The 7 Pillars of Catholic Spirituality by Matthew Kelley: Fasting

No.5: Fasting

Everyone’s on a diet, but no one wants to fast. 

I sometimes wonder about the judgment on a nation that wastes so much food & spends so much money on diets, cosmetic surgery, tanning beds, Hummers, & other vanities while western society implodes from lack of Faith & the world’s destitute quietly starve to death.  Let’s look at a few things from which we should consider fasting, shall we?

Vanity & Self-indulgence.  Tertullian upbraided the women of his day for dying their hair, trying to look younger than they were, as if they would remain young forever (though he also screeched that their blue gowns were from the devil, unnatural as they were, because God had never made a blue sheep).  I’m pretty vain myself, especially now that I’m old(er) & something new isn’t working right nearly every day I wake up.  I’m not sure St. Francis worried too much about hair loss or maintaining his manly physique.  As far as self-indulgence, well, you’ll have to figure that out for yourself according to your station in life.  Keep in mind that a Lexus is just a nice Toyota + another $20,000 dollars.  What good could be done with $20,000?  Let’s consider how we could redirect the gifts we’ve been given to more positive ends.

Gossip & Scandal.  We all need to fast from about 97% of the $#!t on TV.  If you really are keeping up with the Kardashians, well, that’s just pathetic.  I know a lot of people that walk into a room & immediately turn on the TV; not to watch anything in particular, but just to have background noise & distraction.  Now, television has amazing potential for good.  I mean, Abp. Sheen was a TV star!  Also, think all the good stuff EWTN has put forth.  Aside from these rare exceptions, it’s almost sickening how fast & far most TV programming has sunk.  I read a Psalm commentary from St. Augustine recently where he mentions curiosity as a dangerous path.  I think he means our disordered fascination with evil.  We become the things with which we fill ourselves, so if you don’t want that stuff to become a part of you, then turn it off.  It really is in our power to do so - I know that’s a radical notion, but it’s true.  Also, we must be careful to avoid spreading gossip, making detractions, or giving ear to either in our own interactions with others.

Food.  Regard the proper object of fasting, we ought, on occasion, to greatly reduce our intake or forego it all together, either to meet the requirements of the Church or as a free offering.  Fasting is praying with our whole being, body & soul.  It humbles us & puts us in touch with those who do without food from necessity rather than choice.  Of what we do eat, we should make healthy choices & proceed moderately.  Our bodies are a gift from God to be used for our own good, our neighbors benefit, & God’s glory.  I admit that I’m not very good at either fasting or eating healthy myself, but I do know that a little bodily mortification goes a long ways.  It frees us up from focusing on ourselves & fosters the discipline to make our bodies a living sacrifice for God in charitable service to others.  

But aside from these, there’s a whole litany of things to fast from.  Think about the things we continuously indulge in that spring from & feed the seven deadly sins: pride, anger, envy, lust, covetousness, gluttony, sloth.  If you dare, take an inventory of your life & note things that consume your time, your energy, or your money.  Honestly assess whether these things are more about indulging yourself or building up the kingdom of God.  Be prepared to make corrections.  That’s called conversion.

Fasting always sounds like a downer, but it’s actually a pathway to God through union with the poor man of Nazareth, who was born in a barn & had nowhere to rest his head.  I’ve been told that the abstinence aspect of fasting in the Eastern Christian tradition is about a return to man’s original state of grace, when our first parents were given to eat of all the fruits of the trees in the garden.  Jesus said prayer, fasting, & almsgiving would be the way of his disciples.  Sounds like a good enough reason to give it a go. 

Maybe we could all start by offering up a breakfast once a week or giving up meat on Fridays again.  How about turning off the idiot box for a while - or forever.  Whatever it is, figure it out, & fast!

The 7 Pillars of Catholic Spirituality by Matthew Kelley: The Scriptures

No.4: The Scriptures – There are 27 books of the New Testament & 46 books of the Old Testament.  This is the story of God revealing himself to his chosen people, to whom you belong through your baptism.  You need to know this story, because it is your story.  Mr. West is right that the readings from Mass are not enough – you have to do your homework away from Mass to get much out of the readings during Mass.  His first suggestion is good: start by reading the Gospels over & over (I recommend Mark or Matthew first, save John for last!), because you do need to “work out who Jesus was.” But I would say next read Genesis & Exodus, because you need to know the set up of the story to understand the ending.  From there you will be well enough equipped to go where you like. 

You will need to know about Abraham & the patriarchs, because this is God’s first calling together of a people in whom all the nations of earth will be blessed.  You need to know about Moses & the events of the Exodus.  You need to know the stories of King David because Jesus is his promised heir.  You need to know the prophecies & events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem & the Jews’ exile in Babylon, because from this destruction & restoration, God would promise to achieve a definite victory & restoration.  You need to know the stories of the apostles & the early Church, because the Church is the New Jerusalem, the promised kingdom of God on earth.  Pray the Psalms continuously throughout.  Memorize Psalm 1.  The Scriptures are powerful, even God’s word to man, so be very familiar with them, at least in their major parts & themes. 

But you don’t have to go it alone. I would say that going it alone is a sure way to end in error.  The Church gave the world the Scriptures (yes, it inherited the Jewish Scriptures), & through its living memory of Jesus Christ, it is authorized to interpret them correctly.  So you have a trustworthy guide.  The Church has given us a great number of tools to understand the Scriptures; these are found in the Vatican II Constitution Dei Verbum (The Word of God), as well as in the Catechism (esp. paragraphs 50-141).  Armed with these tools, humility, & prayer,  Christians can connect to their living history in a profound way & can grow in unity with Christ Jesus, the Word made flesh, who speaks to his people anew in every age through the proclamation of his word.

The 7 Pillars of Catholic Spirituality by Matthew Kelly: The Mass

No.3: The Mass – I agree with Mr. West that the liturgy is the primary Catholic experience of God & of the Body of Christ. I agree that the vast number of Catholics do not get much out of the liturgy (i.e., “it’s boring”), because they come ignorant, ill-prepared, & with the wrong expectations of what’s wrong with the liturgy is in our heads & hearts. However, it is not true that every expression of the liturgy we encounter is a true one. The Church is not silent on the matter. While she permits a great many options, she has pastorally taught for decades what is the proper way to celebrate Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. Why? Because when properly celebrated, the dignity, beauty, & solemnity of the Roman Rite is compelling to people & facilitates the necessary spiritual dispositions for an encounter with the mystery of God.

Fathers, if you are in the habit of opening Mass with, “Hi! How is everybody doing today?” or even “Good Morning” instead of, “In nomine Patris...”, er, “In the name of…” then you are not fulfilling your responsibility to lead your people in worship of God, to raise their hearts & minds up to the heavenly. In mixing the sacred with the profane, you are sending mixed signals to your flock & sowing confusion. I can’t imagine a pastor that is worried that his parishioners show up for Mass too early, that church decorum is observed too well, that people are too attentive to the readings, that their devotion to Christ in the Eucharist is too great. Isn’t it rather the casualness & profane-ity of the masses at Mass & the resulting lack of receptivity that grieves our pastors? The “world” doesn’t take God, his Christ, or the Mass seriously at all. Don’t let it have a voice in the sacred liturgy by lending it yours. Do the Red, Say the Black, & everything will be fine.

As for the people, this is simple: dress appropriately, observe the fast, arrive on time, pay attention, follow along with what’s being said, read, sung, chanted, & prayed, give your share to the collection basket, & receive the Eucharist reverently if you possess the necessary dispositions to do so. You are in the presence of God: you are in the Upper Room, you are in the garden, you are at the trial, you are at the foot of the cross, you are at the empty tomb. You should take this seriously, because the liturgy speaks of the ultimate things of what it means to be a human being. Beware of shallow notions of “full, conscience, & active participation.” Your actuosa participatio should be primarily interior. To paraphrase St. Pope Pius X, when you carefully follow the actions on the altar & join your prayers to those of the priest, then you have prayed holy Mass.

Mr. West’s idea of being open to the one thing God is trying to say to you is a good one, whether you write it down or not. Even when it’s obscured by clumsy human action, the presence of Christ Jesus subsists in every part & action of the Mass. It is he as the Head joined to his Body that offers worship to God the Father. This is why you have to actually come to Mass & not just stay home & say prayers by yourself. We are called to physical unity as the assembled Body of Christ, just as we are called to physical union with Christ individually in the Eucharist (which you have to be present at Mass to receive). Of course, Christ’s presence in the Eucharist is quite special, but he is also really present in the proclaiming of the Scriptures, especially the Gospel, where Jesus addresses us anew in his own words, calling us to further conversion & showing us the way to Kingdom of God.

If you don’t get much out of Mass, maybe that’s because we’re not primarily there to receive anything. We are there first because God is God, & thus worthy of worship. Everything else flows from the sheer magnanimous generosity of God. If you leave Mass & go back to your normal life without a shadow of change, the problem isn’t with God or religion or the Mass, it’s with you. You have put an obstacle in the path of the Holy Spirit, which is how God works in your world, both exterior & interior. Examine your conscience & motivations, then go back to the top of the paragraph & start again. We all have a fearsome power over God – we can either welcome him, usually involving a measure of humility & suffering, or we can turn him away. He cannot compel your heart. Hopefully, we all have another whole week to work on it.

The 7 Pillars of Catholic Spirituality by Matthew Kelly: Contemplation

2. Contemplation – It is true that human thought is creative, though Mr. Kelly's examples might be a little flawed; but it is definitely true that what we think, we become.  If the goal of human existence is to become partakers in the divine nature, seems we should spend more than a little time contemplating the divine.  Maybe there exist those who can ponder their innermost thoughts & attain to the divine essence whilst working at their desk with the phone ringing, or in line at the grocery store or in traffic, but the rest of us need silence. 

The enemy hates silence, so he fills our lives with as much noise & distraction & activity as possible.  Therefore, unless you decide to change the pattern of your life & say, “I will spend W hours in prayer every Xday & Yday at Z 0’clock, & I will cull these things out of my life, because they're really just noisy & empty distractions," I doubt you will ever really find that time; there’s always something to crowd it out.  We are habitual creatures.  Our habits – the actions that reflect our priorities & our world view – are the activiites for which we regularly give our time.  It is largely through our habits that we create ourselves.  If our habits are for good, we grow in virtue; if for bad, we grow in vice.  There is no neutral ground here; we are either climbing the mountain of God or falling back down. 

Another consideration is receptivity.  Even if we could dwell in the most remote desert cave, the silence would do little good if we make it only a monologue about ourselves - it must be a dialogue.  Christians call this loving exchange prayer.  God converses with us in the silence, but he is the only one who really has anything interesting to say, so we must be prepared to listen.  But don’t be fooled.  This is no ordinary, empty silence; it is a very active waiting, full of the power of God &, therefore, full of every possibility.  It was in this silence that Mary received the angel & gave her fiat.  Make it a habit to spend time with God in silence.

In the Beginning by J. Ratzinger - Homily 4, Part 1

Point of Order - in an all-too-common moment of confusion, I managed to post the 2nd part of Ratzinger's homily first.  So perhaps you should read this, then skip back to the other part.  Cheers.

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger begins his 4^th & last homily on the biblical accounts of Genesis by recalling a comment made by a fellow bishop: today we have cut the Gospel in half!  Many people speak about the Good News of Christianity in attractive & palatable ways, but no one dares today to speak the first part of Jesus’ prophetic message: Repent!  That is, to acknowledge the reality of sin.  Ratzinger says that to repent is “to acknowledge our sinfulness, to do penance, & to become other than what we are (p.61).” 

But sin is a very old-fashioned notion these days when many people reject moral norms as the residue of a backward & less-enlightened era.  Of this Ratzinger says, “…the whole idea of the moral has… been generally been abandoned.  This is a logical development if there is no standard for human beings to use as a model – something not discovered by us but coming from the inner goodness of creation.  With this we have arrived at the real heart of the matter.  People today know of no standard; to be sure, they do not want to know of any because they see standards as threats to their freedom (p.62).”  Here we see that sin & freedom are intrinsically connected together.  Man, however, was not given an absolute & boundless freedom; it is subject to the limitations of the one who grants it him.

Ratzinger then considers the two great images of the biblical account: the Garden & the Snake.  In the Garden, God establishes man as co-owner & co-creator; together as creature & creator in harmony, man’s life finds fulfillment.  The Garden is a place of peace, beauty, & plenty; the very image of God’s plan for man.  Indeed, God created man to be one with Himself.  Creation, then, is “a gift & a sign of the saving & unifying goodness of God (p.65).”  The snake, on the other hand, was a prominent figure in Eastern fertility cults & a great temptation for Israel to abandon its covenant with God & join the milieu of its time.  For the Israelites during the dark time of captivity in Babylon, & for us today, the snake sows doubt in God’s power & goodness, even his very existence.  Here we must ask, why did God create man in such a way so he would fall?  Love must be perfectly free or it is not love.  God gave man the power to choose Him or something else.  While the choice is free, the consequences are not.  Ratzinger notes, “man decides to not accept the limitations of his existence (p.67).”

Today, we clearly see that technology has advanced rapidly & has made life quite luxurious for those that can afford it, but it changes so rapidly as to be disorienting.  Art, too, no longer seeks to image the heavenly, but often becomes a putrid image of the fallen instead.  In the uniquely human fields of art & science, the only guiding principle is that whatever can be done must be done; but when separated from the beautiful, the good, & the moral, they quickly become monsters.  Ratzinger says, “the measure of human beings is what they can do & not what they are, not what is good or bad.  What they can do they may do… (p.68).” 

Much like the Israelites in captivity who began to forget God & turned toward their captor’s idolatrous ways, it is a trick of Satan today that “we look on [technology] nowadays with incomprehension & ultimately with helplessness…  [Men] do not free themselves, but place themselves in opposition to the truth. And that means that they are destroying themselves & the world (p.69).”  We think of ourselves as quite advanced today, but only a miniscule few of us actually know how all the electronic devices upon which we rely actually work.  Likewise, art has degraded into entertainment, whose goal seems increasingly to be the peddling of smut.  In his slavery to technology, Ratzinger notes that men “do not make themselves gods… but rather caricatures, pseudo-gods, slaves of their own abilities… (p.70).”

We end with man enslaved to the idols of his own creation; but next time we will see the response of the New Testament.

The 7 Pillars of Catholic Spirituality by Matthew Kelly: Confession

Everybody loves a list, so the CD “The Seven Pillars of Catholic Spirituality” has been making the rounds & getting some attention in my parish. It’s pretty good; he gets straight to the heart of the modern Catholic malaise & responds with sound advice, amusing stories, & orthodox teaching. Plus, anyone with a foreign accent seems to have immediate credibility with Americans, so hopefully people will tune in long enough to actually consider his propositions & make some God-oriented changes in their lives.

I do think it is funny/sad that people will pay a speaker to come tell them what anyone who takes the holy Faith seriously could tell them if asked. Admitting my daily failure to live according to the teachings of Christ, I must say that I have tried to press the importance of a few of these items in my catechism & Scripture classes, & in reply usually I just get blank stares with crickets chirping in the background.

With that intro, here’s my point-by-point take on the Seven Pillars of Catholic Spirituality, 1 or 2 points at a time…

Pillar No. 1: Confession – It is true that the world has lost its sense of sin in general, but among Christians who still have a sense of right & wrong many will say they just “take it Jesus.” Apart from setting aside Scripture on the matter of confession, being such masters of self-deception as we humans are, our desire to “just take it Jesus” quickly devolves into, “I’ll take it to Jesus as soon as I have something serious to confess, which, I mean, really isn’t that often is it? I mean, virtually never; because when I said those things to that person, they really deserved it; & when I took that stuff, I really needed it; & when I slept with so-n-so, I was just loving my neighbor like we’re supposed to; & when I did this or that, it’s because I can justify anything whatsoever to myself. Nope, I don’t really ever have anything to take to Jesus. He loves me just as I am & he forgives everything I do.”

Sure he loves you, but he is also calling you to something far greater, & refusal to seriously acknowledge one's wrong-doings is refusal to enter into the heavenly banquet (Mt 22). Did you notice that the king's open invitation to his son's wedding banquet came down rather suddenly? Remember the poor sap that was thrown out because he didn’t have his clean, white wedding garment ready? Don’t be that guy!

This is pretty easy: just on the human level we need to spend time examining our thoughts, words, & deeds, & then we have to own our sins before someone else so as to get the poison out of our system by actually saying them aloud to a confident. Think of all the money paid to psyhiatrists who ask us, "And how does that make you feel?"  What people really want to hear is, "My child, your sins are forgiven. Now go & sin no more."  So, on the supernatural level, the sacrament brings grace that helps us to overcome those things that plague us & restores the joy & peace proper to children of God & restores harmony with others. I assure you, Satan hates Confession.  So get in the box. You’ll be glad you did.

Notes on 6th Grade Catechism

I was watching Sunday Night with Fr. Benedict Groeschel on EWTN & pondering what approach I will take toward presenting the Faith to my 6th graders this year. This meditation settled on me.

The Gospel calls us to a life of utmost joy in the Spirit of God. It calls us to achieve our ultimate fulfillment by contemplating & striving towards union with God. The call of the Gospel is a truly radical one – it calls us to truly be whom we are meant to be: “Man fully alive.” I know there are people who believe that man is nothing than an animal that lives a short, brutal life, & then finally dies; but I genuinely believe the vast majority of people recognize, but are scared to death of this call to such inconceivable glory, & so settle for a lower, more earthly calling which seems more graspable, both in thought & reality.

The world today calls us to a life of conformity & consumerism, to be consumed by the things that we are assured we must have if we want to be happy. Yet isn’t there always a new thing to have? So this happiness is always a step beyond us. The world wants to force you into certain channels, certain mindsets, & certain lifestyles where it neutralize your will & freedom, & drain you of your humanity & your money. In the world we engage in projects that, while possibly good in themselves & can bring temporal success, are easily turned into idols that consume us & draw us away from the only thing that ultimately matters, our immortal souls’ communion with God.

I know this is not said well & that there is much more to say, but I want to teach this to my students in some way. Through the grace of God, I just barely escaped the jaws of the world, & I’m not out of the woods yet. I hope they will not fall for false & destructive happinesses, but recognize & cling to the happiness of God for their whole lives.

Hymns of the Breviary - Jam Morte Victor

Perfect for the Rosary month of October - a hymn in honor of the Glorious Mysteries from Hymns of the Breviary...

Jam Morte Victor by Fr. Augustine Ricchini, O.P.

Now Christ, the Conqueror of death,
Breaks sin's enslaving chain,
And rising from the tomb returns,
And opens heaven again.

Awhile beheld by mortal men,
He rises from their sight;
Ascending to the Father's throne,
He reigns in equal light.

His promised gift unto His own
He sends forth from above,
And rains the Holy Spirit down
In fiery tongues of love.

The Virgin, freed of mortal weight,
Is borne than stars yet higher,
And with glad melody is hailed
By each Angelic choir.

Our Mother's gentle brow now shines
With crown in starry sheen,
As nigh her Son, in light enthroned,
She reigns creation's Queen.

O Jesu, born of Virgin bright,
All glory be to Thee,
With Father and with Paraclete,
Through all eternity.

In the Beginning by J. Ratzinger - Homily 4, Part 2

The first Adam through his disobedience brought a legacy of sin & death upon all his children, who to this day have continue to seek a replacement for God & to build a paradise on earth without his help, an effort that always brings hellish tragedy & leaves man himself degraded.  The New Testament offers a remedy for our situation.

As noted earlier, the Church reads the Old Testament, not exclusively for its own sake, but as the story of God’s revelation of himself to his people, a revelation fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ.  Therefore, we can see that the catastrophic fall of the first Adam into sin & death in the Old Testament gives way to the atoning sacrifice of the second Adam in the New, a sacrifice that reconciles God & man & brings new life.  Man was originally created to be in a relationship of love with God; in Christ, this relationship is not only possible again, but reaches new & previously unimagined heights.

Ratzinger notes that, “Jesus Christ goes Adam’s route, but in reverse.  In contrast to Adam he is really “like God.”  But this being like God… is being a Son, & hence it is totally relational… Therefore [he] does not hold graspingly to his autonomy… [but] he becomes a slave… he does not go the route of power but that of love (p.75).”  So, from the beginning, man has asked “Who am I?”  “What is my purpose?”  “Does my life have meaning?”  “For what was I made?”   Not “for what,” but “for whom.”  He was not made to be alone or autonomous.  He is made to be a son, even a son of God.

But how can the new Adam undo the damage caused by the first one & bridge the chasm between God & man?  How do we receive our sonship?  The answer is the Cross: “…the place of [Christ’s] obedience, is the true tree of life…. now approachable… and… the true pole of the earth, by which it is itself once more set aright (p.76).”  The first man was not allowed to eat of the fruit of the tree of life lest “he live forever (Gen 3:22),” but now by way of Christ’s obedience, man is welcomed to approach the divine.  His destiny in Christ is now to be “partakers of the divine nature (2 Pet 1:4).”

And now, something quite surprising: “Therefore the Eucharist, as the presence of the cross, is the abiding tree of life, which… to receive it, to eat of the tree of life, thus means to receive the crucified Lord & consequently to accept… his life, his obedience, his ‘yes’… It means to accept the love of God… our truth – that dependence on God which is no more an imposition from without than is the Son’s sonship.  It is precisely this dependence that is freedom, because it is truth & love (pp.76-77).”

Were you expecting that!?!  To start with the words of the creation of the world & end up with the Flesh & Blood of Christ Jesus in the Eucharist that is offered & received at every Mass?  Will this change your view of the sacred Scriptures?  The way that you approach Holy Communion?  Your relationship with God?  Ratzinger ends his fourth homily with the hope that his listeners “be touched by the words of Jesus in their entirety: ‘The kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel’ (Mark 1:15).”

Photo of Christ as the Tree of Life taken at Munich's Marienplatz. in 2008.

Victory!

Note Pope St. Pius V at the left, leading the Catholic world in praying the Rosary for Our Lady's intercession for victory against the Turks.

Meditating on the Gospel events of Jesus in the Rosary will surely secure our victory over those enemies that seek to separate us from Christ, as well.

These photos were taken at one of the most glorious places on earth: the Basilica Notre Dame de Fourvier overlooking Lyon, France.

See the golden sun arise!

A beautiful hymn for Thursday Lauds taken from the book Hymns of Breviary

Lux ecce surgit auria

See the golden sun arise!
Let no more our darkened eyes
Snare us, tangled by surprise
In the maze of sin!

From false words and thoughts impure
Let this Light, serene and sure,
Keep our lips without secure,
Keep our souls within.

So may we the day-time spend,
That, till life's temptations end,
Tongue, nor hand, nor eye offend!
One, above us all,

Views in His revealing ray
All we do, and think, and say,
Watching us from break of day
Till the twighlight fall.

Unto God, the Father, Son,
Holy Spirit, Three in One,
One in Three, be glory done,
Now and evermore.

- Prudentius (d.413)

Confucius says...

More pithy bits of wisdom from the Analects of Confucius:

I. Si-ma Niu appeared worried, saying, "All men have brothers.  I alone have none."

Zi-xia said, "I have heard it said: life and death are a matter of Destiny; wealth & honour depend on Heaven.  The gentleman is reverent & does nothing amiss, is respectful towards others & observant of the rites, and all within the Four Seas are his brothers.  What need is there for the gentleman to worry about not having any brothers?" (12:5)

II. The Master said, "In hearing litigation, I am no different from any other man.  But if you insist on a difference, it is, perhaps, that I try to get the parties not to resort to litigation in the first place." (12:13)

III. Fan Chi was in attendance during an outing to the Rain Altar.  He said, "May I ask about the exaltation of virtue, the reformation of the depraved and the resolution of perplexities?"

The Master said, "What a splendid question!  To put service before the reward you get for it, is that not exaltation of virtue?  To attack evil as evil and not the evil of a particular man, is that not the way to reform the depraved?  To let a sudden fit of anger make you forget the safety of your own person or even that of your parents, is that not being perplexed?" (12:21)

IV. Fan Chi asked about benevolence.  The Master said, "Love your fellow men."  He asked about wisdom.  The Master said, "Know your fellow man."  Fan Chi failed to grasp this meaning.  The Master said, "Raise the straight over the crooked.  This can make the crooked straight." (12:22)

V. The Master said, "If a man is correct in his own person, then there will be obedience without orders being given; but if he is not correct in his own person, there will not be obedience even when orders are given." (13:6)

VI. The Master said, "The gentleman is at ease without being arrogant; the small man is arrogant without being at ease." (13:26)

VII. The Master said, "There are three things constantly on the lips of the gentlemen none of which I have succeeded in following: 'A man of benevolence never worries; a man of wisdom is never of two minds; a man of courage is never afraid.'" (14:28)

VIII. The Master said, "The gentleman is ashamed when the words he utters outstrip his deeds." (14:27)

When being subjective is not subjective at all

I was watching one of these new, hip investigative cop shows called The Mentalist, in which the main character who has an uncanny gift for reading people is thrown into prison & quickly confronted by the meanest & nastiest of all the inmates.  He catches tough guy off guard with this observation:

"If you stopped looking at the world in terms of what you like & don't like, & instead saw things for what they are in themselves, you would find a lot of peace, my friend."

Before too long, the inmate is pouring out his heart & soul to his new buddy.

When I told my mom I was studying philosophy, she replied, "Everyone has a philosophy."  Well, that's true.  Maybe not everyone has thought it through explicitly, but everyone approaches life with a certain set of assumptions, presuppositions, goals, & methods.  We all do it.

Something the nineteenth century brought us besides the industrial revolution & the first modern war was a crap load of really, really bad philosophy.  Much of this has not only become popular, but imbued into Western culture at large. It's been so successful that it's hard to recognize it because it's already so close to us.

One such example is subjectivism, which perhaps we can trace back to Protagoras, who famously quipped, "Man is the measure of all things, of things that are that they are, of the things that are not that they are not."  In other words, believing it so makes it so.  Subjectivism is a kind of indulgence into one's own viewpoint.  It's not a very happy place; it doesn't let in any light or air from the outside - you know, the place where, like, real stuff comes from.  It also both excludes others & also concedes them their own subjectivistic territory all at the same time.  If you can make your own reality, can't everyone else?  And aren't all these 'realities' all equally valid?  If someone hits you up with, "Well, maybe that's true for you, but not for me," then you've just been subjectivism'd on.

Now, the thing is, Subjectivity is a very good thing, so don't confuse them.  Subjectivity means being who you really are, being the subject of your actions, anchored in your own being, not easily swayed & manipulated by the myriad of other things that come your way.  Subjectivity allows you to see other things as they really are, too, & to approach (or avoid) them in a healthy way.  It is a state of giving yourself & others their proper due.  It is when you are Subjective that you are really Objective.  Conversely, when you are incarcerated in subjectivism, you only get a distorted view of things, not really understanding them at all.  So, from a Subjective standpoint, one could reply, "No, some things really are good in themselves regardless of how dismissive one feels about them, & other things really are horrible no matter how much one indulges in them."

Many of the 'new' philosophical schools had as their expressed aim to turn the old order upside-down.  Well, it's very nearly succeeded, wouldn't you say!  Subjectivism, especially, is dangerous because it says that everybody's truth is equally true, which really means "There is no Truth."  It is a logical fallacy to say that 2+2 is both 4 & 7 at the same time.  Only one of these propositions is true.  Chesterton wisely noted that when one stops believing in something, he doesn't believe in nothing; rather he'll believe in anything.  "Maybe it's 4 for you, but not for me."

In Chesterton's time, these new philosophies were radical.  The Czar & his family had been executed by Communist.  The Spanish civil war raged.  National Socialism & fascism were on the rise in Germany & Italy.  Margaret Sanger was doing her diabolical work here in the U.S.  These ideas were audacious & gaudy & dangerous.  Today, they've soaked into the societal fabric.  We often grant others their own reality as way of being polite & maintaining order.  People are scared to speak up, even when something rings through as a universal truth - like the idea of owning another human being as property, for example. 

Just keeping your eyes & ears open is enough to develop a BS-detector for subjectivism.  It will help root out a lot of bad philosophy - & unhappiness.  The Truth of every situation may not be clear, but not up for grabs or for a vote, either.  Chesterton also reminded us that the Truth is the Truth even if no one believes it, & lies are still lies even if everyone believes them.  We have to be vigilant.  As another popular TV show proposed,  The Truth is out there...

Attende laudis canticum

I stumbled upon a wonderful thing while browsing around at the wonderful Musica Sacra site: Hymns of the Breviary – a book of the traditional sacred songs for use with the Hours translated into English.

Though the book is a compilation of many people’s work & does not explicitly list an author that I could see, the writer of the Preface gives credit to a Fr. Britt for the current edition. It was first published in 1922 & was in its 3^rd printing by 1936. It has a wonderful introductory material on the history of the Office & its hymns, of musical meter, & much more. The original Latin texts are given next to lovely English translations, missal-style.

I wanted to share a beautiful hymn for Friday Matins called “Tu, Trinitas Unitas,” from it’s opening line in Latin.

O Three in One, and One in Three,

Who rulest all things mightily:

Bow down to hear the songs of praise

Which, freed from bonds of sleep, we raise.

While lingers yet the peace of night,

We rouse us from our slumbers light:

That might of instant prayer may win

The healing balm for wounds of sin.

If, by wiles of Satan caught,

This night-time we have sinned in aught,

That sin Thy glorious power to-day,

From heaven descending, cleanse away.

Let naught impure our bodies stain,

No laggard sloth our souls detain,

No taint of sin our spirits know,

To chill the fervor of their glow.

Wherefore, Redeemer, grant that we

Fulfilled with Thine own light may be:

That, in our course, from day to day,

By no misdeed we fall away.

Grant this, O Father ever One

With Christ, Thy sole-begotten Son,

And Holy Ghost, whom all adore,

Reigning and blest forevermore.

I can picture these men yawning as they rise from sleep in their cells, rubbing their eyes as they make their way down cold stone halls towards the choir to sing their earliest Hour. I love the phrase urging God to “bow down to hear the songs of praise” (attende laudis canticum), which reminds me of the upcoming haunting Introit chant Incline, Domine, aurem tuam ad me (“Incline, O Lord, your ear to me”).

Note that the world of slumber is a place that we don’t want to leave; perhaps it is heavenly, but it is also an illusion – merely a dream. Returning to the real world, we wake up in cold darkness where an enemy lurks to ensnare us. The Devil? Surely; but also our own failures & lingering resentments, anguish over words spoken or choices made, maybe yesterday or maybe thirty years ago. But we pray to remain strong in the face of such temptation to despair; the One who loves us will come to our rescue. In our struggle, we must keep our eyes on the source of our light & warmth: the God in whom there is no darkness, but everlasting day – the God who makes all things new.

A note attributes the Latin original of this Iambic dimeter hymn to Pope St. Gregory the Great (d.604), translated by G.H. Palmer & J.W. Chadwick.

In the Beginning by Joseph Ratzinger - Homily 3, Part 2

Jesus Christ is origin, end, & reference point of all things, especially for Christians wishing to understand the Scriptures. Cardinal Ratzinger reminds us that, “only in the New is the deepest meaning of the Old to be found (p.49).” When read this way, we see that Christ, the new Adam, shows us the real & complete meaning of what human beings are meant to be in the plan of God: not only the highest created beings, but when related to Christ as brother - as first Adam to second Adam - we can come to relation & communion with God himself. Thus, we are not just another creature in creation, but transitional beings destined to become what we are not yet. Of this, Ratzinger says, “Human persons are not to be understood merely from the perspective of their past histories or from that isolated moment that we refer to as the present. They are oriented toward their future… We must always see in other human beings persons with whom we shall one day share God’s joy… members of the Body of Christ… children of God (p.49).”

In recent times, there has arisen a perceived ideological conflict between faith & reason, which often manifests itself in a debate between Creation & Evolution. Ratzinger says these are actually two complimentary terms that respond to different aspects of reality: “The story of the dust of the earth & the breath of God… does not in fact explain how human persons came to be but rather what they are (p.50).” The Genesis accounts of creation describe our inmost origin, the “project” that we are. Evolution, in the sense of a scientific theory, seeks to understand & describe the biological development of all life & of man. What it cannot explain the “whys” of man’s existence: why is man what he is, for what is he made, where is he going?

As scientists continue to make amazing discoveries into the “mechanisms” of life, they find a natural parallel between organisms & machines: “a thoughtful & considered plan, which is itself coherent & logical (p.54).” However, there are some significant differences. Ratzinger notes that machines are quite dull compared to the boundless creativity of life itself. Organisms move from within, whereas machines require an outside operator. Further, life reproduces itself, bringing about another like itself, & continuing its “project.” This brings us to the ideas of coming to be, perishing, & stability. In the past, the universe was understood as having been put in place in an instant basically in the form we see it now, much as the literal creationists do. While the Church once held this position, too, we can now see the universe & things in it as mutable: changing, growing, “becoming.” The catechism takes up this language when it speaks of creation as unfinished & in a state of journeying. However, the materialistic atheist is forced into to an awkward position; for instead of a personal Creator, he has only random chance to point to as the cause of things.

As the modern sciences initially developed, , many scientists felt that all things operated according to a fixed set of rules, like a grand, cosmic clock whose interactions & outcomes were assured; a universe with a comfortable predictability & permanency. Now, in the era of quantum physics & dark energy, the universe seems “messier” & more unfathomable. Few things have a shorter half-life than the latest scientific theory. Even the atheist must admit to an element of chance in the universe, an unpredictable & uncontrollable element which the Christian understands simply as freedom. Ratzinger quotes James Monad, a scientist who notes that life itself is mathematically improbable in the extreme, but then notes that our very existence must mean that we have hit the cosmic jackpot.

Yet, in this cauldron of action & reaction, Monad realizes something unexpected & important: “there is not only becoming, whereby everything is in constant change, but also permanency (p.55).” Monad notes that life is conservative - it reproduces itself exactly. While the universe is in a constant state of change, the opposite is true for life; it is largely unchanging. Still, he believes life does evolve in the form of errors in the transmission of itself, errors which are preserved & accumulated & give rise to new things. Monad summarizes his position as, “We are product of haphazard mistakes.”

Ratzinger responds, “What response shall we make to this view? It is the affair of the natural sciences to explain how the tree of life in particular continues to grow & how new branches shoot out from it. This is not a matter for faith. But we must have the audacity to say that the great projects of the living creation are not the products of chance & error (p.56).” Because creation is reasonable & intelligent, we must recognize the divine Reason & Intelligence behind it. Science itself seems to reveal this Reason with every new discovery. “Human beings are not a mistake but something willed; they are the fruit of love… Yes, Father, you have willed me (p.57).”

And so we return to Jesus Christ. As man ponders who he is, what he was made for, & what is his destiny, he can find the answer not in random chance or error, but in the divine Son of God who become man & revealed the truth of humanity to itself. Christ is the man in whom we can recognize the fullness of God’s project, for ourselves & the whole world. In his humiliation, we can see how tragic human life can be, wracked with hate & sin (the topic of the 4th homily). But in his suffering love, we can see God’s response. At the end of his third homily Cardinal Ratzinger concludes, “[Jesus Christ] is the man who is loved by God to the very dust (p.58).”

Angelus Domini nutiavit Mariae

Hi Folks, I'm back with a real blog post after about 20 years of having completely ignored this space. Barely enough time to think, let alone write.

Yet, something totally unexpected & wonderful happened the other day at lunch at a Mexican restaurant that I wanted to share.

My work colleagues & I were talking about the kinds of things guys talk about while munching on chips & salza, while a Spanish-language music station played on radio in the background. Suddenly, the jabbering on the radio disappeared, & in it's place was a quite ominous-sounding church bell ringing - 12 times.

At first, my friends made a few nervous jokes about it, but then everyone became very quiet & still. Then a lovely female voice sang out Ave Maria... Then after a moment of silence, the Spanish language radio host carried on with his program. My friends looked at each other uneasily, not really sure as to what just happened or why. Then everyone went back to their chatting & chips.

We had just witnessed the call to mid-day prayer, the Angelus, & a beautiful public witness of the Catholic Faith. I'm sure this was nothing extraordinary in the sense that this radio station does this everyday, but I had never heard it & neither had my friends, I'm sure. Mary had caught us by surprise!

I very much appreciated this reminder that the time given to me is a gift to be used for the glory of God & the good of my fellow man, & also a reminder that Christ Jesus, his beautiful & glorious Mother, & all her heavenly children are with us on this journey to God.

The Angelus

V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived by the Holy Ghost.
Hail Mary...
V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
R. Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
Hail Mary...
V. And the Word was made Flesh.
R. And dwelt amongst us.
Hail Mary...
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray:
Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made known by the message of an Angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.

BTW, if you're in the neighborhood of Holy Resurrection Byzantine Catholic Church (the old Holy Ghost on the corner Central & Baxter) this Thursday, Sep 8 at 7:00pm, come to the liturgy celebrating the Nativity of the Blessed Mother.

In The Beginning by Joseph Ratzinger, Homily 3, Part 1

Made in God's Image

“God formed man from the dust of the ground. There is here something at once humbling & consoling (p.42),” reflects Joseph Ratzinger at the opening of his third homily on Genesis. First, we must observe that the Bible upholds man’s dignity from the outset by illustrating how he is “one humanity formed from God’s one earth, (p.44)” which at once shows the unity of all mankind and the evil of all division, especially along lines of ethnicity.

Further, man’s dignity is elevated in his creation in God’s own image & likeness. It is true that there is something of man from “below,” that is, of the earth; but it is likewise true that man bears within him something from “above,” something heavenly, something of God. Ratzinger says that each individual human being, “realizes the one project of God… the same creative idea of God (p.45).” Therein lies man’s dignity: “Each one bears God’s breath in himself or herself, each one is God’s image. This is the deepest reason for the inviolability of human dignity, & upon it is founded ultimately every civilization.”

Often today, this image is besmirched & goes unrecognized. “When the human person is no longer seen as… bearing God’s breath, then the human being begins to be viewed in utilitarian fashion [&] the barbarity appears that tramples upon human dignity (p.45).” In this case, Ratzinger asks, not rhetorically, if the dignity of the human person can be defended in a world of technology?

While it is true that science has given man a certain amount freedom & control over his world, there is a grave danger that those things that cannot be scientifically verified, like morality, holiness, or love will be cast aside as relics of man’s unenlightened past. In this way, instead of liberating, science can destroy what is most distinctly human. But this is a ground that Ratzinger is unwilling to concede, as man’s rationality is also defining of him; so he now distinguishes between two kinds of reason: the scientific & the moral-religious. He suggests that the moral-religious dimension of man must not be dismissed because it isn’t mathematical. In fact, it is actually the more “human” of the two. It is what prevents man from being reduced to just another thing in nature, to an animal. It keeps man from destroying himself.

Returning to the image of God in man, the Cardinal notes that “An image… represents something... It points to something beyond itself (p.47).” We then see that man, too, points to something beyond himself. It is easily observable that man is made for relations with other persons. He is not closed in on himself; he is oriented toward an Other. As fulfilling as human relations can be, man finds within him a longing for union with something transcendent, which he instinctively knows to be God, his origin and his destination. This desire for communion with the divine Other is the root of all prayer.

So we can see that it is not only his rationality that makes man what he is, but his capacity to both think and pray. “Human beings are, as a consequence, most profoundly human when they step out of themselves & become capable of addressing God…, when they discover their relation to their Creator (p.48).” We discover our origin, purpose, meaning, & destination only when we see ourselves in reference to God, from whom we receive our being.

P.S.: Folks, I've had ZERO time to write, other than this series of articles of the KOC newsletter. I have a colossal project at work launching that's not going well, & I am way behind on my Metaphysics studies for Franciscan U. I could use a few prayers. Thanks.