Some would still speak of our times characterised by a conflict of culture and religion.  Reading the signs of the times in the light of the Gospel you would tend to agree with last two great Popes and religious leaders:  we do not have a conflict of culture and religion, but a culture in crisis.  The unique confrontation Jesus had was not with somebody of a different culture or of a different religion, but with satan, who has ever been against God and jealous of man – therefore, without religion and against all culture.  Why does he challenge Jesus:  “If you are God… If you are the Son of God…”?  Why does he propose to Him dominion over all kingdoms and humanity?  Can it be because even satan, like us, cannot understand a God made Man, a fragile God, a Servant God, a humble and submissive God, a God in love with Man?  We do not understand this concept of God, it belongs to another logic.  That is why we ask God to give us the grace to believe… to believe in the Mystery of the Incarnation.  Satan does not understand either;  but can he ever come not to hate such a God?  So why is our culture becoming so inhumane?  Is it because there are two world views in conflict, or because there are two sets of believes in competition?  Or is it because we have excommunicated God-Man from our culture, and has gone into a great crisis, leading to barbarism, in this time and age of technological progress?

Fr Paul Fenech