Jospeh Cardinal Ratzinger - In the Beginning

A big question for me as a young person was how to understand & reconcile the Bible's account of the creation of man with the scientific account.  Over the years, I have come to peace with this issue & now cherish the profound truths found in the words of Scripture & the teaching of the Church on this matter.  But clear, concise, & orthodox writing on this subject can be scarce.  It was a great joy, then, to discover a small book by then-Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger called In The Beginning, a collection of homilies he gave in Munich some years ago, in addition to a forward & an epilogue.

I posted a series of summaries of this important work & have collected them together in this post, but you really should just read the book.

Homily 1 - Part 1 & Part 2

Homily 2 - Part 1 & Part 2

Homily 3 - Part 1 & Part 2

Homily 4 - Part 1 & Part 2

Epilogue - Part 1 & Part 2

On this question of origins, one should note the different starting points of the Church & the modern scientific culture.  The latter starts from a presupposition of skepticism, that God does not exist & that man is nothing more than a particularly bright animal with no particular meaning to his existence.  Here man demands that God be proven, that he be picked apart like a frog on a high school biology lab table.  For the Church, however, God is already known, because he has revealed to himself to man & has shown man the tremendous dignity of his being & the glory for which he is destined.  It is a presupposition of faith based on a knowledge much deeper than facts.

While the skeptical methods of science have great merit when studying the natural world, they have little application in the supernatural realm (Obviously Sts. Thomas, Bonaventure, Duns Scotus, etc. applied profound principles of reasoning to theological matters; so here I mean specifically the presupposition of skepticism, not scientific reasoning in general).  To do so is to apply the wrong tool the problem - a bad, even dangerous, result is virtually guaranteed.

So if two men approach you and one says, "Your existence is meaningless; freedom is an illusion, as everything you are or do is predetermined by molecular interaction; there is no such thing as love; there is nothing beyond this life; your destiny is darkness & silence," and the other says, "you are a beloved child of the most high Father; you are made for an eternity of unimaginable glory, if only you would choose it," to whom are you going to lend your ear?

Book Review - UnPlanned by Abby Johnson

I had this book on the shelf for several months now. To be honest, I sort of avoided it because I suspected the sorts of things it would contain - dark & dreadful things. I had read & heard a lot about abortion methods, the anguish of the child, the harm caused to women, the botched procedures, etc. But I was certainly not ready to deal with the level of grief going on in the mind & soul of a woman who spent almost a decade on the “other side of the fence.” Because Abby begins with the pivotal moment of her career as an abortion clinic director, I admit my throat had a lump in it & I was ready to weep just a few pages in. But I just couldn’t stop reading. It was getting late, but just one more page… Soon, I had covered over 200 pages & it was almost one in the morning, so I headed off to bed. Curiously, I slept like a baby.


Several things strike me about her account that I feel compelled to share…

- The complexity of the human being. It is all too easy to paint people with whom you disagree as one-dimensional beings. All of us are complex knots of conflicts & contrasts. We easily compartmentalize our lives, & so easily dupe ourselves or allow others to do so. I do it. You do it. Abby points that all the while she worked at P.P., she thought she was doing good for women. We should be very humble before the mystery & complexity of the human person, especially in their fallen state.

- The complexity of human relations. In light of the above, when approaching others to convince them of the evil of abortion, we need to approach them with great, great care. If, as pro-lifers, our motivation, message, or means is anything other than the love of human beings, we will fail. Abby was loved by her parents & husband, though they strongly disagreed with her. She was openly loved by many on the other side of the fence. Yet those to whom she was loyal within P.P. turned viciously against her the second her intention to leave was discovered. In all human relations, with friend or foe, cultivate love.

- The complexity of man before God. It is a colossal scandal before the world that some Christian denominations are either neutral on the matter of abortion, & God please forbid, even pro-abortion. Abby was raised in a Christian home, never considered herself anything but a seeker of God, & was very conflicted when she was asked to leave her evangelical church because she worked for P.P., & saddened again when she was encouraged to leave her Episcopalian church because she left them. All the while she was searching God’s will in her life. And yet she still worked where she did. As mentioned, we can convince ourselves of nearly anything. To paraphrase G.K. Chesterton, we don’t need the Church to be right when we are right, but rather when we’re wrong.

- Good triumphs over evil. This is only true if there is something that really is good & something that really is evil. I am pro-choice when picking pizza toppings - this is a matter or pure preference of little moral concern. But if we are talking life issues, a choice is always between things more or less morally right & good. Part of speaking the Gospel of Jesus Christ is simply convincing people that there is a right & a wrong, a good & an evil, completely independent of how we feel about it or the circumstances. When facing such a horrible thing as abortion & the many other violations of human dignity, we should foremost know that the pro-life cause is a godly cause. God is pro-life because life is good; therefore, in faith we can be assured of victory.

What conclusions might we draw from Abby’s story? What can we do to end this tragedy in our day?


- Be loving & kind to everyone you meet. You never know how God will one day use a kind look or smile or word as a point of grace to change someone’s heart. We all remember something in our past who brought us unexpected grace.

- Never write off anyone. This is a corollary to the above. Some of the greatest sinners have become the greatest saints. Faith & conversion are mysterious happenings. Some people are born with faith, others are converted in a flash, but many people take time to work it all out. Every human being that ever existed was & is called to union with God; never cease to hope for this.

- Persevere. Babies take time to develop & people’s minds & hearts take time to change. The continuous, patient, loving presence of pro-life people through all days, seasons, & years must be a part of the landscape. It is easy to give up hope in the glacial pace of legislative change. We may lose ground any given day, but we certainly lose all if we retreat from the field of battle. The good news is that great numbers of young people are embracing the life message. The tide may be turning. Fortitude.

- Pray & fast. Though practical action is required, ultimately, this is a spiritual battle. Rather than trusting in our own abilities & righteousness, this mission will only be successful to the degree that we turn it over to God & trust the task of saving life to Him who created it.

- Stay informed. Thing happen really fast these days. You need to know if P.P. is planning to open a clinic in your town. You need to know about legislation being introduced into state or federal legislatures. Access to good information is key. Your local Right to Life chapter or your parish’s pro-life committee can be a clearing houses for what’s going on locally. The web can connect you to things going on nationally.

- Don’t assume others are taking care of it. Your church has people that take care of the flowers in the sanctuary. You don’t have to worry about it; it just happens. Your church also has people that pray outside of the abortion clinics & distribute information. You don’t have to worry about that, someone is taking care of it, right? Dead wrong. We do not have the luxury of assuming other people are going to do this work for us. If every Christian participated, this horror would already be over.

- Get involved & take action.  Participate in the pro-life events in your area, whether through your church, the local Right to Life office, or 40 Days event. Learn enough to offer others compelling arguments about why abortion is wrong & not a personal matter for the mother alone. Know your state & federal representative’s positions on life issues. Write them (respectfully!) to let them know your pro-life views & that you expect them to do their part to uphold human life, which is rightly placed first among the self-evident truths declared in the Declaration of Independence.

Abby Johnson’s story is a great one that should be widely known, a story of hope.  Read it & recommend it others. Donate a copy to your parish library. I can’t imagine myself being willing to systematically examine my own history, thoughts, & beliefs in the way Abby had done, let alone share it with the world. This was a monumental work of courage that she attributes solely to the power of God. It will change hearts & save lives. A million thanks, Abby, for telling your story.
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Book Review: ManAlive! by G.K. Chesterton

In a world of walking zombies, being alive may mean more than simply being ambulatory. It may mean being alive by way of something, to something, for something.

In ManAlive!, Chesterton immerses us in a kind of dream world that has us circling the entire globe (literally!) while remaining in the comfortable confines of an English boarding house drawing room. We are presented with a menagerie of characters, each an aspect or image of the Modern Man, who reveal the absurdity living life without a purpose, & without even trying to discover the purpose. In the end, we remain with a question: Are we alive?

Part of Chesterton’s genius is the reverse play: the only one who is truly alive in this very tall tale appears at first to be a buffoonish, murderous, philandering thief doing business under the name Innocent. Naturally, there’s more to the story than first appears. Sometimes a fellow really does have to hoof it around the whole world just to come back around to his house (Believe me! I know a thing or two about that!). Perhaps there is a lesson here regarding what a truly Christian life would look like. As was famously said, “Holiness always looks mad by earthly standards.”

Blowing in with the westerly wind are a host of classic Chesterton quotes, each a jewel in itself, but even more precious when positioned within their proper place in the story...

“I mean,” he said with increasing vehemence, “that if there is a house for me in heaven it will either have a green lamp post and a hedge, or something quite as positive and personal as a green lamp post and a hedge. I mean God bade me love one spot and serve it, and do all things however wild in praises of it, so that this one spot might be a witness against all the infinities and sophistries, that Paradise is somewhere and not anywhere, is something and not anything. And I would not be so very much surprised if the house in heaven had a real green lamp post after all.” – Innocent Smith

“Nothing brings down more curses than a real benediction.” – Michael Moon

“As too many British officers treat the Army as a review, so I had treated the Church Militant as if it were the Church Pageant… Then I realized that for 1,800 years the Church Militant had not been a pageant, but a riot – and a suppressed riot… In the face of that I had to become revolutionary if I was to continue to be religious.” – Curate Percy

“Do you, perhaps,” inquired Pym with austere irony, “maintain that your client was a bird of some sort – say, a flamingo?”

“In the matter of his being a flamingo,” said Mood with sudden serverity, “my client reserves his defence.”

People talk of the pathos and failure of plain women; but it is a more terrible thing that a beautiful woman may succeed in everything but womanhood.

“I will not be so uncivil as to suggest that Dr. Pym has no common sense; I confine myself to recording the chronological accident that he has not shown us any so far.” – Michael Moon

“If it be true that there is a kind of man who has a natural tendency to murder, is it not equally true -” here he lowered his voice and spoke with crushing quietude and earnestness, “is it not equally true that there is a kind of man who has a natural tendency to get murdered?” – Michael Moon

“There is something pleasing to a mystic in such a land of mirrors. For a mystic is one who holds that two worlds are better than one. In the highest sense indeed, all thought is reflection... This is the real truth in the saying that second thoughts are best. Animals have no second thoughts; man alone is able to see his own thought double, as a drunkard sees a lamp post. Man alone is able to see his own thought upside down as one sees a house in a puddle. This duplication of mentality, as in a mirror, is (we repeat) the inmost thing of human philosophy. There is a mystical, even a monstrous truth in the statement that two heads are better than one. But they ought both to grow on the same body.” - Curate Percy

Will you kindly tell me what the deuce is the good of a jewel except that it looks like a jewel? You can’t fight with golden swords or eat golden biscuits; you can only look at it.

Things look so bright just before they burst.

Only saints and sages ought to be robbed. They may be stripped and pillaged; but not the poor little worldly people of the things that are their poor little pride.

"There should be priests to remind men that they will one day die. I only say that at certain epochs it is necessary to have another kind of priests, called poets, actually to remind men that they are not dead yet." - Curate Percy

H.E. Rating: 4 aspergillum shakes

Characters of the Reformation - Hilaire Belloc

Characters of the Reformation, Hilaire Belloc, TAN Books, 1992 (orig. 1936).

Belloc was an English Catholic author who wrote prodigiously in the first half of the 20th century. His book on the Reformation covers many historical figures – both Protestant & Catholic, some well-known & others we may never have heard of – that had significant & often surprising influence on the outcome of the Christian revolt of the sixteenth & seventeenth centuries: the dividing of European Christendom into two camps, the Protestant North & the Catholic South, which remain to this day.

Belloc analyzes the motivations, actions, & results of whole slew of amazingly complex characters. Included among this cast are Henry VIII, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell, St. Thomas More, Pope Clement VII, Cramner, Gardiner, Mary & Elizabeth Tudor, William Cecil, Mary Stuart, James II, Cardinal Richelieu, Adolphus Gustav of Sweden, & even guest appearances from Paschal & Descartes. Belloc’s premise is that the Reformation would never have “succeeded” if it hadn’t been able to establish a sovereign toehold in England. This success in England came about by a wholesale seizure of Church lands & property by minor lords, whose newly-acquired wealth allowed them massive influence on the English monarchy. At this point, the argument of religious doctrine ceased & all action on part of the Protestant parties was simply to maintain their ill-gotten riches & political influence, which they certainly were not willing to give back (I know, I thought the same thing, too: Surely not!).

One may be surprised to find that Luther himself is not one of the biographed figures in this book, but that is only because he is the cover boy for the companion book, How the Reformation Happened, which I haven’t read yet, but is on the list. Belloc is a sharp-edged writer, unapologetically Catholic, but presents the complex & intertwined story lines in a very engaging & readable manner.

Belloc works from the viewpoint that Protestants are not “other churches,” but rebels & defectors from the One Church. It is interesting to read this book in light of Pope Benedict's overtures of reconciliation toward various Christian groups with the Catholic Church, especially the Anglicans & the Orthodox. We can only guess at what Hilaire would think of this.

H.E. Rating: 4 shakes

Book Review: Letter to the Church in China by Pope Benedict XVI

While not exactly a "book", Pope Benedict XVI explores & explains what is a church in the context of the Chinese government’s suppression of the independent, Rome-aligned church & the upholding of a government-run state church. Although written to the Church in China, the pope obliquely addresses the eaves-dropping Chinese government with the message that the Church is good for man & society, and that the attempt of government authorities to stifle & control it run counter to the very purposes of government – the betterment of its constituents.

The letter is also of interest to all Christians & Catholics because it deals not only with the characteristics proper to a church within itself, but also the obligations of the church to engage society, lessons that are always worth repeating. The letter particularly focuses on the role of the bishop as the visible head of the local church & insists that the state has no right to attempt to control the bishops & their message. History has shown time & time again that no human power can appease, stifle, or eliminate the Gospel.

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Perhaps the world will yet witness the rebirth of China as the next great Christian nation. Perhaps attending to this message would help western Christendom to rediscover its greatness, as well.

Creeds & Manichees

I’ve met many a man that proclaimed, “I don’t believe in organized religion.” One might respond, “Oh, and in which disorganized religion do you believe, then?” I endured many a lament that began, “Wouldn’t religion be so much better if it didn’t have so many rules?” I will let G.K. Chesterton respond to that one with an excerpt from St. Thomas Aquinas:

…St. Louis, who had himself a special quality of coming to the point, had said to his courtiers, “Vanity should be avoided; but every man should dress well, in the manner of his rank, that his wife may the more easily love him.”

And then suddenly the goblets leapt and rattled on the board and the great table shook, for the friar had brought down his huge fist like a club of stone, with a crash that startled everyone like an explosion; and had cried out in a strong voice, but like a man in the grip of a dream, “And that will settle the Manichees!”…

Popular errors are nearly always right. They nearly always refer to some ultimately reality, about which those who correct them are themselves incorrect. It is a very queer thing that
“Platonic Love” has come to mean for the unlettered something rather purer and cleaner than it means for the learned. Yet even those who realize the great Greek evil may well realize that perversity often comes out of the wrong sort of purity. Now it was the inmost lie of the Manichees that they identified purity with sterility. It is singularly contrasted with the language of St. Thomas, which always connects purity with fruitfulness; whether it be natural or supernatural. And, queerly enough, as I have said, there does remain a sort of reality in the vulgar colloquialism that the affair between Sam and Susan is “quite Platonic.” It is true that, quite apart from the local perversion, there was in Plato a sort of idea that people would be better off without their bodies; that their heads might fly off and meet in the sky in merely intellectual marriage, like cherubs in a picture…

It is historically important to see that Platonic love did somewhat distort both human and divine love, in the theory of the early theologians. Many medieval men, who would indignantly deny the Albigensian doctrine of sterility, were yet in an emotional mood to abandon the body in despair; and some of them to abandon everything in despair.

In truth, this vividly illuminates the provincial stupidity of those who object to what they call “creeds and dogmas.” It was precisely the creed and dogma that saved the sanity of the world. These people generally propose an alternative religion of intuition and feeling. If, in the really Dark Ages, there had been a religion of feeling, it would have been a religion of black and suicidal feeling. It was the rigid creed that resisted the rush of suicidal feeling. The critics of ascetism are probably right in supposing that many a Western hermit did feel rather like an Eastern fakir. But he could not really think like an Eastern fakir; because he was an orthodox Catholic. And what kept his thought in touch with healthier and more humanistic thought was simply and solely the Dogma. He could not deny that a good God had created the normal and natural world; he could not say that the devil had made the world; because he was not a Manichee. A thousand enthusiasts for celibacy, in the day of the great rush to the desert or the cloister, might have called marriage a sin, if they had only considered their individual ideals, in the modern manner, and their own immediate feelings about marriage. Fortunately, they had to accept the Authority of the Church, which had definitely said that marriage was not a sin. A modern emotional religion might at any moment have turned Catholicism into Manicheeism. But when Religion would have maddened men, Theology kept them sane.

Book Review: The Intentional Life by Card. Basil Hume, O.S.B.

The Intentional Life: The Making of a Monastic Vocation, Cardinal Basil Hume, O.S.B., Paraclete Press, Massachusetts, 2007.

In this rare volume, the beloved Cardinal Hume imparts his Benedictine wisdom to his monks on their journey through the various stages of their vows. The addresses were given between 1965 & 1976, a time of tremendous change & turmoil in the world, in the Church, &, I imagine, especially within religious communities. These writings are as poignant today as the moment they were written, as the good Cardinal’s topic – following Christ – cannot be relegated to any historical period.

So, take the following passage & whilst reading it substitute the word “parishioner” for “monk,” “parish” for “Community” or “monastery,” “baptismal vows” for “monastic vows,” & so on. Read it as if it were directed to the situation of Christian community in which you find yourself. And the let this holy man speak to you.

A continual search

Things are by no means straightforward in the monastic life today. There are, as you know, differences of opinion on many subjects: the kind of work we should do; the type of school we should run; how the school should be organized; the values it should inculcate; our life of prayer; ways of celebrating the Eucharist; the manner of reciting the Office in choir. There are differences of opinion concerning the very principle of the spiritual life. These differences of opinion are realities and will, to some degree, provide the background against which you will be making your Profession. Moreover, these differences have to be dealt with constructively, with charity, good sense, and humor. There must be mutual tolerance, patience, and, above, all a continual search for God’s will, which is more important than the realization of one’s own monastic dreams. We need to remind ourselves that the forces destructive of community life and community happiness operate more quickly and effectively than those which construct and build up the house of God…

You may consider that our vows are personal, in that they are a personal commitment of ourselves to God, but the Community has a corporate life and the vows a communal aspect. Let me illustrate this from the vow of what is called “conversion of manners”: conversio morum. Each one of us is called by that vow to work at his personal sanctification – a change of heart, a change in our way of behaving, a purifying of intentions. But the Community collectively must work for the same end.

Think clearly, as men of God should, about the Community you are joining. Try to see the value of what we are and what we do. Take it that there is a great deal in the monastic life, as led here, which is pleasing to God – many monks who are prayerful, hard-working, with high ideals, laboring obscurely, thoughtfully, and without complaining. Be of that number. You will find happiness and receive the blessing of God if you are unflagging in search of him and in doing his will. It is not a soft life: indeed such a life would be unworthy of us as human beings, apart from our vocation to follow Christ. The peace it brings is hard-won and, believe me, brings suffering. And yet it is a peace unruffled by the tempests assailing us on this side and that. It is the peace of knowing that whatever are our personal deficiencies, whatever our limitations, there is a God, nevertheless, who wants us and loves us – each one of us. (p.57-59)

I penned an entry previously about the Cardinal's view of a different aspect of Christian life: obedience.

H.E. Rating: 5 Shakes

Book Review: Saint Thomas Aquinas by G.K. Chesterton

[Updated] Amongst the multitude of books required for my phlosophy class at Franciscan U., I am also trying to keep up some sort of "recreational" reading, whether history, biography, or spirituality. Usually, anything from G.K. Chesterton is all that & more.
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This volume is really the flip side of his biography of St. Francis of Assisi, both masterpieces of what Christianity in its true catholic-as-in-universal fullness is about, a fullness that became quite apparent in the 13th century when 2 supernovas exploded at the same time, bringing light that shines in the darkness even today.

Chesterton's approach to biography begins with the (unstated) notion that if someone is worth writing a biography about they must have changed history; rather, not just changed it, but started a revolution. His biographies are not "& then he did this & then he did that," but rather an exploration of what the nature of the revolution was & how this person was instrumental in accomplishing it; what milleu was it that brought him forth & whose course was changed by him; what were the movements & reactions from that time until now. He roughs out the major time, place, & circumstances of the life by contrasting him with others figures within the same milleu, those who prompted or provoked the emerging greatness of the figure & those who assisted or accosted him. Taking this overarching view of the larger movements of human history followed by a comparison of those who factored into the turning piont of that history, along with pondering the uniqueness of the individual too, provides a very effective format for arriving at what makes great men great.

The biography of St. Thomas begins by comparing & contrasting him with St. Francis, his rough contemporary, & finds that they are very much complimentary in their differences - like salt & pepper shakers, or couplets in a rhyme. Both found their unique way to follow Christ Jesus & in the process unfolded a new bloom from within the flower of Christianity that made Catholicism more Catholic as in "universal" & the Incarnation more in the flesh. They were, as we might say, the right thing at the right time, but also for all time. St. Dominic, St. Bonaventure, St. Albert the Great, & many others find their place in the story. Here's an excerpt [para. breaks mine]:

"The Thomist movement in metaphysics, like the Franciscan movement in morals & manners, was an enlargement & a liberation, it was emphatically a growth of Christian theology from within; it was emphatically NOT a shrinking of Christian theology under heathen or even human influences.

"The Franciscan was free to be a friar, instead of being bound to be a monk. But he was more of a Christian, more of a Catholic, & even more of an ascetic. So the Thomist was free to be an Aristotelian, instead of being bound to be an Augustinian. But he was even more of theologian; more of an orthodox theologian; more of a dogmatist, in having recovered through Aristotle the most defiant of all dogmas, the wedding of God with Man & therefore with Matter.
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"Nobody can understand the greatness of the 13th century, who does not realise that it was the great growth of new things produced by a living thing. In that sense it was really bolder & freer that what we call the Renaissance, which was a resurrection of old things discovered by a dead thing... Whatever may be said of the Gothic & the Gospel according to St. Thomas, they were not a Relapse. It was a new thrust like the titanic thrust of Gothic engineering; & its strength was in a God who makes all things new."
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H.E. Rating: 5 aspergillum shakes

Book Review: The Virtue Driven Life

by Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel, C.F.R. (Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, Indiana, 2006.)

Virtue is a lost word today. I presume this is mostly because it arose out of the Christian milieu, but simply has no place to mean anything in a post-modern society, unless it is used disparagingly as an insult.

So, while I was buying a copy of one of Fr. Benedict Groeschel’s TV shows on the EWTN website, I wanted to add a couple of things to spread out the shipping charge; so I bought one of Father’s books called The Virtue Driven Life. The title intrigued me, since the study of the virtues is important to me both personally & as a religion teacher trying to impart such things to the kids in my care.

The book, obviously, concerns the Christian virtues: the moral virtues of Prudence, Temperance, Justice, & Fortitude, as well as the theological virtues of Faith, Hope, & Charity.

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Fr. Benedict makes a very important distinction that I’ve never heard made, but now, looking back, seems readily apparent. After discussing the natural traits we find admirable in others, he comments:

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“There are all kinds of good qualities that can be raised to the order of the supernatural, like justice & kindness. However, the supernatural virtues always include as their first motive the desire to please God & to do his will (p.21)”

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He goes on to explain that all people have the tendency toward the natural moral virtues (which tend toward the safety, comfort, pleasure, etc. of the individual & their loved ones), but not everyone has the supernatural moral virtues (which tend toward pleasing God & getting the individual & others to heaven). One can get up early to go to work as a natural virtue, but one who gets up early to pray is exercising supernatural virtue, even though it will likely not been seen as a virtue by those who do not have the supernatural gift.

The theological virtues have no natural counterpart, but are purely gifts from God. Fr. Benedict gives the catechism definition of each virtue, then expounds on it using examples from the history of the development of psychology (his field), from history – especially of the 20th century, & from his personal experience – which is quite vast.

He contrasts the natural virtue of religion with the supernatural virtue of Faith, & examines the phenomena of American religiosity which flounders somewhere in the middle.

He treats the virtue of hope by presenting & expounding on large passages from another great book by another great writer: Crossing the Threshold of Hope by Pope John Paul II, which was written as responses to questions about faith - or lack of it - in the modern world.

To introduce the virtue of charity (from Latin caritas), he starts with the 4 Greek words meaning "love": eros, storge, philia, & agape. He notes each in their classically understood sense, then explores how this works out in the world today. In this chapter, he references what I (& apparently Fr. Groeschel, too) believe to be one of the most important writings of our era: Deus Caritas Est by Pope Benedict XVI.

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There are various scripture passages scattered throughout, copious endnotes, & deeply profound prayers at the end of each chapter. The book ends with appendices with Excerpts for Meditation on the Sermon on the Mount & prayers for virtue by St. Augustine. Despite being a wonderful study of the Christian virtues, this book can also be used as a meditation or prayer book. This book is certainly a winner; I've no doubt that it will change many peoples lives & bring them further along their journey to God.

As a personal note, I have been praying long & hard for discernment in certain matters, & I'm sure God has guided to this book to me as an answer. At least, Faith tells me so.

H.E. Rating: 4-1/2 Shakes

Book Review: The Book of Books

Quite a title, no? Yet, the author is not arrogantly applying this title to his own work, but to his subject matter – the Old Testament of the Bible. It is the first of a two-part series on the Christian Scriptures by Henri Daniel-Rops, the other being the Book of Life on the New Testament. Having judged the book by its cover & having no idea what to expect inside, “a series of surprises” is how I might summarize this book.

The first surprise is that this is a book for children, written in a language & style that an adult would use to narrate a story to children at story time. In a day when most Catholic adults probably could not name the two sons of Adam & Eve – or maybe even Adam & Eve themselves! – the very idea of trying to present these mighty things to children seems almost laughable, if not impossible. Yet, it is a well-written book that captures & holds your attention. Like a child I found myself thinking, “And then what happened!?!”

Second, while many commentaries dwell on some aspect of the Scriptures, the primary purpose of this book is to present a summation of the entire Old Testament including the Deuterocanonical books, thought it too explains the meanings of the events of Scripture in light of the Catholic Faith. There are not many books that attempt to do this, & probably fewer that can claim to have successfully pulled it off; but this one does. And, amazingly, it does it quite well in only 166 pages!

This book offers the narrative sequence of the people of Israel, but does so in an engaging “stories-‘round-the-campfire” format that I’m sure would appeal to older children. It not only relates the story, but also connects the events to familiar happenings in the lives of children, to the beliefs & practices of the Catholic faith, to other famous events of ancient history, & to the more recent history of Europe, thus helping the biblical stories to take root in the mind & soul of the child rather than just remaining obscure historical knowledge.

It does however, probably for the sake of the understanding of the intended audience, make some significant simplifications of complex story lines & smoothes over some of the more complicated motivations or unseemly aspects of our biblical heroes.

Third, it was written in the 1950’s in French & then translated into English. Thus, we get a world view of “how things were” before the Sixties happened. Much of this is good, but it also includes elements that we may not find so engaging these days, such as the numerous racial stereotypes: the cruel & vicious Bedouin Arabs, the savage African Negroes, the shrew business acumen of the Jews, & continual reference to Europeans as the descendants of the fair-skinned, bright-eyed Aryans. I imagine it would be very difficult to explain the references to children.

The author (or translator) uses the Douay-Rheims translation of Scripture, including the spelling of names, which are somewhat different than what most are familiar with today. I personally find this quaint rather than troublesome, but I know not everyone will agree.

Pleasant notables include the frequent presentation of the Psalms as the poetry & worship hymns offered to God by the Israelites. There are also some very lovely black & white illustrations of biblical scenes by Fritz Kredel that accompany nearly every chapter; & there are good hand-drawn maps of the land of “Chanaan” & surroundings. I was pleased that the story of the people of Israel was ultimately connected to the divine plan God began with creation, revealed initially to the world in the people of Israel, & brought to perfection in Christ Jesus - fulfilling all of Israel’s hopes & expectations & offering his gift of salvation to the whole world through his Church, the New Israel.

It’s shortcomings aside (those mentioned above, plus the type itself being faint in some places), this book would make an excellent book for 9 to 12 year olds, a useful tool for catechists, or even a good Old Testament overview for adults. It is not intended to replace the reading of the Scriptures, but does serve very well as an introduction that can familiarize one with major characters, places, & events of the sacred texts before diving into them directly. Certainly any book that helps one understand the Old Testament better is a worthwhile book indeed.

H. E. Rating:
4 aspergillum shakes
. . .

...
The Book of Books: The Old Testament Retold, Daniel-Rops, Henri, trans. O’Kelly. Sophia Institute Press - Arkive Edition, 2009. Original publ. 1955. English ed. P.J. Kenedy & Sons, New York, 1956.

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Catching up

Sorry, folks - I've been sort of blog-lazy lately. Too much to do & not enough time to do it, even if some of that "much" involves napping in the hammock on sunny Sunday afternoons. So, here's a shotgun blast of blog-stuffs:

*** Gorgeous sunrise photo to start things off.

*** Saturday morning found me at Our Lady of Fatima in Alcoa for the feast of St. Mark the Evangelist. Father celebrated an "ordinary" Mass is a very "extraordinary" style, with beautiful, blood-red Roman vestments (i.e., a "fiddleback"), antiphons instead of songs, Sanctus in Greek, Agnus Dei in Latin, & the Eucharistic prayer celebrated "ad orientem," that is, towards the East, from which comes the Lord, the Bridegroom, whom we joyfully go to meet.

Father's homily picked up on the themes of "Earth Day" & utter reliance on God for everything. It seems to me that when things are going great the temptation is to congratulate ourselves for our good work, & when times get hard to deny that God is really present & working in the world. Either is a denial of God. I remember him saying something to the effect of, "Let other have their Earth Day; I for one will give thanks to the God of all creation."

Afterwards, we had a procession around the Church whilst chanting the litany of the saints, & finishing in the chapel with Benediction & Eucharistic Adoration. Lovely! More processions, please!

*** Having put aside a lot of personal reading to finish up my classwork, I finally finished my Lenten reading: The Seven Last Words of Jesus by Romanus Cessario, O.P. from Magnificat Publishers. This was a collection of talks given between the hours of Noon & 3:00pm on Good Friday 2008 in St. Patrick's cathedral in New York (that seems like a really great idea - maybe more pastors will pick up on this idea).

Detailed images from a 12th-century icon cross from the Abbey of Santa Maria Assunta di Rosano, Italy forms the backdrop of the book, but you are left to your own devices to ponder the happenings in those details, or to tie the images to the text.

Each word is it's own lesson; each a whole sermon on the Gospel by the Lord Jesus on the cross. If there is a theme tying the words together, it is how desperately God desires to love us & be loved by us in return. The softbound book itself is beautifully made, as I would expect from Magnificat, & Fr. Romano's writing gives a fresh & insightful look into scriptures that may have grown a bit stale with repetition. This was a great book that I plan to return to again & again, & not just during Lent.

...

H.E. Rating: 4 aspergillum shakes

*** I absolutely cannot wait for the Crowning of Mary this coming weekend at St. Thomas! But, it's also the last day of Religious Ed for this school year & that's kind of sad. I think I'm already experiencing empty-nest syndrome. Still, it will be nice to have a little more freetime to recharge my own batteries this summer.

The kids will have mangaged to not only make their own rosaries of lovely Czech glass beads, but also will have read the Scriptures & recited 18 of the 20 Mysteries of the Rosary - every decade recited entirely in Latin! Pater Noster, Ave Maria, & Gloria Patri. Several kids learned them by heart.

There's so much more I wanted to share with them, but I can honestly say that I did my best to hand on the Faith to them. May God bring to perfection the good work begun in class.

Book Review: Lovely Like Jerusalem by Aidan Nichols, O.P.

If you cringe at some of the silly explanations commonly given about the parting of the Red Sea, the Manna in the desert, or the water from the rock at Meribah, or if you simply take Scripture study seriously, you will love this dense, well-written book, which provides an intelligent counter-viewpoint to the commonly accepted “historical-critical” methods of scripture research & the ubiquitous J, E, D, & P source theories. I, too, find these theories to be a bit too tedious & flaccid, as they oversimplify the complexities inherent in Sacred Scripture & make complex the things that should be quite simple.

Fr. Nichols provides a coherent & thorough analysis of what the story of the Bible is. That is, it’s plot & major themes. We often think of the Bible as a collection of individual books - which it is - each to be taken on its own. But, these books must tell a single narrative, otherwise, the compilers & editors would have not put them together, & the revelation of God to his man would certainly become confused & unintelligible.

Fr. Aidan’s writing is thick, & you may likely have to read & re-read each page a few times (or maybe that’s just me). But stick with him, & you will indeed be rewarded with new insight into the writings of the people Israel, & how they strain forward toward fulfillment in Christ Jesus. This is a well-written, compelling, & enlightening book by a preacher & teacher with a great passion for God & his Word. And isn’t enlightenment the reason we read the Scriptures in the first place?

H.E. Rating: 4-1/2 Aspergillum shakes
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