Bp Barron on What Makes a Catholic University

 Some notes from Bp Barron's talk at the Notre Dame University on What Makes a Catholic University which you can find here on YouTube: 

A Catholic university is where Jesus Christ holds the central, integrating and organizing place among all the circles of influence and activities of the university.

·       Where the relationship of Christ, the Logos, with all the academic disciplines is celebrated and explored with enthusiasm

·       But this not theological imperialism – where theology pushes out the disciplines from their place

o   God makes luminous and beautiful and opens up the depth dimension of all the academic disciplines. Because God is noncompetitive transcendence. God is everywhere, sustaining all things, most intimately so.

·       Applied to disciplines:

·       Math

o   Origin of our idea of the eternal is found in mathematics (B Russel). When we grasp a mathematical concept (e.g. circle), we have stepped out of our world, because it is true everywhere, at any time, i.e. eternally.

o   Math introduces us to a properly invisible world. It touches the absolutely, pure intelligibility of God.

·       Science

o   All the sciences assume intelligible patterns that the mind can know

o   Einstein – the most incomprehensible thing of the universe is its comprehensibility. We can understand it only because it was created by an Intelligence, like a Mathematician.

·       History

o   Modern secularity thinks that the center of history is 17^th century enlightenment that has escaped from the obscurantism of medieval faith. There is also the Marxist and Hegelian interpretation.

o   Christianity believes the center of history is death and rising of Christ. Christ is the real king in history. This is the Christian interpretation of history

·       Literature

o   all literature points to a hunger or thirst for God, properly or improperly directed

o   Flannery O’Connor – story of man is wrestling with this.

·       Law

o   Modernity is shaped by lawyers; modern society tends to be litigious

o   But law in reality opens up to morality and morality opens up to religion

o   Aquinas – positive law rests on natural moral law

 

JPII – universities emerged ex corde ecclesiae, from the heart of the Church. Tragedy of our time has forgotten this. The more we recover this idea, the more the university is more authentically itself.

 

Q and A

What are concrete steps to enrich Catholic identity?  More integration of theology and disciplines. Theology professors discussing with academic disciplines.

·       How to balance being Catholic voice and being open to all perspectives? A Catholic is not open to atheism and communism. We argue against it. Openness is overrated. If you are open to all perspectives, your brain falls out. Your mind is meant to clamp down on something nourishing.

·       What is the Catholic approach to inclusivity of LGBTQ? I prefer the term justice and love rather than inclusivity, which is psychologizing and relative term. But we are supposed to be just and to love all the time. Diversity and inclusivity are not absolute values. Not all student applicants were admitted in your school, but you were still just.

·       What does the Church give? Everything. The mental health issues, anxiety, internet negativity shows the hunger for God. People are going to the wrong place to seek satisfaction.

·       What is the greatest challenge for young adults today? Finding your mission. Balthazar – you don’t know who you are until you’ve found your mission. Every Catholic school and every Catholic is supposed to evangelize.

·       Role of religious groups that organize universities or schools. It is your school, give it your heart and soul. Seize the day!

·       Academic freedom and Catholic identity. Church is not an external aggressor against academic freedom. This is a faulty modern understanding of freedom. John Paul II – there is harmony of freedom and truth. Modernity – freedom is self-creation; no one tells me what to do, I invent things. But I am only free to speak English because I have internalized the true rules of English.

·       How to discern your vocation? Use Galatians 5. What path makes you more peaceful?