Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog

The $7500.00 Tweet

The Buck stopped here, courtesy of the NBA:

Back to 500. Yess!!! “500” means where doing good. Way to Play Hard Guys.

Rookie! I wonder if it would have been $500.00 less if he had avoided the spelling error? By the way, isn't it strange that he posted this fifteen minutes after the game instead of simply walking over to his teammates in the locker room and saying, "Way to play hard!"?

In case you're wondering, that cost $51.37 per character (counting spaces), or $277.77 per word.

Fr. Barron on abortion, health care reform, and the term "pro-choice"

Fr. Barron slices and dices his way through some of the falsehoods and half-truths of "pro-choicers":



Related Insight and Scoop pieces:

• "Pro-choice" vs. "Pro-abortion"? Or, "Pro-choice" = "Pro-abortion"? (Oct. 9, 2008)
• The Case Against Abortion | An Interview with Dr. Francis Beckwith, author of Defending Life
• What Is "Legal"? On Abortion, Democracy, and Catholic Politicians | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• The Illusion of Freedom Separated from Moral Virtue | Raymond L. Dennehy

Vatican vs. Copenhagen?

Or, in the words of Sandro Magister of Chiesa, Benedict XVI's emphasis on an "ecology of man" prior to and taking precedence over an "ecology of nature." Magister, commenting on Benedict's recent remarks for World Peace Day, states:

At the center of the message is a biblical image: that of the garden of creation, entrusted by God to man and woman for them to protect and cultivate.

Nature therefore has no primacy over man, nor is man a tiny part of nature. Nor, in his turn, can man usurp the right to despoil nature instead of taking care of it.

The correct relationship between the human being and the earth is the one marvelously depicted in the masterpiece by Piero della Francesca from 1472, a detail of which is reproduced above. The landscape in the background is cultivated, orderly and luminous, just as the woman in the foreground, the wife of the landowner, Federico da Montefeltro, is nobly "illuminated" with pearls.

One of the essential concepts of the message of Pope Benedict is precisely this. The ecology of nature and the ecology of man share the same destiny. Care for creation must be one and the same with care for the "inviolability of human life in every one of its phases and every one of its conditions."

It all goes together: care for nature, respect for the dignity of man, and peace among peoples. Wherever hatred and violence break out, nature weeps as well. A devastated landscape and an uninhabitable city are the product of a humanity that has made a desert of its own soul.

Some have attempted, either through misunderstanding or misrepresentation, to portray Benedict as a thoroughgoing environmentalist in the mold of Al Gore and Co. Now, Benedict and Gore do share the general belief that how man treats the environment is intimately related to spiritual and religious questions and issues. But they take very different paths thereafter. The difference can be located in considering an essential distinction made by G. K. Chesterton in Orthodoxy:

If you want to treat a tiger reasonably, you must go back to the garden of Eden.  For the obstinate reminder continued to recur: only the supernatural has taken a sane view of Nature. The essence of all pantheism, evolutionism, and modern cosmic religion is really in this proposition:  that Nature is our mother. Unfortunately, if you regard Nature as a mother, you discover that she is a step-mother.  The main point of Christianity was this: that Nature is not our mother:  Nature is our sister. We can be proud of her beauty, since we have the same father; but she has no authority over us; we have to admire, but not to imitate. This gives to the typically Christian pleasure in this earth a strange touch of lightness that is almost frivolity. Nature was a solemn mother to the worshippers of Isis and Cybele. Nature was a solemn mother to Wordsworth or to Emerson. But Nature is not solemn to Francis of Assisi or to George Herbert. To St. Francis, Nature is a sister, and even a younger sister: a little, dancing sister, to be laughed at as well as loved.

Chesterton highlights one of the two basic errors made when it comes to the environment: approaching nature with a subservient attitude, one that often leads to forms of pantheism, or, even worse, to an apocalyptic, anti-human ideology. NRO's Jonah Goldberg noted this in a recent column:

So consider instead Diane Francis, a ballyhooed Canadian pundit. In a recent Financial Post column, Francis wrote that the “‘inconvenient truth’ overhanging the U.N.’s Copenhagen conference is not that the climate is warming or cooling, but that humans are overpopulating the world.” She insists that “the only way to reverse the disastrous global birthrate” is to implement a “planetary law, such as China’s one-child policy.”

Population control has always been at the heart of the progressive project, so it’s no surprise that it’s in fashion once again.

Examples of such thinking abound; they dominate the various environmentalist groups and movements. In this ideological paradigm, man is the problem, and he must eliminate or subjugate himself for the sake of "Mother Nature," "the planet," Gaia, etc.

The second error completely avoids forms of neo-pagan mysticism and anthropomorphic sentimentality and instead adopts a cold-blooded utilitarianism; it sees nature as merely a material resource to be used however man wishes, to be plundered with impunity, consequences be damned. Benedict, of course, sees both approaches as being seriously flawed, reflecting views of man that are, in their own respective ways, inhuman. This is explained in an especially powerful passage from Caritas in Veritate:

The Church has a responsibility towards creation and she must assert this responsibility in the public sphere. In so doing, she must defend not only earth, water and air as gifts of creation that belong to everyone. She must above all protect mankind from self-destruction. There is need for what might be called a human ecology, correctly understood. The deterioration of nature is in fact closely connected to the culture that shapes human coexistence: when “human ecology” is respected within society, environmental ecology also benefits. Just as human virtues are interrelated, such that the weakening of one places others at risk, so the ecological system is based on respect for a plan that affects both the health of society and its good relationship with nature.

In order to protect nature, it is not enough to intervene with economic incentives or deterrents; not even an apposite education is sufficient. These are important steps, but the decisive issue is the overall moral tenor of society. If there is a lack of respect for the right to life and to a natural death, if human conception, gestation and birth are made artificial, if human embryos are sacrificed to research, the conscience of society ends up losing the concept of human ecology and, along with it, that of environmental ecology. It is contradictory to insist that future generations respect the natural environment when our educational systems and laws do not help them to respect themselves. The book of nature is one and indivisible: it takes in not only the environment but also life, sexuality, marriage, the family, social relations: in a word, integral human development. Our duties towards the environment are linked to our duties towards the human person, considered in himself and in relation to others. It would be wrong to uphold one set of duties while trampling on the other. Herein lies a grave contradiction in our mentality and practice today: one which demeans the person, disrupts the environment and damages society. (par 51).

That passage echoes an equally strong section from Pope John Paul II's encyclical Centesimus annus (1991):

37. Equally worrying is the ecological question which accompanies the problem of consumerism and which is closely connected to it. In his desire to have and to enjoy rather than to be and to grow, man consumes the resources of the earth and his own life in an excessive and disordered way. At the root of the senseless destruction of the natural environment lies an anthropological error, which unfortunately is widespread in our day. Man, who discovers his capacity to transform and in a certain sense create the world through his own work, forgets that this is always based on God's prior and original gift of the things that are. Man thinks that he can make arbitrary use of the earth, subjecting it without restraint to his will, as though it did not have its own requisites and a prior God-given purpose, which man can indeed develop but must not betray. Instead of carrying out his role as a co-operator with God in the work of creation, man sets himself up in place of God and thus ends up provoking a rebellion on the part of nature, which is more tyrannized than governed by him.

In all this, one notes first the poverty or narrowness of man's outlook, motivated as he is by a desire to possess things rather than to relate them to the truth, and lacking that disinterested, unselfish and aesthetic attitude that is born of wonder in the presence of being and of the beauty which enables one to see in visible things the message of the invisible God who created them. In this regard, humanity today must be conscious of its duties and obligations towards future generations.

38. In addition to the irrational destruction of the natural environment, we must also mention the more serious destruction of the human environment, something which is by no means receiving the attention it deserves. Although people are rightly worried — though much less than they should be — about preserving the natural habitats of the various animal species threatened with extinction, because they realize that each of these species makes its particular contribution to the balance of nature in general, too little effort is made to safeguard the moral conditions for an authentic "human ecology". Not only has God given the earth to man, who must use it with respect for the original good purpose for which it was given to him, but man too is God's gift to man. He must therefore respect the natural and moral structure with which he has been endowed. In this context, mention should be made of the serious problems of modern urbanization, of the need for urban planning which is concerned with how people are to live, and of the attention which should be given to a "social ecology" of work.

As I read various accounts of "Climategate" and the summit in Copenhagen, I am struck by the plainly religious fervor and spiritual nature of the environmental movement. Equally disconcerting are the despotic undertones, the apocalyptic intensity, and not-so-uncommon hysterical language about ice caps disappearing in a few years, oceans rising several feet in decades, polar bears dropping like flies, and so forth—even while these "facts" continue to be challenged by more and more scientists. Why, if Dan Brown really knew how to research and write, he could put together quite a story of a religion bent on fabrication, manipulation, power, and control through the misuse of sacred texts/data and the coercion of political and cultural powers. But what is truly unfortunate is that the balanced, pro-human, and pro-environment wisdom of Benedict and John Paul is likely to be ignored by many or most.

Al Kresta's "Annual Book Recommendation Special!"...

... is airing today on Ave Maria Radio from 4:00-6:00 EST, and I'll be one of several guests talking about some notable books read in 2009. More from the "Kresta in the Afternoon" blog:

4:00-6:00 p.m. - Annual Book Recommendation Special!!!

Today it’s our annual book recommendation special!!! Over 60% of our audience says they will be purchasing at least one book as a Christmas gift. If you have procrastinated or if you just can’t figure out what to give that certain someone on your list, this show is for you. We talk with many of the frequent contributors to “Kresta in the Afternoon” to hear what books they read or rediscovered this year. Dave Forsmark, Mike Aquilina, Teresa Tomeo, Carl Olson, Rori Hoipkemier, Doug Keck, Steve Ray, Steven Greydanus, and more.

Listen online via the Ave Maria Radio website.

On a related note, the annual Ignatius Insight "Best Books I Read..." feature will appear the final week of December. Here are past editions:

•The Best Books I Read in 2008...
• The Best Books I Read in 2007...
• The Best Books I Read in 2006...
• The Best Books I Read in 2005...

Seeking Deep Conversion

Seeking Deep Conversion | An excerpt from Deep Conversion, Deep Prayer | Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M.

If someone interested in trivia was to ask me to name the ten historical persons who have had the greatest impact on my life (aside, of course, from the Lord and his Mother), my list would include Saints Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, together with John Henry Newman and Hans Urs von Balthasar. To determine the other four might take a bit more pondering, but among them would surely be the man with whom we shall begin our reflections: Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.

This doctor of the Church, a man of towering talent, brilliant mind and golden eloquence, traveled about Europe at the behest of the pope as a highly gifted troubleshooter. But more important than his natural gifts was his sanctity. At about the age of twenty he entered the Cistercian order, bringing thirty other men along with him. Most of us entering a religious community bring no one but ourselves. The monks recognized the youngster early on as a highly unusual newcomer and before long elected him as abbot. Bernard united among his many talents fearlessness and tenderness, a rare combination. The most touching funeral homily I have ever read or heard was the one he delivered at the death of his blood brother. The saint was a man of profoundly deep prayer and love for God–which, of course, translated, as it always does, into a genuine love for the people in his life.

A fine biographer of Bernard details for about six hundred pages the drift of this paragraph, but we will get to our immediate point without further ado.

The young abbot was speaking to his community one day, and he made a remark that shocked me on my first reading of it. "There are more people converted from mortal sin to grace, than there are religious converted from good to better." Over the years the more I have experienced of life and thought about this statement the more I have been convinced of its truth. Yet one may ask, what is so shocking about it?

Before responding to this question, it may be helpful to unpack the implications of this plain fact. What Bernard said of religious unfortunately is true in all states of life: bishops, priests, married men and women. Routine daily experience bears it out. Like any competent speaker, the saint wanted to be clear and direct, and so he spoke of the men in front of him. Yet we may wonder: what is shocking about this prosaic but seldom discussed truth?

Continue reading...

Report: Benedict XVI to name John Paul II...

... venerable in two days. From the "Rome Reports" site:

The late Pope John Paul II is one step closer at getting a spot on the altars, now that Benedict XVI will name him venerable.

Benedict XVI is expected to sign the decree Saturday December 19th.

When the Pope gives a candidate to the altars, the title "venerable" that means he recognizes that they lived the Christian virtues as heroes.

To beatify a candidate, the commission of cardinals and Vatican theologians must certify that God has performed a miracle through his intercession.

Read and see more.

A really fine and beautiful book about the relationship between Benedict and John Paul II is The Legacy of John Paul II
Images and Memories (Ignatius Press, 2005), which includes an essay by then-Cardinal Ratzinger titled, "John Paul II: Twenty Years in History," and the homily he gave at the funeral Mass of John Paul II. Another very interesting and related book is Pawel Zuchniewicz's The Miracles of John Paul II.

With Christians like this...

From The Guardian, news of another cutting edge piece of banality:

A New Zealand church has sparked outrage by erecting a billboard depicting Mary and Joseph lying semi-nude beneath the sheets.

In an unorthodox take on the Christmas tale, the billboard depicts a forlorn Joseph and Mary looking to the sky with a caption which reads: "Poor Joseph. God is a hard act to follow."

The St Matthew-in-the-City church said it wanted to inspire people to talk about the Christmas story.

But within five hours of the billboard going up in downtown Auckland a man was standing on his car roof painting over the raunchy image.

Archdeacon Glynn Cardy said the church meant to challenge a fundamentalist interpretation of Christ's birth.

"What we're trying to do is to get people to think more about what Christmas is all about. Is it about a spiritual male God sending down sperm so a child would be born, or is it about the power of love in our midst as seen in Jesus?"

Well, neither, really. For people so opposed to "a fundamentalist interpretation," these folks seem to have an embarrassingly crude and theologically confused understanding of the mystery of the Incarnation. I've spent a lot of time around Fundamentalists and I've never heard any of them talk about a "spiritual male God sending down sperm." Along with Catholics, Orthodox, and others, most Fundamentalists recognize that the conception of the Incarnate Word in the womb of Mary was a miracle and a mystery. The Catholic Church, for her part, states:

From the first formulations of her faith, the Church has confessed that Jesus was conceived solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, affirming also the corporeal aspect of this event: Jesus was conceived "by the Holy Spirit without human seed". The Fathers see in the virginal conception the sign that it truly was the Son of God who came in a humanity like our own. (CCC, par. 496)

The Gospel accounts understand the virginal conception of Jesus as a divine work that surpasses all human understanding and possibility... (CCC, par. 497)

The people at St Matthew-in-the-City church appear to want to have the warm and fuzzies of Christmas —"the power of live in our midst"—without supernatural facts and historical particularities, which apparently embarrass them. Their problem isn't that they are provocative (if they are, it is only in a most infantile way); it's that they are far too tame and dull and boring. Belief in the Incarnation is radical and truly provocative. As Chesterton wrote in Orthodoxy, the "dull heresies" lie "sprawling and prostate, the wild truth reeling but erect." When you have to resort to sex and silliness to "inspire" conversation about Christmas, you show a far deeper attachment to glib controversy than to the reality of Christ and the real meaning of Christmas.

Harry Sylvester's "Novel of Conversion"

Harry Sylvester's "Novel of Conversion" | Foreword to Harry Sylvester's Dayspring | Philip Jenkins | Ignatius Insight

Literary reputations are delicate things. An author who today is touted as the next Faulkner or Dickens can be completely forgotten in only a few years, while others rise from utter obscurity. Harry Sylvester, unfortunately, followed the first of these trajectories. He was hugely popular in the 1940s, when knowledgeable critics compared him to other great Catholic writers of the era, to Thomas Merton, J. F. Powers, and Dorothy Day. Today, though, he is all but forgotten, and until recently even his best-known works were hard to find.

That eclipse is a tragedy. Not only was Harry Sylvester a powerful novelist in his own right, but Dayspring belongs in  the very select list of American spiritual classics, of its great Christian novels. If the book had been written in Europe--if the book you have before you had been translated from French, say, or from Russian or Danish--then we would now regard it as a cherished religious text, a mainstay of college literature courses. We would know it as the kind of book that changes lives. Any literate person would be ashamed not to have read it. As it is, the book suffered from being just too accessible, and then it vanished without trace. Ignatius Press deserves our highest thanks for bringing it back to a general readership.

Born in 1908, Harry Sylvester seemed destined to be known as one of America's great Catholic writers. After graduating from Notre Dame (where he played football for Knute Rockne), he enjoyed a solid reputation as a prolific journalist and short-story writer. As he wrote so much about boxing, sports, hunting, and bullfighting, it was natural to call him the "Catholic Hemingway". By the 1940S, Sylvester was one of the most frequent contributors to magazines like Collier's and Scribner's, and he also wrote for America and Commonweal. At the end of the 1940S, though, an "intellectual dis-conversion" pushed Sylvester away from the Church, and that transformation cut him off from his natural readership. He effectively dropped off the Catholic map, and none of his later writings had anything like the same appeal for a mainstream secular audience. By the time of his death in 1993, he was largely forgotten in the literary world.

Continue reading...

Atheist warns of "insidious and creeping reign of terror" against...

... Christianity and "the European and British cultural and religious heritage". The atheist is Theodore Dalrymple (Anthony M. Daniels), author of several excellent books on (especially British and European) culture and society. He recently commented, in the pages of Daily Express (Dec. 11, 2009), on a recent court case involving a Christian couple accused of verbal abuse by a Muslim:

BY FAR the most significant thing about the case against Benjamin and Sharon Vogelenzang was that it reached a court of law in the first place. This evangelical Christian couple who run a hotel were accused of making derogatory remarks about the religion of one of their guests, Ericka Tazi, a Muslim convert, and thereby spreading religious hatred and contempt.

Mrs Tazi was found to have exaggerated the couple’s verbal abuse grossly but the fact that the case was thrown out of court should not blind us to the insidious and creeping reign of terror that the Government has introduced in Britain by facilitating this kind of prosecution.

While the criminal justice system actively promotes real crime by its refusal to repress it vigorously, it attempts to make criminals of Mr and Mrs Vogelenzang because they expressed forthright Christian beliefs.

For myself I do not much care to be buttonholed by religious enthusiasts but in a free  country that is a situation with which citizens must be expected to cope on their own without resort to the courts.

Apart from this, however, there is the strong suspicion that if the boot had been on the other foot, if the Vogelenzangs had complained about remarks made by Mrs Tazi about their religion, no case would have come to court.
   
THE reason for the difference in approach is an officially-sponsored indifference or hostility to anything which might be considered part of the European and British cultural and religious heritage, combined with a  tender regard for any non- European and non-British  cultural heritage.

Definitely read the entire essay, which makes some excellent observations about elitism and "multiculturalism."

In somewhat related news here in the United States:

My wife and I took a little 2600 mile drive last week...

On Monday, December 7th, we received a long awaited phone call, and started packing. The next day, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, we hopped in the van and drove some 1300 miles in two days.

After arriving at our destination, a few states away, we finally met a little boy we had first heard about in the spring, a toddler we had decided in August to foster-to-adopt. We spent about three days with him, getting to know him and letting him get to know us. And then, on that Saturday, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the three of us headed back home, arriving in Oregon last Sunday evening. The little guy was a real trooper, and he has been doing very well, getting used to his new home and our two older children.

In six months we'll be able to pursue adoption, which has been our goal all along. After what happened last year, we are, of course, a bit wary of what could possibly go wrong. However, this situation is quite different (it is a foster-to-adopt through state agencies) and everything has gone well—incredibly well, actually—so far.

Meanwhile, I'm working to, well, do some work as our household adjusts to another young one. My wife and I are now outnumbered, but happily so. Life is mysterious, God is good, and the light of love continues to shine down and onto the path of our pilgrimage here on earth.

Is the pending health-care reform legislation "a grave evil"?

Phil Lawler of Catholic Culture makes a succinct but strong case that it is, providing four essential points of argument. The first is about abortion, the topic that has, of course, dominated much of the debate over the health-care "reform", especially in Catholic circles. That is understandable, but Lawler goes further and rightly points to other issues that haven't garnered much attention. The fourth is one I believe has not been talked about nearly enough by Catholics, despite the efforts of a few bishops and some lay people:

Fourth, and most important, a massive new federal program would violate a cardinal precept of Catholic social teaching. In an ideal world, medical decisions are made by individuals, families, and their doctors. Hospital administrators and insurance adjusters complicate that relationship, but it is difficult to devise a modern health-care system that could avoid such complications. However, allowing the ultimate authority over health-care decisions to flow to Washington-- to be settled by functionaries who are unacquainted with the circumstances of individual cases—violates the principles of common sense, American federalism, and subsidiarity.

The principle of subsidiarity teaches (as the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1894) puts it) that “neither the state nor any larger society should substitute itself for the initiative and responsibility of individuals and intermediary bodies.” Since health-care coverage can surely be handled by private organizations, resort to the government is questionable at best. Since state governments can surely regulate health insurance, federal involvement is clearly unnecessary.

And not only unnecessary but unjust, according to the best traditions of Catholic social thought. In Quadregesimo Anno (79), Pope Pius XI explained:

As history abundantly proves, it is true that on account of changed conditions many things which were done by small associations in former times cannot be done now save by large associations. Still, that most weighty principle, which cannot be set aside or changed, remains fixed and unshaken in social philosophy: Just as it is gravely wrong to take from individuals what they can accomplish by their own initiative and industry and give it to the community, so also it is an injustice and at the same time a grave evil and disturbance of right order to assign to a greater and higher association what lesser and subordinate organizations can do.

By those standards, set forth in one of the main magisterial texts of Catholic social teaching, the health-care reform legislation now pending before Congress could be judged an “injustice” and a “disturbance of right order.” But Pope Pius XI used still stronger language. Such a program, he said, would be “a grave evil.”

Meanwhile, over on the American Spectator site, Alan F.H. Wisdom, Vice President of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, outlines (without using the term "subsidiarity") how the issues of abortion and subsidiarity are interconnected:

 The moral questions about the boundaries of health care become more acute as health care is centralized. When health care is provided through local markets with a multiplicity of players offering disparate services, individuals have freedom to choose the options that best fit their moral convictions.

But to the extent that health care reform concentrates decisions in the federal government, it raises the stakes. With the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) defining essential benefits under private insurance while also bringing more people directly under federal programs, HHS will increasingly be making moral decisions for everyone. Either it will respect religious consciences and limit some of the standard services, or it will force numbers of religious believers to participate in a health care system that violates their consciences. This is the nub of the current dispute about abortion coverage.

Put simply, as more power and control is given to (or taken by) a centralized federal government, there is less freedom and control in the possession of state governments, local governments, families, and individuals. In the words of Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo, North Dakota:

There is a danger in being persuaded to think that the national government is the sole instrument of the common good. Rather, according to the classic principle of subsidiarity in Catholic social thought, many different communities within society share this responsibility. These various strands of community life within society build up a strong and cohesive social fabric that is the hallmark of a true communion of persons. States, towns, fraternal organizations, businesses, cooperatives, parishes and especially the family have not only legitimate freedom to provide the goods they are rightly capable of supplying, but often times do so with far greater efficiency, less bureaucracy and, most importantly, with personalized care and love. (Letter to Priests, Deacons, Religious and Faithful of the Diocese of Fargo, August 28, 2009; PDF file)

It seems readily evident to me that if the health-care legislation passes, the freedom lost will not merely be about medicine and health (as important as those issues are), but about moral and religious beliefs relating to everything from abortion to research to end of life decisions. The power and control will move in just one direction: top to bottom. Any semblance of balance will be lost.

A good example of a similar tranformation is compulsory public education, which has, over the decades, morphed into a vast, centralized federal system, to the point that many parents either don't even consider education to be their responsibility, or they are continually having to battle initiatives and programs that reflect the will of technocrats and the belief of supposed experts, not the beliefs, traditions, and morals of families and the local community. Perhaps most bothersome is how readily many Americans accept public education as the norm, and everything else (private schools, homeschooling, etc.) as strange, backwards, or even "anti-social." Could it be that in just a decade or two we will have largely resigned ourselves to the reality of a mammoth, monolithic nationalized healthcare system, with only vague memories of life prior?

Related Links from Insight Scoop and Ignatius Insight:

• Bishop Samuel J. Aquila: "The means of providing access to health care..." (Insight Scoop, September 1, 2009)
• On poisoned water and the principle of subsidiarity (Insight Scoop, August 17, 2009)
• Governmental expansion and the principle of subsidiarity (Insight Scoop, March 4, 2009)
• On one hand, this should be obvious... (Insight Scoop, December 5, 2008)
• What Is Catholic Social Teaching? A Review Essay on An Introduction to Catholic Social Teaching | Mark Brumley
• "Can Catholics Be 'Real Americans'?" | Mark Brumley
• On Being Catholic American | Joseph A. Varacalli
• The State Which Would Provide Everything | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• Secularity: On Benedict XVI and the Role of Religion in Society | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.

Benedict XVI on John of Salisbury, natural law, "immutable truth"

The Holy Father continues to plumb the depths and mine the riches of medieval theology and philosophy. From Vatican Information Service:

JOHN OF SALISBURY: NATURAL LAW MUST INSPIRE POSITIVE LAW

VATICAN CITY, 16 DEC 2009 (VIS) - Benedict XVI focused his catechesis during this morning's general audience on the figure of John of Salisbury, a philosopher and theologian born in England towards the beginning of the twelfth century.

 Educated in Paris and Chartres, John of Salisbury acted as counsellor to various archbishops of Canterbury at whose service he placed his vast knowledge and diplomatic skills. One of these was Thomas Becket whom John followed into exile in France when that archbishop fell into dispute with King Henry II who wished to affirmed his authority over the Church and thus limit her freedom. As an elderly man, John was appointed bishop of Chartres, where he remained until his death in 1180.

 The Pope mentioned John of Salisbury's two principal works: the "Metaloghicon" (In defence of logic) and the "Policraticus" (The man of government). In the first of these John expresses the view that "believers and theologians who study the treasure of the faith deeply also open themselves to the practical knowledge which guides everyday actions; in other words, to moral laws and the exercise of virtue".

 The central thesis of the "Policraticus" is that there exists "an objective and immutable truth, the origin of which is in God, a truth accessible to human reason and which concerns practical and social activities. This is a natural law from which human legislation, and political and religious authorities, must draw inspiration in order to promote the common good". This natural law is characterised by a property "which John calls 'equity', by which he means giving each person his rights. From here arise precepts which are legitimate to all peoples and which cannot under any circumstances be abrogated".

 "The question of the relationship between natural law and positive law, as mediated by equity, is still of great importance", said Benedict XVI. "Indeed, in our own time, and especially in certain countries, we are witnessing a disquieting fracture between reason, which has the task of discovering the ethical values associated with human dignity, and freedom, which has the responsibility of accepting and promoting those values.

 "Perhaps", he added, "John of Salisbury would remind us today that the only 'equitable' laws are those that defend the sacredness of human life and reject the legitimacy of abortion, euthanasia and unrestrained genetic experimentation; the laws that respect the dignity of marriage between a man and a woman, that are inspired by a correct understanding of the secularism of the State - a secularism that must always include the safeguarding of religious freedom - and that seek subsidiarity and solidarity at the national and international level.

 "Otherwise", the Holy Father concluded: "we would end up with what John of Salisbury defined as the 'tyranny of the prince' or, as we would say, 'the dictatorship of relativism', a relativism which, as I said some years ago, 'recognises nothing as definite and has as its ultimate measure only the self and its own desires'".

A new and excellent book on natural law is The Line Through the Heart: Natural Law as Fact, Theory, and Sign of Contradiction (ISI, 2009), by J. Budziszewski, professor of government and philosophy at University of Texas. I'll have more to say about it in a couple of weeks when I post the Ignatius Insight piece, "Books I Read in 2009". Another excellent introduction to the topic is Fifty Questions on Natural Law: What It Is and Why We Need It (Ignatius Press, 1999), by Dr. Charles Rice.

Also see:

"The Nobel Speech", by Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.

The Nobel Speech | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. | Ignatius Insight | December 16, 2009

"There will be times when nations—acting individually or in concert—will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified." – Barak Obama, "Nobel Peace Address," December 10, 2009.

As far as I can tell, nothing in President Obama's background or politics prepared us for the remarkably sane address that he delivered in Oslo. He previously went around the world apologizing for everything the Americans ever did, only to turn around and say it was absolutely necessary.

When he was first nominated for this famous prize, many voices were raised observing that someone who has done so little was chosen for a peace prize of all things. The selection was written off as Norwegian ideology at its worst. Now, we find out that Obama himself was rather surprised at the honor. He even acknowledged that he has really, as yet at least, done little to deserve it.

Many European leftists were flabbergasted at the speech, almost as if they had been betrayed in their own endorsements. After all, they took not a little credit in getting Obama elected in the first place.

Continue reading...

Mixed Signals: What sort of health care reform is CHA and others advocating?

Mixed Signals: Special Report for December 2009 issue of CWR | Anne Hendershott The strategy of powerful Catholic health care advocates in the debate over reform has left many confused. The battle over health care reform promises to be the most expensive one ever waged in Congress, as armies of lobbyists advance on Washington to demand that new legislation reflect their interests. Recognizing the high stakes involved, hospitals, drug companies, unions, and a host of health care providers ranging from medical device makers to Planned Parenthood have spent nearly $400 million on lobbying. All have a vested interest in “fixing” health care to their advantage. One of the most visible activists involved in shaping health care reform is Sr. Carol Keehan, president of the Catholic Health Association (CHA), an advocacy organization that represents the interests of Catholic hospitals and large Catholic health care organizations throughout the country. Catholic hospitals and health care facilities pay dues to the CHA, whose stated mission is “to promote the Catholic Church’s ministry in health care and to respond to the members’ need to practice quality health care in the communities where they serve.” In an attempt to fulfill this mission, Sr. Keehan has been out on the front lines advocating for health care reform from the earliest days of the Obama administration. On what side of the debate Sr. Keehan’s CHA falls, however, has been unclear and a source of concern given that all reform proposals before November permitted an expansion of abortion rights. Throughout the summer of 2009, the CHA created confusion by issuing unclear communications and producing videos that appeared to many people to be supportive of the president’s health care plans. The CHA’s communications were so unclear that throughout the month of August, most media outlets reported that the CHA unequivocally supported President Obama’s health care plan. David D. Kirkpatrick, a New York Times reporter, was so convinced that the CHA and Catholic Charities USA strongly supported the president’s health plan that he published an article on August 28 declaring just that. Although the New York Times corrected that article on its website on August 29, claiming that its reporter “overstated the support of Catholic Charities and the Catholic Health Association for the president’s plans,” the Times maintains in the revised article that “both organizations have supported his [the president’s] overall approach.” Much of the media confusion began on June 17 when the CHA posted a video on their homepage entitled “I Can’t Wait…for Health Reform.” The video, produced by the CHA, opens with a film clip of President Obama giving a speech in which he declares: “Let there be no doubt: health care reform cannot wait, it must not wait, and it will not wait another year.” This clip is followed by pictures of dozens of individuals—some of them nuns and priests—holding up signs calling for health care reform. Each of the signs echoes President Obama’s “I Can’t Wait” rhetoric, and each adds a distinctive tag line, like “I can’t wait for health care for my baby” or “I can’t wait for health care for our patients.” The video concludes with the statement “Now is the time to create a health care system that works for everyone. Because we the people can’t wait.” It is not unreasonable for someone viewing the video to conclude that the CHA supports President Obama’s health care plan. This conclusion is strengthened by the fact that just a few weeks after the release of the video, the CHA joined Catholic Charities USA and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul to issue an “action alert” urging constituents to tell their legislators to “pass health care legislation now.” The directive from the three organizations stated: “Please call and email your representative in the next 24 hours expressing your support for Congress to enact health care reform now.” These Catholic organizations, like President Obama’s Democratic supporters, wanted to encourage lawmakers to pass health care reform before Congress’ summer recess. Catholic Charities USA also linked to the CHA’s “I Can’t Wait” video on its homepage—implying its own organizational support for the current health care plans. In one clip in the video features a large group of individuals wearing purple t-shirts with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul logo—implying the support for the president’s health care reform from the employees or friends of St. Vincent’s. While one of the dozens of signs in the video is held by a Catholic bishop and carries the tag line “I can’t wait for health care that respects life,” there are no qualifiers or disclaimers anywhere in the video indicating that the CHA only supports health care reform if there is an amendment that would prevent the provision of abortion services. The message seemed clear to many viewers, including, presumably, the New York Times reporter: the Catholic Health Association supports the president’s health care reform—in spite of the fact that the president’s health care reform continues to include an expansion of abortion services.

Read the entire article...

"I don't believe in over-population!"

Surprise, surprise!

There have been two important changes...

... made to the Code of Canon Law; Dr. Ed Peters provides some explanation:

Of the two changes to the 1983 Code announced today in ap. lit. Omnium in mentem, the second (that dealing with the obligation of canonical form for marriage) may be explained quickly.

Ever since the 1983 Code, chiefly in Canon 1117, exempted Catholics from the requirement of observing canonical form if they had "formally defected" from the Church, there have been high-level grumblings against the admittedly novel provision, along the lines of, why should Catholics get to pick and choose which canon laws they want to follow and which ones they don't (as if that were a fair way to describe the situation).

Overlooked in most such complaints, though, was the fact that, by exempting Catholics from having to observe form if they had left the Church before marrying outside of it, Canon 1117 made it more difficult for those renegade Catholics to later walk away from marriages they had entered with people, Protestants and others, who often enough had married them in good faith.

Read it all.

WPD 2010 Theme: "If You Want To Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation"

Update: Thanks to readers for catching the error in my original headline ("WYD"). It has now been corrected to "WPD".

From Vatican Information Service:

BENEDICT XVI PRESENTS A COSMIC VISION OF PEACE

VATICAN CITY, 15 DEC 2009 (VIS) - Today in the Holy See Press Office Cardinal Renato Martino, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and Bishop Mario Toso S.D.B., secretary of the same dicastery, presented the Pope's Message for the forty-third World Day of Peace, which is due to be celebrated on 1 January 2010. The Message has as its theme: "If You Want To Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation".

 In his remarks the cardinal recalled how, in previous Messages, Benedict XVI had spoken of peace as "a gift of God in Truth" (2006), as "the fruit of respect for the human person" (2007), as "an expression of the communion of the human family" and as "a call to eliminate all forms of poverty, material and immaterial" (2009). Thus, he went on, "following this ideal 'itinerary of peace', the Pope comes to the context in which humanity receives its vocation to peace: the creation".

 In his Message this year the Pope presents "a cosmic vision of peace" a peace which "comes about in a state of harmony between God, humankind and the creation. In this perspective, environmental degradation is an expression not only of a break in the harmony between humankind and the creation, but of a profound deterioration in the unity between humankind and God", said the cardinal.

 The Holy Father highlights the "urgent need for action", although he "does not propose technical solutions and does not seek to interfere in the policy of governments. Rather, he recalls the Church's commitment to defending the earth" and enumerates a series of "perspectives for the shared progress of humankind". This series includes "a non-reductive vision of the nature of human beings", a call to collective responsibility, and "a profound revision of development models".

 Cardinal Martino also explained how the text of the papal Message calls for a coherent approach to "the universal destination of the goods of creation" and underlines "the need for renewed solidarity, extended over space and time, between generations" and "between developed and developing countries, while at the same time avoiding partial viewpoints that tend to exaggerate certain responsibilities more than others". Finally, the cardinal noted, the Pope calls "for a balanced use of energy resources".

 Benedict XVI concludes his message with an "expression of hope in the intelligence and dignity of man" tracing "a path of profound harmony, both interior and exterior, between the Creator, humankind and the creation", said Cardinal Martino.

 In conclusion, the president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace noted the Pope's deliberate decision to dedicate his Message this year to the theme of ecology, as it coincides with the thirtieth anniversary of the proclamation of St. Francis of Assisi, author of the 'Laudes Creaturarum', as patron saint of the environment. "Love for the creation, if projected onto a spiritual horizon, can lead mankind to brotherhood with his fellows and to union with God", he said.

MESSAGE FOR WORLD DAY OF PEACE

VATICAN CITY, 15 DEC 2009 (VIS) - The Message of Pope Benedict XVI for the celebration of the forty-third World Day of Peace was made public today. the Day is due to be celebrated on 1 January 2010 and has as its theme: "If You Want To Cultivate Peace, Protect Creation".

 Extracts from the English-language translation of the Message are given below:

"O' Unity Tree, O' Unity Tree"

O' Unity Tree, O' Unity Tree | Dr. Paul Kengor | December 14, 2009 | Ignatius Insight

'Tis the season. ... That is, to not refer to the Christmas Season as the "Christmas Season."

Of course, that's old news. But what's new news, or recent news, is the bewildering refusal in some quarters to call a "Christmas tree" a Christmas tree. Unfortunately, this isn't new to those of us from the Pittsburgh area. On that, I'd like to enlighten folks around the country, hopefully providing some exposure to something that merits national ridicule.

Each year, the City of Pittsburgh kicks off the "Holiday Season" with its "Light Up Night." The crowning touch (for almost a half century) is the lighting of the Christmas tree. This wonderful tradition connects Pittsburghers to the roots of their parents and grandparents.

For me, however, as a native Pittsburgher and a Christian, the moment has been spoiled: the Christmas tree is no longer called "the Christmas Tree." No, it is called "the Unity Tree."

Seriously, I'm not making this up. Outsiders will recoil or laugh hysterically at the thought, but it's true--and has been for quite a while now. (Click here.)

There's a curious thing about the Unity Tree, which always baffles me: It only comes out at Christmas time. Why is that?

Read the entire essay...

Fr. Larry Richards guests today on "Kresta in the Afternoon"

From the "Kresta in the Afternoon" blog:

5:20 (EST) – Be a Man!: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be
Men are rediscovering the importance of the spiritual life. And Father Larry Richards is helping them do it. While some writers apply a one-size-fits-all approach to the Christian life, Father Richards draws on his many years of ministry and his own experience as a man to inspire other men as men.

In Be a Man!, he recounts his struggles to learn true manhood, as well as the inspiring stories of others he has served in his decades as a priest. He tells men how to focus on the right goal, how to live as a beloved son of God, of the need to acknowledge one's faults and to live according to the Holy Spirit, to be a man of true love and of wisdom, to appreciate properly the differences between men and women, to pursue holiness, and to make a difference in the world. We explore how to become the man God created you to be.

You can listen to the program live online, or listen to the archived program later in the week.

For more about Fr. Richards, as well as excerpts from his book, visit the "Be a Man!" website, or listen to my recent interview with him.

• Radio schedule for Fr. Larry Richards (Dec. 11, 2009)

"St. John of the Cross" by Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M.

St. John of the Cross | Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M. | From Fire Within: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, and the Gospel--On Prayer

When we compare the amount of information available about the person of St. John of the Cross with what we have for many other saints, such as Teresa and John Vianney, we may say that we know both more and less. Concerning biographical data, concrete facts, historical happenings, we know less about the former than we do about the latter. From the extensive eyewitness accounts given for the canonization processes for the Curé of Ars and for Teresa of Jesus, we know a great deal about their daily activities and about how they appeared in the eyes of others. The latter also tells us much about herself in her autobiography, her Book of Foundations and the many letters that have survived. St. John of the Cross said nothing about his activities in his major works, and a mere handful of his letters have come down to us. However, we do know from other parties enough of his manner and deeds to form an accurate picture of his personality.

Yet in some ways we know much more about John than about other saints and other famous men and women. What we know so extremely well about him is what is most important about anyone: his deepest self. And because his inner life was so immensely rich, there is far more to know than what we find in the ordinary heroes and heroines of history. Though this saint seldom used the personal pronoun I in his writing, he is of course constantly revealing his inner depths. In this John is incomparable. There are few men or women in history who have combined in their persons the loftiest sublimity of love experiences with an extraordinary talent for describing them.

While we have already noted that a man's life activities and written words are mutual commentaries, we must add that this truth is especially pertinent to St. John of the Cross. His teaching is the unvarnished Gospel, neither more nor less, and to understand it rightly with neither exaggeration nor diminution we need to see in his manner and deeds how he himself applied it to the concrete circumstances of the daily round. His mode of life is likewise a silent but eloquent testimony of what is indispensable for deep prayer to be given and received.

What kind of man was this saint who is so seldom well understood? We may say that he was serene, plain, simple ... fearless of enemies but gentle toward everyone... intelligent and logical.. . outspoken but soft spoken. . . powerfully resolute and completely honest. moderate but by no means mediocre.. . uncompromising with principles but compassionate with human failings ... poetically brilliant but no weaver of euphemisms... hard on himself but tender with others.

Continue reading...

"Rejoice in the Lord always!": The Third Sunday of Advent

This Sunday comes midway between the beginning of Advent and the great feast of Christmas. It has been known traditionally as Gaudete Sunday, taken from the Latin word for rejoice, the first word of the opening antiphon of the Mass: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” The readings are filled with joy and exultation, and the strong sense of anticipation, so much a part of Advent, is heightened further, culminating with Luke’s description of John the Baptist preaching “the good news to the people.”

Although not overtly obvious, the readings have a Marian character. This is especially true of the first reading. Writing during the reign of King Josiah (640-609 B.C.), Zephaniah made an urgent call for reform and spiritual renewal, anticipating the more extended mission of Jeremiah. After warning of judgment and the impending Day of the Lord (chapter 1-2), the prophet ended his short book with a hymn of joy to be sung by the faithful remnant when restored to Zion.

Understood in the light of the New Covenant, this faithful remnant is both a people, the Church, and a specific person, the faithful Daughter of Zion. As the Catechism explains in remarking on this verse, “Mary, in whom the Lord himself has just made his dwelling, is the daughter of Zion in person, the ark of the covenant, the place where the glory of the Lord dwells” (CCC 2676; cf CCC 722). Zephaniah proclaimed that the King of Israel was in the midst of Zion, the people of God; He is also, of course, with Mary in a most unique way: “The Lord is with Thee, blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.”

Two implicit questions are suggested by the readings: “Are we ready to meet our Savior?” and “Do we recognize Him among us?” Today’s responsorial, the twelfth chapter of Isaiah, declares that the great and Holy One of Israel is “among you.” The great prophet, who had seen a glorious vision of the throne of God (Isa 6), stated that he is “confident and unafraid.” His words were taken up centuries later by Mary, the Mother of the Holy One of Israel, in her Canticle: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior” (Lk 1:46-47). Both gave the same reasons for their confidence and joy: it is God, holy and loving, who saves His people. Fittingly, Isaiah’s prophetic book emphasizes that the time of salvation is at hand, that God is revealing Himself to those who are waiting for Him.

Likewise, today’s Epistle reading, from Saint Paul’s letter to the Philippians, states, “The Lord is near.” For those who face judgment and refuse to acknowledge their sinful state, the nearness of God is cause for fear and dread. But for those in Christ, the nearness of God brings a supernatural peace that “surpasses all understanding.” This is cause for rejoicing and thanksgiving; it is the basis for the Christian’s daily prayer: “In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess 5:18).

The Gospel reading is again from the third chapter of Luke, and it further describes the work of John the Baptist as he baptized and taught the people, proclaiming the coming Messiah. The prophetic message of Jesus’ cousin had affected powerfully those who were generally considered by the religious authorities to be on the edges of society: the poor, tax collectors, and Roman soldiers. Three times John is asked: “What should we do?” It is a question repeated elsewhere in Luke’s writings in situations dealing with conversion (Lk 10:25; 18:18; Acts 2:37; 16:30; 22:10). Like his prophetic predecessors, John is a teacher of morals who urges his listeners to conversion and righteousness. The coming of the Savior is a cause for rejoicing; it is also a call to repentance, and to practice justice and mercy.

When questioned about his identity, John explains that the Christ will not baptize only with water, but with the Holy Spirit and fire, a foreshadowing of the powerful events on a future day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). It also highlights the message of salvation and judgment, both of which come in the Person of Jesus Christ. Are we, like Mary, ready to meet Him? Do we, like John, recognize Him among us?

(Originally published in the December 17, 2006, edition of Our Sunday Visitor.)

• Benedict XVI: Advent "invites us to remain silent as we come to appreciate a presence." (Nov. 30, 2009)
• Two for Advent (Nov. 19, 2009)
• "Be Vigilant At All Times" | A Reflection on the First Sunday of Advent | Carl E. Olson
• The Mystery Made Present To Us | Fr. Alfred Delp, S.J.
• "All of life is Advent": On the life and death of Alfred Delp, S.J. | Abtei St. Walburg

You'd have to be utterly stupid or gullible...

... to be taken in by this sort of nonsense, courtesy of Aussie politics and press:

NSW Premier Kristina Keneally is in 'utter agreement' with the teachings of the Catholic Church but wants female priests, the vow of celibacy relaxed and supports abortion.

In related news, I'm in utter agreement with the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but believe Joseph Smith was a con artist, think the Book of Mormon is nonsensical, and want the LDS to publicly and financially support abortion. Is that a problem?

The mother of two and church-going Catholic challenges much of Rome's governing doctrine but believes in the scripture.

'When it comes to the core teachings of the church, who Jesus was, what he taught, what his message was, I'm in complete and utter agreement with the church,' Ms Keneally told the ABC program.

In other words, Ms Keneally is a liberal Protestant. She agrees with the Catholic Church when it suits her politically to be appear "Catholic" and she disagrees with the Catholic Church when it suits her politically to not be Catholic. So, that opening paragraph should have stated:

NSW Premier Kristina Keneally is in 'utter agreement' with her own beliefs, which occasionally and conveniently agree with some teachings of the Catholic Church but not when it comes to the nature of the priesthood, the ordination of women, the discipline of celibacy, and the evil nature of abortion.

Or as she put it: "Look, my views are my views." I utterly agree.

Pope Benedict XVI: The Great Consolidator?

Jeremy Lott makes the case in The American Spectator:

BENEDICT'S CONSUMING INSIGHT as pope seems to be that time has made a lot of old theological differences matter less and brought new ones to the fore. Anglicans used to want Catholic tradition but not the pope. Now they may need him to hold on to their tradition. The Orthodox must contend with a demographic decline, but wouldn't have to if they grafted themselves onto Rome. Traditionalists wanted iron-clad protection for the Latin Mass, and got it.

His message will not appeal to everyone, as well he knows. In her book Ratzinger's Faith, philosopher and theologian Tracey Rowlands points out how utterly opposed he is to feminism. At some level, he just can't bring himself to take it seriously. Against calls for female ordination, he "cited the judgment of feminist theologian Elisabeth Schussler-Fiorenza that ‘true feminists' should actually oppose the ordination of women and work to abolish the phenomenon of ordination itself" -- since ordination is a product of patriarchy and thus, by their logic, bad. In other words, good luck with that, ladies.

Benedict thinks that his Church has got the basics all right and that it is well positioned to hold out against current trends and decide, in the fullness of time, whether innovations are wise. He's willing to extend that protection to Christians of other communions, to consolidate the faithful under a rule of faith that is both flexible and at the same time unyielding.

That makes him a conservative but a radical one. The easiest way to change a church is to drastically change her membership, and that is exactly what the pope is calling for with his impatient prodding to bring whole communions into the flock. Yesterday the traditionalists, today the Anglicans, tomorrow the Orthodox, and the day after, oh, let's say the Lutherans. After all, this pope is from Germany, there has been centuries of ecumenical spadework, and Lutherans are sacramentally inclined Christians who are currently experiencing tremors over issues of sexuality.

If he succeeds, the moniker that future generations should use for him -- the only really accurate one -- is the Great Consolidator.

Read the entire article.

• "A Revolutionary of the Christian Type" | Peter Seewald | The Preface to Benedict XVI: An Intimate Portrait
• Benedict XVI's Theological Vision: An Introduction | Monsignor Joseph Murphy | From the introduction to Christ Our Joy: The Theological Vision of Pope Benedict XVI
• The Theological Genius of Joseph Ratzinger | An Interview with Fr. D. Vincent Twomey, S.V.D.
• The Courage To Be Imperfect | The Introduction to Pope Benedict XVI: The Conscience of Our Age (A Theological Portrait) | D. Vincent Twomey, S.V.D.

Radio schedule for Fr. Larry Richards

Fr. Larry Richards, author of Be a Man! Becoming the Man God Created You to Be, will be a guest on the following programs and radio stations this coming week and in mid-January:

Monday, December 14:
    •    8:00am ET; Seize the Day heard on The Catholic Channel (Sirius/XM)
    •    5:20pm ET; Kresta in the Afternoon heard on EWTN affiliate stations and Sirius/XM
  
Wednesday, December 16:
    •    6:00am ET; Spirit Mornings heard on KVSS in Omaha and Lincoln, NE
    •    1:00pm ET; Catholics in Action heard on St. Valentine Catholic Radio in Amarillo, TX
    •    2:00pm ET; On Call heard on Relevant Radio stations
    •    4:15pm ET; Come To Me heard on Domestic Church Media, WFJS 1260 AM in Trenton, NJ
 
Thursday, December 17:
    •    9:35am ET; Catholic Connection heard on EWTN affiliate stations and Sirius/XM
   
Wednesday, January 13:
    •    6:00pm ET; Catholic Answers heard on EWTN affiliate stations, Sirius/XM and other Catholic stations
 
Tuesday, January 19:
    •    11:00am ET; Mornings with Dina Marie on KBVM in Portland, OR

For more about Fr. Richards, as well as excerpts from his book, visit the "Be a Man!" website, or listen to my recent interview with him.

Be a Man! Becoming the Man God Created You to Be | Fr. Larry Richards

• Also available in downloadable e-book format

Men are rediscovering the importance of the spiritual life. And Father Larry Richards is helping them do it. While some writers apply a one-size-fits-all approach to the Christian life, Father Richards draws on his many years of ministry and his own experience as a man to inspire other men as men.

In Be a Man!, he recounts his struggles to learn true manhood, as well as the inspiring stories of others he has served in his decades as a priest. He tells men how to focus on the right goal, how to live as a beloved son of God, of the need to acknowledge one's faults and to live according to the Holy Spirit, to be a man of true love and of wisdom, to appreciate properly the differences between men and women, to pursue holiness, and to make a difference in the world. Not preachy but direct, Father Richards challenges men to be strong, without putting on a mask of false strength or machismo. He calls men to admit their weaknesses and limitations, while urging them to find strength in faith and genuine love to overcome their sins and faults.

Although a celibate priest, he minces no words when it comes to the place of sexuality--for the unmarried man as well as for the married man. He shows that true manliness is not opposed to love but thrives on it. Father Richards stresses that a relationship with Christ reveals the meaning of a man's life and his identity as a man. He inspires men to become the true heroes they long to be--men of authentic courage, compassion and integrity. This is a highly readable book for men by a man who knows how to talk to men about the things that matter most.

"Father Larry talks straight to men in his own manly style. He pulls no spiritual punches--I don't think he knows how to! He pokes, pushes, sometimes verbally slaps men into being God's men, all with an obvious love for them and faith in their ability to persevere to heaven." -- Dr. Ray Guarendi, radio host and author

"Be a Man is a must-read for all men who are serious about strengthening their relationship with God. This exceptional book speaks clearly and directly, challenging men to live their faith with courage and conviction. Be a Man is a spiritual wake-up call that offers a refreshingly honest presentation of what it means to be a man of God. With a unique blend of humor, passion, and frankness that has become his trademark style, Fr. Larry Richards explores how a Christ-centered male spirituality fosters growth in holiness, and inspires men to become loving servants of their wives, families, and the Church." -- Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, Aurem Cordis apostolate

"A Kindly Providence": A story of high adventure

I recently came upon this review of Fr. Louis L. Renner's book, A Kindly Providence: An Alaskan Missionary's Story (Ignatius Press, 2008), written by Fr. Armand M. Nigro, S.J., Professor Emeritus of Gonzaga University, and Alaskan Missionary 1951-53, and 2005-2008 and director of retreats for its priestly missionaries and people. I'm reprinting it here with kind permission of Fr. Nigro.

When Fr. Louis L. Renner, S.J., my classmate, was about to leave northern Alaska, after over forty years up there, I wrote to him: “My last advice is—write a good autobiography, for the edification of young people for generations to come.” This he did. A Kindly Providence: An Alaskan Missionary's Story was published by Ignatius Press in the year 2008. Having carefully read Fr. Renner’s autobiography, I am confident that it will fascinate, inspire and edify people, young and old, for generations to come. If you are looking for a unique gift, this is your book! (You can order it directly from amazon.com for under $20.00. [Note: And at Ignatius.com as well).

Fr. Renner takes us through his boyhood years as a son of a large family on a North Dakota farm—a farm impoverished by both the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl Era; through teenage years in Tacoma, Washington, where he finished grade and high schools, while peddling newspapers, delivering Western Union telegrams, picking berries, working in a meat-packing plant and on the railroad, serving as a deckhand on tugboats, as a Safeway “Box out!” boy, and as a postal clerk. He entered the Jesuits in 1944, and we follow him through his novitiate and classical studies years at Sheridan, Oregon; three years of philosophical studies in Spokane, Washington; three years of teaching at Seattle Preparatory; four years of theological studies at Alma College, Los Gatos, California (He was ordained a priest in 1957); two years of teaching at Monroe Catholic High in Fairbanks, Alaska; his final year of Jesuit formation at Paray-le-Monial, France; four years of doctoral studies at the University of Munich, Germany, and fifteen years as a professor of German at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks (which he left in 1980 as a Professor of German, Emeritus), and, finally, through his twenty-one years as editor of The Alaskan Shepherd and as fundraiser for the Missionary Diocese of Fairbanks.

In the year 2002, Fr. Renner left Alaska for Gonzaga University in Spokane to carry out a new assignment: to write a comprehensive history of the Catholic Church in Alaska. His copiously illustrated, 702-page Alaskana Catholica: A History of the Catholic Church in Alaska; A Reference Work in the Format of an Encyclopedia was published in the year 2005. Reviewers have described it as “the best available succinct, yet comprehensive, history of the Catholic Church in Alaska….a fascinating, incomparable work…a stand-alone volume, from which all subsequent work will begin. Few historians, whatever their field, will ever make such a contribution.”

The above outline of Fr. Renner’s life is fleshed-out richly in A Kindly Providence. One reviewer writes that “all is there, a clear picture of his life. Renner is a very good writer-- technically competent and very interesting. He kept this reader’s interest throughout the 500-plus page book. I really wanted to see how it ended.” Another writes: “Once I started to read it, I couldn’t put it down. I had to finish it.” Rich in detail, this book is a wonderful testimony to a model life of a happy priest in the twentieth century.

The book is based, not only on Fr. Renner’s remarkable memory, but also on his personal diaries and correspondence, on official documents, and on accounts written by him of his unusual adventures during over forty years in Alaska. Substantial quotes from diaries, letters, and official documents give readers a feeling of being actually present at those events in far-off places. The many photographs illustrating the narrative lend an air of immediacy and give us a vicarious experience of the author’s personal life.

A Kindly Providence will be read with fascination by young and old alike. When Fr. Renner was asked by the Ignatius Press interviewer, “What kind of readers do you think will find your autobiography interesting reading?” he answered, “The contents of the book are of broad, human interest. I am confident that it will appeal to a wide readership….to any and all people interested in Alaska….to missionary-minded people….to athletes….to young people struggling to find their vocation in life….people working toward advanced academic degrees….classroom teachers….editors of periodicals….writers of articles and books….people who love to travel.” Alaska and adventure are virtually inseparable. Readers find themselves accompanying him, as he hikes the historic Chilkoot Trail, travels with Eskimos in their skin boats to King Island and Little Diomede Island in Bering Strait, flies countless hours in small planes to various Alaskan ‘bush’ villages, drives the wilderness roads of the North, climbs the highest peak on the Seward Peninsula, rubber-rafts the Copper River, goes on sheep hunts in the high country, fishes commercially for salmon in Bristol Bay.

St. Therese, patroness of the Alaska missions, wrote her Story of a Soul. A Kindly Providence has much soul in it; but, being an Alaskan missionary’s story, it is also a story of high adventure.

Enough! Think Christmas! Think gift! Think A Kindly Providence!

Also see: