Although it appeared on coins as early as the Civil War, it was during the Eisenhower administration that Congress, by unanimous consent, approved ‘In God We Trust’ as an official national motto. One might ask that if it were proposed today would the motto attract such support.
Are we a faithful nation and how can our faith be described? Is it merely an observance of cultural traditions, a fuzzy awareness of ethics? If transcendental, is it more spiritual than religious, more personal than creedal? Does theology continue to be its guide? Or, has theology been supplanted by sociology, humanitarianism – or Artificial Intelligence? Has our faith in God been misplaced and is now invested in ourselves as we aspire to construct some secular utopia – one agnostic of the eternal absolutes and based on the false grounds of relativism?
Is the much-noted decline in our participation in organized religion over the past seven decades indicative of our loss of trust in God? Have we come to accept the prognostications of those dismal nineteenth century German ‘influencers’ about the death of God and the demise of Truth? Do we see ourselves as the ‘supermen’ who alone can be confidently trusted?
Maybe the ‘springtime’ Pope John Paul II predicted is arriving. Perhaps the trust of those who came before us, those who placed their trust in God, is bearing fruit. Green shoots of hope are breaking through our nation’s arid soil so desiccated the infertility of secularism. These seedlings are now being nourished by the cultivation (how apt the word!) provided by centers of faith and reason situated around the country, centers which bring forth ‘treasures new and old’ (Matt 13:52) to refresh and direct our trust. These oases of faith include major graduate schools, seminaries, research institutes and university centers – not to mention organizations such as FOCUS, Campus Ministry, St Paul Outreach, etc.
One such center which has recently come to the attention of the National Catholic Community Foundation is the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. (dhs.edu). This is a Pontifical Institute belonging to the Order of Preachers (the Dominicans). True to the charism of the thirteenth century Founder of their Order (St. Dominic) the Dominicans at DHS provide sound theological education for students preparing for ordained ministry.
However, as its website states: “The Dominican House of Studies offers a comprehensive program of studies integrated with spiritual and pastoral components in order to foster students’ growth in holiness and equip them for preaching, pastoral ministry, scholarship, and other service to the Church. Furthermore, this faculty shares the fruits of its research and teaching with other academic institutions, the wider Church, and the public square, through its Dominican Theological Library, The Thomist, the Thomistic Institute, and other forms of academic, pastoral, and evangelical outreach.”
Trusting in God requires some knowledge of God, some theology. The knowledge which inspired the trust in God held by those who came before us – knowledge both naturally and supernaturally revealed – had been passed down to them through millennia. Through the centuries this God-centered trust has guided the advance of the Kingdom. Our reacquaintance with the knowledge of God and our embrace of the trust it engenders will place us back on track.
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