Last night, I went out for ice cream with two friends. We got there at 9:00 PM, and the place closed at 10. They were nice enough to not make us leave their parking lot, but the lights did go out. We stayed and talked for another hour in what would be the complete dark except for some house lights a little ways off. It was nice that we could enjoy our friendship and nothing made me happier than to see the billions of stars that I could see. This leads me to two things.
In Dr. Peter Kreeft's Christianity for Modern Pagans he talks about how we are killing God the Father and raping Mother Nature. He ties the idea that we cannot be close to God without being close to nature together well. Seeing the stars showed me my smallness before my Creator, and a few weeks ago while in Maine atop a mountain, I saw the beauty of God's majesty. Pope Benedict XVI, in his July 17th Angelus address, said:
In contact with nature, individuals rediscover their proper dimension, they recognize that they are creatures but at the same time unique, "capable of God" since they are inwardly open to the Infinite. Driven by the heartfelt need for meaning that urges them onwards, they perceive the mark of goodness and divine Providence in the world that surrounds them and open themselves almost spontaneously to praise and prayer
I encourage you to turn off all your lights some night and go outside to sit and pray. Maybe you'll have a semi-mystical experience like I've had.
The other issue requires a little background. Please read "Friendship: The Key to the Evangelization of Men" by Father McCloskey. I am a firm believer that America has FDS, especially among men. I won't get into what I think the roots are, but I know it exists, and Father McCloskey deals with it well. I first realized it while watching The Return of the King. I said to myself, "Donato, why don't you have friends like that?" and I replied, "Because Americans don't have friends like that." (I was wrong at the time. A few Americans do have friendships like that and I am now one of those people privileged enough to have several. ) And when I read Father McCloskey's article the first time, I realized I had seen true male friendships in my journeys through Italy as well. I actually saw people who didn't go home and watch TV at night. I saw teens outside playing guitar and singing. I saw little kids playing soccer. I saw people doing outdoor shopping. All of this was after 10:00 PM. Yes, I was in the city, but I have never seen that in America's cities. Most places close at 10:00 PM. Something just seemed wrong to me, and culture that we have depresses the soul. I've had other teens tell me that they are amazed at how many people open up to me so deeply. (Like siblings of my friends do…) Is our society so shallow that people's friends can't even help them through problems? I remember one night a kid I hardly knew called me to talk about his problems, for two hours. When I asked why he didn't call his friends, he told me they wouldn't care to help him.
Because of its materialism, our modern culture has erected barriers between people, especially teens and young men. Sometimes even our friends are "too busy" to listen, and also because too many teens are afraid to show their vulnerability to hurt or rejection. Our society tends to create an inner insecurity--- just watch our TV commercials or movie stars, the perfect body, the perfect smile, the perfect clothes, to which none of us could ever hope to measure up. Thank God for people like Fr McCloskey who help us to realize our inner longing is for true friendship, love and understanding. I would urge everyone to be open to your friends and be there for them with a willingness to listen and to share their burdens and prayerfully leading them to God."
Many thanks to Dr. Peter Frey for help on this article.