Cardinal Mahoney

I often think that Roger Cardinal Mahoney and I think at cross-purposes, but in one particular issue, we seem to agree. First of all, check out this link to an article.

The article discussing mandatory reporting by churches of contact with illegal immigrants. In other words, the government wishes, by means of a proposed senate bill, to have Churches take info down on any illegals and hand it over to the government. In this I cannot agree with our senate and stand with Cardinal Mahoney in saying that this is simply anti-Christian and that it cannot be upheld or obeyed. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I see this law as fundamentally unjust.

The service provided by churches is free to all men and churches do their work without respect to nationality or citizenship. Accepting this law would be a crippling blow to the churching of immigrants. Let the government do its own work and keep its nose out of churches.

As Gold is Tested in Fire...

Lent has often been likened to a time of purification. It is a time to strip away the excess of life. While some of us may look at Lent as a time to give something up just so we can revel in it later, the idea is not one of delayed gratification. Hopefully, by means of the self-examination that comes during Lent, we can try to see how well we carry the Holy Cross in our own lives. If anything, one hopes that Lent makes our most deeply-rooted flaws and weaknesses most evident. We are called for a special kind of honesty to with ourselves and accountability to God. We have a particular opportunity to stare into the face of Christ on the Cross--into the eyes of the Son of Man, who bore our sins.

St. Louis de Montfort, in his Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary, says the following: "And assuredly they especially advance beyond others in virtues, who strive the most manfully to overcome the very things which are the hardest and most contrary to them. For there a man does profit more and merit more abundant grace, when he does most to overcome himself and mortify his spirit." It is fitting that this brief quote came from tonight's meditation from the 33 day consecration. We must manfully, that is, putting our shoulder to the task and with no complaint, see our sins for what they are and then act according to the corresponding virtue. We all know how to do this--the key is overcoming that sense of futility or pride that hangs about us like a sickly fog.

If we can see Lent for what it is, if we can meditate upon the trials of Christ in the desert, we will more ably serve Him and His Church. We may be all things to all people, as St. Paul calls us to be, all for the greater glory of God.

Ad Iesum per Mariam!

Perseverance

Among other things, Lent is about perseverance. When Satan offered Christ all the kingdoms of the world, Christ refused him, because he already owned the kingdoms. When Satan offered him bread from rocks, Christ refused him, because he had no need for earthly bread. We are so much like Christ in what we have! After baptism, and with regular reception of the sacraments and a virtuous life, what can Satan offer us that has any value? We are so easily deceived, thinking that this or that object will somehow bring us something of value when we wantonly throw down or out the gifts we receive by grace. We ought to ask for the grace of perseverance in the good instead of asking to receive a raise or a new car. What more do we need than Christ and His love?

Duped

Do you ever feel like you have told the truth, but haven't told it well? They say that people will hear what they want to hear, often playing their own personal game of "telephone" in their heads. It isn't particularly surprising, since we should never be surprised by sin, but sometimes people can be amazingly deceptive. In light of this, we can sometimes be telling the truth, but in such a way that it allws a deceptive person to make use of only a part of what we say. This may sound vague, but it is not uncommon. It is particularly not uncommon among the intellectually able. Sometimes you can be given the run around and not know it and have no hint of it at the time. I think that this is often because some people don't even know that they are trying to mislead you or that they are manipulating your answers based on the bias of their questioning. Anyhow, as convoluted as this may seem, if bothers me when I feel like I have been duped. It feels like cold water being thrown on my face when I least expect it.

Lent and Prayer

Tomorrow begins Lent. We all know what to do on Lent, right? We give up something and try to sacrifice a little bit and we tighten our belts and wait for Easter. Well, Lent is much more than sacrifice for its own sake. The point of Lent is that we unite our sacrifices to Christ on the Cross. On the Cross, Christ bore the sins of all men and he suffered in our place. How much do we suffer for others?

I spoke with an old friend this evening and he said that he didn't have the courage to help someone in obvious need today. He was distraught because he thought he had failed a woman in need. Perhaps at the time he was not courageous, but what can he do now? Now he can sacrifice on her behalf! He can offer up prayers for her, for all who are suffering. He can, as we all can, tighten his belt with the knowledge that sufferings are being borne in imitation of Christ.

It is difficult to give up sweets and ice cream if we don't know why we are doing so. When we realize what Christ did on the cross, suddenly our meager sacrifices (Christ never had a chocolate chip cookie at all!) seem to get a little extra motivation.

Pray. It's like Nike says-- Just do it.

Personality Profiles

So I took a personality profile test today. Once again, it was confirmed that I am an ENTJ. I also looked for compatible careers, and "Roman Catholic Priest" was listed pretty low. In other words, this list apparently doesn't think that the "fieldmarshall" is a good fit for a priest. I wonder what St. Ignatius and St. Paul would have thought about that. What about Cardinal Mindszenty? Anyhow, not that I think that I will be an amazing priest, or that I have the corner on the market of good candidacy for the vocation, but I think that priests could use a little more leadership and work ethic and a little less of entitlement and laziness. Again, I don't hold myself up as a model, but think that the chances for my little group of the personality world (apparently the smallest of the sixteen groups) are a little better than what I found.

Zip it

Yesterday evening, I heard another seminarian saying something calumnious about me, that is, true but not said in charity. I wasn't really offended, because I realized suddenly ow many times I had doen this, haw many times I had engaged in so-called character assassination. I left the brief conversation feeling rather convicted, thinking that this was more of a warning to me than an awkward moment fo the gentlemen who was surprised that I heard what he said. I often wonder what it will be like, at the final judgement, to relive my sins and watch how they were done not just to anohter, but to Christ. I trust in the mercy of God, but the sorrow and fear are still harrowing.

Depth

I often look at the people around me and wonder whether or not they think as I do, whether or not they ask themselves and God the same millions of questions each day about everything they encounter, constantly wanting to learn and to know more about everything. Looking back at the place where I was before here at the seminary, it sure seemed as if I had a group of friends, all of whom shared this sense of things. It seems even now, that when looking back, I think of them almost as giants among men. The men and women I knew before were people of whom I was in awe and felt often a few steps behind. Now, that is not always the case. Of course, I am not just referring to the seminary, and I am not referring to everyone I meet. Just the same, I have not found an environment similar to that previous one.

A big part of the differece between then and now is that then, I felt like there was a sense of equal dignity among all of the people, even though we were highly competitive. This developed a real love among the brethren--male and female alike. Here, that just is not the case. Certainly, there are a few who are like the giants I knew before, but before, it was as if the community was permeated with these people, and this does not now seem to be the case. Again, this is not meant as a global statement, so much as a personal observation.

So what's the point? Well, I'm not sure. I have made friends here that I hope to keep throughout my life, but it is still somehow different from earlier years. I wonder if this is common sentiment.

Back from Retreat

I am back from the annual seminary retreat, so more will be forthcoming in the next few days...

Us vs. Them

I belong to an online message board for runners. I am not much if a runner, either in the physical sense or the 2 Timothy 4:7 sense. I have been involved in a discussion about the tears of a statue of our Blessed Mother somewhere in California (I am not sure how such a discussion started on this message board.). As often happens online, especially given anonymity, you find many, many people who say simply vile and crass things about anything to do with our Blessed Mother, let alone the Church. After dwelling on this, I was speaking with a friend and he discussed the recent series of talks on NPR surrounding International AIDS Day and the general anti-Catholic sentiment found there. We had this conversation over a game of basketball, so it wasn't extremely deep (though surprisingly so for a basketball game!). Just the same, something came out of my mouth about which I was surprised. I said, "We are going, in the future to have to be very careful in not treating the growing anti-Catholic sentiment in this country and others as an "Us vs. Them" situation. Certainly, we can treat it as an "Us vs. It" situation, but only if we bear in mind that we are doing His will, something to which our own wills need to conform. If we think that angry anti-Catholics are bad for spreading the Truth of God, hwo much worse would the extremist Catholic be? Instead of being a humble sword for Christ, we turn into a blunt mace for the devil--and we strike at the Church, the very Bride of Christ.

Is this new? No. Is it ground shaking? No. Do we forget it? Many of do, and do so everyday, myself included.

Unity in Theology

I have long wondered what moves a man to promote disunity in theology, particularly if he is a believer. It seems to me that theology is necessarily a unity, and contradiction and compromise have no place within her laws. If theology is an explanation of Divine Revelation, how is it that a piece of theology can be said to contradict another? Further than this, how can someone hold only part of the system? Does it not seem so clear that every revealed truth leads to another? Ultimately, theology is an articulation and particularization of Truth, which is essentially, the Good—who is God.

In addition to denying the unity in theology itself, there are those who would divorce theology from morality or spirituality, as if these do not provide the great depth of theology. I wonder if the source is pride or misunderstanding.

antichrist

What follows below is a brief excerpt from J.H. Cardinal Newman, regarding the coming of the antichrist. This excerpt is, or ought to be, a source of conviction for all those who love Christ and read these words. I put them here, as I think we often forget the coming of the antichrist—much to our detriment.

"[Meditation upon the coming of the antichrist] will can as a curb upon our self-willed, selfish hearts, to believe that a persecution is in store for the Church, whether or not it comes in our days. Surely, with this prospect before us, we cannot bear to give ourselves up to thoughts of ease and comfort, of making money, sitting well, or rising in the world. Surely, with this prospect before us, we cannot but feel that we are, what all Christians really are in the best estate (nay, rather would wish to be, had they their will, if they be Christians in heart), pilgrims, watchers, waiting for the morning, waiting for the light, eagerly straining our eyes for the first dawn of day—looking out four our Lord’s coming, His glorious advent, when He will end the reign of sin and wickedness, accomplish the number of His elect, and perfect those who at present struggle with infirmity, yet in their hearts love and obey Him. "

-Cardinal Newman, The Patristical idea of Antichrist

Cardinal Newman wrote extensively on this subject, before and after his conversion. His works are certainly worth visiting and revisiting.

God in My Pocket - Thanksgiving

How many people carry God in their pocket? How many people have their own little idea of God stuffed in their wallet, just to take out when thy need to feel good, justifiy their actions, or search for a little extra something to get out of trouble? We see it all the time. People say, “Don’t judge me. My God doesn’t judge me. He tells me so every time I open my purse to get out my car keys.” That may be a bit harsh, but it sure seems like the reality.

In light of Thanksgiving on Thursday, what are we thankful for? A new job? A new ipod? A good semester at school? How about being created in God’s image? How about intellect and will? How about salvation? It is interesting that as we lose sight of God, we start to judge our worth by how much we can fit in our backpacks or our trunks. We suddenly deserve fancy cars, new shoes, and pricey dinners because we are special. Why are we special? "We are special because we say so, and God, who lives next to our handkerchief, has nothing to say about it. Really, what does He ever have to say? I mean, the Bible is just myth and if He (if He isn’t a She, that is) wanted to tell me something, He would. But, so far, since He hasn’t said anything, I suppose I can do whatever I want."

Before you say this doesn’t sound like you, do a reality check. How many times this month have you deserved something just because you are you? It happens to me all the time. I don’t have the money to deserve a nice car or nice clothes, but you can deserve little things, too. I tend to deserve Hershey’s bars.

So, as I said, Thanksgiving is coming around the corner. What does that mean? Well, it means that we ought, in a special way, to be thankful to Him, namely, He who is the source of all good gifts. When we are tempted to write Him off, we only need to pick up that Bible we have on the shelf and read, “God created man in His image, in the divine image He created him; male and female He created them;” (Gen 1:27) “Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God;” (Luke 1:35b) “Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them;” (John 18: 25-26) “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.”” (Matthew 26:26-28)

How does that ipod sound now? What is a little bit of stuff in light of the Father’s gift of His Son?

We thank God, Father, Son and Spirit for all the joys and trials of our life, that we may come to know and love Him. We thank Him for the gift of Himself, His very Son, in Holy Communion, in all His sacraments, and in His Word. We thank Him also that He did condescend to make us His adopted sons in His own Son, in His image and likeness.

Dislike and Dignity

It has, and on many occasions, struck me how people believe that respecting the dignity of all men somehow is the same as enjoying the company of all men. Just recently I had the occasion of trying to explain to someone how dislike is not the same as disregard. I am not sure what it is within our culture that says that dislike is some kind of intolerance. Certainly aggression that springs from dislike, manifesting itself in gossip, calumny, or any other such vice is a failure of charity, but a clash of personality is not. My father, who was once a seminarian himself, often tells me how little he misses living in community. Certainly there are benefits thereto, but an almost inevitable occurrence is the clash of personality. This is normal and OK. The Lord did not intend us to find an old pal in every person we meet. Just look at Peter and Paul!

So, what is my point? It is precisely that personal incompatibility is normal. It does not signify a lack of respect or charity to know that when you are around a particular person, they make you bristle. While we ought to still shower those people with charity, and perhaps more so than those with whom we are good friends, the incompatibility cannot be simply relegated to intolerance. The hard part about this, of course, is that people are compatible in different ways, so you may not get along well with a person with whom everyone else seems to get along. When this happens, you may get odd looks or outright incredulity. People may even write you off, though hopefully not.

Well, that’s about it. I just thought it ought to be said.

Grace and the Work of Christ

Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange, OP, says that, "Our spiritual progress cannot tend in the direction of the life of eternity unless it presupposes the seed of it already existing in us, a seed of the same nature as the life towards which we are tending." He cites St. Thomas, who says, "Grace is nothing else but a certain beginning of glory within us." The question is, then, who is the vinedresser? Who assists in the brining of grace to fruition? Certainly the source of this grace cannot be ourselves, as we have no means in ourselves to lift ourselves up by our own bootstraps. How are we to grow and develop in Christ? Fr. Garrigou-Lagrange says that we do so by developing the interior life, that which is "for all the one thing necessary." The phrase "interior life" is a bit counter-intuitive, though. Ultimately, the goal of the interior life is to see how God works on man. It isn't about navel gazing or shutting out the world, but finding how we are truly nurtured to maturity by God. As Christ says, "Behold, I make all things new. To the thirsty I will give a gift from the spring of life-giving water." (Rev. 21: 5b, 6b) He then, is the source of grace. And, lest we think that we can disregard this gift, He tells us the consequences of doing so: "But as for cowards, the unfaithful, the depraved, murderers, the unchaste, sorcerers, idol-worshipers, and deceivers of every sort, their lot is the burning pool of fire and sulfur, which is the second death." (Rev. 21:8) What we are speaking of , then, is rather serious. In that sense, it is ultimate. What does the span of one life mean in the scope of eternal life? It means that this is the time to respond to Christ, the vine dresser.

In a practical sense, the key is to be aware of this action of Christ, which is, of course, the reason fo rhte development of the spiritual life. So often we write this off, as if we just have to do the minimum, or just enough not to get the eternal fire. I do it myself, so I speak from experience. If we truly understood the Church, though, why would we act in such a way? If we knew and experienced the love of Christ in a particular way through the sacraments, why would we waste our time with mediocrity? The answer is that we shouldn't. To know Christ in this life is the greatest of all loves man can know before eternal beatitude.

Just a few thoughts.

The Kingship of Christ

There is, in the Divine Office, a particular reading for Holy Saturday in the Office of Readings. It is titled simply as "An Ancient Homily on Holy Saturday." This reading discusses the descent of Christ into Hell and his breaking down down the gates and lifting the pre-Christian fathers to their salvation. I was reminded of this reading last night during a conversation with a friend and fellow seminarian. He mentioned the connection between David and Christ, insofar as Christ is King. This is, of course, fitting, as this Sunday is Christ the King Sunday.

Adam was given the power of dominion over all creation according to the terms set by God. For this reason, after his sin, his punishment fell to all men. In time, however, God restored, to some degree, this dominion in the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This its Zenith in David, who is a wonderful prefigurement of Christ, the promises to whom were fulfilled only in his descendant Jesus Christ.

What is the tie between this ancient homily and the kingship of the Hebrews and its tie to Christ? Well, it seems to all center in Christ's descent to Hell. What was its purpose? The great Hebrew kings and patriarchs, glorious though they were, had no authoirty in themselves for their salvation. Even the great King David could not enter Heaven on his own authority. Thus, Christ descended into Hell, participating in their kingship, yet chief among them, and lifting those faithful ones to Heaven. In this way we see quite clearly how Christ recapitulates mankind and takes the place of Adam. This is not to equivocate on Adam and Christ, but to say that Christ takes the authority of Adam and elevates it. This is the case because Christ is the God-man.

This is pretty cursory, but it is what has been on my mind. Sometimes we don't know how to think of Christ as Christ the King. This carries over to the priest as well, but that is a topic for another day.

Lukewarmth, Insidiousness and Practical Applications

Lukewarmth in the spiritual life, which often carries over into other parts of life is that state where one is neither a great sinner nor aspiring to be a saint. Most lukewarm people don't commit much grave sin, but don't really seek to go beyond living the commandments. The spiritual writers often say that this the sins of lukewarmth are particularly insidious. What does this mean? This means that the sins committed by the lukewarm, or rather, the sins that make us lukewarm, are the sins that slowly, cleverly, and quitely turn us off to God. They are the sins of complacency. They are the sins that the foster the attitude of, "I go to Church on Sunday. What esle do I need to do? I am a good Catholic." Well, the answer is, "You're not good enough!" In a way, these are the most insidious sins. This is because they are powerful and gradual. These are certainly not the most grave sins. These are not as obscene as murder, adultery, abuse, the Sins Which Cry Out to Heaven, etc. Just the same, these are often tied to one of the Sins of Against the Holy Spirit, namely, the sin iof presumption, which takes the form of a statement like, "I don't need to do any more or love any more. God is in my life on Sundays and I can do the rest." Murder is scandalous and vulgar in a way that is rarely secretive. Often, the murderer knows he has done something terrible, and he knows his standing before God. The spiritual writers say that the devil wishes neither zealots nor grave sinners. Zealots and grave sinners show the devil for who he is, each in their own way. He likes, instead, the people in the middle--those he can overcome slowly and gradually, so that they do not know where they are being led until they are there. In this way, the sins of lukewarth are so insidious.

In regards to practical applications of the Cross, the answer, I suppose, is one of attitude, at least in part. We have all heard the phrase, "God loveth the cheerful giver." This doesn't just refer to monetary giving. God loves he who does his work without complaint, who does his work with a spirit of doing his best because that is what God asks. Also, God asks for time given to Him. An hour on Sunday? How much time do we spend watchng TV? How much time do we spend playing golf? How much time do we spend in prayer and Eucharistic adoration? How often do we pray for the holy souls in Purgatory? At first, this is the practical side of carrying the cross. Maybe one's life is easy. Praise be to God for that! The benefit of an easy life is leisure--leisure to learn to love God more. After we get in the habit of daily prayer and regular reception of the sacraments, we begin to realize God's plan for us, if we haven't already. We begin to see how God is calling us to stretch ourselves and to be stretched by Him for the work He has asked of us. In short, the practical side of things, at first, is devotion and piety--and self-discipline. In terms of minutes and hours, if you pray now no minutes a day, try starting and ending your day with prayer, or pray the rosary on your way to work. These are the first steps in learning God's will--a will whose following is the only real practical question we have.

The Daily Cross

St. Josemaria said, in his work, The Way, "'Pray that I may never be satisfied with what is easy.' I have prayed. Now it is up to you to carry out that fine resolution." A recent comment posted here asked about the daily cross. Fr. John Corapi puts it something like saying, "A man came into confession and said that he had nothing to confess, that he had kept the commandments. I replied, "Well, let's start from the top. Have you loved the Lord your god with all your heart, all your soul, all your very self? We had a long confession." The point is that even when our lives may be easy, we can always love God more. It isn't enough just to follow the rules and bring home a good paycheck. The task of the Christian, the Cross--a subtle Cross--is to be as Christ to all he meets. This means that people will say, when they meet you, "There is a person who has studied the life of Christ. There is a person who loves God and lives that love." To do this is never without trial. We all sin at one time or another. The bearing of the Cross is the rooting out of sin. Sure, we may not be murderers or adulterers, but these are not the most insidious of sins. The most insidious of sins are those that lead us to lukewarmth. Precisely when we say to Jesus, as did the rich young man, "Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life? I have kept all of the commandments," Jesus replies with the call to loving self-sacrifice with, "Come, follow me." In other words, take the next step!

Two Great Conversations

I have had two great conversations in the past day. Last night, I had the opportunity to speak at length with a friend who is a good and devoted man. This morning I spoke for a while with one of the priests in residence at the parish to which I am assigned as a seminarian. The gist of both conversations was that we are all too often lukewarm. We look around and think things like, "I don't watch pornography," or "I go to mass on Sunday," or "I don't break the law," or "I am always polite," and based on these, we think that we have somehow made it, as if we can feel comfortable where we are. But this isn't the sense of the teaching of Christ and the principles of the Church, is it? You don't break the law? Big deal! You're not supposed to! Of course, this is important, but it is just the beginning. To keep the commandments is only a first step. To love God while doing so? That makes all the difference. And, of course, as we progress in the spiritual life, and progress in goodness, we have to realize that further thigns are demanded of us. It is the cross we are called to imitate. If we are appy with the scourging alone, and find it trying enough, how will we embrace the cross? What will we do without the love of God and loving Him in return?

Parable of the Talents

Today's Gospel reading was the Parable of the Talents, from Gospel of St. Matthew, Chapter 25. I always feel convicted by this Gospel. I wonder if I am using my talents as I should. How often do I hide them in the ground? In a practical way, how often do I simply not use the gifts God has given me? In today's world, we are so often told that to use your gifts is an insult to the people around you, that they could be offended because of your actions. Somehow, as we tie the dignity of the individual to the tasks he can perform, we lose sight of dignity of each person insofar as they are men, and attach it to something to which it does not belong. Just look at how we abort away millions of children every year, just because they aren't useful. Of coruse, this Gosepl applies to those of us who aren't procuring abortions, too. This applies to students who are gifted and study enough only to get by, to parents who let their children run free, and to anyone who doesn't use a gift for its intended end. I do it myself. It is an insidious trap into which to fall.

The Book of Job

I was reading Job today during my Holy Hour, and I can across two passages that we often read over in the breviary. They are Job 1:21: "Naked I came forth from my mother's womb, and naked I shall go back again. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD;" and Job 2:10b: "We accept good things from God; and should we not accept evil?" I love both of these passages. They are so much like the wisdom of Solomon, "This, too, shall pass." I haven't lost anything great lately. I have lost in my life, though not as Job lost. In fact, lately, things have been great. I have a new neice or nephew (It is too early to tell yet.), which is fantastic. Nonetheless, these passages give context to our lives--and how we ought to live them. How little have we to complain of in light of the gifts of God. For, "I have loved you, says the LORD," (Malachi 1:2) and this is such a great love. How can we fail to pray, "Lord Almighty, God of Israel, afflicted souls and dismayed spirits call to you. Hear, O LORD, for you are a God of mercy; and have mercy on us, who have sinned against you"? (Baruch 3:1-4a) In light of this, how can we fear to serve, even in the littlest things? Even in the mundane things? The love of God teaches us to do His will in every moment and in every task.

Some Basics

Many saints have said that holiness is easy. Our response is often, "Well, that is easy for a saint to say." But the saints weren't sinless people. They weren't free from temptation. They had temptation all the more for their sanctity. So what was their secret? More importantly, what can we do, or what can I do to make what they did work for me. In short, the asnwer is to love God. Sounds easy. It isn't always for me, that's for sure. Not to worry, though, because He gave us great tools, namely, the seven sacraments. Also, He gave us His Word in Holy Scripture. He gave us His Blessed Mother. He gave us the Blessed Sacrament. What do we need to do other than to use these? Truly, as the Psalmist says, these are like "arrows in the hands of a warrior."

Hello and Welcome

I received come good advice the other day. I was told that so long as I am writing down my thoughts, I could perhaps do some good by sharing them. I am not sure who will come, but I'll keep posting. God bless you!