March 2007 - Artificial Adolescence

Have we gone back to the prehistoric age? The insolent success of modern art leads us to ask this question - a question that appears somewhat strange and certainly insulting in the eyes of our contemporaries! Fascinated by technical advances and the comfort which they generate, many readily consider that we have arrived at a golden age of mankind. We do not subscribe to this judgment. It seems to us more correct to maintain that our century, constantly oscillating between a marked infantilism and an unsuitable arrogance, has returned to adolescence, embracing all the excesses of that age.

Dear Friends and Benefactors,

Have we gone back to the prehistoric age? The insolent success of modern art leads us to ask this question - a question that appears somewhat strange and certainly insulting in the eyes of our contemporaries! Fascinated by technical advances and the comfort which they generate, many readily consider that we have arrived at a golden age of mankind. We do not subscribe to this judgment. It seems to us more correct to maintain that our century, constantly oscillating between a marked infantilism and an unsuitable arrogance, has returned to adolescence, embracing all the excesses of that age.

It is amazing to see the extent to which grown men today seem to adopt the behavior of teenagers. The problem, serious because of its extension and its disastrous consequences, demands that we take our time to ponder it. Also, in order to clearly define the question which occupies us, let us make clear from the start that we do not refer to pathological infantilism. That is not what we denounce.

Neither is our spirit that of an old and envious grouch, only too happy to pour his gall on the young. We willingly acknowledge the youngsters’ undeniable qualities of soul, revealed in the generosity with which they launch themselves in pursuit of a high ideal. On the other hand, we definitely want to ridicule that “youthfulness” so prized today but which is nothing more than a grotesque parody of youth.

A “youthfulness” spread everywhere, by means of simplistic slogans extolling beauty, physical strength and dreams. By the skillful flattering of their passions, men are kept in a psychological state of prolonged adolescence.

Thus, it is not rare to see people of a respectable age dressed as vulgar teenagers suffering an “identity crisis,” behaving as spoiled brats, walking in bands under an untidy leader! The infantile behavior of these poor wretches reminds us of the noisy behavior of children at vacation camp - but the age is not the same ...

It is a pitiful spectacle which, alas, hardly moves us any more, so common has it become. Our apathy also comes from the fact that we ourselves are all affected, in differing degrees, by this forced “youthfulness” which, because of its idiocy, is no more than a precocious senility.

We do not take enough care in selecting our reading material, which is generally about frivolous subjects. We spend more time leafing through magazines, or reading some bad but easy novel, than by reading a book of doctrine or spirituality which would nourish our soul.

We cannot confront life's difficulties because we do not have the strength to choose what is right and to be faithful to those choices when tribulation hits us. We flee using various excuses, so many that it is impossible to list them here, but which all betray our fickleness, a fickleness worthy of the teenager that we still are.

We particularly like to escape from the dullness of our daily duty - we sneer at the monotony of our duty of state which, in our own opinion, is far below our abilities, which would be better suited to great change, adventure, thrills of life! Thus, we greedily seek what would enable us to avoid fulfilling our duty.

Our constant evasions do not prevent us from being particularly arrogant and from seeing ourselves as the center of the world. It is quite difficult not to discover in this arrogance a new characteristic of our lasting adolescence.

Will it be over some day?

We have not matured; we remain eternally teenagers, carried away by the ardor of our feelings, changing according to our whims, inventing for ourselves an ideal world commensurate with our vague and sentimental aspirations. We fear like the plague the least sacrifice. The word "renouncement" leaves us in a panic. We want to have pleasure, enjoy life, follow our aspirations - in a word: to be ourselves, authentic.

We refuse our state of grown men and weep over the agitations of our youth, maintaining them artificially.

This evil is not new. It is the mark of decadent times, when man, infatuated by his power, believes that he is master of the universe. He then affects to be indifferent towards it and demands from the world the recognition of his power and his rights.

Confronting the extent of this evil, the cross of our Savior stands majestically, reminding us that there is no other way of healing than that pointed out by the suffering Christ. May we understand it and take it up!

In Christo sacerdote ei Maria,

Fr. Yves le Roux

NEWS FROM THE SEMINARY

• On February 2, 2006, Bishop Tissier de Mallerais visited us to confer the Tonsure in a Pontifical High Mass. Twenty-three seminarians received the cassock, while another nine were made clerics by reception of the Tonsure.

• We do remind you that for this summer, the Seminary has scheduled an Ignatian Retreat for Men, from July 2 to 7. There will be no retreat for women.