here you will find my mathoms

Radioheadian Epistemology (veiled references to unveiled hearts)

2011-02-23T03:53:00.000-08:00

2/23/11 (look it up, dear!)

Are we all aligned? What time is it? Where are we today? So many questions and so little time, or so it would seem. But enough about me and thee, let's go back to 2/23.....

While you make pretty speeches,
I'm being cut to shreds.
You feed me to the lions,
a delicate balance

When this just feels like spinning plates.
I'm living in cloud cuckoo land.
And this just feels like spinning plates
Our bodies floating down the muddy river.

Before there was a Thom Yorke, someone else was once both cut to shreds (by fire, after the threat of lions, nonetheless!) and yet made beautiful speeches at the same time. But if speeches are speeches, and all things are equal, maybe our lot is simply to fall down a river after the tragedies end at the Colosseum and the drunken Romans leave the party. 2/23, 2/23, 2/23.

Are we all shouting into the cold air at the same volume? Does no one stand at an ambon to elevate their words? Is the phrase axios not axiomatic? I wonder. The emperor of no imperium may be standing with no clothes, in the end. 10/31, 10/31, 10/31...ah, but that is a digression, isn't it?

Thankfully, there are a few other words that come to mind and set one straight from the same muse (and God help you if you think Muse can speak to your heart in a better manner than Yorke et al.), equally set as a stage for a dream or three.

Don't get any big ideas
They're not going to happen

You paint yourself white
And fill up with noise
But there'll be something missing

Now that you've found it, it's gone
Now that you feel it, you don't
You've gone off the rails

So don't get any big ideas
They're not going to happen

You'll go to hell for what your dirty mind is thinking

There you have it. On second thought, let's hope this angle was flawed from the start. And naturally, I mean that in both ways.

2/23/11 (it will hurt if I swallow...)

only 8 out of 3142 people got a 100% on this quiz

2010-09-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

So i heard about a quiz where atheists and agnostics outperformed "religious people". Apparently American Catholics did the poorest. At any rate, I also heard that only 8/3142 got a 32/32 on the test.

Yours truly also got a 100%. It's sad that such an easy test was aced by so few.......let me know what you got, svp!

Metropolitan Jonah on Stillness, etc.

2010-08-08T22:17:00.000-07:00

I sent these notes from a Lenten Retreat Given by Metropolitan Jonah in the form of text messages to my wife. I realize now more than ever that I need them. Presenting them unedited, for better or for worse. Each new paragraph is a new text message:

Dispassion is a major goal of the spiritual life by that non reaction we take control of ourselves.

Resentment gives the ones we resent the power over our lives.

Choosing not to react is on many levels. Not just inaction but keeping quiet but not even thinking negatively about someone. We can choose how to react. It's a matter of having the will to stop those reactions.

Sobriety is not just not being drunk, it's being in control of ourselves so we can be completely present to ourselves and to God.

You know you have resentment when you hear someone's name and feel angry. You have to go to that person and forgive them, to overlook and see the person inside. It is not absolution.

The goal of stillness is the loss of distractions, the loss of our ego to forget ourselves.

If you can sit for twenty minutes in stillness I guarantee you can not respond.

Passions are like the weather and stillness is like a mountain. Just sit down and be quiet remembering that God is present. Start with just one minute without thinking.

More stillness means more mastery of self and the true person will emerge.

The word passion and passive are connected. There is a sense in which they happen to us. But we have the choice to let things pass by or to focus on them.

Provocation, examination, assent. The steps from passion to agreement.

But from agreement one goes to action which has a string of its own to actually sin. His example is seeing a McDonald's ad for a big mac during lent.

You can stop at many points in this chain.

The best practice is to recognize the thought and to say no from the beginning.

Being sober and still allows you to dismiss the thought.

Example--annoying person at the parish. You start thinking about how they bother you.

Chain of judgmental thoughts starting with them offending. You don't have to react to their offense.

Doing this gives peace. You won't miss the service by thinking about this person and you can then love them.

Stillness means no thoughts. No distractions-contemplation vs. mediation. Meditation is thinking but contemplation is silent focused awareness of God.

Best way to prepare for confession. This reflects our maturity. Starts as a laundry list.

Important is not to look at particular instances. Those are usually symptoms. Look for underlying motivations.

Thinking about resentment to objectifying to hate to slander to self justifying. Be as honest with yourself as possible. Priests are tempted to judge people based on them thinking you are hiding, not based on saying things. False shame is an indication you are not willing to let go. Naming it puts you at war with it.

Monasteries have daily confession and thoughts are mentioned. Obsessive thoughts should be confessed even at a non-confession setting.

But thought confession takes too much time for non-monastics.

St. Isaac the Syrian-Salvation is consciousness in God.

Schism, the lack thereof, and a hope for the future by meditating on failures of the past

2010-08-03T19:58:00.000-07:00

"Whoever suggested such a thing to you and how did they ever lead your mind astray? ... How, indeed, is the Greek Church to be brought back into ecclesiastical communion and a devotion for this Apostolic See when she has been beset with so many afflictions and persecutions that she sees in Latins only an example of perdition and the works of darkness, so that she now, and with reason, detests the Latins more than dogs?" - Pope Innocent III

Source of the quote: http://www.crusades-encyclopedia.com/psinnocentiii1204.html

Helter Skelter Orthodoxy

2010-06-27T17:49:00.000-07:00

"The extremities of the earth, and everyone in every part of it who purely and rightly confess the Lord, look directly towards the Most Holy Roman Church and her confession and faith, as to a sun of unfailing light awaiting from her the brilliant radiance of the sacred dogmas of our Fathers, according to that which the inspired and holy Councils have stainlessly and piously decreed. For, from the descent of the Incarnate Word amongst us, all the churches in every part of the world have held the greatest Church alone to be their base and foundation, seeing that, according to the promise of Christ Our Savior, the gates of hell will never prevail against her, that she has the keys of the orthodox confession and right faith in Him, that she opens the true and exclusive religion to such men as approach with piety, and she shuts up and locks every heretical mouth which speaks against the Most High." (Maximus, Opuscula theologica et polemica, Migne, Patr. Graec. vol. 90)

Why I am happy about people becoming Orthodox

2010-03-10T21:41:00.001-08:00

(and why our common voice is not an excuse to ignore said common voice)

Read more here

typology

2010-02-20T20:29:00.000-08:00

A Brief Analysis of the Typological Significance of Old Testament Readings for Immovable Feasts of the Byzantine Lectionary
1) Ezekiel 43:27-44:4
27And when these days are over, from the eighth day on, the priests shall offer your holocausts and peace offerings on the altar. Then I will accept you, says the Lord GOD. 1 Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, facing the east; but it was closed. 2 He said to me: This gate is to remain closed; it is not to be opened for anyone to enter by it; since the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it, it shall remain closed. 3 Only the prince may sit down in it to eat his meal in the presence of the LORD. He must enter by way of the vestibule of the gate, and leave by the same way. 4 Then he brought me by way of the north gate to the facade of the temple, and when I looked I saw the glory of the LORD filling the LORD'S temple, and I fell prone.

Feasts when read: Nativity of Theotokos, Protection of the Theotokos, Annunciation, Entry into the Temple, Dormition

Typological Significance/Reflections:
Ezekiel’s prophecy of a new and holy temple is a message to Israel during a period of oppression and a lack of prominence, where hope is needed. His image that takes place on the 8th day evokes the thought of a new accounting of time on a new week. This new beginning brings an era which tells a story that ends with the glory of the LORD filling the temple, causing the Holy Prophet to fall prostrate. But what of the verses that come before the arrival of glory? We read of a restriction to this new and holy temple. Its gates are closed to all because God Himself has entered it.
Where can we find the key to understanding this prophecy in our Tradition?
This passage is fittingly read during Marian feasts. The bricks and gold of the original Temple rite, though beautiful and the home of the glory of God during the Old Testament era, are overshadowed by the Mother of Our Lord. She, the inviolate One, is the closed gate that gave birth to God the Word. She as the temple of God Himself, brought the Invisible God to our Visible fleshly existence through the “gate” of her birth giving. As such, the manifestation of God’s glory as described in Ezekiel’s words is fully seen through the life of the Theotokos.
2) Isaiah 60:11-16

11 Your gates shall stand open constantly; day and night they shall not be closed But shall admit to you the wealth of nations, and their kings, in the vanguard. 12 For the people or kingdom shall perish that does not serve you; those nations shall be utterly destroyed. 13 The glory of Lebanon shall come to you: the cypress, the plane and the pine, To bring beauty to my sanctuary, and glory to the place where I set my feet. 14 The children of your oppressors shall come, bowing low before you; All those who despised you shall fall prostrate at your feet. They shall call you "City of the LORD," "Zion of the Holy One of Israel." 15 Once you were forsaken, hated and unvisited, Now I will make you the pride of the ages, a joy to generation after generation. 16 You shall suck the milk of nations, and be nursed at royal breasts; You shall know that I, the LORD, am your savior, your redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

Feasts when read: Exaltation of the Cross, Great and Holy Saturday includes 1-16

Typological Significance/Reflections:
In Isaiah’s vision, we read of glory and safety coming to God’s people through the unlikely medium of wood. The image of gates standing open throughout day of night produces a powerful image of security. No locks are mentioned, as God’s people dwell in safety and their enemies face destruction. While the cedars of Lebanon receive acclaim in the Psalms, wood tends to be less glorious in our thinking than jewels and precious metals, but here we see that cypress, the plane, and pine bring beauty and glory to God’s sanctuary. The allusion of enemies bowing before God’s formerly forsaken people fits with our liturgical chant, “We Bow to Your Cross Oh Christ Our God, and we glorify Your Holy Resurrection”. It also matches the fulfillment in Church History where the Holy Cross protected the people of Constantinople. That great event of the Protection of the Cross, combined with the period between the Crucifixion and Resurrection where the significance of the wood is found in Our Lord’s Sufferings for our sake (Holy Saturday), takes this typological imagery and gives it a fuller meaning and existence.

3) Isaiah 11:1-10

1 But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom. 2 The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him: a spirit of wisdom and of understanding, A spirit of counsel and of strength, a spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD, 3 and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, 4 But he shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land's afflicted. He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked. 5 Justice shall be the band around his waist, and faithfulness a belt upon his hips. 6 Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them. 7 The cow and the bear shall be neighbors, together their young shall rest; the lion shall eat hay like the ox. 8 The baby shall play by the cobra's den, and the child lay his hand on the adder's lair. 9 There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD, as water covers the sea. 10 On that day, The root of Jesse, set up as a signal for the nations, The Gentiles shall seek out, for his dwelling shall be glorious.

Feasts when read: Eve of the Nativity

Typological Significance/Reflections: The springing forth of a new plant from the lineage of Jesse heralds the entry of a Just Judge who is filled with the fear of the Lord and His Spirit. His coming is not one of mere moral instruction-it leads to a change of the entire world, where images of dangerous animals like lions and cobras are seen to be pacified and peace and salvation spread from the mountain of the Lord to the whole land. This spread is connected with the earth being filled with the knowledge of the Lord. In a time when the Jews and their neighbors were not at peace, Isaiah’s prophecy ends by saying that this root of Jesse will be a signal to the nations, such that even the Gentiles will seek and find this Blessed One. Clearly this passage is a Messianic prophecy that only finds clarity in understanding what Our Lord’s Incarnation means, and thus it is fitting to read on the Eve of His Holy Nativity.

4) Isaiah 12:3-6

3 With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation, 4 and say on that day: Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. 5 Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all the earth. 6 Shout with exultation, O city of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel!

Feasts when read: Theophany

Typological Significance/Reflections: Water plays a relatively secondary role in the liturgical rituals of the Old Testament. The Pentateuch places a great emphasis upon the offerings that are to be sacrificed, prepared, burned, and the like. Salvation through fountains points to a transition in salvation history that, while prefigured through events such as the Flood and the Crossing of the River Jordan, one could not have predicted without a typological description such as this. St. Paul writes to the Colossians that baptism corresponds to Circumcision of the Old Covenant People of God (Colossians 2:11-12). At the Theophany, the appearance of God to His people through the cleansing waters of the Jordan brings us a vision of who God is and how we can approach His Holiness through Baptism into Christ-that vision is typologically shown by the writings of Isaiah in chapter 12.

5) Isaiah 40:1-3

1 Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. 2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service is at an end, her guilt is expiated; Indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins. 3 A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the LORD! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!

Feasts when read: St. John the Baptist-conception and the third finding of the head

Typological Significance/Reflections:
Comfort, expiation, a voice from the desert proclaiming that God is coming to His people-these words tell of a time of preparation. The final Old Testament prophet would be coming, and Isaiah’s words here prepare us for this advent. The Holy Forerunner, Prophet, and Baptist John would come hundreds of years later to prepare the way of the Lord, and this great preparation made the way for forgiveness to stream to God’s people. In one sense, as verse two states, the service of Jerusalem would be an end-the Temple cult would end as its true significance would be manifested in the Paschal Lamb of God who, as the Baptist stated, takes away the sins of the world.

6) Exodus 24:12-18

12 The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and, while you are there, I will give you the stone tablets on which I have written the commandments intended for their instruction." 13 So Moses set out with Joshua, his aide, and went up to the mountain of God. 14 The elders, however, had been told by him, "Wait here for us until we return to you. Aaron and Hur are staying with you. If anyone has a complaint, let him refer the matter to them."15 After Moses had gone up, a cloud covered the mountain. 16 The glory of the LORD settled upon Mount Sinai. The cloud covered it for six days, and on the seventh day he called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. 17 To the Israelites the glory of the LORD was seen as a consuming fire on the mountaintop. 18 But Moses passed into the midst of the cloud as he went up on the mountain; and there he stayed for forty days and forty nights.

Feast when read: Transfiguration

Typological Significance/Reflections:
Moses received the great gift of God’s Presence and Laws for His People to follow Him rightly. As St. Paul reflects in 2 Corinthians, this glory was overwhelming but transitory (2 Cor 3:13). The Law and the Shekinah glory as seen in the cloud and fire were awe-inspiring but did not last beyond those moments. With the coming of Jesus Christ, an abiding presence was established and manifested at His Transfiguration. As Christ Himself said, he would be with us “to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). That God came to His representative (Moses) on a mountain was a message that He is near us, but this magnificent manifestation came and left. At the Incarnation of Christ, God walked among His people, but many times this was something that even His disciples could not grasp. At the Transfiguration, that confusion changed as the glorious event entered the pages of history. Christ showed that the glory of God was not seen most clearly in an inhuman cloud or pillar of fire. Instead, God was manifested to be present as a man-He is someone, instead of an abstract something. Our God became man, and that manifestation of His presence via His blinding glory was fulfilled in His countenance which shone with even greater (and unfading) glory that dwelled in God the Word.

on capital punishment

2010-01-26T10:27:00.000-08:00

I'm currently working through Fyodor Dostoyevsky's The Idiot. Like many Russian novels, it is full of characters and lineages and names (and nicknames) that can be somewhat confusing, but now that it is going I am enjoying his depth of feeling about life and its meaning. His reflection on capital punishment, as given by Prince Myshkin, has gripped my thoughts for the past few days.

"...I saw an execution in France—at Lyons. Schneider took me over with him to see it."

"What, did they hang the fellow?"

"No, they cut off people's heads in France."

"What did the fellow do?—yell?"

"Oh no—it's the work of an instant. They put a man inside a frame and a sort of broad knife falls by machinery—they call the thing a guillotine-it falls with fearful force and weight-the head springs off so quickly that you can't wink your eye in between. But all the preparations are so dreadful. When they announce the sentence, you know, and prepare the criminal and tie his hands, and cart him off to the scaffold—that's the fearful part of the business. The people all crowd round—even women-though they don't at all approve of women looking on."

"No, it's not a thing for women."

"Of course not—of course not!—bah! The criminal was a fine intelligent fearless man; Le Gros was his name; and I may tell you—believe it or not, as you like—that when that man stepped upon the scaffold he cried, he did indeed,—he was as white as a bit of paper. Isn't it a dreadful idea that he should have cried—cried! Whoever heard of a grown man crying from fear—not a child, but a man who never had cried before—a grown man of forty-five years. Imagine what must have been going on in that man's mind at such a moment; what dreadful convulsions his whole spirit must have endured; it is an outrage on the soul that's what it is. Because it is said 'thou shalt not kill,' is he to be killed because he murdered some one else? No, it is not right, it's an impossible theory. I assure you, I saw the sight a month ago and it's dancing before my eyes to this moment. I dream of it, often."

The prince had grown animated as he spoke, and a tinge of colour suffused his pale face, though his way of talking was as quiet as ever. The servant followed his words with sympathetic interest. Clearly he was not at all anxious to bring the conversation to an end. Who knows? Perhaps he too was a man of imagination and with some capacity for thought.

"Well, at all events it is a good thing that there's no pain when the poor fellow's head flies off," he remarked.

"Do you know, though," cried the prince warmly, "you made that remark now, and everyone says the same thing, and the machine is designed with the purpose of avoiding pain, this guillotine I mean; but a thought came into my head then: what if it be a bad plan after all? You may laugh at my idea, perhaps—but I could not help its occurring to me all the same. Now with the rack and tortures and so on—you suffer terrible pain of course; but then your torture is bodily pain only (although no doubt you have plenty of that) until you die. But here I should imagine the most terrible part of the whole punishment is, not the bodily pain at all—but the certain knowledge that in an hour,—then in ten minutes, then in half a minute, then now—this very instant—your soul must quit your body and that you will no longer be a man—and that this is certain, certain! That's the point—the certainty of it. Just that instant when you place your head on the block and hear the iron grate over your head—then—that quarter of a second is the most awful of all.

"This is not my own fantastical opinion—many people have thought the same; but I feel it so deeply that I'll tell you what I think. I believe that to execute a man for murder is to punish him immeasurably more dreadfully than is equivalent to his crime. A murder by sentence is far more dreadful than a murder committed by a criminal. The man who is attacked by robbers at night, in a dark wood, or anywhere, undoubtedly hopes and hopes that he may yet escape until the very moment of his death. There are plenty of instances of a man running away, or imploring for mercy—at all events hoping on in some degree—even after his throat was cut. But in the case of an execution, that last hope—having which it is so immeasurably less dreadful to die,—is taken away from the wretch and certainty substituted in its place! There is his sentence, and with it that terrible certainty that he cannot possibly escape death—which, I consider, must be the most dreadful anguish in the world. You may place a soldier before a cannon's mouth in battle, and fire upon him—and he will still hope. But read to that same soldier his death-sentence, and he will either go mad or burst into tears. Who dares to say that any man can suffer this without going mad? No, no! it is an abuse, a shame, it is unnecessary—why should such a thing exist? Doubtless there may be men who have been sentenced, who have suffered this mental anguish for a while and then have been reprieved; perhaps such men may have been able to relate their feelings afterwards. Our Lord Christ spoke of this anguish and dread. No! no! no! No man should be treated so, no man, no man!"

On the Eve of the Nativity, words from Our Holy Father

2009-12-24T22:35:00.001-08:00

Found here.

"God’s sign is that he makes himself small, he becomes a child"
"No longer is he the distant God who can in some way be perceived from afar, in creation and in our own consciousness." From Bethlehem erupts the news that changes everything, even the "hearts of stone." The pope's homily for Christmas Eve

by Benedict XVI

Dear brothers and sisters, "a child is born for us, a son is given to us" (Is 9:5). What Isaiah prophesied as he gazed into the future from afar, consoling Israel amid its trials and its darkness, is now proclaimed to the shepherds as a present reality by the Angel, from whom a cloud of light streams forth: "To you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Lk 2:11). The Lord is here. From this moment, God is truly "God with us". No longer is he the distant God who can in some way be perceived from afar, in creation and in our own consciousness. He has entered the world. He is close to us. The words of the risen Christ to his followers are addressed also to us: "Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Mt 28:20). For you the Saviour is born: through the Gospel and those who proclaim it, God now reminds us of the message that the Angel announced to the shepherds.

It is a message that cannot leave us indifferent. If it is true, it changes everything. If it is true, it also affects me. Like the shepherds, then, I too must say: Come on, I want to go to Bethlehem to see the Word that has occurred there. The story of the shepherds is included in the Gospel for a reason. They show us the right way to respond to the message that we too have received. What is it that these first witnesses of God’s incarnation have to tell us?

The first thing we are told about the shepherds is that they were on the watch – they could hear the message precisely because they were awake. We must be awake, so that we can hear the message. We must become truly vigilant people. What does this mean? The principal difference between someone dreaming and someone awake is that the dreamer is in a world of his own. His "self" is locked into this dreamworld that is his alone and does not connect him with others. To wake up means to leave that private world of one’s own and to enter the common reality, the truth that alone can unite all people. Conflict and lack of reconciliation in the world stem from the fact that we are locked into our own interests and opinions, into our own little private world. Selfishness, both individual and collective, makes us prisoners of our interests and our desires that stand against the truth and separate us from one another. Awake, the Gospel tells us. Step outside, so as to enter the great communal truth, the communion of the one God.

To awake, then, means to develop a receptivity for God: for the silent promptings with which he chooses to guide us; for the many indications of his presence. There are people who describe themselves as "religiously tone deaf". The gift of a capacity to perceive God seems as if it is withheld from some. And indeed – our way of thinking and acting, the mentality of today’s world, the whole range of our experience is inclined to deaden our receptivity for God, to make us "tone deaf" towards him. And yet in every soul, the desire for God, the capacity to encounter him, is present, whether in a hidden way or overtly. In order to arrive at this vigilance, this awakening to what is essential, we should pray for ourselves and for others, for those who appear "tone deaf" and yet in whom there is a keen desire for God to manifest himself. The great theologian Origen said this: if I had the grace to see as Paul saw, I could even now (during the Liturgy) contemplate a great host of angels (cf. in Lk 23:9). And indeed, in the sacred liturgy, we are surrounded by the angels of God and the saints. The Lord himself is present in our midst. Lord, open the eyes of our hearts, so that we may become vigilant and clear-sighted, in this way bringing you close to others as well!

Let us return to the Christmas Gospel. It tells us that after listening to the Angel’s message, the shepherds said one to another: "‘Let us go over to Bethlehem’ … they went at once" (Lk 2:15f.). "They made haste" is literally what the Greek text says. What had been announced to them was so important that they had to go immediately. In fact, what had been said to them was utterly out of the ordinary. It changed the world. The Saviour is born. The long-awaited Son of David has come into the world in his own city. What could be more important? No doubt they were partly driven by curiosity, but first and foremost it was their excitement at the wonderful news that had been conveyed to them, of all people, to the little ones, to the seemingly unimportant. They made haste – they went at once.

In our daily life, it is not like that. For most people, the things of God are not given priority, they do not impose themselves on us directly And so the great majority of us tend to postpone them. First we do what seems urgent here and now. In the list of priorities God is often more or less at the end. We can always deal with that later, we tend to think. The Gospel tells us: God is the highest priority. If anything in our life deserves haste without delay, then, it is God’s work alone. The Rule of Saint Benedict contains this teaching: "Place nothing at all before the work of God (i.e. the divine office)". For monks, the Liturgy is the first priority. Everything else comes later. In its essence, though, this saying applies to everyone. God is important, by far the most important thing in our lives. The shepherds teach us this priority. From them we should learn not to be crushed by all the pressing matters in our daily lives. From them we should learn the inner freedom to put other tasks in second place – however important they may be – so as to make our way towards God, to allow him into our lives and into our time. Time given to God and, in his name, to our neighbour is never time lost. It is the time when we are most truly alive, when we live our humanity to the full.

Some commentators point out that the shepherds, the simple souls, were the first to come to Jesus in the manger and to encounter the Redeemer of the world. The wise men from the East, representing those with social standing and fame, arrived much later. The commentators go on to say: this is quite natural. The shepherds lived nearby. They only needed to "come over" (cf. Lk 2:15), as we do when we go to visit our neighbours. The wise men, however, lived far away. They had to undertake a long and arduous journey in order to arrive in Bethlehem. And they needed guidance and direction.

Today too there are simple and lowly souls who live very close to the Lord. They are, so to speak, his neighbours and they can easily go to see him. But most of us in the world today live far from Jesus Christ, the incarnate God who came to dwell amongst us. We live our lives by philosophies, amid worldly affairs and occupations that totally absorb us and are a great distance from the manger. In all kinds of ways, God has to prod us and reach out to us again and again, so that we can manage to escape from the muddle of our thoughts and activities and discover the way that leads to him. But a path exists for all of us. The Lord provides everyone with tailor-made signals. He calls each one of us, so that we too can say: "Come on, ‘let us go over’ to Bethlehem – to the God who has come to meet us.

Yes indeed, God has set out towards us. Left to ourselves we could not reach him. The path is too much for our strength. But God has come down. He comes towards us. He has travelled the longer part of the journey. Now he invites us: come and see how much I love you. Come and see that I am here. "Transeamus usque Bethlehem," the Latin Bible says. Let us go there! Let us surpass ourselves! Let us journey towards God in all sorts of ways: along our interior path towards him, but also along very concrete paths – the Liturgy of the Church, the service of our neighbour, in whom Christ awaits us.

Let us once again listen directly to the Gospel. The shepherds tell one another the reason why they are setting off: "Let us see this thing that has happened." Literally the Greek text says: "Let us see this Word that has occurred there." Yes indeed, such is the radical newness of this night: the Word can be seen. For it has become flesh. The God of whom no image may be made – because any image would only diminish, or rather distort him – this God has himself become visible in the One who is his true image, as Saint Paul puts it (cf. 2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15). In the figure of Jesus Christ, in the whole of his life and ministry, in his dying and rising, we can see the Word of God and hence the mystery of the living God himself.

This is what God is like. The Angel had said to the shepherds: "This will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger" (Lk 2:12; cf. 2:16). God’s sign, the sign given to the shepherds and to us, is not an astonishing miracle. God’s sign is his humility. God’s sign is that he makes himself small; he becomes a child; he lets us touch him and he asks for our love. How we would prefer a different sign, an imposing, irresistible sign of God’s power and greatness! But his sign summons us to faith and love, and thus it gives us hope: this is what God is like. He has power, he is Goodness itself. He invites us to become like him.

Yes indeed, we become like God if we allow ourselves to be shaped by this sign; if we ourselves learn humility and hence true greatness; if we renounce violence and use only the weapons of truth and love. Origen, taking up one of John the Baptist’s sayings, saw the essence of paganism expressed in the symbol of stones: paganism is a lack of feeling, it means a heart of stone that is incapable of loving and perceiving God’s love. Origen says of the pagans: "Lacking feeling and reason, they are transformed into stones and wood" (in Lk 22:9). Christ, though, wishes to give us a heart of flesh. When we see him, the God who became a child, our hearts are opened. In the Liturgy of the holy night, God comes to us as man, so that we might become truly human. Let us listen once again to Origen: "Indeed, what use would it be to you that Christ once came in the flesh if he did not enter your soul? Let us pray that he may come to us each day, that we may be able to say: I live, yet it is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me (Gal 2:20)" (in Lk 22:3).

Yes indeed, that is what we should pray for on this Holy Night. Lord Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, come to us! Enter within me, within my soul. Transform me. Renew me. Change me, change us all from stone and wood into living people, in whom your love is made present and the world is transformed. Amen.

Benedict XVI and the Christ Child

2009-12-23T08:06:00.000-08:00

I read this article here this morning and had to share it.

Benedict XVI and the Christ Child
Leading American Catholic writer Amy Welborn says that the Pope's brilliantly perceptive reflections on the birth of Our Saviour can help us to deepen our appreciation of the truth and promise of Christmas

25 December 2009

Pope Benedict XVI blesses a Nativity scene at the Pope Paul VI hall at the Vatican (AP Photo)
The sentiment of the secular Christmas season might provoke a few mixed feelings. Although it seems ungrateful not to be, well... grateful that despite the unrelenting merchandising and secularisation, the basic points of love and giving seem to hold. On the other hand, Love who? Why? How? We know how even words about the highest truths can be drained of meaning and manipulated for base or even evil ends.

So we do sense the truth and promise of Christmas. But mired in postmodern vacuity and scepticism, we wonder, indeed, what we really could possibly mean as we sing: "Holy Infant, so tender and mild..."

And what does that long-ago event it have to do with my life, right now?

Enter Pope Benedict and the Child.

The Holy Father, we all know very well, is a brilliant theologian, but that is not as intimidating as it sounds. For with theologian Joseph Ratzinger, whose writing is consistently lucid, humble and even charming, the line between "theology" and "spiritual writing" frequently slips and even disappears.

So in a meditation composed during his time as Archbishop of Munich, Joseph Ratzinger, beginning as he often does from something quite concrete, reflected on the devotion to an image of the Christ Child still preserved in a tree in Christkindl, placed there in the 17th century by a man suffering from epilepsy or, as the chronicler terms it, "the sickness where one falls down".

A church was eventually built around the tree, and devotion grew. Sweet, but is there anything more than sentimental piety here?

Well, yes. Ratzinger, in just a few words, links this tree with the tree of paradise, with Mary, the life-giving tree who gives us the fruit, Jesus, with the circular shape of the church, recalling the womb and baptism, our call to be born again as children, which is possible because God became a child.

For, as he writes, in a passage that never ceases to prompt me to pause in recognition, "we are all suffering from 'the sickness where one falls down' ".

How true. How very true.

"Again and again, we find ourselves unable interiorly to walk upright and to stand. Again and again, we fall down; we are not masters of our own lives; we are alienated; we are not free."

What is the answer? God's love - and there is nothing vague about this. God's love so very real and concrete that it is enfleshed and God himself comes to earth in the most startling of ways - as a baby. We need not look far for the "tree" holding the baby, Ratzinger says, the One who heals us from the sickness where we fall down: "Jesus, who is himself the fruit of the tree of life, and life itself, has becomes so small that our hands can enclose him", we can know him - and be redeemed.

In another meditation, then-Archbishop Ratzinger highlights St Francis of Assisi's role in shaping Christmas devotion in his creation of the original crèche at Greccio. He points to the radical implications of the Word-Made-Flesh as a Child, that this is not about mere sentiment, but about how we must be: "his existence as a child shows us how we come to God and to deification ... One who has not grasped the mystery of Christmas has failed to grasp the decisive element in Christianity" - that to enter the Kingdom we must become like Him. Like a child.

As we continue to read what the Holy Father writes about the Christ Child in his homilies as Pope, the same idea emerges again and again: if we want to know who God is, look at the Child. If we, in our emptiness, sin and hopelessness, want to know if our lives have meaning and if we are loved, look to the Child. If we want to know how to love, look to the Child. Most important of all, if we want to not just have the right ideas, but to actually live in love now and forever, know and love the Child. At Midnight Mass in 2006, the Holy Father's words bring the Good News about God, us and this broken world:

"God's sign is simplicity. God's sign is the baby. God's sign is that he makes himself small for us. This is how he reigns. He does not come with power and outward splendour. He comes as a baby - defenceless and in need of our help. He does not want to overwhelm us with his strength. He takes away our fear of his greatness. He asks for our love: so he makes himself a child. He wants nothing other from us than our love, through which we spontaneously learn to enter into his feelings, his thoughts and his will - we learn to live with him and to practise with him that humility of renunciation that belongs to the very essence of love. God made himself small so that we could understand him, welcome him, and love him."

My own favourite object of Christmas meditation is a real, actual baby. Now that I have none of my own, I must seek one out - at a Catholic Mass that is not too hard - and consider the tiny thing, eyes wide open staring at me and the rest of the world, or closed in blissful sleep, nestled against its mother's neck.

"God is so great that he can become small," Pope Benedict said at Midnight Mass in 2005. "God is so powerful that he can make himself vulnerable and come to us as a defenceless child, so that we can love him. God is so good that he can give up his divine splendour and come down to a stable, so that we might find him, so that his goodness might touch us, give itself to us and continue to work through us. This is Christmas: 'You are my son, this day I have begotten you'. God has become one of us, so that we can be with him and become like him. As a sign, he chose the Child lying in the manger: this is how God is. This is how we come to know him."

Real. Concrete. Flesh and blood. In such loving helplessness, helping us walk, because we have, indeed, all fallen down.

Amy Welborn is a freelance writer. She blogs at http://amywelborn.wordpress.com. Her next book is Come Meet Jesus: An Invitation from Pope Benedict XVI (Word Among Us Press), to be published in January 2010

Hell is "Safety" (reposted from awhile back, as fitting as ever)

2009-12-12T20:29:00.000-08:00

"To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly be broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket – safe, dark, motionless, airless – it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. The alternative to tragedy, or at least to the risk of tragedy, is damnation. The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all the dangers and perturbations of love is Hell." - Clive Staples Lewis, The Four Loves

what I mean by that small St. Therese quote

2009-12-12T06:38:00.000-08:00

I don't know if this translates to those who don't know Spanish, or those who don't understand our affection for the Blessed Virgin. But this celebration in Mexico City is amazing (and if you click on the youtube link it has multiple parts following). It is only idolatrous to the mind who does not see how connected we all are. It makes sense to those who know that our heavenly family is ONE. And she, together with all of the saints, have done so much to keep us from danger. The denial of this, is isolation. It's the world on each person's shoulders. There are many things about by reflections such as the Pilgrim's Progress that bother me, and I think it's the nature of his journey that appears to be so lonely. Overemphasizing who I am as an individual leads to egotism, and makes us forget how many times we have been helped.

What gives me joy

2009-12-05T21:34:00.000-08:00

How often have I thought that I may owe all the graces I've received to the prayers of a person who begged them from God for me, and whom I shall know only in heaven. St. Therese of Lisieux

cancion du jour

2009-11-24T17:51:00.000-08:00

So....

2009-11-24T16:52:00.001-08:00

What should I blog about? I have too many ideas to start. I need focus.
The first 3 ideas people mention will receive my undivided attention (as possible as that is in the 21st century) and I'll just GO.

I need motivation, what can I say?

More blogs, less links!

2009-11-15T08:08:00.000-08:00

That's my promise to you. I recently reached a milestone at work (1 year anniversary, yadda yadda), and realized that I need to not just link things, but share things with anyone may be interested in my mathoms.

We'll see what I have up my sleeve. My other thought is that I don't want this to be about one thing. At one point I had over 4 blogs that had funneled various thoughts about the world. Well, I think that anything that isn't too private that is worth blogging about (and those are two filters which would shrink the blogosphere in size by at least 100-fold) will make it's way here.

That's a goal that I have, at least.

Bulgarian Orthodox Leader Affirms Desire for Unity with the Catholic Church

2009-10-24T06:15:00.000-07:00

I'm lifting this directly from Bryan Cross' blog, Principium Unitatis. I had read the print article but hadn't seen the video footage until today. As an Eastern Catholic my heart's strong desire is to see these Orthodox Christians who are so close to communion with Catholics bridge the gap needed for us to share a meal at one common table. What a testimony to those who doubt this would be? There is so much confusion about all of the various groups who call on Christ--and I believe that with each barrier that is broken, the light grows more.

Bulgarian Orthodox Leader Affirms Desire for Unity

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 22, 2009 (Zenit.org).- A Bulgarian Orthodox prelate told Benedict XVI of his desire for unity, and his commitment to accelerate communion with the Catholic Church.

At the end of Wednesday’s general audience, Bishop Tichon, head of the diocese for Central and Western Europe of the Patriarchate of Bulgaria, stated to the Pope, “We must find unity as soon as possible and finally celebrate together,” L’Osservatore Romano reported.

“People don’t understand our divisions and our discussions,” the bishop stated. He affirmed that he will “not spare any efforts” to work for the quick restoration of “communion between Catholics and Orthodox.”
Bishop Tichon said that “the theological dialogue that is going forward in these days in Cyprus is certainly important, but we should not be afraid to say that we must find as soon as possible the way to celebrate together.”

“A Catholic will not become an Orthodox and vice versa, but we must approach the altar together,” he added.
The prelate told the Pontiff that “this aspiration is a feeling that arose from the works of the assembly” of his diocese, held in Rome, in which all the priests and two delegates from every Bulgarian Orthodox parish took part.

“We have come to the Pope to express our desire for unity and also because he is the Bishop of Rome, the city that hosted our assembly,” he stated.

H/T: Overheard in the Sacristy

Prayer

2009-10-18T07:51:00.000-07:00

I found this quote from Father Stephen Freeman's Blog, Glory to God for All Things.

Pray for those who make accusations against you. Say, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me’, not ‘have mercy on him’, and your accuser will be embraced in this prayer. Does someone say something to you that upsets you? God knows it. What you have to do is open your arms and say, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me’, and make your accuser one with yourself. And God knows what is torturing your accuser deep inside of him and, seeing your love, he hastens to help. He searches the desires of hearts. What is it that Saint Paul says in his Epistle to the Romans? He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because in accord with God He makes intercession for the saints.

Pray for the purification of each and every person so that you may imitate the prayer of the angels in your life. Yes, the angels don’t pray for themselves. This is how I pray for people, for the Church and for the body of the Church. The moment you pray for the Church, you are released from your passions. The moment you glorify God, your soul is calmed and sanctified by divine grace. This is the art I want you to learn.

The Elder Porphyrios from Wounded by Love.

Fr. Barron commenting on Christianity's Dangerous Idea

2009-10-01T06:30:00.001-07:00

Does God exist?

2009-09-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

This video is awesome. Thanks to Thomas Peters, the American Papist, for this link:

Shutting down Faith

2009-09-25T06:56:00.000-07:00

A new blog post for Called to Communion--check it out!

2009-09-24T21:47:00.001-07:00

http://www.calledtocommunion.com/2009/09/is-paedocommunion-a-step-towards-heresy-or-orthodoxy/

the Trisagion.....

2009-09-19T22:57:00.001-07:00

Ἀμήν.
Ἅγιος ὁ Θεός, Ἅγιος Ἰσχυρός, Ἅγιος Ἀθάνατος, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς.
Ἅγιος ὁ Θεός, Ἅγιος Ἰσχυρός, Ἅγιος Ἀθάνατος, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς.
Ἅγιος ὁ Θεός, Ἅγιος Ἰσχυρός, Ἅγιος Ἀθάνατος, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς.
Δόξα Πατρί καὶ Υἱῷ καὶ Ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι.
Καὶ νῦν καὶ ἀεί καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰώνας τῶν αἰώνων, Ἀμήν.
Ἅγιος Ἀθάνατος, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς.
----
Amen.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Both now and ever and unto ages of ages, Amen.
Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

Beckwith Interview

2009-09-19T04:04:00.000-07:00

I remember listening to this interview in audio format two years ago as of next Thursday.

It was shocking at the time and I was going through so much, it feels as though it was 20 years ago.

Thanks be to God for men and women like Beckwith who search for the truth no matter where it leaves them.

Bazan Interview

2009-09-17T05:58:00.000-07:00

"...I perceive that God exists, I'm only about half the time comfortable with that perception...."

Yes, I am inspired by this (6 months is a long time, after all)

2009-09-13T17:04:00.001-07:00

Heavy Breath and Creation

2009-09-12T06:37:00.000-07:00

Heavy Breath

the walls of our house
are thinner than paper
the roof is a vapor
that hangs in the air
and our wedding bed
is made from the same stuff
our bodies are made of
if no heavy breath blew up these lungs
while dirt and wet spit hung a ghost in the air
well, we’re still here
while kids and their friends
make war by the fire
their old men retire
to drink and do drugs
we long for the truth
we argue about it
but most of us doubt
it can ever be found
is a ship without a captain just as doomed
as a ship without a crew
‘cause of all my friends who try to tell the truth
there are still a faithful few
who insist they won’t know what to do
if no heavy breath blew up these lungs
while dirt and wet spit hung a ghost in the air
well, we’re still here

There is some amazing imagery of Adam and Eve in this song (the album version is fuller than this live recording, which is stripped down and lacks the interesting vignette about ships without captains and crews), and I hadn't caught it until I thought about the lyrics more.

I also really appreciate the tie in between Christ healing the blind man (a re-creation, if you will) and that original act of creation. And yes, like his friends I still insist that I wouldn't know what to do, if no heavy breath blew up these lungs while dirt and wet spit hung a ghost in the air.

Elvis, the Mother of God, and You

2009-09-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

are you saved? that question is not as easy some would have it to be...

2009-09-08T14:55:00.000-07:00

the next time you feel like you're smart...

2009-09-07T21:46:00.000-07:00

the God Gene was discovered a year ago!

2009-09-07T14:29:00.000-07:00

And I missed it--Thanks for Father Stephen (whose blog is highly commended) having posted this!

heart-felt inspiration

2009-09-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

Why the first council of Nicea shows a non-Protestant view of the world (and why you should care), part III

2009-08-19T22:23:00.000-07:00

(Note: I will be adding many more comments, but am mad about my lack of productivity so am forcing myself to post this in an incomplete form. But Canon 13, oh Canon 13!)

Let's look at another Canon a lot later in the list of Canons:

Canon 13

Concerning the departing, the ancient canonical law is still to be maintained, to wit, that, if any man be at the point of death, he must not be deprived of the last and most indispensable Viaticum. But, if any one should be restored to health again who has received the communion when his life was despaired of, let him remain among those who communicate in prayers only. But in general, and in the case of any dying person whatsoever asking to receive the Eucharist, let the Bishop, after examination made, give it him.

If we are rightfully accused of believing in Magic, as some have done---if we are making more out of the Eucharist than those who consider it merely symbolic would say we are, why would the first Ecumenical council make sure that NO ONE be deprived of the Eucharist on their way out of the earth?

Why the first council of Nicea shows a non-Protestant view of the world (and why you should care), part II

2009-08-10T19:25:00.001-07:00

After introducing the problem in my previous post, I'd like to bring up what strikes me most about Nicea and the way that this council has a view that does not comport with Protestantism. Many Catholics have gone about this debate by centering their thoughts on some of the final clauses of the Creed, and if I have the time I may conclude by stressing that to really believe in one baptism for the remission of sins, and a Church that is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic does not match the typical Protestant view of the Church, but I think that the context surrounding this Creed is even more compelling.

For you see, this council is indeed the point where Arianism was repudiated and the deity of Christ was upheld, in that great distinction which was made between homoousion (the same essence as that of the Father) and homoiousion (a similar essence as that of the Father's). But it was not merely a council that discussed this matter of who Jesus is and his relationship to the Father.

Not only was there a Creed that was written and approved at Nicea, there was also a set of Canons (or rules) about Church behavior and polity. It is these Canons about which I found myself both greatly amazed and instructed in history as I read them recently. It was so encouraging to see that my faith as a Catholic was upheld historically in the very first Council. But then, I'm getting ahead of myself, as usual.

So, the first Ecumenical Council met, and it didn't just make a Creed. It also set out to write some Canons. We can imagine a hush in that ancient hall, and what will be decreed in the First Canon? If you guessed a further condemnation of Arianism, you would be wrong. In fact, if you randomly were to guess the right answer I would ask you to go to a grocery store and buy me some lottery tickets. This first Canon at the first Council states the following:

If any one in sickness has been subjected by physicians to a surgical operation, or if he has been castrated by barbarians, let him remain among the clergy; but, if any one in sound health has castrated himself, it behooves that such an one, if [already] enrolled among the clergy, should cease [from his ministry], and that from henceforth no such person should be promoted. But, as it is evident that this is said of those who wilfully do the thing and presume to castrate themselves, so if any have been made eunuchs by barbarians, or by their masters, and should otherwise be found worthy, such men the Canon admits to the clergy.

First and foremost, I was shocked to read that this act of self-mutilation was not a random blip confined only to the life of Origen, the early Church Father who had some strange views at times.
This phenomenon was actually frequent enough that the Fathers of Nicea had to speak out against it and say that those men should not be in the ministry! If only our age erred in that realm in that area, versus the dominance that lust plays in the Church and outside of Her doors. But that's another story for another time.

Going beyond that, it really strikes me that this first Canon is considering the treatment of eunuchs and how they, if not self-mutilated, can be a member of the clergy. Why discuss this, if being a pastor "requires" that the man who is ordained must be the husband of one wife?

Instead, there is the assumption that there should be a place for men who live as celibates. And why do you think some people had castrated themselves? It's simple logic to see that some men wanted to be in ministry and could not imagine living a chaste life without this mutilation taking place. Now, many married men may think this to be so, but in the midst of all this consideration which may seem too theoretical, some simple words from Our Lord come to mind:

For there are eunuchs, which were so born from their mother's womb: and there are eunuchs, which were made eunuchs by men: and there are eunuchs, which made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it. (Matthew 19:12)

Now, perhaps some of our 4th century Christian friends had taken this passage literally? Maybe that's why there were some people who had castrated themselves? This may especially be true if also they took Christ's words about cutting things off that cause one to sin literally, but the point is that this Canon shows that that is not what Christ meant. To make one's self a eunuch for the Kingdom of heaven is instead an interior act of devotion to God above any earthly affections. That there would be some celibate men in the priesthood or serving as bishops/deacons/etc. is clearly presupposed by this Canon.

And yet, as I've asked many friends, I cannot find a local Evangelical or Reformed congregation where Pastor so and so has decided to live a celibate life in dedication to God. Instead, such a man would be suspect as being somewhat freakish. Even an unmarried pastor who has the intention of finding a godly wife is suspect. I'm not saying that all priests should be celibate (and indeed, there are married priests in Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, as well as some rare exceptions to the rule when Anglican priests and others convert to Roman Catholicism), but the more I have considered this canon, the more it has been clear that a significant portion of men in the ministry were celibate.

The first Canon of Nicea takes it for granted that there are these men who are eunuchs for the sake of God, and welcomes those men who have been mutilated by others into the ministry. That just sounds far too Catholic for my former Protestant ears. Am I alone?

At this point you may be asking, "So what? So what if this council was completely different in its thinking from my way of thinking?"

The significance of this issue includes these facts:
1) If the Protestant view is right and the view of Nicea is wrong, that means that the Church was already corrupt in its first big meeting after the Scriptures were written.
2) This writing goes presupposes a view held by Catholics and Orthodox, who also stress their connection to the Apostles in terms of apostolic succession.
3) It raises the question of why this issue of celibacy even seems strange, given the passage in the Gospel mentioned above.

Or maybe you're hoping that this dissonance between Protestant thinking and Nicene thinking as seen in Canon I isn't really that big of a deal, and this first canon is just an aberration. As my next post will show, the lack of harmony between the Christian community of 325 and its Protestant counterparts today cuts even deeper than this issue of celibacy.

Why the first council of Nicea shows a non-Protestant view of the world (and why you should care), part I

2009-08-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

Various online and in person debates have led me to think about the idea that the perspective of the Apostolic Churches, both Western and Eastern, is not anachronistic in looking to the first Christians who lived after the Apostles, and seeing a similar tune being sung by them. We are told by our Protestant friends that if we would just look at the really early Church, then all of our distinctives such as Apostolic Succession, the office of a bishop who can ordain people in parishes where he is not the pastor, an almost magical view of the sacraments, and the like, are contrivances that aren't in Nicea, but are in places like Trent. But is that true?

The Nicean Creed is something affirmed by all Trinitarian Christians (to my knowledge, at least), and this council is supposedly from a time when doctrine had not developed to the point where Protestants would take exception. Or so it would seem. Even though as a Presbyterian we would often recite these words, for various reasons I would argue that this council is not fair game for all Christians.

For now, here is the text of the Creed, as said by some Eastern Christians:

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, the only-begotten, born of the Father before all ages.
Light of light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father, through whom all things were made.
Who for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and Mary the Virgin, and became man.
He was also crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried.
And He rose again on the third day, according to the scriptures.
And He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father.
And He will come again with glory, to judge the living and the dead, and of His kingdom there will be no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke through the prophets.
In one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I profess one baptism for the remission of sins.
I expect the resurrection of the dead; and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

AMEN....

In Honor of Some Upcoming Weddings

2009-08-05T07:21:00.001-07:00

"The principle is this: that in everything worth having, even in every pleasure, there is a point of pain or tedium that must be survived, so that the pleasure may revive and endure. The joy of battle comes after the first fear of death; the joy of reading Virgil comes after the bore of learning him; the glow of the sea-bather comes after the icy shock of the sea bath; and the success of marriage comes after the failure of the honeymoon. All human vows, laws, and contracts are so many ways of surviving with success this breaking point, this instant of potential surrender.
In everything on this earth that is worth doing, there is a stage when no one would do it, except for necessity or honor. It is then that the Institution upholds a man and helps him on to the firmer ground ahead. Whether this solid fact of human nature is sufficient to justify the sublime dedication of Christian marriage is quite another matter, it is amply sufficient to justify the general human feeling of marriage as a fixed thing, dissolution of which is a fault or, at least, an ignominy. The essential element is not so much duration as security. Two people must be tied together in order to do themselves justice; for twenty minutes at a dance, or for twenty years in a marriage. In both cases the point is, that if a man is bored in the first five minutes he must go on and force himself to be happy. Coercion is a kind of encouragement; and anarchy (or what some call liberty) is essentially oppressive, because it is equally discouraging. If we all floated in the air like bubbles, free to drift anywhere at any instant, the practical result would be that no one would have the courage to begin a conversation. It would be so embarrassing to start a sentence in a friendly whisper, and then have to shout the last half of it because the other party was floating away into the free and formless ether. The two must hold each other and do justice to each other. If Americans can be divorced for "incompatibility of temper" I cannot conceive why they are not all divorced. I have known many happy marriages, but never a compatible one. The whole aim of marriage is to fight through and survive the instant when incompatibility becomes unquestionable. For a man and a woman, as such, are incompatible."

G.K. Chesterton

Two quotes about the Sun

2009-07-25T07:56:00.000-07:00

"The morbid logician seeks to make everything lucid, and succeeds in making everything mysterious. The mystic allows one thing to be mysterious, and everything else becomes lucid. The determinist makes the theory of causation quite clear, and then finds that he cannot say "if you please" to the housemaid. The Christian permits free will to remain a sacred mystery; but because of this his relations with the housemaid become of a sparkling and crystal clearness. He puts the seed of dogma in a central darkness; but it branches forth in all directions with abounding natural health. As we have taken the circle as the symbol of reason and madness, we may very well take the cross as the symbol at once of mystery and of health. Buddhism is centripetal, but Christianity is centrifugal: it breaks out. For the circle is perfect and infinite in its nature; but it is fixed for ever in its size; it can never be larger or smaller. But the cross, though it has at its heart a collision and a contradiction, can extend its four arms for ever without altering its shape. Because it has a paradox in its centre it can grow without changing. The circle returns upon itself and is bound. The cross opens its arms to the four winds; it is a signpost for free travellers.

Symbols alone are of even a cloudy value in speaking of this deep matter; and another symbol from physical nature will express sufficiently well the real place of mysticism before mankind. The one created thing which we cannot look at is the one thing in the light of which we look at everything -- Like the sun at noonday, mysticism explains everything else by the blaze of its own victorious invisibility -- Detached intellectualism is (in the exact sense of a popular phrase) all moonshine; for it is light without heat, and it is secondary light, reflected from a dead world. But the Greeks were right when they made Apollo the god both of imagination and of sanity; for he was both the patron of poetry and the patron of healing. Of necessary dogmas and a special creed I shall speak later. But that transcendentalism by which all men live has primarily much the position of the sun in the sky. We are conscious of it as of a kind of splendid confusion; it is something both shining and shapeless, at once a blaze and a blur. But the circle of the moon is as clear and unmistakable, as recurrent and inevitable, as the circle of Euclid on a blackboard. For the moon is utterly reasonable; and the moon is the mother of lunatics and has given to them all her name." - G.K. Chesterton

"How can a soul so imperfect as mine aspire to the plenitude of
Love? What is the key of this mystery? O my only Friend, why dost
Thou not reserve these infinite longings to lofty souls, to the
eagles that soar in the heights? Alas! I am but a poor little
unfledged bird. I am not an eagle, I have but the eagle's eyes and
heart! Yet, notwithstanding my exceeding littleless, I dare to
gaze upon the Divine Sun of Love, and I burn to dart upwards unto
Him! I would fly, I would imitate the eagles; but all that I can
do is to lift up my little wings--it is beyond my feeble power to
soar. What is to become of me? Must I die of sorrow because of my
helplessness? Oh, no! I will not even grieve. With daring
self-abandonment there will I remain until death, my gaze fixed
upon that Divine Sun. Nothing shall affright me, nor wind nor
rain. And should impenetrable clouds conceal the Orb of Love, and
should I seem to believe that beyond this life there is darkness
only, that would be the hour of perfect joy, the hour in which to
push my confidence to its uttermost bounds. I should not dare to
detach my gaze, well knowing that beyond the dark clouds the sweet
Sun still shines.

So far, O my God, I understand Thy Love for me. But Thou knowest
how often I forget this, my only care. I stray from Thy side, and
my scarcely fledged wings become draggled in the muddy pools of
earth; then I lament "like a young swallow,"[19] and my lament
tells Thee all, and I remember, O Infinite Mercy! that "Thou didst
not come to call the just, but sinners."[20]

Yet shouldst Thou still be deaf to the plaintive cries of Thy
feeble creature, shouldst Thou still be veiled, then I am content
to remain benumbed with cold, my wings bedraggled, and once more I
rejoice in this well-deserved suffering.

O Sun, my only Love, I am happy to feel myself so small, so frail
in Thy sunshine, and I am in peace . . . I know that all the
eagles of Thy Celestial Court have pity on me, they guard and
defend me, they put to flight the vultures--the demons that fain
would devour me. I fear them not, these demons, I am not destined
to be their prey, but the prey of the Divine Eagle.

O Eternal Word! O my Saviour! Thou art the Divine Eagle Whom I
love--Who lurest me. Thou Who, descending to this land of exile,
didst will to suffer and to die, in order to bear away the souls
of men and plunge them into the very heart of the Blessed
Trinity--Love's Eternal Home! Thou Who, reascending into
inaccessible light, dost still remain concealed here in our vale
of tears under the snow-white semblance of the Host, and this, to
nourish me with Thine own substance! O Jesus! forgive me if I tell
Thee that Thy Love reacheth even unto folly. And in face of this
folly, what wilt Thou, but that my heart leap up to Thee? How
could my trust have any limits?" - St. Therese of Lisieux

On Perspicuity and the Inclusion of Commentaries

2009-07-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

My latest contribution to Called to Communion can be found at this URL.

Have a nice day!

Return to Rome: The Church Fathers

2009-07-19T07:13:00.000-07:00

Return to Rome: The Church Fathers

The Joy of Drinking

2009-07-17T06:58:00.000-07:00

Read it here.

This thought is especially interesting.

"Good drinking is not a flight from reality–the good drinker is acutely aware of the realities surrounding him. Indeed, this awareness is the key to understanding good drinking. Although there are periodic exceptions, life is generally good because earthly existence is a gift of God. This fact is clouded by the grinding troubles of everyday life. But most of these troubles are not troubles at all–they are merely worries stemming from ambitions, ambitions triggered by the self’s pursuit of gratification, a pursuit that causes us to feel harried throughout the workday, to struggle to earn more money than we really need, to dwell on petty things that are beneath our status as creatures made in God’s image."

I just blogged Two Hundred and Thirty-eight Times

2009-06-20T18:29:00.000-07:00

How, do you ask? I took some older posts which were previously on "The Mathoms" and the now less than apt blog entitled "Contrarian Presbyterian" and restored them here. Some may be ones which make me blush, but I realize they were written by me and there were some important things said there. So if you feel like going back in time/taking a trip down odd memory lane, you know where to go....

scientific proof of God

2009-06-08T20:35:00.000-07:00

People request scientific proof of God, and yet we never ask for scientific proof for love.

He who calls Himself love should be viewed with the same straining (or unstraining, longing, loving) gaze that would mock the call for scientific proof of such postulates and hypotheses such as the one which posits that my daughter is precious to me. If God is love and love is not proven scientifically, something is seriously awry when we try to offer scientific proof of God. The same is true for the skeptic, who wants to show God does not exist through the same faulty and inappropriate tools.

And yet so many defenders of God and His detractors hold up the rubric of proving God by empiricism and quantification, and they wonder why they end up with dust in their eyes and friendships torn apart as a result. More confusion than light comes from these types of arguments.

In fact, I take it back---it's not that we never ask for scientific proof for love. If only that were the case. Serious problems arise all the time, and if you look at divorce rates it seems they are growing exponentially. They come about when we ask for that scientific proof in the realm of love. Love is not quantified. Further, our sample size is construed in a biased fashion. We think in such a short termed manner that we end up denying love's truth in places where love is truly there. The short term drowns the more permanent messages. We lose context.

We are all too often operating as though science were the proof of love (and everything). And when we come home to the messy home, or we see our love in their tiredness utter a rash word, our microscopic view of the trees loses the forest that may not be as rotten as the stump that crossed our path at this point in our sojourn.

We must put an end to all scientific quests for love, and begin the relational experience of the people who love us. Let's not learn about how much someone does or does not love us. Let's love and be loved. There are Three who come to mind as a good starting point. But yes, I know, so many are afraid of that journey. Begin where you can, and do not hesitate to progress as mercy opens His doors your way, whether through Himself or in any corner of His amazing world of love and hospitality.

Trust This Church?

2009-05-29T07:47:00.000-07:00

From the Introduction to a book entitled Light and Shadows: Church History amid Faith, Fact and Legend by Father Walter Brandmüller (I found it here), we have this question about trusting the Church.

To me this is the quintessential question---if the Church that was founded by the Apostles and their successors was given a gift whereby her fidelity was maintained, nothing can really stand in the way from joining her. But that is a big "if", and people have big questions. It sounds like Father Brandmüller makes some interesting arguments that I hope and pray will go towards convincing people that this act of trust is worth making.

This introduction makes me wish I could afford another book to my collection--then again, my birthday is in ~3 months....hm.....

Occasionally the Church is compared with Noah's ark: only his sons and daughters, only those animals that Noah took with him into the ark were saved from the great flood. In a similar way, the Church is supposed to be man's only rescue from the final catastrophe.

When discussion turns to the Last Things, to man's eternal fate, then the question assumes the utmost urgency: To whom can he entrust his eternal fate and himself? What can he rely on in life and death? Now, since the Church makes the exclusive claim to be the saving ark, this claim must be so solidly established that it does not mean a leap into uncertainty when man puts his trust in this ark.

Questions About Questions

To many of our contemporaries, such trust in the Church appears to be nothing less than an unreasonable demand upon sound common sense. Aren't there countless facts (the objection goes) that demolish the credibility of the Church?

Many people have read the numerous books or seen the television programs that deal with the subject of the Qumran community and seem to offer proof that the beginnings of Jesus of Nazareth and of Christianity ought to be portrayed in a completely different way from what is recorded in the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament. Many have also seen the earthenware receptacle containing human remains that was found in Jerusalem, on which the names Joseph, Mary and Jesus were inscribed. Isn't this compelling evidence that Jesus did not rise bodily from the dead and that Mary was not taken body and soul into heaven? With that, however, the foundations of the Christian faith crumble into dust and ashes! Many people today suspect that this is so.

Furthermore, the Church—as they say—through clumsy errors made by her official teaching authority on numerous occasions, has repudiated her claim to hold the truth infallibly. Let us listen to Hans Küng, who lists the "classic errors of the Church's Magisterium, most of which have been admitted". First he mentions the "excommunication of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Photius, and of the Greek [Byzantine] Church, which formalized the soon-to-be millennial schism with the Eastern Church". Then Küng adduces "the prohibition against charging interest [on loans] at the beginning of the modern era, whereby the Church's Magisterium changed its opinion much too late, after various compromises". Then (what else could you expect?) he also cites the trial of Galileo in 1616 or else in 1633 and other things of this sort. The most recent major error of the Magisterium, in his view, is its rejection of artificial contraception.

Others before and after him have pilloried the Church on account of the Crusades, the Inquisition and the witch trials, and anyone who is still not satisfied is referred to the financial scandal of the Vatican Bank and the murder conspiracy against Pope John Paul I, who was so likeable: Mafia in the Vatican, at the heart of the Church. From another corner the cry is that a power-hungry clique of Freemasons already replaced Paul VI with a double whom they could control and that the Lodge in general seized power in the Vatican long ago—and so on. Therefore, who can still trust such a Church?

If you are really going to ask the critical question about reliability, however, then direct it not only at the Church but also at the objections that are raised against her.

Justified Criticism?

The Qumran Theme

The most popular books about Qumran, The Dead Sea Scrolls Deception by Baigent and Leigh, and Jesus und die Urchristen [Jesus and the Early Christians] by Eisenmann, as well as other comparable publications on this topic, have been exposed by serious researchers as clumsy concoctions. The books are partly the result of scientific incompetence; to some extent they are based on deliberate, malicious falsification of the facts. It is precisely the archaeological findings at Qumran that, quite to the contrary. shed an extremely interesting light on the New Testament and even clear up riddles. And as for the ossuary with the names of Joseph, Mary and Jesus [Joshua], which actually comes from Jerusalem and dates back to the time of Jesus, the names mean nothing at all, when you consider that they were as common and therefore as insignificant as the names Miller, Fields and Smith would be today.

Similarly, with regard to Hans Küng's "errors" of the Church's Magisterium, we are dealing more with the errors of Hans Küng than with those of the Church. First of all, in page after page, he confuses Patriarch Photius with Patriarch Michael Cerullarius. Then Küng fails to mention that Photius was excommunicated because he had become Patriarch in an unlawful manner and furthermore had accused Rome of heresy and had tried to depose Pope Nicholas I by means of a manipulated synod. Depending on how one views the particular historical circumstances of this case, one could possibly speak about a wrong decision in ecclesiastical politics or an unjust excommunication, but never about an error of the Church's Magisterium.

The same is true for the prohibition against lending at interest and its gradual abolition by the Church. This prohibition against charging interest was based on the Old Testament and had been confirmed by popes and councils. Why this was so becomes clear when you consider that in antiquity and in the medieval world, charging interest was most often identical to usury. Lending at interest lost this sinful character, however, with the transformation of commercial structures in the late Middle Ages. Thus the reason for the prohibition against charging interest became moot over the course of time, and from then on the only concern was with the question of determining the just rate of interest. The general prohibition had thereby become null and void. So where in all this is there an error of the Church's Magisterium?

The condemnation of Galileo's teaching about the fixed position of the sun and the movement of the earth, which is also so often described as an error of the Church's Magisterium, proves upon closer inspection to have been justified at the time. With the scientific methods at his disposal, Galileo could not offer a proof that would convince the specialists either of his day or of ours that that is really the case, nor could he explain, before the discovery of gravity by Isaac Newton, how the earth could possibly revolve at breakneck speed around the sun and around its own axis while at the same time nothing of the sort is perceived by us, since everything on earth stands firm and secure instead of being tossed about in a tumultuous whirl. Most importantly, though, the whole legal proceeding against Copernicus and Galileo resulted in not one single magisterial statement that could have been described as a dogma and on that account would have been irrevocable. In this case, too, the critics fail to take into consideration the many events and facts in intellectual, cultural and scientific history that explain this decision. Furthermore, the most recent scientific findings vindicate the Church of 1633.

A comparably nuanced, careful and comprehensive approach should be taken to the problems connected with the touchy subjects of the Crusades, the Inquisition and the witch trials. In light of recent findings and the latest research, these subjects prove to be many-layered and much more complicated than the superficial observations oft hose who look at them as a source of ammunition against the Church. Moreover, anyone who has even the foggiest notion of the complexity of Financial-political activities and their worldwide interconnections and knows, furthermore, what sort of possibilities they offer for manipulation, will assume that the aforementioned Vatican financial scandal resulted from excessive gullibility or perhaps incompetence or even frivolity in financial matters on the part of the ecclesiastical authorities rather than from criminal intrigues.

As for an opinion of Yallop's book, In God's Name, which maintains that John Paul I was murdered, it is enough to read the first thirty pages in order to pass judgment. On these pages there is talk about the popes of the nineteenth century, and so much of it is false that it is hard to imagine that the author used even an encyclopedia—for that would have sufficed to prevent the numerous errors. If Yallop does not report correctly what everyone can easily find out, how are we supposed to be able to believe him when he cites conversations and events for which, by the very nature of the matter, there can be no witnesses except those who were supposedly involved? No doubt, nothing more should be said about the double of Paul VI and other such luxuriant outgrowths of overheated imaginations.

All these things and many others besides are alleged in order to shake confidence in the Church. As we have shown in these all-too-brief remarks, however, in all these cases that supposedly vitiate the Church, historical and theological knowledge about the subject is enough to prove that such accusations are groundless.

But What About the Moral Failings?

One can with good reason retort that the most extensive knowledge about a subject of this kind will not suffice to excuse the religious and moral failings of important members of the Church throughout the centuries and in every locality, down to the papal adulterer Alexander VI. But then the question arises, on what do we actually base the trust that we place in the Church?

The real basis for our trust can never be a splendid spiritual, moral and religious manifestation of the Church in this world. This has existed and indeed does exist always and everywhere—but one likewise finds always and everywhere the much more conspicuous opposite. Thus all romanticism about the early Church, a romanticism that imagines it sees in the first generations of Christians nothing but holiness and greatness, necessarily runs aground on the hard facts: the Christian married couple Ananias and Sapphira tried to defraud the Apostle Peter; in Paul's congregation at Corinth, there was a case of incest and rebellion against the Apostle; in Philippi, Saint Paul's committed female co-workers Euodia and Symyche quarreled with each other so much that Paul had to give them a serious warning. Indeed, Paul himself parted with Mark and Barnabas during one of his journeys due to differences of opinion that were evidently insuperable. Finally, as early as the year 70, according to the latest research, there was an uprising in Corinth against the priests, such that the Bishop of Rome had to intervene forcefully.

Thus the Church has never had that spotlessly radiant appearance that she ought to have. So it is no wonder, either, that those who believed that they were especially devout were scandalized again and again by this and founded their own "church of the blameless". In contrast, the Church has always shown herself to be a great realist who has always and everywhere reckoned with the failure of her members. Not for nothing did the Lord Jesus himself, who searches and knows the depths of the human heart, institute the sacrament for the forgiveness of sins.

It cannot be said, either, that the shepherds and members of the Church have always and everywhere reacted correctly to the chal1enges of history. On the contrary, many mistakes have been made that subsequently became notorious. For example, was not it disastrous that Pope Clement V allowed himself to be intimidated by the demands of the French king Philip and abandoned the order of Knights Templar, who as a whole were certainly innocent, to a downfall that was in large pare bloody? Entire episcopates—today we would say bishops' conferences—fell into heresy during the Arian crisis of the fourth and fifth centuries. In the sixteenth century the bishops of England, with the exception of Saint John Fisher, followed King Henry Vlll into schism our of weakness and cowardice, and similarly the French episcopate, during the conflict over the freedom of the Church from the state, stood beside Louis XIV against the pope. For almost two centuries the French bishops promoted the heresy of Jansenism. There were not many exceptions, And how did the German bishops conduct themselves during the eleventh- and twelfth-century Investiture Controversy? In 1080 a majority of the German bishops, under the influence of Emperor Henry IV, made an attempt at a synod in Brixen to depose Pope Gregory VII and to elect an antipope. Those German bishops who found themselves confronted with the religious division of the sixteenth century no doubt failed in large measure, too.

Truly, all of this does not make for glorious pages in the ecclesiastical chronicles. In the end, therefore, we cannot place our trust in the wisdom and power of the shepherds, either. No promise was ever made to the Church that her shepherds and her faithful would be irreproachable or capable. What her Founder, the God-man Jesus Christ, did guarantee, nevertheless , is that she will continue unshakably and stand fast immovably in the truth until his return at the end of time. This means that the Church can never proclaim an error in matters of faith whenever she speaks in a form that is ultimately binding; that her sacraments always produce their characteristic effects of grace, provided that they are administered according to the Church's directions; and that her hierarchical-sacramental structure comprising the ministries of primacy, episcopacy and priesthood will always be maintain ed intact. Precisely thereby it is guaranteed that the graces of redemption will continue to be available to the people of all generations, until the Lord comes again.

the abstract and concrete can do the same

2009-05-28T07:28:00.000-07:00

David Bazan is one of my favorite songwriters from this generation. This meaning, the one where I found myself living some 31 years ago (or so).

Probably my favorite Bazan song of all time is this one, which as I mentioned on a previous post, he apparently won't play any more.

The Secret of the Easy Yoke has such simple words that were so true to life of my experience as an evangelical, and they have their own resonance with my experience as a Reformed Presbyterian and my current experience as a Catholic.

i could hear the church bells ringing
they pealed aloud your praise
the members faces were smiling
with their hands out stretched to shake
it's true they did not move me
my heart was hard and tired
their perfect fire annoyed me
i could not find you anywhere

could someone please tell me the story
of sinners ransomed from the fall
i still have never seen you
and some days i don't love you at all

the devoted were wearing bracelets
to remind them why they came
some concrete motivation
when the abstract could not do the same
but if all that's left is duty
i'm falling on my sword
at least then i would not serve
an unseen distant lord

if this is only a test
i hope that i'm passing
cause i'm losing steam
and i still want to trust you

peace be still

For the past several months, I have thought a lot about Bazan's sojourns in doubt, and am eagerly anticipating his next full length album, which I have had the privilege to see performed on two occasions in small house gatherings.

And while his newer songs have interesting thoughts about doubt and damnation, I keep coming back to this song which is now over 10 years old.

One line reverberates in my skull, and it is this:

"the devoted were wearing bracelets to remind them why they came,
some concrete motivation when the abstract could not do the same,
but if all that's left is duty i'm falling on my sword,
at least then i would not serve an unseen distant lord."

The more I think about it the more I am convinced that part of Bazan's problem (and the problem that we all face) with keeping his faith secure is this mentality that the concrete and the abstract are at war with one another.

We are all concrete people with abstract convictions, not mere ideas or concepts of people. Who are we to shun a world where one's abstract convictions are bolstered by one's concrete experience? And who would we be to have our concrete duties and actions regulated by the abstract?

To deny this interweaving relationship is to deny our own complexity.

Now, whether bracelets are the best form of concrete motivation or not, that is another question for another time....

on plastic dolls and plastic hammers

2009-05-21T19:46:00.000-07:00

We have all seen or experienced that familiar scene--a young child acting as though they were all grown up.

This image of our humanity's finitude in light of the ideal that is divinity Himself is especially poignant in my own life for many reasons, but chief on my mind at the moment is watching my beloved daughter. It is absolutely jaw-dropping, inspiring stuff to see a baby girl of almost thirteen months adopt the role of mother with her doll with the zeal of an actual mother. And it reminds me of my feebleness as one who is "actually" a father. I am humbled and in awe at the fact that I have been given these children who are mine to raise, and I am reminded that at the end of the day, all of our efforts to be good people are really approximations of who God is. And despite our coming short, I am prone to thinking that God looks at us, just as I look at my daughter with her doll, or my sons with their tools. Is their actual child raising or craftmanship amazing? No. But their hearts, oh their precious hearts. They are attuned to their calling at life to be someone who makes something of this life.

I know that our Blessed Lord must look at us and see all of the ways that we have made a mess and confusion of this life that we live, but if we are carrying our own dolls and hammers about with the joy, faith, hope, and love of those children, we'll end up all right in the end. At least, that's my hope for us all....

Christians are Called to Communion

2009-05-11T20:37:00.000-07:00

The Grandeur of Covenant Theology

2009-05-08T21:27:00.001-07:00

Another post on the same site, this one was much more work for me....read it here.

Looking Images in the Eye

2009-05-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

New blog post by yours truly here.

Check it, por favor.

faith vs. ?

2009-05-05T20:44:00.000-07:00

Many would set Rome apart from the other Western Christians by saying it's a matter of faith vs. works.

Well, yes and no.

In meditating on many writers and philosophers and average Joe's, I've come to see that it is not about "works".

It's more a matter of saying that we are saved by faith, hope and love.

And when the world is distilled to such a simple view where prayers are not counted or tallied, and instead love and hope are joined hand in hand with faith, I cannot help but ask......how can you object to such a view of the world?

It's a view where these words make sense:

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. Galatians 5:6

The same could be said about these words, which look at the world from the "glass is half empty" viewpoint:

....if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:2b

On the incarnation of the Word

2009-05-02T09:55:00.000-07:00

From a discourse by Saint Athanasius (295-373 AD), bishop

The Word of God, incorporeal, incorruptible and immaterial, entered our world. Yet it was not as if he had been remote from it up to that time. For there is no part of the world that was ever without his presence; together with his Father, he continually filled all things and places.
Out of his loving-kindness for us he came to us, and we see this in the way he revealed himself openly to us. Taking pity on mankind’s weakness, and moved by our corruption, he could not stand aside and see death have the mastery over us; he did not want creation to perish and his Father’s work in fashioning man to be in vain. He therefore took to himself a body, no different from our own, for he did not wish simply to be in a body or only to be seen.
If he had wanted simply to be seen, he could indeed have taken another, and nobler, body. Instead, he took our body in its reality.
Within the Virgin he built himself a temple, that is, a body; he made it his own instrument in which to dwell and to reveal himself. In this way he received from mankind a body like our own, and, since all were subject to the corruption of death, he delivered this body over to death for all, and with supreme love offered it to the Father. He did so to destroy the law of corruption passed against all men, since all died in him. The law, which had spent its force on the body of the Lord, could no longer have any power over his fellowmen. Moreover, this was the way in which the Word was to restore mankind to immortality, after it had fallen into corruption, and summon it back from death to life. He utterly destroyed the power death had against mankind – as fire consumes chaff – by means of the body he had taken and the grace of the resurrection.
This is the reason why the Word assumed a body that could die, so that this body, sharing in the Word who is above all, might satisfy death’s requirement in place of all. Because of the Word dwelling in that body, it would remain incorruptible, and all would be freed for ever from corruption by the grace of the resurrection.
In death the Word made a spotless sacrifice and oblation of the body he had taken. by dying for others, he immediately banished death for all mankind.
In this way the Word of God, who is above all, dedicated and offered his temple, the instrument that was his body, for us all, as he said, and so paid by his own death the debt that was owed. The immortal Son of God, united with all men by likeness of nature, thus fulfilled all justice in restoring mankind to immortality by the promise of the resurrection.
The corruption of death no longer holds any power over mankind, thanks to the Word, who has come to dwell among them through his one body.

Conscious Immolation-St. Gianna Beretta Molla

2009-04-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

Pope John Paul II wrote this in 1994, on the date of this saint's canonization:

Gianna Berretta Molla was a simple, but more than ever, significant messenger of divine love. In a letter to her future husband a few days before their marriage, she wrote: "Love is the most beautiful sentiment the Lord has put into the soul of men and women".
Following the example of Christ, who "having loved his own... loved them to the end" (Jn 13: 1), this holy mother of a family remained heroically faithful to the commitment she made on the day of her marriage. The extreme sacrifice she sealed with her life testifies that only those who have the courage to give of themselves totally to God and to others are able to fulfil themselves.

Through the example of Gianna Beretta Molla, may our age rediscover the pure, chaste and fruitful beauty of conjugal love, lived as a response to the divine call!

From the Vatican's biography, you can read of her life.

Gianna Beretta was born in Magenta (Milan) October 4, 1922. Already as a youth she willingly accepted the gift of faith and the clearly Christian education that she received from her excellent parents. As a result, she experienced life as a marvellous gift from God, had a strong faith in Providence and was convinced of the necessity and effectiveness of prayer.

She diligently dedicated herself to studies during the years of her secondary and university education, while, at the same time, applying her faith through generous apostolic service among the youth of Catholic Action and charitable work among the elderly and needy as a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. After earning degrees in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Pavia in 1949, she opened a medical clinic in Mesero (near Magenta) in 1950. She specialized in Pediatrics at the University of Milan in 1952 and there after gave special attention to mothers, babies, the elderly and poor.

While working in the field of medicine-which she considered a “mission” and practiced as such-she increased her generous service to Catholic Action, especially among the “very young” and, at the same time, expressed her joie de vivre and love of creation through skiing and mountaineering. Through her prayers and those of others, she reflected upon her vocation, which she also considered a gift from God. Having chosen the vocation of marriage, she embraced it with complete enthusiasm and wholly dedicated herself “to forming a truly Christian family”.

She became engaged to Pietro Molla and was radiant with joy and happiness during the time of their engagement, for which she thanked and praised the Lord. They were married on September 24, 1955, in the Basilica of St. Martin in Magenta, and she became a happy wife. In November 1956, to her great joy, she became the mother of Pierluigi, in December 1957 of Mariolina; in July 1959 of Laura. With simplicity and equilibrium she harmonized the demands of mother, wife, doctor and her passion for life.

In September 1961 towards the end of the second month of pregnancy, she was touched by suffering and the mystery of pain; she had developed a fibroma in her uterus. Before the required surgical operation, and conscious of the risk that her continued pregnancy brought, she pleaded with the surgeon to save the life of the child she was carrying, and entrusted herself to prayer and Providence. The life was saved, for which she thanked the Lord. She spent the seven months remaining until the birth of the child in incomparable strength of spirit and unrelenting dedication to her tasks as mother and doctor. She worried that the baby in her womb might be born in pain, and she asked God to prevent that.

A few days before the child was due, although trusting as always in Providence, she was ready to give her life in order to save that of her child: “If you must decided between me and the child, do not hesitate: choose the child - I insist on it. Save him”. On the morning of April 21, 1962, Gianna Emanuela was born. Despite all efforts and treatments to save both of them, on the morning of April 28, amid unspeakable pain and after repeated exclamations of “Jesus, I love you. Jesus, I love you», the mother died. She was 39 years old. Her funeral was an occasion of profound grief, faith and prayer. The Servant of God lies in the cemetery of Mesero (4 km from Magenta).

“Conscious immolation», was the phrase used by Pope Paul VI to define the act of Blessed Gianna, remembering her at the Sunday Angelus of September 23, 1973, as: “A young mother from the diocese of Milan, who, to give life to her daughter, sacrificed her own, with conscious immolation”. The Holy Father in these words clearly refers to Christ on Calvary and in the Eucharist.

Gianna was beatified by Pope John Paul II on April 24, 1994, during the international Year of the Family.

How many of us would react to the gift of life with this way? Would we rather save our own life than the life of others? I am extending this meditation far beyond the matter of abortion vs. choosing life. It seems far broader.
I wonder if some would consider the Church's praise of her medically foolish. Whether that is the case or not, I can see the fruits of the alternative view. They are all around me-or rather, they are all not around me.

Pray for us, St. Gianna Beretta Molla. Help us to love life as you did.

the miracle of san juan deane

2009-04-25T03:55:00.000-07:00

Roughly one month ago, some friends accompanied my family to the Mission at San Juan Capistrano. There was to be a festival in honor of Italian culture (as San Juan Capistrano was actually named Giovanni Capestrano) and also in honor of the famed swallows and their return to the mission.

There are many things I could say, but for now I'll say that I'm not going to share any photos that we actually took. The one thing from the Mission that I'll share here is a picture of the Fr. Serra chapel. I love it for its European style-you could have told me we were in a time machine and living back during the time when California was a part of Nueva España.

Despite enjoying the chapel's beauty, the real occasion in my book was to see the return of the swallows.

I think one of my companions was especially in agreement with me that when we realized that the swallows don't really come back to the Mission anymore (not on time, or this year at least), that this was a huge disappointment. It was supposed to be like the "Old Faithful" of bird migration, and yet they didn't show!

It was a few weeks later when, on the way to an early morning teleconference, I was about to leave when I realized that something was going on outside of our apartment. Birds were circling around the roof. Looking up, I realized that the top of the building on the underside was hosting many birds. There was no nest at the time, but what is most important is that the ornithologist in me realized that with those curved wings, these were swallows!

I called my fellow doubter and told him that swallows appeared to be nesting at my home. However, whenever I would look again they weren't around. As time passed, I started to doubt whether the swallows were nesting--maybe they just took a pit stop at our place.

It then dawned on me that dawn (and dusk) were the key. They fly around a lot during that time of day, and my schedule was such that I was too late in the morning or the evening for their special dance. The other thing that the passage of time has shown was that they were nesting, it's just that their special mud nests take time. In this picture, you can see how on one side the nest is quite substantial, and the other is growing. Further, one can see how much work they got done that day, as the wetter mud is darker and shows a nice little ring of their labor. I love saying hello to these little friends.

My next goal will be to walk around the complex and see how many other buildings have swallow nests. If this is the only one, this may be the miracle of Juan Deane.....

water and spirit? quid est veritas?

2009-04-23T20:04:00.000-07:00

1: Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
2: He came to Jesus at night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him."
3: Jesus answered and said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above."
4: Nicodemus said to him, "How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother's womb and be born again, can he?"
5: Jesus answered, "Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.
6: What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit.
7: Do not be amazed that I told you, 'You must be born from above.'
8: The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
9: Nicodemus answered and said to him, "How can this happen?"
10: Jesus answered and said to him, "You are the teacher of Israel and you do not understand this?
11: Amen, amen, I say to you, we speak of what we know and we testify to what we have seen, but you people do not accept our testimony.
12: If I tell you about earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?
13: No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
14: And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15: so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life."
16: For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
17: For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
18: Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
19: And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.
20: For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed.
21: But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
22: After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the region of Judea, where he spent some time with them baptizing.
23: John was also baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was an abundance of water there, and people came to be baptized,
24: for John had not yet been imprisoned.
25: Now a dispute arose between the disciples of John and a Jew about ceremonial washings.
26: So they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, the one who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you testified, here he is baptizing and everyone is coming to him."
27: John answered and said, "No one can receive anything except what has been given him from heaven.
28: You yourselves can testify that I said (that) I am not the Messiah, but that I was sent before him.
29: The one who has the bride is the bridegroom; the best man, who stands and listens for him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. So this joy of mine has been made complete.
30: He must increase; I must decrease."
31: The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of earthly things. But the one who comes from heaven (is above all).
32: He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony.
33: Whoever does accept his testimony certifies that God is trustworthy.
34: For the one whom God sent speaks the words of God. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit.
35: The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him.
36: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him.

memories of poetry in the 90's.....

2009-04-23T07:10:00.000-07:00

In winter when the air gets cold
And breathing causes white ghosts to appear

They light up the city with Christmas trees
And strings that hang across the street
From telephone pole to telephone pole

So that when I'm driving home at night
Tired frustrated and pinned down by spite
I'm reminded of your love
Unlike these things will never change
Or fade or pass away

Protestantism is dangerous?

2009-04-22T12:20:00.000-07:00

From http://insightscoop.typepad.com/2004/2009/04/protestantism-is-dangerous-.html

"Protestantism is dangerous. ..."

It is an explosive and ultimately uncontrollable force that can destabilize and undermine church and government. It can reject time-honored truths, traditions and institutions—including its own—and posit new ones in their place, only to repeat this process again and again. Protestantism is infinitely restless, constantly moving in many divergent directions at the same time. Like evolution, it possesses astonishing power to create highly adaptive religious organisms and equally astonishing power to destroy them if they fail to develop appropriately.

No, that isn't from a Catholic apologist; it is from Ronald K. Rittgers, who teaches German Reformation studies at Valparaiso University in Indiana, in his review, for The Christian Century, of Alister McGrath's recently published Christianity's Dangerous Idea: The Protestant Revolution—A History from the Sixteenth Century to the Twenty-First:

This is how Alister McGrath, professor of historical theology at the Univer sity of Oxford, depicts Protes tantism in Christianity's Dangerous Idea. Why is Protestantism so dangerous? Because it is based on a dangerous idea: that the Bible is the main source of authority for the Christian religion and that all Christians have the right to interpret it for themselves. This conviction is the source not only of Protestantism's vitality and flexibility, but also of its lack of fixedness and its innate tendency toward schism. McGrath makes much of the former without losing sight of the latter.

McGrath also stresses that early Protestantism was not a single, unified, coherent movement; it was a movement of movements that was characterized by conflict, tension and flux from the start. The only thing the early Protestants shared was the dangerous idea. And they quickly learned just how dangerous it could be when they found themselves unable to reach consensus on important matters of doctrine. After examining the failure of Luther, Zwingli and others to resolve their differences on the Lord's Supper, McGrath observes, "We see here the fundamental difficulty that the Reformation faced: the absence of any authoritative interpreter of scripture that could give rulings on contested matters of biblical interpretation."

And? What then?

Protestants attempted to remedy this problem by constructing various interpretative authorities—Luther's catechisms, Calvin's Institutes, the marginalia of the Geneva Bible—but none could furnish truth claims that were accepted by all Protestants. Whatever external coherence early Protestants had was largely dependent on the presence of a defining other—Catholics in the early modern period and secularists in the later modern era. This need for an external source of self-definition became part of the core of Protestantism.

Which finally leads to this:

It is true that the defining Pro testant idea is dangerous. But one can question whether McGrath has plumbed the full depths of its threat. The real danger is that when confronted with the competing Protestant truth claims about crucial matters of faith—including those that touch on salvation—theologically reflective Protestants may lose confidence in their ability to interpret or even trust scripture, and thus their ability to know God. Sebastian Franck saw this danger already in the 16th century and thus opted for a Spiritualism that sought to transcend all dogmatic claims about God—except Spiritualist ones, of course. Fortunately, most Protestants do not experience this complete loss of epistemic confidence, at least not on a permanent basis, which may be the reason McGrath avoids discussing the risk.

Some people view the Bible largely as a human artifact that contains important human wisdom about God but needs to be supplemented and corrected by more modern sources of wisdom. McGrath makes clear that such liberal Protestants are a small minority in the Protestant world. It seems that most—including McGrath, perhaps—continue to believe in the perspicuity of scripture. It is remarkable, after all, that the vast majority of Protestants agree with one another and with most non-Protestant Christians about the essentials of salvation—that is, that it comes only through Christ and requires grace and faith. But one wonders if this surprising agreement is not owing to another yet dangerous idea that was present in the primordial materials from which Protestantism burst forth and that thus became part of its genetic code: the importance of clinging to the ancient rule of faith. If this is the case, Catholicism did not simply motivate the construction of a unified Protestant front; it also provided Protestants with a certain immunity against the most destructive possibilities of their core idea.

That is part of the argument, interestingly enough, made by Fr. Louis Bouyer (a former Lutheran pastor), in his important book, The Spirit and Forms of Protestantism. In reviewing that book, Mark Brumley wrote:

The negative principles of the Reformation necessarily led the Catholic Church to reject the movement–though not, in fact, its fundamental positive principles, which were essentially Catholic. Eventually, argues Bouyer, through a complex historical process, these negative elements ate away at the positive principles as well. The result was liberal Protestantism, which wound up affirming the very things Protestantism set out to deny (man’s ability to save himself) and denying things Protestantism began by affirming (sola gratia).

Bouyer contends that the only way to safeguard the positive principles of the Reformation is through the Catholic Church. For only in the Catholic Church are the positive principles the Reformation affirmed found without the negative elements the Reformers mistakenly affixed to them. But how to bring this about?

Bouyer says that both Protestants and Catholics have responsibilities here. Protestants must investigate their roots and consider whether the negative elements of the Reformation, such as extrinsic justification and the rejection of a definitive Church teaching authority and Tradition, are necessary to uphold the positive principles of sola gratia and the supremacy of Scripture. If not, then how is continued separation from the Catholic Church justified? Furthermore, if, as Bouyer contends, the negative elements of the Reformation were drawn from a decadent theology and philosophy of the Middle Ages and not Christian antiquity, then it is the Catholic Church that has upheld the true faith and has maintained a balance regarding the positive principles of the Reformation that Protestantism lacks. In this way, the Catholic Church is needed for Protestantism to live up to its own positive principles.

Read Brumley's entire review essay, "Why Catholicism Makes Protestantism Tick: Louis Bouyer on the Reformation."

2009-04-19T07:22:00.000-07:00

"The Feeling of Things, the Contemplation of Beauty"
By Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger

Every year, in the Liturgy of the Hours for the Season of Lent, I am struck anew by a paradox in Vespers for Monday of the Second Week of the Psalter. Here, side by side, are two antiphons, one for the Season of Lent, the other for Holy Week. Both introduce Psalm 44 [45], but they present strikingly contradictory interpretations. The Psalm describes the wedding of the King, his beauty, his virtues, his mission, and then becomes an exaltation of his bride. In the Season of Lent, Psalm 44 is framed by the same antiphon used for the rest of the year. The third verse of the Psalm says: "You are the fairest of the children of men and grace is poured upon your lips."

Naturally, the Church reads this psalm as a poetic-prophetic representation of Christ's spousal relationship with his Church. She recognizes Christ as the fairest of men, the grace poured upon his lips points to the inner beauty of his words, the glory of his proclamation. So it is not merely the external beauty of the Redeemer's appearance that is glorified: rather, the beauty of Truth appears in him, the beauty of God himself who draws us to himself and, at the same time captures us with the wound of Love, the holy passion ("eros"), that enables us to go forth together, with and in the Church his Bride, to meet the Love who calls us.

On Monday of Holy Week, however, the Church changes the antiphon and invites us to interpret the Psalm in the light of Isaiah 53:2: "He had neither beauty, no majesty, nothing to attract our eyes, no grace to make us delight in him." How can we reconcile this? The appearance of the "fairest of the children of men" is so wretched that no one desires to look at him. Pilate presented him to the crowd saying: "Behold the man!" to rouse sympathy for the crushed and battered Man, in whom no external beauty remained.

Augustine, who in his youth wrote a book on the Beautiful and the Harmonious ["De pulchro et apto"] and who appreciated beauty in words, in music, in the figurative arts, had a keen appreciation of this paradox and realized that in this regard, the great Greek philosophy of the beautiful was not simply rejected but rather, dramatically called into question and what the beautiful might be, what beauty might mean, would have to be debated anew and suffered. Referring to the paradox contained in these texts, he spoke of the contrasting blasts of "two trumpets," produced by the same breath, the same Spirit. He knew that a paradox is contrast and not contradiction. Both quotes come from the same Spirit who inspires all Scripture, but sounds different notes in it. It is in this way that he sets us before the totality of true Beauty, of Truth itself.

In the first place, the text of Isaiah supplies the question that interested the Fathers of the Church, whether or not Christ was beautiful. Implicit here is the more radical question of whether beauty is true or whether it is not ugliness that leads us to the deepest truth of reality. Whoever believes in God, in the God who manifested himself, precisely in the altered appearance of Christ crucified as love "to the end" (John 13:1), knows that beauty is truth and truth beauty; but in the suffering Christ he also learns that the beauty of truth also embraces offence, pain, and even the dark mystery of death, and that this can only be found in accepting suffering, not in ignoring it.

Certainly, the consciousness that beauty has something to do with pain was also present in the Greek world. For example, let us take Plato's "Phaedrus." Plato contemplates the encounter with beauty as the salutary emotional shock that makes man leave his shell and sparks his "enthusiasm" by attracting him to what is other than himself. Man, says Plato, has lost the original perfection that was conceived for him. He is now perennially searching for the healing primitive form. Nostalgia and longing impel him to pursue the quest; beauty prevents him from being content with just daily life. It causes him to suffer.

In a Platonic sense, we could say that the arrow of nostalgia pierces man, wounds him and in this way gives him wings, lifts him upwards toward the transcendent. In his discourse in the Symposium, Aristophanes says that lovers do not know what they really want from each other. From the search for what is more than their pleasure, it is obvious that the souls of both are thirsting for something other than amorous pleasure. But the heart cannot express this "other" thing, "it has only a vague perception of what it truly wants and wonders about it as an enigma."

In the 14th century, in the book "The Life in Christ" by the Byzantine theologian, Nicholas Cabasilas, we rediscover Plato's experience in which the ultimate object of nostalgia, transformed by the new Christian experience, continues to be nameless. Cabasilas says: "When men have a longing so great that it surpasses human nature and eagerly desire and are able to accomplish things beyond human thought, it is the Bridegroom who has smitten them with this longing. It is he who has sent a ray of his beauty into their eyes. The greatness of the wound already shows the arrow which has struck home, the longing indicates who has inflicted the wound" (cf. "The Life in Christ," the Second Book, 15).

The beautiful wounds, but this is exactly how it summons man to his final destiny. What Plato said, and, more than 1,500 years later, Cabasilas, has nothing to do with superficial aestheticism and irrationalism or with the flight from clarity and the importance of reason. The beautiful is knowledge certainly, but, in a superior form, since it arouses man to the real greatness of the truth. Here Cabasilas has remained entirely Greek, since he puts knowledge first when he says, "In fact it is knowing that causes love and gives birth to it. ... Since this knowledge is sometimes very ample and complete and at other times imperfect, it follows that the love potion has the same effect" (cf. ibid.).

He is not content to leave this assertion in general terms. In his characteristically rigorous thought, he distinguishes between two kinds of knowledge: knowledge through instruction which remains, so to speak, "second hand" and does not imply any direct contact with reality itself. The second type of knowledge, on the other hand, is knowledge through personal experience, through a direct relationship with the reality. "Therefore we do not love it to the extent that it is a worthy object of love, and since we have not perceived the very form itself we do not experience its proper effect."

True knowledge is being struck by the arrow of Beauty that wounds man, moved by reality, "how it is Christ himself who is present and in an ineffable way disposes and forms the souls of men" (cf. ibid.).

Being struck and overcome by the beauty of Christ is a more real, more profound knowledge than mere rational deduction. Of course we must not underrate the importance of theological reflection, of exact and precise theological thought; it remains absolutely necessary. But to move from here to disdain or to reject the impact produced by the response of the heart in the encounter with beauty as a true form of knowledge would impoverish us and dry up our faith and our theology. We must rediscover this form of knowledge; it is a pressing need of our time.

Starting with this concept, Hans Urs von Balthasar built his "Opus magnum of Theological Aesthetics." Many of its details have passed into theological work, while his fundamental approach, in truth the essential element of the whole work, has not been so readily accepted. Of course, this is not just, or principally, a theological problem, but a problem of pastoral life that has to foster the human person's encounter with the beauty of faith.

All too often arguments fall on deaf ears because in our world too many contradictory arguments compete with one another, so much so that we are spontaneously reminded of the medieval theologians' description of reason, that it "has a wax nose": In other words, it can be pointed in any direction, if one is clever enough. Everything makes sense, is so convincing, whom should we trust?

The encounter with the beautiful can become the wound of the arrow that strikes the heart and in this way opens our eyes, so that later, from this experience, we take the criteria for judgment and can correctly evaluate the arguments. For me an unforgettable experience was the Bach concert that Leonard Bernstein conducted in Munich after the sudden death of Karl Richter. I was sitting next to the Lutheran Bishop Hanselmann. When the last note of one of the great Thomas-Kantor-Cantatas triumphantly faded away, we looked at each other spontaneously and right then we said: "Anyone who has heard this, knows that the faith is true."

The music had such an extraordinary force of reality that we realized, no longer by deduction, but by the impact on our hearts, that it could not have originated from nothingness, but could only have come to be through the power of the Truth that became real in the composer's inspiration. Isn't the same thing evident when we allow ourselves to be moved by the icon of the Trinity of Rublëv? In the art of the icons, as in the great Western paintings of the Romanesque and Gothic period, the experience described by Cabasilas, starting with interiority, is visibly portrayed and can be shared.

In a rich way Pavel Evdokimov has brought to light the interior pathway that an icon establishes. An icon does not simply reproduce what can be perceived by the senses, but rather it presupposes, as he says, "a fasting of sight." Inner perception must free itself from the impression of the merely sensible, and in prayer and ascetical effort acquire a new and deeper capacity to see, to perform the passage from what is merely external to the profundity of reality, in such a way that the artist can see what the senses as such do not see, and what actually appears in what can be perceived: the splendor of the glory of God, the "glory of God shining on the face of Christ " (2 Corinthians 4:6).

To admire the icons and the great masterpieces of Christian art in general, leads us on an inner way, a way of overcoming ourselves; thus in this purification of vision that is a purification of the heart, it reveals the beautiful to us, or at least a ray of it. In this way we are brought into contact with the power of the truth. I have often affirmed my conviction that the true apology of Christian faith, the most convincing demonstration of its truth against every denial, are the saints, and the beauty that the faith has generated. Today, for faith to grow, we must lead ourselves and the persons we meet to encounter the saints and to enter into contact with the Beautiful.

Now however, we still have to respond to an objection. We have already rejected the assumption which claims that what has just been said is a flight into the irrational, into mere aestheticism.

Rather, it is the opposite that is true: This is the very way in which reason is freed from dullness and made ready to act.

Today another objection has even greater weight: the message of beauty is thrown into complete doubt by the power of falsehood, seduction, violence and evil. Can the beautiful be genuine, or, in the end, is it only an illusion? Isn't reality perhaps basically evil? The fear that in the end it is not the arrow of the beautiful that leads us to the truth, but that falsehood, all that is ugly and vulgar, may constitute the true "reality" has at all times caused people anguish.

At present this has been expressed in the assertion that after Auschwitz it was no longer possible to write poetry; after Auschwitz it is no longer possible to speak of a God who is good. People wondered: Where was God when the gas chambers were operating? This objection, which seemed reasonable enough before Auschwitz when one realized all the atrocities of history, shows that in any case a purely harmonious concept of beauty is not enough. It cannot stand up to the confrontation with the gravity of the questioning about God, truth and beauty. Apollo, who for Plato's Socrates was "the God" and the guarantor of unruffled beauty as "the truly divine" is absolutely no longer sufficient.

In this way, we return to the "two trumpets" of the Bible with which we started, to the paradox of being able to say of Christ: "You are the fairest of the children of men," and: "He had no beauty, no majesty to draw our eyes, no grace to make us delight in him." In the passion of Christ the Greek aesthetic that deserves admiration for its perceived contact with the Divine but which remained inexpressible for it, in Christ's passion is not removed but overcome.

The experience of the beautiful has received new depth and new realism. The One who is the Beauty itself let himself be slapped in the face, spat upon, crowned with thorns; the Shroud of Turin can help us imagine this in a realistic way. However, in his Face that is so disfigured, there appears the genuine, extreme beauty: the beauty of love that goes "to the very end"; for this reason it is revealed as greater than falsehood and violence. Whoever has perceived this beauty knows that truth, and not falsehood, is the real aspiration of the world. It is not the false that is "true," but indeed, the Truth.

It is, as it were, a new trick of what is false to present itself as "truth" and to say to us: over and above me there is basically nothing, stop seeking or even loving the truth; in doing so you are on the wrong track. The icon of the crucified Christ sets us free from this deception that is so widespread today. However it imposes a condition: that we let ourselves be wounded by him, and that we believe in the Love who can risk setting aside his external beauty to proclaim, in this way, the truth of the beautiful.

Falsehood however has another strategem. A beauty that is deceptive and false, a dazzling beauty that does not bring human beings out of themselves to open them to the ecstasy of rising to the heights, but indeed locks them entirely into themselves. Such beauty does not reawaken a longing for the Ineffable, readiness for sacrifice, the abandonment of self, but instead stirs up the desire, the will for power, possession and pleasure. It is that type of experience of beauty of which Genesis speaks in the account of the Original Sin. Eve saw that the fruit of the tree was "beautiful" to eat and was "delightful to the eyes."

The beautiful, as she experienced it, aroused in her a desire for possession, making her, as it were, turn in upon herself. Who would not recognize, for example, in advertising, the images made with supreme skill that are created to tempt the human being irresistibly, to make him want to grab everything and seek the passing satisfaction rather than be open to others.

So it is that Christian art today is caught between two fires (as perhaps it always has been): It must oppose the cult of the ugly, which says that everything beautiful is a deception and only the representation of what is crude, low and vulgar is the truth, the true illumination of knowledge. Or it has to counter the deceptive beauty that makes the human being seem diminished instead of making him great, and for this reason is false.

Is there anyone who does not know Dostoyevsky's often-quoted sentence: "The Beautiful will save us"? However, people usually forget that Dostoyevsky is referring here to the redeeming Beauty of Christ. We must learn to see him. If we know him, not only in words, but if we are struck by the arrow of his paradoxical beauty, then we will truly know him, and know him not only because we have heard others speak about him. Then we will have found the beauty of Truth, of the Truth that redeems. Nothing can bring us into close contact with the beauty of Christ himself other than the world of beauty created by faith and light that shines out from the faces of the saints, through whom his own light becomes visible.

i was almost in tears

2009-04-18T19:06:00.001-07:00

2009-04-18T19:03:00.001-07:00

Holy Saturday

2009-04-11T09:49:00.000-07:00











: "LORD, my God, I call out by day; at night I cry aloud in your presence.
Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry.
: For my soul is filled with troubles; my life draws near to Sheol.
: I am reckoned with those who go down to the pit; I am weak, without strength.
: My couch is among the dead, with the slain who lie in the grave. You remember them no more; they are cut off from your care.
: You plunged me into the bottom of the pit, into the darkness of the abyss.
: Your wrath lies heavy upon me; all your waves crash over me. Selah
: Because of you my friends shun me; you make me loathsome to them; Caged in, I cannot escape;
: my eyes grow dim from trouble. All day I call on you, LORD; I stretch out my hands to you.
Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the shades arise and praise you? Selah
: Is your love proclaimed in the grave, your fidelity in the tomb?
: Are your marvels declared in the darkness, your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion?
: But I cry out to you, LORD; in the morning my prayer comes before you.
: Why do you reject me, LORD? Why hide your face from me?
: I am mortally afflicted since youth; lifeless, I suffer your terrible blows.
: Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have reduced me to silence.
: All the day they surge round like a flood; from every side they close in on me.
: Because of you companions shun me; my only friend is darkness.

Catholics have the reputation for weakness in biblical literacy, but in all of my years as a Protestant I had never heard of this psalm as being prophetic of Christ's life and passion, until I read it as part of today's morning readings in the Magnificat.

When I read it this morning I was overwhelmed with the sense that as St. Augustine says, the New Testament lies in the Old Testament concealed, while the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed (or something to that effect)

A great blog post written by another....

2009-04-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

He turned a symbol of hate and torture into one of love and mercy

April 10, 2009

In the 1930s, the Times (London) asked G.K. Chesterton and others to write on the topic of “What’s Wrong with the World Today.” Chesterton sent back a two-word response:

Dear Sirs:
I am.
Sincerely, G.K. Chesterton

“For all that ever was wrong, is wrong, and will be wrong, the price has been paid.”

Richard John Neuhaus

“The Son of God suffered unto the death, not that men might not suffer, but that their sufferings might be like His.”

George MacDonald

The cross cannot be defeated. . . For it is Defeat. G.K. Chesterton

On those who hate Christianity: “They do not dislike the Cross because it is a dead symbol; but because it is a live symbol.” G.K. Chesterton

“[A]s long as sin remains on earth, still will the Cross remain.” Fulton Sheen

“God has given us our lives as wheat and grapes. It is our duty to consecrate them and bring them back to God as bread and wine–transubstaniated, divinized, and spiritualized. There must be harvest in our hands after the springtime of the earthly pilgrimage.

“That is why Calvary is erected in the midst of us, and we are on its sacred hill. We were not made to be mere on-lookers . . . but rather to be participants in the mystery of the Cross.” Fulton Sheen.

“Since the symbols of baptism and the eucharist flowed from his side, it was from his side that Christ fashioned the Church, as he had fashioned Eve from the side of Adam.” St. John Chrysostom

“His Cross has put its due value upon every thing which we see, upon all fortunes, all advantages, all ranks, all dignities, all pleasures; upon the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. It has set a price upon the excitements, the rivalries, the hopes, the fears, the desires, the efforts, the triumphs of mortal man. It has given a meaning to the various, shifting course, the trials, the temptations, the sufferings of his earthly state. It has brought together and made consistent all that seemed discordant and aimless. It has taught us how to live, how to use this world, what to expect, what to desire, what to hope. It is the tone into which all the strains of the world’s music are ultimately to be resolved.” Cardinal Newman

“No one ever experienced the plunge down the vacuum of evil as did God’s Son–even to the excruciating agony behind the words: “My God, my god, why hast thou forsaken me?” Jesus was really destroyed. Cut off in the flower of his age; his work stifled just when it should have taken root; his friends scattered, his honor broken. He no longer had anything, was anything: ‘a worm and not a man.’

“Only Christ’s love is certain. We cannot even say God’s love; for that God loves us we also know, ultimately, only through Christ.” Romano Guardini

“Communion with Jesus means becoming like him. With him we are nailed on the cross, with him we are laid in the tomb, with him we are raised up to accompany lost travelers in their journey.” Henri Nouwen

“You are saddened because of the unjust treatment shown your Lord, but yours is still greater sadness because you feel yourself incapable of bearing even small injuries for the honor of Christ.” Thomas A’Kempis

Marie: “Today is a fast day, kids.”
Michael (2nd grade): “Does that mean we can’t eat fast food?”
(From 2007)

2009-04-10T18:37:00.000-07:00

2009-04-10T10:41:00.001-07:00

conventional art is still art

2009-04-08T20:31:00.000-07:00

So yeah, the Killers.
They're not overrated.
They're simply conventional.
But a convention done rightly is still
rightly done.

The kids and I will always like this band even
if those who wage pitchforks and the like
tell me they are boring.

They're not, and that's that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HlJWgBjd1g

contradictur redivivus

2009-04-07T04:51:00.000-07:00

I am about to restart posting on a blog with only 3 or 4 posts, contradictur.
While I love those brethren who are Eastern Orthodox, the more I put myself into their shoes the more I feel compelled to reaffirm that Christ established the Church with the successor of Peter as one holding primacy, as Catholics understand primacy.

He is the first among equals, "primus inter pares". He is among equals (pares), but don't forget about primus (the first).

The Truth That Sets Us Free

2009-04-02T07:50:00.000-07:00

"The one cure for repeated unfaithfulness is to lament it, to be peacefully humble over it, and to turn again to God as soon as may be. Until we die life's difficulties and humiliations will be with us because of our besetting ingratitude and unfaithfulness. Yet provided that this is the result of our weakness of nature without affection of the heart, all is well. For God recognizes our weakness; he is aware of our wretchedness and our powerlessness to shun all unfaithfulness. He perceives, further, that is for our good to be reduced to that pitiful state since, failing it, we should be unable to resist the assaults of presumptuous pride and of secret trust in ourselves. Guard against discouragement, even though you witness the failure of your repeated resolutions to serve God. Take advantage of this recurring experience to explore ever more thoroughly the deep pit of your nothingness and of your corruption. From it learn utter distrust of yourself and complete reliance on God. Often repeat these words: I shall do nothing, Lord, unless you cause me to do it. Enlightened by disastrous experience my sole reliance is upon your all-powerful grace. The more unworthy of it I find myself, the greater my hope, since my unworthiness makes your mercy the more apparent. Your trust in God can never be pushed too far: Infinite goodness and mercy should induce trust as infinite."

Father Jean-Pierre de Caussade (died 1751) was a French Jesuit, a writer, and a revered spiritual director.

nail this to my door, por favor

2009-03-31T03:53:00.000-07:00

Martin Luther's famed 95 theses-they were nailed to the Wittenburg Church door roughly 500 years ago.

I believe it was October of 2000 or 2001, when I decided to celebrate Halloween by doing nothing at all, save posting a note to trick or treaters reminding them of the more important event which fell on 10/31, that of "Reformation Day". I included a printout of the 95 theses, if I'm not mistaken. But whether the words were there or not, it is certain that something was missing from my mind, and that was a true reflection on Luther's words in the 95 theses.

I took the time to read his theses again today, and stood aghast at number 7 which states:

"God never remits guilt to anyone without, at the same time, making him humbly submissive to the priest, His representative."

If you follow the theses through their logical chain, do not lose sight of where you began.
Keep your eyes open. Don't forget to breathe.

He was climbing a ladder towards making a point, but at no point was he speaking ill of the teaching of Christ in the Gospel of John which states:

"If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained."

How it is that some can retain the sins of others and loose the sins of others if we are all atoms floating up to God, with no chain linking us to others, no obligations to speak to another of our many wrongs and weaknesses, is simply beyond me. But my incredulity is not the topic du jour, nor is your credulity.

It is the words of Luther, so often chanted against establishment, as though they were tools of unraveling the web of tradition which surrounded him in 16th century Germany. Those words must be considered. We can talk of De Captivitate Babylonica Ecclesiae and see three years later that there was an out and out rejection of the world in which he lived.

But do not take me to the "start" of it all, and imagine this Augustinian monk holding some sort of a Chick tract and a smile that states that it's all about the individual and Jesus.

For Luther's 7th thesis is in keeping in the Catholic and Orthodox tradition, when he says:

"God never remits guilt to anyone without, at the same time, making him humbly submissive to the priest, His representative."

Let those words simmer and roll about your intellectual palate. God never remits guilt to anyone when? When they are not made to be humbly submissive to whom? To the priest? And who is this priest? The representative of God on earth?

If that fits in your perspective, you are in agreement with Luther. But somehow I must wonder whether Luther would have (m)any friends who are Protestants today, who would sign up to thesis #7. To their credit, some traditional Lutherans may grasp this. But is this an exception to a rule where we all seem to make our own rules of contrition and repentance and penance? Now I'm sorry enough. Now I have asked God with enough sincerity to forgive me. Now I have united my heart to His sufferings enough.

And what about the rest of the 95 theses? Luther takes great pains to not disparage the Pope as he does disparage those who treat God as some sort of sick cosmic genie. As well he should, as well we should. I had heard it said that Catholics can affirm all 95 theses, but to read them today was shocking, for it appears to me now that not only is that true, it also seems like most Protestants would have serious qualms with these words written by Luther.

So nail those theses to my door, but do not call for all of the nails in Christ's one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church to be pulled out of the building. Do not pull the bricks of His Church apart to the point that not one stone lies on top of another. For when you plumb such depths, you will be going too far. Asking for sincerity is one thing. Bringing it about by tearing down walls is another matter altogether.

In this time of Lent, where repentance and confession of sins are so important, I take Luther's words as a call to remind me again and again that no man is an island.

"God never remits guilt to anyone without, at the same time, making him humbly submissive to the priest, His representative."

a blog post on our new site

2009-03-18T12:43:00.000-07:00

Check it out here, SVP.

hell is "safety"

2009-03-15T07:24:00.000-07:00

hell is no other people

2009-03-11T19:35:00.000-07:00

"Hell is other people." - Jean-Paul Sartre

This is the mantra, the codex, the thing to say and say again and again upon our 21st century rosary beads. No longer do we begin the prayers in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we have adopted what Sartre says in his great play No Exit. We live by those words. Don't get me wrong....the play is poignant, the dialogue striking, and most importantly, he is an artist who crafts a reflection of our society's mindset. But do all of us really think as he does? Should we?

"If only that person were not in my life, I would be free of the shackles that hurt, offend, mock, ridicule or otherwise annoy me."

And so it is that we set up all sorts of filters, some literal, some metaphorical.
"I know what I'll do--I'll block that soul who has scorned me for the last time".....and thanks to gmail and yahoo, we are all set for saying good riddance.

"Hell is other people, for other people hurt us."

This is our superficial understanding, and it is carrying more and more of us to our graves with each passing moment, it would seem. We are dying with lists of those who are untouchables to us, those whom we wished did not exist. And yet, despite all of our walls, booby traps, and blind spots, these who should not be named do exist. In shirking reality and passing over them in our view, we are poisoning our own vision. We systematically close our eyes to various corners occupied by those sad souls, to the point where our own eyes are forced to remain closed all of the time-a sort of inversion of A Clockwork Orange-and we wonder why we have wasted away.

Now please, do not get me wrong. I have stewed in anger in my time, that is for sure, and perhaps I am akin to the choir preaching to the rest of the world. Wishing someone had never come into my life has consumed my soul and I have seen this mantra lived out consistently for periods stretching longer than my own life. I have told myself that I should and would never talk to someone again, after what they had said or done to me. And after those years or moments of retreat and aversion of my eyes, what safety have I gained? None. Instead it has wounded me in ways that I probably haven't even come close to grasping even after hours of introspection and reflection.

But there is something else that has come from this soul searching and meditation, and it is this-there is no pain or trauma that comes close to the searing wound of feeling absolutely nothing at all. I have wrestled with being called names that I will not utter here or anywhere. I have come up with my own names to call others in fits of rage and violence-those too won't be recalled here, there or anywhere. I have made people cry with these concoctions meant to tear down and destroy, these spells of obliteration. But none of that can be compared to the experience of utter disregard. To be in the midst of an abyss, where no one else is concerned with your life or death, that is to be in hell. Hell is to be with no other people. We can only hope and pray that Jean-Paul Sartre did not get what he wanted. For if he envisioned an old hotel room where he was truly alone, no amount of frustration with the flaws in his companions on this sojourn of life would be remembered, when he remembered his isolation and disconnection from this world that was meant to be entangled. The pain that we flee should not be fled--it must be understood in the proper light, not numbed with the correct proportion of neglect, chemicals, or therapy sessions.

In the midst of this murmuring and confusion, I see a voice, and a face. Ironically, he too was named Jean-Paul, though we Americans called him John Paul while he walked among us. He was not only mocked by others, he had his actual flesh ripped open by a bullet which flew into his body. When he saw that man who shot him, he remembered and chose to live by His friend's statement which at times it seems is nonexistent in our world.

"Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."

Pope John Paul II was able to meet face to face with the man who tried to end his life. He even said, "pray for my brother, whom I have sincerely forgiven." And we in our pettiness bicker over issues such as who gets what when someone dies, or whether someone approves of our way of living? Oh, the travesty and tragedy...What are you willing to do to end the hell of separation and isolation? What have you created that has barred you from closeness with others?

If you do nothing at all, you may be following the other John Paul, but you will have wound up nowhere as a result.

No man is an island. That thought outweighs any poignant play in a heartbeat, if we would but consider its ramifications.

and while i'm busy loving mana.....

2009-03-09T20:34:00.000-07:00

It's almost enough to get you pochos and gabachos to learn el idioma de conquistadores....almost....

Cómo quisiera poder vivir sin aire
Cómo quisiera vivir sin agua
Me encantaría
Querete un poco menos
Cómo quisiera poder vivir sin ti

Pero no puedo siento que muero
Me estoy ahogando sin tu amor

Cómo quisiera poder vivir sin aire
Cómo quisiera calmar mi aflicción
Cómo quisiera poder vivir sin agua
Me encantaría robar tu corazón

Cómo pudiera un pez nadar sin agua
Cómo puidera un ave volar sin alas
Cómo puidera la flor crecer sin tierra
Cómo quisiera porder vivir sin ti

Pero no puedo siento que muero
Me estoy ahogando sin tu amor

Cómo quisiera poder vivir sin aire
Cómo quisiera calmar mi aflicción
Cómo quisiera poder vivir sin agua
Me encantaría robar tu corazón

Cómo quisiera lanzarte al olvido
Cómo quisiera guardarte en un cajón
Cómo quisiera borrarte de un soplido
Me encantaría matar esta canción

sigue lloviendo

2009-03-09T20:20:00.000-07:00

No Ha Parado De Llover
Maná

Desde que te perdí
La luz se ha puesto muy mojada
mirada triste esta nublada
Y en mis ojos no ha parado de llover

Solo y ya sin ti
Me tienes como un perro herido
Me tienes como un ave sin su nido
Estoy solo como arena sin su mar

Quien detendra la lluvia en mí
Oh no, no
Se me ha inundado el corazón
Quien detendra la lluvia en mi, oh mi amor
Solo tú puedes pararla

Sigue lloviendo, le sigue lloviendo al corazón
Dime que diablos voy a hacer
Sigue lloviendo, le sigue lloviendo al corazón
Y en mis ojos no ha parado de llover

No te comprendo, no entiendo que paso
Si te di todo, quizás te di de mas
Dime que falto, dime que sobro, dime que paso
Pero dime algo, que me estoy muriendo

Quien detendra la lluvia en mi, oh no, no
Se me ha inundado el corazón
Quien detendra la lluvia en mi, oh mi amor
Solo tu puedes pararla.

Sigue lloviendo, le sigue lloviendo al corazón
Dime que diablos voy a hacer
Sigue lloviendo, le sigue lloviendo al corazón, oh no no
Y en mis ojos no ha parado de llover, yeah yeah

Sigue lloviendo, le sigue lloviendo al corazón
Dime que diablos voy a hacer
Sigue lloviendo, le sigue lloviendo al corazón
Y en mis ojos no ha parado de llover
No para de llover
No ha parado de llover oh no no

if I WERE to be critical, it would sound something like this....

2009-03-07T08:34:00.000-08:00

There There

in pitch dark i go walking in your landscape.
broken branches trip me as i speak.
just because you feel it doesnt mean it's there.
just because you feel it doesnt mean it's there.

there's always a siren
singing you to shipwreck.
(don't reach out, don't reach out)
steer away from these rocks
we'd be a walking disaster.
(don't reach out, don't reach out)

just because you feel it doesn't mean it's there.
(there's someone on your shoulder)
just because you feel it doesn't mean it's there.
(there's someone on your shoulder)

there there

why so green and lonely?
heaven sent you to me.

we are accidents
waiting waiting to happen.

we are accidents
waiting waiting to happen.

1, 2, 3, 4....who's ? what's the score??

2009-03-05T19:09:00.000-08:00

This second song (which has 2 renditions for your viewing and listening pleasure) is 99.3% relevant to my life:

Been hearing about you.
All about your disapproval.
Still I remember the way I used to move you.
I wrote you a letter.
I heard it just upset you.
Why don't you tell me?
How can I do this better?

Are you out there?
Do you hear me?
Can I call you?
Do you still hate me?
Are we talking?
Are we fighting?
Is it over?
Are we writing?

We're getting older.
But we're acting younger.
We should be smarter.
It seems we're getting dumber.
I have a picture
of you and me in Brooklyn.
On a porch, it was raining.
Hey, I remember that day.
And I miss you

Amen, Br. Merton

2009-03-05T16:59:00.001-08:00

Do not depend on the hope of results. You may have to face the fact that your work will be apparently worthless and even achieve no result at all, if not perhaps results opposite to what you expect. As you get used to this idea, you start more and more to concentrate not on the results, but on the value, the rightness, the truth of the work itself. You gradually struggle less and less for an idea and more and more for specific people. In the end, it is the reality of personal relationship that saves everything.

"so what does it all mean?" (indeed)

2009-03-05T06:14:00.001-08:00

it actually is casimir pulaski day today...

2009-03-04T02:20:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I am full of questions. Why is that? Oh yes, I forgot....I am a scientist and my life and death hinges upon asking questions. And not only must I ask questions, but they must be the right ones. Asking a wrong question is almost worse than doing nothing at all. Or is it?
Why Sufjan Stevens would name this song Casimir Pulaski day intrigues me. Did the death of his friend occur on this day (March 4th is the feast day of St. Casimir, patron saint of Poland and Lithuania)? Is that alone sufficient? Is there something to this saint's life and death that makes a tragic death especially poignant (he was only 25 when he died, after all)? Does Sufjan Stevens even know about the history of St. Casimir? Or is this all coincidental? Am I ignorant of the impact that Polish culture has on the midwest? Surely this last question is the most important one to be answered in our immediate context of the song about St. Casimir. But I forgot to ask you--have you heard it? No? Well, even if you have, listen again, por favor.

Golden rod and the 4H stone,
The things I brought you
When I found out you had cancer of the bone.

Your father cried on the telephone
And he drove his car into the Navy yard
Just to prove that he was sorry.

In the morning, through the window shade
When the light pressed up against your shoulder blade
I could see what you were reading.

All the glory that the Lord has made
And the complications you could do without
When I kissed you on the mouth.

Tuesday night at the Bible study
We lift our hands and pray over your body,
But nothing ever happens.

I remember at Michael's house
In the living room when you kissed my neck
And I almost touched your blouse.

In the morning, at the top of the stairs
When your father found out what we did that night
And you told me you were scared.

All the glory when you ran outside
With your shirt tucked in and your shoes untied
And you told me not to follow you.

Sunday night when I cleaned the house
I found the card where you wrote it out
With the pictures of your mother.

On the floor at the great divide,
With my shirt tucked in and my shoes untied
I am crying in the bathroom.

In the morning when you finally go
And the nurse runs in with her head hung low
And the cardinal hits the window.

In the morning in the winter shade
On the first of March, on the holiday,
I thought I saw you breathing.

All the glory that the Lord has made
And the complications when I see His face
In the morning in the window.

All the glory when He took our place
But He took my shoulders and He shook my face.
And He takes and He takes and He takes.

The lyrics to this song itself raise many questions. Is Stevens writing from the perspective of the doubter? Or is his viewpoint that of the person full of the most faith of all? The one who can be shaken at their shoulders and face, and not shut out that message, but incorporate such pain and suffering into a larger scheme where God is good, is the one who truly believes. The one who does not demand the world to go their way is the one who grasps their infinitude. But is all contentment apathetic? Or is there room for happiness which rises above the here and the now to contemplate the infinite, and so be content with whether He gives or He takes? To censor this message of questioning is to cease to be, for when questions cease one lacks the faith of a little child, and this is no mere lack, it is one where the little child's clamors are turned away. This is a positive tragedy, not a mere dire dirge dedicated to dearth.

And yet, the question arises, what of those many souls we know who have gone from questioning in a child's tone, to questioning in a plaintive one? Is there a line of delineation between the thinking that is childlike and the thinking that is religulous? Will Occam's razor cut the soul who is too eager to use it? Or does this take us back to asking whether there is such a thing as wrong questions? I think it does. But again, the question I have is: is it not the heart that matters most? Regardless of the questions asked, if the heart is there, it is not only unshakeable, it itself will ask any question without fear of its world being turned upside down. This is why we see young children asking us why the sky is blue. And why did we ever stop asking such questions? Questions, questions, questions.

Hallelujah

2009-02-28T06:15:00.000-08:00

The struggles of faith weigh upon my mind to the point where when I succumb to those struggles, I feel paralyzed. One of my own thoughts this Lent is to be immersed in others. Abandon thoughts of self and then one can truly live. The paradox is timeless and true. It is not so much that I am struggling about doubt throughout the day, but when they come to mind these matters cast a shadow upon me and possess my soul as though it were me in the fires of doubt. I want to be there like the Lord who saw the three righteous men in the trials recorded by Daniel, and pull them out.

But I know too well that those journeys often do not leave me unscathed. When I go in, we all leave with charred clothes. I walk into the fire and stumble, kicking sparks up and smoldering smoke into my own eyes as I try to rescue others. Oftentimes, I realize that I need someone else to fix the mess I created.

In this current meditation, I've fixed my attention on one songwriter whose toils and confusions are played out in public for all to see. At some point last summer, I posted a video of him showing the conflict of playing one of his own songs and commented on his trial of faith. He once wrote words of praise to the Trinity, always honest about his shortcomings, but unashamed to play songs such as Be Thou My Vision. Now he will not play his own song, and his cover songs are more concerned with frailty and doubt.

What is amazing to me is that if you listen to the second song, which was composed by another soul in doubt, you still see the almost inescapable desire to praise God. The songwriter ended his set with this second song at an amazing house performance that myself and 3 others went together to see. Accompanied by no more than 31 other paying souls (and there weren't too many unpaying ones, by my count), and some great beer from Lost Abbey, we heard this troubadour, this bard, this hymnwriter, explain his struggles of faith.

It was then that it struck me again, that many struggles of conscience and faith are not what they are. Or perhaps they are what they are, but their implications and consequences aren't what we've been told that they were. Despite the weakness of our faith, it is not all about us in the end anyway. We must realize this or we will enter a spiral of despair. There is a dark night for our soul, and if we do not embrace it and struggle as Jacob once did, we are doomed.

So please, enjoy the first song which he wrote, and the second which he has in many ways adopted as his own. And when you are done with that, please take whatever praise that is genuine and within you, and do not discard it. As weak as it seems, it is not rubbish. And though it is Lent and our liturgies tend to exclude the Alleluia, I can't help but say thanks to God for any cry to Him, even from the doubtful soul.

It reminds me of another story where two friends were dealing with their own flavors of doubt. In that story, they went to a church they had never attended and met a priest who was busy gardening--trying to get the last weed pulled before saying his prayers, he hardly seemed fit to praise, to the undiscerning eye at least. These two strangers were called upon to lead the singing of the Psalms in a chant that only one had ever heard (and only a few times at that), with the third man prostrating himself and bowing before an Eastern altar. All the while, the two were supposed to keep their tempo and tune in check. I assure that that did not happen, but there were no other earthly souls there to poke fun. What the angels and saints did at the moment, oh Lord I wish I could know. Somehow, as weak as that moment was, it was just as beautiful as the most well-orchestrated service that had been planned for weeks. If sincerity was lacking in that perfectly memorized performance, perhaps the two fish out of water made an offering that pleased the Lord even more than than the 30 person choir that only sung out of a desire for applause.

But really, this blog was supposed to be about two songs. They may not resonate with every soul like Amazing Grace, but at times I wonder if every soul does need to hear words of unbending confidence. There is a dark night for every soul, of this I am convinced. Do not fear the struggle, fear the corpses which no longer struggle.

i could hear the church bells ringing
they pealed aloud your praise
the member's faces were smiling
with their hands outstretched to shake
it's true they did not move me
my heart was hard and tired
their perfect fire annoyed me
i could not find you anywhere
could someone please tell me the story
of sinners ransomed from the fall
i still have never seen you, and somedays
i don't love you at all

the devoted were wearing bracelets
to remind them why they came
some concrete motivation
when the abstract could not do the same
but if all that's left is duty, i'm falling on my sword
at least then, i would not serve an unseen distant lord

could someone please tell me the story
of sinners ransomed from the fall
i still have never seen you, and somedays
i don't love you at all
if this only a test
i hope that i'm passing, cuz i'm losing steam
but i still want to trust you

peace be still (x3)

Now I've heard there was a secret chord
That David played, and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do you?
It goes like this
The fourth, the fifth
The minor fall, the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you
She tied you
To a kitchen chair
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah

You say I took the name in vain
I don't even know the name
But if I did, well really, what's it to you?
There's a blaze of light
In every word
It doesn't matter which you heard
The holy or the broken Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah

I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah

Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Hallelujah

Introducing Called to Communion:Reformation Meets Rome

2009-02-26T07:31:00.000-08:00

I'm very happy, excited, and amazed to announce that yesterday a new website was born. It's one that I'm involved with in various ways-the one visible proof that you can see at the moment is a podcast interview. In the future I think the mathoms will have a more mathom-esque tone than it did in the past because of this new site-I'll be writing more essayish articles there, roaming about the comboxes, critiquing my co-authors work, etc.--here can be for, well, the rest of life. But I digress. We were talking about the new site.

Called to Communion is put together by 10 or so guys (we need a female contributor, methinks) who have a similar past, a similar present, and hopefully a similar future.

We have journeyed through life and have spent varying amounts of time in appreciation of the Reformation for its desire for being close to the Apostles and their teachings, and yet we have also come to see that many of the protests made by Protestants were not sufficient reasons to stay separated from the Roman Catholic Church. We look back fondly on our days as Reformed/Calvinist believers, and we want to show how that makes sense. Please take a visit from this site today--it's still in its infancy but there is already much to see-our common goal of Christian unity and mutual understanding is being sent from mere mental activity to communication. Also note that there are comment sections for the posts, etc. Well, you get the gist-enough of my blathering about.

Have a great day, as we journey towards Pascha/Easter.

dear brothers and sisters

2009-02-25T08:19:00.000-08:00

"He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards He was hungry..."

the mathoms redivivus

2009-02-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

You have entered this site for the first and the hundred and first time, whether you are some happenstance hobbling stranger who is hoping for something new and interesting to read, or my closest friend who knows that nothing of the sort will come from here. For that matter, I never promised anything of the sort-just read the banner here, and my mission statement will be clear: the celebration of the mathoms.

Two hundred and forty posts could have packed a wallop if quantity was all you were seeking, but that would leave the soul of the truly starving wanting more. There is no satiation without the substance, the marrow, the juice.

When pragmatism has conquered idealism, we wake up with sick stomachs and throbbing heads, and even worse maladies. But if all that is left is duty, I am not falling on my sword, I am making a change to see beyond duty and arrive at life itself.

Everything is gone, yet all things remain on the same course. It is the course we dreamed of as children, the one we spurned as fools of 13, or 31. But at 1331, we will see things clearly, doubtless. This is how we brighten our days, by not ignoring the darkness or embracing it as shining, shimmering splendor (yes, I did just quote Aladdin, and no, of course I did not!). It is knowing that Nothing is truly no thing. It is having the courage to laugh at those who take nothing for something, but only if such laughter begins with auto-mockery that ends in a joyful self-destruction. At that moment, when we feel like our walls have been dashed to pieces, we will realize that we can begin to build something real. Something, instead of nothing. That is the essence of a mathom. It is something true, something real, something held onto but is not the most amazing treatise or love letter. It may evoke real nostalgia, real guilt, real joy, or real bitterness, but the point is it is real. There are stronger potions in the world, and I will leave it for sorcerors and soothsayers to prattle with such words, because I have seen more good come from a miniscule mathom. The most meagre trifle in the proper place can unseat lords and dethrone kings. Even nothing can shake up world affairs. Whether that means it is for good or for ill is for historians to sort out, but it happens all the same.

There is in Nothing something so majestic and so high
that it is a fascination and spell to regard it. Is it not that
which Mankind, after the great effort of life, at last attains, and
that which alone can satisfy Mankind's desire? Is it not that which
is the end of so many generations of analysis, the final word of
Philosophy, and the goal of the search for reality? Is it not the
very matter of our modern creed in which the great spirits of our
time repose, and is it not, as it were, the culmination of their
intelligence? It is indeed the sum and meaning of all around!

How well has the world perceived it and how powerfully do its
legends illustrate what Nothing is to men! - Hilaire Belloc, On Nothing & Kindred Subjects

For now, I will say goodbye by saying hello:welcome back. It has been too long, even if it has only been five seconds.

the grotesque and the southern writer

2009-02-20T07:49:00.000-08:00

2009-02-17T20:10:00.001-08:00

A parable on a passing parent

2009-02-12T21:42:00.001-08:00

There was once a caring father who raised 4 wonderful children. Three were boys and one was a girl. The youngest boy clung closest to his parents of all, having been born as one out of season. In their wisdom from having failed in many ways to be a shining example to the first three, the little lad was favored by his parents' tempered experience with the adult children, who had all moved out of the house. The father made it a point to write dutifully to each of his children. They received personalized letters on birthdays and other special occasions. These were no Hallmark contrivances that could be exchanged between millions of fathers of myriads of children with no difference in the end. Instead, every line, every dot, was traced with the intention of a man who knew of the unique fibre that differentiated each special gift from God given to him.

The letters that he wrote were not merely personalized, they contained strokes of the finest genius. The advice was to the individual, and yet the children felt that they could share these handwritten words to their siblings, or to their friends, or even to some stranger who looked like they might need inspiration. The words were truly inspired, to the point that each brother and sister would call the other who had been fortunate enough to receive the latest work of art from their dearest dad, just to hear what he had to say.

They would read it all, and as the letter would come to a close, his trademark signature would say, "And always remember, dear one, that what I write to you here needs to be kept close to your heart. Keep it just as close to your heart as the words that I once whispered in your ear when you still dwelt under my roof, for you are never far from me. Love, DAD"

It was amidst these times of serenity and love that one night, the father died softly in his sleep. The four children could scarcely fathom a world without dad. His words of advice were like a matrix of being, a grid through which all things made sense. From the scrapes and cuts that made riding a bike seem like torture, to the broken hearts from a folly-filled crush, he had set them straight time and time again. And now he was not there to brush them off and remind them of their life's meaning that was often shouted down from the varying voices of a confused society. Never again would he stoop down and pick them up when they had no will to stand again.

And in this deep sadness, the letters that had swirled and been passed from brother to sister flew in a flurry, like some unbridled storm that would destroy homes and leave order in utter chaos.

One son told his sister that their father cared most about poetry. The second brother had said that his father wouldn't care so much about prose and rhyme as compared to diligence and honesty. The sister thought it was a waste of time to debate the two but to keep both poetry and fruitfulness in mind at the same time.

But our youngest friend, the kid brother, did not have those stories and tales on his mind. The memory of his dad's strong arms holding him close, kissing him with words of reassurance, kept his mind full of hope. His tears of mourning were intermingled with tears of joy and thanksgiving, just to have spent some moments with this marvelous man who brought them into this world and sustained them as they went from childhood to adulthood. This was such a strong experience that while he too kept the different letters of his father that he'd received throughout the years, the words themselves were drowned out by tangible memories that were unattached to paper and pen. And these remembrances were not merely things that brought about emotional flashbacks of the happy times when his dad was around-no, they were also words of advice as practical as that unread manual to whatever the electronic device du jour happens to be.

And so it was, that as the four friends and siblings sat at the funeral of their father, when the youngest child told his brothers and sister about some of his father's last words to him, and how that should shape their understanding of how to live out the rest of their lives in his absence, his stories were not met with empathy and interest. Instead, they held up the letters that they loved to read, and found many things in his stories that could not be reproduced in those amazing letters.

"But why didn't he write those words to me? Why would he say those things to you but never commit them to the written word?", or some permutation of that plaintive cry, came from each of the three older siblings. In their own unique ways, they each saw this little brother as a usurper who wanted to steal the spotlight of the truth imparted by their loving father.

"Please, dearest ones, remember what he would write to us all...he would say, 'Always remember, dear one, that what I write to you here needs to be kept close to your heart. Keep it just as close to your heart as the words that I once whispered in your ear when you still dwelt under my roof, for you are never far from me.'"

"NONSENSE! If we can't find the very thoughts of our Dad in one of his beautiful letters to at least one of us, we can't believe that what you have to say is from him. It's a figment of your imagination. We're sad that he's gone too, but that doesn't give you the right to just pretend like he would say something to you that he didn't put into writing! Dad was an organized guy, how would he leave out these ideas from his letters??"

And so it was that the youngest boy lived his life out in the hope that what his father had told him was real, and the three elder siblings shut him out, fearing his words that their father had said more than what they could hold. This phantasmal promise seemed impossible to them, and they shut their hearts to his words. They would all die with a piece of their father's legacy ungrasped-the paradox of them loving his words but shunning his parting words that ended each of his letters would not go unnoticed, by some at least.

Always remember, dear one, that what I write to you here needs to be kept close to your heart. Keep it just as close to your heart as the words that I once whispered in your ear when you still dwelt under my roof, for you are never far from me.

It reminds this very weak and amazingly meagre narrator of another writer's words to his "children". That man, Saul of Tarsus, is not known to have had four children, physically at least. But he did write in a parallel fashion when he said to a church in Asia Minor that inhabited a small city called Thessalonica:

So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.

Whether spoken word or through Scriptures, the Scriptures call us to hear the words of the Apostles. If we claim that Sola Scriptura is a good principle to live by, are we going to our graves with our ears partially closed to those words of the very pages that we claim to honor? As paradoxical as it may sound, it would seem that those words themselves point to something MORE, in calling us to follow tradition. If we really want to honor the One who inspired those words, we must find the way to follow what is said, even if it takes us beyond those words.

Augustine the schizophrenic?

2009-02-12T06:42:00.002-08:00

Having entered the Catholic Church through a Presbyterian door (which looked quite worn and used as I turned back and noted its handle), I often think of the confusion that this must make for my friends and the barely observing public. In a sense, it seems like the least likely thing for a person to do, when one considers the Presbyterian staunch stance and claim of being the closest thing to the original Reformation thinkers who broke with Rome. At the same time, some of my more Evangelical-minded friends think of this change as one of the most likely things a person could do, because of its interest in the covenant. This inclusiveness which extends God's grace to the unwilling children is seen as some sort of crime against the will, or a presumption upon God where He is construed to be a pathetic genie. Forced to dole out His grace, we hold Him at gunpoint and our children are blessed without a profession of faith.

You get the (horrible) picture.

This macabre mix of hatred and flirtation with Catholicism in the Reformed mindset takes flesh and blood in one historical character, St. Augustine of Hippo.

This great thinker is also maliciously maligned in a way similar to how I often have felt, for he has at once been bearer of the brunt of the blame for causing Calvinism and Catholicism.

Take this quote from Dave Hunt, who wrote against Calvinism by saying:

In 386, after studies in philosophy, law and the classics (he was greatly inspired by Plato), a year of teaching grammar and a career as a rhetorician, Augustine embraced Christianity, entered the Roman Catholic Church, and established a monastery which he moved to Hippo, Africa upon being appointed its bishop. Often called the father of Roman Catholicism’s major doctrines, as we shall see, Augustine heavily influenced later philosophers and even exerts a strong influence among evangelicals today through Calvinism (p. 23).

Here we see Augustine as the prototype of two things that are supposed to be diametrically opposed, if the Calvinist is correct.

How can we settle this matter? One tactic is to take Augustine and turn him into two people. By dividing his later works from his earlier work, we can have him say two things that clash with each other. Take this quote from Norman Geisler, who objects to the claim that there is historical basis for Calvin's thinking.

We have been defending a moderate form of Calvinism. This view is not new. Its roots are found in the early writings of St. Augustine…St. Augustine's earlier view was a more moderate form of what I have called extreme Calvinism. In our opinion, had Augustine not been thrown off track by his view of baptismal regeneration and the coercion of heretics to believe (during the Donatist controversy), extreme Calvinists would find no substantial support in the whole history of the Christian church up to the Reformation (CBF, 129-130).

Why does he stress the early works of St. Augustine? There he wrote on the will and freedom in such a way that it would seem to make him sound "Arminian", and as a result, Geisler aligns himself with the "early" Augustine. The "later" Augustine was too Calvinistic for his ears. To the Calvinist, "later" Augustine was just right. He had grown with time and had shaken off his childish ways of believing in the ontological freedom of the will.

But really, is Augustine a schizophrenic? Did he change with time?

I would answer, "No" to the first question, and "Yes but not towards contradiction" to the second question. Ah, but I'm arguing from the Catholic perspective, so I must be biased, right?

Actually, there is a very simple way to check if those who break up Augustine's work are doing him justice. Thankfully, the habits of the great ancient writers included the task of composing retractions. Sometimes this was not a literal statement of "I have erred", but more a matter of saying "I could have said this better. If I could write this book again, I would treat the matter thusly." But retractions very well could include a statement denouncing earlier statements. At any rate, Augustine published his retractions towards the end of his life, and what did he have to say about his alleged two selves?

In actuality, there was no substantial retraction of his early or his later work. To Augustine at least, this whole matter of dividing him asunder makes as much sense as Solomon's threat to the women who debated over the maternity of one baby. Augustine was not a schizophrenic.

Now, the real question one must consider after all of this is--is there a way to embrace both the early and the late Augustine at the same time? How does this work. My answer would be, here:

Can't you just imagine Pope Benedict XVI saying, "Come Join Us"?

Here we have the mystery maintained - God's sovereignty, man's responsibility.
So in a sense, the Arminians and the Calvinists are both right about Augustine. The charge that (especially early) Augustine spoke too highly of the will for Calvinist ears is true, but it is also true that in his later writings he is too willing to praise God's sovereignty for Arminian ears.

Augustine was not divided against himself, for such a house (and by extension, such a person) shall not stand.

But I'll leave the explanation of how I think it all works out for another time...

the pillar of truth-but that's not in there part III

2009-02-02T19:05:00.001-08:00

Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise! God help me, Amen!

According to this website (among others), that may not have been actually spoken by Luther. What seems to be without a doubt is that he did say this:

"Unless I am convicted by scripture and plain reason - I do not accept the authority of the popes and councils, for they have contradicted each other - my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen."

Those are words of courage, and they are quite moving. They form a rallying cry around the idea of Sola Scriptura. Actually, if you think about his reference to plain reason there is quite a lot of wiggle room, but to most people, he's touting the Protestant party line here.

But what do the Scriptures themselves say about themselves?

Yes, His Word is a lamp unto our feet, a light unto our path. And yes, Paul wrote in his second letter to Timothy:

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

When it comes down to whether there might be authority beyond the Scriptures, these and other concepts about the Scriptures are placed before our eyes, by Luther and his successors.

But what do the Scriptures say about the source of truth?
In the first Letter that Paul wrote to Timothy, we hear a description that escaped my eyes (well, my heart at least) that goes against this notion that one can only find truths in the Scriptures.

Paul wrote:
"Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth."

Did you catch that? Did you let those words sink in beyond a surface reading?

The Church is the pillar and foundation of the truth.

Again, as I survey those congregations from whence I have come, I don't see a way for this concept to really exist. I looked within the walls and had to conclude again, "But that's not in there!"

Now, there are hundreds of objections and the like that one must make, like where does the Church subsist? Are there degrees of truth? I'm not here to answer such questions today, I'm merely here to point out that there is something woefully lacking, something that comes from an understanding of the Body of Christ as something that is only right when we think it's in line with our understanding of the Scriptures.

If this were the case, the Scriptures would be the pillar and foundation of the truth. But that's not what Paul said, is it? No, somehow, the Church is that pillar.

best super bowl ad ever

2009-02-01T20:43:00.002-08:00

This ad was rejected by NBC for being too political.
2 thoughts:
1) I can relate to our current president.
2) It's too bad this wasn't aired.

the sourdough bread proof of apostolic succession

2009-02-01T17:41:00.002-08:00

Yesterday at California Adventure, we wanted to be sure that we were adequately fed beyond our remaining Christmas Disney gift cards. And so it was that we went to both the Mission Tortilla Factory and the Boudin Sourdough Bread Factory tours, which include silly videos and (more importantly) free samples from these {somewhat} fine establishments.

I'd gone to the tortilla one multiple times given my palate's preference, but this time we wanted a fuller experience, and so we ended up sitting through a horrible dialogue with Rosie O'Donnell and some actor that I knew I was supposed to know to gain some sort of credibility, but thank the Lord I care not a dram for such status.

At any rate, my protest to the surroundings did not lead me to pay no attention at all. Instead, at any educational moment, etc., my eyes and ears were open. The video described how sourdough was made, contrasting it from other bread that is only based on yeast for its fermentation. Instead, there is (in the case of Boudin) a patented species of Lactobacillus that gives sourdough bread its distinctive qualities, especially its sourness.

You can read more about sourdough bread here, but the main point that I have today is that one other important thing about sourdough is that a big portion of its existence is what's called mother dough or starter dough.

That is, with each new batch of bread that is baked, a portion of the mix is kept to be used to make the next generation of bread. This is to the point where for things made by Boudin bakeries one can trace the formulation back to the likely very humble beginnings of this now huge company.

As I heard about the great continuity in this recipe that is attainable through mother dough in sourdough baking, I realized that this was a great picture of what Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox Christians see in their belief in Apostolic Succession.

There is something that is passed from bishop to bishop. It is no intangible notion of doctrinal "purity", which is a notion that has such a shifting definition that if you asked 10 scholars you'd get 20 opinions. Instead, those of us who hold to apostolic succession would say that there was something to Paul's words to Timothy--something that goes beyond the paltry realm of mere human allegiance, and enters the world of an amazing call of God that would keep His people from doubt in a world of too many options. It takes one to a realm where there is a flavor/recipe/taste that has the chance to be preserved in a world that shifts like sand.

The question is, do you view baking as something where each new creation is separate from the previous recipe? Can there be retooling in each generation? Are there even generations, or do we constantly "emerge" with each new group of believers? If there is no such continuity, how do we know that our gospel today is the same as that of yesterday? I looked at the world, with its dissension and failure to converge, and realized that there had to be something beyond pundits and scholars. There needed to be a gift to God's people that didn't just go from Paul to Timothy, but to us today in this painfully confusing 21st century. And so, like the Boudin bakers who have kept not only their recipe the same but the actual substance of their bread, I would challenge you all to answer this question: where is your mother dough?

the Church is visible--But that's not in there!!! pt.2

2009-01-29T23:25:00.001-08:00

PCA pastor Jason Stellman makes the point I've been wanting to make for some time in a post entitled On Pleasantville and the Visible Church:

"Once we have sufficiently convinced ourselves that the visible church is small enough only to contain those who are under the authority of our particular denomination or body, then we can allow passages like Matthew 16:19 to play a significant role in our ecclesiastical practice. When someone becomes unrepentantly delinquent in doctrine or morals, we exercise our proper jurisdiction and remove such a one from our assembly.

But while all of this painful, sober, and faithful discipline happens we have this nagging thought in the back of our minds that the excommunicated person can just run out and join one of many other churches in the area, and that the chances that those churches will take seriously our disciplinary sentence are slim to nil. So he’s not really “delivered over to Satan,” but delivered over to Lakeside Community Church.

My point is two-fold. First, Protestantism doesn’t really believe in a visible church but in visible churches, and secondly, it is only in the context of any one of these distinct churches that spiritual authority and discipline make any sense."

He has a spot-on analysis coming from the place where I stood just 4 months ago.
If Jesus wanted Christians to gather together into multiple bodies willy-nilly, there would be the confusing situation we are in today. The ability to deliver the disobedient to Satan, to shun those who cause divisions, etc. etc. is made to be something where one group of Christians say "Yes, Brother X is a brother in good standing" while the others say "No, Brother X is in trouble."

So just as the Gospels call for celibacy among at least some brethren, and I tried to argue "Hey, but that's not in there!," I would also argue that church discipline has no real teeth outside of a Church that is ultimately visible and one. The ideal set forth by Christ is doomed to fail, if we are supposed to be split based on baptism, communion, church government, soteriology, music, and the color of the drapes.

Lord, heal us of our division as a group so that we can be healed of our many weaknesses as individuals.

On Christian Unity (day 8)

2009-01-25T06:04:00.001-08:00

Day 8

Christian proclamation of hope in a world of separation
“that they may become one in your hand”

Ezek 37: 1-14 I will open your graves
The hand of the LORD came upon me, and he led me out in the spirit of the LORD and set me in the center of the plain, which was now filled with bones.
He made me walk among them in every direction so that I saw how many they were on the surface of the plain. How dry they were!
He asked me: Son of man, can these bones come to life? "Lord GOD," I answered, "you alone know that."
Then he said to me: Prophesy over these bones, and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: See! I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life.
I will put sinews upon you, make flesh grow over you, cover you with skin, and put spirit in you so that you may come to life and know that I am the LORD.
I prophesied as I had been told, and even as I was prophesying I heard a noise; it was a rattling as the bones came together, bone joining bone.
I saw the sinews and the flesh come upon them, and the skin cover them, but there was no spirit in them.
Then he said to me: Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord GOD: From the four winds come, O spirit, and breathe into these slain that they may come to life.
I prophesied as he told me, and the spirit came into them; they came alive and stood upright, a vast army.
Then he said to me: Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They have been saying, "Our bones are dried up, our hope is lost, and we are cut off."
Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and have you rise from them, O my people!
I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land; thus you shall know that I am the LORD. I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.

Ps 104: 24-34 You renew the face of the earth

How varied are your works, LORD! In wisdom you have wrought them all; the earth is full of your creatures.
Look at the sea, great and wide! It teems with countless beings, living things both large and small.
Here ships ply their course; here Leviathan, your creature, plays.
All of these look to you to give them food in due time.
When you give to them, they gather; when you open your hand, they are well filled.
When you hide your face, they are lost. When you take away their breath, they perish and return to the dust from which they came.
When you send forth your breath, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.
May the glory of the LORD endure forever; may the LORD be glad in these works!
If God glares at the earth, it trembles; if God touches the mountains, they smoke!
I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God while I live.
May my theme be pleasing to God; I will rejoice in the LORD.

Rev 21: 1-5a I am making all things new
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people 4 and God himself will always be with them (as their God).
He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, (for) the old order has passed away."
The one who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new."

Mt 5: 1-12 Blessed are you...
When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Commentary

I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live. Biblical faith is imbued with a radical hope that the last word in history belongs to God, and that God’s last word is not one of judgment but of new creation. As reflected upon in meditations of previous days, Christians live in the midst of a world which is marked by various kinds of division and alienation. Yet the stance of the church remains one of hope, grounded not in what human beings can do, but in the power and abiding desire of God to transform fracture and fragmentation into unity and wholeness, death-giving hatred into life-giving love. The people of Korea continue to endure the tragic consequences of national division, yet there too, Christian hope abounds.

Christian hope lives on even in the midst of profound suffering because it is born out of the steadfast love of God revealed on the cross of Christ. Hope rises with Jesus from the tomb, as death and the forces of death are overcome; it spreads with the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, which renews the face of the earth. The risen Christ is the beginning of a new and authentic life. His resurrection announces the end of the old order and sows the seeds of a new eternal creation, where all will be reconciled in him and God will be all in all.

See, I am making all things new. Christian hope begins with the renewal of creation, such that it fulfils God’s original intention in the act of creating. In Revelation 21, God does not say ‘I am making all new things’ but rather, ‘I am making all things new’. Christian hope does not imply a long passive wait for the end of the world but the desire for this renewal, already begun in the resurrection and at Pentecost. It is not the hope for an apocalyptic culmination of history collapsing our world, but rather, hope for the fundamental and radical change of the world already known to us. God’s new beginning ends the sin, divisions and finitude of the world, transfiguring creation so that it can take part in God’s glory and share in God’s eternity.

When Christians gather to pray for unity, they are motivated and sustained by this hope. The strength of prayer for unity is the strength which comes from God’s renewal of the created world; its wisdom, that of the Holy Spirit which breathes new life on dry bones and brings them to life; its integrity, that of opening ourselves completely to the will of God, to be transformed into instruments of the unity Christ wills for his disciples.

Prayer

Gracious God, you are with us always, amidst suffering and turmoil, and will be to the end of time. Help us to be a people deeply imbued with hope, living out the beatitudes, serving the unity you desire. Amen.

On Christian Unity (day 7)

2009-01-24T05:50:00.001-08:00

Day 7

Christians face to face with a plurality of religions
“that they may become one in your hand”
Is 25: 6-9 This is the Lord for whom we have waited.

On this mountain the LORD of hosts will provide for all peoples A feast of rich food and choice wines, juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.
On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, The web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever. The Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces; The reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken.
On that day it will be said: "Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us! This is the LORD for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!"

Ps 117 :1-2 Praise the Lord, all you nations.
Praise the LORD, all you nations! Give glory, all you peoples!
The LORD'S love for us is strong; the LORD is faithful forever. Hallelujah!

Rom 2:12-16 The doers of the law will be justified
All who sin outside the law will also perish without reference to it, and all who sin under the law will be judged in accordance with it.
For it is not those who hear the law who are just in the sight of God; rather, those who observe the law will be justified.
For when the Gentiles who do not have the law by nature observe the prescriptions of the law, they are a law for themselves even though they do not have the law.
They show that the demands of the law are written in their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even defend them
on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge people's hidden works through Christ Jesus.

Mk 7:24-30 For saying this, you may go home happy.
From that place he went off to the district of Tyre. He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it, but he could not escape notice.
Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him. She came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth, and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, "Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs."
She replied and said to him, "Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children's scraps."
Then he said to her, "For saying this, you may go. The demon has gone out of your daughter."
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

Commentary

Nearly every day we hear of violence in different parts of the world between followers of different faiths. We learn that Korea however is a place where different faiths – Buddhist, Christian, Confucian – mostly coexist in peace.

In a great hymn of praise, the prophet Isaiah speaks of all tears being wiped away and a rich feast for all people and nations! One day, asserts the prophet, all the peoples of the earth will praise God and rejoice in the salvation he offers. The Lord for whom we have waited is the host at the eternal feast in Isaiah’s song of praise.

When Jesus meets a non-Jewish woman who pleads for healing for her daughter he initially refuses to help her, in surprising terms. The woman persists, in similar terms: “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs”. Jesus affirms her insight into his mission to Jews and non-Jews alike, and sends her on her way with the promise of healing for her daughter.

The churches are committed to dialogue in the cause of Christian unity. In recent years, dialogue has also developed between people of other faiths, particularly those ‘of the Book’ (Judaism, Islam): encounters which are not only enlightening but also help promote respect and good relations between neighbours, and build peace where there is conflict. If our Christian witness is united by virtue of our faith in Christ, our opposition to prejudice and conflict will be all the more effective. And if we listen carefully to our neighbours of other faiths, can we learn something more of the inclusiveness of God’s love for all people, and of his kingdom?

Dialogue with other Christians should not lead to a loss of a particular Christian identity but to joy as we obey Jesus’ prayer that we become one, as he is one with the Father. Unity will not come today or even tomorrow; but together, with other believers, we walk towards that final, common destiny of love and salvation.

Prayer

Lord our God, we thank you for the wisdom we gain from your scriptures. Grant us the courage to open our hearts and our minds to neighbours of other Christian confessions and of other faiths; the grace to overcome barriers of indifference, prejudice or hate; and a vision of the last days, when Christians might walk together towards that final feast, when tears and dissension will be overcome through love. Amen.

the vatican has its own youtube channel!

2009-01-23T07:03:00.001-08:00

One of the things I've tried to do is bring actual quotes from authorities in the Catholic Church. Thankfully, the Vatican has its own youtube channel, as I found from Amy Wellborn's awesome blog.

Take an honest look at what you find there. You may just end up liking it as much as I do...at any rate, the link is simple, remember it...

http://www.youtube.com/vatican

On Christian Unity (day 6)

2009-01-23T05:33:00.001-08:00

Day 6

Christians face to face with disease and suffering
“that they may become one in your hand”

II Kings 20: 1-6 Remember me, O Lord!
In those days, when Hezekiah was mortally ill, the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, came and said to him: "Thus says the LORD: 'Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you shall not recover.'"
He turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD:
"O LORD, remember how faithfully and wholeheartedly I conducted myself in your presence, doing what was pleasing to you!" And Hezekiah wept bitterly.
Before Isaiah had left the central courtyard, the word of the LORD came to him:
"Go back and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people: 'Thus says the LORD, the God of your forefather David: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you. In three days you shall go up to the LORD'S temple;
I will add fifteen years to your life. I will rescue you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria; I will be a shield to this city for my own sake, and for the sake of my servant David.'"

Ps 22: 1-11 Why have you forsaken me?

For the leader; according to "The deer of the dawn." A psalm of David.
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Why so far from my call for help, from my cries of anguish?
My God, I call by day, but you do not answer; by night, but I have no relief.
Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the glory of Israel.
In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted and you rescued them.
To you they cried out and they escaped; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
But I am a worm, hardly human, scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
All who see me mock me; they curl their lips and jeer; they shake their heads at me:
"You relied on the LORD--let him deliver you; if he loves you, let him rescue you."
Yet you drew me forth from the womb, made me safe at my mother's breast.
Upon you I was thrust from the womb; since birth you are my God.
Jas 5: 13-15 The prayer of faith will save the sick
Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praise.
Is anyone among you sick? He should summon the presbyters of the church, and they should pray over him and anoint (him) with oil in the name of the Lord,
and the prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.

Mk 10: 46-52 Jesus asked: What do you want me to do for you?

They came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me."
Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage; get up, he is calling you."
He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see."
Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

Commentary

How often Jesus encounters the sick and is willing to heal them! Common to all our still separated churches is the awareness of our Lord’s compassion for the sick. Christians have always followed his example, by healing the sick, building hospitals, dispensaries, organizing medical missions and caring not only for the souls but also the bodies of God’s children.

This is not such an obvious response; the healthy tend to take health for granted and forget those who cannot take part in the regular life of the community because they are sick or handicapped. And the sick? They may feel cut off from God, his presence, blessing and healing power.

The deep rooted faith of Hezekiah supports him through sickness. In a time of sorrow, he finds words to remind God of his grace. Yes, those who are suffering might even use words from the Bible to cry out or struggle with God: Why have you forsaken me? When an honest relationship with God is well established, grounded in language of faithfulness and thankfulness in good times, it creates space also for a language to express sorrow, pain or anger in prayer when necessary.

The sick are not objects and not only at the receiving end of care; rather, they are subjects of faith, as the disciples must learn in the story of the gospel of Mark. The disciples want to continue directly along their way with Jesus; the sick man on the edge of the crowd is ignored. When he cries out, it is a diversion from their goal. We are used to caring for the sick, but we are not so used to their crying loudly and disturbing us. Their cries today may be for affordable medicine in poor countries, which touches the question of patents and profits. The disciples who wanted to prevent the blind man getting near Jesus have to become the messengers of the Lord’s rather different and caring response: Come, he is calling you.

It is only when the disciples bring the sick man to Jesus that they come to understand what Jesus wants: to take time to meet and talk with the sick man, asking what he wants and needs. A healing community can grow when the sick experience the presence of God through a mutual relationship with their sisters and brothers in Christ.

Prayer

God, listen to people when they cry to you in sickness and pain. May the healthy thank you for their wellbeing, And may they serve the sick with loving hearts and open hands. God, let all of us live in your grace and providence, becoming a truly healing community and praising you together. Amen.

On Christian Unity (day 5)

2009-01-22T05:09:00.001-08:00

Day 5

Christians face to face with discrimination and social prejudice
“that they may become one in your hand”

Is 58: 6-12 Do not hide yourself from your own kin
This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke;
Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; Your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech;
If you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday;
Then the LORD will guide you always and give you plenty even on the parched land. He will renew your strength, and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring whose water never fails.
The ancient ruins shall be rebuilt for your sake, and the foundations from ages past you shall raise up; "Repairer of the breach," they shall call you, "Restorer of ruined homesteads."

Ps 133 How good it is when kindred live in unity
A song of ascents. Of David. How good it is, how pleasant, where the people dwell as one!
Like precious ointment on the head, running down upon the beard, Upon the beard of Aaron, upon the collar of his robe.
Like dew of Hermon coming down upon the mountains of Zion. There the LORD has lavished blessings, life for evermore!

Gal 3: 26-29 You are all one in Christ Jesus
For through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus.
For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's descendant, heirs according to the promise.

Lk 18: 9-14 To some who trusted in their own righteousness
He then addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.
"Two people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity--greedy, dishonest, adulterous--or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.'
But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Commentary

In the beginning, human beings created in the image of God were but one in his hand. Sin, however, entered the hearts of men and women and since then we have built up all kinds of prejudice. Here it may be according to race or ethnic identity, elsewhere sexual identity or the simple fact of being man or woman is cause for discrimination. In yet other places it is being disabled or adhering to a particular religion which is a reason for exclusion. All these discriminatory factors are dehumanising and a source of conflict and great suffering.

In his earthly ministry, Jesus showed himself to be particularly sensitive regarding the common humanity of all men and women. He continually denounced discrimination of all sorts and the pride which some of his contemporaries derived from it . The just are not always those whom you would imagine. Contempt has no place in the hearts of believers.

Psalm 133 compares the joy of a life shared with sisters and brothers to the goodness of a precious oil or the dew of Mount Hermon. We are given to taste this joy with our sisters and brothers, each time we let go of our confessional prejudices within our ecumenical gatherings.

The restoration of the unity of all humankind is the common mission of all Christians. Together they must struggle against all discrimination. It is also their common hope because all are one in Christ and there is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, man or woman.

Prayer

Lord help us to recognize the discrimination and exclusion which damage societies. Direct our gaze and help us to recognize our own prejudices. Teach us to banish all contempt and to taste the joy of living together in unity. Amen.

On Christian Unity (day 4)

2009-01-21T05:00:00.001-08:00

Day 4

Christians face to face with ecological crisis
“that they may become one in your hand”

Gen 1: 31-2:3 God saw everything he had made and it was very good
God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed--the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.
Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing, he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.
So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.

Ps 148: 1-5 He commanded and they were created
Hallelujah! Praise the LORD from the heavens; give praise in the heights.
Praise him, all you angels; give praise, all you hosts.
Praise him, sun and moon; give praise, all shining stars.
Praise him, highest heavens, you waters above the heavens.
Let them all praise the LORD'S name; for the LORD commanded and they were created,

Rom 8: 18-23 The destruction of creation
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.
For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God;
for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it, in hope
that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.

Mt 13: 31-32 The smallest of all the seeds
He proposed another parable to them. "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field.
It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'"
Commentary

God created our world with wisdom and love and when he had finished his great work of creation, God saw that it was good.

Today however the world is confronted with a serious ecological crisis. The earth is suffering from global warming as a result of our excessive consumption of energy. The extent of forested area on our planet has diminished by 50% over the last 40 years while the deserts are spreading ever faster. Three quarters of ocean life has already disappeared. Every day more than 100 living species die out and this loss of biodiversity is a serious menace for humanity itself. With the apostle Paul we can affirm: creation has been delivered into the power of destruction, it groans as in the pains of childbirth.

We cannot deny that human beings bear a heavy responsibility for environmental destruction. Their unbridled greed casts the shadow of death on the whole of creation.

Together Christians must do their utmost to save creation. Before the immensity of this task, they must unite their efforts. It is only together that they can protect the work of the creator. It is impossible not to notice the central place which natural elements occupy in the parables and teaching of Jesus. Christ shows great respect even for the smallest of all the seeds. With the biblical vision of creation as affirmation, Christians can contribute with one voice to the present reflection on the future of our planet.

Prayer

God our Creator, the world was created by your Word and you saw that it was good. But today we are spreading death and destroying our environment. Grant that we may repent of our greed; help us to care for all that you have made. Together, we desire to protect your creation. Amen.

On Christian Unity (day 3)

2009-01-20T04:48:00.001-08:00

Day 3
Christians face to face with economic injustice and poverty
“that they may become one in your hand”
Lev 25: 8-14 The jubilee which liberates
"Seven weeks of years shall you count--seven times seven years--so that the seven cycles amount to forty-nine years.
Then, on the tenth day of the seventh month let the trumpet resound; on this, the Day of Atonement, the trumpet blast shall re-echo throughout your land.
This fiftieth year you shall make sacred by proclaiming liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when every one of you shall return to his own property, every one to his own family estate.
In this fiftieth year, your year of jubilee, you shall not sow, nor shall you reap the aftergrowth or pick the grapes from the untrimmed vines.
Since this is the jubilee, which shall be sacred for you, you may not eat of its produce, except as taken directly from the field.
"In this year of jubilee, then, every one of you shall return to his own property.
Therefore, when you sell any land to your neighbor or buy any from him, do not deal unfairly.

Ps 146 The Lord executes justice for the oppressed
Hallelujah!
Praise the LORD, my soul; I shall praise the LORD all my life, sing praise to my God while I live.
I Put no trust in princes, in mere mortals powerless to save.
When they breathe their last, they return to the earth; that day all their planning comes to nothing.
Happy those whose help is Jacob's God, whose hope is in the LORD, their God,
The maker of heaven and earth, the seas and all that is in them, Who keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free;
the LORD gives sight to the blind. The LORD raises up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
The LORD protects the stranger, sustains the orphan and the widow, but thwarts the way of the wicked.
The LORD shall reign forever, your God, Zion, through all generations! Hallelujah!

1 Tim 6: 9-10 The love of money is the root of all evil

Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction.
For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains.

Lk 4: 16-21 Jesus and the jubilee as liberation
He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read
and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord."
Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him.
He said to them, "Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."

Commentary

We pray for the kingdom of God to arrive. We long for a world where people, in particular the poorest, do not die before their appointed time. However, the economic system of the world today aggravates the situation of the poor and accentuates social inequity.

Today the world community is confronted with the growing precariousness of labour and its consequences. The idolatry of the market (profit), like the love of money according to the author of the Epistle to Timothy, thus appears as ‘the root of all evil’. What can and must the churches do in this context? Let us look at the biblical theme of jubilee which Jesus evoked to define his ministry.

According to the Leviticus text, during the jubilee, liberation was to be proclaimed; economic immigrants could return to their homes and their family; if somebody had lost all his goods he could also live with the populace as a foreign resident. Money was not to be lent for interest nor food sold for profit.

The jubilee implied a community ethic, the freeing of slaves and their return home, the restoration of financial rights and the cancellation of debts. For the victims of unjust social structures, this meant the restitution of law and of their means of existence.

The priorities of today’s world, in which ‘more money’ is seen as the highest value and goal of life, can only lead to death. As churches, we are called to counter this by living together in the spirit of jubilee and following Christ, spreading this good news. As Christians experience the healing of their divisions they become more sensitive to other divisions which wound humanity and creation.

Prayer

God of justice, there are places in this world overflowing with food, But others where there is not enough and where the hungry and the sick are many. God of peace, There are those in this world who profit from violence and war and others who because of war and violence are forced to leave their homes and become refugees. God of compassion, Help us to understand that we cannot live by money alone but that we can live by the word of God, Help us to understand that we cannot attain life and true prosperity except by loving God and obeying his will and his teaching. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

On Christian Unity (day 2)

2009-01-19T12:00:00.001-08:00

Guards standing at the North/South Korean border

Onward to day two of the Catholic Church's special week of prayer for unity! In case you were as puzzled as me about the reference to Korea in Day One, the readings/commentary for this year's octave on Christian Unity were prepared by Church leaders in Korea. Apparently these prayer weeks have been going on since 1966 and since we are Catholics, it would follow that we would like to give multiple nations a voice. I digress...This brief reference from yesterday's reading is underscored by even more serious reflections that are somewhat specifically based on Korea, as the readings are focused on Christians facing war and violence.

While a mere member of the USA, I think that the sufferings and strife of Korea are especially indicative of the consequences of disunity on a political and spiritual plane, so considering them in particular and in general is a good thing in my book.

Day 2 Christians face to face with war and violence “that they may become one in your hand”

Is 2: 1-4 They shall no longer learn war

This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
In days to come, The mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it;
many peoples shall come and say: "Come, let us climb the LORD'S mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths." For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.

Ps 74: 18-23 Do not forget the life of your poor for ever

Remember how the enemy has jeered, O LORD, how a foolish people has reviled your name.
Do not surrender to beasts those who praise you; do not forget forever the life of your afflicted.
Look to your covenant, for the land is filled with gloom; the pastures, with violence.
Let not the oppressed turn back in shame; may the poor and needy praise your name.
Arise, God, defend your cause; remember the constant jeers of the fools.
Do not ignore the clamor of your foes, the unceasing uproar of your enemies.

I Pet 2: 21-25 His wounds have healed you

For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.
"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."
When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly.
He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

Mt 5: 38-48 Pray for those who persecute you

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.'
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.
If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well.
Should anyone press you into service for one mile, 26 go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only, what is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Commentary

War and violence are still major obstacles to that unity willed by God for humanity. In the last analysis, war and violence are the result of unhealed division which exists inside ourselves, and of the human arrogance which prevents us from recovering the real foundation of our existence.

Korean Christians long to put an end to more than 50 years of separation between North Korea and South Korea and to see peace established elsewhere in the world. The instability which prevails in the Korean peninsula represents not only the pain of the one remaining nation in the world which is still divided; it also symbolises the mechanisms of division, hostility and vengeance which plague humanity.

What can bring an end to this cycle of war and violence? Jesus shows us the power which can stop the vicious circle of violence and injustice in even the most brutal of situations. To his disciples, who react to violence and rage according to the ways of the world, paradoxically he teaches the renunciation of violence (Mt 26: 51-52).

Jesus reveals the truth about human violence. Faithful to the Father, he dies on the cross to save us from sin and death. The cross reveals the paradox and the conflict inherent in human nature. Jesus’ violent death marks the beginning of a new creation which nails human sin, violence and war to this very cross.

Jesus Christ teaches a non-violence based on more than humanism. He teaches the reestablishment of God’s creation, and hope and faith in the final coming of a new heaven and a new earth. This hope, founded on Jesus’ ultimate victory over death on the cross, encourages us to persevere in the search for Christian unity and in the struggle against all forms of war and violence.

Prayer

Lord, who gave yourself on the cross for the unity of all humankind, we offer up to you our human nature marred by egoism, arrogance, vanity and anger. Lord, do not abandon the oppressed who suffer from all sorts of violence, anger and hatred, victims of erroneous beliefs and conflicting ideologies. Lord, reach out to us with compassion and take care of your people, so that we may enjoy the peace and joy integral to the order of your creation. Lord, may all Christians work together to bring about your justice, rather than ours. Give us the courage to help others to bear their cross, rather than putting our own on their shoulders. Lord, teach us the wisdom to treat our enemies with love instead of hatred. Amen.

On Christian Unity (day 1)

2009-01-19T02:25:00.002-08:00

The Catholic Church is urging its members to pray especially for unity (a period of 8 days, also known as an octave) during January 18-25th. This was brought to my attention by Bryan Cross, whose much-appreciated first post in several months is quite poignant.

For my part, I just want to draw your attention to the readings and commentary on Christian unity.
Will you read it with me? Pretty please? Apologies that day one was posted at the beginning of day two-I'm frightfully behind the times, at times. I'll be sure to have day 2 posted before day 3 begins, I promise...

Day 1

Christian Communities Face-to-Face With Old and New Divisions

Ezekiel 37:15-19, 22-24a -- "One in your hand"

Thus the word of the LORD came to me:
Now, son of man, take a single stick, and write on it: Judah and those Israelites who are associated with him. Then take another stick and write on it: Joseph (the stick of Ephraim) and all the house of Israel associated with him.
Then join the two sticks together, so that they form one stick in your hand.
When your countrymen ask you, "Will you not tell us what you mean by all this?",
answer them: Thus says the Lord GOD: (I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and of the tribes of Israel associated with him, and I will join to it the stick of Judah, making them a single stick; they shall be one in my hand.

I will make them one nation upon the land, in the mountains of Israel, and there shall be one prince for them all. Never again shall they be two nations, and never again shall they be divided into two kingdoms.
No longer shall they defile themselves with their idols, their abominations, and all their transgressions. I will deliver them from all their sins of apostasy, and cleanse them so that they may be my people and I may be their God.
My servant David shall be prince over them, and there shall be one shepherd for them all

Psalm 103:8-13, or 18 -- "The Lord is merciful and gracious ... abounding in steadfast love"

Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger, abounding in kindness.
God does not always rebuke, nurses no lasting anger,
Has not dealt with us as our sins merit, nor requited us as our deeds deserve.
As the heavens tower over the earth, so God's love towers over the faithful.
As far as the east is from the west, so far have our sins been removed from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on the faithful.

1 Corinthians 3:3-7, 21-23 -- "Jealousy and quarrelling among you... you belong to Christ"

...for you are still of the flesh. While there is jealousy and rivalry among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving in an ordinary human way?
Whenever someone says, "I belong to Paul," and another, "I belong to Apollos," are you not merely human?
What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul? Ministers through whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one.
I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.
Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth.

So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to you,
Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or the present or the future: all belong to you,
and you to Christ, and Christ to God.

John 17:17-21 -- "That they may all be one... so that the world may believe"

Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world.
And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.
"I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.

Commentary

Christians are called to be instruments of God's steadfast and reconciling love in a world marked by various kinds of separation and alienation. Baptized in the name of the Father and Son and Holy Spirit, and professing faith in the crucified and risen Christ, we are a people who belong to Christ, a people sent forth to be Christ's body in and for the world. Christ prayed for this for his disciples: May they be one, so that the world may believe.

Divisions between Christians on fundamental matters of faith and Christian discipleship seriously wound our ability to witness before the world. In Korea, as in many other nations, the Christian gospel was brought by conflicting voices, speaking a discordant proclamation of the Good News. There is a temptation to see current divisions, with their accompanying background of conflicts, as a natural legacy of our Christian history, rather than as an internal contradiction of the message that God has reconciled the world in Christ.

Ezekiel's vision of two sticks, inscribed with the names of the divided kingdoms of ancient Israel, becoming one in God's hand, is a powerful image of the power of God to bring about reconciliation, to do for a people entrenched in division what they cannot do for themselves. It is a highly evocative metaphor for divided Christians, prefiguring the source of reconciliation found at the heart of the Christian proclamation itself. On the two pieces of wood, which form the cross of Christ, the Lord of history takes upon himself the wounds and divisions of humanity. In the totality of Jesus' gift of himself on the cross, he holds together human sin and God's redemptive steadfast love. To be a Christian is to be baptized into this death, through which the Lord, in his boundless mercy, etches the names of wounded humanity onto the wood of the cross, holding us to himself and restoring our relationship with God and with each other.

Christian unity is a communion grounded in our belonging to Christ, to God. In being converted ever more to Christ, we find ourselves being reconciled by the power of the Holy Spirit. Prayer for Christian unity is an acknowledgement of our trust in God, an opening of ourselves fully to that Spirit. Linked to our other efforts for unity among Christians - dialogue, common witness and mission -- prayer for unity is a privileged instrument through which the Holy Spirit is making that reconciliation in Christ visibly manifest in the world Christ came to save.

Prayer

God of compassion, you have loved and forgiven us in Christ, and sought to reconcile the entire human race in that redeeming love. Look with favour upon us, who work and pray for the unity of divided Christian communities. Grant us the experience of being brothers and sisters in your love. May we be one, one in your hand. Amen.

quizzical quips

2009-01-17T06:40:00.001-08:00

1) When John Lennon said, "Half of what I say is meaningless", does that include that phrase? In which case, is everything he say meaningless?

2) Has anyone else felt like this recent amazing crash landing has done more than instill a sense of admiration for the heroism of the pilot? I must admit, my first thought was, "Thank God! All of those meaningless talks about life preservers and cushions and the like are now redeemed!" I always thought those preview talks were just time killers during runway taxiing. I guess we were wrong, and I know at least 150 people who are glad we were wrong.

3) When you ride a bike, be sure to not be in a gear that is too high--you'll be too tired. On the flip side, make the gear too low and you're all revolutions and no motion. This is especially true if, like me, you have "strength issues".

4) On the subject of bike riding, I hate how when I'm riding on the street and there's a lot of traffic, I feel an incessant push and pull towards driving near the curb. Go near the curb and be terrified of all the glass and rubbish that may make for a flat tire. Go near the actual lane and you have cars swerving or slowing in annoyance. Implacable, I tell you. But it's necessary to avoid crashes. Ask these guys!!!

5) People without kids who complain about the noise that they make demonstrate a chief reason why they don't have kids-they can't handle the tumult of real life and so they create a sterile world that is really unreal.

6) The Pizza Port is an amazing place, but its name is so vacuous you'd be tempted to pass it by. But you'd be wrong....If you're in SoCal, don't ever make that mistake again.

7) Pity I'd never listened to the New Pornographers until recently. But the name, the scandal, (the ignorance and prejudice), the infamy!

That is all for now.

remembering father neuhaus

2009-01-10T10:14:00.001-08:00

If you have never heard Father Richard John Neuhaus speak, please take the time to listen to him here.

At a symposium in honor of Francis Schaeffer he gave a talk on the nature of the Church. As the son of Lutheran pastor who was born in 1936 and later became a Lutheran pastor himself, he decided to become a Catholic in 1990. He was ordained a priest a year later, and served God's people in so many ways, with a great perspective on our faith, having been on both sides of the fence and having tried so hard to bring the two sides together. This week, on January 8, he entered eternity.

The talk addresses so many things that were helpful to me when I first listened to it about 2 years ago--why he became Catholic, how Catholics view those Christians who are Protestant and Eastern Orthodox, and how he longs to see unity.

Requiescat in pacem!

The religious philosophy underlying Macs vs. PCs

2009-01-09T09:17:00.002-08:00

Philosopher Umberto Eco made a funny and thought-provoking observation about the difference between Macs and PCs. Thanks to American Papist for the link to this site which states:

Macintosh is Catholic and MS-DOS is Protestant

The following excerpts are from an English translation of Umberto Eco's back-page column, "La bustina di Minerva," in the Italian news weekly "Espresso," September 30, 1994.

...."Insufficient consideration has been given to the new underground religious war which is modifying the modern world. It's an old idea of mine, but I find that whenever I tell people about it they immediately agree with me.

"The fact is that the world is divided between users of the Macintosh computer and users of MS-DOS compatible computers. I am firmly of the opinion that the Macintosh is Catholic and that DOS is Protestant. Indeed, the Macintosh is counter-reformist and has been influenced by the 'ratio studiorum' of the Jesuits. It is cheerful, friendly, conciliatory, it tells the faithful how they must proceed step by step to reach--if not the Kingdom of Heaven--the moment in which their document is printed. It is catechistic: the essence of revelation is dealt with via simple formulae and sumptuous icons. Everyone has a right to salvation.

"DOS is Protestant, or even Calvinistic. It allows free interpretation of scripture, demands difficult personal decisions, imposes a subtle hermeneutics upon the user, and takes for granted the idea that not all can reach salvation. To make the system work you need to interpret the program yourself: a long way from the baroque community of revellers, the user is closed within the loneliness of his own inner torment.

"You may object that, with the passage to Windows, the DOS universe has come to resemble more closely the counter-reformist tolerance of the Macintosh. It's true: Windows represents an Anglican-style schism, big ceremonies in the cathedral, but there is always the possibility of a return to DOS to change things in accordance with bizarre decisions; when it comes down to it, you can decide to allow women and gays to be ministers if you want to.....

"And machine code, which lies beneath both systems (or environments, if you prefer)? Ah, that is to do with the Old Testament, and is talmudic and cabalistic..."