Vocations Work this Weekend

Well, we're off to an exciting start to the weekend, which I have termed "Vocations Weekend." This morning I had a blast sitting down with a group of homeschoolers who come to the center for group sessions once or twice a week. I was asked to talk about vocation with them, which threw me off, a little, considering their pretty young (not more than 8 years old). But the Holy Spirit inspired me, and I was able to tie the discussion together by talking about friendship. I had visual aids, as well--pictures of nuns, sisters, monks, friars, priests, and married couples. The kids had so many answers to give. It was hilarious how long it took some of them to form their thoughts into words. Are all kids like that? lol.

And tomorrow begins the vocations preaching for the Come and See weekend my province is hosting Feb. 12-14th. Brother Dominic has arrived, and he and I will be tag-teaming to give reflections during the weekend masses on vocations. The parish is celebrating St. Thomas Aquinas, as well, so I'll have to think of a way to bring the Angelic Doctor into my preaching.

With all this going on, I would ask for your prayers. The harvest is bountiful, but the laborers are few, as Jesus said--let us all pray that God would send us many vocations.

Br. Paul, OP~

Understanding the Importance of the Torah

A Bat Mitzvah is a joyous occasion in the life of a young Jewish girl. She is being recognized by her community as being a daughter of the Commandments, a daughter of Torah. During the Shabat service, the psalms that are sung are all very uplifting, but the key moment is when the young girl is called forward to read from the Torah. First, the Torah has to be brought out from its special place in the synagogue's ark. It is then carried around the room so that the congregation can venerate the holy text. People do this by touching the scroll with the spine of their prayer books, which they then kiss. A Catholic may recognize some similarities here with the ritual of the priest processing with the book of the Gospels as the congregation sings Alleluia (Praise be to God).

Since I have begun my visits to Congregation Albert for Torah study I have been trying to wrap my brain around the idea of having a special reverence for the Torah (aka Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). Having grown up with the idea that the Torah books were simply the first five books of the Bible didn't help me to have an appreciation for their special rank among the books of the Bible. Recently, however, I think I have had a breakthrough in my understanding. (For those out there for whom the following was never a mystery, forgive my ignorance.)

For Jews, (if I am right) the Torah is special in precisely the same way that the Gospels are special for Christians. The Torah details the central events of salvation history from the perspective of the Jew. The creation of the world, the calling of Abraham, and, especially, the covenant at Mount Sinai and the giving of the Commandments. The creation of the people of Israel through the covenant is the saving act of God for the world, just as Christians would see the Crucifixion as being the saving act of God for the world. The rest of the Hebrew scriptures are the commentary on the living out of the covenant, much in the same way as the rest of the New Testament is a commentary on the living out of the Christian covenant. So what we have here seems to be a parallel structure that I never noticed before...Now I get it!

I think it might be easy for Christians to miss the importance of the Torah, and to not understand the Jewish love for it, when they don't understand the fact that the Sinai event was a salvific event, not just for Israel, but for the whole world. It's the establishment of a relationship with God that saves humanity, and it is the following of the Torah that marks a person as belonging to God. Understanding this might help Christians to understand why the Jews as a group have never felt the need to convert to the Christian Gospel, since they already have a Gospel in the Torah.

Finally, the concept of people going to synagogue to study Torah, that is, "only" the first five books of the Bible, now makes much more sense to me, as does this ritual of marking a person's new stage of maturity by having him or her read from the Torah. It's only taken me a little over twenty years of studying the Torah to get this.

"Go and eat with joy of the honey, and drink of the wine preserved in the grape since the six days of creation, for you have busied yourself with the Torah, and she is compared to wine." (Haggadah)

The Irony of the Conversion of St. Paul, Preaching Notes for the Feast

What if, you who are women, had woken up this morning as men? And what if, you who are men, had woken up this morning as women? I think we would all agree that that would have been ironic, since we, in no way, would have expected such a thing to happen--and irony has everything to do with turning our expectations on their heads.

Irony, I would argue, is key to understanding the moving power behind today's feast. Indeed, from beginning to end, the story of Saul becoming Paul, is saturated with Irony.

For example, Paul states at the beginning of his account that he was a student of Gamaliel. If you know anything about Gamaliel, it should be that he was the grandson of Hillel the Elder, founder of the more liberal, compassionate school of Pharisees (as opposed to the school of Shammai which tended to be more literal and conservative in it's interpretation of Torah. Given this background, we could expect that any student of Gamaliel's would likely be liberal, patient, and compassionate, but Paul seems to have been just the opposite--very rigid in his interpretation of the Torah, and willing to persecute those who disagreed with him. This is ironic. It's also ironic that when Gamaliel is confronted with the "Christian question" he takes a very lenient approach of "wait and see", whereas Paul eagerly sets out to round up Christians to have them imprisoned (and even executed, as was Stephen). The student, in short, does not resemble the teacher. [You might compare this situation to Dumblebore and Voldemort in Harry Potter.]

The second instance of high irony is the fact that, of all people, Jesus singles out Paul for a special post-Resurrection appearance. And it's not to strike Paul blind in punishment, but in order to call Paul to his service. Again, if we were ignorant of Paul's success later on as an apostle and only knew him as the zealous, hot-heated fundamentalist, then we would say that this decision on Jesus' part was quite ironic. Why not, after all, appear to any number of other people--say, Gamaliel? That's what we might expect, but it's not what Jesus decided to do.

And the third instance of irony is that Paul is sent to the house of Ananias, a holy Christian Jew living in Damascus, for healing and direction. The irony is, Ananias is just the sort of man that Paul was after to arrest and take back to Jerusalem for trial. Now, he comes not in arrogance and anger, but in humble submission--again, not what anybody who knew him in Jerusalem would have expected.

The glory of what happens next in Paul's life rests on the fact that the irony of this visitation from Jesus was not lost on him. He had a profound sense of the gratuity of God's grace to him in that moment. He could ask, "Why me? Who am I that this should be done for me? I don't deserve this." Irony was used by God, in this case, to effect an extraordinary conversion--one that resulted not just in Paul moving from Judaism to Christianity, but from a life defined by a rigid and cold religiosity to one defined by ardent and mystical love for God and others. So much so, Paul braved every danger to spread the message of what he experienced, to the point, even, of martyrdom.

We are asked by the Church to meditate on the extraordinary nature of Paul's conversion and its subsequent effect on the Church. But that's only part of the message of this feast. I think it also calls us all to meditate on an even greater and wider-reaching irony--and that is, the irony of God's divine love toward all of us. Simply put, this irony has to do with the fact that even when we give God every reason to judge and condemn us, he loves us still and calls us into his life. We might rightly expect condemnation, just as Paul might have confronted by Jesus, but, instead, we will find, just as Paul did, a loving God calling us into his friendship. This, I believe, is the profound mystery that this feast commemorates.

The Wideness of God's Mercy, Part II

I did not have much time this morning to develop my interpretation of that beautiful reading I posted from the Second Vatican Council’s dogmatic constitution on the Church. Humor me now, if you will, as I flesh out some of what I was thinking earlier.

First of all, it seems to me that Jesus was pretty clear on the subject of the wideness of God’s mercy. His parables and sayings are full of imagery that counters the hearers’ religious instinct to see the world in terms of “us” and “them”. Given the nature of the first covenant, the people of Israel naturally developed a sense that the Lord was “their” God. Salvation from that God was “theirs”. It was a possessive and exclusive way of looking at God. This is not a surprising point of view, given religion seemed, early on, to have everything to do with possessive and exclusive relationships. Why should the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob be any different from the pantheon of Greek, Roman, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Egyptian gods? These gods and goddesses were for a particular people, city, tribe, or nation—not the entire world.

By the prophetic period, however, the Israelites began to really appreciate the universality of their faith, and their seers began to receive visions from God of a time when all nations would look to Jerusalem as the abode of the Eternal One (i.e. Isaiah 2:4). This time would be associated with the Messiah. Thus, the possessive and exclusive vision was broadened to include the whole world—but the medium through which this salvific unity under God would be accomplished was the covenant and traditions of Israel. This same self-understanding of mission was adopted by the Christian Church—all the world was to be saved, but through the covenant and traditions of the Christian faith. This self-understanding of mission makes perfect sense, given the fact that God is free to save the world in his own manner, and revelation has expressed the truth that God has chosen to do so through the Eternal Torah—that is, through the Life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus of Nazareth, the God-Man.

This revelation, as all revelation, is subject to human interpretation and communication. One interpretation and communication of this truth is the often touted statement: “There is no salvation outside the Church.” Theologically, this statement must be sound; to the Christian, that is. It’s rooted solidly on tradition and scripture which proclaim that those who do not accept the salvation offered by God to the world through Jesus the Word Incarnate have no share in that salvation.

Where it becomes problematic is when this statement is used to create a black and white vision of the world, where Catholics get to pat themselves on the back and celebrate (as if they knew they were bound for the kingdom), while they ignore or look with disdain on everyone else in the world. I have known Catholics who couldn’t care less about the rest of the men and women of the world. It is enough for them that they are on the ship of the elect. It is obvious to them that everyone who is not Catholic chooses not to be Catholic, and so must not be elected by God to go to heaven. They might even dare to think that God does not love these people.

This is a problematic way of thinking, precisely because Jesus does such a wonderful job in contradicting it. In one of my favorite series of sayings from the Lord,where Jesus is teaching his disciples about love, he says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)

What Jesus is doing here is correcting an erroneous interpretation of the covenant which says that there is “us” and there is “them”, and I am only obligated to love those included in “us”. He declares very clearly that God does not act in this way. God the Father loves everyone, the sinner and the saint. After all, even a sinner knows how to love those who are of benefit to him, but only a saint will love those who even reject her love. God’s love is far beyond that of a saint, and so we are allowed to ask—If God really only loves those who love him (and the sign of this love for God is the person’s membership in the Christian Church), then is God any better than the gods and goddess of other religions? Isn’t God, in fact, a hypocrite? Either he is, or Jesus was lying when he said that God's love includes the love of enemies--those are the objections when we take the stance that God's love extends only to a favored view of a particular group.

It seems obvious to me that, if Jesus is saying that we his followers ought to not simply love the people who love us, but also those who actively work against us [my definition of enemy], because this is what God the Father does, then the statement “There is no salvation outside the Church” can be full of dangers. Such a statement seems to put people outside the pale of God’s love simply because they are not Catholics. [I’m dealing here with the oversimplified interpretation of this phrase often used by Catholics who are less than sympathetic in their attitudes toward Protestants, people of other religions, agnostics, and atheists.] But this sounds more like the little love that Jesus is commanding us to reject. What the Second Vatican Council was teaching in the dogmatic constitution sounds much more like God the Father who cares for those who love him and those who don’t just the same. And if God truly loves those who are his enemies, then who’s to say that that love won’t, in the end, bring about their salvation?

The medieval way to get around these questions would be to define everything in such a way that the passages from scripture no longer have the plain meaning they seem to warrant. But I'm no medieval theologian. Jesus stated the fact: God loves both those who love him and those who don’t. If that is true, then where, O where, is the group of people that God has rejected? Where are the people that the Holy Spirit is not moving among? No where. Such a people does not exist. And if they do not exist, then what Catholic would dare to turn his or her nose up at a people beloved by God? Atheists, Agnostics, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, Protestants, Mormons, each and everyone, along with we blessed Catholics, are loved by God and kept by God. This truth is nothing more than that simple line, “There is a wideness to God’s mercy, like the wideness of the sea.” This truth is nothing more than what (I believe) the dogmatic constitution on the Church was saying. This is not to deny the fact that the Christian faith is the complete revelation of God’s love to the world—but it is to say that God hasn’t forsaken those who have not embraced that revelation yet--indeed, even those who never seemed to embrace it.

Let us not be like the stingy hired workers who got upset and complained when they saw the late comers who really had not done any work getting paid the same wage as they were(Matt 20:1-16)--because surely we don't want to be guilty of trying to tell God who he can and cannot be merciful to. Instead, let us, compelled by our experience of the wideness of God's mercy as Catholics, show that same mercy to all--even to those who seem to be working against us.

The Wideness of God's Mercy

The second reading for today from the Office of Readings (for the normal day, not the proper for St. Sebastian, whose feast it is) was so awesome and thought provoking, I thought I would replicate it here.

From the dogmatic constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council:
"In his wisdom and goodness the eternal Father created the whole world according to his supremely free and mysterious purpose and decreed that men should be raised up to share in the divine life. When they fell in Adam, he did not abandon them but always kept providing them with aids to salvation, in consideration of Christ, who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Before the ages the Father already knew all the elect and predestined them to be made into the likeness of his Son, so that he should be the firstborn among many brothers.

"God resolved to gather into holy Church all who believe in Christ. The Church, foreshadowed even from the beginning of the world, so marvelously prepared in the history of the people of Israel, established in these last times and revealed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, will be made perfect in glory at the end of time. Then, as we read in the Fathers of the Church, all the righteous from Adam onward--from Abel, the righteous, to the last of the elect--will be gathered in the universal Church in the presence of the Father.

"Finally, those who have not yet received the Gospel are in their different ways related to God's people.

"In the first place, there is that people which was given the covenants and the promises and from which Christ was born by human descent: the people which is by God's choice most dear on account of the patriarchs. God never repents of his gifts or his call.

"God's plan of salvation embraces those also who acknowledge the Creator. Among these are especially the Mohammedans [Muslims]; they profess their faith as the faith of Abraham, and with us they worship the one, merciful God who will judge men on the last day.

"God himself is not far from those others who seek the unknown God in darkness and shadows, for it is he who gives to all men life and inspiration and all things, and who as Savior desires all men to be saved.

"Eternal salvation is open to those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church but seek God with a sincere heart, and under the inspiration of grace try in their lives to do his will, made known to them by the dictates of their conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the aids necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet reached an explicit belief in God, but strive to lead a good life, under the influence of God's grace.

"Whatever goodness and truth is found among them is seen by the Church as a preparation for the Gospel, and as given by him who shines on all men, so that they may at last have life."

Sadly, I have heard this reading watered down by some, but to me, it cannot be watered down. It is a radical statement about God's mercy, and one that rings true to most people whose sense of God's saving power does not rest on the need to exclude others from paradise simply as a way to congratulate themselves on their own piety and holiness. As the hymn says:"There is a wideness in God's mercy like the wideness of the sea" and elsewhere, "There is welcome for the sinner and more graces for the good." In short, the littleness of our human love, often so conditional and so impatient is not like the grandeur of God's love, which is fueled by his holy wisdom, which sees all things at once and understands them, and so is compassionate.

So, from my point of view, this reading above points out the mystery of salvation. It's just as Jesus said when confronting people who seemed to be saved, "Tax collectors and prostitutes are entering heaven before you." (Matt. 21:31) The thing I love about that rebuttal is "before you". Jesus doesn't say that the pharisees aren't going to heaven; it's just that the people they wanted to keep out of heaven are getting in before them. This is the wideness of God's mercy. Let's celebrate it today, because it's the only way any of us will be called into eternal life.

The Book of Eli

[If you haven't seen the movie and don't want it spoiled for you, don't read this entry yet.] As yesterday was a day off, Brother Tom and I went together to see the new movie The Book of Eli, starring Denzel Washington. Of course, the movie is of local interest, since parts of it were filmed right here in New Mexico. Not everyone was thrilled about that, as it implies New Mexican landscape resembles the fallout from a nuclear war--but we who live here know there is rare beauty around us.

So Tom and I were standing in line, waiting to get our tickets. The theatre was much more crowded than on a typical Monday, which was not surprising, since many had the day off just like us. As we were standing there talking, the woman in front of us happened to overhear our conversation and she turned around to ask, "Are you seeing The Book of Eli?" It turns out that she had seen the movie the evening before. Naturally, we asked her what she thought of it, and her reply was enigmatic. She said that she really enjoyed it, but that, as a Catholic, she found something off about the movie. She felt so strongly about that that she called her mother and told her so. That said, she claimed that not all Catholics would pick up on the thing that she noticed was wrong. Brother Tom confessed that he and I were religious with the implication that we were sure to "catch" whatever was wrong. The woman said no more about her secret, leaving us to discover it for ourselves.

I must admit, I enjoyed having the woman's theory looming over me as I sat down next to Tom in the theatre. It gave the movie another dimension, and added to my excitement. I was also pleased at meeting a Catholic laywoman who actively looked at things in the world from a Catholic perspective. It was clear that she had analyzed the message of the movie from a faith-perspective, which allowed her to discern something she personally did not agree with. This is a tool I think that is invaluable when living in a culture like ours that sends out so many messages through the media that are contrary to basic Catholic Christian teaching.

Ironically, as soon as the movie was finished, Tom looked over at me and asked, "so what was it?" I was hard pressed to answer, as I, too, had not seen anything presented from the "good guy's" point of view that was off. In fact, I was very moved by the idea that the Bible was viewed as being so precious to the main character that he memorized the whole text. The scene where he reaches his final destination to deliver the text of the Bible verbally was one of the most touching. Of course, we're talking about the King James Version of the Bible, which, from the Catholic point of view, is incomplete. Those who have read the books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, Susanna, Bel & the Dragon, and 1 & 2 Maccabees know just how incomplete such a text is. That said, when the printing press started cranking out the text of the Bible--supposedly the only ones in existence at that time--there was a feeling of joy.

Perhaps it was the fact that the version of the Bible that was preserved was a Protestant version that upset the woman from the movie line so much. Perhaps it was the fact that after the Bible was printed, it was put on a shelf, wedged between a copy of the Torah and the Qu'ran. I'm not sure. The former makes sense, because she said it was something not all Catholics would pick up on, and to many, the Bible is the Bible. The latter, doesn't make that much sense, as it implies that while we're hungry to have our own sacred book survive, we would be all to happy to see the books of other religions obliterated for good.

I think that the most likely candidate for an explanation is the fact that not only was it a Protestant Bible that survived, but a Protestant Christianity, as well. There was nothing terribly sacramental about the main character's religion, and so it seemed that a very generic Protestant faith was presented as the salvation of the world--Catholicism and Orthodoxy, apparently, were gone. If this was what upset the woman then I could understand her discontent. We, as Catholics, could then view the movie was being a kind of Protestant propaganda. Since some Catholics are not immune to this way of thinking, we can hardly be surprised if our Protestant brothers and sisters do the same.

Part of me, however, thinks that all this makes for good food for thought, but, nevertheless, is taking the movie too seriously--and, therefore, preventing us from focusing on something all Christians could rightly celebrate, the preservation of the Bible despite the greatest attempts to destroy it. What a thing it would be if the movie inspired Christians to commit the text to memory. It is the story of our salvation, after all, and the work of the Holy Spirit,--a miracle by God for oursakes. And, personally, I have faith that if the Bible survived, so would the sacraments and the rest of our Christian Tradition.

Observations from Torah Study

As I wrote about in December, one of my goals during my time here in Albuquerque is to establish a relationship with a Jewish community. Inter-faith dialogue is one of my interests, particularly with Judaism, since I feel such an affinity for this sister faith to Christianity. The way that I have chosen to establish this relationship is to begin attending weekly Torah study meetings at Congregation Albert, a synagogue of the Reform denomination of Judaism.

Given the business of Christmas and my holiday visit to Kentucky, I hadn't been able to visit the synagogue for almost a month, so I was eager to return. I was so eager, I arrived for Torah study nearly half an hour early. No matter, it gave me time to get familiar with the text of the Torah that we use for the study. I enjoyed reading through some of the commentary notes. These notes even included quotes from famous Christian writers, which impressed me.

The meeting began with a round of introductions, and once again I identified myself as being a "brother", so all would know that I was a Christian of some sort. As God would have it, a woman friendly to Catholic Christianity was sitting next to me, and she immediately wanted to know more about who I was, asking "so are you a priest?" [I can't help but to laugh that even Jews ask me this question.] I explained, as best and descretely as I could to her that I was, in fact, a religious and not studying for ordination. She knew enough about Catholicism to understand what I meant.

The meeting, in general, proceeded to go how any Bible study would go--Jewish or Christian. We focused on two chapters from Exodus and questions were raised after each section had been read.

What struck me during this study meeting was the number of times Christianity was brought up, and, more importantly, the number of times that sore spots in Christian-Jewish relations were brought up. The Inquisition, for example, was mentioned, as was the creation of ghettos, the burning of the Talmud, and the expulsion of Jews from Europe. These events are major events, of course, in modern Jewish history, and they form part of the Jewish context and imagination for their communal identity today.

As the only Christian in the room, you might think such references would make me uncomfortable--and you would be right. Now, I'm a big boy, so I can handle a little discomfort for the sake of honesty. I was happy that the people in the group felt comfortable enough with me there to bring up these struggles that they have had with Christianity. [To be clear, though, they were bringing these events up not because I was there, but as modern day examples to compare with the stories we were examining from Exodus.]

Later, when I was thinking about what was said, the number one thing I felt was a level of sadness or disappointment. I don't think some Christians understand the barriers that they create to the preaching of the Gospel through the discriminatory actions that they do in the name of Christianity. The Crusades, the Inquisition, the forced ghettos, etc., all of these actions have ensured that, at least a large group of the Jewish population will view Christianity with fear and suspecion, rather than as a religion that proclaims the good news of God's love. The same goes for how we talk about and treat Christians of other denominations. By being judgmental or condescending to them, we are preventing the reconciliation of Christians from happening.

Old wounds may heal, but the scars remain to remind people of the past. We may not be able to erase the past, but I hope that we've learned enough not to repeat our mistakes. Unfortunately, I know Christians who don't look at the Crusades and the Inquisition and other similar events as being mistakes. Granted, our history books and "history" programs on TV tend to oversimplify things [and I do not wish to oversimplify here about these historical events, which deserve a nuanced and careful study], but, in general, I think any action committed by Christians as a group that does more to push people away from Christ than to bring them to him is a scandal, and not something to be proud of. We are to be a people of Faith, Hope, and Love--not judgement, violence, and hate.

I am hopeful that my choice, and the choice of others, to sit down with people of other faiths with the intent of just getting to know and understand them better will continue to rewrite the way people of different faiths and denominations can live and interact with one another. Nothing about this requires a person to believe less, rather, it simply demands that we love more.
Br. Paul, OP~

Aquinas Institute: I love my school day

I have been fortunate to have attended two very small schools for my higher education. Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Kentucky, where I earned my BA in English/Creative Writing, and now Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, MO. Because Aquinas is so small, the class sizes are never overwhelming. This, coupled with the school's desire to foster a community spirit amongst its students, faculty, and staff, means that Aquinas feels like home. This feeling of home is strengthened by the opportunities to worship with your classmates and professors in our chapel, which is at the very heart of the building.

Another reason why I love my school is that Aquinas Institute doesn't dumb down theology. We are taught, at AI, to be theologians, not just to study what theologians have said. Being a Dominican institute of studies, we promote the individual's pursuit of Truth within the rich and living tradition of the Catholic Church. Each class comes with its challenges, either from the questions the materials we study raise, to the mix of people that make up the class who are in different places in their spiritual and theological journeys.

While in St. Louis, I had an opportunity to study at another graduate school, as well, and hands down I would say Aquinas Institute was the better school for me. At the other school, the emphasis seemed to be solely on acquiring information, or for academic prestige. At AI, all students are asked to be able to apply the information learned in class--whether in their own spirituality, or pastorally in the fields of teaching, ministry, healthcare, social justice, you name it. It's, as the sign at the front of the school reads, "theology for life". Also, at the other school, it really wasn't a priority to get people to know one another or to work with each other. At Aquinas, collaboration is a skill that cannot be neglected. We don't do theology alone, nor do we do Church alone.

If you're thinking of getting a degree in Theology, please consider attending Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, MO. There are degrees in many areas, including the MA program in Sacred Music and the only D.Min. program in preaching in the U.S.

If you're able, please consider supporting Aquinas Institute of Theology.

For more information, see: http://www.ai.edu/
Br. Paul, OP

A Call for Bibles

As the new semester begins, and I prepare for another round of Bible study with the students, I wanted to put a call out for Bibles. There are always a few of the students who do not own their own Catholic Bibles. Catholic Bibles tend to be more expensive, especially study Bibles, so I was hoping that some of my readers who have extra Catholic Bibles they aren't using would donate them to these students.

There are many versions of the Catholic Bible--including: The New American Bible, The New Jerusalem Bible, The Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition Bible, The St. Joseph Bible, The Catholic Study Bible, etc. I, also use the New Oxford Annotated Bible, which is an Eucumenical Bible. Basically, we need Bibles that have the books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Maccabees, and Baruch.

If you would like to generously pass on the Word to a needy college student, you can send your Catholic Bible to:

Student Bible Study Group
C/O Aquinas Newman Center
1815 Las Lomas Rd., NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106

Your brother,
Paul, OP

...Please keep the people of Haiti in prayer as they strive to recover from the recent earthquake.

Harry Potter, Morality, & Relationships

Saturday evening, I finally returned to Albuquerque after my two week home-visit to the folks in Kentucky. I did not have much time to recover before the business of the Sunday masses the next day, but I did get a good night sleep. It was only unfortunate that the next day our boiler died, so, for a time, the friars are without regular heat and hot water. Brushing your teeth in ice cold water is not as fun as it may sound.

Anyway, yesterday's topic for the religious education program was "Morality". It's a rather broad topic to cover in one afternoon, so my goal was to get at what I believed to be the heart of morality, that is, the "why" behind it, namely--establishing and maintaining healthy relationships, which are the source of all genuine and lasting human happiness.

There are many approaches to the topic of morality, however. On a basic level, it's the age old conversation about "right" and "wrong", or correct behavior. It has many sources--human/cultural/national/divine. It's also, as I said above, a conversation about how we are to be in relationship with one another, with God, with ourselves, and with the world/nature. Morality demands of us an accountability based on who we say we are, and what we say we believe.

I began my class, which included parents and students, with a morality pop-quiz. The quiz included questions like:
1) True or False: It is immoral to take a nap in the middle of the day?
2) True or False: It is immoral to eat a cookie after your mom or dad told you not to?
3) True or False: It is moral to watch TV?
4) True or False: It is immoral to call people names?
5) True or False: It is moral to wear makeup?
6) True or False: It is immoral to be competitive during sports?
7) True or False: Morality is all about obeying rules?

The quiz really prompted some great discussion. People were divided on some of the answers, and we came to appreciate, I think, that when we're discussing questions about the morality of a particular action, we have to take into account many different factors. "It depends" becomes a very important qualifier in nearly every scenario.

For example, take the first question: True or False: it is immoral to take a nap in the middle of the day? "It depends"--What if it's in the summer time, and the person in question is a kid with no other responsibilities? Then it would be, generally, perfectly moral for the kid to take a nap. But what if we're talking about 2pm during a school day? Then, more than likely, the kid should not be taking a nap. But what if the kid was up all night helping a friend with a problem? Then, he shouldn't be taking a nap, generally--but we understand why he's so tired, and we may forgive him.

We do the whole "it depends", because circumstances matter when it comes to determining the morality of an action. It is a hallmark of a compassionate and rational community that circumstances are weighed along with the act. Remember, our Lord himself cautioned us when he said: "For with what judgement you judge, you will be judged, and with what measure you measure, you will be measured." (Matthew 7:2)This command of Jesus serves as a warning, as well. Not one of us is sinless or perfect, so not one of us should want to be judged on a black and white sort of way. So, neither should we judge others in such a way. Taking the time to hear the "other side of the story" or to "walk in someone else's shoes" is time well spent, if it leads to conversion, reconciliation, and peace.

So what is at the heart of my moral compass? It's not a fear of punishment, although a proper fear of punishment is not out of place sometimes; it is the love that I have for God. When you love someone, you begin to see the relationship between what you do and the happiness of the one you love. To please and love the other, you willingly forfeit some of your own wishes, knowing that the love you have in the relationship with the one you love far outweighs the happiness you might have had by having your own way.

"If you love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15) "This is my commandment; that you love one another." (John 15:17) Could Jesus be more clear?

I used a clip from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone as an example of a horribly immoral family. The Dursleys--Harry's aunt, uncle, and cousin--are amazingly skilled at abuse. All of them use speech to put Harry down, barking orders at him and taunting him, and both his uncle and cousin are not adverse to physically hurting Harry. Harry is forced to sleep in a locked closet, and is treated more like a servant than a member of the family. All the while, both Mr. and Mrs. Dursley seemingly love their son Dudley. Unfortunately, they don't know how to love properly, and instead of raising a loving child, they raise a spoiled, hateful child who doesn't know the first thing about love. For all their gifts to him, it is apparent that Dudley has only conditional love for his parents. If they please him, he will love them, otherwise, he will throw fits and be violent.

The sad thing about the opening scenes with the Dursleys is that they resemble real-life families. I have seen such family dynamics, and I think that they are at the root of most of the dysfunctions that society, the Church, and any other group of people have. The family is the fundamental building block of society, and if there are problems within the family, there are sure to be problems for the individuals of that family in any situation with other people.

The moral problem for the Dursleys and for the real-life families they represent is a failure to love properly. Their relationships on every level are not functioning due, mainly, to selfishness. Relationships demand sacrifice and an orientation toward the other. They also demand an inclusive attitude. The moment our love becomes limited to just ourselves, or to one other person, etc., it becomes a very small, petty sort of love. A marker of divine love, which we humans are meant to exhibit given our dignity as images of God, is an all-inclusive love. An exclusive kind of love is partnered with hate, after all; whereas an inclusive love refuses to hate. The bigger our love, the more we resemble God, in whom, scripture says, is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). Hate is a form of spiritual darkness, whereas love is the light that cannot be triumphed over, because even while it is being attacked by darkness, it loves on. The holy death of a loving person is only proof of love's abiding power--therefore, in trying to destroy goodness, evil only gives goodness the chance to prove its superiority.

To be moral, then, is the fulfillment of all that the human person was intended to be--the beautiful image of the God who is goodness and love. So our religious and cultural discussions about the morality of actions aren't based on Pharisaical hangups some people have about rules or an idle way to stir up controversy; but a rightly ordered quest to become fully human, and to reach the natural purpose of human life: happiness. This is why, I believe, so many of the writers of the books of the Hebrew Bible praise the gift of God's Torah to Israel--they knew it was God's way of helping them get back to how they were supposed to be, and his way of helping them maintain relationships. What a very different attitude to some voices today who rage against the Church and its teachings. Rugged individualism, however, is not a biblical value. How could it be? It flies in the face of relationships and the sacrifices required for them. Or as Pope Benedict put is in The Yes of Jesus Christ: "...God does not reveal himself to the isolated ego and excludes individualistic isolation: being related to God is tied up with being related to our brothers and sisters, with communion with them" (28.)This communion is impossible so long as the individual does not factor into his happiness the happiness of others.
* * *
So, anyway, I had a wonderful time during the class. Of course, the time flew by, and before I knew it, the kids and their parents were gone. Hopefully, there was some good food for thought in what was said to feed our meditations for the weeks to come as we begin Ordinary Time and a new year.
Br. Paul, OP~

The Young Victoria & Our Christian Nobility

As I said in my last posting, I recently saw the film The Young Victoria, a film about the coming of age years of one of the most famous British monarchs of all time, Queen Victoria. At first, I naturally thought that the aspect of this film I would focus on most would be the great romance between Victoria and Albert, but what actually struck me most during the film, and has since impacted my prayer and meditation, has been the study the movie presented of what it means to be royalty.

From the beginning of the film to the end, the viewer watches Emily Blunt beautifully portray the dignity of Queen Victoria. Victoria had been raised, as a princess naturally would be, to behave in a certain manner, and to view herself in a certain way. Thus, when people like Sir John Conroy try to coerce her, or when Prince Albert refuses to obey her, her dignity is offended. As I watched this display of perfected behavior, I responded with much enthusiasm and appreciation. I recognized in the queen's behavior a genuine refinement, not a superficial show.

This distinction has been in dispute through the years in my family. Often times, I have been viewed as being pretentious by some of my relatives, and have even been labelled a "snob" by my mother (with all due love, I'm sure). But why--you may ask--should this be? Well, as a rather studious person with a teaching spirit, I found myself trying to introduce to my family more correct forms of English and a different grade of manners. This attitude on my part had really nothing to do with trying to act like royalty, but more to do with the ideas of truth, beauty, and goodness found in the novels and other books I read. I recognized in the presentation of manners in the works of Jane Austen, for example, just a better way of living--and philosophically, it makes greater sense to choose to have something better than to settle for what is worse. Pretension, on the other hand, has to do with desiring to seem better. This is not genuine refinement, but play acting.

Royal dignity and nobility has to do with, at least in part, the perfection of human nature. In modern times, we may have lost a sense of this fact, given we have grown accustomed to tabloids publishing scandalous pictures and stories of famous members of the royal family of England. Most recently, the knocking down of Pope Benedict XVI during the Christmas Eve mass, and the subsequent Internet buzz about this event, is another effort on the part of some to rob people like the pope of their dignity. What people don't understand is that genuine dignity cannot be taken from a person. Strip them of crown, title, clothes, and palace and put them in a fast food restaurant, and the training they have received still remains. Disney movies promote this theory in classic and new movies alike--everything from Cinderella to The Princess Protection Program. Genuine royal dignity does not go away, since the royal has learned to chose the good and reject the evil on such a personal and integrated level that to do otherwise would go against nature. Both the birth of Christ in a stable and the mocking he suffered during his Passion testify to the enduring quality of dignity even in the worst of circumstances.

The false premise that some people have is that nobility only belongs to people like Victoria or Elizabeth II, and not to ordinary people on the street. This is not the message of Holy Scripture or Christian Tradition. Granted, there are many offices of authority that innately have a particular dignity connected to them; for example, the monarchy of England, the presidency of the U.S., and the papacy of the Catholic Church--but that does not mean that nobility is reserved for people who hold those offices alone. Indeed, all human beings possess a natural dignity as creatures made in the image of God. Christians, who hold and teach this fact, are endowed with an added and supreme nobility, for they have been washed by the waters of baptism and sealed with the chrism of holy oil and have, thus, been anointed priest, prophet, and king.

Listen to what scripture says:
"But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption. As proof that you are children, God sent the spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God." (Galatians 4:5-7)

"But you are 'a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises' of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9)

"For who is greater: the one seated at the table or the one who serves? I am among you as the one who serves. It is you who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer a kingdom on you, just as my Father has conferred one on me, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom; and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Luke 22:27-30)

This understanding of Christian nobility came to me as I sat praying before mass at my home parish, Covington's Mother of God Church (picture here). For whatever reason, the fact that I, as a Christian, was a son of God came home to me in a new and powerful way. And with that sonship comes royal dignity. And with this nobility comes responsibility--a responsibility to be and choose the good, to seek and speak the truth, and to love and protect the beautiful. When a Christian lives up to this standard (through the grace given by the Holy Spirit), she is set apart and dazzles those around her. Similarly, St. Paul wrote: "Do everything without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world." (Philippians 2:14-15)

I think this meditation on our Christian nobility is so important, because it can help us to learn to reject sin as utterly beneath us. The pettiness, greediness, lustfulness and crassness that have been allowed to permeate our culture would be rejected, if only we thought better of ourselves. Seeing ourselves as royal and acting accordingly is not a delusion of grandeur, but a living up to our Christianity. After all, we who have been baptized and anointed, and we who receive the body and blood of the Lord in holy communion, are we not members of the body of Christ? And who is Christ, but King of the Universe? And just as with political royalty, certain things become "off limits" to us as Christian royalty, since they do not help us to reflect our proper relationship to God.

It is profound that the film was able to portray one more key component of Queen Victoria's genuine nobility--her loving and joyful nature. She was not a gloomy killjoy, but a happy woman. Not only did she love Albert passionately, but she also had a great desire to be of service to those whom she ruled. Likewise, I would argue that our Christian royalty is most clearly manifested when we pour out our love for God in service to our neighbor. Indeed, charity is the hallmark of true nobility--divine and human alike. Let us, as we celebrate the light of the Lord's Epiphany, resolve to wear the crown of love. When we do, true joy and lasting peace will be ours.

Feast of the Mother of God

I don't think there's a better way to begin the new year than to attend a beautiful mass. Since it was the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and the last day of the octave of Christmas, I decided I would visit Covington's St. Mary's Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption (pictured at the left). There's something special, always, about getting to appear in places in one's hometown wearing the habit. The coolest thing, however, is when people ask me where I'm from and I get to say, "Covington." There is a danger in wearing habits related to pride, but sometimes, like today, I pray that God would pardon my pride for just a brief moment so I can enjoy being the hometown kid who did good. --well, the kid that God has been pleased to call into his goodness in this particular way.

The mass was celebrated with all due reverence, and there was a fine homily preached--but the moment that really got to me most was the elevation of the consecrated gifts when the priest sang "Through him, with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, Almighty Father, forever and ever." I can't explain it, but for me, that moment is second only to the words of the consecration itself. For me, those words speak to the overturning of the order of sin in the world by the order of grace. Heaven and Earth are united in that moment, and the triumph of Jesus Christ is proclaimed boldly. It must be a moving thing for the priest to proclaim (and this priest sang it, it seemed, from the very core of his soul), but it's equally a moving thing for people like me in the pew to hear. I was aware of the fact that I was "out of time" in that moment, which in turn, once mass was over, reminded me of why I love being Catholic so much & why being Catholic is the heart of who I am. These sacraments that we participate in, these rituals and feasts, all work toward revealing the true reality of life--a reality saturated with God.

Today we celebrated, as the priest preached in his homily, the Divinity of Jesus, the God-Man. Who, because he took on our humanity, raises us up to share in God's divinity. It's the marriage of heaven and earth, the marriage of humanity and divinity, and it's our marriage to God. Astounding!

The theme of marriage is an important one to me, as many know. Whenever I read or watch a story about true and abiding love--as I did tonight by watching the new movie The Young Victoria--I see a metaphor for God's relationship to us.

Listen to what the Prophet St. Isaiah wrote:
"For Zion's sake I will not be silent,
for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet.
Until her vindication shines forth like the dawn
and her victory like a burning torch.
Nations shall behold your vindication,
and all kings your glory;
You shall be called by a new name
pronounced by the mouth of the Lord.
You shall be a glorious crown in the hand of the Lord,
a royal diadem held by your God.
Nor more shall men call you "Forsaken,"
or your land "Desolate,"
But you shall be called "My Delight,"
and your land "Espoused."
For the Lord delights in you,
and makes your land his spouse.
As a young man marries a virgin,
your Builder shall marry you;
And as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride
so shall your God rejoice in you." (62:1-5)

Lucky for our sakes that "Stern as death is love, relentless as the nether world is devotion; its flames are a blazing fire. Many waters cannot quench love, nor can floods weep it away." (Song of Songs 8:6-7) This explains why God, who is love, never gives up on us, though we have been unfaithful. The love that he promised in the Old Testament is proven and ratified in the New--in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. That is what we celebrate today. It is, indeed, a great way to begin the new year.

God Bless!
Br. Paul, OP