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.