Encountering the culture
“Grace supposes culture, and God’s gift becomes flesh in the culture of those who receive it.” Pope Francis
According to Pope Francis, culture is one of the constitutive realities of human existence. To be human is to belong to a culture. He says that culture “embraces the totality of a people’s life.” Because of this, he says that it is impossible to evangelize without being in touch with the culture.
The pope says further, “Every culture offers positive values and forms which can enrich the way the Gospel is preached, understood and lived.” Tolle Lege Summer Institute is dedicated to seeking out the positive values and forms of our culture and highlighting how they belong in a primal sense to Jesus Christ, whose positive response to his Father’s will cancels out the ultimate negation of death and draws all to himself. All good in the world impels us--by the power of Christ--toward the Father, who alone is Good (Luke 18:19).
While it is true that all cultures need purification, Tolle Lege seeks the positive values of the culture in many different mediums. At Tolle Lege we relentlessly pursue beauty wherever it can be found, including the fine arts, music, and literature.
One of the staples of each Tolle Lege week is a visit to the Cleveland Museum of Art, where teens are challenged not to just look at art as “pretty pictures” but to unveil the depth of meaning and the heights of the spirit present therein. Tolle Lege is especially attuned to the goodness and beauty that is found in music, a great capability of the human soul and a great gift from God. Pope Benedict has described music as the “universal language capable of uniting all mankind.”
While it is true that all cultures need purification, Tolle Lege seeks the positive values of the culture in many different mediums. At Tolle Lege we relentlessly pursue beauty wherever it can be found, including the fine arts, music, and literature.
One of the staples of each Tolle Lege week is a visit to the Cleveland Museum of Art, where teens are challenged not to just look at art as “pretty pictures” but to unveil the depth of meaning and the heights of the spirit present therein. Tolle Lege is especially attuned to the goodness and beauty that is found in music, a great capability of the human soul and a great gift from God. Pope Benedict has described music as the “universal language capable of uniting all mankind.”
“Life grows by being given away, and it weakens in isolation and comfort. Indeed, those who enjoy life most are those who leave security on the shore and become excited by the mission of communicating life to others." Pope Francis
At Tolle Lege we also see hints and shadows—or downright grand displays—of goodness in modern films. Teens are tasked to view the arts and the culture around them through the lens of the Paschal Mystery, reading the story of Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection in all the drama and beauty that surrounds them. All good art has its source in the mystery of Life’s victory over death. To those who see the world through Paschal Mystery lenses, the evidence of this beautiful mystery abounds.
Culture has both broad and specific forms, and a central mission of the Tolle Lege Summer Institute is to acquaint its participants with the culture and history of Cleveland and its Catholic Church. This means helping the teens get to know the many historic neighborhoods of Cleveland and to root on its sports teams—even all the way to a championship! To be a Catholic in Cleveland is a great privilege and a cause for great hope and joy.
Culture has both broad and specific forms, and a central mission of the Tolle Lege Summer Institute is to acquaint its participants with the culture and history of Cleveland and its Catholic Church. This means helping the teens get to know the many historic neighborhoods of Cleveland and to root on its sports teams—even all the way to a championship! To be a Catholic in Cleveland is a great privilege and a cause for great hope and joy.
Pope Francis tells us that the Gospel offers us the chance to live life on a higher plane. But an essential element of our living life “higher” is that we must bring the whole world up with us. The cultures of the world are batches of flour waiting for the yeast that will cause them to rise. Jesus tells us that it only takes a little yeast (Matthew 13:33). The question is whether we are willing to be the leaven that gladly seizes the flour and raises it to its full purpose or if we will instead flee the flour fearing it will make us unclean, endeavoring in vain to seek the comfort of salvation in isolation. To Pope Francis the right response is clear, and the stakes are high: “To live our human life to the fullest and to meet every challenge as a leaven of Gospel witness in every culture and in every city will make us better Christians… If we have received the love which restores meaning to our loves, how can we fail to share that love with others?”