Members of a certain generation will recall fondly childhood tales of King Arthur and his Knights of the Roundtable. These Arthurian romances recount the awakening within the royal realm of the revolutionary understanding that ‘might’ does not make ‘right’. Rather the reverse had to be true if civilization was to be sustained. The deeds of Merlin and the failure of Camelot notwithstanding, the noble sentiment that ‘right makes might’ stirred young hearts in those long-ago years when national cynicism had not yet eroded youthful idealism.
Recently in a televised political rally I noticed someone brandishing a sign that proclaimed in proud letters: “Abortion Is A Catholic Right”. Needless to say, this came as a surprise. How the concept of ‘rights’ has changed in recent decades! Certainly, in the days of Christendom, fabled or real, and even as recently as two generations ago the link between human rights and natural law was undisputed. That link appears to have been broken. We now claim that rights are no longer universal verities to be recognized and shared but rather convenient justifications to be rationalized and promoted. The ‘awakening’ in King Arthur’s time has become the ‘awokening’ in our own.
But, we mustn’t be disheartened. We have the scriptural assurance that the Holy Spirit will guide to the Truth those who listen (Jn. 14:26). One way to reinforce our hope that the world has not become unmoored from the anchoring belief that ‘right’ (the authentic kind) can still ‘make might’ is to acquaint ourselves with those modern day Knights who continue to champion this conviction. Let us listen to the message their example proclaims.
In the world of the National Catholic Community Foundation such examples abound. One in particular is CRECEMOS in the Archdiocese of Antequera Oaxaca in Mexico.
Founded in 1993 by a group of psychologists and educators CRECEMOS aims to stem the high drop out rate of young people in the marginalized and violence plagued community of Oaxaca. Recognizing that malnutrition is a fundamental cause of thwarted development it focuses on supporting mothers and young children through nutrition and educational support activities. Five hundred families now benefit from this beacon of hope and solidarity. CRECEMOS partners with AVSI-USA (Association of Volunteers in International Service) which was founded in 1972 by the Catholic lay movement Communion and Liberation. These are individuals whose advocacy demonstrates how the ‘right’ borne of faith becomes the ‘might’ that lifts people’s lives. Anyone seeking such assurance would appreciate this beautifully produced clip:
CRECEMOS, which means ‘let us grow together’, is but one of myriad endeavors whose promoters – selflessly prompted and empowered by what is right – advance human dignity and in doing so advance the Kingdom. So, let us strengthen our resolve. Dum spiro spero.