In this article Ong, showing pastoral concern, defines the Catholic\u2019s commitment to serve fellow Catholics as well as love all humanity unconditionally.\u00a0\u00a0 Ong continues to define this unbounded commitment as one that should not be limited to Catholics alone, or solely to Christians, but to all people as Jesus Christ\u2019s commitment to the world was.\u00a0 With Christ as the example, the Catholic\u2019s commitment should extend to all people to the extent of self-sacrifice.\u00a0 The Catholic\u2019s faith must be put into action.<\/p>\n
Ong discusses how many Catholics have failed to perform their faith and why such cases exist.\u00a0 Ong describes how some groups are prone to look on other groups with hostility.\u00a0 One reason for such hostile behavior can develop out of an economy of scarcity where the lack of material goods makes the “out” group compete with the “in” group.\u00a0 Persecution of others can also be promoted when a group member believes that deviating form the group\u2019s beliefs\/actions would disrupt the group\u2019s existence.\u00a0 These are both cultural conditions.<\/p>\n
Ong explains that regardless of church doctrines and beliefs, Catholicism and Catholics exist in a culture that influences behavior.\u00a0 In the United States, Catholics live in the culture of the U.S. (this culture is also discussed in “The Intellectual Frontier”<\/a> and “That American Way”<\/a>), a culture that has been blessed with abundance rather than scarcity and is very pluralistic.\u00a0 Pluralism, through communication, can alleviate misunderstandings, but even this particular culture has its dangers.\u00a0 Pluralism can lead to indifference, which contradicts the belief that Catholicism is the one true faith.\u00a0 Such circumstances leave the Catholic in a difficult situation as one must stay true to one\u2019s faith while remaining respectful to another\u2019s acts of good faith.<\/p>\n What remains important, according to Ong, is the communication that pluralism produces.\u00a0 By using the National Conference of Christians and Jews as an example, Ong shows that communication can do two things.\u00a0 First, communication sets areas of agreement and disagreement between the participating parties so that true understanding is achieved.\u00a0 Second, communication can develop cooperative efforts among the parties that serve the larger population.\u00a0 Ong concludes that as the world continues to implode into one massive community, understanding, cooperation, and good will are ever more necessary for the betterment of the entire world.<\/p>\n Mark E. Johnson In this article Ong, showing pastoral concern, defines the Catholic\u2019s commitment to serve fellow Catholics as well as love all humanity unconditionally.\u00a0\u00a0 Ong continues to define this unbounded commitment as one that should not be limited to Catholics alone, or solely to Christians, but to all people as Jesus Christ\u2019s commitment to the world was.\u00a0 … Continue reading Annotation: Platform of Good Will<\/span>
\nCommunication
\nUniversity of Dayton<\/p>\n
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