DOCTOR CARDIJN
IT IS MORE THAN A HAPPY EVENT THAT I HAVE BEEN
INVITED TO SPEAK TO THIS ASSEMBLY.. I LEFT THE
INTERNATIONAL YCW EARLY IN 1962 AFTER THE RIO
COUNCIL AND WAS REPLACED BY MY GOOD FRIEND
BARTOLO PEREZ.
IN THOSE DAYS, THE CRY OF THE MOVEMENT WAS "OF,
FOR AND BY YOUNG WORKERS" WAS THE ORDER OF THE
DAY. IT WAS A POWERFUL MESSAGE IN A WORLD OF
PATERNALISM WHEN YOUNG WORKERS WERE MANAGED
BY THE EDUCATED ELITES. AND THIS STILL REVOLUTIONARY
CRY MUST REMAIN.
A DISINTEGRATING WORLD.
IN A WORLD OF A DISINTEGRATING CULTURES, THERE IS
NO COHESIVE CULTURE. THE ELITES CONTINUE TO WRITE
AND SPEAK OF THEMSELVES AND FOR THEMSELVES. AND
TO THEMSELVES AND THE MASSES ARE CONTROLLED By
THE MANIPULATION OF THESE SAME ELITES.
IF THIS NEW INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSAL WORLD IS TO BE
HUMANIZED AND CIVILIZED THE STARTING POINT MUST
BE THE MASSES. IT IS THE ORDINARY PEOPLE WHO HOLD
THE KEY TO BARBARISM OR CIVILIZATION. ONE MUST SEE
THIS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE BILLIONS OF PEOPLES WHO
ARE STILL LEAVING THE VILLAGES OF OUR WORLD AND
MOVING INTO THE CITIES. NOT BECAUSE THEY DO NOT
LIKE THE VILLAGES RATHER THEY ARE FORCED TO LEAVE
BECAUSE OF THE GREAT MIRACLE OF ALL AGES, THAT
INFANTS DO NOT DIE.
TOO OFTEN THE INTELLECTUALS READ THIS SIGN AS IF IT
IS THE "LIGHTS OF THE CITY" THAT ATTRACT THE
VILLAGERS. THIS IS THE PULL FACTOR OF HISTORY. THE
REALITY IS MORE THE PUSH FACTOR THAT HAS AND IS
CONTINUING TO MOVE THEM OUT OF THE PAST INTO THE
FUTURE.
THE GREATNESS OF CARDIJN
THE GREATNESS OF CARDIJN WHICH IS STILL TO BE
DISCOVERED BY THE WORLD AND EVEN MORE BY HIS
CHURCH TO WHICH HIS LOVE WAS NEARLY INFINITE CAN
BE SUMMED UP WITH ONE OF HIS FAMOUS LINES "THE
YEAST MUST BE IN THE DOUGH IF ONE WANTS BREAD. IF
THE YEAST IS BUT ONE CENTIMETER AWAY, THE
DOUGH REMAINS DOUGH".
HE STILL REMAINS THE RARE CLERIC WHOSE SEARCH FOR
THE TRUTH LED HIM TO THE MASSES. HE SPENT HIS LIFE
BRINGING THE MESSAGE OF HOPE AND LOVE TO THE
ORDINARY PEOPLE. HE INTENSELY BELIEVED THAT A
CHURCH WITHOUT WORKERS WAS NOT THE REAL CHURCH.
HIS BELIEF WAS THAT THE TOP DOWN STRATEGY WAS A
WASTE OF TIME. HIS WAS A "DOWN UP" STRATEGY.
HE UNDERSTOOD THAT THE REAL TASK OF A CULTURE IS
TO FORM ALL PERSONS IN THE MYTH OR TRUTH THAT
MADE IT EXIST. YET WHAT HE DISCOVERED WAS THAT
YOUNG WORKERS WERE BEING FORMED BY THE NEW
CULTURE THAT WAS DEVELOPING.
MATERIALISM AND MODERN CULTURE.
A CULTURE THAT IS MATERIALISTIC AT ITS CORE MUST
NECESSARILY FORM WORKERS IN ITS IMAGE. AND SO WAS
BORN THE NEW MATERIALISTIC CULTURE THAT IS
PRESENTLY SWEEPING THE WORLD. WE HAVE GONE FROM
THE PHILOSOPHICAL MARXIST MATERIALISM TO A MUCH
MORE PRAGMATIC TYPE OF MATERIALISM. ONE ONLY HAS
TO LOOK AT YOUTH IN ASIA WHO ARE LEAVING THE
VILLAGES OF THEIR PAST INTO THE CITIES AND SEE HOW
RAPIDLY THEY ARE ABSORBED BY THE NEW CULTURE.
HIS VAST TRAVELS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD SHOWED
HIS INCREDIBLE BELIEF IN THE MASSES. HIS STRUGGLE
TO GET THE CHURCH TO SEE THE RICHES LOCKED IN
ORDINARY PEOPLE WAS AN ETERNAL STRUGGLE.
INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THE CHURCH STARTED TO
ACCEPT HIM NOT NECESSARILY FROM THE TRUTH THAT
HE WAS SPREADING BUT MORE BECAUSE THE CHURCH
FEARED THE SPREAD OF PHILOSOPHICAL MARXISM.
WITH THE DEMISE OF THE LATTER, THE CHURCH NOW IS
RELAXING SURE THAT THE INSTITUTION IS SAFE. YET THE
YOUNG WORKERS ARE STILL GROWING IN MATERIALISM.
THE NON-PHILOSOPHICAL MATERIALISM IS A
THOUSANDFOLD MORE DANGEROUS TO THE INNER
SPACES OF WORKERS THAN MARXISM EVER WAS. THE
LATTER COULD MONOPOLIZE THE MIND BUT IT HAD
DIFFICULTY TO REACH THE VERY INNER SPACES WHICH
WE CALL THE SOUL.
TODAY THE CHURCH IS SAFE AS AN INSTITUTION BUT IS
IN GREAT DANGER OF LOSING THE BATTLE TO SPREAD
THE MESSAGE OF JESUS IN THE NEW MODERN GLOBAL
WORLD CULTURE BASED ON SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY.
WHO WILL CIVILIZE THIS NEW BARBARIC CULTURE WHICH
WANTS TO CONTROL THE VERY INNER SPACES OF OUR
YOUTH?
WHAT MADE CARDIJN RUN?
TOO OFTEN, WE WRITE ON LIVES OF IMPORTANT PEOPLE
FROM THE POINT OF THOSE WHO INFLUENCED THEM. SO
THEY SEEK OUT THE BOOKS THAT THEY READ. CARDIJN
WAS AN AVID READER OF ALL TYPES OF BOOKS. THE
LAST TIME THAT I SAW HIM WAS IN 1964 WHEN I WAS
WORKING IN THE INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF THE
CANADIAN LABOR UNIONS. HE WAS SITTING AT HIS DESK
AND READING WITH A SMALL PENCIL UNDERLINING
POINTS OF INTEREST. I REMEMBER WELL HIS LAST
STATEMENT TO ME.."WE ARE JUST STARTING".
IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHAT A MAN READS TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT MAKES HIM TICK BUT MAYBE EVEN
MORE IMPORTANT MAY BE THE "FOOD" THAT FEEDS HIS
SOUL. ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER PRODUCES CULTURAL
STERILITY.
ONE OF THE GREATEST YCW LEADER JACQUES MEERT
STILL LIVING AT NEARLY HUNDRED YEARS OLD AND
ANOTHER GREAT LEADER MARGUERITE FIEVEZ WROTE A
BOOK ON CARDIJN. IN THE EARLY PARAGRAPHS, THEY
RECOUNT THE REACTION OF CARDIJN WHEN HE CAME
HOME FROM THE SEMINARY FOR THE FIRST TIME.
ONE IS IMMEDIATELY STRUCK NOT BY THE IDEAS THAT
FORM A PERSON BUT REALITY WHICH IS THE SCALPEL
THAT FORMS THE SOUL. LET ME READ TO YOU A
PARAGRAPH OF THIS BOOK THAT SUMS UP THE
INCREDIBLE DRIVE OF THIS INCREDIBLE MAN.
"WHEN THE HOLIDAYS CAME, YOUNG CARDIJN FOUND
HIMSELF BACK AGAIN IN HIS OLD SURROUNDINGS.
SEMINARIST OR NOT, AT FIFTEEN HE WAS STILL A BOY
AND HUMAN NATURE DOES NOT CHANGE QUICKLY. HE
WAS SOON BACK TO HIS OLD PRANKS, THE FAMILIAR
FACES AND THE SCUFFLES OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD."
MR, MEERT AND MS FIEVEZ CONTINUE TO DESCRIBE THIS
ENCOUNTER WITH HIS OLD FRIENDS.
" BUT THE SHOCK OF MEETING UP AGAIN WITH HIS
COMPANIONS OF PRIMARY SCHOOL WAS TERRIBLE, THEY
HAD TAKEN THE ROAD TO THE FACTORY AND WORKSHOP
AND AS FAR AS THEY WERE CONCERNED, HE HAD BECOME
A "LITTLE PRIEST", SOMEONE WHO HAD NO
UNDERSTANDING OF WORKERS, A TRAITOR TO THE HARD
LIFE AND THE LONG FIGHT AGAINST INJUSTICE."
THERE IS NO MORE FORCIBLE EVENT THAT FORCES ONE
TO FACE REALITY THAN WHEN ONE'S FRIENDS TELLS YOU
THAT YOU ARE A TRAITOR. ANYONE THAT WANTS TO LIVE
A LIFE DIFFERENT THAN THE CULTURE OF EVERY DAY IS
OPEN TO THE CHARGE OF TREASON. THIS WAS SO
POWERFUL IN THE LIFE OF CARDIJN THAT WHEN HE WAS
REALLY TIRED HE WOULD GO OUT ON A SPEAKING TOUR
TO YOUNG WORKERS. HE WOULD RETURN TIRED BUT AT
THE SAME TIME REFRESHED AND FULL OF LIFE. HE HAD
ONCE AGAIN MADE CONTACT WITH THOSE WHO HAD
CALLED HIM A TRAITOR.
HIS SEARCH FOR WAYS AND METHODS TO REACH THE
INNER SPACES OF YOUNG WORKERS LED HIM TO THE BOY
SCOUTS, THE LABOR UNIONS AND ALL TYPES OF
ORGANIZATIONS WHERE YOUNG WORKERS WERE
PRESENT. HE WROTE EXTENSIVE NOTES ON EACH ONE OF
THESE ENCOUNTERS. ALWAYS SEEKING NEW WAYS TO
REACH THE INNER SPACES OF YOUNG PEOPLE. HE WAS
VERY MUCH LIKE THE GREAT INVENTOR EDISON WHO
WHEN HE WAS ASKED ARE YOU NOT TIRED AFTER A
THOUSAND FAILURES, "NOT AT ALL, NOW I KNOW THAT
THOSE FAILURES WILL LEAD ME TO OTHERS MORE
SUCCESSFUL."
THE BEGINNINGS
CARDIJN STARTED WITH YOUNG MAIDS. HE TRIED THE
LITURGICAL ROAD, OPENING THE TABERNACLE AND
URGING THE YOUNG MAIDS TO ADORE JESUS. THEN HE
TRIED TO ORGANIZE YOUNG WORKERS AROUND THE POLE
OF THE TRADE UNIONS. HERE AGAIN HE WAS FACED WITH
THE UNIONS INSISTING THAT HE WAS STEPPING ON THEIR
GROUND. YET EVERY FAILURE LED HIM EVER CLOSER TO
SMALL GROUPS AND THE FAMOUS SEE, JUDGE, AND ACT
METHOD.
HOW MANY OTHERS LAY CLAIM TO THE METHOD. SOME
STILL CLAIM THAT IT IS A MARXIST METHOD OF
EDUCATION, OTHERS LIKE THE DOMINICAN PRIEST THAT I
WENT TO CONFESSION IN ST. PETER'S ROME WHO ASKED
ME WHAT I WAS DOING IN ROME. WHEN I TOLD HIM THAT I
WAS IN ROME FOR THE 32000 YOUNG WORKER RALLY OF
1957. HE SPURTED OUT ' YOU ARE USING THE SEE, JUDGE
AND ACT METHOD OF ST. THOMAS."
I WILL LET HISTORY JUDGE WHO WAS THE INVENTOR BUT
IT IS AS NATURAL AS SEEING A TRUCK COMING AT YOU ON
THE ROAD AND YOU JUDGE IT IS GOING TO HIT YOU. YOU
ACT VERY QUICKLY AND GET OUT OF THE WAY. ALL
EDUCATION WITHOUT ACTION IS REALLY A WASTE OF
TIME.
CARDIJN HAD AN INCREDIBLE MEMORY TO TAKING AND
APPLYING IT TO HIS CENTRAL LOVE OF YOUNG WORKERS.
HIS WHOLE FORMATION METHOD WAS BASED ON
EDUCATING THROUGH ACTION AND NOT REMOVING THE
YOUNG WORKER FROM THE REALITY OF HIS WORK. TOO
OFTEN EDUCATION FORCES OR ALLOWS THE YOUNG
WORKER TO BE PROMOTED OUT OF THE WORKERS INTO
THE MORE ACCEPTABLE AND SUCCESSFUL MIDDLE CLASS.
THEY FORM YOUNG WORKERS AS ENGINES TO PULL
YOUNG WORKERS OUT OF WORK AND SO PROMOTE THEM
OUT OF THE WORKERS. IT IS LIKE DEVELOPING A
LOCOMOTIVE WHICH IS TO PULL THE CARS ONLY TO BE
DECOUPLED FROM THE CARS AND RUN ALONE DOWN THE
TRACKS. TOO OFTEN CHRISTIAN FORMATION LEADS
YOUNG WORKERS OUT OF THE COMMUNITY OF WORKERS
AND INTO A SO-CALLED SUPERIOR CLASS. NO! WE MUST
REMAIN AS THE YEAST IN THE DOUGH.
A GREAT ORGANIZER
HE WAS AN INCREDIBLE ORGANIZER. I WAS PART OF THE
TEAM THAT WAS CALLED TO HELP ORGANIZE THE 32000
YOUNG WORKERS RALLY IN ROME IN 1957. I AM RATHER
SAD TO SAY THAT I HAD SPOKE STRONGLY AGAINST SUCH
A GREAT EXPENDITURE OF MONEY AND EFFORT. CARDIJN
QUIETLY EXPLAINED TO ME THE REASON AND END OF
THIS RALLY. HE TOLD ME HOW HE HAD ORGANIZED, THIS
TYPE OF MEETINGS IN THE PAST AND THE WHYS OF SUCH
MEETINGS. AGAIN HE EXPLAINED THAT WORKERS DO NOT
GROW JUST THROUGH IDEAS BUT THROUGH ACTION.
THE ACTUAL ORGANIZATION OF RALLIES BY YOUNG
WORKERS ALLOWED THEM TO DEVELOP THEIR
ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS.
EVERY FIVE YEARS WHICH WAS ABOUT A YOUTH
GENERATION, CARDIJN WOULD ORGANIZE A RALLY OR
PILGRIMAGE TO LOURDES. ROME ETC. THE YOUNG
WORKERS WHO IN MY DAY DID LITTLE TRAVELING WOULD
SAVE THEIR MONEY TO PAY FOR THE RALLY. THE TRAIN
TRAVEL WAS DESIGNED AS A TRAVEL EDUCATION
OPERATION. NATIONAL SOLIDARITY WAS STRENGTHENED
ALONG WITH THEIR FAITH IN THE YCW AND CHURCH. AND
ABOVE ALL, THE TRAVEL COSTS INCLUDED A
PERCENTAGE THAT WENT TO FINANCE THE NEXT FIVE
YEARS OF THE MOVEMENT.
AS YOU CAN GUESS, I WENT ALONG WITH THE PLAN TO
ORGANIZE A YCW INTERNATIONAL RALLY IN ROME IN
1957. IT WOULD TAKE TOO LONG TO RECITE
ALL THE INCREDIBLE BREAKTHROUGHS OF THE RALLY.
THE FOLLOWING ARE BUT A FEW.
THE FIRST IS THAT THE CURIA LEARNED THE LESSON
THAT WORKERS ALSO HAVE HOLIDAYS. AS THEIR
HOLIDAYS CONFLICTED WITH THE HOLIDAYS OF THE
CURIA, WE WERE MADE TO FEEL THAT WE WERE
HERETICS. WHEN WE TOLD THEM THAT WE WERE
PLANNING TO HOLD A RALLY ON ST. PETER'S SQUARE AND
WE WOULD WANT TO GREET THE POPE. THE CRY OF
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE WAS SHOUTED OUT WHEN WE
ASKED THAT THE POPE COME BACK FROM HIS HOLIDAY.
IMPOSSIBLE, IT IS HOLIDAY TIME FOR THE POPE AND WE
SAID BUT IT IS ALSO HOLIDAY TIME FOR 32000 YOUNG
WORKERS. SUFFICE IT TO SAY THAT PIUS 12TH
CAME TO ST.PETER'S SQUARE LED BY THE VATICAN BAND
IN TO THE HOT SUN OF AUGUST.
THE SECOND VICTORY WAS A LITURGICAL VICTORY. WE
HAD TOLD THE VATICAN AUTHORITIES THAT 32000 YOUNG
WORKERS WOULD BE COMING IN A YEARS TIME.
IT WAS AGREED THAT THE EUCHARIST CELEBRATIONS
WOULD BE IN ST. PETER'S. TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE
TRAINS FROM ALL OVER EUROPE STARTED TO ARRIVE, I
GOT AN URGENT MESSAGE FROM THE VATICAN
AUTHORITIES THAT THE LITURGY IN ST. PETER WOULD BE
IMPOSSIBLE AS THE CHURCH COULD ONLY HOLD 8000
PERSONS. SO THEY VERY CREATIVELY CAME UP WITH THE
IDEA TO HAVE A SIMULTANEOUS LITURGY IN ST. PETERS,
AND THREE OTHER GREAT CHURCHES OF ROME. WE
REFUSED AS WE WANTED TO SHOW INTERNATIONAL
SOLIDARITY. SO FINALLY, IT WAS AGREED TO CELEBRATE
IN ST. PETERS AND ON AN ALTER SPECIALLY BUILT JUST
OUTSIDE THE DOORS OF ST. PETERS. SO IT WAS DONE.
THEN ANOTHER "IMPOSSIBLE" TASK CAME FORWARD
WHEN WE ASKED THAT THE EUCHARIST MUST BE MADE
AVAILABLE TO ALL YOUNG WORKERS. WE WERE TREATED
AS IF WE WERE RETARDED. SO WE MET WITH A DUTCH
MONSIGNOR VAN LIERDE WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF THE
LITURGY IN ST. PETERS AND WE EXPLAINED THE
PROBLEM. IN A DAY HE CAME UP WITH A SOLUTION,
WHICH WAS TO PLACE A PRIEST AT ALL THE SIDE ALTARS
INSIDE ST. PETERS AND A COUPLE OF DOZENS PRIESTS
AROUND THE OUTSIDE ALTAR AND ALL THE 32000
RECEIVED OUR LORD. THE IMPOSSIBLE WAS MADE
POSSIBLE. AND THIS BREAKTHROUGH HAS BECOME THE
NORM SINCE THEN.
WHAT WAS MORE IMPORTANT PERSONALLY FOR ME WAS
THAT INBUILT IN THE SOLIDARITY PRICE, EVERY YOUNG
WORKER PAID THE SAME PRICE NO MATTER FROM WHERE
HE OR SHE CAME FROM. BUILT INTO THAT SOLIDARITY
PRICE WAS A LITTLE STIPEND THAT WENT TO A BUDGET
FOR THE INTERNATIONAL. MY FOUR YEARS AT THE HELM
WAS NEVER DISTURBED BY ANY FINANCIAL PROBLEM.
BRINGING THE GOOD NEWS
BESIDE BEING A GREAT EDUCATOR AND ORGANIZER,
CARDIJN WAS A GREAT EVANGELIST. A REAL EVANGELIST
MUST ALWAYS START WITH REALITY. THE PROBLEM IS
THAT IT IS ONE THING TO PREACH GOD IN A WORLD THAT
IS EXPECTING GOD TODAY IF WE ARE EXPECTING, WE ARE
EXPECTING THE WORST.
OUR JEWISH BROTHERS WERE VERY MUCH LIKE A
PREGNANT MOTHER EXPECTING THE ARRIVAL OF THE
MESSIAH. IN SOME WAYS, ST. PAUL HAD IT RATHER EASY
HE PREACHED THAT THE MESSIAH HAD ALREADY ARRIVED
IN THE PERSON OF JESUS.
THE TOTAL JOY OF THOSE THAT BELIEVED THAT WHO
THEY HAD BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO FOR CENTURIES
HAD ARRIVED. THEIR JOY WAS TOTAL.
THEN THE QUESTION WAS HOW TO REACH THE
NON-JEWISH PEOPLE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE WHO WERE
NOT EXPECTING. THE SMALL GROUPS OF BELIEVERS
BY THEIR VERY EXAMPLE OF LIVING ATTRACTED THOSE
WHO WERE NOT EXPECTING. AND SO THE FAITH STARTED
TO GROW.
ST. PATRICK IN EVANGELIZING THE CELTS SPENT YEARS
TRYING TO CONVINCE THE CELTIC RELIGIOUS LEADERS
OF THE POWER OF THE MESSAGE OF JESUS THAT LOVE
IS THE SUPREME VIRTUE. AND FINALLY, THE IRISH
AUTHORITIES EMBRACED THE FAITH AND THE MASSES
FOLLOWED.
IN A COHESIVE CULTURE, ONE HAD TO CONVERT THE
LEADERS BEFORE COMING CLOSE TO THE ORDINARY
PEOPLE. FOR IN AN ESTABLISHED CULTURE ALL COMES
DOWN FROM THE TOP.
IN THE LONG HISTORY OF THE CHURCH AND IN FACT IN
ALL THE HISTORY OF ALL MAJOR RELIGIONS OF THE POST
NOMADIC WORLD ONE STARTED WITH THE ELITES HOPING
TO WIN THEM TO THE FAITH.
THE MODERN WORLD IS VERY MUCH AKIN TO WHAT
HAPPENED TO THE NOMADIC CIVILIZATIONS WHEN THEY
BECAME SETTLERS AND AGRICULTURISTS. ONE MUST
NOTE THAT ALL THE MAJOR RELIGIONS OF OUR DAY ARE
ON THIS SIDE OF THE NOMADIC-AGRICULTURAL SIDE. A
BETTER EXPERT THAN I WOULD HAVE TO STUDY WHAT
PART OF THE FAITH OF THE NOMADS THAT WAS ABLE TO
CROSS THIS INCREDIBLE FRONTIER.
THE MOVE FROM VILLAGE TO CITY
WE ARE AT A NEW FRONTIER. THE MASSES ARE STILL
BEING FORCED OUT VILLAGES OF THE WORLD. TOO MANY
STILL BELIEVE THAT VILLAGERS FLEE THEIR VILLAGES.
THE OPPOSITE IS TRUE. THEY ARE FORCED OUT OF THEM.
THE GREATEST GIFT THAT GOD CAN GIVE TO HIS PEOPLE
IS, FOR PARENTS TO SEE THEIR CHILDREN LIVE AND NOT
DIE.
THE VILLAGES WERE SUFFICIENT TO GIVE LIFE TO
FAMILIES OF TEN TO TWELVE CHILDREN WHEN THE
INFANTILE MORTALITY RATE TOOK EIGHT OR NINE OF
THESE INFANTS IN EARLY DEATH. WITH THE
PASTEURIZATION OF MILK THANKS TO PASTEUR AND
OTHER HEALTH BREAKTHROUGHS LIKE OUTSIDE
TOILETS. SUDDENLY, THE INFANTILE MORTALITY RATE
WAS LOWERED TO THE POINT THAT OVERPOPULATION
WAS KILLING THE VILLAGE. THE ONLY SOLUTION WAS
EMIGRATION TO FAR AWAY CITIES, THIS EMIGRATION
FUELED THE PROCESS OF INDUSTRIALIZATION OF OUR
GREAT CITIES. THIS HAS HAPPENED AND IS STILL
HAPPENING TODAY.
THE DEATH OF VILLAGE CULTURE
THE NEW MUST NEARLY ALWAYS SLAY THE OLD. THE
WONDERFUL VILLAGE CULTURE OF MY PARENTS WAS
DESTROYED BY MY GOOD TEACHERS IN GRADE
SCHOOL. HOW WAS IT DESTROYED BY DEMEANING IT.
MAKING FUN THAT MY MOTHER WOULD PUT A GARLAND
OF GARLIC AROUND MY THROAT TO DEFLECT
THE GERMS THAT BROUGHT SICKNESS. AFTER
DESTROYING THIS VILLAGE TRAIT, NOW THE CITY FOLK
HAVE COME TO BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF GARLIC. ONE
MUST HAVE TO ADMIT THAT CITY FOLKS ARE SLOW
LEARNERS.
WHAT WE DID NOT REALIZE IS THAT WHEN ONE MAKES
FUN OF ONE'S CULTURE, THE YEAST (RELIGION) THAT
RAISES THE DOUGH, THIS LITERALLY DESTROYS THE
FAITH. GET RID OF THE DOUGH AND THE YEAST ALSO
DISAPPEARS. AND SO THE MODERN MASSES ARE LOST TO
THE CHURCH.
THE FATAL DISEASE OF ALIENATION
THE MASSES WITHOUT RELIGION MUST DEVELOP SOME
FAITH. SO THEIR NEW FAITH BECAME HARD WORK AND
SUCCESS. AND A NEW CULTURE BASED ON SUCCESS AND
MATERIALISM WAS CONSTRUCTED. YET AT THE VERY
CENTER OF THIS NEW GROWING GLOBAL CULTURE IS
NOTHINGNESS.
PROFESSOR MICHAEL HOOKER WRITES IN HIS BOOK
"AGENDA FOR THE 21ST CENTURY" ON THE PROBLEM OF
ALIENATION AND MODERN YOUTH.
"I'M KIND OF A STUDENT OF THE SUBURBAN SHOPPING
MALL. THEY FASCINATE ME WHEN I GO TO A STRANGE
CITY ON BUSINESS, IF I HAVE AN EVENING FREE,
SOMETIMES I GO TO SHOPPING MALLS JUST TO ABSORB
THE FLAVOR. WHAT WORRIES ME , ESPECIALLY AMONG
THE YOUTH IS AN EMPTINESS IN THEIR EYES. AN
EMPTINESS THAT REFLECTS AN EMPTINESS IN THEIR
LIVES. THE SHOPPING MALL IS A CONTEMPORARY OPIUM
DEN, HALF OF THE KIDS ARE STONED ON DRUGS WHILE
THE OTHER HALF OF THE KIDS ARE STONED BY THE VERY
MALL.
THE MALL PROVIDES A KIND OF TRANSFIXING
ENVIRONMENT THAT TAKES THEIR MIND OFF OF
WHATEVER THEIR ISSUES ARE. THEY WALK AROUND, YOU
LOOK IN THEIR EYES AND THERE IS NOBODY HOME. THE
HIGHER IS THE CONSCIOUSNESS OF ONE'S NOTHINGNESS,
THE STRONGER MUST BE THE DRUG FOR SOME EVEN
DRUGS CANNOT DULL THE PAIN AND THE ONLY WAY OUT
IS SUICIDE. THIS EXIT IS GROWING AMONG MODERN
YOUTH. LIFE IS IN DANGER WHEN "THERE IS NO ONE
HOME."
UNIVERSITIES CALL THIS NEAR TO FATAL DISEASE
ALIENATION. WE HAVE BECOME ALIENS TO OURSELVES.
BEFORE WE CAN COME TO FAITH IN GOD, ONE
MUST MAKE AN ACT OF FAITH IN ONESELF. THIS IS
CARDIJN AT HIS BEST. "A YOUNG WORKER IS WORTH
MORE THAN ALL THE GOLD IN THE WORLD". THE VERY
POWER OF THIS STATEMENT HAS MADE IT THE
INTERNATIONAL PASS WORD OF ALL YCW MEMBERS. AS
SOON AS YOU MENTION CARDIJN, AN ECHO COMES BACK
YOUNG WORKERS ARE WORTH MORE THAN ALL THE GOLD
ON THE EARTH.
THE CURE TO THIS CANCER
THE TASK OF ANY DOCTOR IS TO EXAMINE THE PATIENT
AND TRY TO DISCOVER WHAT AILS HIM. ONLY WHEN HE
DISCOVERS THE ILLNESS ONLY THEN DOES HE
PROSCRIBE A CURE. CARDIJN WAS A GREAT DOCTOR. HE
TOOK A LONG TIME TO DISCOVER THE ILLNESS OF
MODERN YOUTH, THE NOTHINGNESS OF NOTHINGNESS.
THE UPPER ECHELONS OF SOCIETY SO BUSY CHASING
KNOWLEDGE THAT IT WAS A TYPE OF OPIATE TO KEEP
THEM AWAY FROM THE REAL QUESTIONS OF LIFE. WHO
AM I? WHAT AM I? WHAT'S THE MEANING OF LIFE? THESE
ARE THE MOST ESSENTIAL RELIGIOUS QUESTIONS OF
OUR DAY
THERE IS NO HAND ME DOWN SOLUTION TO THIS CRITICAL
RELIGIOUS PROBLEM. THERE IS ONLY THE ROAD OF
DISCOVERY. IT NEEDS AN ACT OF FAITH IN ONE'S LIFE.
IT MUST START WITH DISCOVERY OF THE POWER OF
ACTION. THOUGHT IS NOT SUFFICIENT TO DISCOVER
LOVE. IT IS ONLY AN ACTIVE LOVE THAT BRINGS THE
PERSON IN CONTACT WITH THE SOURCE OF THE ALL
LOVING GOD.
WE CANNOT FOOL AROUND WITH NOTHINGNESS THIS IS
THE MOST DREADFUL OF DISEASES. UNLESS CURED, IT
WILL DESTROY THE GLOBE AND WE ARE WELL ON OUR
WAY TO DESTROYING PLANET EARTH.
CARDIJN IS THE TRUE DOCTOR WHO NOT ONLY
DISCOVERED THE NOTHINGNESS THAT IS AT THE CENTER
OF THE MODERN WORLD BUT ALSO DISCOVERED HOW TO
TRANSFORM THIS SAME NOTHINGNESS, LIVING NOT
HIDDEN BUT OPENLY IN YOUNG WORKERS.
A CHURCH THAT IS STILL LOCKED IN THE TOP-DOWN
STRATEGY IS ON THE WRONG TRACK FOR IT CANNOT
EVER UNDERSTAND THE SICKNESS UNTO DEATH
OF NOTHINGNESS. THE ELITES ARE NO LONGER IN
CONTACT WITH THE MASSES. THEY THINK DIFFERENT.
THEIR MUSIC IS DIFFERENT. IN A WHOLISTIC SOCIETY
THE MUSIC OF THE ELITES WILL FIND THEIR WAY TO THE
MASSES. TODAY THE MUSIC COMES OUT OF THE
NOTHINGNESS OF THE MASSES AND FINDS ITS WAY
INTO THE SALONS OF THOSE "WHO HAVE MADE IT"
BRINGING THE CURE
THE CHURCH IS STILL IN THE ELITE STAGE OF CULTURE.
SHE HAS TO COME TO REALIZE THAT SHE IS NO LONGER
IN THE JEWISH- CHRISTIAN ERA OF ST. PAUL OR
EVEN IN THE ROMAN ERA WHEN THE FATHER REALLY
KNEW BEST. THESE WERE THE STARTING POINTS OF
EVANGELIZING.
THE CHURCH IS TILL IN THE COHESIVE CULTURE TYPE OF
EVANGELIZATION CONVERT THE KING AND WHOLE
KINGDOM IS CONVERTED.
IF THIS STRATEGY WOULD WORK TODAY, WE SHOULD
SPEND ALL OF OUR TIME WITH THE STARS OF
HOLLYWOOD, THE JAZZ MUSICIANS OF OUR TIME, ETC.
FOR THEY ARE THE KINGS AND QUEENS OF POPULAR
CULTURE. AS MONEY IS THE CENTER OF OUR MODERN
CULTURE, THESE ARE THE HEROES AND HEROINES OF
OUR WORLD.
FINALLY, I WANT TO SPEAK TO YOU LIKE AN OLD MAN OF
75 YEARS WHO HAS SEEN AND BEEN IN MANY PARTS OF
THE WORLD. THE SADDEST EVENT IN MY LIFE WAS TO SEE
THE OVERNIGHT DESTRUCTION OF NOT ONLY THE YCW,
THE YCS AND ALL THE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS OF
SPECIALIZED CATHOLIC ACTION GROUPS IN CANADA. THE
MOST PROGRESSIVE BISHOPS WHO JUST RETURNED
FROM THE VATICAN COUNCIL IN ONE MEETING OF A FEW
HOURS CLOSED DOWN ALL THESE MOVEMENTS.
THE REASON THAT WAS GIVEN WAS THAT THE COUNCIL
HAD RENEWED THE CHURCH AND THEY HAD NOT ONLY
DONE WONDERFUL WORK BUT IT WAS THEIR IDEAS THAT
WERE AT THE HEART OF THE COUNCIL. I REMEMBER
TELLING THE BISHOP "TELL ME THAT THE WORLD HAS
BEEN CHANGED BY THE COUNCIL AND I WILL GO BACK TO
SLEEP."
WE HAVE STILL TO DISCOVER CARDIJN'S BOTTOM UP
STRATEGY. A STRATEGY THAT WAS BASED ON DISCOVERY
NOT IMPOSITION. A YOUNG WORKER FINALLY COMES TO
ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS OR HER LIFE .
TO LOVE ONESELF AND THE OTHER AND HOPEFULLY WILL
COME TO DISCOVER THE MESSAGE OF JESUS AND THE
OTHER GREAT PROPHETS WHO PREACHED THE MESSAGE
OF LOVE AND SERVICE ABOVE ALL ELSE. THEN AND ONLY
THEN WILL CARDIJN BECOME FULLY ALIVE AND THE
MESSAGE OF JESUS WILL ONCE AGAIN BE AT THE CENTER
OF THE UNIVERSE.
LOVE IS AN ENERGY THAT MUST BE DISCOVERED,
NURTURED AND RIPENED. WHEN WE HAVE DISCOVERED
THIS MESSAGE, WE WILL HAVE GAINED THE PEARL OF
GREAT PRICE. ITS VERY INFINITY WILL ALLOW GIVING IT
TO OTHER AND STILL HAVE IT INCREASE IN THE GIVER.
CARDIJN A DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH
I ASK YOU WITH ALL HUMILITY TO PRAY AND WORK TO
MAKE CARDIJN WHO WAS A GREAT PERSON, A GREAT
PRIEST, GREAT CHAPLAIN A FULL DOCTOR OF THE
CHURCH. WELL YOU MUST BE ASKING WHY THEN NOT A
SAINT BECAUSE UNFORTUNATELY WE PUT SAINTS ON
PEDESTALS LIKE THE OLD GREEKS DID.
THEY DID NOT WANT THE PERFECT TO DISTURB THEIR
IMPERFECTIONS. SO KEEP THEM OUT OF THE MARKET
PLACE WHERE THEY MIGHT PROVE TO BE BOTHERSOME.
NO, A DOCTOR'S PLACE IS AT THE BEDSIDE OF THE
PATIENT AND THEN TO FIND THE MEDICINE TO CURE THE
PERSON FROM THE PRESENT DISEASE OF NOTHINGNESS
WHICH IS TERMINAL. THE ONLY CURE IS THAT INCREDIBLE
ACT OF FAITH THAT ALL THE GOLD IN THE WORLD
CANNOT EQUAL THE VALUE OF ONE YOUNG WORKER.
YES CARDIJN WAS A SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVIST. YES
CARDIJN WAS A CULTURAL ACTIVIST , YES CARDIJN WAS
A GREAT EVANGELIST, HE WAS ALL OF THIS BUT MUCH
MORE.
CARDIJN IS A TRUE DOCTOR THAT CAN AND HAS CURED
THE DREAD DISEASE OF NOTHINGNESS WHICH IS DEATH
ALIVE IN OUR WORLD.
CARDIJN IS A TRUE DOCTOR THAT HAS CURED THE DREAD
DISEASE OF NOTHINGNESS THAT IS ALIVE AND WELL IN
OUR WORLD. ANY RELIGIOUS FAITH THAT DOES NOT
START WITH THIS CURE, IS BUT A FAITH THAT CONFIRMS
THE DEADLY DISEASE OF ALIENATION. FROM THIS IS BORN
THE PRESENT RELIGIONS THAT PREACH "KEEP AWAY
FROM THE WORLD" FOR IT WILL ROB YOU OF YOUR FAITH.
THE PRESENT ALIENATING RELIGIONS THREATEN TO
SWEEP THE WORLD.
THE CHURCH CANNOT AVOID BEING PRESENT IN THE
SHOPPING MALLS OF THE WORLD. THE BEGINNING OF
FAITH MUST BE FAITH IN ONESELF. THIS IS THE FIRST
GIFT OF GOD AND THE REST OF FAITH IN THE CREATOR, IN
JESUS, IN THE TRINITY, IN THE CHURCH ARE GIFTS FROM
THE HAND OF THE CREATOR.
ALL REAL FAITH IS LOCKED IN THE INCREDIBLE ACT OF
FAITH IN ONESELF. WHEN A YOUNG WORKER DISCOVERS
HIS OR HER TRUE VALUE. IS THIS EVANGELIZATION,
SOCIAL ACTION OR WHAT? THIS INCREDIBLE ACT OF FAITH
IN ONE'S VALUE IS EVANGELIZATION AT ITS HIGHEST
POINT. FOR LOCKED INTO THIS ACT IS SOCIAL ACTION AND
JUSTICE AND A WHOLE NEW CULTURE. CULTURE CAN
ONLY BE BORN AND GROW IN AN THROUGH THIS
IRREPLACEABLE ACT OF FAITH IN ONESELF.
UNFORTUNATELY, MOST RELIGIOUS LEADERS ARE
LOOKING FOR THE FAST CURE. CONVERT THE LEADERS OF
SOCIETY AND THE MASSES WILL FOLLOW. FOR THE FIRST
TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH, THE CONTINUITY
FROM THE ELITES TO THE MASSES IS GONE. THE CHURCH
MUST GO DIRECTLY TO THE YOUTH IN THE MODERN
MALLS OF LIFE AND LISTEN TO THE HURTING YOUTH THIS
HURT CANNOT EVEN BE EXPLAINED IN WORDS. WE MUST
LEARN TO LISTEN TO THE SUFFERINGS OF MODERN
YOUTH WHICH CANNOT BE PUT INTO WORDS. ONLY IT CAN
SEEN IN THEIR UNSEEING EYES.
THE AWESOME BREAKTHROUGH OF CARDIJN TO DISCOVER
THE IMMENSE DIGNITY OF YOUNG WORKERS IS STILL
WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED BY THE CHURCH TO WHICH
HIS TOTAL OBEISANCE WAS GIVEN.
LONG LIVE CARDIJN!
ROMEO. MAIONE
MAY 1, 2000
.