The world needs to have a soul

TO be direct and candid about this topic, the reason why the world needs to have a soul is because it is a world not simply of minerals, plants and animals, but of man. It needs to be humanized, and the soul is what humanizes it.

Months before his death, Pope John Paul II suggested to the framers of the European Union constitution to give due reference to the role of Christianity in the formation of Europe.

For sure, the suggestion was not an act of vanity on the part of the Church
nor of the Pope. It was not meant to merely grab credits. It was simply to acknowledge an obvious historical fact.

In spite of the many ups and downs, right and wrong things that the Church—due to its human element—underwent in its history, Christianity offered Europe its soul.

As Pope John Paul once said, “if history demonstrates that mistakes have also been made by believers…this must be attributed not to Christian roots, but to failure of Christians to be faithful to those roots.”

Also as a human and historical institution, the Church cannot help but be dirtied and stained by the whole drama of the human effort for development and civilization.

But it can be said that Christianity at least helped stimulate, direct and purify its culture, making it aware of a spiritual and supernatural purpose in life, and not just the material and natural.

As Europe’s soul, Christianity became a principle of unity, a sure guide, a
source of inspiration and a humanizing agent to the difficult and often bloody formation of the European civilization.

Christianity opened in the West the frontiers of the worlds of thought and
religion, the arts and the sciences, the law, education, charity work, etc.
It opened universities, hospices, etc. It introduced many useful skills and techniques in farming, cattle rearing, cheese making, water management and raising bees.

It produced great men and women in different fields, and inspired many to embark bold missionary travels all over the world. With Christianity, pain, suffering, difficulties, so unavoidable in life, were given positive notes.

I suppose that the papal suggestion was meant not only to remind but also
to encourage European leaders that for Europe to develop properly, it will always need the inspiring impulses of Christianity.

Especially now when Europe and the world in general are faced with more complicated challenges deriving, for example, from the forces of globalization and rapid technological advances, the world needs a sure guide, a healthy soul.

And Christianity can offer this. Far from being obsolete or outdated, Christianity is always open to any new development and challenge in the different fields of human endeavor. It knows how to humanize and Christianize it.

Christianity will always give the proper guidelines and principles. It for example will always bat for the requirements of solidarity, justice and mercy so necessary when the world moves into more complex network of human relations.

When the world is often tempted to be selfish and to have a very narrow view of life, Christianity will lead it to be more mindful of the others and to work along the ways of charity and justice.

This will require, of course, effort to know more about Christian doctrine.
More than that, Christianity will require one to assimilate this doctrine in his life and activities, no matter what the sacrifice.

Of course, Christianity while being very human, will always remind everyone of God who is the source of all things for us: wisdom, strength, prudence, understanding, patience, charity, etc.

We should realize that we just cannot go on developing our world on our own, relying simply on our intelligence and cleverness. It cannot go on simply on the basis of some economic or social or political laws.

The world needs to have a soul, one whose beginning and end should be
God, a God with us.