When theologians play at being scientists (and vice-versa)

The two links below will take you to proof that the relationship between science and religion--when improperly understood--can lead to confusion in both science and religion.  

Belief in divine creation is not the same as "intelligent design."  The Intelligent Design Movement attempts to change the nature of normal science in order to account for divine creation, all the while claiming that this change is true to the nature of normal science. (H/T:  Mark Shea)

A physicist corrects Jebbie theologian's confusion regarding quantum physics and transubstantiation. When theologians play at being scientists, like making the latest discoveries in physics foundational to theological discourse, they risk undermining the whole point of theology and making science into God.  (H/T:  Curt Jester)

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St. Philip Neri: the Roman Socrates

 Your One Stop Spot for All Things St. Philip Neri. . .

Basic biographical/historical info. . .NB. the entry under "Political Activity"

My favorite modern biography of Philip:  The Fire of Joy

St Philip Romolo Neri

A maxim a day keeps the Devil away!  Philip Neri sayings for everyday of the year.

EWTN: Philip Neri

Patron Saint Index with lots of links

Saint of the Day: Philip Neri, saint and joker

The Toronto Oratory

The London Oratory, Brompton

At Catholic Fire: Philip Neri, humorous saint

. . .and the Chiesa Nuova, Philip Neri's church in Rome. Only in Rome can you call a 16th century church a "new church"! Philip is buried in a side chapel there. I've visited frequently, asking for a better sense of humor for dealing with the enemies of the Church.

And today is my 46th birthday. My mother denies it, refusing to believe that she has a 46 year old son!  Though she did tell me on the phone recently that I am starting to look my age. 

I am often asked why a Dominican would choose "Philip Neri" as his religious name. I wish there were some mystical, mysterious story to tell. There isn't. When I was going through RCIA, my pastor urged us all to take confirmation names. He suggested that we look at the saints honored on our birthdays for inspiration. He reasoned that picking a name from a saint celebrated on our birthday would help us to remember to imitate that saint. I picked "Philip Neri" for no other reason than that May 26th is his feast day. When I joined the Order, we were told we could use a religious name. One of the brothers asked me my confirmation name and suggested that I make it my religious name. With just a little research into Philip Neri's life, I found quite a lot I wanted to imitate!  

Though I cringe when my name is shortened to "Fr. Phil," there is one diminutive of the great saint's name I don't mind. . .Philip's closest friends used "Pippo" as a term of endearment for him.  Here's an article by the French Oratorian, Fr. Louis Bouyer that includes a couple of funny stories about the saint.

Philip knew many of the great Dominicans of his day. He was a renowned preacher and confessor. He worked tirelessly among the spiritually defeated youths of Rome. He was a practical joker and an outrageous spiritual director. When he died, an autopsy revealed that his heart had grown too big for this body. An apt description of this saint of Christ's joy! Philip was canonized along with Theresa of Avila and Ignatius of Loyola.

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CAUTION! Praying is risky business

Feast of St Philip Neri

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

SS. Domenico e Sisto, Roma

Podcast

The ancient Greeks knew that asking the gods for favors was a dangerous business. They just might give you what you want. The same caution applied to the three wishes granted to those who freed genies from captivity. Choose your wishes very, very carefully. Though we no longer honor the Greek gods with our prayers nor believe that genies grant wishes, Christians still call on God for His help. We regularly petition Him to grant us the graces we need to survive and thrive. Since we are asking for help from an all-loving, all-knowing God, do we need to be careful when asking for what we need? St. Augustine thought so. He once famously prayed, “Lord, give me chastity and continence. . .but not yet.” Smart man. This prayer reveals both a desire for holiness and an awareness that holiness entails the radical transformation of the person praying. Augustine isn't asking for more time to sin; he's confessing his humility, his unworthiness for the gifts of chastity and continence. He simply isn't strong enough to honor these gifts as they deserve. Yes, be careful when you pray. Make sure you are ready for God's answer.

Case in point: James and John ask Jesus to grant them the seats of honor at his side. They want to be his Top Dog Apostles. Jesus replies to this foolish request: “You do not know what you are asking.” James and John are probably thinking about power and prestige; they want to be his heirs, successors to his throne. Jesus quickly deflates their dreams, “Can you drink the chalice that I drink. . .?” Of course, they say, “We can.” But they do not fully understand what drinking Christ's chalice means. To be the first among Christ's disciples means being the least of them all, the servant to all. It means taking a permanent demotion in status and power, stepping down the career ladder from Apostle to Slave. Not exactly what the ambitious brothers had in mind! If they had known themselves better, perhaps they would have exercised greater caution in asking for a sip from Christ's chalice. 

Knowing what to pray for requires a keen sense of discernment. You have to know your flaws, your strengths, your gifts. You have to be intimately acquainted with both God's overall purpose for you and how you will freely cooperate with this plan. Are you prepared to receive the grace you are praying for? Well, who isn't ready to get a gift?! Ask the many lottery winners in the U.S. who have seen their lives destroyed by money. Ask those who have achieved their dreams of political power only to see themselves corrupted nearly beyond redemption. Ask those who exercise incredible gifts of artistic creativity but eventually find themselves sliding down the drain to insanity and addiction. Asking for a gift is a easy. Getting it and using it wisely can be much, much harder.

So, what assurance do we have that the graces we need, once granted, won't drown us in sorrow and regret? Every grace we receive from God is perfected by serving others. Jesus says to his disciples, “. . .whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all.” There is nothing spiritually dangerous about using God's gifts in the service of His people. No danger of pride. No danger of selfishness. No danger of remorse because you prayed for too much, too soon. We come to know ourselves best by coming to know God better and better in prayer. The best we can ask for is to serve, to be the least of all, the slave to all.

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Coffee Bowl Browsing

Hey whaddaya know!  That anti-illegal immigrant law in AZ succeeded in forcing B.O. to--ya know--do his job.  Note that the Left isn't calling their hero a racist or a fascist for this token move.

Two in one day. . .White House backs the Vatican's defense against spurious lawsuit.

Did porn, crystal meth, and free football tickets contribute to the BP's oil disaster?

For all my friends and fellow friars who voted for B.O. b/c they hated Bush's anti-terrorism policies and believed The One would do things differently:  secret military operations.

Are the adults in our culture finally starting to reassert their authority? 

"Unexpected" is the favorite adjective used by the MSM to insulate B.O. from his disastrous economic politics.  "Little noticed" is the fav adjective used by the MSM to excuse its refusal to vette ObamaCare responsibly before it was passed.

In the name of "safety," U.K. nannies limit the number of faithful who can attend Papal Masses during the Holy Father's September visit.  I hope Damien and the Catholic Herald sit on the organizing committee and pour through every decision these guys make. 

How to get more traffic on your blog:  misspell something.  I've also found that using Latin helps.  Latin geeks are compelled by Natural Law to correct one's faulty Latin grammar. 

Is this the first stage of the Coming Zombie Apocalypse? 

Bubba and the Pope. 

17 ways to lace up your sneakers.  The normal way of lacing up sneakers is too complicated for me.  I just wear sandals.

Lots of useful French expressions.  My fav: "Il n'y a pas de quoi fouetter un chat."  Translation: "It's no reason for whipping a cat."  NB.  some of these are R-rated.

Hilarious video of a Japanese girl scaring folks as they come through a door.  I think the reason she is scary is b/c she looks like the freaky girl from the movie, The Ring.

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Gettin' holy ain't for sissies

NB.  I made a couple of mistakes while preaching this one. . .no time to rehearse in front of the mirror before Mass!

8th Week OT (T)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

SS. Domenico e Sisto, Roma

Podcast

There's a bumper sticker popular among America's geriatric citizens: “Gettin' old ain't for sissies!” Aging is a long haul. It's hard work. It take courage, perseverance, and strength. Chances are that those who lack the required virtues for “gettin' old” never make it past retirement age. They falter long before the really tough stuff begins. Catholics, never shy about using what we're given to preach the gospel, should take this bumper sticker and revise it to teach another ancient truth: “Gettin' holy ain't for sissies!” All the virtues required for enduring old age come in quite handy for traveling the way of holiness. Standing up to the rulers of this world, confronting one's own demons, and coming out victorious, requires courage, perseverance, and strength. Despite the dangers of aging, many manage to do well enough without ever receiving all that God has to give them. No such thing is possible in our travels toward holiness. Peter writes, “. . .as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct, for it is written, Be holy because I am holy.” 

The saints and doctors of the Church teach us that we are made to be holy. We are designed in such a way that we are not only capable of being holy but are, in fact, compelled to seek out holiness. Why then do we find being holy so difficult? Why do we expend so much time and energy fighting against who we were made to be? Peter gives us a hint when he teaches us how to be holy: “. . .gird up the loins of your mind, live soberly, and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” If these are the things we must do to grow in holiness, then it makes sense that our resistance to being holy rests in our failure to follow through with this admonition. The creativity and productivity of our minds is scattered, loose, unfocused. Our daily lives show us to be immoderate, irrational, anxious. And we have set our hopes on the fleeting goodness of people, ideas, and institutions who are in themselves incapable of making us Good. If we fail to understand that God is the only source of holiness, then we are doomed to falter long before the way before us gets really tough. God says, “Be holy because I am holy.”

Being holy, like growing old, is hard. We have to grow old. No choice in that. But do we have to be holy? If it's so difficult, why bother? First, we are called to it. Drawn to God by His love for us, we are seduced into wanting to be perfect as He Himself is perfect. Without the desire for holiness, we are just animals, creatures eating, breeding, and dying without a purpose larger than our biology. Second, by accepting the graces of baptism and the Holy Spirit, we are shown who we are (sinners) and who we can be (saints). To endure the difference between the two without seeking to close the gap is unbearable. Third, as St Augustine says, we are restless—agitated, unhappy, aimless—until we rest in Him. Seeing that we are capable of being like God, can we ever be truly satisfied with being like anything less than God? 

Peter says to Christ, “We have given up everything and followed you.” Surrender is the first step and the last step. But the steps in between must follow Christ. With hearts and minds focused on Christ; our lives lived in the sobriety of his commandment of love; and our hope resting solely in the one revealed to us by the Holy Spirit, we can surrender everything unholy and become holy for no other reason than that He is holy. For those who love him, this is reason enough.

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Coffee Bowl Browsing

A review of my prayer books from HancAquam reader and commenter extraordinaire, Opey124! 

Best Link Tag for a story about Sarah Palin:  "I can see November from my house!" 

The Left pitched an eight year hissy fit over "W's" alleged misuse of wire-tapping, torture, etc. in the war on terror.  B.O. has not only continued all of "W's" policies in this area, he has now authorized the assassination of American citizens w/o due process.  You will search in vain for any hissy fits pitched by the Left.

Student suspended for bringing his rosary to school.  School officials claim the beads endanger the safety of the school.  This reminds me of my CPE summer when the sisters--all Dominicans!--I worked with at SLU Hospital harassed me for wearing my habit.  They eventually convinced the hospital that religious habits are a "safety issue" and had them banned.

Does B.O. have the guts to keep us out of the E.U. Nanny state financial collapse?  I doubt it.

Deconstructing WaPo's deceptive paraphrase of TX's new curriculum standards.  You know you have won the debate when your opponent has to lie about your position in order to challenge it.  Strawmen are built for those too intellectually lazy to fight a real man.

America's new culture war:  free enterprise vs. government control

Confirmation class at an Episcopal parish compose their own versions of the Nicene Creed.  I remember doing this when I was an Episcopagan!  

Sad story about the disappearance of the Octave of Pentecost.

A heartening story about the public witness of priests in clerics and habits.  I wear my habit on the streets of Rome all the time.  I've never had anyone spit on me!  Maybe the sight of a 300lbs Dominican in full habit tweaks the survival instinct in even the most anti-clerical Roman!

(An aside:  during a UD mission trip to Lima, Peru, my students and I visited the family of one of our students.  The student's older sister was pregnant.  Before we left the apt. I asked the woman if I could bless her and her baby.  She broke into a huge smile and eagerly agreed.  Before I knew what was happening, every member of the large family was lining up for a blessing!  My student told me months later that the family had been shocked that I would offer a blessing and that they were still talking about it.  Apparently, Peruvian priests are somewhat stingy with blessings. . .)

Article on the Apostolic Visitation of U.S. sisters and nuns.  Warning:  don't read this article if you have high blood pressure.  It is stuffed with factual errors, leftist bias, and anti-Catholic venom.

The Knights of Columbus respond to criticism of their recent decision not to boot Knights who are also pro-abortion politicians. 

New English translation of the Roman Missal is a reach back into tradition.  Maybe.  It is certainly more traditional than the awful 1970 ICEL translation.  The better way to describe the new edition of the Missal is to say that it is a more faithful English translation of the Latin texts.  The theological problems inscribed in the 1970 edition start with an embedded Pelagianism.  It seems that the 1970 translators went out of their way to render out the necessity of God's grace in our growth toward holiness.

Why are Catholics staying in the Church despite the constant problems with clerical sexual abuse?  Oh, that's easy.  Because most Catholics are smart enough to distinguish between the holiness of their Church and the falleness of her clergy.  There's not a Catholic alive who can say, "I am without sin."

Cute pic of the day. . .a helping paw.

The one day you decide to drive with the top down. . .

World's funniest jokes? 

A list of great home remedies and practical solutions.

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Server down

There is no Pentecost homily for you this morning b/c the proxy server for the priory was down for almost 24 hrs.  

The friar--yes, there is only one--who maintains the server was out of town and only returned about 2 hrs. ago.  Ah, good ole Italian efficiency at its best.

Look for that homily to show up sometime on Monday.

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Coffee Bowl Browsing (B.O.-less Edition)

The American Papist's initial reaction to the Knights of Columbus brouhaha.  

The pagan rites of a lesbian-Episcopalian consecration.  I never witnessed this sort of thing when I was an Episcopalian.  I had to become Catholic to see it.    Fair warning:  this vid is spew-worthy.

Again, words matter: no created being can create;  we can recombine existing things to produce something new, but we can't create.  That's God's job.

Did she excommunicate herself?  On the Catholic sister who approved an abortion in AZ.

An English translation of the Descartes letter we were given to translate for our exam.  I've read it five or six times--in English!--and I don't know what he's talking about.

One priest's experience with multi-lingual Continentals.  Here at the Angelicum, most of the friars are at least trilingual (native tongue, Italian, and English).  Several friars speak all of the major European languages.  And some can boast Latin, Greek, and Hebrew on top of these.  In my limited experience, our Polish brothers are the most proficient at picking up foreign languages.

On the suicide of Catholic culture in Spain.  Perhaps these folks yearn for the return of the Moors.

"No one is listening until you make a mistake" and 53 other cynical Thoughts for the Day.

Do-it-yourself consumer warning labels:  "A Dead Sea scroll found that UFO's cause liberalism in bald Armenians, so just don't over do it." 

Ronald "The Pimp Meister" McDonald reiterates, "I said NO special orders!"

Dog diary vs. Cat diary.  I love dogs, but would rather be a cat.

First Lesson of Law School:  never ask a witness a question you don't already know the answer to.

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The Knights, Pro-aborts, & You

I'm getting a lot of questions about the recent ruling of the national leadership of the Knights of Columbus that forbids local chapters from expelling Knights who are pro-abortion politicians. 

I've not had a chance to ferret out all the relevant info.

My advice for the moment:  don't resign from your local council just yet.  You can't change the policy if you are on the outside.  Resignation is an option if the national leadership will not budge.  But for now, learn as much as you can about the policy.  Express your respectful, considered opinion to your KC leadership, your pastor, and your bishop.  And pray!

As I learn more about what's going on, I will opine at length.

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Coffee Bowl Browsing

Words matter. . .but they matter more to some than to others:  B.O.'s P.C. assault on how we talk about terrorism.

What are the paradoxes inherent in the creative mind?  Most of these apply to the preacher, I think.  How does a preacher of an ancient message bring that message to a contemporary world without sacrificing its substance?

Immigrants reduce violent crime in urban areas?  This study says yes.  NB.  the study doesn't distinguish between legal and illegal immigration nor does it factor in the use of mandatory sentencing laws as a deterrent to crime.  Read the comments for other flaws in the study.

The dangers of Multiculturalism in a multicultural society.  When it comes to the Dogma of Immaculate Multiculturalism, leftists consistently confuse "descriptive multiculturalism" with "prescriptive multiculturalism;" in other words, there is a difference between saying, "Wow.  We have a lot of different cultures in the US" and "The difference ethnic cultures in the US must be allowed to dominate American culture."

Damien Thompson reports that the Holy Father will not be tortured by trendy, folksy music during his visit to the U.K.

Female "priest" denied a Catholic burial.  This column is so full of factual errors that it's hard to fisk it.  NB.  the Vatican did NOT excommunicate this woman.  By pretending to be ordained a Catholic priest, she excommunicated herself.  By denying her a Catholic burial, the archdiocese was simply honoring her wishes not to be included in the life of the Church.

America Magazine quietly edits the on-line anti-Benedict rant of one of its Jebbie columnists.  Maybe they got a call from The Inquisition?

If you have ever watched an episode of The Shield, you know how important it is to have a gangster name.  So, here's the Gangster Name Generator.  Mine is "Fredo 'Louie Ha-Ha' Giordano." 

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YAAAAYYYYY!!!

This week started with some bad news:  the French Failure.

But it's ending with some much, much better news:  the Summer Housing Crisis is over!

There is room at the inn.  I won't have to make any changes in my travel plans, class schedule, or visits home.  

Now, we just have to keep that Klingon Volcano in Iceland under wraps for the summer.

Thank you all for your prayers and kind encouragement.  And special thanks to Frs. Carmen and Rudy for their generosity.

God bless, Fr. Philip 

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Fr. McDermott, OP on Catherine of Siena, OP

My friend and Dominican brother, Fr. Thomas McDermott on EWTN!



Fr. McDermott recently published a book on St Catherine, Catherine of Siena:  Spiritual Development in Her Life and Teaching.

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Coffee Bowl Browsing

Looks like most of us have something to look forward to anyway:  Happiness begins at 50.

The socialist government of Spain has admitted that their "green jobs" economic policies have been disastrous.  Will the socialist in the White House pay attention?

A physicist de-mythologizes the myth of "renewable energy."

What importance should we give to a politician's/nominee's senior thesis?  Not much, probably.  I wrote for my college newspaper my first year of grad school (I was 22 y.o.).  I wrote the Friday opinion column.  My shtick was Anti-Reagan/Anti-Religious Right Polemics.  I read those columns now and cringe.   

President George W. Obama asked about holding a real news conference sometime soon.   Remember:  "W" was mercilessly pounded in the press for not holding news conferences.  So far, B.O. has gotten a pass.

The Real Scandal of the lying Dem candidate in PA:  the media.

Maybe these guys can come up with something usable before I have to retake the French exam!

What is a leftist to do if the democratic process at home rejects his agenda?  Use international treaties, of course!

“He is simply a shiver looking for a spine to run up.”   Classy insults.

OK. . .this has to be the creepiest pic I've ever seen.   [Shudder]

How a giraffe might save you on a math exam.

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"It was not a success. . ." (UPDATE)

UPDATE:  Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement!  My poor poet's brain is simply not wired to be trained to use foreign languages.  I was a horrible algebra/calculus student in high school and college b/c the formulas, rules, etc. just wouldn't stick in my head. . .seeds cast on rocky soil!  I recoil when I see symbolic logic used in philosophy texts--it looks like Math!  I understand why foreign languages (esp. French and German) are required for the study of philosophy.  But their necessity as research tools is not sufficient to reconfigure my aging brain. 

The dean of the philosophy school informed me this morning that my French exam "was not a success."

No surprise there.  I studied the wrong kind of text in exactly the wrong way.

So, on to October!

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We belong to Christ

7th Week of Easter (T)

Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP

SS. Domenico e Sisto, Roma

Podcast

Coming to Christ in baptism and following after him throughout our lives sets us apart from the world and at the same time puts us right in the middle of it. We are at once observers and participants, watching from the sidelines and digging in with everyone else. If there is a paradox, a contradiction that causes the Church more difficulty than this one, I'm not sure what it is. How do we manage to live in the world and yet not be of the world? Buddhists and Muslims have much simpler solutions to this problems. Buddhists see the world as an illusion, a deceptive projection of the suffering self. They withdraw from the illusion and seek out the selfless freedom of no-mindedness. Muslims see the world as Allah's kingdom, large portions of which are occupied by the devil's minions. When the whole of the world is conquered for Allah, his divine law will be enforced as the only law. For us, there is Christ and Caesar, the Church and the State. There is the world we must live in; the same world we cannot belong to. How do we manage this without illusion or violence? Praying for us, Jesus says to his Father: “They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.” We belonged to the Father and the Father gave us to Christ. So long as we keep his word, we belong to him and not this world.

Paul reveals how he kept Christ's word. He reports to the Church at Ephesus: “I served the Lord with all humility. . .I did not at all shrink from telling you what was for your benefit, or from teaching you in public. . .I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks. . .Yet I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course. . .” Paul kept Christ's word by teaching, by bearing witness, by serving the Father's family. To what end? To proclaim the “entire plan of God.” The entire plan of God includes the whole of creation. Not just the Church but the world as well. Not just the Jews but the Greeks too. Male and female, slave and free. The world we must live in; the same world we cannot belong to.

What are we then? What are we in the world? We are seeds spread and nurtured to grow where we land. We are invading viruses, replicating Christ in the blood and bone of the world, infecting our sick host with the grace we ourselves have been freely given. We are tourists, visiting for a time, scattering the wealth of the gospel—the culture of eternal life—in a foreign land. We are salesmen, marketplace hawkers, and beggars, always displaying our wares and enticing those who need what we have to give. We are physicians who heal. Tailors who clothe. Chefs who feed. Saints who live in heaven while walking on earth. Sinners who see through the lies but have not yet received perfect grace. We are all of these in the world, but who we are from our rebirth to our eternal end belongs to Christ. And we cannot rest until the course is finished.

The Church cannot serve the world by abandoning it to evil. Nor can we serve the world by conquering it with violence. The Father gave us to Christ. And Christ sent us out to follow him. As we make our way back to him, along the way, we can frighten those we meet, or we can alienate them, or we can condemn them. If we want to finish this course, however, we will entice them, convince them, show them God's mercy in us. Even against violent resistance and withering ridicule, we will be ambassadors for the one who sent us, envoys to a world waiting to belong to Christ.

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