ReasonForOurHope

Thursday, February 20, 2014

New Evangelizers Post: Music - God's Arrow to the Heart


I have a new article up at NewEvangelizers.com


Most of my articles here at New Evangelizers have focused on apologetics: giving a logical and systematic defense and explanation of the faith.  As a religion teacher, this has been the focus of my career, to remove the intellectual obstacles that my students have to understanding the Lord.

“Why is there a hell?”  “Why do we have to go to Mass?”  “How can we trust the Bible?”

Most of my efforts involves laying out the evidence and giving evidential or logical proofs for our beliefs.  And I know that this is a proper thing to do because, as St. Thomas Aquinas constantly emphasized, our faith is rational.  God is the author of Reason, and so Reason should give light to the Lord.

But, of course, we are more than rationality.  We are not like Mr. Spock, devoid of all but logic.  Christ does not only appeal to the mind, but to the heart.  Most of our great conversions to the Lord might begin with reason.  But the final push is almost always involves a metanoia or change of heart.  We need the Holy Spirit to come into our hearts and light a fire.

But like any fire, it has to be fueled, stoked, and enkindled.  And there are few way better to do this than music.


You can read the whole thing here.

No comments:

Post a Comment