A Civilization of Love:

What Every Catholic Can Do To Transform the World

by Carl Anderson
Supreme Knight
Knights of Columbus

HarperOne
2008
ISBN: 978-0-06-133531-0

In 1995 Pope John Paul the Great ended his encyclical Evangelium Vitae with a prayer to Mary. The conclusion of the prayer as that all who believed in Jesus would be given "the courage to bear witness to it (the Gospel) resolutely, in order to build, together with all people of good will, the civilization of truth and love, to the praise and glory of God, the Creator and lover of life. " (Emphasis mine) Pope John Paul was using a phrase originated by Pope Paul VI, "a civilization of love". It was a phrase that he used time after time. Papa Benedetto has also taken up this theme. He used in his message for the XXII World Youth Day, 2007.

Clearly there is a strong call by the Holy Spirit to the Church to build "a civilization of love". 2 questions quickly come to the fore: What is "a civilization of love"? & How do we build it?

Supreme Knight Carl Anderson takes on the task of answering these questions in his new book. & in my opinion succeeds.

In the Introduction he lays the groundwork by looking at where we are as a civilization. He looks at the 2 sets of values called a "culture of life" & a "culture of death". He asks 2 very important questions that we need to answer to determine what type of culture we are building: "What kind of people do we think we are?" & "What kind of a people are we becoming? (emphasis his). He makes it clear that what he is going to do in this book is not merely offer some good ideals about what a "civilization of love" should be, he is offering a practical guide to enable the reader to help bring this about.

In the 1st Chapter he lays the foundation on which any change of a culture, the Power of Christ working through Christians. He shows how the early followers of Jesus were able to transform the Roman culture. He says: "Today we could see ourselves in a similar position to the classical world of Paul's day." We can learn from how St. Paul challenged the Roman society with the message of "God's love" that is at the heart of the Gospel. He quotes that famous line at the center of the Declaration of Independence "We hold these truths to be self evident. . . ." that talk about human rights He points out that the lines explicitly say "all men are created equal" & they are endowed by their Creator". This is a reminder of the need for belief in God to be able to come to a concensus on what what are moral values as well as living them out.

The basis for a democracy to truly be free must be "natural law. In discussing this fact, he goes on to show what natural law is grounded in, love. He does an excellent job of defending this idea.

In Chapter 2 he looks at how modern philosophy of the last 125+ years has lead to a "culture of suspicion". That this culture is aimed at marginalizing Christianity & its values is of little doubt to most people who are willing to be honest. Modern philosophy claims Christianity misconstrues human nature. Carl Anderson shows how Popes John Paul & Benedetto have responded to this challenge by saying in effect: "We have studied the new 'pagan' philosophers and have found their view of the human person to be inadequate." He goes on to show how the teachings of these 2 Popes have brought out the truth that Christ alone "fully reveals man to himself."

The heart of Chapter 3 is the idea Omnia vicit amor (love conquers all). He reminds us that we are made in the image & likeness of God. As a result of humanity being made this way, we are able to have a personal relationship with God. This God is a unity of 3 persons "whose mutual relationship is love." Thus we have the example of how we are to build relationships with one another. For me, this chapter gives the way to truly live as a "Christian Humanist".

He builds on this in Chapter 4 by looking at the God given inate dignity in every person & how that dignity demands a specific set of responses. Christians are called to evangelize, bringing the message of Christ's love to everyone. But that is only a part of our call. We are to be the "light of Christ" in all our deeds as well as words. & this comes by giving, of our time, of our money, of our selves by dying to self. In this chapter Carl Anderson shares a story about a project the KCs participate in through the Wheelchair Foundation. This group's concept is simple, to provide wheelchairs for those who need 1 but can't afford it. Each chair currently costs $75 to buy. & they distribute them world wide. I recently saw a video of some of these deliveries. These chairs truly change lives. & Carl Anderson is right in showing how each chair is "a building block in the civilization of love."

At the heart of Chapter 5 is the "Domestic Church", the family. The family, the domestic church, is where the essential truths of human existance (the mysteries of Christianity) are 1st passed on. He looks at the damage caused by the high divorce rate in our society. He also looks at the damage done by various forms of contraception.

Chapter 6 takes on the issue of "Globalization & the Gospel of Work". He looks at the dignity that man is ment to get from working. he looks at how Communism/Marxism are incompatible with Christian teaching. However, he also points out that in a capitalistic society there is the need for both the employee & employee to operate "united in the bonds of. . . . brotherly love." He also talks about the need to avoid "a 'false choice' between material progress and moral values." Economic development must be built on Christain moral values. He calls on an end of corruption in Africa & Latin America. He also shows how globalization can have a positive effect in changing social conditions in the developing world.

Chapter 7 builds on this by looking at "Ethics in the Marketplace". Busnesses must operate under ethical standards that treat everyone, especially employess with the dignity & respect that they deserve. Theses standards are clearly based on the Christian virtue of love.

Chapter 8 deals with "Respect for Life". In it he deals with the need to avois seeing others (the poor, the handicapped, the sick, the vulnerable [born or unborn]) as a means rather than an end. He takes an in depth look at Roe v Wade & why it was wrong. At the same time another case was woring its way through the courts, Byrn v New York City Health & Hospital Corporation. The evidence in this case convincingly demonstrated the humanity of the unborn child. It completely undermines Justice Blackman's claim that the courts could not decide when the life of a human being. Anderson also shows how the damage of Roe has gone beyond that of unlimited abortion to a total devaluation of human life.

Chapter 9 looks at the trends in Catholic growth & what that means. He issues the challenge to create a vibrant Catholic community in the American continent. He deals with immigration & hits 1 of the key, but usually ignored problems that would definitely help solve a huge portion of the "illegal immigration" that is going on. That porblem, excepting Costa Rica & Chile, "much of Latin America has failed to make the necessary economic and political reforms". This is something I have been saying. He points out how these corrupt governments deny they are the problem. Rather they blame it on the population, hence the call for population control which in recent years has included subtly encouraging illegal migration.

The conclusion summarizes the message of the book. We are called to learn from the example of the early Church. As he says: "The early Christians did not take over the Roman Empire by electoral choice: there were no elections to speak of in those days. Rather they did so by their example, by holding out the possibility of a life that was higher, more beautiful, and above all more authentic than the vulgarity, violence and greed of late antiquity."

Our world has these same problems. We can & must show it that there is another way, a better way. & that way is found in living out the Gospel in love.

Each chapter ends with 3-6 questions that challenge the reader to practical application of the ideas discussed in that chapter. These questions can seem deceptively simple at 1st glance. They aren't. They challenge the reader to serious contemplation of those ideas & even more importantly, to putting them into action. & without that action the transformation we need to bring about could never happen.

While this book is aimed primarily towards Catholics to help them in living out the Church's social teachings, much of what he offers can also be lived out by anyone who wants to see an end to the "culture of death" that our civilization is so wrongly embracing.

As I already pointed out, this book IS a strong challenge to live out our faith in practical ways. Anyone who is serious about living the Faith would be well served by reading this book & letting it challenge him or her. We can change the world again, we can bring about a "civilization of love" once again. Carl Anderson has provided plenty to think about for how to do this. He has shown us the path we can take & the tools we must use. Now it is up to us to respond to the challenge. Using these tools & ideas under the guidance of the Holy Spirit we will see that "Sprintime of Hope" Pope John Paul talked about come to pass.

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The Knights of Columbus were founded on 29 March 1882 by the Venerable Fr. Michael McGivney. They are the largest fraternal organization of Catholic laymen with more than 1.7 million members worldwide.

The founding members sought "strength in solidarity, and security through unity of purpose and devotion to a holy cause: they vowed to be defenders of their country, their families and their faith.

These men were bound together by the ideal of Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of the Americas, the one whose hand brought Christianity to the New World."

"The Order has been called "the strong right arm of the Church," and has been praised by popes, presidents and other world leaders, for support of the Church, programs of evangelization and Catholic education, civic involvement and aid to those in need." (From the KC website)

After 9-11 they provided $1 million in checks for emergency funds to the families of emergency responders killed in the attacks. These checks were given to families regardless of whether or not they were KCs or even Catholic.

They have about 1.7 million members worldwide. Councils can be found in the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, the Caribbean, Central America and Poland.

Full disclosure requires me to state that I am a 3rd degree Knight who is the Financial Secretary for Council #10069, St. Joseph the Worker, DBQ, IA.

Vivat Jesus!