When glamour beckons, can Benedictine values compete?
“Do you reject the glamour of evil?” This striking question from the Catholic rite of baptism for adults has received surprisingly little attention from theologians. One might summarize all Benedictine values and practices as answering this question by turning from the merely glamorous toward quieter, deeper joys. The puzzle for Christian educators is how to make such inherently self-effacing joys attractive when the culture of glamour and celebrity competes so well.
March Feast of St. Benedict, 20 March 2012, St. John’s University, Collegeville, Minnesota