The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton

I have several literary irons in the fire right now. One is The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton.

Here is an excerpt for anyone who has gotten in way over there head, whose options had run out, who feared for an immanent judgment, though hopefully not in a sword duel in a field of wild flowers...

The Colonel said quietly, "Engage!" and the two blades touched and tingled. When the jar of joined iron ran up Syme's arm, all the fantastic fears that have been the subject of this story fell from him like dreams from a man waking up in bed. He remembered them clearly and in order as mere delusions of the nerves - how the fear of the Professor had been the fear of the tyrannic accidents of nightmare, and how the fear of the Doctor had been the fear of the airless vacuum of science. The first was the old fear that any miracle might happen, the second the more hopeless modern fear that no miracle can ever happen. But he saw that these fears were fancies, for he found himself in the presence of the great fact of the fear of death, with its coarse and pitiless common sense. He felt like a man who had dreamed all night of falling over precipices, and had woke up on the morning when he was to be hanged.... He knew his enemy was a terrible fighter, and that probably his last hour had come.

And for anyone who needs to pour an exquisite insult on another, perhaps you can use this sometime...

You great fat, blasted, blear-eyed, blundering, thundering, brainless, Godforsaken, doddering, damned fool! ...You great silly, pink-faced, towheaded turnip!

I had to look up towheaded.

The Witness of Suffering

"I am Patrick - a sinner - the most unsophisticated and unworthy among all the faithful of God. Indeed, to many I am the most despised." - opening words of the Confession of Patrick

What Patrick accomplished is astounding. In virtually a single generation, he managed to supplant a deeply-entrenched pagan societal system with faith in Jesus Christ. He had few resources - little personnel, no security, no infrastructure, really, nothing. So did he just skip through the land like a fairy tale spreading good cheer & making converts wherever he went? His own words do not say so. His opposition came from within the Church as bitterly as it came from chieftains & druids. But he had two key resources at his disposal: faith & suffering.

A stunning statement from the Pope Benedict XVI's book, Jesus of Nazareth, Part II:

"... the proclamation of the Gospel will always be marked by the sign of the Cross - this is what each generation of Jesus' disciples must learn anew. The Cross is and remains the sign of "the Son of Man": ultimately, in the battle against lies and violence, truth and love have no other weapons than the witness of suffering." p.49

The Virtues

I confess to being a huge fan of Fr. Groeschel. His book The Virtue Driven Life has really helped to smooth out some wild & rough ground in my soul. When I was given the opportunity to lead the opening activity for the Youth Group a few weeks back, I wondered exactly what I should do. Out of the blue, I heard Fr. Groeschel's scratchy, insistent voice in my mind saying, "Teach the virtues!" So I did.

With the help of the other teachers, we presented the 4 cardinal or moral "human" virtues & also the 3 great sources of temptation for man - the world, the flesh, & the devil - in a situational, role-playing exercise. Below is a summary of the material I presented to the kids on the 4 cardinal virtues. Note that Fr. Groeschel makes an important distinction between a natural virtue & its supernatural counterpart. I think we could all use a refresher course in this from time to time. Numbers in italics are Catechism references. My apologies if the fomatting looks a little wonked.

“To live well is nothing other than to love God with all one’s heart, with all one’s soul, & with all one’s efforts; from this it comes about that love is kept whole & uncorrupted (Temperance); no misfortune can disturb it (Fortitude); it obeys only God (Justice); & is careful in discerning things, so as not to be surprised by deceit or trickery (Prudence).” - St. Augustine

Q. What are Virtues?

Virtues are habitual & firm dispositions to do the good. Moral virtues – Prudence, Justice, Temperance, & Fortitude – are acquired through human effort, helped by God’s grace. The theological virtues – Faith, Hope, & Love – are gifts from God. The virtuous person strives toward the good with all his bodily & spiritual powers, becoming in the process the best person he can be. He pursues the good & chooses it in concrete actions. The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God. 1803

Q. What is opposite of virtue?

Vices are habits acquired by repeated sin in violation of the norms of human morality. Vices are often linked to the Capital Sins. Repentance for sin & confession may restore grace to the soul, but removal of the tendency to sin or vice requires much effort & self-denial until the contrary virtue is acquired. Vice & virtue are rooted in man’s freedom: his exercise of intellect, affections, & will. They are not only the actions we do, but the desires we carry in our souls. 1866

Q. So if Virtue is related to Freedom, what is Freedom?

Freedom is the power to choose good or evil, though strickly speaking, there is no true freedom except in the sevice of what is good & just. Choosing good builds man up, makes him freer. Choosing evil is self-destructive, clouds the mind, emotions, & will. Choosing evil takes away man’s freedom & leads him to the slavery of sin. 1733

Q. Are all virtues the same?

No, the Theological are higher than the Moral, or Cardinal, virtues. Also, virtues can be considered as either natural or supernatural. Many people of other religious beliefs - or even no belief at all - have all kinds of naturally good qualities. However, in the light of Christ & in the power of the Spirit, the supernatural virtues always have the desire to please God & to do his will as their primary motive. This drive is simply another name for holiness. 1812

"Seek first the Kingdom of God & his righteousness, & all these things shall be yours as well." - Matthew 6:33

Prudence is using our power of reason to discern the good in every circumstance & choose the right means to achieve it. St. Thomas says it is “right reason in action.” Prudence guides the other virtues & directs our consciences. 1806

Natural prudence helps us order our lives toward security & happiness. Supernatural Prudence helps us & others to obtain eternal life & everlasting joy.

"To everyone who has more will be given; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away." – Matthew 25:29

Justice is the firm resolve to give what’s due to God & neighbor. Justice toward God is called religion. Justice toward neighbor respects their innate dignity & seeks to build a fair & peaceful society with regard to each person & the common good. 1807

Natural justice calls us to be fair & honest in our relations with others by following the natural law written on men’s hearts & the rules of decent behavior. Supernatural Justice seeks to realize the equal dignity of every human being out of love for Jesus, especially in caring for poor & disregarded, because he, too, was poor & despised.

"You cannot serve both God & mammon." – Matthew 6:24

Temperance moderates our desires for pleasure, directs our appetites towards what is good, & provides balance in the use of the goods of creation, which is mankind’s common inheritance. 1809

Natural temperance helps us to avoid indulging in things harmful to ourselves & contribute to our legitimate goals in life. Supernatural Temperance helps us to be good & grateful stewards of the wonderful gifts of the Creator. It means using the good things of this world wisely & well for our sanctification & that of others. We cannot choose Jesus Christ & his Kingdom if we overly value the things of this world; our treasure & destination lie elsewhere.

"In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world." - John 16:33

Fortitude ensures firmness in difficulties & constancy in pursuing the good; by fortitude we are strengthened against temptations & overcome obstacles in the moral life. Fortitude keeps us strong & sure to the end. It is not caving in our convictions when the situation becomes difficult or painful. 1808

Natural fortitude may be called courage; but Supernatural Fortitude keeps us vigilant & stout-hearted in our spiritual warfare, whether in heroic acts of love or in the struggles of daily life, keeping before us always the goal of eternal life in Christ.

Headline News

I'm staying home today, mostly to pray & catch up on assigned reading for my Metaphysics class - mostly Aristotle. While another cup of coffee was brewing, I switched on the TV just in time to hear the CNN announcetrix relay matter-of-factly that the Pro Life billboard in NY calling out Planned Parenthood is being removed for "reasons of safety," whilst showing a video clip of the sign coming down.

Without a word of comment, the newswoman then moved on the next story, beginning with such an expression of angst, "This next story is soooo sad! A group of baby bottle-nosed dolphins has been found washed up on shore..."

Folks, I ain't against dolphins by any means, but I hope you can see the tragedy knotted up in this 30-second piece of reporting.

Confucius says...

The Master said, "The gentlemen helps others to effect what is good; he does not help them to effect what is bad. The small man does the opposite." - Book 12, verse 16
...
. . .

Zi-zhang asked, "What must a Gentleman be like before he can be said to have got through?"

The Master said, "What on earth do you mean by getting through?"

Zi-zhang answered, "What I have in mind is a man who is sure to be known whether he serves in a state or in a noble family."

The Master said, "That is being known, not getting through. Now the term 'getting through' describes a man who is straight by nature and fond of what is right, sensitive to other people's words and observant of the expression on their faces, and always mindful of being modest. Such a man is bound to get through whether he serves in a state or in a noble family.

"On the other hand, the term 'being known' describes a man who has no misgivings about his own claim to benevolence when all he is doing is putting up a facade of benevolence which is belied by his deeds. Such a man is sure to be known, whether he serves in a state or in a noble family." - Book 12, verse 20

As we forgive others...

My parish is holding a Scripture study on the Psalms as read through the lens of the Lord's Prayer.

In the section on "Give us our daily bread," we considered the things that we ask of God. Often that is deliverance from a difficult situation. The psalmist of Psalms 5 & 6 pleads with God for the destruction of evil-doers, those who disregard God's name.

However, in the "Forgive us our tresspasses" section, it is the psalmist of Psalm 51 himself who has commited evil against God, but now he's not so eager for God to give the evil-doers what they really deserve, is he?!? Now he wants forgiveness. To be fair, he does acknowledge that God would be perfectly just in giving him the destruction that he knows he deserves, yet he trusts in God's mercy.

This is surely why Jesus teaches us in the Our Father that God's forgiveness of us is dependent on our forgiveness of others. We continually wrong God with our sins, but we trust in his mercy so much that we rarely consider his just judgment as a real possibility. I hope that trust is not really a taking-for-granted. St. Francis de Sales noted pointedly that we sinners deserve nothing but eternal damnation. We expect God's lavish & unending mercy & forgiveness for ourselves, yet we are pretty stingy with mercy toward others - we expect them to pay dearly for whatever they've done to us.

...

There is a Latin word that sumptuously describes the love of God: misericordia. One might translate that as "heart-mercy," but it is usually just translated as love or mercy. But it reminds me that God's mercy is not in its box, his love in another box, & his forgiveness in yet another box, & so on. It is all part of God's unbounded love, which St. John tells us is his very essence.

...

If we refuse to forgive someone, then our hearts are divided & fractured. To put it plainly, we simply refuse to love. This is a very sketchy place from which to insist on God's forgiveness. Since Lent is nigh upon us, perhaps this is a good to reflect on the immensity of God's love compared to the paucity of own, both for him & for others.

With an eye towards to events in the life of David that occasioned the writing of Psalm 51, we also discussed the sources of temptation. Franciscan Father Charles has a few insightful words about this on his blog in a post titled Diabolical Temptations.

I hope you are all enjoying the unseasonably fine weather, at least here in East Tennessee. God bless.

. . .

P.S.: Above photo taken at the Nashville cathedral at the Aquinas College Theological & Catechedtical Forum on Feb 5, 2011. Click Here to hear & see the guest speakers, including D. Scott Hahn, reflect on the thinking of Pope Benedict XVI.

On the Restoration of Sanity

Though St. Thomas' feast day was yesterday, I didn't want it to slip by without a note.

The greatness of St. Thomas lies in his applying both mind & heart to the age-old questions, Who am I? What does it mean to exist? What is the end of all things? How do we get there?

The Greek asked & tried to answer these questions, too; but Thomas did so in the light of Jesus Christ, and that makes all the difference. In this purifying of pagan thought, he re-established that things that are, really are. He affirmed that real people are more important than concepts. He fought for creation, & in doing so, fought for the Creator. He took people & the real things of life seriously. He showed that faith in God is reasonable & obtainable, even if not completely graspable. He wanted to illuminate Jesus Christ for others for the salvation of their souls, & also of his own.

Most people think Thomas is a great saint because of his prodigious intellectual work. It seems that not. I think it is because he wrote hymns. Lovers sing. The Church still sings even today the Eucharistic hymns Adoro te Devote, Panis Angelicus, & O Salutaris Hostia among others. I cannot now recall another Eucharistic hymn that even begins to hold a candle to these works. It was his great love of the God who came down to join man as man - & continues to come down to join man as food - that fueled his passion, not only to understand, but to praise.

Some might think Thomas' teachings are too other-worldly to be grasped; I would say he was simply delirious with the love of God.

Thank you, St. Thomas of Aquino, for helping to restore an island of sanity in an insane world. Please pray for us.

Nota Bene: Here is my review of G.K. Chesterton's biography of St. Thomas.