The Gospel According to U2

This past Sunday, which also happened to be the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, known colloquially by its Latin name Corpus Christi, I had the great privilege of seeing U2 live in concert.  The event was rescheduled from last year's original date, which was to bring the Irish rock legends to Spartan Stadium... before Bono threw out his back.  The co-occurrence of this concert and the liturgical fest is of no small import, as I will explain below.

But first, permit me to say that I believe U2 to be one of the most positive forces on the artistic scene today.  Anyone who is even slightly familiar with their music knows that it frequently speaks to spiritual, even explicitly Christian, themes.  Consider lyrics such as "You broke the bonds and you loosed the chains/ Carried the cross of my shame/ O my shame, you know I believe it"?  Or, "The real battle just begun/ To claim the victory Jesus won/ On Sunday, Bloody Sunday"? 

Lest anybody doubt the Christian commitments of the U2 front man, I recall an excerpt I read recently from his interview-style biop.  When asked about his own religious convictions, Bono responds with candor and no small amount of theological depth: 

I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I'd be in deep s---. It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity.... The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That's the point. It should keep us humbled . It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven. (From Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas)

Um... wow.  

So what does U2 have to do with the most Holy Eucharist (despite goofy Anglican attempts to integrate their music into worship)?  I would suggest that the lads not only preach a very Eucharistic message, in the form of their music, but live a very Eucharistic life.  


The great gift of the Eucharist is not only the opportunity for real, physical and spiritual communion with Jesus Christ, but also the grace that empowers us to be Eucharist for others.  Christ, in His humility and love, comes to us in the form of bread and wine, to be our spiritual food and drink.  As He did two thousand years ago on Calvary, when He gave up His own life that we might have life, so He continues to do today, wherever the Mass is celebrated.  In the Eucharist, Jesus says to us, "Freely you have received; freely give" (Matthew 10:8).


This message of Christ is also the message of U2.  Bono is one of the greatest philanthropists in the world.  Consider the ONE campaign to cancel Third World debt, and the RED campaign for AIDS relief in Africa, each founded through the magnanimity of Bono.  I would suggest that it is not coincidental that Bono, who is a committed Christian, is also so giving.  Charity is the heart of the Christian life, and Bono has learned that virtue in the school of the Eucharist.  

Dominican Sojourn

I recently had the pleasure of meeting many of the Dominican Friars of the Province of Saint Albert the Great (Central U.S.A.), which is based in Chicago. The occasion was the Solemn Profession of vows of one of their lay brothers--in Dominican parlance, "cooperator brothers"--Brother Paul Byrd, O.P. Everyone should read his excellent blog about the life and work of a Dominican Cooperator Brother.

After the Mass, in which Brother Paul professed perpetual poverty, chastity and obedience, his Dominican brothers hosted a dinner reception. I'll say this: the Dominicans are a lively bunch! After everyone had taken their seats at table, in walked Brother Paul, who was greeted with cheers, applause, and no small amount of banging on tables and twirling of napkins. Wine was served, and as dinner was ending, a positively ancient Friar rose to propose a toast to Fr. Michael, who has served as Prior Provincial for the past eight years. He received a standing ovation from his brothers.

"Dominican joy" is a common theme in the life and work of the Order of Preachers. Founded by St. Dominic de Guzmán in Spain in the thirteenth century, the Order was largely committed to the correction of Albigensianism. Albigensianism is essentially an iteration of Manichaeism, which is partly a perversion of Platonism, whereby the material world--particularly the human body--is believed to be inherently evil. According to this most un-Christian of doctrines, the body is not to be disciplined, by flagellation or fast, but destroyed. In the squalor of the thirteenth century city, the Albigensians were to be seen on every street corner, telling the poor that they were better off for their woes. Amidst this absurdity entered the white-robed Friars who stubbornly insisted that "God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good" (Gen 1:31).

There is, indeed, some truth to the phrase, "there is nothing good or evil but thinking makes it so." Or, as Chesterton rephrases, "there are no bad things but only bad thoughts; and especially bad intentions," and if the path to hell be paved with anything, the one thing it cannot be paved with is good intentions. Drink is not evil, nor even drinking; only drunkenness is contrary to the Divine Will. And as Augustine advises, "few are they whose sins should be treated with severity."

Which is, perhaps, why Dominicans enjoy life so much; at least, they enjoy those things that make life worth living: food, drink, friends, laughter, art, religion. In fact, as I dined with my new Dominican friends, I could not help but think of Belloc's famous rhyme:

Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine,
There’s always laughter and good red wine.
At least I’ve always found it so.
Benedicamus Domino!