Children, it is the last hour;
and just as you heard that the antichrist was coming,
so now many antichrists have appeared.
Thus we know this is the last hour.
They went out from us, but they were not really of our number;
if they had been, they would have remained with us.
Their desertion shows that none of them was of our number.
But you have the anointing that comes from the Holy One,
and you all have knowledge.
I write to you not because you do not know the truth
but because you do, and because every lie is alien to the truth.
~ 1 John 2:18-21
What consolation we receive on this last day of the calender year! Dear John the Evangelist exhorts the Christian Community, affirming their faith and dedication to the work of the Kingdom.
Most striking to me is how true this passage is in our own day. "...it is the last hour...many antichrists have appeared." It is easy to interpret the meaning of antichrist as a person whose agenda is contrary to that of the Lord's. Yet, what if antichrist can mean anything that draws mankind away from God's Divine Plan?
I see many antichrist's about me at this very moment...the billboards and films that detract from the dignity of the human person...pornography...lack of temperance...that root pride that leads to every fall...corruption of governments...false loves and false realities. We face an antichrist at every turn.
Yet, John does not want us to despair! He affirms that we know the truth, we seek the truth...we have the γνώσις and the σοφία: the knowledge and the wisdom! All that is required is to remain faithful. Surely, this is not easy...yet bolstered by grace, even in the darkest of times, we are given the strength to combat every antichrist that is present in our world and even in our very hearts. If only we cooperate with that grace, we will posses the αλήθεια , the Truth, that we so desire.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Atonement
On the Feast of the Holy Family we are reminded by the example of St. Joseph, the Virgin Mary and the Christ Child what the relationship of family means. Better yet, we are given the ultimate example of what family is by these blessed Three.
One thing many of us struggle with is finding the balance when it comes to loving and caring for our families. It is so easy to commit the sin of pride and place oneself in the role of family savior, making choices meant to better others around us. Yet, these efforts seldom yield holy fruit.
Perhaps what the Lord requires is a holy detachment from the works of others coupled with a painfully holy attachment to His Divine Will. If one is truly following a holy path for one's life, and strives for spiritual perfection, no matter how difficult it may be...one will be graced, perhaps not with the ability to understand why those we love suffer or even more so inflict various degrees of pain upon others and ourselves...but surly we will be blessed with the wisdom to accept the situation and God's revelation of our own role in the realm of spiritual intercession.
I was blessed to hear a Jesuit Priest's homily at Mass in celebration of the Feast of the Holy Family. He said that if children respect their parents, they can be instruments of atonement for the sins of their family. That is rather profound. Simply by obeying a commandment: To Honor Father and Mother, a child can be a vehicle for reconciliation and grace--perhaps for pain and sin that has long bore down upon the family.
A Dominican Sister recently told me there were too many souls in need of love and mercy for people to sit about and discern their life's vocation as though there were all the time in the world. The fact of the matter is, there is not. Pope John Paul once said not to go through life as though it were a series of open doors--that when the Lord invites us to our vocation, we must have the courage to answer readily.
May we all have the grace accept our second calling (after our call to love and honor the Lord): To love and honor our parents. Perhaps through our simple acts of love and respect, we may bring healing to places we never knew needed it...maybe we won't be made aware of it in our lifetime...but surely our simple cooperation with God's Divine Mercy will be revealed to us in Eternity.
One thing many of us struggle with is finding the balance when it comes to loving and caring for our families. It is so easy to commit the sin of pride and place oneself in the role of family savior, making choices meant to better others around us. Yet, these efforts seldom yield holy fruit.
Perhaps what the Lord requires is a holy detachment from the works of others coupled with a painfully holy attachment to His Divine Will. If one is truly following a holy path for one's life, and strives for spiritual perfection, no matter how difficult it may be...one will be graced, perhaps not with the ability to understand why those we love suffer or even more so inflict various degrees of pain upon others and ourselves...but surly we will be blessed with the wisdom to accept the situation and God's revelation of our own role in the realm of spiritual intercession.
I was blessed to hear a Jesuit Priest's homily at Mass in celebration of the Feast of the Holy Family. He said that if children respect their parents, they can be instruments of atonement for the sins of their family. That is rather profound. Simply by obeying a commandment: To Honor Father and Mother, a child can be a vehicle for reconciliation and grace--perhaps for pain and sin that has long bore down upon the family.
A Dominican Sister recently told me there were too many souls in need of love and mercy for people to sit about and discern their life's vocation as though there were all the time in the world. The fact of the matter is, there is not. Pope John Paul once said not to go through life as though it were a series of open doors--that when the Lord invites us to our vocation, we must have the courage to answer readily.
May we all have the grace accept our second calling (after our call to love and honor the Lord): To love and honor our parents. Perhaps through our simple acts of love and respect, we may bring healing to places we never knew needed it...maybe we won't be made aware of it in our lifetime...but surely our simple cooperation with God's Divine Mercy will be revealed to us in Eternity.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Noise? Excuse!
Perhaps you've answered the challenge to ponder the message of Advent Hope and Christmas Joy in your heart. I find that living in the city, surrounded by noise and distractions, the whole pondering deal is often difficult. There is something to be said for the First Century world that the Virgin Mary lived in. My post-modern mind wants to convince me that it was easier for Mary to listen to God...easier for her to cooperate with His will, to be open to His word...but that is really just a temptation.
Every era has its own distractions and challenges. People are people, and they always shall be, right? Men and women misunderstand one another, parents care and confuse, coworkers bring about peace and penance all at once. The human experience may have variables that alter, but it is safe to propose that what is fundamental to the human experience has not changed over these past 2000+ years.
The core of what it means to be human is to know love in relationship: primarily, God, secondarily, others. This is the challenge of our every moment.
As I struggle to have a contemplative spirit this Advent, I smile a bit knowing it wasn't easy for Mary, and knowing that she was just a girl, just like me. Easy never really amounts to much, in a substantive manner. What brings about the adventure our hearts yearn for are those things that challenge us to do and be beyond mediocrity. I pray that we all are granted the wisdom to contemplate the coming celebration of Christmas in our hearts, so that we will truly be united in a spirit of Joy with the Trinity and the Virgin this Christmas Season.
Every era has its own distractions and challenges. People are people, and they always shall be, right? Men and women misunderstand one another, parents care and confuse, coworkers bring about peace and penance all at once. The human experience may have variables that alter, but it is safe to propose that what is fundamental to the human experience has not changed over these past 2000+ years.
The core of what it means to be human is to know love in relationship: primarily, God, secondarily, others. This is the challenge of our every moment.
As I struggle to have a contemplative spirit this Advent, I smile a bit knowing it wasn't easy for Mary, and knowing that she was just a girl, just like me. Easy never really amounts to much, in a substantive manner. What brings about the adventure our hearts yearn for are those things that challenge us to do and be beyond mediocrity. I pray that we all are granted the wisdom to contemplate the coming celebration of Christmas in our hearts, so that we will truly be united in a spirit of Joy with the Trinity and the Virgin this Christmas Season.
Monday, December 17, 2007
They gave so much, Together
In WEI (What is Enlightenment) magazine this summer, there was an article written by Elizabeth Debold that was published hypothesizing that women directly influenced the progression of Western Civilization through their spirituality. I think this is true...but I only agree with Debold to a point. The mistake she makes in her conclusion (which is essentially a rallying cry for the what some will classify radical feminism) is the antithesis of what I understand to be the Theology of the Body, the male/female complementarity of the sexes, the equal yet distinct roles men and women play in society and in forming culture.
Have you ever noticed, though, how a decline in human dignity and human identity are directly related to a decline in moral standards? I want to propose a series of hypotheses that falls in line with Debold's, but goes a step further. I beleive that women have played an integral and fundamental role in the progression of Western Civilization. Furthermore, I propose that women, in their distinctly feminine way, and modeled after the courageous faith and sublime humility of the Virgin Mother, have contributed magnanimously to the propagation of Catholicism. Furthermore, I propose that any and all doctrine and dogma which is held by the Catholic Church, supported by Scripture and Tradition, women had a particular role in developing, promoting and preserving.
I just had a conversation with my undergraduate thesis director, Dr. Dennis Martin. He said the first place to find support for womens' role in Christianity is the Martyrology: women were martyred right alongside men, and the Church Fathers wrote about this. Keep traveling the historical time line, and we see TIME and TIME again, men brought to Christianity through women: St. Helena converts her son Constantine--thus is born the Holy Roman Empire. A similar situation for the Franks...then you have people like St. Augustine and St. Monica...how many wives became Catholic and converted their husbands? We shall never know. A perfect modern example is Hans Urs Von Balthasar and Adrienne Von Speyr
I suppose what I'd like to wrestle with are the implications of these hypotheses. My particular interest is exploring the concept of male/female spiritual complementarity, as it relates to the propagation of the Faith. I think in seeking answers to these questions, one can make a solid case against the disaster that is contemporary feminism, and promote instead what many Faithful have come to know as The Feminine Genius.
Have you ever noticed, though, how a decline in human dignity and human identity are directly related to a decline in moral standards? I want to propose a series of hypotheses that falls in line with Debold's, but goes a step further. I beleive that women have played an integral and fundamental role in the progression of Western Civilization. Furthermore, I propose that women, in their distinctly feminine way, and modeled after the courageous faith and sublime humility of the Virgin Mother, have contributed magnanimously to the propagation of Catholicism. Furthermore, I propose that any and all doctrine and dogma which is held by the Catholic Church, supported by Scripture and Tradition, women had a particular role in developing, promoting and preserving.
I just had a conversation with my undergraduate thesis director, Dr. Dennis Martin. He said the first place to find support for womens' role in Christianity is the Martyrology: women were martyred right alongside men, and the Church Fathers wrote about this. Keep traveling the historical time line, and we see TIME and TIME again, men brought to Christianity through women: St. Helena converts her son Constantine--thus is born the Holy Roman Empire. A similar situation for the Franks...then you have people like St. Augustine and St. Monica...how many wives became Catholic and converted their husbands? We shall never know. A perfect modern example is Hans Urs Von Balthasar and Adrienne Von Speyr
I suppose what I'd like to wrestle with are the implications of these hypotheses. My particular interest is exploring the concept of male/female spiritual complementarity, as it relates to the propagation of the Faith. I think in seeking answers to these questions, one can make a solid case against the disaster that is contemporary feminism, and promote instead what many Faithful have come to know as The Feminine Genius.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
The Wisdom of Lewis
"...I cannot quite understand why a man should wish to know more people than he can make real friends of. Hence, too, a very defective, perhaps culpably defective, interest in large impersonal movements, causes and the like." (Taken from p. 33 of Surprised by Joy, Lewis' autobiography) Speaking from the collective memory of oppressive social engagements thrust upon him as a child, Lewis sheds some perhaps unwelcome light upon our contemporary understanding of friendship.
In his masterpiece The Four Loves, I think dear C.S. gets to the heart of the matter. When I first read this little treasure, it set my mind spinning with concepts and concerns regarding love in general, which from a Trinitarian perspective requires relationship for any authentic manifestation to be present. Here is a gross simplification of Lewis' understanding of love:
1) Affection: The most natural of 'loves,' it springs from a familiarity with those around oneself, a common care for another, characterized by "fondness due to familiarity"
2) Friendship...this one I want to treat more thoroughly: essentially, an unmistakable bond between two or more individuals characterized by a common interest, pursuit or goal that takes them beyond affection to a familiarity that elicits passion for the goal/idea pursued and a bond between and among persons because of this common interest, whether it be mundane, or better yet a higher goal.
3) Eros: Erotic Love, being "in love", perhaps romantic love. This does not necessarily include a sexual manifestation--which Lewis would title Venus--but sexual activity is incorporated in Eros, and has significance both from a Christian world-view and a pagan world-view.
4) Charity...Agape...I would define this, I think with Lewis' approval, as love for the other as other, love as God loves, sacrificial love, the Love of the Cross, Trinitarian Love...
So what of friendship? Why bother with this concept? What Lewis brilliantly expounds upon in The Four Loves is how 'today' (Lewis published this work in 1960, so it is even more relevant now) men and women are in a place curious to history. He argues that prior to the intellectual exchange that occurs in the academy, in coffee shops and in the workplace, prior to the integration of men and women in society, prior to their being regarded as 'equals' so to speak, true friendship between the sexes was impossible, for there was nothing upon which to base the friendship.
Historically speaking, it is absolutely valid to acknowledge exceptions to this rule, yet, one can see clearly how our modern era is the one in which this idea is arguably best manifest. Yet, with this ability for men and women to develop true friendships, there arises even more so the fatal danger for men and women to abuse this honest type of love that can exist, and even more so to miscommunicate their intentions to one another.
And, what of the quote we began with? Well, if you read it in light of Lewis' definition of friendship...how many friendships do you claim which are actual, honest friendships...and how many more fall into the category of a relationship of affection, or perhaps no relationship at all? Perhaps some of the best examples of the false notions of friendship in our current culture are manifest by virtual communities such as MySpace and FaceBook.
It might sound harsh, but I would rather have one real friend than pretend to have two hundred. After all, what is honest is what points us toward perfection...and ultimately Eternity.
In his masterpiece The Four Loves, I think dear C.S. gets to the heart of the matter. When I first read this little treasure, it set my mind spinning with concepts and concerns regarding love in general, which from a Trinitarian perspective requires relationship for any authentic manifestation to be present. Here is a gross simplification of Lewis' understanding of love:
1) Affection: The most natural of 'loves,' it springs from a familiarity with those around oneself, a common care for another, characterized by "fondness due to familiarity"
2) Friendship...this one I want to treat more thoroughly: essentially, an unmistakable bond between two or more individuals characterized by a common interest, pursuit or goal that takes them beyond affection to a familiarity that elicits passion for the goal/idea pursued and a bond between and among persons because of this common interest, whether it be mundane, or better yet a higher goal.
3) Eros: Erotic Love, being "in love", perhaps romantic love. This does not necessarily include a sexual manifestation--which Lewis would title Venus--but sexual activity is incorporated in Eros, and has significance both from a Christian world-view and a pagan world-view.
4) Charity...Agape...I would define this, I think with Lewis' approval, as love for the other as other, love as God loves, sacrificial love, the Love of the Cross, Trinitarian Love...
So what of friendship? Why bother with this concept? What Lewis brilliantly expounds upon in The Four Loves is how 'today' (Lewis published this work in 1960, so it is even more relevant now) men and women are in a place curious to history. He argues that prior to the intellectual exchange that occurs in the academy, in coffee shops and in the workplace, prior to the integration of men and women in society, prior to their being regarded as 'equals' so to speak, true friendship between the sexes was impossible, for there was nothing upon which to base the friendship.
Historically speaking, it is absolutely valid to acknowledge exceptions to this rule, yet, one can see clearly how our modern era is the one in which this idea is arguably best manifest. Yet, with this ability for men and women to develop true friendships, there arises even more so the fatal danger for men and women to abuse this honest type of love that can exist, and even more so to miscommunicate their intentions to one another.
And, what of the quote we began with? Well, if you read it in light of Lewis' definition of friendship...how many friendships do you claim which are actual, honest friendships...and how many more fall into the category of a relationship of affection, or perhaps no relationship at all? Perhaps some of the best examples of the false notions of friendship in our current culture are manifest by virtual communities such as MySpace and FaceBook.
It might sound harsh, but I would rather have one real friend than pretend to have two hundred. After all, what is honest is what points us toward perfection...and ultimately Eternity.
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Perpetual Contemplation
"...and she pondered these things in her heart." The Gospel of Luke recounts this contemplative characteristic of the Virgin Mary. You know, I sometimes wonder if this gift she had, this active contemplation she participated in throughout her life, is often overlooked. When one stops to even reflect on the concept of "pondering in the heart" if one is honest, one cannot deny the depth of this concept.
Some great theologians, such as dear Hans Urs Von Balthasar, say that Our Lady conceived Christ in her mind, even prior to conceiving Him in her womb through the power of the Holy Spirit: this is how open the Virgin was to the work of the Lord. So often, I find myself, in my mind, committing so many acts that are contrary to Charity, and yet, here is this little Jewish woman, who was so cooperative with grace, her mind was in perfect collaboration with the mind of the Trinity.
Do we give ourselves the time to ponder things in our heart? When the Lord invites us to do something great for Him, do we take the time to reflect on it? Do we let it grow within us, do we nurture it through prayer and fortifying ourselves with holy activity? You see, Mary is the perfect example of this pondering, this holding close the gift she had been given, so that it could grow, so that she could share it with the whole world! She was never premature in her joy...her joy was so deep, and she let it be nurtured by God's grace so perfectly, that her joy was completed through her prefect participation with the will of God.
Sometimes it is easy to think we are not good enough, not blessed enough, not holy enough to be like Mary--but that is just the Enemy of our heart trying to get the better of us. There is no challenge set before us for which the Lord has not supplied the graces needed to overcome, no cross upon our shoulder which the Lord is not offering to carry with us. We are never alone...it is only when we say no to God that we feel alone. Yet He never gives up, for ever then, He longs for us, He longs for our joy to be complete. You must know this in your heart...but the world is so distracting, and the things of the world make it easy for us to forget how to ponder these things in our heart.
But don't give up! Walk with the Virgin Mary. Learn how to ponder the gifts the Lord has offered to you in the deepest recesses of your heart. There is a place only God can fill...and if you let Him enter in, your joy will be complete. As we celebrate Gaudete Sunday, remember to rejoice in these things! We are coming closer to Christmas. Ponder in your heart what it is you will offer the Christ Child this Christmas. Can you offer Him your greatest gift, the treasure of your heart?
Some great theologians, such as dear Hans Urs Von Balthasar, say that Our Lady conceived Christ in her mind, even prior to conceiving Him in her womb through the power of the Holy Spirit: this is how open the Virgin was to the work of the Lord. So often, I find myself, in my mind, committing so many acts that are contrary to Charity, and yet, here is this little Jewish woman, who was so cooperative with grace, her mind was in perfect collaboration with the mind of the Trinity.
Do we give ourselves the time to ponder things in our heart? When the Lord invites us to do something great for Him, do we take the time to reflect on it? Do we let it grow within us, do we nurture it through prayer and fortifying ourselves with holy activity? You see, Mary is the perfect example of this pondering, this holding close the gift she had been given, so that it could grow, so that she could share it with the whole world! She was never premature in her joy...her joy was so deep, and she let it be nurtured by God's grace so perfectly, that her joy was completed through her prefect participation with the will of God.
Sometimes it is easy to think we are not good enough, not blessed enough, not holy enough to be like Mary--but that is just the Enemy of our heart trying to get the better of us. There is no challenge set before us for which the Lord has not supplied the graces needed to overcome, no cross upon our shoulder which the Lord is not offering to carry with us. We are never alone...it is only when we say no to God that we feel alone. Yet He never gives up, for ever then, He longs for us, He longs for our joy to be complete. You must know this in your heart...but the world is so distracting, and the things of the world make it easy for us to forget how to ponder these things in our heart.
But don't give up! Walk with the Virgin Mary. Learn how to ponder the gifts the Lord has offered to you in the deepest recesses of your heart. There is a place only God can fill...and if you let Him enter in, your joy will be complete. As we celebrate Gaudete Sunday, remember to rejoice in these things! We are coming closer to Christmas. Ponder in your heart what it is you will offer the Christ Child this Christmas. Can you offer Him your greatest gift, the treasure of your heart?
Friday, December 14, 2007
Suffering Servant
**This is an excerpt from my thesis "Entrustment to the Virgin and the Feminine Vocation," which focuses on the relationship of Christ and Our Lady as it relates to suffering...important on the feast of dear St. John of the Cross. All quotes are from Redemptoris Mater and/or the Gospels.
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John Paul II explores the concept of Mary being the prime example of how to live the life of a pilgrim on the journey towards Heaven in Redemptoris Mater (On the Virgin Mary in the Life of the Pilgrim Church, 1987). Her example is what he really draws upon, often citing Vatican II:
“Strengthened by the presence of Christ (cf. Mt. 28:20), the Church journeys through time towards the consummation of the ages and goes to meet the Lord who comes. But on this journey—and I wish to make this point straightaway—(the Church) proceeds along the path already trodden by the Virgin Mary, who "advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and loyally persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross."45
John Paul discusses that Mary was present at the foot of the Cross and united herself intimately with Jesus’ suffering and death for the sake of humanity. Precisely because she journeyed with Christ from the beginning to the very end, she is affirmed as the ultimate example of faith, discussing that her intimate union with Christ is truly through faith.46 Her sacrifice and her perpetual virginity augment the unity she shard with Christ. “How great, how heroic then is the obedience of faith shown by Mary…And how powerful too is the action of grace in her soul, how all-pervading is the influence of the Holy Spirit and of his light and power!”47 Mary’s virginal faith facilitated the grace she needed to accept her God-given mission, her vocation in life.
John Paul further explains the unity that Christ and Mary shared in self-emptying; Christ’s was physical, whereas Mary’s was through faith, utterly spiritual, arguably a feminine self-emptying:
“This is perhaps the deepest “kenosis” of faith in human history…On Golgotha, Jesus through the Cross definitively confirmed that he was the “sign of contradiction” foretold by Simeon. At the same time, there were also fulfilled on Golgotha the words which Simeon had addressed to Mary: “and a sword will pierce through your own soul also.””48
One could infer from this comparison of Jesus and Mary that they, in unique yet complementary ways, evoke the image of the Suffering Servant so present in the book of Isaiah. Mary’s fiat at the Annunciation is reflected in Christ’s total abandon to the Father’s will in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not my will but thine be done.”49
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I am considering posting my paper in a series of excerpts here, for comment and critique. Here is the thesis statement:
"Because of Mary’s total gift of self—her perpetual virginity—she was able to participate in the most intimate faith-relationship with God ever achieved by a human person. She is the exemplar of the genius of women and the model of the distinct feminine vocation of women, meriting a unique hyperdulia, and ultimately an entrustment of the entire world to her care."
If this is of interest, please let me know by submitting a comment to this post.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Fruit of the Mission
May/June 2007 afforded my friend T.J. and I with the opportunity to pilgrimage to Europe--to attend the 1st International Symposium on Theology of the Body in Gaming, Austria, as well as journey in the footsteps of our dear, beloved Papa John Paul II in Poland, Rome and Assisi. The profundity of the experience is still difficult to describe. How does one articulate the feelings of standing in the shadow of the Theater of the Martyrs (the Colosseum), or the suffocating peace that accosts the soul in the Tomb of dear St. Francis in Assisi...or well below St. Peter's Basilica, by the final resting place of St. Peter's bones? I'm not sure why I broke down in tears as I visited little St. Faustina's convent...probably because all my life she's been praying for me, and always wanted me to visit her sisters in Krakow. Feeling the love of a father from Cardinal Dziwisz (Papa JPII's personal secretary for over 20 years) was like having my face held by Christ, and kneeling at Papa JPII's tomb leaves a mark on one's spirit that does not dissipate.
I want to give you a small gift...please walk with me and the saints through Auschwitz. Learn more about those who suffered...see the train tracks that St. Teresa Benedicta stood beside during the final hours of her life...the gate that St. Maximilian Kolbe walked through...and realize how the evil of Auschwitz still reigns in the hearts of men. You can view this segment of the documentary my friend and I taped here. We are still in conversation with PBS, and God-willing they will broadcast some of our footage on television in the future...pray that St. Max and St. Edith intercede for this intention, as I am convicted that if people could hear the words dear Cardinal Dziwisz spoke, their hearts will be touched. More is to come, but please accept this opportunity to visit Auschwitz with us...
**The picture was taken in one of the crematoriums at Auschwitz...
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Many Shall Be One
Perhaps some avoid devotion to the Virgin Mary because she is said to be an impediment to ecumenical work. I would like to turn this notion inside out. The role of the Virgin Mary is absolutely integral to Catholicism, and I propose it is the linchpin not only for unity among all Christians, but all persons in the entire world, Judeo-Christian or not.
How can this be? One could argue it from several ways, I'll propose a few I've been pondering. The first is through observation. Consider some contemporary women, my dear friends Edith Stein and Adrienne Von Speyr. Both these women were converts to Catholicism: Edith was a Jew, Adrienne a Protestant. Yet, these two women not only had a profound devotion to the Virgin Mary, but also contributed vastly to the understanding of who Mary is.
In her book Mary in the Redemption, Adrienne speaks of how the Virgin Mary is integral to the mystery of Salvation, how she participates directly with Christ in the Redemption of all people. She plays a key role by the proclamation of her "Fiat"--her yes to the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, her yes to becoming Theotokos, the Mother of God...her yes that enabled the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity to take on a human nature. Adrienne herself, as a small child, had mystical experiences that involved the Virgin Mary...which lead years later to her own conversion to Catholicism.
Edith Stein was canonized in 1998 by Pope John Paul II as St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. Edith saw the Virgin Mary not only as an example and exemplar of what it means to be a Christian, but an absolute witness to the vocation of women. She points out that Mary cooperated fully with God and played an integral, feminine role in Salvation History. St. Teresa was an agnostic Jew at age 14...and years later was inspired by reading a work of St. Theresa of Avila, leading ultimately to her conversion.
These women are only two contemporary examples of how the Virgin Mary plays a profound role in uniting mankind. I have a dear friend who was raised protestant but converted to Catholicism. He at a young age had a devotion to the Rosary, well before he was Catholic!!
From a sociological perspective, isn't the role of "mother" absolutely integral to every society? Recall how in ancient times there were virgin cults...how virginity was a fascination to the Greeks and Romans. Even in the Koran we read of the Virgin Mother of Jesus (Muslims consider Jesus a prophet...).
Last on my list for the evening: Jars of Clay. I was recently at a concert during which this Christian group performed. During the middle of their concert, one of the band members approached the microphone to share a reflection they had written for Advent. Guess who he reflected on to a crowd of over 3,000, mostly evangelical Christians?? THE VIRGIN MARY!! He reflected on how she pondered God's desires in her heart...and how we ought to turn to Mary for strength in our Advent journey. There really is nothing I need to add...
The Virgin Mary is not an impediment to Evangelization, she is the Key. Just as Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, Our Lady is the Guiding Star on the path to Christ!
Monday, December 3, 2007
A Philosphy for Hope
Perhaps Edith Stein and Pope Benedict XVI would agree on a great many things, one of which is the philosophical foundation for hope.
Benedict's recent encyclical is devoted to the question of hope. He has a fabulous way of establishing the very relationship of the three cardinal virtues, faith, hope and love. Particularly insightful is his connection between faith and hope...he demonstrates how it is through our very faith that hope itself is within and a part of us, it is through faith that the potential of hope is birthed and gestated.
Now, what of philosophy? Benedict prepares us to understand the current state of history and the apparent hopelessness we see in the world by discussing how false and misdirected philosophical ideas are at the base of this current situation. The shift that occurred, with the genesis of Francis' Bacon's thought on the political structure, progress and freedom developed into a glorification of these goods in and of themselves--progress would 'progress' to a point where God was no longer needed...This deteriorated to the point where the notion of Kingdom of God was no long necessary, and the kingdom of man became ideal. The Enlightenment Period brought about 'revolution,' but not in the Christian sense, and not girded by hope. The revolt purportedly was for liberty, equality and fraternity, but what it birthed was a society further from God than it ever had been in France, which spread throughout Europe.
The onslaught of socialism and communism per Marx and Engels was the modern culmination of this misdirected thought. As the pontiff points out, the plan was incomplete--when Lenin finally accomplished the revolution, there was no blueprint Marx left for the next steps...which instead of creating utopia left "a trail of appalling destruction." Man wanted to be free, but man could not be 'free' without morality.
Edith Stein lived during the shaky period of history that saw the rise of communision. She was a witness to the need for hope. She understood in a distinct way how a person's thoughts could lead him or her to truth. Edith's own dissertation, "On the Problem of Empathy," (as Dr. Marianne Sawicki points out in her essay on Stein's phenomenology) develops ideas integral to phenomenology which had been overlooked even by Husserl, her mentor and founder of the modern notion of phenomenology.
As Dr. Sawicki explains it, Husserl's own argument to prove that other people already exist (connected to understanding of constitution) actually ASSUMES their existence...his argument "begs the question." This is a problem. In her humility, Stein understated her own discovery within her thesis, but did explain how empathy (as defined by Dr. Sawicki, "The English word "empathy" is not an exact equivalent for the German Einfühlung. The German word means "in-feeling," that is, both feeling-into and feeling-within.") is the precondition for any constitution (an individual's coming to fully conceive of the existence of a being or object outside of him or herself) at all.
What Stein was saying is difficult to put simply, but you could understand it as such: there is a point where an individual, an ego, has an experience, a constitution, of something. Now, how is one to know that the constitution in and of itself is true? Because of empathy--empathy dictates the interior understanding or notion of something as it is perceived or can be perceived. Thus, I myself do not need to be the chief or original 'perceiver,' do you see? I can come to the constitution of something or someone through the sense experience of that said thing (for example, the grief of the death of a loved one); but the very feeling or empathy evoked by that experience tells me that I was not the original 'constituter' of the constitution--that there had to be another...therefore, there must be other egos who have come before. Thus, Stein solved the problem of Husserl's presupposing the existence of others...the existence of others is proven through the experience of empathy. This is then a foundational philosophical tool.
Now, these are the mere academic musings of an amateur, but I hope that they make some sense. What I hope to demonstrate here is that Benedict has given us a new way to contextualize hope; Edith's contribution to this was her own phenomenology. Where Marx and Bacon failed--in a sense removing the personal and the need for relationship and others, ultimately God, Stein reinstates the personal. Her phenomenology is an argument for the Trinity, a philosophical support even for the existence of faith, hope and love...because empathy is involved, which springs forth from the Creator of empathy Himself, through the benevolence of Trinitarian Self-Giving.
Benedict's recent encyclical is devoted to the question of hope. He has a fabulous way of establishing the very relationship of the three cardinal virtues, faith, hope and love. Particularly insightful is his connection between faith and hope...he demonstrates how it is through our very faith that hope itself is within and a part of us, it is through faith that the potential of hope is birthed and gestated.
Now, what of philosophy? Benedict prepares us to understand the current state of history and the apparent hopelessness we see in the world by discussing how false and misdirected philosophical ideas are at the base of this current situation. The shift that occurred, with the genesis of Francis' Bacon's thought on the political structure, progress and freedom developed into a glorification of these goods in and of themselves--progress would 'progress' to a point where God was no longer needed...This deteriorated to the point where the notion of Kingdom of God was no long necessary, and the kingdom of man became ideal. The Enlightenment Period brought about 'revolution,' but not in the Christian sense, and not girded by hope. The revolt purportedly was for liberty, equality and fraternity, but what it birthed was a society further from God than it ever had been in France, which spread throughout Europe.
The onslaught of socialism and communism per Marx and Engels was the modern culmination of this misdirected thought. As the pontiff points out, the plan was incomplete--when Lenin finally accomplished the revolution, there was no blueprint Marx left for the next steps...which instead of creating utopia left "a trail of appalling destruction." Man wanted to be free, but man could not be 'free' without morality.
Edith Stein lived during the shaky period of history that saw the rise of communision. She was a witness to the need for hope. She understood in a distinct way how a person's thoughts could lead him or her to truth. Edith's own dissertation, "On the Problem of Empathy," (as Dr. Marianne Sawicki points out in her essay on Stein's phenomenology) develops ideas integral to phenomenology which had been overlooked even by Husserl, her mentor and founder of the modern notion of phenomenology.
As Dr. Sawicki explains it, Husserl's own argument to prove that other people already exist (connected to understanding of constitution) actually ASSUMES their existence...his argument "begs the question." This is a problem. In her humility, Stein understated her own discovery within her thesis, but did explain how empathy (as defined by Dr. Sawicki, "The English word "empathy" is not an exact equivalent for the German Einfühlung. The German word means "in-feeling," that is, both feeling-into and feeling-within.") is the precondition for any constitution (an individual's coming to fully conceive of the existence of a being or object outside of him or herself) at all.
What Stein was saying is difficult to put simply, but you could understand it as such: there is a point where an individual, an ego, has an experience, a constitution, of something. Now, how is one to know that the constitution in and of itself is true? Because of empathy--empathy dictates the interior understanding or notion of something as it is perceived or can be perceived. Thus, I myself do not need to be the chief or original 'perceiver,' do you see? I can come to the constitution of something or someone through the sense experience of that said thing (for example, the grief of the death of a loved one); but the very feeling or empathy evoked by that experience tells me that I was not the original 'constituter' of the constitution--that there had to be another...therefore, there must be other egos who have come before. Thus, Stein solved the problem of Husserl's presupposing the existence of others...the existence of others is proven through the experience of empathy. This is then a foundational philosophical tool.
Now, these are the mere academic musings of an amateur, but I hope that they make some sense. What I hope to demonstrate here is that Benedict has given us a new way to contextualize hope; Edith's contribution to this was her own phenomenology. Where Marx and Bacon failed--in a sense removing the personal and the need for relationship and others, ultimately God, Stein reinstates the personal. Her phenomenology is an argument for the Trinity, a philosophical support even for the existence of faith, hope and love...because empathy is involved, which springs forth from the Creator of empathy Himself, through the benevolence of Trinitarian Self-Giving.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Only Hope
The Nicholas Sparks novel "A Walk to Remember" was produced in 2002 staring Mandy Moore. Part of the film version incorporates the song "Only Hope," which Moore sings.
"There's a song that's inside of my soul...It's a song that I've tried to write over and over again. I awake in the infinite cold, but you sing to me over and over again...And I lay my head back down, and I lift my hands and pray, to be only yours I pray, to be only yours, I know now, you're my only hope."
On November 30th Pope Benedict XVI released his second encyclical (authoritative teaching), on the Theological Virtue of hope, entitled Spe Salvi(facti suumus)...translated "in hope we are saved" (from Romans 8:24). This follows his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (God is Love). This evening at Loyola University's Madonna della Strada Chapel Fr. Paul Muller, S.J., reflected on Spe Salvi during his homily...and remarked how appropriate it was for the Holy Father to release the piece at the close of one Liturgical Year and the beginning of another.
Fr. Paul went on to discuss how both at the beginning as well as the end of life, hope is so necessary and consoling. Yet, in the middle of life, which is where many of us are, there are times when imminent hopelessness can particularly overcome the spirit. In Ignatian Spirituality, one would discuss how the Evil Spirit strikes at what is most weak--he is like a general, and our souls are a fortress, and the Enemy will find that place in the fortification that lacks support, and attack there. For some, the weak spot may deal with purity, for others, pride. The Enemy's goal is to break down the spirit, and bring about a hopelessness that will result in a lack of commitment to work to overcome the shortcoming or vice--and thus, the Enemy 'wins.'
Yet, the message of Pope Benedict, and indeed the Gospel Message of Hope is exactly the answer to overcoming our struggles and self-doubt. As the late Pope John Paul II said, "We are an Easter People, and Alleluia is our song." We are a people of Hope, looking always forward to the Resurrection, fortified by that trust that God will offer us all the grace we need: we are given the choice whether or not to cooperate with that grace
While I have only glanced at Benedict's encyclical, I sincerely look forward to reading and studying it. What a vital message the Holy Father gives us today, when so many volatile situations are visible all over the world: in Uganda, Russia, Iraq, Pakistan, Venezuela...the list goes on and on...we must have hope, otherwise we'll die, perhaps not physically, but surely spiritually.
So often we place our cards on what is passing--particularly upon the strength of other people. True, the Lord has created humanity to work together to reach the Eternal reward. Yet, as Moore sings the lines "I know now, you're my only hope," I can't help but apply the theological interpretation that in the end, only the Lord can sustain that hope that will carry us from time into Eternity.
"There's a song that's inside of my soul...It's a song that I've tried to write over and over again. I awake in the infinite cold, but you sing to me over and over again...And I lay my head back down, and I lift my hands and pray, to be only yours I pray, to be only yours, I know now, you're my only hope."
On November 30th Pope Benedict XVI released his second encyclical (authoritative teaching), on the Theological Virtue of hope, entitled Spe Salvi(facti suumus)...translated "in hope we are saved" (from Romans 8:24). This follows his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est (God is Love). This evening at Loyola University's Madonna della Strada Chapel Fr. Paul Muller, S.J., reflected on Spe Salvi during his homily...and remarked how appropriate it was for the Holy Father to release the piece at the close of one Liturgical Year and the beginning of another.
Fr. Paul went on to discuss how both at the beginning as well as the end of life, hope is so necessary and consoling. Yet, in the middle of life, which is where many of us are, there are times when imminent hopelessness can particularly overcome the spirit. In Ignatian Spirituality, one would discuss how the Evil Spirit strikes at what is most weak--he is like a general, and our souls are a fortress, and the Enemy will find that place in the fortification that lacks support, and attack there. For some, the weak spot may deal with purity, for others, pride. The Enemy's goal is to break down the spirit, and bring about a hopelessness that will result in a lack of commitment to work to overcome the shortcoming or vice--and thus, the Enemy 'wins.'
Yet, the message of Pope Benedict, and indeed the Gospel Message of Hope is exactly the answer to overcoming our struggles and self-doubt. As the late Pope John Paul II said, "We are an Easter People, and Alleluia is our song." We are a people of Hope, looking always forward to the Resurrection, fortified by that trust that God will offer us all the grace we need: we are given the choice whether or not to cooperate with that grace
While I have only glanced at Benedict's encyclical, I sincerely look forward to reading and studying it. What a vital message the Holy Father gives us today, when so many volatile situations are visible all over the world: in Uganda, Russia, Iraq, Pakistan, Venezuela...the list goes on and on...we must have hope, otherwise we'll die, perhaps not physically, but surely spiritually.
So often we place our cards on what is passing--particularly upon the strength of other people. True, the Lord has created humanity to work together to reach the Eternal reward. Yet, as Moore sings the lines "I know now, you're my only hope," I can't help but apply the theological interpretation that in the end, only the Lord can sustain that hope that will carry us from time into Eternity.
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