Recently on a trip to his homeland, the Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, spoke before the German Bundestag in the historic Reichstag Building and told them that the world today is becoming more and more secularized, thus the world is losing an understanding of who God is. The pope reiterated the Church’s teaching that God is the source, the summit, and the font of life. We are, because of Him who is, was, and will always be.

In recent homilies I have tried to give analogies and examples as to how these “lost generations”—those who are ignorant of God versus those who choose not to believe in Him—are going about their everyday lives associating the wonders of this world and life itself not as gifts and blessings from the Almighty, but rather outcomes of human capabilities. The power of secularization, some may call it the cleverness of the evil one, is every-where: in good families that lead lives that value sports and pleasure activities over worshiping God and doing His good in the world; in government programs and policies that act to devalue, not strengthen, the human person; in TV shows and movies that regularly take directed swipes at faith and God; in our society’s almost cavalier attitude toward the power of marriage and the importance of family life in our human lives; in the lack of concern for neighbors; and in the constantly dismissed rituals of faith which are now called antiquated traditions by the highly educated secularites. I watched one of these examples effectively and quietly at work the other evening when I went to see a movie, The Ides of March.

One of the lead characters, “Governor Mike Morris,” well-played by George Clooney, is seeking the presidential nomination from his party. Having worked in state government and politics the movie is, I believe, sadly very true to life in many ways as it highlights selfishness and abuse of power at the expense of humanity.

In press interview after press interview presidential-hopeful Mike Morris stresses the point that he is not “a Christian, Jew, Muslim or atheist, my religion is written on a piece of paper…the US Constitution…and I will…blah, blah, blah.” He then goes on to clinically and all-importantly tell you he was raised a Catholic but does not practice anymore. He wins great applause for this. In campaign stop after stop the movie professes his be-liefs and future policies…taking swipes at religious teachings on marriage; and offers an example of terminating a child for the good of the campaign. At a funeral service, a grief stricken father takes an opportunity to “belittle the Church’s teaching on the mystery of God’s plans…” All are subtle but if one pays attention one can see Hollywood’s agenda to neutralize the importance of God and the power of the personhood. I must say that on some issues, such as the death penalty, the presidential hopeful walks right in line with the teachings of the Church, which must have been a mistake, but certainly highlights the incongruity of holding one opinion on abortion and the opposite opinion on the death penalty…thereby “valuizing” human life depending on the good or evil associated with it?!

Perhaps because I am a Catholic priest I am reading too much into this movie? No. Don’t ever underestimate the power and cleverness of Satan. He has many unwitting and unwilling helpers, unfortunately. I believe the pope to be correct. Our world is fast becoming a world of unbelievers not always because of choice but rather due to a life of non-association with faith or worship or church. Too many have fallen away because it has become a generational thing; their parents did not attend and so they too do not know of God. It is the opposite of the young girl at Columbine High School who, just before being shot 12 times from three feet away, was asked if she believed in God. She said “yes.” And when asked by her potential murderer “Why?” She simply responded, “Because my parents gave me this faith and now I believe on my own.” He shot her 12 times without damage to any organ or artery. Miraculously she lived.

As I walked out of the movie I was thinking how sad it must be to have no belief in God, to think this world, this life, is it. If that is a choice by one’s own making, so be it though still sad. But if it is out of ignorance, how terribly unfortunate to live a life thinking and depending on “me” alone. I also thought that night, and do today, that I am blessed as a priest to be here among so many people and so many families who practice their faith—every day and in the midst of many temptations and distractions, yet God is there in their lives in how they live their lives. Taking children to Mass and religious education, joining our youth minis-try programs, Feeding the Hungry, in the Pantry Partners, in the Men’s Club Tuesday night spiritual discussions, in the ladies knit-ting prayer shawls for those in need of prayers, in the raking of the neighbors’ leaves, in the Comitas meals, in the Lazarus Com-mittees caring at funerals, and on, and on, and on. Take that Hollywood! There is the antidote to secularization of this world of which Pope Benedict speaks. And I see abundantly clear in the people who believe and act for the good of others. That is God’s plan. Plain and simple.

Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time. In today’s Gospel we hear the Pharisees asking Jesus about whether it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, hoping to entrap the Lord. But Je-sus, knowing what they are about, asks, “Whose image is this and whose inscription?" They replied, "Caesar's." At that he said to them, "Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God. In our decisions as to what we do vis-à-vis the government’s role in our life versus God’s (Church’s) role in our lives, all that we need to do is look in the mirror—whose im-age do we see? Then pay our ultimate allegiance to that reflection.