Three Characteristics of a Servant

During an episcopal ordination in Rome this morning, Pope Benedict XVI outlined three characteristics of a servant of God:

The first characteristic that the Lord requires from his servant is fidelity. He was given a great good, which does not belong to him. The Church is not our Church, but His Church, the Church of God. The servant must account for his management of the good that has been entrusted to him. We must not bind men to us, we must not seek power, prestige, esteem for ourselves. We must lead people to Jesus Christ and thus towards the living God. With this, we introduce them to truth and the freedom that comes from the truth. Loyalty is altruism, and thus it is liberating for the minister himself and for those entrusted to him. We know how things in civil society and, not infrequently, even in the church suffer from the fact that many of those, who have been given responsibility, work for themselves and not for the community". "In Greek, the word for "loyalty" coincides with the one that indicates "faith". The fidelity of the servant of Jesus Christ consists precisely in the fact that he does not try to adapt the faith to the fashions of the time. Christ alone has words of eternal life, and these words must lead the people [. . .]

H/T: Whispers

Trading a Crown for a Paper Hat

Any article that begins with a paragraph like this is worth reading:

Procrastination isn't so much an art as a science, in the old sense of the word that predates Descartes, which means a quest for knowledge of the cosmos and one's self. (Since that high-strung Frenchman redefined "science" as the project of making man the "master and possessor of nature," we learned to sniff condescendingly at "knowledge work" that doesn't involve white coats, beakers, and electrified fetal pigs. That's how theology traded its crown as "Queen of the Sciences" for the little paper hat called "Religious Studies" and learned to ask, "You want Christ with that?")

John Zimark strikes again!

Commas are a good thing

WARNING: swallow whatever you are drinking before viewing this vid:

Treasures Holy and Mystical

The second volume of my prayer book is in production. .

Title: Treasures Holy and Mystical: A Devotional Journey for Today's Catholics

The litanies and novenas in this volume are decidedly more "mystical" in flavor. They are a little more challenging theologically, but that just means that they will stretch those who pray them!

I will post the Table of Contents when it is finalized. No word yet on a publishing date.

Also, there will be a third volume of prayers and readings, Ordinary Prayer, Extraordinary Grace: Talking to God in the Meantime. This volume is still just an outline on my hard-drive.

Other books in process, i.e. I think about them a lot:

"Lord, take my life": Christian Sacrifice and Suffering (based on this homily)

Believing, Knowing, Reasoning: Habits for a Catholic Heart and Mind

An Urgent Faith: Being Nothing without God (based on this homily)

All of these will be written for a general Catholic audience. I hope to be able to publish my Ph.L. thesis as a book.

The Limits of Science

Pope Benedict XVI addresses the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, November 2006:

[. . .]

The establishment of the scientific method has given the sciences the ability to predict phenomena, to study their development, and thus to control the environment in which man lives.

This increasing ‘advance’ of science, and especially its capacity to master nature through technology, has at times been linked to a corresponding ‘retreat’ of philosophy, of religion, and even of the Christian faith. Indeed, some have seen in the progress of modern science and technology one of the main causes of secularization and materialism: why invoke God’s control over these phenomena when science has shown itself capable of doing the same thing? Certainly the Church acknowledges that “with the help of science and technology. . ., man has extended his mastery over almost the whole of nature”, and thus “he now produces by his own enterprise benefits once looked for from heavenly powers” (Gaudium et Spes, 33).

At the same time, Christianity does not posit an inevitable conflict between supernatural faith and scientific progress. The very starting-point of Biblical revelation is the affirmation that God created human beings, endowed them with reason, and set them over all the creatures of the earth. In this way, man has become the steward of creation and God’s “helper”. . .Indeed, we could say that the work of predicting, controlling and governing nature, which science today renders more practicable than in the past, is itself a part of the Creator’s plan.

Science, however, while giving generously, gives only what it is meant to give. Man cannot place in science and technology so radical and unconditional a trust as to believe that scientific and technological progress can explain everything and completely fulfil all his existential and spiritual needs. Science cannot replace philosophy and revelation by giving an exhaustive answer to man’s most radical questions: questions about the meaning of living and dying, about ultimate values, and about the nature of progress itself.

For this reason, the Second Vatican Council, after acknowledging the benefits gained by scientific advances, pointed out that the “scientific methods of investigation can be unjustifiably taken as the supreme norm for arriving at truth”, and added that “there is a danger that man, trusting too much in the discoveries of today, may think that he is sufficient unto himself and no longer seek the higher values” (ibid., 57).

[. . .]

Never Forget

Where were you?

That morning the friars were at breakfast in Jesuit Hall. One of the cafeteria ladies stopped by the table about 8.30 where several of us lingered and mentioned that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. One of the brothers said it was probably a tourist plane--prop plane or maybe a helicopter. She said, "No, a big plane. A regular jet plane." I went upstairs to the TV room and was stunned to see the WTC on fire. Before long, several more friars. joined me. As we watched, the second plane hit. And not long after that it was reported that another plane was headed to the Pentagon. We all just sat there in total disbelief. When the Pentagon was hit, we started speculating on what was next. The White House? Congress? I remember feeling that the whole world had just shifted under our feet.

People from the university (SLU) and the area started gathering across the street at St Francis Xavier Church. At noon, a memorial Mass was celebrated for those killed in the attacks.

It was more than a little difficult for me to set aside my anger and pray for the men who did this. Time has not made that task any easier.

The student brothers preached at vespers on Saturdays and Sundays. It was my turn on Sunday the 16th. The readings were uninspiring for me at the time, so I did something I have never done again: I preached on readings of my own choosing, reading aloud from the Book of the Prophet Zephaniah:

Near is the great day of the LORD, near and very swiftly coming, Hark, the day of the LORD! bitter, then, the warrior's cry.

A day of wrath is that day a day of anguish and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of thick black clouds, a day of trumpet blasts and battle alarm against fortified cities, against battlements on high.

I will hem men in till they walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the LORD; and their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their brains like dung.

Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to save them on the day of the LORD'S wrath, when in the fire of his jealousy all the earth shall be consumed. For he shall make an end, yes, a sudden end, of all who live on the earth [. . .]

I have destroyed nations, their battlements are laid waste; I have made their streets deserted, with no one passing through; their cities are devastated, with no man dwelling in them.

I said, "Surely now you will fear me, you will accept correction"; she should not fail to see all I have visited upon her. Yet all the more eagerly have they done all their corrupt deeds.

Therefore, wait for me, says the LORD, against the day when I arise as accuser; for it is my decision to gather together the nations, to assemble the kingdoms, in order to pour out upon them my wrath, all my blazing anger; for in the fire of my jealousy shall all the earth be consumed.

Pray for the victims and their families. The heroes of the rescue teams. Those who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. And the terrorists.

Dominican friar appt'ed to SSPX Commission

A Dominican, a Jesuit, and an Opus Dei priest walk into a bar. . .

Rorate is reporting that the Vatican has appointed a commission to begin theological discussions with the SSPX.

One member of the commission is Fr. Charles Morerod, O.P. Fr. Morerod, until just recently, was dean of the philosophy faculty at the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum). He was elected rector of the university late last semester and that election has been confirmed by the Master of the Order.

Not only is Fr. Morerod rector of the Angelicum, a philosophy/theology prof at the school, and a member of the Vatican-SSPX commission, he is also Secretary of the International Theological Commission and a consultor for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith! Whew.

Fr. Morerod will be a busy friar in the coming years. Fortunately, he is a cheerful dynamo with an odd sense of humor. I rarely leave his company without a good laugh.

Please pray for him. . .he's gonna need it.

A.P.: Obama can't do math, or won't

The Associated Press fact checks B.O.'s pitch for government-run health care. . .and they shoot some really big holes in his socialist fantasy!

Remember: this is the A.P. not the GOP or Limbaugh or FOXNews.

Now, I'm expecting an National Catholic Reporter article from Richard McBrien arguing for the mandatory use of the Tridentine Rite in the U.S.!

Truly, wonders never cease. . .

I Agree with Obama

Well, surprise! Surprise! I've finally found something that B.O. and I can agree on. . .in tonight's speech to Congress, describing the "debate" on health care reform, The One said:

"Instead of honest debate, we have seen scare tactics."

I wonder if he meant something like this:

"Everyone in this room knows what will happen if we do nothing. Our deficit will grow. More families will go bankrupt. More businesses will close. More Americans will lose their coverage when they are sick and need it most. And more will die as a result. We know these things to be true."

Things that make you go, "Hmmmmmm. . .?"

Just remember. . .our choices are not: ObamaCare or Doing Nothing. We philosophy-types call this the Fallacy of the False Dilemma. If I'm not mistaken, there are at least four GOP alternatives floating around Congress being dutifully ignored by the Dems.

Coffee Cup Browsing (Not So Cranky Edition)

Dr. A. sends along this site for Coffee Cup Browsing. . .I think she's trying to tell me something.

When I read, "It has long been agreed that Africa was the sole cradle of human evolution. Then these bones were found in Georgia..." I thought, "WooHoo! Cro-Magnon Redneck!" Of course, ahem, they mean Georgia-as-in-over-by-Russia-Georgia. Oh well.

This doesn't surprise me. . .though being ignored by the Old Media hardly seems to be hurting sales. Wonder if I can get the NYT to ignore my little book. . .oh, wait. . .

Docs in the UK using social workers to threaten "uppity" patients with losing their kids. That could never happen here. . .under nationalized health care. I understand that women in the UK and Germany are regularly threatened with losing their national health care benefits if they insist on giving birth to children with birth defects. That could never happen here. . .under nationalized health care!

Odd: the first Buddhist chaplain in the US military is from Tennessee. AND he used to be a Baptist preacher. Come to think of it. . .my Buddhist Old Testament prof in college was a Baptist preacher AND from Tennessee! Small world.

Guess who said on the floor of the Senate in 2006 : "The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can't pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies." This same speaker just asked Congress to raise the US debt ceiling.

I love the internet! In an effort to justify my browsing time last night, I went to YouTube and typed in "philosophy of science." What did I find? A whole series of vids made by English philosopher, Bryan Magee, interviewing prominent philosophers! Please. . .don't everyone rush over there at the same time. . .you might crash the site. ;-)

I'll confess that I have wanted to do this. Also, if anyone knows where I can get a roof-mounted laser cannon for my car, let me know. (NB. I don't own a car, but if I can dream about a roof-mounted laser cannon, then I can dream about mounting it on "my car.")

How did I make my dad smile while I was at home recently? I told him I wanted a handgun and a concealed-carry permit! Of course, since I live in Italy most of the year that will never happen. But if I can dream of having a roof-mounted laser. . .etc.

When the truth of scripture, tradition, reason, and human experience fail to convince atheist scientists of God's existence, political expediency in advancing the agenda of the pseudo-religion of eco-tyranny works just fine. I wonder how this guy sleeps at night with that much cynicism eating away at his heart.

On B.O.'s school speech: After noting that The One used "I" 56 times in the speech, this commenter writes: "In other words, Barack Obama referenced himself more than school, education, responsibility, country/nation, parents, and teachers combined. And to think that people accused Obama of self-promotion!" Seriously, who can reasonable accuse any politician of being a self-promoter? Geez. The things that surprise people these days. . .

Getting tenure is the Be All and End All of academic achievement. However, not everyone is qualified to receive this highly sought after prize. For example, God Himself didn't make it. Guess it's back to the adjunct pool for Him!

Ahhhhhhh. . .a Mississippi bride ready for a life of martial bliss!

OK. . .back to work. . .

Preparing for Death

Sent to me under the title, "Preparing for Death" by long-time reader, Mr. Terry Carroll.

An very helpful outline for writing an autobiography, including many different ways of organizing materials; prompts for what to include, etc.

My guess is that you don't have to be preparing for death to get started on your autobiography!

Upcoming address change

Given that it can take up to three weeks to receive a book via the WISH LIST, I will be changing my shipping address back to Rome on Friday, Sept 11th.

If a book arrives in Houston after I have returned to Rome it will be forwarded to me.

Mille grazie, grazie mille!

Coffee Cup Browsing (Cranky Edition)

Definition of "ironic hypocrisy": Michael Moore, fat cat filmmaker, condemns capitalism as evil. Will he stop taking those royalty checks? Nawwwww. Will he invest those profits in his next socialist project? Of course!

I've come to believe that charging your political opponents with being racists and/or Nazis is meaningless. Being an accused "terrorist" is a close third. Rational political discourse in this country is dead.

Why did the NYT, CNN, LAT, etc. ignore the Van Jones scandal? They ignored him because they agree with him. . .that's why.

Archbishop does his job. Gets slammed. Predictable.

They didn't bother disciplining him while he was alive. . .can they slap him on the wrist now that he's dead? Hardly.

To the ELCA: it's 500 years too late to be crying "heresy!" now. . .you shoulda thought of this before leaving the Church.

They should be publicly whipped and pilloried. Seriously.

That NYT bubble must be gettin' low on air: B.O. is "explicitly non-ideological"! This reminds me of my poli sci prof freshman year who predicted with both confidence and glee that Reagan would lose big to the Democratic nominee in 1984. Lesson: experts are "former squirts."

Americans are making a crucial distinction between Labor and Labor Unions. 'Bout time.

The text of Obama's speech to schoolchildren. . .now, let us see the draft before parents starting screaming bloody murder about using their children to create a cult of personality.

OK. Enough. Back to some serious reading. . .

Bible + Aristotle = Science?

Of historical and philosophical interest in the development of material science in the West is the question: why didn't other highly developed civilizations make the scientific and technological advances that we have made and continue to make?

My answer: they were not Christian civilizations, or rather, they were not Catholic civilizations. More specifically, they were not and are not civilizations based on a Biblical understanding of creation taught with and through a uniquely Catholic understanding of Aristotelian natural philosophy. You might say that they were and are insufficiently Dominican! :-)

If you are insufficiently curious about the natural world, or if you see curiosity about the natural world as evil, then you will not venture out to observe and attempt to explain what lies outside the mind. If you see the material universe as a deeply flawed reflection of the True Form of the Universe, then you will come to believe that studying the reflection will only lead to error about the Form. In the same way, if you hold that material reality is not real at all and that only the mind matters in constructing what others call "real," then your study will be limited to the mind alone. Also, if you think that language alone determines reality, then you will see no use in trying to connect how you think about reality with any sort of "reality" beyond the way you chose to talk about it.

However, if you hold that the material universe is a creation of a Divine Mind, reflecting this Mind's desire for order and intelligibility, then you will venture out to discover and explain what lies outside the human mind. If you think that you can come to know the Divine Mind better by exploring its creation, then your scientific explorations become not only a professional duty but a religious one as well. Believing that creation participates in its Creator serves the highly innovative purposes of discovery and invention. Believing that you will be improved, enriched, and ultimately redeemed only fuels your natural curiosity.

Some will say that capitalism and democracy contributed to the growth of scientific knowledge in the west. This is certainly true. However, capitalism is a late comer to the world scene of science and democracy in its ancient form was little more than mob rule. Let's not forget that the scientific advances made during the Enlightenment were made possible by a medieval theology of creation. The idea that the medieval Church punished scientific research is nonsense. Almost every scientific discovery and innovation of the Enlightenment can be traced back to a priest or religious living during the middle ages. Conflicts between scientists and Church authority occurred when scientists played at being theologians.

In the modern age, atheistic communism and religious fundamentalism have been the true enemies of science. Need we review Mao's disastrous Great Leap Forward as an example? Or Stalin's collectivization of rural Russia? Or the sorry state of scientific research in Islamic countries? Christian fundamentalism has never held sway over a nation like fundamentalist Islam has and still does. The widely publicized battles over evolution in the US have not seriously damaged scientific research in this country. They have had no effect in predominately Catholic Europe. The danger to a truly advanced science in the west right now is fundamentalist secularism--science as technology without an objective morality. Combined with a "progressive" and materialist view of the human person, secularist science serves an elitist design for manipulating creation without its Creator, without reference to ultimate purpose or transcendent ideals. This means one thing: power. Potentially, unchecked power.

Thus the need for faithful Catholic scientists and theologians schooled in science. The Church has nothing to fear from a scientific method that works under the rubric that it is creation that's being studied. . .not just a physical universe without purpose or design.

Wounded Healer, Bearer of Mystery, Prophet

Bishop Greg O'Kelly, SJ of the Diocese of Port Pirie, Australia has written an excellent article on the nature and future of the Catholic priesthood. An excerpt:

Robert Barron [in an article titled, "Priest as Bearer of the Mystery’, Church, Summer 1994, pp. 10-13] states that ‘what could kill us as a Church is losing the sense of Mystery. What could contribute mightily to that loss is the weakening and dissipation of the priesthood. The time has come not for dismantling the priesthood but for building it up.’ He says that one of the greatest post-conciliar mistakes was to turn the priest into a psychologist, sociologist, social worker, counsellor – anything but a uniquely religious leader. He argues that we should look again at the notion of ontological change that occurs at ordination: priests are made different, while at the same time eschewing applications that make it elitist and exclusive. Situating the priesthood within the context of baptismal ministry helps lessen that danger.

Bishop O'Kelly goes on to condemn clericalism and then outlines three models of priesthood: Wounded Healer, Bearer of Mystery, and Prophet. These are not new models. In fact, they are Biblical in so far as they recall and duplicate the life of Christ, our High Priest. Each has its positives and negatives.

The one model that we need to be very, very careful with is priest as Wounded Healer. Why? In my experience with priests and religious, this model is often taken as a way to explain away rectifiable personal deficiencies. It is certainly true that priests are as "wounded" as anyone else. Ordination does not miraculously dissipate character flaws, bad habits, personality disorders, or psychological problems. In fact, ordination, or rather, being a priest in active ministry can lead a man to cultivate these deficiencies and come to see them as advantages. For example, a man who suffers from a narcissistic personality can be affirmed in his grandiose delusion by an adoring congregation. His grandiosity can be taken as a sign of charismatic leadership and lead him and his congregation into schism.

The Wounded Healer model of priesthood also tends to allow priests a great deal of leeway in dealing effectively with their character flaws. Instead of confronting common human frailties like simple laziness, etc., the Wounded Healer elevates his unwillingness to give 100% to the level of a "wound" and treats it as a symptom of some deeper conflict or trauma. This is not to say that there are no priests out there who have experienced legitimate conflicts and traumas that impede their living out the call of the priesthood. It is to say that not every scar, blemish, or stain is a wound worthy of constant treatment.

The image of the priest as Wounded Healer should be a personal one, a private image that reminds the priest of his deficiencies rather than an excuse to play victim. The same can be said of the other two images as well. The priest as Bearer of Mystery should not become an excuse for an esoteric lifestyle or muddled teaching. The priest as Prophet should not be an excuse to become a self-appointed haranguer for or against a personal agenda. All three models should serve the Church in imitation of Christ as servant-leader--a man, a priest who leads the Church as a servant of the Church.

Bishop O'Kelly rightly condemns clericalism. Priests who use their office to elevate themselves above the lay faithful and rule the roost as local potentates are deeply contrary to servant-leadership. However, clericalism takes two forms: priest as Boss and priest as Regular Guy. We are painfully familiar with the first sort of clericalism. The second is a recent development. In an effort to avoid the clericalism of priest as Boss, some priests have set aside their role as spiritual father and taken up a role akin to older brother or regular guy "Fr. Call Me Bob," in an effort to blend in and take himself off the pedestal, ends up using his priestly power covertly. How often have you met a "Fr. Call Me Bob" who regularly pushes illegitimate liturgical innovations as a way of being prophetic about a gender inclusive agenda for worship? How often have you met this priest in council meetings and found that his casual democratic attitude about parochial governance reaches it tolerance when confronted with traditional Catholics? How often does his personal politics inform his homilies and parish activities? Clericalism is alive and well in both forms and neither serves the Church. However, the priest as Boss has the advantage of being obvious and assertive. The priest as Regular Guy is passive and highly manipulative.

Give the whole article a read.