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"Holy Mary, Mother of God, you have given the world its true light..."

From Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical, Deus caritas est ("God is Love"), and also included in Maria: Pope Benedict XVI on the Mother of God (Ignatius Press, 2009):

The lives of the saints are not limited to their earthly biographies but also include their being and working in God after death. In the saints one thing becomes clear: those who draw near to God do not withdraw from men, but rather become truly close to them. In no one do we see this more clearly than in Mary. The words addressed by the crucified Lord to his disciple—to John and through him to all disciples of Jesus: “Behold, your mother!” (Jn 19:27)—are fulfilled anew in every generation. Mary has truly become the Mother of all believers. Men and women of every time and place have recourse to her motherly kindness and her virginal purity and grace, in all their needs and aspirations, their joys and sorrows, their moments of loneliness and their common endeavours. They constantly experience the gift of her goodness and the unfailing love which she pours out from the depths of her heart. The testimonials of gratitude, offered to her from every continent and culture, are a recognition of that pure love which is not self- seeking but simply benevolent. At the same time, the devotion of the faithful shows an infallible intuition of how such love is possible: it becomes so as a result of the most intimate union with God, through which the soul is totally pervaded by him—a condition which enables those who have drunk from the fountain of God's love to become in their turn a fountain from which “flow rivers of living water” (Jn 7:38). Mary, Virgin and Mother, shows us what love is and whence it draws its origin and its constantly renewed power. To her we entrust the Church and her mission in the service of love:

    Holy Mary, Mother of God,
    you have given the world its true light,
    Jesus, your Son – the Son of God.
    You abandoned yourself completely
    to God's call
    and thus became a wellspring
    of the goodness which flows forth from him.
    Show us Jesus. Lead us to him.
    Teach us to know and love him,
    so that we too can become
    capable of true love
    and be fountains of living water
    in the midst of a thirsting world.

Maria: Pope Benedict XVI on the Mother of God

Pope Benedict XVI

This glorious volume is a lavishly illustrated coffee-table book with dozens of inspirational and famous color paintings, sculptures and artwork of the Blessed Virgin Mary from all over the world. The beautiful pictures are
accompanied by the profound writings and homilies of Pope Benedict XVI on the person of Mary, and her unique role in human history and in the plan of God for salvation history.

The gorgeous paintings and artwork are from many different centuries, some very famous and others less well-known. Many of these artworks are located at popular Marian shrines that Pope Benedict has visited and honored with special events, prayers and homilies, depicted throughout this volume. Some of the famous Marian images include Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Czestochowa (the "Black Madonna"), Queen of the Holy Rosary, Our Lady of Loreto, Queen of Carmel, and many others.

Pope Benedict offers in-depth, inspirational reflections on the unique spiritual role Mary has as the Mother of the Savior, showing her to be the universal "woman" that Jesus calls her in the Gospels, his mother that God made the spiritual mother of all mankind. Using Biblical references of Mary as "full of grace" and the "woman clothed with the sun", Pope Benedict emphasizes that Mary's main role is to lead us to union with Jesus, to help us know and love him much better and to be his true followers.

A lovely gift book as well as one to use for inspiring spiritual reading, meditation and reflection. Continue reading...

"Avatar": An "unapologetically religious" movie

I've not seen Avatar, but Jonah Goldberg has (along with millions of others), and he makes the following remarks:

The film has been subjected to a sustained assault from many on the right, most notably by Ross Douthat in the New York Times, as an “apologia for pantheism.” Douthat’s criticisms hit the mark, but the most relevant point was raised by John Podhoretz in The Weekly Standard. Cameron wrote Avatar, says Podhoretz, “not to be controversial, but quite the opposite: He was making something he thought would be most pleasing to the greatest number of people.”

What would have been controversial is if — somehow — Cameron had made a movie in which the good guys accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts.

Of course, that sounds outlandish and absurd, but that’s the point, isn’t it? We live in an age in which it’s the norm to speak glowingly of spirituality but derisively of traditional religion. If the Na’Vi were Roman Catholics, there would be boycotts and protests. Make the oversized Smurfs Rousseauian noble savages and everyone nods along, save for a few cranky right-wingers.

I’m certainly one of those cranky right-wingers, though I probably enjoyed the movie as cinematic escapism as much as the next guy.

But what I find interesting about the film is how what is “pleasing to the most people” is so unapologetically religious.

This is good stuff, but Goldberg makes an even better observation a bit later: "What I find fascinating, and infuriating, is how the culture-war debate is routinely described by antagonists on both sides as a conflict between the religious and the un-religious. The faith instinct manifests itself across the ideological spectrum, even if it masquerades as something else."

Absolutely true. And it is a point that goes beyond the thin realm of pop culture or the messiness of daily politics. We are not faced with a choice between religion and reason, or between faith and fact, but between different religions and opposing faiths. As J. Budziszewski argues in "The Illiberal Liberal Religion," the tenth chapter of The Line Through the Heart (ISI, 2009), it "is in the nature of religions ... to propose certain commitments as supreme and unconditional. Whatever proposes such commitments is (in the relevant sense) a religion. The sole fact that liberalism is against what it recognizes as religious need not prevent it from being a religion—provided that it does not perceive what it is" He goes on to argue that liberalism (which he carefully defines in prior pages) is a religion, but with "strange qualifications," for it is a religion "which tends to become more complete, but which at the same time fights this very tendency." Here he refers to the alleged commitment of liberalism to neutrality and to its misuse of terms and ideas such as "liberty," "equality," and "choice":

Since it no longer has any principled way to decide which liberties, equalities, or choices to embrace, the drapery conceals less and less. But the less it hides, the more tightly liberals hold onto it, like girls in short skirts who keep trying to cover up their thighs. (p. 182)

Thus the masquerade identified by Goldberg, which is a song and dance routine about being "neutral" toward religion while assuming and promoting a worldview that is quite religious in nature. This is something that has been addressed, in different ways, by Pope Benedict XVI, whose writings reflect a keen awareness that there is a host of "isms" that are essentially religious and spiritual in nature, even if many of them deny such is the case, ranging from forms of Marxism to environmentalism to neo-pantheism to secularism to relativism. Those who claim to live by reason alone are, paradoxically, not being fully rational:

We must also bid farewell to the dream of the absolute autonomy of reason and of its self-sufficiency. Human reason needs a hint from the great religious traditions of mankind. It will certainly look at the individual traditions in a critical light. The pathology of religion is the most dangerous sickness of the human spirit. It exists within the religions, yet it exists also precisely where religion as such is rejected and relative goods are assigned an absolute value: the atheistic systems of modern times are the most frightful examples of passionate religious enthusiasm alienated from its proper identity, and that means a sickness of the human spirit that may be mortal. When the existence of God is denied, freedom is, not enhanced, but deprived of its basis and thus distorted. When the purest and most profound religious traditions are set aside, man is separating himself from his truth; he is living contrary to that truth, and he loses his freedom. Nor can philosophical ethics be simply autonomous. It cannot dispense with the concept of God or dispense with the concept of a truth of being that is of an ethical nature. If there is no truth about man, then he has no freedom. Only the truth makes us free. (Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Truth and Tolerance)

Related Ignatius Insight Articles and Book Excerpts:

• The Religion of Liberalism, Or Why Freedom and Equality Aren't Ultimate Goals | An Interview with James Kalb
• Liberal Democracy as a Culture of Death: Why John Paul II Was Right | Dr. Raymond Dennehy
• Religion and Socialism | Peter Kreeft
• The Comprehensive Claim of Marxism | Peter Kreeft
• "Certain Fundamental Truths": On the Place and Temptations of Politics | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• Secularity: On Benedict XVI and the Role of Religion in Society | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• On Being Neither Liberal nor Conservative | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.

Benedict XVI remarks on Peter Lombard and "the entire vision of Christian doctrine"

From Vatican Information Service:

PETER LOMBARD: A COMPLETE VISION OF CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE

VATICAN CITY, 30 DEC 2009 (VIS) - The Pope focused his catechesis during today's general audience, the last of 2009, on the theologian Peter Lombard, author of the "Book of Sentences" which was used as a standard text by schools of theology for many centuries.

 Lombard, the son of a poor family, studied in Bologna, Reims and Paris where, in 1140, he became a professor at the prestigious school of Notre-Dame. In 1159, almost at the end of his life, he was appointed archbishop of Paris.

 The Pope explained how this theologian's particular merit was that of having drawn not only on biblical texts but also on those of the great Church Fathers and of other important Christian thinkers, arranging them into "a systematic and harmonious framework.

 "In fact", he added, "one of the characteristics of theology is that of organising the heritage of faith in a unitary and well-ordered fashion" so that "the individual truths of faith may illuminate one another" and thus "reveal the harmony of the plan of salvation of God and the centrality of the mystery of Christ".

 Benedict XVI continued his remarks by inviting theologians and priests "always to bear in mind the entire vision of Christian doctrine, so as to guard against the modern-day risks of fragmentation and undervaluation of individual truths. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the Compendium of the Catechism, supply us with precisely this complete picture of Christian revelation", he said. In the same vein, he encouraged "each member of the faithful and Christian communities to draw profit from these instruments in order to gain a deeper knowledge of the contents of our faith".

 Another fundamental aspect of Peter Lombard's work is his view of "the essence of the Sacraments" as being "the cause of grace and having the true capacity to communicate divine life. Later theologians never abandoned this view and utilised the distinction between material and formal elements introduced by the 'Master of the Sentences', as Peter Lombard was called", said the Holy Father.

 And he explained: "The material element is visible sensory reality. The formal element are the words pronounced by the minister. Both are essential for a complete and valid celebration of the Sacraments".

 "It is important to recognise how precious and how indispensable sacramental life is for each Christian", said the Holy Father. "In this Year for Priests, I exhort the clergy, especially those who minister to souls, to cultivate an intense sacramental life of their own in order to be able to help the faithful".

 Pope Benedict expressed the hope that "the celebration of the Sacraments may be dignified and decorous, that it may favour personal prayer and community participation, the sense of the presence of God and missionary zeal.

 "The Sacraments", he added in conclusion, "are the great treasure of the Church and it is up to each of us to celebrate them that they may bring forth spiritual fruit. In them, an ever new and surprising event touches our lives: Christ, through visible signs, comes to meet us, He purifies us, transforms us and allows us to participate in His divine friendship".

 At the end of the audience, the Holy Father wished people a happy New Year, expressing the hope that the friendship of Jesus Christ may be a daily "light and guide" for everyone.

• Understanding The Hierarchy of Truths | Douglas Bushman
• Vatican II and the Ecclesiology of Joseph Ratzinger | Fr. Maximilian Heinrich Heim

"The Best Books I Read in 2009..."

"The Best Books I Read in 2009..." | Ignatius Press Authors, Editors, and Friends | December 30, 2009

The long-standing (five years!) tradition continues. Several Ignatius Press editors, authors, and staff were asked to offer their picks for the best books they read during the past year. The books didn't have to be published in 2009--no need to limit great authors and books--nor did they have to be about a specific topic. Simply, "What were the best books you read in the past year?" Commentary was optional.

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The Problem of the Plantagenets: G. K. Chesterton on St. Thomas Becket

The Problem of the Plantagenets | G. K. Chesterton on St. Thomas Becket | From A Short History of England | Ignatius Insight

It is a point of prestige with what is called the Higher Criticism in all branches to proclaim that certain popular texts and authorities are "late", and therefore apparently worthless. Two similar events are always the same event, and the later alone is even credible. This fanaticism is often in mere fact mistaken; it ignores the most common coincidences of human life: and some future critic will probably say that the tale of the Tower of Babel cannot be older than the Eiffel Tower, because there was certainly a confusion of tongues at the Paris Exhibition. Most of the mediaeval remains familiar to the modern reader are necessarily "late", such as Chaucer or the Robin Hood ballads; but they are none the less, to a wiser criticism, worthy of attention and even trust. That which lingers after an epoch is generally that which lived most luxuriantly in it. It is an excellent habit to read history backwards. It is far wiser for a modern man to read the Middle Ages backwards from Shakespeare, whom he can judge for himself, and who yet is crammed with the Middle Ages, than to attempt to read them forwards from Caedmon, of whom he can know nothing, and of whom even the authorities he must trust know very little. If this be true of Shakespeare, it is even truer, of course, of Chaucer. If we really want to know what was strongest in the twelfth century, it is no bad way to ask what remained of it in the fourteenth. When the average reader turns to the "Canterbury Tales," which are still as amusing as Dickens yet as mediaeval as Durham Cathedral, what is the very first question to be asked? Why, for instance, are they called Canterbury Tales; and what were the pilgrims doing in the road to Canterbury? They were, of course, taking part in a popular festival like a modern public holiday, though perhaps more genial and leisurely. Nor are we, perhaps, prepared to accept it as a self-evident step in progress that their holidays were derived from saints, while ours are dictated by bankers.

It is almost necessary to say nowadays that a saint means a very good man. The notion of an eminence merely moral, consistent with complete stupidity or unsuccess, is a revolutionary image grown unfamiliar by it very familiarity, and needing, as do many things of this older society, some almost preposterous modern parallel to give its original freshness and point. If we entered a foreign town and found a pillar like the Nelson Column, we should be surprised to learn the hero on the top of it had been famous for his politeness and hilarity during a chronic toothache. If a procession came down the street with a brass band and a hero on a white horse, we should think it odd to be told that he had been very patient with a half-witted maiden aunt. Yet some such pantomime impossibility is the only measure of the innovation of the Christian idea of a popular and recognized saint. It must especially be realized that while this kind of glory was the highest, it was also in a sense the lowest. The materials of it were almost the same as those of labour and domesticity: it did not need the sword or sceptre, but rather the staff or spade. It was the ambition of poverty. All this must be approximately visualized before we catch a glimpse of the great effects of the story which lay behind the Canterbury Pilgrimage.

The first few lines of Chaucer's poem, to say nothing of thousands in the course of it, make it instantly plain that it was no case of secular revels still linked by a slight ritual to the name of some forgotten god, as may have happened in the pagan decline. Chaucer and his friends did think about St. Thomas, at least more frequently than a clerk at Margate things about St. Lubbock. They did definitely believe in the bodily cures wrought for them through St. Thomas, at least as firmly as the most enlightened and progressive modern can believe in those of Mrs. Eddy. Who was St. Thomas, to whose shrine the whole of that society is thus seen in the act of moving: and why was he so important? If there be a streak of sincerity in the claim to teach social and democratic society, instead of a string of kings and battles, this is the obvious and open gate by which to approach the figure which disputed England with the first Plantagenet. A real popular history should think more of his popularity even than his policy. And unquestionably thousands of ploughmen, carpenters, cooks, and yeomen, as in the motley crowd of Chaucer, knew a great deal about St. Thomas why they had never even heard of Becket.

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New from Ignatius Press: "The Grace of Ars"

The Grace of Ars: Reflections on the Life and Spirituality of St. John Vianney

by Fr. Frederick L. Miller

St. John Vianney is the patron saint of all parish priests. Pope Benedict XVI has held him up as the role model to follow in the recently declared Year for Priests (2009-2010). Priests and seminarians who wish to strengthen their commitment to the priesthood as well as men who are discerning the call of Christ in their lives will be inspired and encouraged by reflection on the life and vocation of the great Curé of Ars.

Fr. Miller has taken many groups of priests and seminarians on pilgrimage to Ars, France, where he leads retreats based on the life and ministry of St. John Vianney. Based on his years of personal experience at Ars, and the impact that the holy Curé has had on men who go there to learn from his inspiring life and work, this book is the distillation of wisdom and grace that St. John Vianney has passed on to his brother priests.

Through beautiful reflections that focus on many aspects of the life of Vianney, we learn what it means to be a priest during difficult times. The saint lived out his priesthood in the aftermath of the French Revolution; a very difficult time for Catholic priests in France. This book reveals that specific Grace of Ars.

Including eight pages of color illustrations, this is a treasury of spiritual wisdom that will take you along on a pilgrimage to the very place where St. John Vianney labored so long and so heroically for the good of souls and the love of God, often in direct battle with Satan. The reader will have the experience of making a retreat in the presence of the saintly Curé, and be able to ponder the Grace of Ars, in particular what he has to say to his fellow priests of the twenty-first century; another difficult time for those who seek to be faithful to their promises to God and build up the Church of Christ.

Laymen will find in this reflection on St. John Vianney a model parish priest who will inspire all to love the priesthood and pray for the sanctification of all priests. Through his holy example the Curé of Ars will help all understand that the priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus.

“The task of viewing the priesthood through the prism of St. John Vianney’s life and ministry could not have fallen into more adroit hands than those of Fr. Miller, whose success as a seminary professor and spiritual director of priests has been phenomenal.” — Msgr. James Turro, Immaculate Conception Seminary, Contributor, Magnificat

Fr. Frederick J. Miller, a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark, NJ, is the Chairman of the Department of Systematic Theology at Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. He has extensive parish experience and has spent nearly twenty years as a seminary professor and spiritual director.

Question about Frank Sheed and C. S. Lewis

A interesting question from a reader:

Do you know if Frank Sheed and C. S. Lewis knew each other personally?

I suspect they must have, but have no evidence at my fingertips. They were contemporaries—Sheed (1897-1981); Lewis (1898-1963)—and they both, of course, spent much or all of their time in England. But a quick glance through several books in my library about Lewis doesn't turn up any connection. I suppose I could pester Joseph Pearce or Fr. Milton Walsh, but I'll turn to the learned readers of this blog first. Ideas? Theories? Evidence?

Joseph Pearce comments on the Shakespeare signatures

Perhaps you saw this bit of literary/historical news that came out shortly before Christmas:

Three mysterious signatures on pages of parchment bound in leather and kept under lock and key may prove the theory that William Shakespeare was a secret Catholic who spent his “lost years” in Italy.

An exhibition at the Venerable English College, the seminary in Rome for English Catholic priests, has revealed cryptic names in its guest books for visiting pilgrims, suggesting that the playwright sought refuge there.

“Arthurus Stratfordus Wigomniensis” signed the book in 1585, while “Gulielmus Clerkue Stratfordiensis” arrived in 1589.

According to Father Andrew Headon, vice-rector of the college and organiser of the exhibition, the names can be deciphered as “[King] Arthur’s [compatriot] from Stratford [in the diocese] of Worcester” and “William the Clerk from Stratford”.

A third entry in 1587, “Shfordus Cestriensis”, may stand for “Sh[akespeare from Strat]ford [in the diocese] of Chester”, he said.

Read more.

I dashed off a quick note to Joseph Pearce, author of The Quest for Shakespeare (Ignatius Press, 2008) and many other works of literary history, asking for any quick thoughts he might have. He kindly replied:

The three signatures allegedly belonging to Shakespeare that have been unearthed in the archives of the Venerable English College in Rome represent a significant and exciting addition to the burgeoning body of evidence illustrating the Bard's Catholicism.

Although this particular evidence is somewhat speculative it offers further intriguing circumstantial evidence to buttress the more solid documentary evidence. As such, it belongs alongside the equally intriguing evidence suggesting that Shakespeare may have been "Shakeshafte" at Hoghton Hall in Lancashire a few years before his apparent or possible visits to Rome.

As I state in The Quest for Shakespeare, the evidence for Shakespeare's Catholicism is not dependent upon this speculative material but on solid biographical facts, verified by known documentation. Nonetheless, the proliferation of such supporting material strengthens still further the solid case for the "papist" Bard.

For more about The Quest for Shakespeare, visit the book's website.

Pope Benedict XVI on the family, an "icon of the Trinity" and "the best school"

From today's edition of Vatican Information Service, remarks made by the Holy Father about the Holy Family, the rights of families, and the true nature of parenthood:

SAFEGUARD THE FAMILY FOUNDED ON MARRIAGE

VATICAN CITY, 27 DEC 2009 (VIS) - Before praying the Angelus on this Sunday of the Holy Family, the Pope reminded the faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square that "God wished to reveal Himself by being born in a human family, and hence the human family has become an icon of God.

 "God is Trinity", he added. "He is communion of love, and the family - with all the difference that exists between the Mystery of God and His human creature - is an expression thereof which reflects the unfathomable mystery of God-Love. ... The human family is, in a certain sense, the icon of the Trinity because of the love between its members and the fruitfulness of that love".

 Commenting then on today's Gospel reading which narrates how the twelve-year-old Jesus stayed behind in the Temple without His parents' knowledge, the Pope explained that "Jesus' decision to remain in the Temple was above all the fruit of his intimate relationship with the Father, but also the fruit of the education received from Mary and Joseph".

 And he went on: "Here we may catch a glimpse of the authentic meaning of Christian education. It is the result of a collaboration that must always be sought between the educators and God. The Christian family is aware that children are God's gift and project. Hence it cannot consider them as it own possessions but, serving God's plan through them, is called to educate them in the greatest of freedoms which is that of saying 'yes' to God in order to accomplish His will".

 The Holy Father them addressed some remarks to participants in the Feast of the Holy Family which is being celebrated today in Madrid, Spain. "God, by having come into the world in the bosom of a family, shows that this institution is a sure way to meet and know Him, and a permanent call to work for the loving unity of all people. Thus, one of the greatest services which we as Christians can offer our fellow men and women is to show them the serene and solid witness of a family founded upon marriage between a man and a woman, defending it and protecting it, because it is of supreme importance for the present and future of humankind.

 "In truth, the family is the best school in which to learn to live the values that dignify individuals and make peoples great. There too sufferings and joys are shared, as everyone feels cloaked in the affection that reigns in the home by the mere fact of being members of the same family".

 Benedict XVI prayed to God that family homes may always experience "this love of total commitment and fidelity which Jesus brought into the world by His birth, nourishing and strengthening it with daily prayer, the constant practice of virtue, reciprocal understanding and mutual respect.

 "I encourage you - trusting in the maternal intercession of Mary Most Holy, Queen of Families, and the powerful protection of St. Joseph, her husband - tirelessly to dedicate yourselves to this beautiful mission the Lord has placed in your hands. Be sure of my closeness and affection", he concluded, "and I pray you carry a very special greeting from the Pope to those of your loved ones who suffer greatest need and difficulties".

Related IgnatiusInsight.com Articles and Book Excerpts:

• The Truth About Families: A Review of Love and Economics | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• The Human Family and the Holy Family | From "The Story of the Family," The Superstition of Divorce | G. K. Chesterton
• The Challenge of Marriage Preparation | Dr. Janet E. Smith
• Focus Groups and Marriage: A Match Made for Heartache | Mary Beth Bonacci
• Entering Marriage with Eyes Wide Open | Edward Peters
• Human Sexuality and the Catholic Church | Donald P. Asci | Introduction to The Conjugal Act as a Personal Act
• Who Is Married? | Edward Peters
• Marriage and the Family in Casti Connubii and Humanae Vitae | Reverend Michael Hull, S.T.D.
• Male and Female He Created Them | Cardinal Estevez
• The Meaning and Necessity of Spiritual Fatherhood | Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, MTS
• Practicing Chastity in an Unchaste Age | Bishop Joseph F. Martino
• The Truth About Conscience | John F. Kippley | An excerpt from Sex and the Marriage Covenant

Seeing Jesus in the Gospel of John

Seeing Jesus in the Gospel of John | An Excerpt from On The Way to Jesus Christ | Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

The farewell discourses of Jesus, as the Gospel of John presents them to us, hover in a singular way between time and eternity, between the present hour of the Passion and the new presence of Jesus that is already dawning, because the Passion itself is at the same time his "glorification" as well. On the one hand, the darkness of the betrayal, of the denial, of the abandonment of Jesus to the ultimate ignominy of the Cross weighs upon these discourses; in them, on the other hand, it seems that all of this has already been overcome and resolved into the glory that is to come.

Thus Jesus describes his Passion as a going away that leads to a new and fuller coming–as a state of being-on-the-way with which the disciples are already acquainted.[1] Thereupon Thomas, surprised, asks the question, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" Jesus answers with a statement that has become one of the central texts of Christology: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me."

This revelation of the Lord, however, elicits a new question now-or rather, a request, which this time is made by Philip: "Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied." Again Jesus replies with a revelatory word, which leads from another perspective into the very depths of his self-consciousness, into the very depths of the Church's faith in Christ: "He who has seen me has seen the Father" (Jn 14:2-9). The primordial human longing to see God had taken, in the Old Testament, the form of "seeking the face of God". The disciples of Jesus are men who are seeking God's face. That is why they joined up with Jesus and followed after him. Now Philip lays this longing before the Lord and receives a surprising answer, in which the novelty of the New Testament, the new thing that is coming through Christ, shines as though in crystallized form: Yes, you can see God. Whoever sees Christ sees him.

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The Holy Family and the Family of God, the Church

Sunday within the Octave of Christmas | The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph | December 27, 2009 | Carl E. Olson

Readings:

Sir 3:2-7, 12-14 or 1 Sam 1:20-22, 24-28
Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5 or Ps 84:2-3, 5-6, 9-10.
Col 3:12-21 or 3:12-17, or 1 Jn 3:1-2, 21-24
Lk 2:41-52

Several years ago, while still an Evangelical Protestant, I began to study the recently published Catechism of the Catholic Church. As I read it, seeking to find what the Catholic Church really taught, a particular theme appeared repeatedly: God the Father send His Son so that we might “become, in the Holy Spirit, his adopted children and thus heirs of his blessed life” (CCC 1).

I was familiar with this sort of language, but it was obvious that the Catholic Church understood this reality in a way far more rich and transforming than I had ever considered. This is perhaps best summarized by the Catechism’s quotation of Peter and Irenaeus: “The Word became flesh to make us ‘partakers of the divine nature’: ‘For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God’” (CCC 460).

This magnificent truth is foreshadowed and then revealed in the readings for the Feast of the Holy Family. The Old Testament readings emphasize the place of honor and obedience within the family. Sirach, a work of Wisdom literature, explains that true religion involves fulfilling duties, especially in honoring one’s parents, an essential part of the ethical life of the ancient Hebrews (cf. Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16).

The story of Hannah (1 Samuel) is that of a woman who asks for a son, and then gives that son back to God when her prayers are answered. Her obedience foreshadows that of Mary, while her willingness to give her son to God’s work reflects, in hindsight, the Father’s willingness to give His Son (cf. Jn 3:16) for the work of calling mankind back into communion with God.

Likewise, the New Testament readings are concerned with the familial relationship that Christians have with one another (Col 3) and with God (1 Jn). “See what love the Father has bestowed on us,” writes John, “that we may be called the children of God. And so we are.” (1 Jn 3:1). Being made in the likeness of Christ through baptism, we now share in Christ’s sonship. One day, John proclaims, “we shall be like him.”

How does this come about? First, through God’s gift of grace, which is “the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life” (CCC 1996). As John states, we must believe in Christ. But we also must love one another and keep God’s commandments in order to remain in Him. Through obedience we continue growing in grace.
 
This obedience to the will of the Father is at the heart of the Gospel reading. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph journey up to Jerusalem for the Passover feast (just as Hannah did; see 1 Sam 1:21); years later Jesus would again journey up to Jerusalem to begin His ministry there (Lk 19:28). Having discovered that Jesus is missing, Mary and Joseph spend three days seeking him, likely hinting at the three days Jesus would later spend being “lost” in the tomb. They discover that He is teaching the teachers, another hint at things to come in adulthood, when He would spend time teaching in the Temple (cf. Lk. 20:1;19:47; 21:37; 22:53).

Jesus’ response is emphatic but not disrespectful: “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” He proclaims both His identity as Son of the Father and His mission as doing the Father’s will. Although equal to the Father, He freely chooses to be carry out the work given by His Father.

But He is also obedient to Mary and Joseph, for He knows that He must still grow in wisdom. And so the Holy Family is a type of domestic church from which eventually comes the Head of the Church. “Christ chose to be born and grow up in the bosom of the holy family of Joseph and Mary. The Church is nothing other than ‘the family of God.’” (CCC 1655). How thankful I continue to be that, nearly ten years ago, God welcomed me into full communion with His family, the Catholic Church!

(This column originally appeared in a slightly different form in the December 31, 2006, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

Related Ignatius Insight links:

Deranged woman knocks over Benedict XVI as he ...

... was entering St. Peter's Basilica in processional for Christmas Eve Mass. He was apparently not injured. Cardinal Roger Etchegaray was also knocked down, and was taken to the hospital for further check-up. Video footage here, taken from not far behind the woman; more details in this report. Crazy. 

Benedict later delivered a wonderful homily (apparently without mentioning the attack):

Dear brothers and sisters, "a child is born for us, a son is given to us" (Is 9:5). What Isaiah prophesied as he gazed into the future from afar, consoling Israel amid its trials and its darkness, is now proclaimed to the shepherds as a present reality by the Angel, from whom a cloud of light streams forth: "To you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Lk 2:11). The Lord is here. From this moment, God is truly "God with us". No longer is he the distant God who can in some way be perceived from afar, in creation and in our own consciousness. He has entered the world. He is close to us. The words of the risen Christ to his followers are addressed also to us: "Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Mt 28:20). For you the Saviour is born: through the Gospel and those who proclaim it, God now reminds us of the message that the Angel announced to the shepherds.

It is a message that cannot leave us indifferent. If it is true, it changes everything. If it is true, it also affects me. Like the shepherds, then, I too must say: Come on, I want to go to Bethlehem to see the Word that has occurred there. The story of the shepherds is included in the Gospel for a reason. They show us the right way to respond to the message that we too have received. What is it that these first witnesses of God’s incarnation have to tell us?

The first thing we are told about the shepherds is that they were on the watch – they could hear the message precisely because they were awake. We must be awake, so that we can hear the message. We must become truly vigilant people. What does this mean? The principal difference between someone dreaming and someone awake is that the dreamer is in a world of his own. His "self" is locked into this dreamworld that is his alone and does not connect him with others. To wake up means to leave that private world of one’s own and to enter the common reality, the truth that alone can unite all people. Conflict and lack of reconciliation in the world stem from the fact that we are locked into our own interests and opinions, into our own little private world. Selfishness, both individual and collective, makes us prisoners of our interests and our desires that stand against the truth and separate us from one another. Awake, the Gospel tells us. Step outside, so as to enter the great communal truth, the communion of the one God.

To awake, then, means to develop a receptivity for God: for the silent promptings with which he chooses to guide us; for the many indications of his presence. There are people who describe themselves as "religiously tone deaf". The gift of a capacity to perceive God seems as if it is withheld from some. And indeed – our way of thinking and acting, the mentality of today’s world, the whole range of our experience is inclined to deaden our receptivity for God, to make us "tone deaf" towards him. And yet in every soul, the desire for God, the capacity to encounter him, is present, whether in a hidden way or overtly. In order to arrive at this vigilance, this awakening to what is essential, we should pray for ourselves and for others, for those who appear "tone deaf" and yet in whom there is a keen desire for God to manifest himself. The great theologian Origen said this: if I had the grace to see as Paul saw, I could even now (during the Liturgy) contemplate a great host of angels (cf. in Lk 23:9). And indeed, in the sacred liturgy, we are surrounded by the angels of God and the saints. The Lord himself is present in our midst. Lord, open the eyes of our hearts, so that we may become vigilant and clear-sighted, in this way bringing you close to others as well!

Read the entire homily. 

On Christmas: Each of Us Is a Salvation History

On Christmas: Each of Us Is a Salvation History | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. | December 24, 2009 | Ignatius Insight

"Christmas is, as I have said, one of numberless old European feasts of which the essence is the combination of religion with merry-making... For the character of Christmas (as distinct, for instance, from the continental Easter) lies chiefly in two things: first on the terrestrial side of the note of comfort rather than the note of brightness; and on the spiritual side, Christian charity rather than Christian ecstasy." -- G. K. Chesterton, Charles Dickens, 1908. [1]

"There is in every person the desire to be accepted as a person and considered as a sacred reality, for every human history is a sacred history and demands the utmost respect." -- Benedict XVI, Rome, Spanish Steps, December 8, 2009.

I.

The second chapter of the Gospel of Luke begins: "In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was Governor of Syria...." I find surprisingly few students in class have ever heard of this incident, or even the names or the occasion. Why bring it up? Why would Caesar Augustus, Quirinius, or Syria be of interest? Why are they mentioned together? Was the name of everyone in the world written down someplace?

Caught up in the mechanics of this Roman political enrollment or census, however, was a man by the name of Joseph. To comply with this registration, he had to take his wife, Mary, who was with child, from his own town of Nazareth, where he seems to have been a carpenter, to Bethlehem. He was, we are told in explanation, of the "house and lineage of David." You need to know something of Jewish history to see why that heritage is important and why it is mentioned. Apparently, the Romans allowed no absentee registrations. One had to enroll where he was born. That's how they kept track.

These short passages, nonetheless, tell us much. We know of Caesar Augustus, the first Roman Emperor. We know of his famous relative, Julius Caesar, who had been murdered in the Senate in 44 B.C. Indeed, only because of this murder, said to be committed in the name of the Republic by Brutus and Cassius, did young Octavian become the Augustus. Quirinius is known. There must have been a second census. We know what Syria meant in those days of Roman domination. Roman rule was relatively well-organized. As rulers go, the Romans were among the best. They promulgated laws, kept records, and made particular decrees. They had troops about, just in case; I believe it was the Tenth Legion that was stationed in Palestine.

Read the entire essay...

Also:

• The God in the Cave | G.K. Chesterton
• The Incarnation | Frank Sheed
• Immaculate Mary, Matchless in Grace | John Saward
• The Mystery Made Present To Us | Fr. Alfred Delp, S.J.
• "Born of the Virgin Mary" | Paul Claudel
• Christmas: Sign of Contradiction, Season of Redemption | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• The Old Testament and the Messianic Hope | Thomas Storck
• O' Unity Tree, O' Unity Tree | Dr. Paul Kengor

How about a "Dumb-Control Pill"?

Bonnie Erbe of U.S. Noise and Whirled Retort is aghast—nay, shaking with progressive and confused fury—that the Catholic Church—specifically, the bishops in the U.S.—refuses to follow the enlightened lead of Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, who is, Erbe writes (with apparent seriousness)

a modern-day Crusader of sorts. As defined by the Catholic Encyclopedia, crusade means, "all wars undertaken in pursuance of a vow, and directed against infidels." I use the term Crusader figuratively, not literally, as she's speaking out publicly, she's not leading a war. She's trying to change the minds of her own church leaders—she's not directing her rhetoric toward infidels. Nonetheless she's leading a crusade for her church that many clergymen see as blasphemous. Townsend may one day be rewarded for her efforts by church leaders, but not today and not anytime soon.

In fact, the dull, dissenting Americanism of Townsend is plainly engaged in crude, open warfare against the clear, consistent teachings of the Catholic Church about the dignity of human life and the evils of supporting the murder of unborn children. Erbe clearly enjoys dull and relishes dissenting:

It's extremely important for credible members of any and all major faiths to take on church leadership when they believe it is leading the flock in the wrong direction. Townsend is pressing her political party not to cede the religious vote to the GOP and at the same time trying to prevent the church from using its considerable clout to write its morality into federal law.

"Its morality"? I wasn't aware that the killing of babies was offensive to only orthodox Catholics. (If there is any group trying to shove "its [im]morality" down other people's throats, it is progressives such as Townsend who are intent on making all Americans pay for abortion.) A glance here and there, not to mention a little knowledge of history, should put such inanity to rest. But history is not on Erbe's Christmas wish list, though it should be:

Considering how its positions waver depending on who's in power, my guess is some day the church might modify its anti-abortion stance. After all, this is an institution that took a mere half-millennium to recognize that Galileo was right and the Earth really did revolve around the sun and not vice versa.

This is also a church that has modified critical positions on matters both great and small. On the "great" side, doctrinal teachings from Vatican II, issued by Pope John XXIII, led to so-called liberation theology and church participation in uprisings against dictatorial regimes. In came a new pope or two and, poof, some of those teachings evaporated like smoke from a votive candle.

Wha....? The comments about Galileo are simply laughable. Vatican II, of course, did not in any way endorse liberation theology, especially since the Catholic Church has always been a staunch and vocal enemy of communism and Marxism, which are the inspirations and engines of liberation theology.

On and on it goes, to the point that Erbe actually dares to compare Townsend to one of the great female saints of the Church:

The Inquisition is over and ecclesiastic courts no longer order heretics burned at the stake. Lucky for Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, she will not meet the same fate as poor Joan of Arc. But just as church elders later rescinded Joan's excommunication, some day they might recognize the wisdom of Townsend's approach. Not in my lifetime, but maybe some day.

And what, exactly, is "Townsend's approach"? Capitulation to falsehood? Support of legalized murder? Denial of Church teaching? Rejection of basic moral truth? Choosing ideology and status over integrity and selflessness? It brings to mind the admonition of another saint:

"Let no one deceive himself. If any one among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, 'He catches the wise in their craftiness,' and again, 'The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.' So let no one boast of men." (1 Cor. 3:18-21)

• The Dull, Dissenting Americanism of Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (July 12, 2009)
• Authority and Dissent in the Catholic Church | Dr. William E. May

Fr. Robert Barron critiques the "happy clappy", relativistic ideology of Gap...

... and talks about the true meaning of Christmas:



He also offers a short Christmas greeting and blessing:



In my opinion, Fr. Barron's book, The Priority of Christ (Brazos, 2007), is one of the finest works of Christology of the past decade, with many excellent insights into the nature and meaning of the Incarnation.

Benedict XVI reflects on Christmas, the Incarnation, and St. Francis

Also from Vatican Information Service:

THE CHILD JESUS MAKES THE LOVE OF GOD MANIFEST

VATICAN CITY, 23 DEC 2009 (VIS) - In his general audience, celebrated this morning in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope focused his remarks on the subject of Christmas.

 At the beginning of his catechesis the Holy Father explained that "the Church's liturgical year did not initially develop on the basis of Christ's birth but on that of faith in His resurrection. Hence, the most ancient feast of Christianity is not Christmas but Easter. The resurrection of Christ is what founded the Christian faith, underpinned the announcement of the Gospel and brought the Church into being".

 "The first person to make the clear affirmation that Jesus was born on 25 December was Hippolytus of Rome in his commentary on the Book of Daniel, written around the year 204", said the Pope.

 "In the Christian world, the feast of Christmas assumed a distinct form in the fourth century when it took the place of the Roman feast of the 'Sol invictus', the sun unconquered. This highlighted the fact that the birth of Christ is the victory of the true light over the darkness of evil and sin. Yet the particular and intense spiritual atmosphere that now surrounds Christmas developed during the Middle Ages, thanks to St. Francis of Assisi who was profoundly enamoured of Jesus the man, of the God-with-us".

 "This particular devotion to the mystery of the Incarnation was the origin of the famous Christmas celebration in Greccio. ... St. Francis with his nativity scene highlighted the defenceless love, humility and goodness of God, Who in the Incarnation of the Word shows Himself to mankind in order to teach them a new way to live and love".

 The Pope then went on to recall the fact that the first biographer of St. Francis, Thomas of Celano, recounted how, "on that Christmas night, Francis was granted the grace of a marvellous vision. He saw, lying immobile in the manger, a small child Who was reawakened from sleep by the proximity of Francis himself".

 "Thanks to St. Francis, Christian people are able to understand that at Christmas God truly became the 'Emmanuel', the God-with-us, from Whom no barrier or distance separates us. In that Child, God became so close to each of us ... that we can establish an intimate rapport of profound affection with Him, just as we do with a newborn child.

 "In that Child", the Holy Father added, "God-Love becomes manifest: God comes unarmed and powerless, because He does not intend to conquer, so to say, from the outside; rather, He intends to be accepted by man in freedom. God becomes a defenceless child to overcome man's pride, violence and thirst for possession. In Jesus, God assumed this poor and disarming condition in order to triumph over us with love and lead us to our true identity".

 "His being a Child likewise indicates to us that we can meet God and enjoy His presence", the Pope concluded. "People who have not understood the mystery of Christmas have not understood the decisive element of Christian existence: that those who do not accept Jesus with the heart of a child cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven. This is what St. Francis wished to tell the Christian world of his time and of all times, even unto today".

Related IgnatiusInsight.com Articles on Advent and Christmas:

• What In Christmas Season Grows: On the Days Leading Up to the Nativity of the Lord | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• Christmas, 2008 | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• The Perfect Faith of the Blessed Virgin | Carl E. Olson
• Mary Immaculate | Fr. Kenneth Baker, S.J.
• Mary's Gift of Self Points the Way | Carl E. Olson
• Immaculate Mary, Matchless in Grace | John Saward
• The Incarnation | Frank Sheed
• "Born of the Virgin Mary" | Paul Claudel
• The Old Testament and the Messianic Hope | Thomas Storck
• Christmas: Sign of Contradiction, Season of Redemption | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• The God in the Cave | G.K. Chesterton
• Saint Francis and the Imitation of Christ | Ivan Gobry | From Saint Francis of Assisi: A Biography
• St. Thomas and St. Francis | G.K. Chesterton
• Chesterton and Saint Francis | Joseph Pearce

Holy See responds to reactions "in the Jewish world"...

... to Pope Benedict's signing of the decree "on the heroic virtues" of Pope Pius XII. From Vatican Information Service:

NOTE CONCERNING DECREE ON THE HEROIC VIRTUES OF PIUS XII

VATICAN CITY, 23 DEC 2009 (VIS) - Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J. today issued the following note concerning the signing of the recent decree on the heroic virtues of Servant of God Pope Pius XII.

 "The Pope's signing of the decree 'on the heroic virtues' of Pius XII has elicited a certain number of reactions in the Jewish world; perhaps because the meaning of such a signature is clear in the area of the Catholic Church and of specialists in the field, but may merit certain explanation for the larger public, in particular the Jewish public who are understandably very sensitive to all things concerning the historical period of World War II and the Holocaust.

 "When the Pope signs a decree 'on the heroic virtues' of a Servant of God - i.e., of a person for whom a cause for beatification has been introduced - he confirms the positive evaluation already voted by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. ... Naturally, such evaluation takes account of the circumstances in which the person lived, and hence it is necessary to examine the question from a historical standpoint, but the evaluation essentially concerns the witness of Christian life that the person showed (his intense relationship with God and continuous search for evangelical perfection) ... and not the historical impact of all his operative decisions".

 "At the beatification of Pope John XXIII and of Pope Pius IX, John Paul II said: 'holiness lives in history and no saint has escaped the limits and conditioning which are part of our human nature. In beatifying one of her sons, the Church does not celebrate the specific historical decisions he may have made, but rather points to him as someone to be imitated and venerated because of his virtues, in praise of the divine grace which shines resplendently in them'.

 "There is, then, no intention in any way to limit discussion concerning the concrete choices made by Pius XII in the situation in which he lived. For her part, the Church affirms that these choices were made with the pure intention of carrying out the Pontiff's service of exalted and dramatic responsibility to the best of his abilities. In any case, Pius XII's attention to and concern for the fate of the Jews - something which is certainly relevant in the evaluation of his virtues - are widely testified and recognised, also by many Jews.

 "The field for research and evaluation by historians, working in their specific area, thus remains open, also for the future. In this specific case it is comprehensible that there should be a request to have open access to all possibilities of research on the documents. ... Yet for the complete opening of the archives - as has been said on a number of occasions in the past - it is necessary to organise and catalogue an enormous mass of documentation, something which still requires a number of years' work.

 "As for the fact that the decree on the heroic virtues of Pope John Paul II and Pope Pius XII were promulgated on the same day, this does not mean that from now on the two causes will be 'paired'. They are completely independent of one another and each will follow its own course. There is, then, no reason to imagine that any future beatification will take place together".

 "It is, then, clear that the recent signing of the decree is in no way to be read as a hostile act towards the Jewish people, and it is to be hoped that it will not be considered as an obstacle on the path of dialogue between Judaism and the Catholic Church. Rather we trust that the Pope's forthcoming visit to the Synagogue of Rome will be an opportunity for the cordial reiteration and reinforcement of ties of friendship and respect".

• Benedict XVI declares John Paul II and Pius XII "venerable"; "anger" ensues (Dec. 20, 2009)

"The Incarnation" by Frank Sheed

The Incarnation | Frank Sheed | From A Map of Life

The human race then had broken its right relation of friendship with God: men had lost the way because they had lost the life (without which the way cannot be followed) and the truth without which the way cannot even be known. To such a world Christ, who had come to make all things new, said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life." In those three words–way, truth, life–Christ related Himself quite precisely to what man had lost: as precisely as a key fits a lock. In the precision of that threefold relation, we are apt to overlook the strangest word in the phrase–the word "am."

Men needed truth and life: what they might have expected was one who would say "I have the truth and the life": what they found was one who said "I am the truth and the life." This strange word forces us to a new mode of approach. If a man claims to have what we want, we must study what he has. If a man claims to be what we want, we must study what he is. With any other teacher the truth he has is our primary concern–the teacher himself is of no importance save as the bearer of truth, and his work is done when he has given it. With Christ, the teacher is primary: He cannot simply give us the truth and the life, and then have done with us. He can only give us Himself, for He is both. This point must be insisted on, not as a figure of speech, but as a strict fact. It is a map we are making, not a poem; and what is now being said, mysterious as it is, is strictly and literally true. Our study of the road of life has brought us to an examination of truth and life: we cannot understand the road if we do not understand them. But if Christ is the truth, then we must understand Him: if He is the life, then He must live in us.

Obviously, then, our map-making cannot progress till we are clear about Who and what Christ is, because the road we are to travel depends even more on what He is than on what He did.

THE TWO NATURES OF CHRIST

Christ is God-made-man: that is He is truly God and He is truly man. He is God–with the nature of God: He took to Himself and made His own a complete human nature–a real human body and a real human soul. He is, then, one person–God–with two natures–divine and human. Nor is all this mere abstract matter, of no real concern to us. Everything in our life is bound up with the one person and the two natures of Christ. We must grasp this central luminous fact, or everything remains in darkness.

Continue reading...

"The 13th Day" will soon be shown...

... in Iran, of all places:

The 13th Day is slated to be projected on Iranian silver screens during the 28th Fajr Film Festival to promote the “Blessed Mary's” timeless message of hope.

More about the festival from FilmMovement.com: "Organized since 1982 by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance in February every year, on the anniversary of Iran's Islamic Revolution, Fajr International Film Festival is the most important film event in the country and presents not only the cream of the local cinematic productions, but also offers a representative selection of films from all over the world. In fact Fajr Festival functions as a bridge between film communities from the East and West."

• An interview with actress Kelley Costigan, from the cast of "The 13th Day" (Dec. 21, 2009)
• The 13th Day, available from Ignatius Press

“The Church opted for the poor, and the poor opted for the Pentecostals.”

An interesting post by Dr. Samuel Gregg of Acton Institute about recent remarks made by Benedict XVI about liberation theology:

It went almost unnoticed, but on December 5, Benedict XVI articulated one of the most stinging rebukes of a particular theological school ever made by a pope. Addressing a visiting group of Brazilian bishops, Benedict followed some mild comments about Catholic education with some very sharp and deeply critical remarks about liberation theology and its effects upon the Catholic Church.

After stressing how certain liberation theologians drew heavily upon Marxist concepts, the pope described these ideas as “deceitful.” This is very strong language for a pope. But Benedict then underscored the damage that liberation theology did to the Catholic Church. “The more or less visible consequences,” he told the bishops, “of that approach — characterised by rebellion, division, dissent, offence and anarchy — still linger today, producing great suffering and a serious loss of vital energies in your diocesan communities.”

Today, even some of liberation theology’s most outspoken advocates freely admit that it has collapsed, including in Latin America. Once considered avant-garde, it is now generally confined to clergy and laity of a certain age who wield ever-decreasing influence within the Church. Nonetheless, Benedict XVI clearly believes it’s worth underscoring just how much harm it inflicted upon the Catholic Church.

For a start, there’s little question that liberation theology was a disaster for Catholic evangelization. There’s a saying in Latin America that sums this up: “The Church opted for the poor, and the poor opted for the Pentecostals.”

Read the entire post.

• "Liberation"--And Oppression | Dr. James Hitchcock
• Catechists and Commissars | Piers Paul Read | An excerpt from "Hell" in Hell and Other Destinations: A Novelist's Reflections on This World and the Next