We Might Be Able to Go a Long Way With Enthusiasm and Earnestness

The ruined church, Péronne, France, 5 September 1918. [Source: AWM E03187]

Here are a couple of interesting additions to my previous post: The contradiction (hypocrisy?) of a Socialist Atheist
Demanding the Subsidy of a Place of Worship to Maintain its Artistic Merit, which was an analysis of the text The Death of the Cathedral by Marcel Proust.

I have read, many years ago, A La Recherche du Temps Perdu, and I've seen some film variations of it, so I am really not an expert on Proust. I read his article at face value, and concluded that Proust's atheistic, socialist view would only destroy (eventually) the church he admires so much.

Here is Francois Mauriac, another French author, who writes about Proust:

En 1922, dans son éloge nécrologique de Marcel PROUST, François MAURIAC écrit :

“Dieu est terriblement absent de l’oeuvre de Marcel Proust. Du point de vue littéraire, c’est sa faiblesse et sa limite (...) le défaut de préoccupation morale appauvrit l’humanité créée par Proust, rétrécit son univers ...”.

In his obituary eulogy for Marcel Proust, Francois Mauriac wrote:

God is terribly absent in Marcel Proust's work. From a litterary point of view, it is his weakness, and his limitations...the lack of moral concern improvishes the humanity created by Proust, shrinks his univers...[My translation].

And here is another development posted at Tiberg's Galliawatch:

A Christian revival in France

A reader sent this optimistic English-language article on a possible re-awakening of Christian fervor in France. Citing the Manif Pour Tous and his own experiences as a church-goer in France, Pascal Emmanuel Gobry paints an encouraging picture of a Catholic France that may play dead, but that is in reality very much alive and unwilling to capitulate to Islam. And he debunks the myth of the "empty churches of France" with first-hand evidence to the contrary.

I am sure such Christians are worshiping in earnest, but I think there is a long way to go to bring back the reverential Christianity, which imbued almost all aspects of life, and not just the churches. Without a strong society, Christianity is still vulnerable. Going to church is not enough.

But, perhaps, like the nascent Christianity at the beginning of Christianity, we can go a long way with enthusiasm and earnestness.
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Posted By: Kidist P. Asrat