I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas! The spirit of the celebration is in recognizing, as Mary did in her Magnificat, that God remembered His promise of mercy and sent His only-begotten Son to redeem the fallen human nature, drawing all people to Himself, to share in the life of the Trinity, which is essentially love. The birth of Jesus also gives us a special hope for our own redemption, that, by the grace of God, we might live our lives seeking to know Him, love Him, and serve Him more and better in order to join Him forever in heaven when our lives come to an end.
Mary participated in the effects of Christ's Passion in a mysterious way, even before He was born. Her redemption was preservative, rather than curative—she was preserved from the stain of original sin by the graces Her son-to-be would merit on the Cross, from the moment of her own conception, that beautiful feast we celebrate the 8th of December each year. We who benefit from Christ's saving grace after the fact do inherit the original sin of our first parents, and are in need of that renewal and rebirth by water and the Holy Spirit, the Sacrament of Baptism, and we are further called to spread this good news to the ends of the earth with the strength of our Confirmation in the Spirit. It is also essential that we partake frequently of the Bread of Life and the Cup of Eternal Salvation—without the Eucharist, it is only with great difficulty that one may be saved. And in the many trials and temptations that enter our lives, due to the sin of our first parents, we are beckoned by the church to receive her Sacrament of Reconciliation, in which, by our acknowledgement of our faults and failings before the person of Christ acting in and through a priest, He forgives us those transgressions and restores us to grace, giving us the strength to resist temptation and endure trials for His sake.
All of these gifts and so many more were revealed to men by Jesus Christ, the eternal high priest, who was born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, in perfect conformity with the will of the Father. May the Blessed Trinity and the Holy Family look with favor on you and your family this Christmas and in the year to come!
This year, because Christmas falls on a Saturday, the celebration of the Holy Family falls on the very next day. It is in this feast that St. Joseph takes the stage, so to speak, as head of the earthly family of the Son of God. The evangelists tell us that St. Joseph was a righteous man. We know that he was of the house of David, that he was a carpenter, and that he listened carefully to the messages God sent him via his angels, to take Mary into his home, to flee Herod's persecution to Egypt, and to return to Nazareth. We know that he cared for his Son's well-being, for he went looking for Him when they were separated leaving the temple in Jerusalem. And he taught Him his trade, passing down the art of carpentry to a Son who was obedient, patient, and devoted to the work of His earthly father, as He would be to that of His heavenly Father. Let us contemplate the beauty of the Holy Family, imagine how, with the chaste St. Joseph, the Immaculate Virgin Mary, and the Incarnate Word of God, they would have lived amongst themselves, in their local community, expressing their faith, living simply and in such charity. Let us not despair if, in various ways, our own families do not exhibit all of those characteristics that seem so desirable; rather, let us look to them for inspiration and guidance and find hope in the fact that they were a human family that was disposed to receive an abundant outpouring of grace, and that we might also beg for such a gift, trusting in God's infinite mercy and love, which takes flesh to live among us this evening.
Merry Christmas!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Friday, December 24, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Semester Wrap-up
One semester down, 11 to go! (Plus the novitiate year and the pastoral year.) That gets an M.A. in Theology... Fr. Dave commented once that we should get a doctorate for 6 years of school... either way, we come out knowing a lot!
This semester, my first in religious life, has been incredible. The community is very supportive, Boston is an exciting city to live in, I have enjoyed the cold weather (partly cloudy and 30º F right now), the opportunity for prayer and the proximity to the Blessed Sacrament is an awesome gift, and studying philosophy, Latin, the Catechism, and literature have been engaging and fun.
I was commenting to a regular Eucharistic adorer the other night that if metaphysics or a topical course introducing traditional philosophical notions of physics, metaphysics, logic, and epistemology were taught as part of the general education in public universities, people would be far better equipped to address situations in their lives, having developed the practice of thinking critically and systematically and with an awareness of the strength of various arguments and definitions. The "critical thinking" component of general education programs is lacking (I did not go into the depth that metaphysics requires, and I even took the honors class).
With our pastoral assignment of teaching Catechism (Confirmation students), I certainly learned more about how I work with others. I learned more about how much I like to work with children, and how I cannot take for granted how my past experiences in similar situations (taking Confirmation classes, teaching catechism to the same age group) may apply to the ones at hand. I also learned more about how to give people a chance to show themselves and their capabilities, and that there are often many effective ways to accomplish a task.
I also realized the great benefit of the wisdom of others, including my peers, superiors, and counselors. Aristotle characterizes the wise man with six attributes including knowledge of universals, experience, and the capacity to teach with authority based on the first two. It is very humbling to take a step back and listen to the wise, learning from their experience and reinforcing it with my own. When we consider further that among those human beings who have acquired and been given such wisdom, God is infinitely greater, then we realize that it is not we who do things, but we only comply in His plan for us and His desire for the whole of creation, to draw it back to Himself, and we do not take pride in the wisdom we may acquire, because it is not of our own merit that we obtain it, but His goodness and love for all.
As we enter the final week of Advent, let us renew our spirit of longing for the coming of our Savior among us, both in his Incarnation and in the final days. Let us admire and ask for the grace to take on some of the humility of the Savior, born among the animals, and to look to His human parents, the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, her chaste spouse, foundress and special patron of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, for inspiration and intercession in our journey of faith, hope and love.
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
This semester, my first in religious life, has been incredible. The community is very supportive, Boston is an exciting city to live in, I have enjoyed the cold weather (partly cloudy and 30º F right now), the opportunity for prayer and the proximity to the Blessed Sacrament is an awesome gift, and studying philosophy, Latin, the Catechism, and literature have been engaging and fun.
I was commenting to a regular Eucharistic adorer the other night that if metaphysics or a topical course introducing traditional philosophical notions of physics, metaphysics, logic, and epistemology were taught as part of the general education in public universities, people would be far better equipped to address situations in their lives, having developed the practice of thinking critically and systematically and with an awareness of the strength of various arguments and definitions. The "critical thinking" component of general education programs is lacking (I did not go into the depth that metaphysics requires, and I even took the honors class).
With our pastoral assignment of teaching Catechism (Confirmation students), I certainly learned more about how I work with others. I learned more about how much I like to work with children, and how I cannot take for granted how my past experiences in similar situations (taking Confirmation classes, teaching catechism to the same age group) may apply to the ones at hand. I also learned more about how to give people a chance to show themselves and their capabilities, and that there are often many effective ways to accomplish a task.
I also realized the great benefit of the wisdom of others, including my peers, superiors, and counselors. Aristotle characterizes the wise man with six attributes including knowledge of universals, experience, and the capacity to teach with authority based on the first two. It is very humbling to take a step back and listen to the wise, learning from their experience and reinforcing it with my own. When we consider further that among those human beings who have acquired and been given such wisdom, God is infinitely greater, then we realize that it is not we who do things, but we only comply in His plan for us and His desire for the whole of creation, to draw it back to Himself, and we do not take pride in the wisdom we may acquire, because it is not of our own merit that we obtain it, but His goodness and love for all.
As we enter the final week of Advent, let us renew our spirit of longing for the coming of our Savior among us, both in his Incarnation and in the final days. Let us admire and ask for the grace to take on some of the humility of the Savior, born among the animals, and to look to His human parents, the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph, her chaste spouse, foundress and special patron of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, for inspiration and intercession in our journey of faith, hope and love.
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Sunday, December 05, 2010
The End Is Near
... or rather the close of my first semester of seminary studies. Final exams begin December 15, and I leave for home the following Saturday, to return on the feast of the Epiphany for a few days of retreat and to begin the new semester.
This semester has flown by, and from my experience in the acceleration of time in college, it is a bit nerve-wracking that things are already moving so quickly. It is a reminder of the brevity of our lives on earth and an encouragement to make the most of them in service to God in each other, which was the theme of this morning's homily by Fr. Bill Brown, OMV, director of our St. Joseph Retreat House in Milton.
In Metaphysics the last couple classes, we saw Aristotle's proofs for the existence of God, and Aquinas' perfection of his proof. Then we took two of the 5 angles given to arrive at the divine attributes. It was a very gratifying exercise to take the list of divine attributes and discuss how each of those two angles of proving God's existence requires each of the divine attributes to be true of God. Metaphysics is a very interesting subject because it considers first what is in common to all things, and how we know that different things are different, and then abstracts further to comprehend things we cannot perceive directly with our senses, particularly the angels and God. It is most fascinating that the ancient philosophers that provide the foundation for this study and the later extensions by scholastics, the first of whom is St. Thomas Aquinas, did their thinking over 2000 years ago, without the benefit of divine revelation to conclude that there must exist a God who is one, all-powerful, all-knowing, and infinite. Based on divine revelation, Aquinas extended Aristotle's crowning work with the additional aspect of God as creator and as the effective and final cause of the existence of all things.
An interesting thread of argument I have encountered in participating in Wikipedia is that the Catholic Church focuses too much on the intellectual aspects of our relationship with God and our understanding of our own reality and purpose. Some Wikipedia editors who claim to represent Eastern Christianity (this is as accurate as I can be, as you know that Wikipedia requires no verification of identity; we can only rely on the precise text found there as given and that is corroborated by verifiable sources) argue that the Catholic teachings of Aquinas and Augustine, which form the vast majority of written philosophical and theological understanding, are too mental, inaccessible to all people by nature of our diversity, and too distant from the intimate understanding and communion we can achieve by contemplation and ascetic practice. The Greek term that means contemplation and a "soul-to-soul" "vision" of God is "noesis." The reality is that the Catholic Church teaches that contemplation is indeed a method encouraged by the mystics for communion with God on this level that transcends the limitations of human thought and also teaches that the simplest among us may come to know God and be saved, in many cases, more easily than those who have been given the grace of a profound intellectual knowledge and understanding (wisdom) of God. Further, evangelization in today's world requires communication with words and pictures that stimulate the intellect in order to awaken the soul, and so a coherent and well-developed intellectual formulation of the faith is required to encourage the modern man in his technological society to bridge the infinite gap between him and his Maker.
In Catechism class and in recent events around the world (as well as my participation on Wikipedia), I have been drawn to explore the Catholic Church's stance on ecumenism and "interfaith relations," as some put it. As modern society experiences more challenges, both from within and from natural events, it would seem that all believers in Christ should live up to Our Lord's desire "that [we] all be one" in observing His commandments and practicing the rituals He established in His Church. The beautiful diversity of the members of the mystical Body of Christ on earth shows the capacity for His truth to transcend all cultural traditions and give meaning to the lives of all human beings. The similarity of so many other non-Catholic Christian traditions is evidence of a yearning for the fullness of the truth revealed by Christ and His Apostles and safeguarded by the infallible Magisterium of the Church He founded. The activities of religious traditions that seek to do good but do so in a fractured way or do so in a way that compromises the good of others can greatly encourage Christian unity. The best thing that we can do as stewards of creation and of the truth maintained in the Catholic Church is to live the fullness of the faith, cultivating in ourselves by God's grace and the intercession of our Most Holy Mother the theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love and practicing an authentic Christian spirit of service and good will toward all. The Church calls this "spiritual ecumenism" and reflects the Gospel witness that shows others "we are Christians by our love" for all.
May we all effect an unwavering example for the world, an example of the love of the Light of the World; let us be the Salt of the Earth, a quiet beacon of hope in this noisy and despairing world. By the grace of the Prince of Peace, let us bring Him to all the poor souls in this world and them to Him.
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
This semester has flown by, and from my experience in the acceleration of time in college, it is a bit nerve-wracking that things are already moving so quickly. It is a reminder of the brevity of our lives on earth and an encouragement to make the most of them in service to God in each other, which was the theme of this morning's homily by Fr. Bill Brown, OMV, director of our St. Joseph Retreat House in Milton.
In Metaphysics the last couple classes, we saw Aristotle's proofs for the existence of God, and Aquinas' perfection of his proof. Then we took two of the 5 angles given to arrive at the divine attributes. It was a very gratifying exercise to take the list of divine attributes and discuss how each of those two angles of proving God's existence requires each of the divine attributes to be true of God. Metaphysics is a very interesting subject because it considers first what is in common to all things, and how we know that different things are different, and then abstracts further to comprehend things we cannot perceive directly with our senses, particularly the angels and God. It is most fascinating that the ancient philosophers that provide the foundation for this study and the later extensions by scholastics, the first of whom is St. Thomas Aquinas, did their thinking over 2000 years ago, without the benefit of divine revelation to conclude that there must exist a God who is one, all-powerful, all-knowing, and infinite. Based on divine revelation, Aquinas extended Aristotle's crowning work with the additional aspect of God as creator and as the effective and final cause of the existence of all things.
An interesting thread of argument I have encountered in participating in Wikipedia is that the Catholic Church focuses too much on the intellectual aspects of our relationship with God and our understanding of our own reality and purpose. Some Wikipedia editors who claim to represent Eastern Christianity (this is as accurate as I can be, as you know that Wikipedia requires no verification of identity; we can only rely on the precise text found there as given and that is corroborated by verifiable sources) argue that the Catholic teachings of Aquinas and Augustine, which form the vast majority of written philosophical and theological understanding, are too mental, inaccessible to all people by nature of our diversity, and too distant from the intimate understanding and communion we can achieve by contemplation and ascetic practice. The Greek term that means contemplation and a "soul-to-soul" "vision" of God is "noesis." The reality is that the Catholic Church teaches that contemplation is indeed a method encouraged by the mystics for communion with God on this level that transcends the limitations of human thought and also teaches that the simplest among us may come to know God and be saved, in many cases, more easily than those who have been given the grace of a profound intellectual knowledge and understanding (wisdom) of God. Further, evangelization in today's world requires communication with words and pictures that stimulate the intellect in order to awaken the soul, and so a coherent and well-developed intellectual formulation of the faith is required to encourage the modern man in his technological society to bridge the infinite gap between him and his Maker.
In Catechism class and in recent events around the world (as well as my participation on Wikipedia), I have been drawn to explore the Catholic Church's stance on ecumenism and "interfaith relations," as some put it. As modern society experiences more challenges, both from within and from natural events, it would seem that all believers in Christ should live up to Our Lord's desire "that [we] all be one" in observing His commandments and practicing the rituals He established in His Church. The beautiful diversity of the members of the mystical Body of Christ on earth shows the capacity for His truth to transcend all cultural traditions and give meaning to the lives of all human beings. The similarity of so many other non-Catholic Christian traditions is evidence of a yearning for the fullness of the truth revealed by Christ and His Apostles and safeguarded by the infallible Magisterium of the Church He founded. The activities of religious traditions that seek to do good but do so in a fractured way or do so in a way that compromises the good of others can greatly encourage Christian unity. The best thing that we can do as stewards of creation and of the truth maintained in the Catholic Church is to live the fullness of the faith, cultivating in ourselves by God's grace and the intercession of our Most Holy Mother the theological virtues of Faith, Hope, and Love and practicing an authentic Christian spirit of service and good will toward all. The Church calls this "spiritual ecumenism" and reflects the Gospel witness that shows others "we are Christians by our love" for all.
May we all effect an unwavering example for the world, an example of the love of the Light of the World; let us be the Salt of the Earth, a quiet beacon of hope in this noisy and despairing world. By the grace of the Prince of Peace, let us bring Him to all the poor souls in this world and them to Him.
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Thanksgiving in Montreal
We headed up to Montreal on the afternoon of Thanksgiving Day to spend the weekend with our Oblate confreres in Canada. We made the trip into a pilgrimage of sorts, visiting several shrines and churches while we were there. It was pretty cold, and we had a good snow Friday night and Saturday. It was 26 ºF when we left Sunday morning, and 47 ºF in Boston that afternoon. The coldest point was 22 ºF minus wind chill when we were leaving the prayer vigil Saturday night in downtown. I shot a whole 2GB worth of photos and video in about two days! Enjoy!
Love the Immaculata!
Mariam cogita, Mariam invoca
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