The year 1999 is still young. I expect as you are reading this, winter will still be in force, although hopefully not with the sub-zero temperatures the Dakotas have right now. Something about a year ending with three nines seems special. As this year moves on, we will hear more and more talk about the coming new millennium. 1999 is also the final year of Church preparations for the Jubilee year 2000. So it would seem we have arrived at an exciting point in time, a moment of great transition. But will the new century bring changes for better, for worse, or just business as usual? It seems a bit too soon to try answering that question, but the final year of the 20th century does give a good opportunity to look back at what these hundred years have brought. (There are some technical purists who insist the new century does not start until January 1, 2001, but I'd like to ignore that debate for now).

The twentieth century could be described as a century of extremes, both good and bad. This century has brought amazing and wonderful improvements in one particular area: technology. One hundred years ago, people were excited by new inventions such as the automobile, telephone and radio. Today, most Americans take these technologies for granted as ordinary ingredients of life. (In many third world countries these things are still relatively rare, but let's confine this to wealthier societies such as America and Western Europe). Television, airplanes, space travel, computers, etc., the list of twentieth-century breakthroughs goes on and on. We might even hear the occasional complaint that technology has made modern life too complicated. We do not, however, see large numbers of people abandoning modern technologies, nor is this likely to happen anytime. No, technology is here to stay (at least for those who can afford it) because it offers advantages that are just too obvious to resist. True, there is a wide gap in how rich nations and poor nations have been able to use technology. But someone could assume that continuing advances in human knowledge will bring modern technology to an ever-widening number of people. For example, even relatively poor Americans in 1999 have access to modern comforts unknown to the wealthiest people of a century ago. So from this perspective, the twentieth century has been "the best of times", with hopes of even bigger advances to come.

  From a spiritual point of view, the twentieth century has been very different. Some of you may have heard the legend about a vision Pope Leo XIII supposedly had in 1884; The devil asked for 100 years to run rampant on earth, and God gave him the 20th century. If this sounds too negative, keep in mind that historians of the future will very likely label the 20th century as the time of the two most destructive wars in history. Add to this the Cold War with its nuclear threat, and the Great Depression, and we see why someone might label this century "the devil's own". But the dark side of this century goes even beyond that.

  The wars fought in the modern century were more destructive than those in the past precisely because modern technology gives mankind the ability to destroy things, as well as build them, more efficiently. This is particularly true with atomic weapons and the threat of chemical or biological weapons. Some of today's moral problems have also resulted from modern medical technologies, especially abortion and birth control. So technology has proven to be a mixed blessing: it creates the potential for greater good, or greater evil.

  Even as science has advanced mankind's control over the physical world, our knowledge of the spiritual side of life has failed to keep up, or even deteriorated. The American political controversies of recent months are perfect examples of this: in the midst of material prosperity and comfort, an endless parade of scandals and corruption fails to provoke much response. Nobody is outraged, it seems, unless the misbehavior somehow affects them personally or threatens their pocketbook.

  What we are seeing here is the full flowering of materialism and individualism. These philosophies were already known at the start of this century. I was surprised recently in reading some essays by the Christian writer G.K. Chesterton, written over 90 years ago: he was writing about many of the same issues in the news today: socialism, the "sexual revolution", women's changing roles etc... The problem with 20th century "progress" is that all our scientific and material gains have distracted us from matters of faith and spirit. I read somewhere that one reason for lower church attendance in recent decades is the growth of the idea of leisure time. Why go to church on Sunday when you could be out having "fun"?

  But if the modern culture of this century frustrates people of faith in some ways, it also gives us reasons for optimism. The problems of a materialist culture have finally reached the point where less and less people can keep denying them. Some of the Godless ideologies of this century are already diminished: fascism is gone and socialism seems to be in decline. The Church shows every sign of outlasting these so-called "modern" ideas. Furthermore, there is no reason why a high-tech culture has to be more hostile to faith than any other. Pope John Paul in particular has an excellent understanding of how to use modern technology to build up the church. He is by far the most widely seen and heard Pope in history, thanks to modern transportation and communications.

 Even the Internet, for all the dire warnings we hear about it, has the potential for good. For example, those of you with Internet access might try searching for information on natural family planning. You may be surprised at the wealth of material you find, keeping in mind that hundreds or thousands of people are also finding it each day! For a Christian who believes in "proclaiming the Good News", modern technology clearly offers a new and exciting way to do it.

  This may be why Pope John Paul and much of the Church looks to Jubilee 2000 with a sense of cautious optimism. The mistakes of the past will eventually fade away, while the eternal truth of faith remains. True, the years after 2001 will have their share of brand new mistakes. But as "the devil's century" slowly winds down, one can only look back and wonder if the odds don't favor things getting better.

You might be wondering just how all this relates to a monastery. Not surprisingly, the modern culture described here has not been too supportive of monasticism. Vows of poverty, obedience and celibacy fly directly in the face of materialist / individualist values. As a result, there are 30% fewer monks in American monasteries than a generation ago. At times it can seem we are headed for a sort of spiritual "dark ages". But monks are no strangers to dark ages; St. Benedict was born, lived and wrote his Rule during them. Monasticism has endured through 15 centuries of good and evil, rises and falls. Along with the Church as a whole, monks await the new century and hopefully a spiritual renewal.