Viator

An Occasional Rant 2009.005: Sometimes the Truth Hurts

The Church's liturgical calendar simply refers to today as the Monday after the Epiphany. The scriptures and readings continue to meditate upon the revelation of Christ to the entire world. The Wall Street Journal published an article today that tells a story of a sad and tragic combination of family compromise for power, of priests who betray their Lord, and the tragic consequences for politics today.

Mass Reading

The First Letter of Saint John (3:22 – 4:6) teaches us how we should live. If we want good things from Our Lord then we must keep the commandments.

"And his commandment is this: we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another just as he commanded us. Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them, and the way we know that he remains in us is from the Spirit whom he gave us."

This shows that those who compromise with the philosophies of this world and thereby deny Christ are in grave danger. This passage destroys the false teaching that we can be saved with faith alone. On the same hand, those who parse the Word of God in a way that would allow the destruction of innocent children – an example of which is given below – or who in cunning ways evade the Commandments are separated from Jesus. To be separated from Our Lord is to fall back into darkness.

Second Reading

Saint Peter Chrysologus notices the consequences of the Incarnation. "The Gentiles, who were the last, become the first: the faith of the Magi is the first fruits of the belief of the Gentiles." As discussed yesterday, Gentile were the first – perhaps after Mary and Joseph – to worship the new born Jesus.

The saint reminds us of the meaning of the three gifts given by the Magi. "As they [the Magi] look, they believe and do not question, as their symbolic gifts bear witness: incense for God, gold for a king, myrrh for one who is to die."

The Baptism of the Lord must be seen in this "upside down" way as well. We enter the waters of baptism to have our sins cleansed. Jesus, as Saint Peter Chrysologus notices does something different. He says, "Today Christ enters the Jordan to wash away the sin of the world. John himself testifies that this is why he has come: Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Today a servant lays his hand on God, John lays his hand on Christ, not to forgive but to receive forgiveness."

An Unholy Compromise and Betrayal

The Wall Street Journal has a shocking and sad article today. You can find it here. It seems that the Catholic Kennedy family was once whole-heartedly opposed to the holocaust that is abortion in the United States. The article quotes Ted Kennedy as saying, "When history looks back to this era it should recognize this generation as one which cared about human beings enough to halt the practice of war, to provide a decent living for every family, and to fulfill its responsibility to its children from the very moment of conception." This is an admirable goal to work toward. However, the growing political advantages of switching sides on the abortion issue compromised the Kennedy family.

The article claims that the Kennedy and Shriver families met with a group of "leading theologians and Catholic college professors" for the purpose of receiving coaching on how they could accept and promote abortion with a "clear conscience." Anyone with a modicum of human experience knows that mortal sin can be justified with clever legalistic manipulation. As a good and holy priest once said to me, each and every commandment can be rationalized away. Any sin can be committed with what appears to be good reasons. However, no commandment can be broken when the test of love of neighbor and God is applied. If the article is correct, the Kennedy family hired a collection of wolves in sheep's clothing to numb their consciences.

Who were these wolves? The article names the pack. Former – note, former – Jesuit priest Albert Jonsen recalls in his book about how he was joined by Rev. Joseph Fuchs (a high priest of the Proportionalist school of moral theology that was undone by Pope John Paul II), Rev. Robert Drinan (who served in Congress until told to stop by Pope John Paul II), Giles Milhaven, (dissenting theologian and author of Toward a New Catholic Morality – the word New ought to give a warning), Richard Mc Cormick (an abject dissenter of great renown) and Charles Curran (who was disciplined by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and is not allowed to teach as a Catholic any longer). It seems the Kennedy's gathered a collection of dissenters to tickle their ears. May God have mercy on them all.

I think that is enough.

Mary, Theotokos, pray for us!

VVV

 

An Occasional Rant 2009.004: Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

What is an epiphany? An epiphany is a Greek word that means an appearance or a manifestation. In this case, it is the Lord Jesus who has appeared on Earth and specifically, has been made manifest to the entire world. The Magi represent the entire Gentile world. Notice that the Wise Men did not just find the fulfillment of a prophecy fulfilled by an extraordinary event or person. The Wise Men worshiped Jesus when they found Him!

Mass Readings

Saint Paul reveals that all the world is now chosen; as promised in the Holy Scriptures, the Messiah to the Jews is the salvation of all the world.

"It was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." (Eph 3)

The antiphon from Psalm 72 declares: "Lord, every nation on earth will adore you." And so it is; the Church, in some form, is everywhere on Earth.

Gospel

The Gospel story of the magi finding the child Jesus needs one small note.  In the Mass, we read the New American Bible.  The NAB translates Matthew 2:2 to say, "We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage."  What does it mean to "do him homage?"  The RSV translates this verse more fully.  "For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him."  One worships God.  The magi are the first in the Gospel to know that Jesus is God!  Amazing!

Second Reading

Pope Saint Leo the Great rejoices in the Lord making salvation known to the whole world. Prior to the coming of Jesus, only Israel knew the plan of salvation that God had initiated from moments after the exile of Adam and Eve from Eden. By contrast, without Christ, the world was on a "course to destruction." The only plan that can work, that will work, is the plan of salvation made manifest by the birth and Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus!

Pope Saint Leo says, "The loving providence of God determined that in the last days he would aid the world, set on its course to destruction. He decreed that all nations should be saved in Christ." All nations are to be saved in Christ.

I think that is enough.

Mary, Theotokos, pray for us!

VVV

An Occasional Rant 2009.003: The Most Holy Name of Jesus

Today is the Memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. Blessed be the name of Jesus! This is an interesting day in the liturgical calendar. There are no English translations available for the Office and the readings in Mass seem strange. In any case, this is also the Saturday before the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.

The Second Reading of the Office

St. Augustine gives us a formula that is often used and which needs some explanation. He says, "Of his [Jesus] own will he was born for us today, in time, so that he could lead us to his Father's eternity. God became man so that man might become God. The Lord of the angels became man today so that man could eat the bread of angels."

There is a little poetry in this statement mixed with astounding facts. First, Jesus did leave the eternal to arrive in the temporal. He was not divided; partly here and partly still in Heaven. Heaven came to us! Heaven is wherever God is. He became a man in time so that He could lead the way, as a man, to the eternity of His Father's home. He brought with him, the promise of eternal life. He conquered death so that we might not suffer eternal death but have the hope of resurrection and eternal life.

Now, St. Augustine also says that "man might become God." The Eastern Christians have a better word for this: "divination." This is to become divine in the sense that we have eternal life and are glorified. We will never become "god." God is the one necessary being. We will always be contingent on the will of the Father. What this means is that we will share in the eternal life of God Himself! We will receive, as the Gospels promise, a share in the holy life of the Blessed Trinity. This is how we will live forever.

Finally, Augustine says that we can eat the "bread of angels." Most assuredly we will: this is the Eucharist. We are given the ability and the gift of receiving the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord in the Eucharist. This requires much meditation. Our circumstances make this infinite gift ordinary and routine. We should think about this.

Mass Reading

The first reading from the Mass today emphasizes our eternal destiny.

"We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure." (1 Jn 2)

In faith, this is our hope.

From Daily Bible Reading

Genesis 6 has some strange and mysterious content. Much of Genesis 6 is about the history of the world at the time of Noah. A very strange reference is to beings referred to as the Nephilim. The Navarre Bible Commentary teaches that we have no explanation for this and other strange references. What is clear in Genesis is that the world is chaotic, confused, and utterly sinful. So sinful, that God has put a limit on the life span of man and is preparing to destroy all life other than the one righteous man he found in Noah.

By the way, the Nephilim are thought to be giants. The early life of the world is beyond our ability to understand. What is clear is that wickedness spread with the spread of mankind. While the flood seems like a tragedy, imagine what the world might have been if the Lord did not intervene!

I think that is enough.

Mary, Theotokos, pray for us!

VVV

 

An Occasional Rant 2009.002: Two Saints Brothers in Christ

Today is the Memorial of Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory Nazianzen. These saints, both Bishops and theologians in the Fourth century were great leaders, great theologians, and great friends to one another. They led their local Church against the Arian heresy and taught the true Faith handed on to them through Apostolic Succession.

The Second Reading of the Office

Saint Gregory Nazianzen, whose sermon is read by the Universal Church today, wrote of the meaning and purpose of his life. His thought is a great example of how we should live.

"Our single objective and ambition was virtue, and a life of hope in the blessings that are to come; we wanted to withdraw from this world before we departed from it. With this end in view we ordered our lives and all our actions. We followed the guidance of God's law and spurred each other on to virtue. If it is not too boastful say, we found in each other a standard and rule for discerning right from wrong.

"Different men have different names, which they owe to their parents or to themselves, that is, to their own pursuits and achievements. But our great pursuit, the great name we wanted, was to be Christians, to be called Christians."

First Mass Reading

Saint John offers a stern warning to those who do not truly believe.

"Who is the liar? Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ? Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well."

A Quote From Saint Basil Nazianzen (The Great)

"We must neither doubt nor hesitate with respect to the words of the Lord; rather, we must be fully persuaded that every word of God is true and possible, even if our nature should rebel against the idea – for in this lies the test of faith."

From Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 3-4

The first lie: "But the serpent said to the woman, "you will not die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Gen 3:4-5)

The promise of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Messiah to come: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her sead; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heal." (Gen 3:15)

From Daily Bible Reading: Mark 1

The announcement of the Good News by Jesus: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:15)

In Conversation With God

ICG for 2 January contains a simple recommendation from St. Jose Maria Escriva which comes from The Way, 303. It's so simple. Why isn't it done more?

"Don't be afraid to call Our Lord by his name – Jesus - and to tell him that you love him."

I think that is enough.

Mary, Theotokos, pray for us!

VVV

An Occasional Rant 2009.001: Mary, Mother of God!

Here it is: a new year! It seems fitting that the Church asks us to meditate on the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Octave of Christmas. We are asked to think of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a very special sense. We are to think of Mary today as the Theotokos. This is Mary the Mother of God; more accurately, the God-Bearer! If we think about it, the thought is amazing!

What the Council of Ephesus taught.

"So we shall confess one Christ and one Lord. We do not adore the man along with the Word, so as to avoid any appearance of division by using the word "with". But we adore him as one and the same, because the body is not other than the Word, and takes its seat with him beside the Father, again not as though there were two son seated together but only one, united in his own flesh. "

After expanding on the true divinity and true humanity of Our Lord, the council affirmed:

"This is the account of the true faith everywhere professed. So shall we find that the holy fathers believed. So have they dared to call the holy virgin, mother of God, not as though the nature of the Word or his godhead received the origin of their being from the holy virgin, but because there was born from her his holy body rationally ensouled, with which the Word was hypostatically united and is said to have been begotten in the flesh." (COD, 43-44)

Mary is the Theotokos in Greek, Theotocon in Latin, God-Bearer, Mother of God in English!

Insight from a Holy Homily.

Father Dennis Smith delivers profoundly holy and edifying homilies. He offered this quote from St. Basil. The question: Wherein lies the greatness of Mary? The answer from Saint Basil: "Mary conceived God in her heart before she conceived Him in her body!"

Fr. Dennis went on to say that "when we imitate Mary's faith and devotion we are opening our lives to God."

A beautiful blessing from First Reading from the Book of Numbers.

This beautiful blessing comes directly from the mouth of God! Moses was commanded to instruct Aaron to bless people in the following way.

"The Lord bless you and keep you!
The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!"

A key to our salvation from the Second Reading from Saint Paul's Letter to the Galatians.

Saint Paul taught: "So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then also an heir, through God."

We are not merely declared sanctified, we are truly made sanctified. We are made true sons and daughters of the Living God! Astonishing!

From the Gospel

When did Jesus receive His name? The Gospel of Luke tells us He was named Jesus when He was circumcised on the eighth day. Thus, the Octave of Christmas!

The Second Reading

The Second Reading from the Office of Readings offers a teaching on the Incarnation from St. Athanasaius. We are taught:

"[The angel] Gabriel used careful and prudent language when he announced His birth. He did not speak of "what will be born in you" to avoid the impression that a body would be introduced into her womb from outside; he spoke of "what will born from you," so that we might know by faith that her child originated within her and from her."

Jesus received His body from His mother. He is truly one of us in His humanity!

I think that is enough.

Mary, Theotokos, pray for us!

VVV

An Occasional Rant 12: Is God Too Big for One Church?

In the early Middle Ages, Christians and Muslims came into direct contact with one another in Spain.  The Muslims had invaded Spain and held territory primarily in the South.  Over time, a kind of peace developed where Christians and Muslims could have civil, intellectual debate.  The Muslims were completely scandalized by the idea that God could become so small that He would become incarnate in a human person.  The Muslims believed that God is too big to be contained in a single person. The Dominicans, trained by St. Thomas Aquinas responded with this argument:

God is SO powerful, that He CAN become Incarnate and become fully human while He remains fully divine!

This fact is the essence of our Christmas celebration!  If we do not believe this, we should just wish our friends a happy non-specific holiday season. 

Today, this argument is no longer asserted.  Today we live in an era of syncretism.  A helpful article on the topic defines syncretism as the attempt to appropriate the ideas and traditions from a variety of spiritual traditions without any attempt to discriminate their truth or value on the basis of Catholic faith.  In other words, a syncretist view is that Catholicism is a "religion" that is simply a cultural and traditional manifestation of "Religion" with a capital R.  The so called super religion is the place to which all the "many roads to God" are claimed to lead.  The syncretist view is that we can not know anything about this Religion because it needs to be discovered within ourselves.  Thus, we are all free to "experience" God according to "our own way."

The claim to freedom appears to be enlightened and "spiritual" and seems to require a greater awareness than traditional, doctrinal religions like Judaism and Christianity!  To use the language of the street: the syncretist view is just more "cool" today than religions that are many thousands of years old.  The claim is that God is so big that he can not be contained in a single religion. 

Why is syncretism so popular?  We capitalist, democratic, free thinking men and women of the 21st Century do not want to be directed or led.  We want a choice that "fits us."  Jesus Christ said that He was the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  We prefer a religion that tells us that We are the way, the truth, and the life.  We want a Christ of our own design.  We want a morality and a "spirituality" that maximizes our own choices even if they are immoral by traditional standards.  This is very dangerous if there is a god who has revealed himself and we have invented a religion of our own liking!

Here is the claim again:

False Statement: God is too big to be contained in a single religion.

To which the response of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, all the Prophets God sent to Israel, Saint Peter, Saint Paul, all the Apostles, the Fathers of the Church, thousands of consecrated Bishops in succession to the Apostles, and 264 Successors to St. Peter is:

God is SO powerful, and He loves us SO much, that He CAN reveal Himself in and through His One True Church whose teachings the worldly cannot comprehend but which the lowly can know, while He remains fully divine!

Yes, Saint Paul is correct when He says that if Jesus did not rise from the dead then we are the most pitiable of people.  We are betting everything on the belief that Mary received a message of Glad Tidings from an Angel sent by God.  We are wagering our lives on the witness of the Apostles that they saw the Resurrected Jesus!  They saw something that changed their lives and ours.  They saw Something.  Praise God Almighty, THEY saw Something!

I think that is enough.

Mary, Theotokos, pray for us!

VVV

An Occasional Rant 11: Becoming a Joyful Saint

The Third Sunday of Advent is focused on joy. The Old Testament reading is from Isaiah and calls us to joy: "I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul; for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation …" We who have faith and are confident in the joy that awaits us, are to be joyful!

In Conversation with God has a sobering passage today about the soul that lacks joy.  The opposite of joy is gloominess.

"A gloomy soul is at the mercy of many temptations. How many sins have been committed in the shadow of that gloominess! When the soul is happy is spreads its happiness and is an encouragement to others. When it is downcast it spreads misery and does harm to others. Sad looks spring from egoism, from thinking about oneself to the exclusion of others, from laziness in one's work, from lack of mortification, from the search for small self-indulgences, from carelessness in one's relationship with God."

That is a very straightforward statement! The consequences for the gloomy soul are not limited to relationships with others; the problem of self-absorption has eternal consequences.

"Unless we forget ourselves, and are not too much taken up with our own affairs, we will not be able to know and serve Christ, in whom is our true happiness. Anyone excessively self-centered will find it very difficult to discover the joy of opening himself out towards God and towards other people."

There is a solution!

"In order to reach God and to grow in virtue we must have joy. Moreover, if we fulfill our duties joyfully we will be able to give a great deal of help to those around us, for this is a happiness that draws many to God. St. Paul instructs the first Christians: Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."

There it is: Christians have a positive duty to joy! We are to reject gloominess by thinking less about ourselves and then by putting our focus on the needs of others.

All of this leads us to consider our call to be saints.

It is clear from Holy Scripture and Sacred Tradition that the purpose of life is to become a Saint.  What is a saint?  The Catechism teaches that a "saint" is a "holy one who leads a life in union with God through the grace of Christ and receives the reward of eternal life." Simple enough! We must move toward sanctity in our present life; Purgatory is the final purification of those who have fundamentally chosen holiness and have lived to be saints.  While simple to define, becoming a saint takes effort on our part.  Most importantly, becoming a saint requires that we live a "life in union with God through the Grace of Christ." St. Alphonsus Liguori provided a list of fifty recommendations for those who seek sanctity. These recommendations are from his book: The Incarnation Birth and Infancy of Jesus Christ.

Here are fifty saintly recommended interior and exterior practices.

1: Desire ardently to increase in the love of Jesus Christ.

2: Make frequent acts of love towards Jesus Christ. Immediately on waking, and before going to sleep, make an act of love, seeking always to unite your own will to the Will of Jesus Christ.

3: Frequently meditate on His Passion.

4: Always ask Jesus Christ for His love.

5: Receive Holy Communion often. Also, many times in the day make spiritual Communions.

6: Frequently visit the Most Holy Sacrament.

7: Every morning receive from the hands of Jesus Christ Himself your own cross.

8: Desire Paradise and death, in order to be able to love Jesus perfectly and for all eternity.

9: Speak often of the love of Jesus Christ.

10: Accept contradictions for the sake of Jesus Christ.

11: Rejoice in the happiness of God.

12: Do that which is most pleasing to Jesus Christ. Do not refuse Him anything that is agreeable to Him.

13: Desire and endeavor that all should love Jesus Christ.

14: Pray always for sinners and for the souls in Purgatory.

15: Drive from your heart every affection that does not belong to Jesus Christ. (Love of spouse, children, family, friends all belong to Jesus Christ and are pleasing to Him.)

16: Always have recourse to the most holy Mary, that she may obtain for us the love of Jesus Christ.

17: Honor Mary in order to please Jesus Christ.

18: Seek to please Jesus Christ in all your actions.

19: Offer yourself to Jesus Christ to suffer any pain for His love.

20: Be always determined to die rather than commit a willful venial sin.

21: Suffer crosses patiently, saying, "Thus it pleases Jesus Christ."

22: Renounce your won pleasures for the love of Jesus Christ.

23: Pray as much as possible.

24: Practice all the mortifications that obedience permits.

25: Do all of your spiritual exercises as if it were for the last time.

26: Persevere in good works in the time of aridity.

27: Do not do anything or leave anything undone through human respect.

28: Do not complain in sickness.

29: Love solitude and be able to converse alone with Jesus Christ.

30: Drive away melancholy, which is gloom.

31: Spend time with persons who love Jesus.

32: In temptations, turn to Jesus crucified and to Mary in her sorrows.

33: Trust entirely in the Passion of Jesus Christ.

34: After committing a fault, do not be discouraged, but repent and resolve to amend.

35: Do good to those who do evil.

36: Speak well of all and excuse the intention when you cannot defend the action.

37: Help your neighbor as much as you can.

38: Neither say nor do anything that might vex your neighbor. If you have been wanting in charity, ask your neighbors pardon and speak kindly to him.

39: Always speak with mildness and in a low tone.

40: Offer to Jesus Christ all the contempt and persecution that you meet with.

41: Look upon religious Superiors as the representatives of Jesus Christ.

42: Obey without answering and without repugnance, and do not to seek your own satisfaction in anything.

43: Like the lowest employment.

44: Like the poorest things.

45: Do not speak either good or evil of yourself.

46: Humble yourself even towards inferiors.

47: Do not excuse yourself when reproved.

48: Do not defend yourself when found with fault.

49: Be silent when you are upset.

50: Always renew your determination of becoming a saint, saying, "My Jesus, I desire to be all Yours, and You must be all mine."

I think that is enough.

Mary, Theotokos, pray for us!

VVV



 

An Occasional Rant 10: Subtle Speculation

There is a danger for those who seriously study theology. The danger is asking too many questions. One of those questions for me has been to wonder how the sacrifice of living creatures – especially Our Lord's sacrifice – makes up for our individual sins and for the stain of original sin with which all sons and daughters of Adam are born.  At the same time, one should be careful when raising these issues and avoid disturbing the peace of others. I am going to continue to research this issue but here is information that I put together that satisfies the "what" of the question. The "why" will have to wait.

How sacrifice atones for sin.

Consider these definitions from the Modern Catholic Dictionary:

Sacrifice, Old Testament. As described in the books of the Old Law, sacrifice essentially meant honoring God by offering him some of the creatures that are precious to human beings, in acknowledgement of God's sovereignty and human dependence on the Creator. Two kinds of sacrifice are recognized and required of humanity, the bloody and the unbloody. Four kinds of bloody sacrifices are described: 1. Holocaust was the most perfect, also called the whole-burnt offering; the animal or other object was completely consumed by fire, and as the "perpetual sacrifice" it was offered twice daily, morning and evening.; 2. Sin offering was to expiate misdeeds committed through ignorance or inadvertence,; the kind of victim depended mainly on the dignity of the person offended; 3. Guilt offering was especially prescribed for sins demanding restitution; 4. Peace offerings were either in gratitude or in fulfillment of a vow, or simply voluntary; part of the ceremony of this kind of sacrifice was that part of what was offered was returned to the one offering, to be eaten in a sacrificial meal.

So it appears that the acts of sacrifice were acts of worship that acknowledged the dignity of God.  They were fitting in view of the who God is and how sin was an offense to Him.  What these sacrifices did not do is fix the relationship.  When an animal was thoroughly destroyed, man lost complete use of the benefits of that animal.  Of course, we know that Jesus Christ offered Himself as the sacrifice of the New Covenant and that no further sacrifices were needed because of the infinite value of His life. He was the priest and the victim. He was the Holocaust and the sin offering and the guilt offering. Hebrews 10:12-13 tells us that Christ, who by his perfect obedience has "offered one single sacrifice for sins, and then taken his place forever at the right hand of God." We say that Our Lord atoned once and for all for our sins. What does it mean to atone? Again the MCD helps me to understand.

Atonement. The satisfaction of a legitimate demand. In a more restricted sense it is the reparation of an offense. This occurs through a voluntary performance that outweighs the injustice done. If the performance fully counterbalances the gravity of the guilt, the atonement is adequate. And if the atonement is done by someone other than the actual offender, but in his stead, it is vicarious. Applied to Christ the Redeemer, through his sufferings and death he rendered vicarious atonement to God for the sins of the whole human race. His atonement is fully adequate because it was performed by a divine person. In fact, it is superabundant because the positive value of Christ's expiation is actually greater than the negative value of human sin.

So we see that the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament were not sufficient to overcome sin. Justice is giving a person his rightful due. Because sin offended the infinite dignity of God, then our death as a result of sin is justified. God does not play games with definitions. If the price for sin is death then death is needed. However, the death of animals for centuries in the Temple could only delay the justice due God by giving Him continual honor. All the while, the Father's plan of salvation was moving toward the only sacrifice that would suffice: the sacrifice of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It is only His suffering and death that satisfies the need of justice and in which atonement is available. The word atonement does in fact mean the restoration of "at one-ness." Because of Jesus, we can be one with God again. All the while, we remember that, as St. Augustine says, we sinned without God but He will not save us without us.

I think that, for now, this satisfies my understanding of the sacrifice in the Old Testament and the sacrifice of Our Dear Lord. I need to study the Old Testament more carefully.

I think that is enough.

Mary, Theotokos, pray for us!

VVV

An Occasional Rant 9: A Little Red Book

I have a little red book that I carry with me.  I read this book in the margins of events between the endings and startings of the day.  The book is called My Daily Life.  The subject of the book is psychology from a Catholic and therefore, a classical realist point of view.  The book is published by Confraternity of the Precious Blood.  It is small enough to fit in a back pocket but it is packed with wisdom.  I think I will comment from time to time on what my little red book has to say.  Consider these two selections:

Man needs order.

"A number of people look on God as an intruder in their personal lives.  They feel that He places impossible obligations and unreasonable restrictions on them.  They consider daily life hard enough, without having to worry about God's super-imposed rules and regulations.  These people are mistaken.  Their notion of God and His commandments is far from the truth.  God did not create man to carry burdens beyond his strength.  Neither does He desire to test man's virtue or prove his sincerity by sending him needless disappointments, useless frustrations, or arbitrary commands.  Your ordinary daily life has its own natural disappointments and frustrations.  Your human nature has its built-in laws.  These laws require you to observe a certain order.  They put definite limits on what you can do safely, and indicate what constitutes a threat to your health of body, peace of mind, and moral self-possession.  For example, if you overeat, you must be prepared to suffer some discomfort or worse.  No need to feel that God is punishing you.  He simply lets nature take its course."   (MDL, 11)

I think a more accurate view of God's "rules and regulations" is to view them as walls or fences that prevent us from leaving the castle where we are safe and protected.  Crossing the walls leads to consequences - natural consequences - that come from wandering out into areas where we are in danger.  We desperately want to walk into the darkness of the forest to "see what is there."  When we are attacked and injured by wild animals we wonder why God allowed this!  No, our God is a loving Father who wants us to live under His protection. Each of us needs to live within our capabilities. 

We should not focus too much on ourselves.

"Beware of morbid introspection!  In your desire for a flawless perfection, you may be tempted to study everything you think, feel, say, or do, ever looking for possible defects, or criticizing yourself for not have behaved "better" than you did.  The defects and faults which require your proper concern, will usually come to your attention through the negative response of people who are not habitually difficult  or overly sensitive, or through your own observations in your calmer and more realistic moments.  Vague, indefinite "possible failures" are not worth bothering with.  There will always be some self-doubt about something or other in the mind of the average man.  This is the normal state of human nature on earth.  The true "adult" understands this fact, and learns to go about his daily routine with an intelligent disregard of his indefineable fear of failure."  (MDL, 147)

I think I will give myself a break and think much less about myself.

I think that is enough.

Mary, Theotokos, Pray for us!

VVV

An Occasional Rant 8: A Strange New World

I believe that the culmination of the world presented in the Book of Revelation is how events will unfold. This world will always be a place of strife and suffering because we do not acknowledge the King of the Universe. Only in Jesus Christ can there be peace and contentment. However, Revelation tells us that the world will end without this happening. Only at the end of time will the world acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord. Our job here and now, as the Church Militant, is to draw as many into the Bark of Peter as fast as we can. We will be judged on our love and we love by teaching and living the Catholic Faith.

George Weigel has authored a column that makes the divisions in the United States absolutely clear. This division goes beyond politics alone encompassing the entire culture. Read the full article "The Two Americas" here.

Since November 5 I am not as "at home" in the world as I once was. My assumptions were that the society in which I lived was essentially Christian even if it was not Catholic. Today, my operative assumption is that the country is not Christian and that the values which I assumed to be in place are not universal. Perhaps my assumptions were wrong all along. I am only now seeing what is true and what has been true for a long time. Three facts were made clear by the last election: the fundamental division in the United States is between the Culture of Death and the Culture of Life. We are willing kill the least of our brothers in order to secure an unburdened life. What is more, cultural Catholics are indistinguishable from the majority of Americans. There is a fundamental breakdown in teaching of the Catholic faith.

Weigel observes that John Paul the Great was prophetic in his definitions of the "Culture of Death." He says, "No, what this year's election cycle clarified decisively is that the great public fissure in these United States is between the culture of life and the culture of death." Liberalism, or more accurately, libertinism, presupposes that progress is a never ending expansion of acceptable behavior, both public and private, that is completely devoid of associated duties. For example, caring for one's own children is a punishment, caring for the elderly is burdensome, and traditional ways of living are to be discarded even thought they have served well for eons.

The article draws a picture of a society that accepts the death of some of its members for the sake of others. The evidence is overwhelming. The majority of us have chosen a President who talks about reducing abortions out of one side of his mouth while he actively advances abortions out of the other side. Washington State voters have voted to allow the extermination of the burdensome through the euphemism of "death with dignity." California voters have repealed laws that mandated parental notification for a minor child's abortion. The children involved are the same children that must have a parent's permission to have an over the counter drug in their backpacks. In every case, someone dies so that others can avoid burdensome duties.

Finally, George Weigel refers to a term coined by Maggie Gallagher. The "Decadent Catholic Corridor" defines those Catholics who live in the Northeast and the upper Midwest. I think this would be the area from Michigan around to Wisconsin. The Catholics in this region are indifferent to the teaching of their shepherds. Radical individualism, consumerism, combined with a socialistic tendency born of unionization has trained the Decadent Catholic Corridor to vote in a manner contrary to their Church's teaching. Very few are willing to put their faith ahead of their purse. What is missing? The message of the Church is lost on these cultural Catholics. They may be hearers of the Word but they do not seem to be Doers of the Word. It is time for re-evangelization. We flatter ourselves when we say there are 60 million Catholics in the United States. There may be 60 million people who say they are Catholic; there are many fewer that are Catholic in their heart. The evidence is clear.

In the end, Weigel resolves the issue down to its essence. As people of faith we believe there is a spiritual world of which we are a part but which can only be seen in shadows and glimpses. Weigel ends with these chilling comments. He observes, "And we need prayer – lots of it. Some demons require special powers to exorcize. As of November 5, it is clear that certain of them have taken up residence in the United States of America.

I think that is enough.

Mary, Theotokos, Pray for us!

VVV

 

An Occasional Rant 7:

The Catholic Education Resource Center sends out a weekly update that had an outstanding quote from G.K. Chesterton.

"It is impossible to be just to the Catholic Church. The moment men cease to pull against it they feel a tug towards it. The moment they cease to shout it down they begin to listen to it with pleasure. The moment they try to be fair to it they begin to be fond of it. But when that affection has passed a certain point it begins to take on the tragic and menacing grandeur of a great love affair." - G.K. Chesterton

I think Chesterton's experience has been repeated in many lives.  I think of every moment when the Church has been a lower priority in my life and it was then that my conscience called me back. When one simply accepts her teaching, not as a theologian or philosopher, but as a son, there is great love to be found there.  There is the Peace of Christ.

I think that is enough.

Mary, Theotokos, Pray for us!

VVV

An Occasional Rant 6:

The opportunity to begin again is a gift of God's mercy.

Bishop Fulton Sheen reflects on Proverbs 28:13: "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper; but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy."  Bishop Sheen comments, "God is the God of the second chance... Being born again mans that all that went before is not held against us."  How tremendous it is that ours is the God of the second chance.  He is also the God of the third, fourth, fifth and six chance.  For this, I am grateful.

A beautifully written post on the Presentation of The Blessed Virgin Mary.

Vox Nova has written an exemplary discussion of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  I hope you will read it.  Among its many great attributes, this post brings out the glory of God and His mercy to man.  We really should spend more time contemplating how Our Lord has acted in history.

Investors Business Daily has an excellent article in today's paper on "Papal Bullishness."

The Catholic blogosphere has been awash with the comments from Italian Minister of Economy and Finance Giulio Tremonti's that implied that Pope Benedict prophetically predicted the market collapse.  While as Catholics it might be pleasing to think that our leader has such powers, the reality is that then Cardinal Ratzinger had quite a bit more to say on the issue of capitalism than was initially reported.  Investors Business Daily offers these excerpts from the scholarly paper cited by Tremonti.  "It is becoming an increasingly obvious fact of economic history that the development of economic systems which concentrate on the common good depends on a determinate ethical system, which in turn can be born and sustained only by strong religious convictions."  The future pope also argued that capitalism was not foreign to Catholicism.  Investors Business Daily states that "he grumbled that Theodore Roosevelt and Nelson Rockefeller spread, 'the notion that only Protestantism can bring forth a free economy - whereas Catholicism includes no corresponding education to freedom and to the self-discipline necessary to it, favoring authoritarian systems instead...'" 

Thus, it is safe to say that Benedict XVI would reject the idea that Catholicism prefers either monarchy or socialism.  Capitalism, ethically practiced, is consistent with Catholicism. 

I think that is enough.

Mary, Theotokos, Pray for us!

VVV

An Occasional Rant 5: The Sickness of Dissent

An English Bishop has defined the sources of the "widespread dissent and secularization."

English Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue has become notable for having the courage and conviction to write a pair of documents that call for reforms in Catholic schools and in the Catholic Church in England generally.  Everything this courageous bishop says about England is applicable to the Church in the United States.  LifeSiteNews.com has a great article on Bishop O'Donoghue's stance. 

The bishop sees the "dark side" that higher education since World War II has inflicted on society. The Bishop sees the "growth of anti-human and anti-religious philosophies such as radical skepticism, positivism, utilitarianism and relativism."  It is important to know the definition of each of these terms.

"Radical skepticism" is difficult to define.  It is not defined in the common philosophical dictionaries.  What it seems to be is a doctrine that questions the nature of individual existence as well as the nature of perception and rationalism.  What this seems to boil down to is a rejection of the senses as a source of input to the mind.  Everything starts with doubt about the information at hand.  One can see the endless circle that results: If I start with doubt about existence and my ability to know, then I can come to no conclusions.  This is hopeless.

"Positivism" is to a large degree completely opposed to radical skepticism.  Positivism holds that the highest or only form of knowledge is the description of sensory phenomena.  In effect, this is a very scientific view.  It holds that all that can be known is what can be perceived by the senses.  What is excluded is the reality and usefulness of ideas like love, courage, goodness, and beauty.  These ideas are not useful or real because they cannot be quantifiable measured by the senses.  How does one see, taste, smell, hear or touch love, courage, goodness or beauty.  Positivism excludes any reference to the world as it ought to be; the world just is what it is.  One can see the mechanistic, colorless world this would create.  Needless to say, revealed religion has no part in a positivist world view.  (ODP)

"Utilitarianism" is the ethical theory that answers all questions of morality or right action in terms of maximizing utility.  Utility, an economic idea, in this instance is measured in terms of the amount of resulting happiness.  Thus, the right course of action is the one that results in the most happiness for the most people.  Modern politics and situational ethics are products of the utilitarian philosophy.  For example, if one were to have an extramarital affair, it would be acceptable as long as "no one was hurt."  After all, presumably the sum of all worldly happiness would go up as a result of the action.  While this is an extreme example, we do make many decisions in utilitarian methods.  For example, we make economic decisions about where to live, where to work, what to buy, what to eat on the basis of maximized happiness. What utilitarianism rejects is the Christian idea that certain acts are intrinsically - always and everywhere and under any circumstances - wrong.  The most common example of this today is the endless utilitarian justifications for abortion.  (ODP)

"Relativism" is the doctrine that truth itself is relative to the standpoint of the one who judges.  This is where we hear the formula, "What is true for you is your truth.  What is true for me, might be different."  This violates the principal that a thing cannot be two things at once.  For example, a car cannot be red and not red simultaneously.  Relativism teaches that if the car is red in the mind of a first viewer and then blue in the mind of a second viewer, who is to say that either is wrong because truth only exists in the mind of each viewer.  Thus, truth is completely subjective.  The problem here is then that no proposition can be said to be true.  One can only say that something is "true for me."  This also leads to endless chasing of ones' tail.  (ODP)

The Christian view is that there is a world, it is real and was created by God.  We believe that we can know the world through our senses.  If a tree falls in the woods, there is still a sound.  Sound exists separate and apart from ears!  Without certainty, without accepting that truth can be discovered and not invented, Christian faith collapses.  Bishop O'Donoghue has outlined the errors of the modern mind.

I think that is enough.

Mary, Theotokos, Pray for us!

VVV

An Occasional Rant 4: Christ the King

There are some interesting items in the news today.

Why do the heathen rage?

The Zenit News Service reportsthat pro-Chavez vandals in Venezuela are attacking church buildings.  The vandals have demonstrated why the Church has always opposed socialistic movements.  The Vandals could not have been more clear:  They painted church buildings with the mottos "out with the bishop" and "homeland, socialism or death."  The problem is that man has a habit of rejecting the Kingship of Christ in preference for his own autonomy and license.  The battle is forming in Venezuela.

While the Church is assaulted in one socialist country, signs of hope in another.

The International Herald Tribunereports that the Catholic Church will celebrate the first ever beatification on Cuban soil.  Within the next month Friar Jose Olallo Valdes will be beatified.  Fidel Castro needs to talk to his friend Chavez about toleration of the Faith in his country.

We have to get our house in order if we want to effectively proclaim the Gospel.

I had a Baptist friend who used to say that a Christian caught in public scandal had "lost his testimony."  This is to say that when we do not live up to the Gospel and its moral commands, we lose our ability to effectively be a sign of Christ in the world.  In fact, we become a counter-sign; we become a person who'se life damages the cause of Christ in the world.

Dianne Luby, the president and CEO of the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts responded to (fair and truthful ) criticisms from Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley by pointing out the counter-signs of Catholic people.  Boston.com reportedon the exchange.  Luby sites these conditions: Catholic people did not listen to their leaders on the topic of Presidential politics, 92% of married Catholics use some form of birth control, 72% of Catholic voters in Massachusetts support comprehensive sex education that teaches methods opposed by the Church.  In effect, Luby advises the Cardinal to change his position and give in to the people as if the Church were a political party.

One thinks of the Israelites grumbling against Moses, the idolatry of the Golden Calf, and then one weeps.

Today is the Feast of Christ the King.

Today at my parish, the priest who gave the homily made an interesting point.  He said that we each seek greatness because, in some way, we know we were made for more than the ordinary circumstances of our lives.  We see the goodness, the beauty and the truth of God!  I believe he is correct in his assessment.  If we will only seek that which lasts, we can have it all.  Christ the King and His reign is all that will last in eternity.  We can have that for which we were made.

I think that is enough.

Mary, Theotokos, Pray for us!

An Occasional Rant 3: A Sample of the Theology of the Body

I have started reading Christopher West's book Theology of the Body for Beginners.  I will begin a systematic commentary and summary of this book at a later date.  However, I was deeply impressed with this paragraph from West's book. 

"In essence, Christ's life proclaims: 'You don't believe God loves you?  Let me show you how much god loves you.  You don't believe that God is 'gift'?  This is my body given for you (See Lk 22:19). 

You think God wants to keep you from life?  I will bleed myself dry so that my life's blood can give you life to the full (see Jn 10:10). 

You thought God was a tyrant, a slave-driver?  I will take the form of a slave (see Phil 2:7);  I will let you 'lord it over' me to demonstrate that God has no desire to 'lord it over' you (see Mt 20:28). 

You thought God would whip your back if you gave him the chance?  I will let you whip my back to demonstrate that God has no desire to whip yours. 

I have not come to condemn you, but to save you (see Jn 3:17).  I have not come to enslave you, but to set you free (see Gal 5:1).  Stop persisting in your unbelief.  Repent and believe in the good news" (see Mk 1:15).

(TOB, 43)

I think that is enough.

Mary, Theotokos, Pray for us!

An Occasional Rant 2

I think that ranting could develop into a habit. 

Sometimes stating the obvious is shocking.

Father Dwight Longenecker of Standing On My Head has described abortion vis a vis war in the most concrete and clarifying terms.  He writes, "Abortion, on the other hand, is not like war at all. In abortion an unborn child cannot defend himself. He cannot fight back. He cannot even run away. No soldier sets out to kill a child, and all but the most insane and callous terrorists object when children are killed intentionally, and yet abortion is the intentional killing of millions of defenseless children simply for convenience of the mother."  Even terrorists object when children are killed intentionally.  Why are we so blind?

I think that is enough.

Mary, Theotokos, Pray for us!

 

An Occasional Rant 1

A beautiful woman told me that my blog is as "dry as dust."  I thought she might read it from time to time.  When I inquired as to the exact nature of the "dustiness", I was told that Viator lacked a personal quality.  Being opposed to newsletters as a way of life, I enjoy making notes in my "notebook"; doing so helps implant these ideas in my increasingly age damaged memory.  In any case, in an attempt to get that beautiful woman to read my blog - a shocking admission - I begin here a writing project wherein I will comment on anything that strikes me as interesting.  The creativity welling up inside of me is a bit uncomfortable.  Here goes. 

One warning.  I am not able to get too far away from this theme: "A traveler on the road to the New Jerusalem."  Sorry, it will have to do.

Consumerism has replaced God and His heaven in our country. 

The "Get to the Point" newsletter from the Marketing Profs web site reports some interesting facts.  (All parenthetical statements are mine.)  The newsletter reports: "Despite the fact that families got smaller (contraception) and professionals (both father and mother working) spent less time at home, the square footage of their houses continued to grow."  Now, none of this is surprising.  Mere observations makes this clear.  On the surface, what is wrong with desiring "more."  However, here is the rub.  We've grown tired of this!  The endless competition to have more material wealth, to have the sense of satisfaction that we are "better" than our competitors, might have run its course!  Yes, the trend has only been observed among the so called "Middle Aged Simplifier."  The MAS mantra is the realization that they have more than they need, they are embarrassed by their Range Rover, they no longer need to impress others with possessions, and they want more meaningful experiences, not more stuff.  This is great.  But, what is "meaningful?"  Why does the Middle Aged Simplifier have to gorge himself, or herself, on "stuff" before realizing that "meaning" is, well, more meaningful?  I think I know.  The MAS accepted and internalized a lie.  Now, with the pain of endless envy becoming tiresome, with mortality becoming a reality and the futility of it all becoming apparent, the idea that "there must be more" is surfacing.  The Church has the "more" to offer.  Christ wants the MAS to simplify themselves right into sanctity!  But, will they?

Why was the napkin that covered the head of Our Lord in the tomb rolled up or folded? 

I received an interesting email today from persons unknown to me.  The email addressed the mystery of John 20:7.  The RSV says this: "...and the napkin, which had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself."  A typical explanations of the rolled or folded napkin is that it is proof that the Body of Jesus was not stolen because it seems unlikely that grave robbers would neatly fold a napkin.  On the other hand, who would have folded up the napkin?  Obviously, Jesus Himself would do this.  Why is this detail in the Gospel?  Interesting, yes?  The explanation in my mysterious email is fascinating.  The claim is made that when the master of a house was at table, he would signal to his servants that he was done with the meal my wadding up the napkin and leaving the table.  On the other hand, if he planned on returning, he neatly folded or rolled the napkin and placed it on the table.  The conjecture is that Jesus was telling us that He was planning on returning!  I hope that is true.  I hope He hurries and comes back soon.

I have had the issue of forgiveness on my mind lately. 

Just what does it mean to forgive?  Fr. Hardon's Catholic Dictionary says that forgiveness is "pardon or remission of an offense."  I understand pardon, but what is "remission?"  Apparently remitting is abatement or diminution.  In other words, this means to make something smaller or decrease the substance of a thing.  I think of the remission of a disease by which we mean that we make it go away.  Forgiveness is hard.  I think grace is necessary.  At the same time, we know that contrition accompanies forgiveness.  Sin is the worst thing in the world.  God's forgiveness might be the most important thing in the world.

Pope Benedict XVI spoke today on the thorny issue of Justification By Faith. 

Catholic World News reported the event and Catholic Culture published an account.  The Pope's comment are worthwhile reading.  The Pope taught that salvation by faith alone is correct if - if - "it is not placed in opposition to charity, to love."  Benedict went on to say that "Faith means communion with Christ, which implies following God's law of love.  Faith inevitably produces works."  Finally, the Pope provided a formula worth memorizing: "Faith is looking at Christ, conforming to Christ. And the form of Christ's life was love."  Like everything our beloved Pope says and writes, this is brilliant.

Are excommunications a possibility?

Cardinal Stafford called the recent US election "apocalyptic."  The first battle may be the impending Freedom of Choice Act.  FOCA, it is anticipated, is a Federal law that will impose nationwide abortion on demand and government funding of abortion without regard to local or state laws.  What is surprising to me is that there is serious discussion of the possibility of automatic excommunications of Catholic legislators who vote in favor of such an act.  Could this possibly happen? Will Cathlic members of House and the Senate who vote for such an act care about excommunication?  I do not think these so called Catholic member of Congress give much weight to the authority of the Church.  Therefore, they will not accept that they have been placed outside the Church and need to repent of their sin.  However, such an act on the part of the Bishops of the US would definitely show that the Church is serious about its moral teachings.  See this article for a fuller discussion of the possibilities.

I think that is enough.

Mary, Theotokos, Pray for us!