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The Difference God Makes: A Catholic Vision of Faith, Communion, and Culture

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"The Difference God Makes," written by a learned veteran of American Catholic leadership, ought to make a difference. The author is Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and archbishop of his hometown, Chicago. No American writer is better prepared than Cardinal George to express the Catholic vision as it is seen by bishops.

George recognizes that the Catholic vision is not the same today as it was before the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. The Catholic sense of community from cradle to grave began to come apart after the Council gave the laity a more active responsibility in the liturgy, Latin yielding to English in the Mass, and the priest facing the people, like a Protestant minister. Before that the people saw the priest's back, a graphic signal to follow him, and heard his prayers in diction-deprived Latin. American Catholics recognized each other on Fridays, choosing fish on the menu, a day when even public school cafeterias offered seafood. It was not quite a Masonic bond, but it was part of being part of something special.

The Vatican II changes brought a burst of new energy to the pews, enlivened liturgies, produced a popular kind of music and made the Mass readily accessible to laypersons.

Cardinal George addresses the wrenching of Catholic social structures, some attributed to the Council and some to a changing society. The television, movies, novels and newspapers of 2009 are radically different from those of 1960 and before. The assertion of individual rights, prerogatives and pleasures sometimes obscured the teaching of sacrifice and forgiveness presented by the church. Then came the sex scandals, leading some dioceses into bankruptcy.

Cardinal George explains the shortage of priests, and laity will read his words with keen interest, in part because they indicate the difference in perspective at the top and at the bottom. This book addresses major concerns of today's church and the secularized society that nudges the church constantly. The author is a thinker, and he gives his readers plenty to think about.

I usually do not like books that are collections of previously published essays, but this book is an exception. As a conservative, traditional Catholic, I am so proud that we have a bishop, Archbishop, Cardinal, who is so learned, and able to express himself so well.

Frankly, I was disappointed in the first 3 essays or so, because i found them too accomodating to our sick culture, too willing to follow in the footsteps of Cardinal George's predecessor, Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, who advocated the 'seamless garment' social justice ethic, which seemed to even out all offenses against Catholic moral theology, whereas abortion, euthanasia and other such issues are condemned as intrinsically evil, and other injustices can be unjust in certain circumstances, and are not necessarily evil in themselves.

But as the book went on,and it seems to be organized on a chronological basis, Cardinal George seems to take a 'tougher' stance against our decadent American culture. There is no doubt, that he repeats many times that there are many parts of American, and Western culture that are redeemable, because they have their roots in Christendom, but as the book goes on, he seems to become more 'realistic,' that despite the fact that biblical/Christian and enlightenment culture cooperated in making this country great for about 150 years, since World War II, the enlightenment side has been winning, to the detriment of the Judaeo-Christian ethic on which this country (from 1620) if not this nation (from 1789) is based.

George's book is an excellent start towards deconstructing the deconstructers, questioning the authority of those who question authority, and in general, intellectually challenging and yes, attacking, the heretofore unquestioned so-called enlighteners of the 18th century. Most people do not seem to realize that those are the roots of the anarchic, relativistic, materialistic mess that Western culture, and the USA, are in. Those who advocate the 'hermeneutic of suspicion' do not like it when suspicion is turned back on them.

Many times, as is appropriate to a pastor, Cardinal George says that we must love a culture if we are to evangelize it. True; but sometimes that love must be 'tough love,' prophetic love.

On p. 80, the Cardinal states that secularism is the established religion of the USA. On p. 169, he admits that the Church is essentially conservative, in that its main mission is to conserve and hand on the Faith. P. 251, the french revolution is the source of all ideological cultures. P. 190, the Saints are the true Reformers. If we wish to dialogue with enlightenment folk, we have to use their language, especially about freedom, although ours is an ordered freedom, not libertinism.

In conclusion, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

The Cardinal does a fantastic job at revealing the faults in modernity and the philosophy of modernity. Basically, we need to change the way we see God and our neighbor. The Cardinal stresses communion among men and a particpating relationship with God and His creation. A must read for anyone who likes to dig deep into their faith.

I reviewed this for Communion and Liberation's publication, Traces, but I wanted to put a plug in for the book here on Amazon. This book of essays spans topics such as the Eucharist, Evangelization, and the priesthood. Cardinal George brings a sharp intellect and a pastor's touch to these topics. One can see why many consider him the greatest mind in the American episcopate. I highly recommend this book to any and all who would like to know more about the Catholic faith or to deepen that faith.

Cardinal George's book gives his personal view of the Catholic Church in the United States. As I read through it, I became aware, once more, of how variables of background, location, vocation, gender, experience, age, position play into each Catholic's outlook on the Church. I was upset with the cardinal's obvious criticism of the nation's heritage pertaining to colonial Puritan days in Massachusetts and the influence of the Enlightenment in the Declaration of Independence. However, I also knew, under our Bill of Rights, he was entitled to the freedom to express his rather didactic opinions.

Cardinal George seems to be in a milieu of combativeness with other religions and with people at a level I don't encounter. I felt very saddened by the tense dispute between the cardinal and Peter Steinfels. I have a more centrist stand than either one. I am highly in favor of extensive lay participation in ministry and administration. I myself am a local lay leader and know a lay chancellor, key lay diocesan staff, and lay pastoral administrators. Among the laity, there are more women in lead roles than lay men. Nevertheless, I dislike the term "ecclesial" lay leadership and as someone who regularly brings Holy Communion to patients in a hospital, I fully understand the desire of a terminally ill woman to be visited by a priest. I regret that priests in some areas never have time to visit the sick or home bound.

I envision the Church in a circular, cooperative fashion rather than in a dominating hierarchical pyramid. We are sisters and brothers to one another, all followers of Jesus under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. True, as with all organizations, private or public, there is a need for people to be in charge to get things done. Yet, overall, we all contribute in some way to building the Kingdom of God on earth by use of our God-given gifts. I consider the priest-related term "spiritual fatherhood" as cold, remote, absurd, and not applicable. All Catholics live out their lives of faith constantly, often not in the presence of priests. Lay people make their own decisions, sacramentally assisted by the Eucharist and Reconciliation. Priests are to be respected, but so are the lay people, in and out of the Church. Before Vatican II, the laity pedestalized priests. I recall myself genuflecting before an archbishop and kissing the ring on his extended hand. After Vatican II, the pedestals tumbled, and any vestiges left were crushed by later reports of clerical sexual abuse of children. Now, some seminaries seem to encourage seminarians to build their own pedestals of arrogance, superiority, and authoritarianism. In the Catholic world, the laity need the priests and the priests need the laity with neither competing for the upper hand.

In all justice to the cardinal and his book, I do intend to re-read his book carefully. Each page is packed with serious statements, some of which I may not have fully interpreted or digested, or even may have misinterpreted the first time around. He refers frequently to Vatican II and to recent papal documents. His reflections on Islam are particularly significant. Surely, the book does challenge individual Catholics to pause and to think about their personal view of the Catholic Church in the United States. Perhaps, at some far distant time, U.S. Catholics may gradually come together with a common, shared view. Rosalie L'Ecuyer, Fairbanks, Alaska

From the most intelligent Catholic Bishop in the US today...
topics include:
American Catholicism and American Culture
The Communio of the Liturgy
The Difference God Makes...
(and that difference is Jesus Christ Himself!)
My parish will be using this for our "Book Club" in November. This would be a great gift for your parish priest or deacon or seminarian -- and for yourself!