suffering at all costs. Hedonism is directly opposed to the theology of the Cross. St. Paul spoke in his day of the enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction, their god is the belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things (Php 3:18–19). He also taught that the Cross was an absurdity to the Gentiles (1 Cor 1:23).
Things have not changed, my friends. And thus the world reacts with great indignation whenever the Cross or suffering is even implied. And so the world will cry out with bewildered exasperation and ask (rhetorically) of the Church: “Are you saying that a poor woman who was raped needs to carry the child to term and cannot abort?” (Yes we are.) Are you saying that a “gay” person can never marry his or her gay lover and must live celibately?” (Yes, we are.) “Are you saying that a handicapped child in the womb must be “condemned” to live in the world as handicapped and cannot be aborted and put out of his (read “our”) misery?” (Yes we are.) “Are you saying that a dying person in pain cannot be euthanized to avoid the pain?” (Yes, we are.)
The shock expressed in these rhetorical questions shows how deeply hedonism has infected the modern mind. The concept of the Cross is not only absurd, it is downright “immoral” to the modern hedonistic mentality, which sees pleasure as the only true human good. To the hedonist, a life without enough pleasure is a life not worth living. And anyone who would seek to set limits on the lawful (and sometime unlawful) pleasures of others is mean, hateful, absurd, obtuse, intolerant, and just plain evil.
When pleasure is life’s only goal or good, how dare you, or the Church, or anyone seek to set limits on it let alone suggest that the way of the Cross is better or is required of us! You must be banished, silenced, and destroyed.
And indeed many faithful Catholics in the pews are deeply infected with the illusion of hedonism and thus take up the voice of bewilderment, anger, and scoffing whenever the Church points to the Cross and insists on self-denial, sacrifice, and doing the right thing even when the cost is great. The head wagging in congregations is often visible if the priest dares mention that abortion, euthanasia, IVF, contraception, and so forth are wrong and should be set aside regardless of the cost, or if he preaches about the reality of the Cross. The faithful who swim in the waters of a hedonistic culture are often shocked at any notion that might limit the pleasure others want to pursue.
Hedonism makes the central Christian mysteries of the Cross and redemptive suffering seem like a distant planet or a strange, parallel universe. The opening word from Jesus’ mouth, “Repent,” seems strange to the hedonistic world, which has even reworked Jesus and cannot conceive that He would want them to be anything but happy, content, and pleased. The cry goes up, even among the faithful, “Doesn’t God want me to be happy?” And on this basis all sorts of sinful behavior is supposed to be tolerated because insisting on the opposite is “hard” and because it seems “mean” to speak of the Cross or of self-discipline in a hedonistic culture.
Bringing people back to the real Jesus and to the real message of the Gospel, which features the Cross as the way to glory, takes a lot of work and a long conversation. We must be prepared to have that long conversation with people.
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For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.
And prayer and the Holy Ghost
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That is the part that gets me.
But the cross, the sacrifice of Christ reminds the hedonist there is more, another dimension, and one which leads to true fulfillment, not just the pursuit of the next level of pleasure.
That reminder exposes the emptiness in seeking such shallow goals, and as such, they are annoyed by it, they resent it, they hate it, and they seek to eliminate it, but they cannot simply ignore it.
As Jesus told Peter, thete is no glory without the Cross, no crown without suffering. Fr. Lovebeads of Our Lady of Liturgical Abuses in Cedar Falls said that the meaning of this Gospel is that we are only united to Christ in suffering as having witnessed His crucifixion and death. Good grief. Talk about carrying the Cross. Right. Out. Of. That parish.
This is a great article. I too do not understand why God wants me to suffer and be miserable if He loves me. But I do know the difference between right and wrong and follow His commands. Even though the hedonistic world looks so much hipper.
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HEDONISM
The doctrine that pleasure is the goal of life and is man's highest good. By pleasure, true hedonists understand the admittedly imperfect enjoyments of this life only.
It was first formulated by the Greek philosopher Aristippus (c. 435-360 B.C.). Misinterpreting the teaching of Socrates (470-399 B.C.), who said that happiness is the end of life, Aristippus identified happiness with pleasure. He held that intellectual pleasures are higher than sense pleasures, but what matters is the pleasure here and now available. An act is good, and therefore virtuous, insofar as it gives present satisfaction.
Hedonism was refined by Epicurus (c. 341-270 B.C.), who joined it to the physical theories of Democritus (c. 460-370 B.C.). It is the only ethics consistent with pure materialism. For Epicurus the goal of life is not intense pleasure but an abiding peace of mind, a state of cheerful tranquillity. Above all one must avoid fear of any kind of god and fear of death. The wise man so regulates his life that, before death, he has the greatest amount of pleasure and the least amount of pain. Moderation is counseled not on moral grounds but on one's enablement to enjoy future pleasures in this life. Desires should be restricted to the bounds within which they can be satisfied. Whatever increases pleasure or one's general peace of mind is good, and anything that decreases it is bad. Modern hedonism is the preferred moral philosophy of those who deny or doubt the existence of a future life. (Etym. Greek h_don_, pleasure.)
All items in this dictionary are from Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.
Great article, thanks for the ping!
Jesus died for hedonists, too, since He “came into the world to save sinners...” I think even our modern hedonists, buttressed by invincible self-esteem, cannot escape emptiness and consequences. God can use these to draw them to Christ Jesus.
Yes, Jesus waits for them. But they need to Ask, Seek and Knock and go to the Lord. They have to do their part and repent of their sins.
The Cross is just as absurd to religious people who insist on doing “their part” to somehow activate what God has clearly done through His Son...from the foundation of the world. The work of God? “To believe in the one He has sent.”
Cain was about the work, Abel was about the free gift! We know which one pleased the LORD.
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