Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog

New: "Who Am I to Judge? Responding to Relativism with Logic and Love" by Edward Sri

Who Am I to Judge? Responding to Relativism with Logic and Love

by Edward Sri

"Don't be so judgmental!"

"Why are Christians so intolerant?"

"Why can't we just coexist?"

In an age in which preference has replaced morality, many people find it difficult to speak the truth, afraid of the reactions they will receive if they say something is right or wrong. Using engaging stories and personal experience, Edward Sri helps us understand the classical view of morality and equips us to engage relativism, appealing to both the head and the heart. Learn how Catholic morality is all about love, why making a judgment is not judging a person's soul, and why, in the words of Pope Francis, "relativism wounds people." Topics include:

• Real Freedom, Real Love

• Sharing truth with compassion

• Why "I disagree" doesn't mean "I hate you"

Edward Sri, Ph.D., well-known Catholic speaker and the author of several best-selling books, is a professor of Theology and Scripture at the Augustine Institute, and host of the acclaimed film series, Symbolon. He is also a founding leader of FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students). He holds a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

"Too often our culture confuses love with moral relativism, and it is a dangerous misunderstanding. In this much-needed book, Dr. Edward Sri shows us that true compassion can never be separated from moral realities."
— Jennifer Fulwiler, author, Something other than God

"Pope Emeritus Benedict often spoke of the "dictatorship of relativism," and Pope Francis called relativism 'the spiritual poverty of our time.' Edward Sri heeds the clarion call to action and offers practical tools to talk about moral truth with greater conviction, clarity, and compassion in a world saturated by relativism."
— Curtis Martin, founder, FOCUS

NYTimes: Trump creating Christian theocracy; Bishops: Trump against Christian faith

People in New York City participate in a Jan. 29 protest against President Donald Trump's travel ban. (CNS photo/Stephanie Keith, Reuters)

The New York Times and the U.S. bishops appear to have very different understandings of President Trump's motivations, but do seem to arrive at an equally negative conclusion. First, here is Times' editor David Leonhardt's take, titled "Trump Flirts With Theocracy":

Let’s not mince words. President Trump’s recent actions are an attempt to move the United States away from being the religiously free country that the founders created — and toward becoming an aggressively Christian country hostile to other religions. ... On Friday afternoon, of course, Trump signed an executive order barring refugees and citizens of seven majority Muslim countries from entering the United States. It was his way of making good on a campaign promise to ban Muslims from the country.

The order also said it would eventually give priority to religious minorities from these countries. And if anyone doubted who that meant, Trump gave an interview Friday to the Christian Broadcasting Network, explaining that its goal was indeed to help Christians. Fortunately, many Christian leaders are opposing the policy.

I expect that Trump’s attempts to undermine the First Amendment will ultimately fail. But they’re not guaranteed to fail. He is the president, and he has tremendous power.

The attempts will fail only if Americans work to defeat the White House’s flirtations with theocracy — as so many people began to do this weekend. This passionate, creative opposition may help explain Trump’s weakening of the ban on Sunday. Yet the struggle to defend American values is clearly going to be a long and difficult one.

The USCCB has now released a joint statement, signed by Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), and Archbishop José H. Gomez of Los Angeles, vice president of the USCCB, which states in part:

The bond between Christians and Muslims is founded on the unbreakable strength of charity and justice. The Second Vatican Council in Nostra Aetate urged us to sincerely work toward a mutual understanding that would "promote together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom." The Church will not waiver in her defense of our sisters and brothers of all faiths who suffer at the hands of merciless persecutors.

The refugees fleeing from ISIS and other extremists are sacrificing all they have in the name of peace and freedom. Often, they could be spared if only they surrendered to the violent vision of their tormentors. They stand firm in their faith. Many are families, no different from yours or mine, seeking safety and security for their children. Our nation should welcome them as allies in a common fight against evil.  We must screen vigilantly for infiltrators who would do us harm, but we must always be equally vigilant in our welcome of friends.

The Lord Jesus fled the tyranny of Herod, was falsely accused and then deserted by his friends. He had nowhere to lay His head (Lk. 9:58). Welcoming the stranger and those in flight is not one option among many in the Christian life. It is the very form of Christianity itself.  Our actions must remind people of Jesus. The actions of our government must remind people of basic humanity.  Where our brothers and sisters suffer rejection and abandonment we will lift our voice on their behalf. We will welcome them and receive them. They are Jesus and the Church will not turn away from Him.

It's important to point out, I think, that neither of the above texts actually links to or quotes from the executive order in question (here is a link to it at CNN; the White House site is inaccessible as I write this). You will search the order in vain to find any direct reference to Muslims or Islam.

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

Practical, 40-Day guide offers plan to detach from today’s toxic dating culture

San Francisco, January 23, 2017 – Many young adults are tired of today’s toxic dating culture, and want something better than what the world is offering them. Once they hear the message of chastity, they desire it – but without a concrete plan, they quickly fall back into old habits. Now a new book, Dating Detox: 40 Days of Perfecting Love in an Imperfect World by husband and wife team Kevin and Lisa Cotter, helps them to formulate a concrete plan so that they can gain the freedom to love and be loved. Featuring daily chapters filled with stories, teachings, and resolutions, this forty-day detox provides a practical “cleanse” for those who want to purify themselves from the poisoned dating culture and live a life of authentic freedom.
 
Dating Detox offers compelling and clear explanations of God’s plans for love, dating, and sex and hopeful, true-life stories of people who have successfully moved from desiring chastity to actually living it. Each chapter features practical tools, habits, and strategies to live more virtuously with joy and freedom.
 
Jason and Crystalina Evert write in Foreword of Dating Detox, “If we want love, why do we often settle for less?” Reading and following the Dating Detox will help anyone searching for authentic love and give them the tools they need to find it.
 
Kevin Cotter says, “Lisa and I grew tired of hearing from youth and young adults who were held back from a real relationship with Christ because of their struggle to lead a chaste life. We wanted to offer them a practical tool that would help them make a lasting change.”
 
Lisa Cotter adds, “Dating Detox is not a fluffy book; it’s real life and at times it’s quite raw. Rather than preach at the reader, our hope was to walk alongside them as they journey through the detox.”
 
Matt Fradd, the founder of The Porn Effect, says, “Battling for purity is tough, but the Cotters’ book makes it a whole lot easier. A must read for anyone who desires authentic relationships!”

“Everyone has experienced brokenness in relationships at one time or another, and it can be hard to put the pieces back together. Through healing, forgiveness, and personal stories, this book will help you find the love you have been searching for,” says Sarah Swafford, the author of Emotional Virtue: A Guide to Drama-Free Relationships.
 
“Dating Detox will be a real asset to all those who have tried to change their lives but have found themselves unable. The practical advice Lisa and Kevin offer is a gift to anyone who has wondered if following Jesus is really possible as a modern-day young adult,” says Fr. Mike Schmitz, chaplain at University of Minnesota-Duluth.
 
Edward Sri, the author of Men, Women, and the Mystery of Love, explains, “In a simple forty-day plan, Lisa and Kevin Cotter help you form the habits you need to change the way you approach your romantic relationships. Discover how the real love you long for is possible ... but only in following God’s plan.”

About the Authors:
Kevin and Lisa Cotter have worked with university students for over a decade as a missionary family with FOCUS (the Fellowship of Catholic University Students). Lisa is the founder of Made to Magnify (madetomagnify.com), and speaks to young adults on living life with excellence. She has been featured on numerous video series including Beloved, Forgiven, and YDisciple’s True Beauty. Kevin holds an MA in Sacred Scripture and is the Sr. Director of Curriculum for FOCUS. He has authored three books on Pope Francis and numerous FOCUS resources. Lisa and Kevin reside in Denver, Colorado, with their three children.

Coming soon! "The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise" by Robert Cardinal Sarah

Coming this spring from Ignatius Press:

The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise

By Robert Cardinal Sarah, with Nicolas Diat

In a time when there is more and more noise, and technology and materialism continue to exert their hold on us, Cardinal Robert Sarah presents a bold book about the strength of silence.

The world generates so much noise that seeking moments of silence only becomes more necessary. For Cardinal Sarah, modern man, in repressing the divine, finds himself in a deep dilemma, an oppressive and anguishing trial. The Cardinal recalls that life is a silent relationship between what is most intimate in man and God. Silence is indispensable for hearing the music of God: prayer arises from silence and returns to silence with ever greater depth.

In this long and profound conversation with Nicolas Diat, done within the hallowed walls of silence in the famous Carthusian monastery of La Grande Chartreux in France, the Cardinal proposes the question: can those who do not know silence ever attain truth, beauty, love? The response is undeniable: all that is great and creative is formed by silence. God is silence.

After the great international success of God or Nothing, translated into fourteen languages, Cardinal Sarah seeks to restore to silence its place of honor and importance. "Although speech characterizes man, silence is what defines him, because speech acquires sense only in terms of this silence." This is the beautiful and significant message of The Power of Silence.

In this book, Cardinal Sarah has only one aim, which is summed up in this thought from his book: "Silence is difficult but it makes a human being able to allow himself to be led by God. Silence is born of silence. Through God the silent one we can gain access to silence. And a human being is unceasingly surprised by the light that bursts forth then. Silence is more important than any other human work. For it expresses God. The true revolution comes from silence; it leads us toward God and others so as to place ourselves humbly and generously at their service."

Robert Cardinal Sarah was born in Guinea, West Africa. Made an Archbishop by Pope John Paul II and a Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI, he was named the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments by Pope Francis in 2014. Nicolas Diat is a French journalist and author.

New: "The Holy Spirit, Fire of Divine Love" by Fr. Wilfrid Stinissen

Now available from Ignatius Press:

The Holy Spirit, Fire of Divine Love

by Fr. Wilfrid Stinissen

Acclaimed spiritual writer Fr. Wilfrid Stinissen presents insightful reflections on the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Holy Trinity, emphasizing the importance of the Spirit in the life of a Christian. He illustrates that the Holy Spirit desires to live in us so that we can love God and others with God's own love. As the Holy Spirit descended upon the early Church at Pentecost to set the world ablaze with the fire of divine love, so He wants to do with us.

God, who is One, also desires the Church to be one, Fr. Stinissen writes. The Lord wants to unify all Christians in one holy Church, and all people in one body. The Holy Spirit is the great unifier, he says, for it is he who makes the Father and the Son one God. If Christians let him live within them, they will grow in unity.

Fr. Wilfrid Stinissen was born in Antwerp, Belgium, where he entered the Carmelite Order in 1944. He was sent to Sweden in 1967 to co-found a small contemplative community. His many books on the spiritual life have been translated into multiple languages. Among his works available in English are Into Your Hands, Father; Nourished by the Word: Reading the Bible Contemplatively; and The Gift of Spiritual Direction.

"Fr. Stinissen masterfully illustrates how the Holy Spirit helps us with discerning and following God's will, constructs bridges of reconciliation, and builds up the Body of Christ. His powerful reflections invite the reader to experience deeper intimacy with the Lord."
— Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, Author, Behold the Man

"From  the  theoretical  to  the  practical, from  Scripture  and  Sacred  Tradition to the lives of the saints, this book comes as close as possible  to explaining the Holy Spirit in all his mystery and ministries."
— Steven Ray, Author, Crossing the Tiber

"Fr. Stinissen's writing is profound enough for theologians, yet accessible enough for anyone seeking a fuller and more meaningful life. This is an important, inspiring, and timely book."
— Vinny Flynn, Author, 7 Secrets of Divine Mercy

"We believe in the Holy Spirit, but how well do we know him? In language both simple and profound, Fr. Stinissen gives us a truly delightful and spiritually enriching book."
— Fr.Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life

"Fr. Stinissen offers us the kind of deep wisdom we would expect from our own personal spiritual director."
— Fr. Gary Lauenstein, C.Ss.R., Author, The Heart of Holiness

Journalist Peter Seewald: Pope Benedict is “one of the most misunderstood personalities of our time”

Pope Benedict XVI stands at the Western Wall, the Jewish holy site in Jerusalem's Old City, in 2009. (CNS photo/Alessia Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo)

Journalist Peter Seewald: Pope Benedict is “one of the most misunderstood personalities of our time” | Paul Senz | CWR

The German journalist reflects on his latest book-length interview with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, whom he considers among history’s most significant popes.

It is well-known that Pope Francis regularly grants interviews to various media outlets, and has done so since the earliest days of his papacy. As a result, it seems as if each successive interview is received with less fanfare, and the words of the Holy Father are watched with breath a little less bated.

His predecessor, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, was never one to give interviews so frequently. However, over the last 25 years, he has granted four book-length interviews to German journalist Peter Seewald—Salt of the Earth, God and the World, Light of the World, and now Last Testament: In His Own Words (Bloomsbury, 2016). This most recent (and perhaps final) installment in the series of interviews, Last Testament contains many insights into the life and personality of Joseph Ratzinger.

The interviewer, Peter Seewald, brings his own intriguing personal story to these interviews. Raised Catholic, he left the practice of the Faith in his youth and became an ardent communist. It was the time he spent interviewing then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger that famously brought Seewald back home to the Church. Their professional relationship developed into a close friendship, and this can be seen in the pages of this latest book.

The interview sessions comprising Last Testament began before Benedict’s announcement of his resignation, and continued shortly thereafter. As a result, these interviews—which initially were conceived as research for Seewald’s biography of Benedict—became a venue for Benedict to give an unfiltered account of his papacy, of how he views its successes and failings, as well as one more exploration into his analysis of the blessings and problems of today’s world, and a reflection on his life up to this point.

Mr. Seewald spoke with CWR by email in December 2016. His responses were translated by the translator of Last Testament, Jacob Phillips.

German journalist Peter Seewald holds a copy of his book-length interview with Pope Benedict XVI "Light of the World" at a press conference at the Vatican Nov. 23, 2010. (CNS photo /Piotr Spalek, Catholic Press Photo)

CWR: You were born in Germany to a Catholic family. Can you tell us a little bit about your faith journey up to this point?

Peter Seewald: During the student rebellions of 1968 I began to engage with politics. Christianity seemed something of a relic from the past then. I felt that its mixture of power and madness had to be overcome in order finally to build a genuinely progressive society. So one day I withdrew myself from the Church. I felt liberated, and I fought for the ideas of Marx and Lenin. Now, with the passage of time, I’ve left communism behind me. We did not know then what atrocities and millions of victims Maoism left behind in China (or rather, we did not want to know), but it was clear to me that these ideological systems cannot be reconciled with human dignity.

As a journalist who followed developments in society closely, I could now see that with the decline of Christianity in the West, the basic level of our culture, indeed of civilization, completely sank away with it. It was obvious that there was a link between forsaking the conviction that the world is created and belongs to a created order—an eclipse of God—and the danger of a new barbarism. When I had the opportunity of conducting a long interview with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 1992, I was fascinated by the fact that from the faith, knowledge, and tradition of the Catholic Church there are answers that correspond to the problems of our time. Yes, the message the faith brings with it is an offer that one cannot fundamentally dismiss out of hand.

CWR: This is the fourth book-length interview you have done with Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict. Whose idea was it to do one more? Did Benedict go into this with the intention of giving his “final word” on his life and papacy, as far as you know?

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

The Epiphany and Evangelization

Men in traditional attire guide camels during a parade marking the feast of the Epiphany in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican Jan. 6, 2016 (CNS photo/Paul Haring)

The Epiphany and Evangelization | Rev. Peter M.J. Stravinskas | Catholic World Report

Evangelization is not a work of the past; nor is it the responsibility of a chosen few; it is the obligation and privilege of every baptized Christian at all times and in all places.

“Nations shall walk by your light.” (Isa 60:3)

“Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.” (Responsorial Psalm, The Epiphany of the Lord) 

“The Gentiles are now co-heirs with the Jews, members of the same body and sharers of the promise through the preaching of the Gospel.” (Eph 3:6)

“. . . Magi from the east arrived one day. . . to pay him homage.” (Matt 2:1, 2)

As should be obvious by now, the Solemnity of the Epiphany (celebrated in the Extraordinary Form and in all the Eastern Churches on January 6 and on January 8 in the United States this year in the Ordinary Form) is the day for the Gentiles at the Crib. In some sense, one can say that the Solemnity's Gospel reading presents the entire Gospel in miniature, in terms of the reception of the message by different audiences. Mary and Joseph represent believing Jews; Herod, stiff-necked or faithless Jews; the wise men, Gentiles with open minds and open hearts. A charming, ancient legend says that these wise men actually became the first Christian missionaries, with their efforts meeting both success and failure as they encountered both belief and unbelief among the Gentiles to whom they preached.

Surely, the point of this celebration is that “the Gentiles are now co-heirs with the Jews,” but how does this happen? St. Paul gives the answer: “Through the preaching of the Gospel.” If the barrier between Jew and Gentile is to be broken down, it will happen as both are brought into contact with the saving truth of Jesus Christ. That occurs through the process of evangelization, the sharing of the Good News, the Gospel. Today’s solemnity, then, would have us reflect on the awesome task of evangelizing the world. Pope John Paul symbolized that endeavor in a beautiful and powerful manner by consecrating on this day new bishops from around the world, for through their work of teaching, governing and sanctifying, the Gospel takes hold in new places among new peoples, who are made “members of the same body and sharers of the promise.”

Therefore, a fundamental concern of the Church in every age must be the spread of the Gospel. For that very reason, the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council in their document on missionary activity, Ad Gentes (appropriately enough), taught: “The Church on earth is by its very nature missionary” [n. 2]. This truth was highlighted some years later in Pope Paul VI’s landmark exhortation, Evangelii Nuntiandi. It is important to keep that fact in sharp focus because it is one of the distinguishing characteristics of Catholicism. Judaism, for instance, has no interest as such in making converts; they will not be turned away, to be sure, but it is not a major thrust of that religious tradition. Nor is it so for the various Eastern religions, like Buddhism or Shintoism or Taoism. What makes us different? Nothing less than taking Christ at His word in His great commission: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Mt 28:19f).

And from Epiphany’s Magi to the modern missionaries, the Gospel has been shared and taken root on every continent.

Continue reading on the CWR site.

“The Best Books I Read in 2016”

us.fotolia.com/Kurmyshov

“The Best Books I Read in 2016”

CWR editors and contributors share their favorite reads from the last year.

Essayist and author Alberto Manguel, in A Reader on Reading (Yale, 2010), in a chapter titled “The End of Reading,” asks: “Why, at certain moments in our life, do we choose the companionship of one book over another?” He observes that “the author of Ecclesiastes and Pete Seeger have taught us that for everything there is a season; likewise, I might add, for every season there is a book. But readers have learned that not just any book is suited to any occasion.”

Ever since I was a young boy I have enjoyed book lists, which so often have introduced me to books and authors I might not otherwise encounter. There is, of course, a definite subjectivity to a “best books” list, and yet we also find that certain books, because of any number of qualities and merits, tend to arrive on such lists. In a world increasingly filled with countless videos, streaming information, audio files, and digital communications, books still hold a special and vital place, as Manguel argues in his book. Contemplating the increasing move away from physical books and the use of “virtual libraries,” he notes that fundamental questions need to be asked: “rather than wonder, Why is reading coming to an end? (a self-fulfilling assumption), we might ask instead, What is the end of reading?” 

One answer, I think, is that we read both to know and to be known. What we seek, desire, and love says something about who we are—and Who we are meant for. Of course, not every book has to be deep or brilliant or life-changing, but we surely recognize that the greatest books are deep, brilliant, and life-changing.  

It has been 11 years since I posted the first “Best Books I Read in…” piece, and it continues to be one of the most popular features on the CWR site. The criteria given to the contributors is quite simple: “What were the best books you read in the past year?” The books chosen can address any topic and could be published recently or centuries ago. I hope that reading this list of good reads begins with expectation and closes with both delight and profit—not just for the moment, but for all of eternity, that is, for The Eternal End.

Carl E. Olson

Editor, CWR and Ignatius Insight

Continue reading on the CWR site...