Fourth in a Series

It is difficult to offer a summary of what Antonio Monda discovered by interviewing 18 prominent people who have been influential in contemporary culture.

The interviews and Monda’s comments are in his book “Do You Believe? Conversations on God and Religion” (Vintage Books). The best that I can do is offer my own impressions after reading the book. Of course, these are influenced by my own interests and preoccupations.

What first struck me about those interviewed was the fact that almost no one except Monda and the Jewish writer and survivor of the Holocaust, Elie Wiesel, express what might be described as a clear expression of faith in God and at the same time clearly identify with a traditional religion, Catholicism for Monda and Judaism for Wiesel.

One of the most touching comments is made by Wiesel about his friendship and indebtedness to the Catholic novelist Francois Mauriac. Asked about fundamentalism, Wiesel, indicating that he was opposed to all fundamentalism whether it was Jewish, Muslim or Christian, says: “And respect for the faith of others, which I truly believe in, requires equal respect on the part of the other. When I am thinking of my personal experience, there comes to mind, as a luminous example, Francois Mauriac. I, a Jew, owe to the fervent Catholic Mauriac, who declared himself in love with Christ, the fact of having become a writer. …I know how different our views can be, and our approach. Once Mauriac dedicated a book to me and he wrote: ‘To Elie Wiesel, a Jewish child who was crucified.’ At first I took it badly, but then I understood that it was his way of letting me feel his love.”

Indicating that he believes that no one is beyond the reach of God, novelist Saul Bellow, commenting on the presence of God in one of his novels, said the following in response to a question about that novel:

“There are moments when God shadows existence. And he persists in this manifestation. If you’re looking for revelatory bits in what I’ve written I can help you: In another passage of the book I write that the purest human beings, from the beginning of time, have understood that life is sacred’…”

When asked by Monda what artists he admired in whom he felt a strong religious presence, writer Michael Cunningham said the followoing:

“Most prominently, Flannery O’Connor. She was an utterly orthodox Catholic, and one of the greatest writers of the 20th century. What’s more, you can’t separate her faith from her art, though some critics have tried. If you insist on reading her and treating her Catholicism as some sort of obstacle she managed to overcome, you not only miss the point of what she was doing but insult her memory. O’Connor, in her fiction and in her letters and essays, is outright. As she said more than once, her belief informed and clarified her vision. I have no doubt that that was true.”

Though I was pleased to read Martin Scorsese’s insistence that he identifies himself as a Catholic, it was not quite clear to me what he meant when he insisted he is Catholic. I believe that Scorsese is an enormously talented filmmaker but I don’t see as clearly as other film critics Catholic themes in his films. That may be my failure rather than Scorsese’s.

As I reflect on Monda’s interviews, an important Catholic doctrine looms large in my mind – God’s loving presence is everywhere. No one can confine or limit God’s loving presence. God is constantly offering His love to everyone. This a profound truth that should cause those who believe in God great joy. No one is excluded from God’s love. God loves all people more than we love ourselves.

At Christmas time, Christians celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation, the mystery of the Word of God becoming flesh. Every year at Christmas time, I observe that people act differently, both believers and non-believers. I choose to believe that this is not just a mood of holiday cheer. It is more than that. I think that many experience or sense that something important happened 2,000 years ago. God’s love seemed to become more tangible in the person of Jesus. That love can become more tangible in the lives of Jesus’ followers. People can become a tangible sign of God’s love.

Monda was touched, sometimes deeply, by those he interviewed. I wonder if his faith touched them. I suspect that it did. My experience has taught me that God often comes to people through other people. Those of us who believe in God want to be both receivers and channels of God’s loving presence.