August 16, 2026
Dear St. Rita Parishioners,
“Behold, I am doing something new!” (Is 43:19). This prophecy from Isaiah is, of course, fulfilled in the “res novae” – the “new thing” or “revolutionary change” – accomplished by Jesus Christ, namely the Paschal Mystery. At the end of all things, which end was inaugurated by Christ’s Paschal Mystery, we hear Isaiah’s prophecy restated in the form of accomplishment, “Behold, I make all things new!” (Rev 21:5). There are two words for “new” in the Greek. “Neos” would refer to another, fresher, younger instance of a thing. In English, we add the prefix “neo” to indicate a thing’s connection with a previous version (e.g. neo-conservative, neo-scholastic, neo-Thomist). The word “kainos”, however, indicates a totally new kind of thing. When Qoheleth in the Book of Ecclesiastes asks, “Is there a thing of which it is said, ‘See, this is new’? It has been already, in the ages before us” (1:10), the word for “new” is “kainos”. But, both Isaiah and the Book of Revelation quoted above use it also!
The Book of Ecclesiastes, far from being a book of despair about the monotony of life, is one that accepts the finitude of our humanity and points us to hope in God’s eternal plan – “[God] has put eternity into man’s mind” (Ecc 3:1). That plan, fulfilled by Christ, endures through all other human attempts to move beyond our finitude or to sidestep it or to conquer it. The great revolutionary change of our time, technology, has become in the minds and hearts of some, the means to do just that, however. Pope Leo’s warning in Magnifica Humanitas is precisely this, that if we place our hope solely in this revolutionary change, this human “new-ness”, we will fall back to earth like Icarus and discover that, by our human efforts, there is indeed “nothing new under the sun” (Ecc 1:9).
But, because of Christ’s New Thing – the Paschal Mystery – it is possible to direct human finitude to Divine Newness. The Pope recognizes that to “interpret the great trends of our time, particularly technological advances” (MH 4), it is necessary to ask for God’s wisdom, which is a great reminder that thinking, pondering, and meditating are extremely important types of work. If we are to have non-worthless commentary on society and its trends, then we must spend time engaging interiorly the data we have encountered. Indeed, we must spend time placing it alongside the Wisdom and Word of God, to filter out what is chaff (and, not new) and to allow the good grain to remain.
It is necessarily the case that each of us views the world through the lens of our own experience of life, and that each of us brings to the table something unique. But it is also the case that God’s Revelation to humanity of Himself and of ourselves gives us the possibility of true interpretation. It is God who writes meaning into history and who gives us the keys to interpret it. And therefore, thinking, pondering, meditating – and more than these, conversation with God (since He Himself is the sieve) – are all necessary for each of us. We all bring something to the table when it comes to pondering and engaging the revolutionary change of our times.
Pope Leo makes an important observation regarding technology and its advance, which highlights the necessity of our engagement: “In the past, it was largely up to the State to guide and direct innovation. Today, however, the main drivers of development are private, often transnational, parties that are endowed with resources and the capacity to intervene that surpass those of many Governments. Technological power thus takes on an unprecedented, predominantly ‘private’ aspect” (MH 5). I would add to his comment the fact that, especially in the technological world, there is a deep distrust of government, an underworld of anarchy (e.g. the hacker group Anonymous), and a desire to attain by other means that which the government refuses or is unable to provide. This situation, coupled with global strife and disagreement, sets up a very precarious situation.
Of course, since there is nothing new under the sun, when the powers and potentates of this world fight, it is the little people who suffer. Just ask any child of a strained marriage (or of divorce). Many of them feel helpless, hopeless, and uncared for, which often, sadly, leads to all kinds of poor choices. Christ’s Newness, however, gives you and me more agency than we may realize, and more than the world wants to admit to us, and the presence of such a dangerous situation should spur us to engage with the means we have for the sake of our world, our families, and our futures. We must remember, then, that both the government and the private sector are made up of individuals. And, while there are forces that are beyond our control, you who are involved in either must use your position for the benefit of humanity and not for its destruction.
Therefore, I challenge you to intentional engagement, not just of the culture, but of the forces that shape culture. You are sometimes placed inside those forces as Esther was placed by God in the king’s palace. She by God’s Providence was placed in a position to save her people, and by her courage, her humility, her cunning, and most importantly her faith, save her people she did. Your means of engagement are many and varied, and you must choose the proper means at the proper time.
First, you must pray. You must engage with God the work you do. “Does my work or my line of work align with the Gospel precept of charity? Or, does it contribute to greed, strife, and oppression?” The answer for most people is likely mixed, where functionally, the profession in which I am engaged contributes partially to good things and partially to evil things in the world. Thus, the second question I bring to prayer forms the second means of engagement: “Can I, and how can I, direct my portion of work towards the common good?” If my work cannot at all align with charity and the common good, then I probably shouldn’t be in it. But all honest work can be directed towards charity and the common good, and so we must spend time pondering how we can be involved in this way.
The second means of engagement, then, is applying your conclusions from prayer at work, whether in policy, procedure, or people. Those three areas seem to be potential areas of influence. Policy needs to be directed towards the common good. If you can influence policy away from ideological strife, corporate greed, and power struggles, you are serving well the common good. Procedure needs to be rooted in charity and excellence. The way that an office is run can be driven by selfishness, ambition, greed, laziness, incompetence, and other vices, or it can be with a genuine interest in people, mission, and excellence. You have a large role to play in that arena. One person can affect an office culture greatly. Finally, people can be won over to godliness by prayer, mortification, and friendship. Each person has all sorts of motivations and influences, and while arguing and debating with them about right and wrong doesn’t often get very far, friendship can have great effect. We should pray for our co-workers, offer mortifications for them, and befriend them as much as possible. When they know we love them, they will be more open to receiving Him who is the reason you love them, Jesus Christ. And when people change, everything else changes, too.
Hopefully it is clear that these means of engagement are means of bringing Christ’s Newness to bear on the world around us. If we are to escape the futility that is humanity’s attempt to save itself, then we must rely on the One who by His New Thing has saved us all.
In Christ,
Fr. Christensen