"The supernatural is the core of Catholic life," said philosopher and author Dr. Alice von Hildebrand as she introduced her lecture on The Loss of the Supernatural and How to Regain It on Sunday, April 1st at the Church of Our Saviour. We are witnessing a war, she added, where secularization is encroaching more and more on Catholic life.

Members of the Love & Responsibility Discussion Group listened attentively as Dr. von Hildebrand explained that man, in his pre-lapsarian state, was capable of becoming God-like through grace. This supernatural life was lost when Adam and Eve disobeyed God -- nature was wounded. God so loved us that he sent Our Saviour who opened the gates of heaven through the cross. Yet very few are willing to follow Christ to Cavalry. Dr. von Hildebrand referenced Kierkegaard's term "unholy cleverness" to explain how people are trying to find a middle way to escape the cross. And increasingly, we see examples of how Catholic saints are being praised for purely secularistic reasons.

How are we to reconquer the supernatural? Through prayer, sacrifice and penance, Dr. von Hildebrand explained. Being supernaturally motivated means we work for the greater glory of God, not for our own glory. With the rise of feminism, women realized that they were not appreciated, and they were quite right that they were not. "But if you do it for God," Dr. von Hildebrand asked, "why does it matter? Don't concede that human recognition really has value."

What about the supernatural in our lives? All of us go through disillusionment, disappointment and suffering. All of us have crosses. The message of the supernatural, she explained, is to use one's holy imagination to turn these crosses into glorifications of God. A Catholic is never defeated -- perhaps in the secular sense, but never in the supernatural sense. Dr. von Hildebrand related a personal experience from her teaching days at Hunter College where because of her Catholic views she was denied a tenured position. In response to her great disappointment, a friend gave her a good piece of advice: Why don't you offer it up for one of your students who doesn't respect the reality of God? "And what an amazing discovery," Dr. von Hildebrand said, "when one of my students decided to enter the Church." She continued, "I know people who go through their lives offended. Stop for a moment and contemplate Christ on the cross."

Following the lecture, Dr. von Hildebrand graciously signed copies of her recently published biography of her late husband Dr. Dietrich von Hildebrand, one of the preeminent Catholic philosophers of the 20th century. Entitled Soul of a Lion, the book is based on a very long letter Dietrich wrote his wife. Members of Love & Responsibility invited Dr. von Hildebrand to join us for one of our discussion evenings. It would be our great honor should she accept.