Our sin will be if we idolize the work of our hands; if we love it so well as not to bear to part with it. The test of our faith lies in our being able to fail without disappointment.
Resignation is a more blessed frame of mind than sanguine hope of present success because it is the truer and the more consistent with our fallen state of being and the more improving to our hearts. And resignation has been conspicuous for the most eminent servants of God. To expect great effects from our exertions for religious goals is natural indeed, and innocent, but it arises from inexperience of the kind of work we have to do -- to change the heart and will of fallen creatures. It is far nobler frame of mind to labor, not with the hope of seeing the fruit of our labor, but for conscience's sake, as a matter of duty. And in faith, trusting good will be done though we see it not.
Even the successes of the first Christian teachers, the Apostles, resignation to apparent failure is evident. After all the great works God enabled them to accomplish, they confessed before their death that what they experienced and what they saw before them were reversals and calamities, and that the fruit of their labor would not be seen till Christ came to open the books and collect his saints from the four corners of the earth.
April 03, 2004
John Henry Newman Excerpt
TPOTC
An interesting thing that Gibson does in his movie is show sin tangibly as physical marks on the body. After Judas betrayed Christ, his lips began to show marks of corruption and later his forehead showed striations. Similarly the woman caught in the act of adultery (Mary Magdalene) has scourge marks on her face. This was a way to physically show the correlation between sin and physical death/corruption, and also to physically show Christ taking on our sins, in bearing the same striations all over his body.
An interesting thing that Gibson does in his movie is show sin tangibly as physical marks on the body. After Judas betrayed Christ, his lips began to show marks of corruption and later his forehead showed striations. Similarly the woman caught in the act of adultery (Mary Magdalene) has scourge marks on her face. This was a way to physically show the correlation between sin and physical death/corruption, and also to physically show Christ taking on our sins, in bearing the same striations all over his body.
April 02, 2004
Why Men Don't Go Through Labor
The sadist is ready to see you now
When I was young I had a bit of a martyr-complex. This has carried over to adulthood in climactically favorable situations, such as when I get cavities filled.
They stick me four times with novocaine and I want to make sure they don't underdo it. Though I weigh 214 3/4, many mistake me for a 180 pounder. I wear weight well, which is normally an advantage but isn't when a dentist is determining how much novocaine to give you.
"Uh, is this based on weight?"
The dentist nods his head.
"Well, I weigh 214...just FYI...sometimes I don't get enough novocaine."
The assisting dental hygienist humors me. "Don't worry, we'll find out!"
"That's what I'm afraid of." Gallows humor.
They wait for the gums to numb and I try to get them talking because I don't want them to start before the gums are properly numbed.
They begin and the doc does about ten seconds of work and withdraws his Instrument of Terror and I say, "Well that wasn't so bad" and it got a surprisingly enthusiastic laugh from the dental assistant. She's obviously starved for entertainment, though oblivious to my pain.
The operation proceeds apace and the doctor grinds away part of the tooth. Apparently the dentist's motto is "first, do harm". I grip the chair arms like they're the sides of a Titanic lifeboat. Eventually he reaches a nerve and I realize that "pain-free denistry" is still a oxymoron.
I'm not especially good at having my mouth open at a 90-degree angle for long periods of time, so the doctor admonishes me that if I de-sanitize the situation he'll have to start over. This is supremely motivating. After this I'm the model patient, gag-reflex or not. The fact that I'm suddenly able to take things up a notch and perform at a higher level as a patient makes me think that in my spiritual life I could do better given proper motivation. This bothers me, though not at this particular moment.
The doc and assistant take a break after finishing one tooth. Doc says he's leading a bible study tomorrow night and I'm somewhat relieved that I have a Christian doing it and I hope he has that famed "Protestant work ethic". I love Spain but no siestas please while I'm in the chair.
But he does seem to take a siesta. It's a good fifteen minutes and I've relaxed too much, slumped in this supine position. I've gotten downright comfortable and put my hands behind my head. It's practically over.
He comes back and begins anew and it's like, hey-oh, this ain't ovah. More drillin', more fillin' and more 90-degree angles. Whenever you anticipate a finish you only prolong it.
Eventually the doctor lets me go and I feel the euphoria that only comes after an end to fasting or a dental visit.
The sadist is ready to see you now
When I was young I had a bit of a martyr-complex. This has carried over to adulthood in climactically favorable situations, such as when I get cavities filled.
They stick me four times with novocaine and I want to make sure they don't underdo it. Though I weigh 214 3/4, many mistake me for a 180 pounder. I wear weight well, which is normally an advantage but isn't when a dentist is determining how much novocaine to give you.
"Uh, is this based on weight?"
The dentist nods his head.
"Well, I weigh 214...just FYI...sometimes I don't get enough novocaine."
The assisting dental hygienist humors me. "Don't worry, we'll find out!"
"That's what I'm afraid of." Gallows humor.
They wait for the gums to numb and I try to get them talking because I don't want them to start before the gums are properly numbed.
They begin and the doc does about ten seconds of work and withdraws his Instrument of Terror and I say, "Well that wasn't so bad" and it got a surprisingly enthusiastic laugh from the dental assistant. She's obviously starved for entertainment, though oblivious to my pain.
The operation proceeds apace and the doctor grinds away part of the tooth. Apparently the dentist's motto is "first, do harm". I grip the chair arms like they're the sides of a Titanic lifeboat. Eventually he reaches a nerve and I realize that "pain-free denistry" is still a oxymoron.
I'm not especially good at having my mouth open at a 90-degree angle for long periods of time, so the doctor admonishes me that if I de-sanitize the situation he'll have to start over. This is supremely motivating. After this I'm the model patient, gag-reflex or not. The fact that I'm suddenly able to take things up a notch and perform at a higher level as a patient makes me think that in my spiritual life I could do better given proper motivation. This bothers me, though not at this particular moment.
The doc and assistant take a break after finishing one tooth. Doc says he's leading a bible study tomorrow night and I'm somewhat relieved that I have a Christian doing it and I hope he has that famed "Protestant work ethic". I love Spain but no siestas please while I'm in the chair.
But he does seem to take a siesta. It's a good fifteen minutes and I've relaxed too much, slumped in this supine position. I've gotten downright comfortable and put my hands behind my head. It's practically over.
He comes back and begins anew and it's like, hey-oh, this ain't ovah. More drillin', more fillin' and more 90-degree angles. Whenever you anticipate a finish you only prolong it.
Eventually the doctor lets me go and I feel the euphoria that only comes after an end to fasting or a dental visit.
The Ballad of Lager Bier
Go, flaxen-haired and blue-eyed maiden,
My German Hebe! hasten through
You smoke-cloud, and return thou laden
With bread and cheese and bier for two.
Limburger suits this bearded fellow;
His brow is high, his taste severe:
But I'm for Schweitzer, mild and yellow,
To eat with bread and Lager Bier.
Go, maiden, fill again our glasses!
While, with anointed eyes, we scan
The blouse Teutonic lads and lasses,
The Saxon—Pruss—Bohemian,
The sanded floor, the cross-beamed gables,
The ancient Flemish paintings queer,
The rusty cup-stains on the tables,
The terraced kegs of Lager Bier.
And is it Göttingen or Gotha,
Or Munich's ancient Wagner Brei,
Where each Bavarian drinks his quota,
And swings a silver tankard high?
Or some ancestral Gast-Haus lofty
In Nuremburg—of famous cheer
When Hans Sachs lived, and where, so oft, he
Sang loud the praise of Lager Bier?
--Edmund Clarence Stedman. 1833–1906
Question Asked on EWTN
Q: Why does the world post-Pentecost look just as bad as the world pre-Pentecost? I thought the Bible said that the Holy Spirit would usher in a new age. I suppose the answer is our free will...
Answer by Fr. John Echert: Do not Imagine for a moment that the world redeemed by Christ is no better than the world apart from Christ. We have inherited a world in which the Gospel spread rapidly from one end to the other, as is evident from the early writings which comprise the New Testament. In a matter of a couple decades the Good News of Jesus Christ and the knowledge of the one true God began at its center in Jerusalem and had reached the center of the Empire of the time at Rome. What would the world look like without Jesus Christ? Think for a moment the visible indications of the breaking in of God's Kingdom. Jesus cast out demons, restored sight to the blind, gave hearing to the deaf, raised the dead to life. The physical miracle were authentic and signs of a deeper reality: Jesus had power over sin and death. Imagine the difference had Jesus Christ not risen from the dead. You would have no hope for eternal life and would see only darkness in the world. By now the darkness may have overtaken any natural hope for life and destroyed any natural goodness. Given modern methods of warfare, the world might by now have destroyed itself or be barely habitable. Yes, Thomas doubted and Saul persecuted the Church. But they were won over by the grace of God experienced in a visible manifestation of the Risen Christ. For the rest of us, we depend upon faith and the witness of those who personally experienced the Lord in the Gospel period and the Apostolic Church.
What a blessing for us, undeserved by accepted in faith. Believe me, you cannot imagine the darkness and hopelessness that would by now envelope the world, had not the Son of God taken upon Himself our humanity and redeemed us from sin and death. Yes, human freedom remains and so does sin, since each person has the ability to choose sin. But grace has made an incredible difference; a grace which does not compel but works to wear down our resistance and find a place in our hearts and minds.
Look Out Below!
Lee Ann of Literarium brings out the atomic weaponry against St. Blog's. The writing is so good who could feel insulted? The downside of blogging is that we begin "to see agendas" everywhere (say like the kid in the Sixth Sense about dead people) even when they're not really there or don't really matter:
Lee Ann of Literarium brings out the atomic weaponry against St. Blog's. The writing is so good who could feel insulted? The downside of blogging is that we begin "to see agendas" everywhere (say like the kid in the Sixth Sense about dead people) even when they're not really there or don't really matter:
Since becoming a regular St. Blog reader I found myself nitpicking at Mass, trying to detect the creeping heterodoxy that so shivers the online timbers. I examined actions and gainsaid motives like I was the bastard child of Sherlock Holmes and Madame LeFarge. I finally found the impediment to the full flowering of true Catholic faith: my own blog-o-rific Heterodoxy Hunt.
Around Blogdom
Get yer Passion desktop wallpaper here....Cardinal George on why the Crucifixion (via Amy W.)....Ireland's history via maps....On NRO, Carl Olson discusses and recusses the latest Left Behind book.
I'll have to keep an eye on this election projection map even though it is absurdly early. I'm surprised Illinois is such a "blue state" - 21% lead for Kerry. But I can't think ill of a state that counts Bill of Summa Minutiae and Ellyn of Oblique House among its residents. The site might be showing some bias however, because it shows Bush doing better in Ohio than the polls I've seen.
Jessa Crispin of BookSlut offers good rules for reading on a plane:
Get yer Passion desktop wallpaper here....Cardinal George on why the Crucifixion (via Amy W.)....Ireland's history via maps....On NRO, Carl Olson discusses and recusses the latest Left Behind book.
I'll have to keep an eye on this election projection map even though it is absurdly early. I'm surprised Illinois is such a "blue state" - 21% lead for Kerry. But I can't think ill of a state that counts Bill of Summa Minutiae and Ellyn of Oblique House among its residents. The site might be showing some bias however, because it shows Bush doing better in Ohio than the polls I've seen.
Jessa Crispin of BookSlut offers good rules for reading on a plane:
Do not bring well known books unless you want to get into conversations with annoying people. Once you pull out Harry Potter or the Da Vinci Code, your neighbor will feel free to tell you what they thought of the book, how amazing it is, and will never let you actually read it.
Don't forget to pack books. Looking for something decent to read at the airport is like a vegetarian trying to eat at Red Lobster.
Don't be like me. Do not bring a dozen books in your carry on just because you haven't decided what to read on your three hour flight. You'll hurt yourself.
Passio Christi
| For me, the signature statement of the film TPOTC was when Jesus said to Mary, "I make all things new". This is the essence of everything, the reason the sun rises each day. The daily sunrise is a reminder of the sheer constancy of God and of His resoluteness and of His ability to change dark into light. In the scene mentioned, Jesus was completely striped by the marks of the scourgers and He appeared like a physical representation of our souls ("he was made sin for us"). He looked in a state of utter ruin. But behold, he makes all things new. He can even make us "dead men walking" live again. In our death, we will rely on Him utterly and completely, our dusty bones offering mute testimony to our absolute lack of control. Lord, let us rely on you today in the same way. "Two will die as many must, / And fitly dust will welcome dust; / But dust has nothing to do with one— / She dies as soon as her dream is done." - Hazel Hall, "Three Girls" |
Of Lent
The saying goes, "A bad day on the golf course is better than a good day at the office". And though I tend to believe it only fleetingly, a bad Lent is better than a good vacation.
Our pastor compared Lent to a tithe. Forty days is about 1/10th of the year, this is a special time we give over to God. But an analogy he said he preferred is that of a time of training. St. Paul compares the Christian to a spiritual athelete, and athletes require training.
The words of a hymn from my youth come to mind:
The saying goes, "A bad day on the golf course is better than a good day at the office". And though I tend to believe it only fleetingly, a bad Lent is better than a good vacation.
Our pastor compared Lent to a tithe. Forty days is about 1/10th of the year, this is a special time we give over to God. But an analogy he said he preferred is that of a time of training. St. Paul compares the Christian to a spiritual athelete, and athletes require training.
The words of a hymn from my youth come to mind:
This is our accepted time,
This is our salvation;
Prayer and fasting are our hope,
Penance, our vocation.
God of pardon and of love,
Mercy past all measure,
You alone can grant us peace,
You, our holy treasure.
Lord, look down upon your sons,
Look upon their yearning;
Man is dust and unto dust
He shall be returning,
Lift him up, O Lord of life,
Flesh has gained him sadness,
Hear his plea, bestow on him
Everlasting gladness.
April 01, 2004
Talking Summa
Christian Classics publishes the Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas, and I find the disclaimer on the back cover interesting:
Christian Classics publishes the Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas, and I find the disclaimer on the back cover interesting:
The Church believes today, as she believed from the first, that Thomism is an ark of salvation, capable of keeping minds afloat in the deluge of doctrine. She does not confuse it with faith, nor yet with knowledge in all its fullness, she knows that it is fallible, and that in respect of passing theories, it has shared the errors of different times, but she judges that its structure as a whole corresponds to the constitution of reality and of the intelligence, and she notes that both knowledge and faith converge on it, because it has taken up its position between them like a fortress at a meeting of the roads."Now, this Dominican says that the Summa has "shared the errors of different times" - I wish he'd said more words and given specific examples. Would it be obvious, when reading the Summa, what was simply an error of the time? Biological, historical, or theological?
-A.G. Sertillanges, O.P., The Intellectual Life
Biblically Speaking
I love the New Jerusalem translation, mostly because it combines study notes1 with an accessible and often lilting language. Taking Deut 6:5-9 as an example, the RSV has it:
*
And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.
And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart;
and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. - RSV
*
While the New Jerusalem has it:
*
You must love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. Let the words I enjoin on you today stay in your heart. You shall tell them to your children, and keep on telling them, when you are sitting at home, when you are out and about, when you are lying down and when you are standing up; you must fasten them on your hand as a sign and on your forehead as a headband; you must write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
*
I realize the choice of "Yahweh" over "Lord" is off-putting to some, but I think it sounds more personal2, emphasizing to Israel how unique her God is. "Lord", even though it's usually represented in all caps, has connotations of an earthly lord while Yahweh refers to God alone.
I like the use of "You must love Yahweh..." instead of "You shall love...". "Shall" is a little weaker and I do better with commands, disliking free will. Woody Hayes used to dislike the forward pass, saying "there are three things that can happen when you pass, and two of them ain't good." I feel similarly about free will; lots of bad things can happen that ain't good because it's man exercising it. Poetically speaking, I like "Let the words I enjoin on you today stay in your heart" better than "And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart" although perhaps theologically one could read the latter as more of God's work and the former more as man's, and God is obviously more dependable so in that sense the RSV is better. And I'm not real fond on the "headband" thing. This isn't Welcome Back, Kotter.
I don't have a clear favorite between the Douay-Rheims and KJV. The KJV is a little inaccessible, and the "sittest" is distracting. But how poetic is "they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes"! This is cryptic language that is paradoxically clear - "frontlets", whatever they are, imply a permanence, like bumpers on a car. This drives home the permanent nature of this command and how it is to be ever before us.
*
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. - KJV
*
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole strength.
And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thy heart: And thou shalt tell them to thy children, and thou shalt meditate upon them sitting in thy house, and walking on thy journey, sleeping and rising. And thou shalt bind them as a sign on thy hand, and they shall be and shall move between thy eyes. And thou shalt write them in the entry, and on the doors of thy house. - Douay-Rheims
*
The NAB, is a bit more prosaic and mechanical (see 'drill'). May the repeated quoting of this passage drill it into our heads!
*
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.
Drill them into your children. Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest.
Bind them at your wrist as a sign and let them be as a pendant on your forehead.
Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates. - NAB
1 - (I've been surprised how often I look up something in Scott Hahn's new RSV-CE version and there aren't notes on the verse in which I'm interested. Nothing beats the Catena Aurea or Bernard Orchard's Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture - I like how they aren't afraid to take a wild stab concerning unclear passages.)
2 - It seems appropriate Pope JPII so emphasizes a personalistic philosophy given that our age is so atomistic and individualistic.
I love the New Jerusalem translation, mostly because it combines study notes1 with an accessible and often lilting language. Taking Deut 6:5-9 as an example, the RSV has it:
*
And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.
And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart;
and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. - RSV
*
While the New Jerusalem has it:
*
You must love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. Let the words I enjoin on you today stay in your heart. You shall tell them to your children, and keep on telling them, when you are sitting at home, when you are out and about, when you are lying down and when you are standing up; you must fasten them on your hand as a sign and on your forehead as a headband; you must write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
*
I realize the choice of "Yahweh" over "Lord" is off-putting to some, but I think it sounds more personal2, emphasizing to Israel how unique her God is. "Lord", even though it's usually represented in all caps, has connotations of an earthly lord while Yahweh refers to God alone.
I like the use of "You must love Yahweh..." instead of "You shall love...". "Shall" is a little weaker and I do better with commands, disliking free will. Woody Hayes used to dislike the forward pass, saying "there are three things that can happen when you pass, and two of them ain't good." I feel similarly about free will; lots of bad things can happen that ain't good because it's man exercising it. Poetically speaking, I like "Let the words I enjoin on you today stay in your heart" better than "And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart" although perhaps theologically one could read the latter as more of God's work and the former more as man's, and God is obviously more dependable so in that sense the RSV is better. And I'm not real fond on the "headband" thing. This isn't Welcome Back, Kotter.
I don't have a clear favorite between the Douay-Rheims and KJV. The KJV is a little inaccessible, and the "sittest" is distracting. But how poetic is "they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes"! This is cryptic language that is paradoxically clear - "frontlets", whatever they are, imply a permanence, like bumpers on a car. This drives home the permanent nature of this command and how it is to be ever before us.
*
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates. - KJV
*
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole strength.
And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thy heart: And thou shalt tell them to thy children, and thou shalt meditate upon them sitting in thy house, and walking on thy journey, sleeping and rising. And thou shalt bind them as a sign on thy hand, and they shall be and shall move between thy eyes. And thou shalt write them in the entry, and on the doors of thy house. - Douay-Rheims
*
The NAB, is a bit more prosaic and mechanical (see 'drill'). May the repeated quoting of this passage drill it into our heads!
*
Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.
Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today.
Drill them into your children. Speak of them at home and abroad, whether you are busy or at rest.
Bind them at your wrist as a sign and let them be as a pendant on your forehead.
Write them on the doorposts of your houses and on your gates. - NAB
1 - (I've been surprised how often I look up something in Scott Hahn's new RSV-CE version and there aren't notes on the verse in which I'm interested. Nothing beats the Catena Aurea or Bernard Orchard's Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture - I like how they aren't afraid to take a wild stab concerning unclear passages.)
2 - It seems appropriate Pope JPII so emphasizes a personalistic philosophy given that our age is so atomistic and individualistic.
Ruined by Fudd
Mark of Minute Particulars has an interesting post about Latin as it really sounded:
The crumbly 19th century books I hold in my hand didn't look like that in 1850. They were new and clean and vigorous and lacked that "old book" scent. So too with language. How can one hear "Waynee, weedee, weekee." except through the "ear lens" of Elmer Fudd?
Mark of Minute Particulars has an interesting post about Latin as it really sounded:
The best argument, though, against the "classical" pronunciation is the fact that Caesar's "Veni, vidi, vici," [I came, I saw, I conquered] would sound kinda' wimpy as: "Waynee, weedee, weekee." Try it fast a few times. It's hard not to laugh at that pronunciation. And when I imagine wascally Caesar trying to sound important with his pronouncement, Elmer Fudd's voice always creeps in.Good point. As much as we try to escape our own subjectivities, proclivities and imbecilities, it's well-nigh impossible. At times I've gone to different Civil War battlefields or different historical places such as Lexington Green and I think, "yeah, this is how it really looked". But did it? Can one arrest the trees, which have grown 100 to 200 years older and have such a dominating presence on any landscape? Even the sky, the same sky Christ looked upon, is marred by tracks made by jets.
The crumbly 19th century books I hold in my hand didn't look like that in 1850. They were new and clean and vigorous and lacked that "old book" scent. So too with language. How can one hear "Waynee, weedee, weekee." except through the "ear lens" of Elmer Fudd?
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