Carl E. Olson's Blog, page 289

"How do you outlaw abortion in an age that is obsessed with sexual liberty?"

Given the hysterical response to Nadine Dorries' modest proposal to reform the counselling given to women seeking a termination in the UK, it seems like an uphill struggle. But quietly, almost without anyone noticing, the Republican Party in the United States is showing how it can be done. It takes time and patience, but the results reflect well on what Dorries has accomplished so far. The best way to kill the abortion industry is not through religious moralising. It's through red tape.

So writes Tim Stanley in this September 1st piece in The Telegraph. He also writes:

The prolife movement woke up to the fact that it had prostituted itself to Republican candidates who neither had the will nor the congressional votes necessary to stamp out abortion federally. The administration of George W Bush had both and one of the few things he did accomplish was a block on funding for abortion overseas. But that was overturned by Obama as soon as he came into office (the President is equivocal on publicly financed health insurance, but he just loves publicly financed abortions). Forty years of messing around in national politics has done little for America's unborn.

Since the 2010 landslide, the prolifers have adopted a new strategy. Rather than shouting about a national ban and obsessing about picking the right presidential candidate, prolifers have refocused on making life uncomfortable for local abortion providers. Beneath the radar, state-by-state, they are starting to get the job done.

After giving some examples, Stanley concludes by stating, "The message for British prolifers is clear: stay away from talking about Jesus and stick to dealing with abortion as a matter of medical ethics. People don't like being preached to, but if they can be shown that abortion is applied dangerously, uncleanly, casually and all too frequently, then they may be open to curtailing it."

There's undoubtedly a lot to what Stanley is saying. It's interesting, however, that if his analysis holds true, or is at least true in many cases, it means that people are open to arguments based on "medical ethics", but not on ethics that are either overtly philosophical or theological in nature. Which begs the question: how lasting and significant are the advances being made for the pro-life cause if, in the end, this strategy relies on (to use Stanley's term) "the language of 'health and safety'"? I don't have an answer, of course, but it will be something to keep an eye on in the months and years to come.

EWTN series, "Saints of China", offers personal view of Catholicism, Catholic saints in China

Tonight marks the debut of a 13-part EWTN series, "Saints of China: Martyrs of the Middle Kingdom", hosted by Dr. Anthony (Tony) E. Clark and based on Clark's book, China's Saints: Catholic Martyrdom during the Qing (1644-1911) (Lehigh University Press, 2011). Clark, assistant professor of East Asian history at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, "examines the history of the Catholic Church in China, from the Jesuit missions to the massive growth of Catholic missions before the Communist government came to power in 1949."

The series airs at 11 p.m. ET, Sundays; and 2:30 a.m. ET, Fridays.

Tony (who, with his lovely wife, Amanda, is godparent of our youngest son) is currently in China for four months, teaching courses to Whitworth students and researching for future book projects. I interviewed him recently by e-mail about his interest in China and Chinese saints, his book, and the EWTN series:

How and when did you first begin studying the saints and martyrs of China? What attracted you to their stories?

Dr. Clark: After living in China for many years it became increasingly clear to me that, despite some contrary opinions, Chinese are growing increasingly hungry for spiritual answers that Communism can't answer. Marx and materialism have left a spiritual and emotional vacuum in China, and Chinese Christianity has grown rather than declined since China's transition into a Communist country in 1949. I first began studying the Church in China after discovering some rare Chinese accounts of Catholic martyrs while doing research in Taiwan for my first book on ancient Chinese history. The number of Christians in China has grown from 4 million in 1949 to around 70 million today, and Chinese Catholics attribute this growth to the Church's suffering there. As Tertullian said, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of Christianity."

What sort of research and travel went into your book, China's Saints? How much of the information in the your book is previously unpublished and unknown to the larger public?

Dr. Clark: In all, I visited archives and locations in Germany, France, China, Taiwan, Italy, and the U.S, but the most informative and helpful place I conducted research for this book was the Pope's private library (Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana) and the Vatican Secret Archives (Archivio Segreto Vaticano), where documents are held related to those who will be, or have been, canonized saints. Among the more personally stirring experiences I had while preparing to write this book was a visit I made with a kindly Chinese priest to the tomb of several martyrs who died in Guizhou, China. The priest and I travelled with peasants into a remote agricultural area, hiked through cornfields, and on the way I was informed that the faithful had been prohibited from visiting the tomb since 2000, when Blessed John Paul II canonized the saints of China - he was taking a serious risk taking me there. We both stood there in front of the Latin-inscribed tomb of Chinese saints who were brutally tortured and killed because they refused to deny Christ. Fr. X held out his umbrella for me to shield me from the rain as I read the inscription. Tears joined the raindrops on my face. Thinking back, that was the most helpful research I did. At least 70 percent of the material in my book was unpublished before it appeared in print.

What can viewers expect to learn from watching your EWTN series, "Saints of China"?

Dr. Clark: The EWTN series, "Saints of China: Martyrs of the Middle Kingdom," offers a much more personal view of the history of the Catholic faith and saints of China. I wrote the book as a more scholarly work, but I felt that the series should speak more directly to Christian believers. The series also contains a significant number of images related to the Church and saints of China, most of which have never been seen outside of obscure archives around the world. The series, like the book, is divided generally by orders - Jesuits, Franciscans, Dominicans - but it ends with more focused accounts of the native Chinese martyrs who sacrificed their lives for God.

What are some of the major events and who are some of the key saints featured in the series?

Dr. Clark: The series features little-known accounts of Catholic martyrdom in China. In the Catholic village of Zhujiahe, for instance, around 3,000 Catholics were massacred by Chinese troops and local "Boxer" militia in 1900. This account is discussed in detail in one episode of the series. The Franciscan martyrs of Taiyuan are discussed in another episode, and important saints, such as St. Zhao Rong and other Chinese martyrs, are considered. One of my principal goals in my book and television series was to bring to light saints that few Westerners are aware of - St. Chi Zhuzi is one such saint. St. Chi was flayed alive for refusing to deny his faith, and while dying he exclaimed, "Every drop of my blood calls out, 'I am a Christian'."

[Photo, right: Dr. Clark relaxing in China at an undisclosed location.]

What aspects of Catholicism in China have yet to be really researched and presented to the world?

Dr. Clark: This is an important question. While Western Catholicism has remained an active venue for scholarship, Chinese Catholicism is still rarely studied outside of works on the famous Jesuit missionary, Matteo Ricci. The word martyr means "witness," and their witness is better fulfilled as their stories become better known. China has 121 Catholic saints, and each one deserves an entire book. Other areas that need attention are the Chinese Church's forms of worship, special devotions, claims of Marian apparitions, church architecture, and I am convinced that more martyrs await investigation for possible canonization.

What are some of the biggest misconceptions about Catholicism in China today? Historically?

Dr. Clark: One of the most common misconceptions today is that the so-called "patriotic Church" is not part of the Catholic Church. Pope Benedict XVI's recent letter to China's Catholics has forcefully dispelled this error - the above and below ground Catholic communities are both members of the One, Holy, and Apostolic, Catholic Church, and both are suffering. Increasingly, we learn that the clergy and faithful of both communities operate in collaboration with each other. Also, some have assumed that the leaders of China have always oppressed Christianity; this is untrue. Several, if not most, emperors of China's imperial era, tolerated, and sometimes contributed to, China's Catholic community. Emperor Kangxi, for example, invited Catholic priests to tutor him in the Forbidden City, and other emperors sometimes wrote special calligraphy to be displayed in Catholic churches. While it can be said that the Church in China has experienced an unusual amount of persecution, it has also enjoyed periods of imperial and local support.

Are you currently working on another book on Catholicism and China?

Dr. Clark: Yes, I'm presently in China gathering information for my next book, which will focus on the Franciscan mission in Shanxi, China. This book will recount the lives and struggles of seven Franciscan nuns, several Franciscan friars, and a large number of Chinese faithful. After several months here I will work in the Franciscan Archives in Rome, where I look forward to reading the private letters from these holy men and women who endured trials during the Boxer Uprising of 1900. I hope to include a number of unpublished images in this book - I believe it is important to actually see the faces of people whose lives provide examples of personal renunciation on behalf of others. I also hope to highlight how complicated things become when two very different cultures collide for the first time.

As I approach my next book I imagine Meister Eckart's wonderful statement that, "We should not think that holiness is based on what we do but rather on what we are, for it is not our works which sanctify us but we who sanctify our works." The saints I describe were real people, who made mistakes like the rest of us. But what they were in the end, at least to me, is what makes them special. In my next book I want to illustrate the lives of real people, who at the end of their lives exhibited an individual kind of holiness few of us encounter.

Related Ignatius Insight Articles:

• July 9, 1900: Remembering China's Franciscan Saints | Anthony E. Clark, Ph.D. | Ignatius Insight | July 8, 2011
• No Easy Answers: An Interview with Shanghai's Bishop Aloysius Jin Luxian, S.J. | Anthony E. Clark, Ph.D. | July 23, 2010
• A Visit to China's Largest Catholic Village | Anthony E. Clark, Ph.D. | July 12, 2010
• "Oh, that I might be found worthy of martyrdom!" | From the Introduction to The Red Book of Chinese Martyrs | Gerolamo Fazzini
• On Writing A History of Christianity in China | Preface to Christians In China: A.D. 600 to 2000 | Fr. Jean-Pierre Charbonnier
• "Weaving a Profound Dialogue between West and East": On Matteo Ricci, S.J. | Anthony E. Clark, Ph.D.
• China, Catholicism, and Buddhism | Anthony E. Clark, Ph.D. and Carl E. Olson | Dec. 29, 2008
• The Church in China: Complexity and Community | Anthony E. Clark, Ph.D. | December 22, 2008
• China's Catholics of Guizhou: Three Days with Three Bishops | Anthony E. Clark, Ph.D. | October 3, 2008
• China's Struggling Catholics: A Second Report on the Church in Beijing | Anthony E. Clark, Ph.D. | September 13, 2008
• China's Thriving Catholics: A Report From Beijing's South Cathedral | Anthony E. Clark, Ph.D. | August 20, 2008
• Two Chinese Churches? Or One? | Anthony E. Clark, Ph.D.
• Two Weeks in the Eternal City: From the Vatican Secret Archives to the Basilica of St. Charles Borromeo | Anthony E. Clark, Ph.D.
• Catholicism and Buddhism | Anthony E. Clark and Carl E. Olson

Ecclesia and Excommunication

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, September 4, 2011 | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Ez 33:7-9
• Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9
• Rom 13:8-10
• Mt 18:15-20

Here's a simple truth that I've learned over the years: A poor understanding of the meaning of "church" inevitably leads to a skewed understanding of many issues. 

Take, for example, the matter of "excommunication."

Many people, including quite a few Catholics, think excommunication is simply a way for the Church to control, coerce, and otherwise bully people. It is, they believe, an exercise of power meant to further increase that power, which is possessed by a privileged few. Some insist excommunication is contrary to the teaching and spirit of Jesus; after all, wasn't He all about love, mercy, and forgiveness? Today's Gospel reading helps set the record straight, even though the term "excommunication" doesn't appear.

We cannot rightly appreciate the purpose and nature of Church authority unless we understand that the Church is not a club, a political party, or a merely human institution. The Church was founded by Christ, states the Catechism, for one ultimate purpose: "for the sake of communion with [God's] divine life." The Church "is the goal of all things" (CCC 760). As the Body of Christ, the Church exists to redeem man, to guide him into holiness, and to transform him, by the power of the Holy Spirit, into a child of God. 

This reading from Matthew 18 contains the second of only two uses of the word ecclesia, or "church", found in the Gospels. The other occurrence is in Matthew 16:18, in the Gospel reading proclaimed two weeks ago. In both cases, the word "church" is uttered in the context of apostolic authority. In Matthew 16:16-20, Peter—the Rock—was given unique authority as the King's prime minister or vicar. In today's reading, the context is that of resolving conflicts within the Church. Jesus provides some practical directives about how Christians should approach someone who has sinned against him. The offender is not just anyone, but a brother in Christ, and the response is to take place within the family and household of God, the Church.

This section, it should be noted, follows after Jesus' declaration that we must be like children in order to enter the kingdom of heaven (18:3), that it would better to lose an eye or limb than to be thrown into eternal fire (18:8-9), and that the heavenly Father rejoices in the return of the one stray sheep (18:12-14). The stakes are eternal and the struggle against sin can be fierce. Being a child of God and a member of His household is not easy; on the contrary, it can be trying. It might even involve rebuke and discipline.

So the steps described by Jesus are not aimed at revenge or retribution, but at reconciliation. When we sin against a brother in Christ, we harm the unity of the Body of Christ. Our sin poisons our souls and our familial bond with others. Which is why it needs to be addressed, first by one-on-one communication, then by a small group. This is rooted in the Law, which declares that "a judicial fact shall be established only on the testimony of two or three witnesses" (Deut 19:15).

If those attempts fail the matter should come before the Church. The possibility of losing communion with the Church is meant to awaken the sinner to the serious straits he is navigating in spiritual blindness. Christ "threatens the one punishment," observed St. John Chrysostom, "to prevent the other from happening." Better to suffer temporal punishment than eternal separation from God. "Thus, by fearing both the rejection from the church and the threat of being bound in heaven, he may become better behaved."

The Catechism sums it up: "Reconciliation with the Church is inseparable from reconciliation with God" (CCC 1445). If we believe the Church was founded by Christ and has been granted His authority, we should appreciate that she works to keep us in right relationship with Him. Yes, excommunication is a severe penalty, but it is a medicinal penalty, meant to cure us from what might destroy our souls.

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the September 7, 2008, issue of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

On Ignatius Insight:

• Excommunication! | An interview with canon lawyer Dr. Edward Peters
• Church Authority and the Petrine Element | Hans Urs von Balthasar
• Good Shepherd: Living Christ's Own Pastoral Authority | Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila, Bishop of Fargo
• Authority and Dissent in the Catholic Church | Dr. William E. May
• The Gospel of St. Matthew: The Unity of the Life of Jesus | Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis | From the Introduction to Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word (Vol. II): Meditations on the Gospel According to St. Matthew
• A Shepherd Like No Other | Excerpt from Behold, God's Son! | Christoph Cardinal Schönborn
• Encountering Christ in the Gospel | Excerpt from My Jesus | Christoph Cardinal Schönborn
• Seeing Jesus in the Gospel of John | Excerpts from On The Way to Jesus Christ | Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
• The Divinity of Christ | Peter Kreeft
• Jesus Is Catholic | Hans Urs von Balthasar
• The Religion of Jesus | Blessed Columba Marmion | From Christ, The Ideal of the Priest

Many more e-books from Ignatius Press

Here are over thirty Ignatius Press titles now available in electronic book format, added since the beginning of the summer:

• The Father's Tale: A Novel by Michael O'Brien. "A modern retelling of the parables The Good Shepherd and The Prodigal Son."

• What To Do When Jesus Is Hungry: A Practical Guide to the Works of Mercy by Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R. An introduction to the Corporal Works of Mercy and the Scriptural Works of Mercy.

• YOUCAT: Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church. An accessible, contemporary expression of the Catholic Faith, with a foreword by Pope Benedict XVI.

• Church, Ecumenism and Politics: New Endeavors in Ecclesiology, by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. On the nature of the Church, the pursuit of Christian unity, and the relationship of Christianity to the secular/political power.

• Confession by Adrienne von Speyr. One of the most complete spiritual treatises ever written on confession.

• The Boundless God by Adrienne von Speyr. Adrienne Von Speyr's treatment on the nature of the Lord allows the reader to glimpse a view of God that many lack.

• The Christian State of Life by Adrienne von Speyr. The more popular, practical counterpart to Hans Urs von Balthasar's own book of the same title, this book plumbs the depths of what it means to be a Christian.

• Saints for Today by Ivan Innerst. This collection of portraits of the lives of twelve saints, many less well-known, focuses on how each of these particular men and women have a specific message that is significant for those living in our challenging times.

• St. John's Gospel: A Bible Study and Commentary by Steve Ray. The first extensive, easy to use and thoroughly Catholic study guide available for the Fourth Gospel.

• Josef Pieper: An Anthology. Pieper himself selected the best and most representative passages from his works and arranged them in an order that gives sense to the whole and aids in the understanding of each excerpt.

• Guide to Thomas Aquinas by Josef Pieper. A penetrating introduction and guide to the life and works of perhaps the greatest philosopher ever, St. Thomas Aquinas.

• No One Could Have Known by Josef Pieper. The engaging and illustrated autobiography of one of the most popular and perceptive philosophers of the 20th century.

• Living The Truth by Josef Pieper. Illuminating treatises on Thomistic anthropology and on the principles of right human behavior based on anthropology.

• The End of Time by Josef Pieper. This book was written to throw light on an ancient question: What is the nature of "The End" toward which, even now, the world and men are moving?

• Hope and History by Josef Pieper. The German Thomist looks at the movement of history, the idea of progress, and man's hope for a better future.

• Faith Hope Love by Josef Pieper. A collection of Josef Pieper's famous treatises on the three theological virtues.

• On Hope by Josef Pieper. A masterpiece on a forgotten virtue by one of the great Christian philosophers of the twentieth century.

• And You Are Christ's: The Charism of Virginity and the Celibate Life by Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M. One of the foremost authorities on the religious life, discusses one of the most important but not fully appreciated or understood charisms of the consecrated life, the charism of virginity.

• To Know Christ Jesus by Frank Sheed. This modern spiritual classic has been described as "one of the most satisfying studies of the Gospel ever made."

• Old Thunder: A Life of Hilaire Belloc by Joseph Pearce. Pearce examines the lasting impact of this prolific writer and social commentator on British intellectual life.

• The Life Of St. Philip Neri by Antonio Gallonio. This account of Philip's life was written by his disciple Gallonio soon after the saint's death.

• Welcome Home! Fallen Away Catholics Who Came Back, edited by Victor R. Claveau. The compelling stories of eleven "reverts", Catholics who fell away from the Church and eventually came back home.

• Drink of the Stream: Prayers of Carmelites, edited by Penny Hickey. Prayers and meditations of more than twenty-five saints, along with a short biography of each saint, and numerous illustrations.

• The Treasury of Catholic Wisdom, edited by Fr. John Hardon, S.J. A Catholic library in miniature, a one-volume microcosm of what the Church's great minds have thought and said since the apostolic age.

• Prayer, the Great Conversion: Straight Answers to Tough Questions About Prayer by Peter Kreeft. Kreeft shows how prayer can be an exciting adventure, an inexhaustible joy, a conversation with God, the source of wisdom and strength.

• Faith and Certitude by Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M. Fr. Dubay cuts through the relativism and skepticism of our time and exposes the deepest roots of error, whether scientific or religious.

• The Collected Works of G. K. Chesterton (Vol. 36): The Illustrated London News, 1932-1934. This volume contains all of G.K. Chesterton's columns in The Illustrated London News from 1932 to 1934.

• A Landscape With Dragons by Michael O'Brien. A controversial, yet thoughtful study of what millions of young people are reading and the possible impact such reading may have on them.

• Idylls and Rambles by Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. Fr. Schall writes profoundly and charmingly about people, places and things, giving a Christian perspective to the importance of little things and particular moments.

• The Beauty of Holiness and the Holiness of Beauty: Art, Sanctity and The Truth of Catholicism by John Saward. This book is a unique and unprecedented meditation on the beauty of Christ and His saints.

• The History and the Future of the Liturgy by Denis Crouan. Crouan shows how the decisions made by Vatican II that aimed at restoring the Roman rite were presented poorly, applied incorrectly, and often not applied at all.

• The Liturgy Betrayed by Denis Crouan. Crouan makes accessible to everyone the criteria which have been issued by the Magisterium and which define a truly Catholic Liturgy in today's Church.

• The Liturgy After Vatican II: Collapsing or Resurgent by Denis Crouan. A penetrating work on the state of the Eucharistic Liturgy, the problems and errors that still exist, and how to correct these abuses.

• Divine Intimacy, Vol. 2 by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen. This volume covers from Ash Wednesday through Pentecost.

• Divine Intimacy, Vol. 4 by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen. This volume covers from the Twenty-second Sunday through the Thirty-fourth Week of Ordinary Time.

Also see:

• A few dozen more Ignatius Press books now available in e-book format (May 25, 2011)
• New E-books (of older print books) from Ignatius Press (March 16, 2011)
• New E-books and Audio Books from Ignatius Press (Aug. 16, 2010)

"He'll leave a lot of stuff behind, and we'll pick it up and chew on it again and again."

Who? What stuff? Where? From ZENIT:

"Secularism [in Germany] is of course painful to him," says Paul Badde, the Rome correspondent for the German daily, Die Welt. "He's coming from a Catholic universe, a Catholic family in a little German Catholic village. It wasn't an unbroken world, but after 1945 he had to witness it being broken even more through an accelerated process of secularism that began in Germany." Such an ingrained turning away from the Church, Badde believes, makes this visit "more complicated" than his much publicized state visit to Britain last year -- a visit which "was easy game for him in the end."  ...

Badde, author of the recent book "The Holy Face of Manoppello," believes that rather than a minority, a "silent majority" exists in Germany who are actually behind what the Church teaches. And he sees them steadily becoming less silent. "With the Internet we have a phenomenon going on that is not dissimilar to what happened in Egypt -- voices are being heard," he says, "Catholic media used to be in the hands of modernist pressure groups, but this isn't the case anymore." 

But both Father Hagenkord and Badde believe this Pope's real impact on Germany won't be felt for some years to come. "This is a Pope we'll speak of in 20-30 years time," says Father Hagenkord. "He'll leave a lot of stuff behind, and we'll pick it up and chew on it again and again." Still, he doesn't think the "old Catholic faith we used to know" will ever come back to Germany. "That has gone, so we have to establish a new way of being Catholic," he says. "The Pope will contribute to this, as will others, in sharpening our identity -- what it means to be Catholic."

Read the entire article, "A Hard Trip Home" (Sept. 1, 2011). For more about Paul Badde's book, The Face of God: The Rediscovery Of The True Face of Jesus, visit FaceOfGodBook.com.

Catholics, Scripture, and Culture. Oh, and Conversion.

Fr. Alexander Lucie-Smith reflects in the Catholic Herald on the dearth of conversations about Scripture and the loss of culture that results from a Scripture-challenged (my term, not his) society:

I had lunch with a young evangelical the other day and we talked about the Bible. This led me to reflect that I do not often have conversations about the Bible, and that interest in the Holy Scriptures as such (as opposed to proof texting, which means picking out quotes that back up your opinion on some controversial subject) seems to be a rare thing these days. This is a great pity, I think, especially in the light of the Second Vatican Council which was supposed to inaugurate a new appreciation of the Scriptures among Catholics.

That Catholics are not as interested in Scripture as they might be could be a reflection on how academics treat the Scriptures. I will never forget (and I fear never get over) the way the Scriptures were taught so badly in the Roman Pontifical University that I attended. The course on the synoptic gospels was good, and we had a lively and interesting teacher, who clearly loved her subject; but the courses on the Old Testament were dismal in the extreme. Before I studied theology, I had read English Literature at university, and in my humble opinion the approach to Scripture could learn a great deal from the study of Eng Lit. In other words, start with the story the Old Testament tells, and spare us the memorable (in all the wrong senses) opening lectures on who the Hittites were.

He goes on to comment on his favorite books of the Bible and the influence of Scripture in British culture and literature. He concludes: "Our current ignorance of the Scriptures represents a terrible loss to our culture. So: next time you sit down to lunch with someone, why not ask them which bit of the Bible they like best? Who knows, you might be in for a pleasant surprise."

It's a most fascinating topic, especially for someone such as myself, who was grew up in a Fundamentalist/Evangelical setting and then entered the Catholic Church in my twenties after a couple of years at an Evangelical Bible college. One of the greatest gifts my parents bestowed on me was a definite and persistent immersion in Scripture and an overt love for the same. At the age of three or four, I (along with several children of the same age) would stand at the front of our small church, before a few dozen folks, and recite verses from the Bible. Sunday School, needless to say, was filled with stories from the Bible, including all of the Big Ones from the Old Testament (Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses and the Exodus, David and Solomon, the Judges, etc.) and the New Testament. I took it for granted and was surprised as I made my way through elementary school that many of my classmates were hazy and indifferent about the famous men, women, and events of the Bible. Didn't everyone read the Bible on a regular basis? No? Really?? (I'm not suggesting that I was sheltered; I'm just noting I didn't understand my upbringing diverged in some ways from that of most other kids. Okay, I was a bit sheltered.)

At the age of nine or ten, I also took a number of correspondence Bible courses from Moody Bible College (Chicago), and I continued to memorize large chunks of the Bible, not only passages from John 3 and Romans 3, but several of the Psalms and sections of the Proverbs. The prophets, in general, were given short shrift, with the exception of Daniel, who was linked, connected, and obsessively intertwined with the Book of Revelation, which itself was always a favorite. Romans, not surprisingly, was a book that garnered much attention; by the time I arrived at Briercrest Bible College, the margins of my Ryrie Study Bible (NAS) indicated that Romans, the Psalms, and the Book of Revelation were fairly regular fare for me. When I was first starting to read, my parents were still using the King James Version; I'm rather thankful such was the case, because I was immersed, for a few years, in the rich language of that translation (setting aside the issue of theological biases, which, frankly, wasn't on my four-year-old radar). This meant that when I began reading this and that by Milton, Jonson, and Shakespeare, I was at least comfortable with tackling it and enjoying it, even if I barely comprehended it.

Our little Bible Chapel made the switch to the New American Standard translation (which is quite similar in many ways to the RSV) when I was about ten; I was then gifted with my Charles Ryrie Study Bible, itself a more modern take on the dubious but semi-venerable practice of dispensationalist glossings first introduced to mankind by Cyrus Scofield in 1909 (revised in 1917), who used the KJV (of course). During my junior high years I discovered the shockingly modern and dangerous poetry of T. S. Eliot, whose pre-Anglican poems (Prufock!) rocked my semi-geeky world. Lucky for me, all of the other kids in Plains, Montana, were also enamored with Eliot and e. e. cummings (no, of course they weren't; don't be silly). During my high school years, I was reading more and more "worldly" books (Chaim Potok, Kenneth Roberts, Frank Herbert, George Orwell, Ray Bradbury, Aldous Huxley, and such), but was still getting plenty of Scripture on Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings. At that point, my interests were more artistic than theological, and there was a definite stagnancy in both my approach to Scripture and my faith. In retrospect, some of it was due to feeling boxed in by the rather utilitarian approach to reading and studying the Bible that I thought was being foisted upon me; it was something I increasingly "had to do". For the most part I viewed Scripture as a combination Moral Handbook and Story of Jesus. The scriptural swimming pool was shallow and at that time I had no idea how to find the deep end.

My first year at college (a one-year course in graphic design) was quite rough emtionally: I was a thousand miles from home, in a big city, and I didn't have an iPhone (nobody else did either, in 1988, but I especially felt the void left by the not-yet-invented technology). I began spending time reading and memorizing Scripture. Once again, I gravitated back to Romans and the Psalms, but this time with a rather raw, existential ache. Yep, I was homesick. I was out in the big, bad world, and it was a bit overwhelming. I vividly recall moments of painful awareness of my mortality; for the first time, the transitory and often brutal nature of life was evident to me (and yet I did not become Buddhist). The Psalms were a special source of comfort, as they have been for countless Jews and Christians for thousands of years. My zeal for "sharing the faith" was demonstrated by convincing my Catholic roommate to ditch his works-oriented, ritualistic man-made religion and attend a "real church" with me. It turned out he had never really read the Bible and knew nothing about basic Christianity, further reinforcing my objective and completely fair belief that Catholics were biblically-illiterate pagans who were bound for hell.

During a short stint the next year at Northwest Nazarene College (Nampa, Idaho), I took an elective in Scripture and wrote a research paper on chapter four of the Book of Revelation. It was really the first time I had ever delved into commentaries that presented views quite different from my own; I was challenged to think more critically and reflectively about how to read and inerpret Scripture. Soon after, I decided to take off a year from studying art and go to Bible college. I ended up spending two years at Briercrest Bible College (Saskatchewan), and it was there that many of my simplistic presuppositions, shallow understandings, and limited perspectives about the Bible were taken to the woodshed for a much needed whuppin'. One of the best things that happened was that I was exposed to different perspectives on studying Scripture and different approaches—theological and literary—to assimilating it and living it.

For example, a series of Old Testament classes by Ken Guenter showed me that while I had a decent sense of the main characters and events of the OT books, I was mostly clueless about the historical context(s), the culture, and the theological premises and priorities of, say, the authors of Deuteronomy, Judges, Isaiah, and so forth. A most fantastic class on the Gospel of Matthew (taught by Dr. Bruce Fisk, now at Westmont) opened the doors to a fresh and far deeper understanding of Jesus and the Gospels than I had ever heard before, one that was vibrant and engaging. Some classes in New Testament Greek further helped me appreciate nuances of rhetoric and language (I sometimes joke that I've studied enough Koine Greek "to be dangerous, but not enough to be helpful". Actually, it's not a joke; it's true). Classes in Christian fiction and poetry—Flannery O'Connor! Charles Williams! Gerard Manley Hopkins!—made connections to blblical images and theological motifs within literary and artistic settings; I read Eliot's post-conversion poetry and was entranced by the rich theology and numerous references to Scripture found in "Four Quartets", "Ash Wednesday", and others. And so forth and so on.

My point here, in addition to taking a shameless stroll down memory lane, is to be consider and recognize how profoundly (well, I hope profoundly) my life and thinking has been shaped by knowing, hearing, reading, memorizing, studying, teaching, and writing about Scripture. I simply cannot begin to fathom what it would be like otherwise; I cannot comprehend a life without the Bible. Becoming Catholic (in 1997) was a logical fulfullment of the arch that began to be traced at a young age, despite the puzzlement (and anger) expressed by some friends and family members. The most important piece of the puzzle was recognizing the intimate relationship between the Bible and liturgy (I could point to a number of books here, but Jean Danielou's The Bible and the Liturgy, is a great place to start). When I first attended a Mass, in 1995, I heard Scripture from beginning to end; I had never heard so much Bible in a church service in my life. But I heard it in a completely new and distinctive way, and I knew it was meant to be heard in that liturgical setting, oriented to and flowing from the Eucharist.

As Josef Pieper explained so well in his classic book, Leisure: The Basis of Culture, culture flows from the cultus, the worship, of a community; in Christian culture, it is rooted in divine revelation, which comes through Scripture and Tradition, via the Church founded by Christ. Pope Benedict XVI, in the magnificent 2010 apostolic exhortation, Verbum Domini, described the Bible as the "great code for cultures", writing:

Down the centuries the word of God has inspired different cultures, giving rise to fundamental moral values, outstanding expressions of art and exemplary life-styles.Hence, in looking to a renewed encounter between the Bible and culture, I wish to reassure all those who are part of the world of culture that they have nothing to fear from openness to God's word, which never destroys true culture, but rather is a constant stimulus to seek ever more appropriate, meaningful and humane forms of expression. Every authentic culture, if it is truly to be at the service of humanity, has to be open to transcendence and, in the end, to God. ...

Sacred Scripture contains anthropological and philosophical values that have had a positive influence on humanity as a whole. A sense of the Bible as a great code for cultures needs to be fully recovered.

Finally, what part of the Bible do I like best? The easy (and not entirely wrong) answer would be, "The Book of Revelation". But I find it increasingly difficult to pinpoint a favorite book, because every time I lead a study of a "new" book at our parish (we've now been studying Proverbs for a year or so), it becomes my favorite book. Put another way, the more I study Scripture, the more I see the 73 books of the Old and New Testaments as a single book, pointing a single Man, inspired by a single Holy Spirit, revealing a single Gospel, gifted by a singular Triune God, for the establishment of a single Kingdom. Reading Proverbs, I am impressed by how a book written some three thousand years ago can be so applicable to my life, as well as to current events (I hope to write a post soon titled something like, "Proverbs and Riots").

In the words of St. Ambrose, "Divine Scripture is the feast of wisdom, and the single books are the various dishes." Dig in! Or Pope St. Gregory: "The Bible is a stream wherein the elephant may swim and the lamb may wade". Dive in!

From Ignatius Insight:

 • "A Symphony of the Word" | A Short Guide to Pope Benedict XVI's Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini | Carl E. Olson
• The Ten Commandments and the Gospel | Carl E. Olson
• "A Word Addressed by God to His People": Benedict XVI and the Interpretation of Sacred Scripture | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• Introduction to Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger's God's Word: Scripture, Tradition, Office | Peter Hünermann and Thomas Södin
• God, The Author of Scripture | Preface to God and His Image: An Outline of Biblical Theology | Fr. Dominique Barthélemy, O.P.
• Going Deeper Into the Old Testament | An Interview with Aidan Nichols, O.P.
• The Pattern of Revelation: A Contentious Issue | From Lovely Like Jerusalem | Aidan Nichols, O.P.
• Origen and Allegory | Introduction to History and Spirit: The Understanding of Scripture According to Origen | Henri de Lubac
• How To Read The Bible | From You Can Understand the Bible | Peter Kreeft
• Introduction to The Meaning of Tradition | Yves Congar, O.P.
• The Bible Gap: Spanning the Distance Between Scripture and Theology | Fr. Benedict Ashley, O.P.
• The Divine Authority of Scripture vs. the "Hermeneutic of Suspicion" | James Hitchcock

New from Michael O'Brien: "The Father's Tale: A Novel"

Now available:

The Father's Tale: A Novel
by Michael O'Brien

Related Products:
The Father's Tale: A Novel  - Electronic Book Download

"A modern retelling of the parables The Good Shepherd and The Prodigal Son."
- Michael O'Brien

Canadian bookseller Alex Graham is a middle-age widower whose quiet life is turned upside down when his college-age son disappears without any explanation or trace of where he has gone. With minimal resources, the father begins a long journey that takes him for the first time away from his safe and orderly world. As he stumbles across the merest thread of a trail, he follows it in blind desperation, and is led step by step on an odyssey that takes him to fascinating places and sometimes to frightening people and perils.

Through the uncertainty and the anguish, the loss and the longing, Graham is pulled into conflicts between nations, as well as the eternal conflict between good and evil. Stretched nearly to the breaking point by the inexplicable suffering he witnesses and experiences, he discovers unexpected sources of strength as he presses onward in the hope of recovering his son--and himself.

Michael O'Brien, iconographer, painter, and writer, is the popular author of many best-selling novels including Father Elijah, Eclipse of the Sun, Sophia House, Theophilos and Island of the World. He lives in Canada with his wife and family.

"This is a magnum opus in quality as well as quantity.  All of O'Brien's large and human soul is in this book as in none of his shorter ones: father, Catholic, Russophile, Canadian, personalist, artist, storyteller, romantic. There is not one boring or superfluous page. When you finish The Father's Tale you will say of it what Tolkien said of The Lord of the Rings: it has one fault: it is too short. A thousand pages of Michael O'Brien is like a thousand sunrises: who's complaining?"
- Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., Boston College, Author, You Can Understand the Bible

"To enter the domain into which this book takes its readers is to find oneself in the precincts of Holiness, really. Everything is here: suspense, poignancy, darkness, goodness, radiance, courage and  joy. George Macdonald, Charles Williams, Chesterton, Lewis, and, yes, Dostoyevski, have ventured across the borders of this terrain. The scrim that lies between ordinariness and That Which lies beyond ordinariness is pierced. Michael O'Brien's achievement here is, I think, titanic."
-Thomas Howard, Author, Dove Descending: T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets
 
"The best of Michael O'Brien's novels. He creates characters like Dickens, explores human relationships like Austen, and has the epic scope of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. I believe this novel will merit inclusion in any list of the world's greatest novels."
- Fr. Joseph Fessio, SJ

"In this epic tale of the complex and mysterious workings of love, O'Brien takes his readers on a harrowing intercontinental odyssey, offering them an inside view both of brutal torture and mystical transport in which the dark incongruities of divine providence reorder faith and hope so that love becomes fully possible."
- David Lyle Jeffrey, Ph.D.  Distinguished Professor of Literature and the Humanities, Baylor University

Truth Seekers: Why We Need an Authentic Metaphysics of the Human Person

Truth Seekers: Why We Need an Authentic Metaphysics of the Human Person | Brian Jones, M.A. | September 1, 2011 | Ignatius Insight

In studying the metaphysics of the person, we continually receive a better understanding of ourselves and the true meaning of what it is to be a person.

An authentic metaphysics of the person continually helps us to realize we are not "asleep," but rather, an "awakened" being. As an "awakened" being, we are conscious of the world and ourselves, capable of knowing the truth, willing the good, and of experiencing love, joy, sorrow, and sadness. Unfortunately, we live in a society that has lost this fundamental metaphysical outlook. There does not even seem to be a consensus on what it means to actually be a person. And there are many who will think that this subject is of little importance and not relevant to our times. We live in a time that is predominantly motivated by a utilitarian philosophical view towards persons, and when their so-called "value" runs out, they cease being a person.

I want to provide a few brief reflections wherein which I will examine the person in relation to value, as well the relationship between person and substance in order to gain a greater knowledge of the metaphysics of the person.

The relationship between person and value is vital for a foundational understanding the metaphysics of the person. Value always involves reference to persons. Value necessitates a right or due response, and only a person is capable of making such a response.

My dog Kirby cannot give a right response, let alone any response, to value. To think that a dog or any animal could give a response to value would seem absurd. The influence of value on the world always goes through the person because it motivates us and it appeals to us as persons. Since value motivates and appeals to persons, they call for a personal decision and response. Dietrich von Hildebrand expresses this point in his book, Liturgy and Personality, when he says:

The very soul of the response to value is the consciousness that an adequate response is due to each value according to its rank. The motive of the response to value should never be the desire to bring about the transformation of the person, but to give to value its due response. (64)

Von Hildebrand notes that values "exist in themselves, regardless if they are perceived or not. Values are oriented towards the world of persons and they ought to be perceived and responded to properly by persons."

Read the entire essay on Ignatius Insight...

Preparing for school with 20% off college essentials from Ignatius Press

20% off College Essentials

Offer ends Tuesday, September 6th, 2011 at 12:00 midnight EST.
These prices are available online only through Ignatius.com

As the school year begins, many young people are heading away from home for the first time. Help them prepare for the challenges - academic, social and spiritual, which will face them at college by selecting any one (or more!) of the titles listed below.

Also, the Ignatius Press Super Summer Sale ends tomorrow! Make sure to take advantage of these great deals before it's too late. To view the full listing of sale items, click here. 

Issues of Faith and Morals
Cardinal George Pell
This book is written for Catholic youth of high school and college age, addressing key issues and concerns that are important to youth today about faith and life. With a great pastoral love for young people growing up in a secular, hedonistic society, Cardinal Pell seeks to strengthen the hope of youth by explaining the depth of God's goodness and love as revealed in the Catholic tradition, ancient yet ever new.

Another Sort of Learning
James V. Schall, S.J.
Noting the widespread concern about the quality of education in our schools, Schall examines what is taught and read (and not read) in these schools. He questions the fundamental premises in our culture which do not allow truth to be considered. Schall lists various important books to read, and why.

Because God is Real
Sixteen Questions, One Answer
Peter Kreeft
Atheistic and agnostic writers are aggressively attacking traditional religious beliefs. Philosopher and prolific writer Peter Kreeft is up to the challenge in this work of popular apologetics aimed at both teens and adults.This book is ideal for those exploring faith for the first time, as well as for confirmation and religious education classes. It's an intellectual and spiritual feast!

We're on a Mission from God
The Generation X Guide to John Paul II and the Real Meaning of Life
Mary Beth Bonacci
In this book, Mary Beth Bonacci joins with John Paul II in bringing young Catholics a clearer understanding of the Church and their role in it. She takes his quotes from the five World Youth Day events and "unpacks" them, explaining the truths of the faith clearly and concisely.

[image error]YOUCAT
Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church
Christoph Cardinal Schoenborn
YOUCAT is short for Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church, which was launched on World Youth Day, 2011. Developed with the help of young Catholics and written for high-school age people and young adults, YOUCAT is an accessible, contemporary expression of the Catholic Faith. The appealing graphic format includes Questions-and-Answers, highly-readable commentary, summary definitions of key terms, Bible citations and inspiring and thought-provoking quotes from Saints and others in the margins.

Your Questions, God's Answers
Peter Kreeft
Kreeft uses Scripture to provide God's answers to the most common and important questions young people ask about the deeper meaning of life, their own identity, overcoming failure and temptation, the mystery of God's love, and much more.

More sale items below the fold:

The Loser Letters
A Comic Tale of Life, Death and Atheism
Mary Eberstadt
This satire follows the conversion of a young woman to atheism. She pens open letters to famous atheists (Dawkins, Hitchens) explaining her rejection of God and its logical consequences. Truly unique: a black comedy about theism and atheism, and simultaneously a rollicking defense of Christianity.

Moby Dick
Ignatius Critical Editions
Herman Melville
Based on the author's experiences as a sailor, Herman Melville's probing look into the human heart has been read and analyzed from every angle, including the most absurd. The tragic tale is looked at afresh in this Ignatius Critical Edition, which examines the background and other writings of the author and provides his essay on a work by his literary friend Nathaniel Hawthorne. 

Romeo and Juliet
Ignatius Critical Editions
William Shakespeare
"Star-crossed" Romeo and Juliet are Shakespeare's most famous lovers. A staple of high school reading lists, the tragedy especially resonates with young adult readers who, like Romeo and Juliet, have experienced the exhilarating and perilous phenomenon of being "in love". Is their love the "real thing", or is it self-indulgent passion run amok? These are some of the ever relevant questions discussed in this critical edition of Romeo and Juliet.

Desiderata
A Teenager's Journey to God
David Eich
Aimed at teenagers and young adults, this book uses the 15 mysteries of the Rosary as a means of understanding all the important Christian virtues and how to live them in our daily lives.

New Testament
Ignatius Catholic Study Bible
Scott Hahn, Curtis Mitch
The only Catholic Study Bible based on the Revised Standard Version 2nd Catholic Edition, the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament brings together all of the books of the New Testament and the penetrating study tools developed by renowned Bible teachers Dr. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch.
Also available in Hardcover and Leather

Philosophy 101 by Socrates
An Introduction to Philosophy
Peter Kreeft
The popular author and Boston College philosophy professor, Kreeft, presents this introduction to philosophy to help beginners not only to understand philosophy but to fall in love with it.

Socrates Meets Hume
The Father of Philosophy Meets the Father of Modern Skepticism
Peter Kreeft
Kreeft invites you to take part in the process of refuting Hume's skeptical arguments, with the aid of Socrates. Based on an imaginary dialogue between Socrates and Hume that takes place in the afterlife, this profound and witty book makes an entertaining and informative exploration of modern philosophy.

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Catholic World Report magazine, published by Ignatius Press, is now available online at www.catholicworldreport.com.  With outstanding news, analysis, and commentary by some of today's top Catholic writers, plus, engaging video, and always-though-provoking blogging, Catholic World Report online is must-reading. Go there now.

Jesuit Father Joseph Fessio to teach theology using the works of C.S. Lewis, G.K. Chesterton and the Second Vatican Council

Beginning this week, Jesuit Fr. Joseph Fessio, Founder and Editor of Ignatius Press, will bring together classic authors C.S. Lewis and G.K. Chesterton – and include the work of the Second Vatican Council – as he teaches "Revelation and Christology." Offered through the Ignatius-Angelicum Academy's Liberal Studies Program, the 3-credit-hour course will be available online starting September 1.

"Revelation and Christology" is the first of four online courses Fr. Fessio will teach through the Liberal Studies Program. The others include "Fundamental Theology: The Creed," "Biblical Theology: Jesus of Nazareth," and "Ecclesiology: The Liturgy." Students will receive 3-credit hours for successful completion of each course online.
For more information, visit the website here.

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More Gleam! "On a scale of 1-10, this gets an 11 from me."

T. M. Doran's novel, Toward the Gleam (Ignatius, 2011), continues to earn praise and attention. From the blog, "Our Lady and Sheen":

I just finished reading the book, "Toward the Gleam" by T.M. Doran.  This book was amazing, and I cant really tell you why I loved it, although this trailer by Insight Scoop does a great job explaining the intensity!  Check it out

And Sarah Reinhard of CatholicMom.com writes the following in her review of the novel:

It's a book I won't lend lightly, because it was impeccably written. Calling it science fiction or even fantasy (I've heard it categorized as both) feels misleading to me (probably because I have a misconception about what's included in those genres), though it definitely has elements of both.

During the week I was reading it, I found myself rocking the baby longer so that I could keep reading and trying to fit reading time into every odd moment I could. I couldn't see how the book would resolve and I was unable to predict what would happen, which was delightful and maddening. I think my brain might still be whirling a little from it, and I have no doubt that this will be among the books that I reread in the next few years, because I'm sure there's a lot I missed as I tried to get to the end.

You can learn more about the plot and elements within it at the book's website (I don't want to accidentally spoil it!). It has some heavy endorsements, which intrigued me before I picked it up to read, but after losing myself to it, I can say that they're all well-earned.

On a scale of 1-10, this gets an 11 from me. Not only highly recommended, but sure to be a great gift for any fiction reader on your list.

And, most recently, T. M. Doran was interviewed by John J. Miller on National Review's "Between the Covers" program.

For more about the book, including a long excerpt, visit www.TowardTheGleam.com.