Monthly Archives: December 2013

On Speaking & Speaking the Truth

31 Tuesday Dec 2013

Posted by in Thought for the Day

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We all know that we must not lie. But, have you ever considered why that is? At first we might say, “Well, because it is one of the commandments.” That is true – but is it the real reason that we must not lie? I believe this mode of thinking about our moral requirements can be detrimental to bringing others into the Church.

If those of us who are believers in Christ understand our moral obligations as something that is negative then the only way we have to communicate our morality to the rest of the world is through negative terms. “Thou shalt not bear false witness.” The world already thinks of the Church something like this, “Those Catholics and their rules – they just want to take away everyone's fun. They need to get with the times – this is the 21st century.” Of course this could be said in any number of ways but I think you can get my point. If we only have something negative instead of something positive to say then most of the world will never 'hear' anything we have to say. Yes, they may audibly hear it but they won't understand. As the saying goes, “It will go in one ear and out the other.”

Now let me be clear, by my saying we need to be positive instead of negative I am not therefore saying that we do away with our obligation to not lie. What I am saying is that we need to understand the real reason that we should not lie, or, in fact, why we should not commit any sin.

First, let us start with God, after all, we were made in His Image and He is therefore, especially in the form of His Son Jesus Christ, the model for the behavior of all of mankind. Any time that God communicates to us He speaks to us the Truth, of that we must be certain. True, we do not know and understand all the mysteries of God, but whatever He has revealed to us we can most certainly believe to be True. In addition, God being the Source of all Truth and Goodness, can and would never lie to us.

Next, as mentioned above, we were made in His Image. As such, we have been given the gift to communicate, which is part of our being made in His Image. Therefore with the understanding that our ability to communicate is a gift from the God who communicates only that which is True we too should make that are necessary part of who we are.

So, it is not just about not lying. To think in this way is very limiting to our understanding of the Faith and will also keep many people out of the Church. What our Faith is about is our call to leave behind our fallen nature and, with the supernatural grace of God, to be remade into the Image of His Son. This, I believe, is what will bring others into the Church – to give an answer as to why it is we do what we do as Catholics, which is to become like Jesus Christ. So therefore, like Jesus, always speak the Truth. To do so will necessarily mean that you never have to worry about lying.

Thought for the Day – In Regards to Truth

23 Monday Dec 2013

Posted by in C.S. Lewis, Thought for the Day

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I suppose there are two views about everything,” said Mark.

“Eh? Two views? There are a dozen views about everything until you know the answer. Then there’s never more than one.

From That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis

Absolutely no need to expound upon that quote.

Thought for the Day – The Metaphysical Situation of Man

22 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by in Thought for the Day, von Hildebrand

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Over the next week or so I will be either really busy or out of town. Therefore, my posts will most likely take the form of quotes from Transformation in Christ. Today’s post is, I believe, the first mention of one of my favorite phrases in the book – the metaphysical situation of man. This phrase is something I intend on trying to explain in the future. (I say ‘try’ not because the reader wouldn’t be able to understand what it means but because I might not be able to adequately explain it.) But I think the following quote makes a good start in helping us understand what he means by this very important phrase.

The great mystery of our metaphysical situation, that God is nearer to us than we are ourselves, is manifest in the fact that we cannot even be wholly ourselves – in the sense of individuality as a unique divine thought – until we are reborn in Christ.

Therefore, if we are not reborn in Christ, we can never be who God intended us to be. If we keep selfishly trying to do our own will instead of the will of God who created us – by just doing ‘what comes naturally’, which really means just following our own selfish and sinful desires – then we may think that we are becoming more free and more ourselves but in reality we are just becoming slaves of our own sinful desires.

Thought for the Day

21 Saturday Dec 2013

Posted by in von Hildebrand

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There are many religious Catholics whose readiness to change is merely a conditional one. The exert themselves to keep the commandments and to get rid of such qualities as they have recognized to be sinful. But they lack the will and the readiness to become new men all in all, to break with all purely natural standards, to view all things in a supernatural light. They prefer to evade the act of metanoia: a true conversion of the heart. Hence with undisturbed consciences they cling to all that appears to them legitimate by natural standards.

This quote is from the first Chapter of von Hildebrand's Transformation in Christ. This particular paragraph stopped me in my tracks. I wondered – is this describing me? I even admit it made me question if I should continue reading the book because I was afraid of what I might learn about myself. I am now only about 70 pages from completing it and can definitely say I am glad I did not stop.

So, what about you? Does this paragraph describe you? If so, what are you going to do about it?

Phil Robertson – A Man Who Speaks Boldly

20 Friday Dec 2013

Posted by in Politically Incorrect

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America is in an uproar right now over the supposedly controversial words of Phil Robertson – the patriarch of the “Duck Dynasty” family. Below is the part of the interview he gave that has caused all the ruckus.

What, in your mind, is sinful?” (Question from the interviewer.)”Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men,” he says. Then he paraphrases Corinthians: “Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers—they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.

Oh no, he said homosexual behavior is a sin! How dare he say that. Who made him God to say what is and is not a sin. He needs to come into the 21st century. Blah, blah, blah. These are some of many reactions that have been spoken in outrage against Mr. Robertson because of his outspoken beliefs on sexual morality.

Many of the reporters talking heads on the news channels have tried to turn this into a question of freedom of speech. “Does he have a right to say such things?” “Should A&E be forced to keep him on the show?” But this is the wrong focus. I haven't seen anyone ask the question yet, “Is what he said true?”

Nowadays people of the world (mostly through the influence of a politically correct media) just assume that homosexual behavior is OK. “I have a brother that is gay and I love him.” “Gay people don't hurt anyone so what's the big deal?” “You can't tell me what to do with my body!” Any of that sound familiar?

But it used to be (and not very long ago) that most everyone, even people who were not very religious, thought homosexual behavior was immoral and wrong. But now, everyone has been drinking the Kool-Aid handed out by the media (movies, TV, radio, news, etc.) and have been brainwashed into thinking that anyone who holds to those former beliefs about sexuality is outdated, hateful and most certainly in league with the devil.

Mr. Robertson gets his beliefs from the Bible and he is correct – the Bible does in fact condemn homosexual behavior. But, as was pointed out by some of the talking heads on TV, there are groups of Christians who are homosexual who “love Jesus” (a quote from one of the talking heads). The implication here is that gay Christians believe it is ok to be gay and they use the Bible too. They just interpret it differently. So who is right (or left as the case may be)?

People on the 'right' would say Mr. Robertson is correct and people on the 'left' would say he is not correct. The reason that there is such a difference of opinion here is because the Bible doesn't interpret itself – people interpret the Bible. And if you have a homosexual agenda then you are going to learn the art of theological gymnastics in order to make the Bible say what you want it to say. (Thank you Protestant Reformation.)

We have such a divide on so many issues now because of a lack of Authority. Who gets to determine what the Bible really teaches and what is moral and what is not? Well, God does. And how does He accomplish this for us so that we can know what is true and what is false? Jesus left to all of mankind the fullness of Truth but He left it in the care of the Catholic Church to defend it, expound it and to pass it on to succeeding generations. And, of course, it is the Pope and the bishops in communion with him that are primarily tasked with this duty.

And the Catholic Church has always taught the Truth about sexual morality, which includes the teaching that homosexual behavior is wrong. So, to answer my question, yes, Mr. Robertson is correct but only because his interpretation of the Bible coincides with the revealed Truth that has been entrusted to the Catholic Church.

 

Good Article about Dietrich von Hildebrand

19 Thursday Dec 2013

Posted by in Uncategorized

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Almost 14 years ago, before I had met him, a good friend of mine wrote an article about Dietrich von Hildebrand. I recently found this article when I was trying to do some research about von Hildebrand. It is a fairly long article but does give some very good insight into the thinking of von Hildebrand. The author is Thomas Howard, who is a Catholic author (many of his books are published by Ignatius Press) and is also the man who, more than any other man on this earth, I credit with leading me into the Catholic Church.

The article can be found here. While you are looking that article up why not click here and see some of Thomas Howard's books. The first two listed – On Being Catholic & Evangelical is Not Enough – are both very good.

On Discovering Things of Great Value

18 Wednesday Dec 2013

Posted by in von Hildebrand

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On Sunday I posted about Dietrich von Hildebrand saying that “Only recently did I 'discover'” his writings. The choice of the word discovery was deliberate and in this post I want to explain why.

Anytime something is discovered by someone the thing itself already existed before being found. But before it is found, even if it is considered to be valuable, it is doing no one any good. Take for instance gold hidden in the ground in Alaska. Gold is worth a considerable amount of money, especially these days, but it won't make you rich if you leave it in hidden in the ground. On the other hand, if you know where to find it and put forth the effort to dig it up, then you will be rewarded.

While gold does have an earthly and natural value it is not of ultimate value for mankind, not even for those who wrongly think that the one with the most toys when he dies is the winner. We cannot think this way, because if we think rightly about who man is – that being a creature made in the image and likeness of God – then that which is of ultimate value for man would not pertain to things of this world. Therefore, our primary focus and our most important concern should be in regards to those things that are valuable in the eyes of God. Therefore, we must put forth the effort in order to discover those things that are valuable not just in this world but in the next, or, rather, that which is valuable for us in our preparation for the next. After all, this life does not continue forever. But if we believe that we are made in God's image with a immortal soul then we will necessarily want to prepare for that world which is to come. (But then, of course, it makes you wonder why so many people live their lives as if there is nothing on the 'other side'.)

I believe that one thing of such value is von Hildebrand's Transformation in Christ. Like the gold hidden in Alaska, it was doing me no good until I discovered it. Certainly, it was valuable even before I discovered it, but it was not helping me prepare for that world which is to come. But someone may ask, “What is there to prepare for? Doesn't everyone just go to Heaven when they die?” To this question a simple no will have to suffice for this post. If you don't believe me then read Jesus' parable of the Sheep and Goats or the Wheat and Tares. No, not everyone goes to Heaven because some people, of their own free will, choose to ignore God in this world which leads to their separation from Him in the next.

But for those of us who are not delusional about being “pretty good people who don't really do anything wrong” (this is in quotes because I have had many people tell me this or something like it) we know that we must prepare for the world to come. Who of us could say that we are ready, right now, to see God face to face? Not me. And even after this life is over most of us still won't be ready – even if we have made a serious effort to prepare during this life. (And that, by the way, is why God has given us Purgatory – as a place of final preparation so that we may be made ready to stand in the presence of God.)

Preparation for the next life is what God calls us to do in this life. And that is what Transformation in Christ is all about: helping people, that are willing to put forth the effort, to prepare for the hereafter. This book has greatly deepened my understanding of what it means to be a Catholic. It has helped me understand the teachings of Christ and of the Church better and to understand myself better by showing me just how imperfect and far away I am from being transformed into Christ.

But perhaps this book wouldn't be for you. It may not speak to you in the same way that it has spoken to me. Similarly, it may not have spoken to me in the same way if I had tried to read it 20 or 30 years ago. It was Divine Providence that led me to this great book at this point in time and thanks be to God I have now discovered it. If reading a 500 page book on Catholic spirituality seems daunting to you then start with something smaller: C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton, or (and this may sound crazy) passages of the Bible. Ultimately, I don't think it matters where you discover things of true value, but for the good of your own soul you should at least look for it. After all, it will do you no good if it stays on the shelf.

Dietrich von Hildebrand

15 Sunday Dec 2013

Posted by in von Hildebrand

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He’s not a saint or a blessed, but nevertheless, I am putting this new site for my blog under the patronage of Dietrich von Hildebrand. What I mean is this: even though he cannot be considered a true patron saint I will be asking for his prayers in regards to what I write on this blog, while at the same time I will be praying for his eternal soul.

Why, you may ask? Why not choose one of my many patron saints that have been declared saints by Holy Mother Church: Holy Mary, Mother of God, St. Vincent of Lérins (Confirmation), St. Ignatius of Antioch (ordination to the diaconate), or St. Cuthbert (ordination to the priesthood)? Let me try to explain.

Only recently did I ‘discover’ the writings of Dietrich von Hildebrand. While I was working in the Office of Marriage, Family Life & NFP here in the Archdiocese of San Antonio (a position that was recently replaced by a full time parochial vicar position at Our Lady of the Atonement) I came across one of his books in my office. That book is titled Man and Woman. Since the book was relatively short, pertained to marriage and was from an author I had heard good things about I decided to read it. In short, my reaction to that book can be summarized with one word: amazing!

This short book of his simply wasn’t enough. His brilliance and ability to explain things left me wanting more. (And this is similar to the reaction I had when I first discovered C.S. Lewis.) Therefore, after completing this book I immediately looked for another one of his books. After some brief research on the internet it seemed that the common consensus was that Transformation in Christ was his greatest work. So I promptly ordered a copy. That was about three months ago and ever since I have been very carefully reading it by way of lectio divina. Currently, I have about 100 pages of the 500 pages left.

Although I have not yet completed the book I can already tell that, in years to come, I will look back at the discovery of this book as a life changing experience. After completing this book my plan is to read more of his books and to do an even more in depth study of Transformation in Christ. The purpose of this would be to bring all the wonderful things he has to say to the people I minister to: part of whom would be the people that happen to read this blog.

Dietrich von Hildebrand hasn’t changed my understanding of what it means to be Catholic – he has deepened it. I could never match his genius and do not consider myself qualified to interpret his teaching but, as a Catholic priest, it is my duty to hand the Catholic Faith on to others. And that is what I propose to do by using what I learn from the writings of this truly extraordinary man.

On Silence (and Noise)

13 Friday Dec 2013

Posted by in C.S. Lewis

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Welcome to my new blog. The blog platform I was using did not seem to work very well so I moved over here to WordPress. And I thought there would be no better way to start this new blog than with a quote from C.S. Lewis, who helped lead me into the Catholic Church, even though he died an Anglican.

[The demon Screwtape writes:] Music and silence—how I detest them both! How thankful we should be that ever since our Father entered Hell—though longer ago than humans, reckoning in light years, could express—no square inch of infernal space and no moment of infernal time has been surrendered to either of those abominable forces, but all has been occupied by Noise—Noise, the grand dynamism, the audible expression of all that is exultant, ruthless, and virile—Noise which alone defends us from silly qualms, despairing scruples, and impossible desires. We will make the whole universe a noise in the end. We have already made great strides in this direction as regards the Earth. The melodies and silences of Heaven will be shouted down in the end. But I admit we are not yet loud enough, or anything like it.

There not any special reason I picked this passage. I am signed up for a daily quote from Lewis through my email and this is the one that I received today. It does give us something to think about, doesn’t it? When is the last time you were in the car with the radio off? Or at home with the TV off? When is the last time you went to Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and just sat in the presence of Jesus Christ in peace with nothing else to distract you? If it has been any length of time why not today?

If your immediate thought to the last question was some excuse about being too busy then maybe you are too busy. Maybe you have let the ‘noise’ of daily life consume you to the point that anytime you do consider praying you immediately think, “Oh, I don’t have time right now.” If not now, then when?