Embracing Truth and Love in Our Lives
Summary
In today's reflection, we explored the profound role of journalism and its potential to inform society about matters of true significance. Journalism, when aligned with truth and integrity, can serve as a powerful tool for societal good, rather than merely focusing on sensationalism or trivialities. This extends to our professional and community lives, where our vocations should be avenues for service and moral goodness, rather than solely for profit. True morality is about living for the promotion of human goods, such as love, family, and community, and requires a deep understanding of reality and God.
We delved into the teachings of Emmanuel Levinas, who emphasized the moral imperative to care for others, such as feeding the hungry. This simple yet profound truth is often lost in complex moral theories. The essence of moral goodness is found in the promotion of specific human goods, like family relationships, which are foundational to our moral structure. The family is a primary context where love and care are practiced, and it is through these relationships that we learn to extend love to our neighbors.
The sermon also highlighted the limitations of reason alone in achieving moral goodness, as seen in the failures of Greek philosophy. Instead, Christian teaching offers a framework where love and divine guidance take precedence. This framework helps us navigate the complexities of human desires, distinguishing between mere desire and true love. Desire, while not inherently bad, must be guided by love and the Spirit to fulfill its rightful purpose.
Finally, we discussed the importance of understanding Jesus' teachings, which often challenge our assumptions and cultural norms. His call to discipleship requires prioritizing our relationship with Him above all else, even family ties, to truly follow His path. This radical commitment is not about literal hatred but about valuing our spiritual journey with Christ above all worldly attachments.
Key Takeaways:
1. The Role of Journalism and Truth: Journalism should focus on truth and meaningful stories that contribute to societal good, rather than sensationalism. This aligns with the broader call for integrity in our professional and community lives, where service should be prioritized over profit. [21:02]
2. Moral Imperatives and Human Goods: True morality involves promoting specific human goods, such as love, family, and community. These are foundational to our moral structure and require a deep understanding of reality and God. [25:26]
3. Limitations of Reason Alone: Greek philosophy's reliance on reason alone failed to achieve moral goodness. Christian teaching offers a framework where love and divine guidance take precedence, helping us navigate human desires. [31:14]
4. Desire vs. Love: Desire is not inherently bad but must be guided by love and the Spirit to fulfill its rightful purpose. This distinction is crucial in a consumerist society where desires often dominate. [35:10]
5. Understanding Jesus' Teachings: Jesus' teachings challenge cultural norms and require prioritizing our relationship with Him above all else. This radical commitment is about valuing our spiritual journey with Christ above worldly attachments. [39:17]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[21:02] - The Role of Journalism
[22:10] - Vocation and Morality
[23:28] - Emmanuel Levinas and Moral Imperatives
[25:26] - Promoting Human Goods
[27:04] - Family as a Moral Foundation
[29:02] - Redefining Neighborly Love
[31:14] - Limitations of Reason
[33:46] - Morality and Human Desire
[35:10] - Desire vs. Love
[37:30] - The Lostness of Desire
[39:17] - Jesus' Radical Teachings
[41:01] - Understanding Discipleship
[42:16] - Forsaking Worldly Attachments
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. Luke 14:26 - "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, even his own life, he cannot be my disciple."
2. 1 Peter 2:11 - "Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul."
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Observation Questions:
1. What role does journalism play in society according to the sermon, and how does it relate to truth and integrity? [21:02]
2. How does Emmanuel Levinas' teaching on feeding the hungry illustrate the essence of moral goodness? [23:39]
3. What are some specific human goods mentioned in the sermon that are foundational to our moral structure? [25:26]
4. How does the sermon describe the limitations of reason alone in achieving moral goodness? [31:14]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. In what ways does the sermon suggest that journalism can contribute to societal good, and how does this align with Christian values? [21:02]
2. How does the sermon interpret the moral imperative to care for others, and what does this reveal about our understanding of human goods? [23:39]
3. What does the sermon suggest about the relationship between desire and love, and how should this influence our actions in a consumerist society? [35:10]
4. How does the sermon explain Jesus' teaching in Luke 14:26, and what does it mean to prioritize our relationship with Him? [39:17]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your own profession or community involvement. How can you ensure that your actions are guided by integrity and service rather than profit? [22:10]
2. Consider a time when you were faced with a moral decision. How did your understanding of human goods, like love and family, influence your choice? [25:26]
3. In what ways can you ensure that your desires are guided by love and the Spirit, especially in a society that often prioritizes consumerism? [35:10]
4. How can you apply the teachings of Jesus in Luke 14:26 to your life, ensuring that your spiritual journey with Christ takes precedence over worldly attachments? [39:17]
5. Think about a situation where you might have prioritized reason over love. How can you shift your approach to align more closely with the Christian framework discussed in the sermon? [31:14]
6. Identify a specific area in your life where you can practice the moral imperative of caring for others, as emphasized by Emmanuel Levinas. What steps will you take to act on this? [23:39]
7. How can you cultivate family relationships that reflect the moral goodness discussed in the sermon, and what practical steps can you take to strengthen these bonds? [27:04]
Devotional
Day 1: Journalism as a Beacon of Truth
Journalism holds the potential to be a powerful force for societal good when it aligns with truth and integrity. In a world often dominated by sensationalism and trivial stories, journalism should focus on meaningful narratives that contribute positively to society. This principle extends beyond journalism to our professional and community lives, where our vocations should be avenues for service and moral goodness rather than solely for profit. By prioritizing truth and integrity, we can ensure that our work contributes to the promotion of human goods and the betterment of society. [21:02]
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." (Philippians 4:8, ESV)
Reflection: How can you incorporate truth and integrity into your daily work or community involvement to contribute to societal good?
Day 2: The Foundation of Moral Goodness
True morality involves the promotion of specific human goods, such as love, family, and community. These elements are foundational to our moral structure and require a deep understanding of reality and God. Emmanuel Levinas emphasized the moral imperative to care for others, such as feeding the hungry, which is a simple yet profound truth often lost in complex moral theories. By focusing on these foundational human goods, we can build a moral framework that supports the well-being of individuals and communities. [25:26]
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." (James 1:27, ESV)
Reflection: What specific actions can you take this week to promote love, family, or community in your life?
Day 3: The Role of Love in Moral Guidance
Greek philosophy's reliance on reason alone failed to achieve moral goodness. Instead, Christian teaching offers a framework where love and divine guidance take precedence. This framework helps us navigate the complexities of human desires, distinguishing between mere desire and true love. While desire is not inherently bad, it must be guided by love and the Spirit to fulfill its rightful purpose. By prioritizing love and divine guidance, we can better understand and fulfill our moral responsibilities. [31:14]
"And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony." (Colossians 3:14, ESV)
Reflection: In what ways can you allow love and divine guidance to shape your decisions and actions today?
Day 4: Distinguishing Desire from True Love
Desire, while not inherently bad, must be guided by love and the Spirit to fulfill its rightful purpose. In a consumerist society where desires often dominate, it is crucial to distinguish between mere desire and true love. True love is selfless and seeks the good of others, while unchecked desire can lead to selfishness and harm. By aligning our desires with love and the Spirit, we can ensure that they contribute to our moral and spiritual growth. [35:10]
"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." (1 John 2:15, ESV)
Reflection: Identify a desire in your life that may be misaligned with true love. How can you redirect it to align with love and the Spirit?
Day 5: Radical Commitment to Jesus' Teachings
Jesus' teachings often challenge our assumptions and cultural norms, requiring us to prioritize our relationship with Him above all else, even family ties. This radical commitment is not about literal hatred but about valuing our spiritual journey with Christ above all worldly attachments. By prioritizing our relationship with Jesus, we can better understand and fulfill our spiritual calling, leading to a deeper and more meaningful life. [39:17]
"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26, ESV)
Reflection: What worldly attachment might be hindering your spiritual journey with Christ? How can you begin to prioritize your relationship with Him today?
Quotes
"i mean just think of the role that journalism could play in informing people of things that really mattered instead of the truck ran into the taco bell if that matters to you it's probably because you were already there but oddities so when i watch the news often i think of the old side shows that they used to have on the circuses that ran across the country to come see the lady with the mustache or whatever and and so often that but it could be so important we need a generation of journalists who will arise and be faithful to find and proclaim the truth about what is actually happening you see instead of just sort of waiting for things to happen that are colorful well that would be a great good wouldn't it see" [00:21:02]
"and actually business and professional life and community these are all dimensions of what it is like to live together in love and the meaning of our vocations are these are avenues for us to be good people that's what one's business is about it isn't about profit though profit is fine if it's kept in check by the desire of service so then when you had profits that would be to take adequate care of you of course but also to reinvest in helping others right so if you have that understanding then morality is a simple thing and really it is it is a kind of of a way of saying here's what we live for" [00:22:10]
"and levinos is quite merciless in insisting on this because he knows how moral theory has got lost in all kinds of other issues to the point to where they could stand a moral theorist could stand and wonder about whether or not you have a duty to feed someone who's hungry and i like to stay with these simple things you notice the way i put it devoted to the promotion of human goods plural if you start with good abstract you may never figure out what it is and in fact that is what has befallen our contemporary culture is they've tried to figure out what good is and since they've already adopted empiricism as a mode of knowledge they can't figure out what it is because whatever it is it is not sense perceptible" [00:24:03]
"and the morally good person is the one who in their capacity and in their situation where they can effectively do something about these they devote their life to that and see that's now we've had so much political stuff about family values that one hardly knows what that means anymore but family values are basically the values that define family relationships and this is just exactly what we're talking about here the person man or woman who works earns money provides looks after and so on see that's the heart of moral goodness and that's why the family is so important is because it is the basic place that we do this and it is given to us as children and as we grow older" [00:25:26]
"and that both ends of life that's how we are we have to have someone to take care of us and then we take care of others and that's the basic structure of love i like to talk of circles of sufficiency and in one of the chapters in renovation of the heart on social relations i put it in those terms it's a wonderful sufficiency that you see among people who are caring for one another and of course the mother and the child and the father and the family and however you structure those relationships and and uh there are real issues about that but love would see to it that that was done well rightly unfortunately it often isn't in a fallen world" [00:27:04]
"and the collapse of the greek ideals that led to the ascendancy of the christian teaching is a is a major transition in human life and so in place of reason which we've talked about aristotle and plato try to put everything on reason uh and on love of the good based on reason you have a teaching about a god who loves and sends his son and establishes a community on earth that is also of heaven we have two cities the city of god in the city of man we live in the city of man but we're of the city of god and that city is eternal and we live from the eternal point of view" [00:31:14]
"and morality is degraded by thinking of the human being as supreme and when you do that then morality has no point of reference other than human desire to go on and usually it will turn out to be the desires of the stronger that dominate and to have just to have a framework of thought such as you have in the united states and certainly it comes mostly from christian europe a framework of thought that allows you to get beyond the idea that the human will and human desire is the measure of reality and obligation see just to have that is a great treasure and that's basically what we've lost" [00:33:46]
"and that's why it's so important for us today to understand that desire and love are not the same thing desire is not bad see that again is one of the things that distinguishes the christian teaching from stoicism buddhism and various other forms of ism because for example for buddhism and stoicism the desire is bad you need to get rid of desire just get rid of it whereas the teaching for the christian framework is that desire is good and essential that indeed you can't will anything unless you have desire you have to have ideas and desire in order to will anything and if you're going to be a life affirming person you have to have desire but then desire is not an end in itself" [00:35:10]
"and the effect of that is that they are lost and lost means they don't know where they are lost is not a matter of where you're going to wind up lost is i don't know where i am if i don't know where i am i can't even use a map and then maybe i don't have a map or maybe some someone tells me that the map is not knowledge but religion right and there's separation of church and state so i've got a map but i'm told it can't be used the lost person is someone who does not know where they are and when you are left trying to satisfy your desires only then you don't know where you are and that's true the individual as well as the culture" [00:37:30]
"so that now when jesus comes to us the call to straighten our morality out is to become his disciple and that is why he hits us so head on like in luke 14 26 if anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters yes even his own life he cannot be my disciple now all of you know i'm sure that he does not mean hate in the way that we would normally take that language because how can you do that if love is your actuating principle see so so you have to understand the way jesus teaches and this is important to talk about just for a moment" [00:39:17]
"and in general the way jesus teaches is to take whatever balloon is floating by and just let the air out of it right he takes the assumptions that we make the assumption in this situation is above all else you ought to love your father and mother you understand the culture involved here enough to know that you ought to be loyal to your family and jesus says you have to hate him now what he meant was you have to value me enough to let them go if you need to do that to follow me it's very important to understand this because it has caused so much trouble in discipleship" [00:41:01]
"and they get down to one that says you have to forsake everything you have right and then they can't quite skate past that one and so we get the ideology of poverty as a form of holiness that is put on the teachings of jesus you have to forsake all that you had well what does it mean to forsake it and then they'll go to the rich young ruler who was possessed by his possessions and needed to get rid of them literally and say that's what it means so where would that leave us well we would become mendicants we'd have to live by begging" [00:42:16]
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