Carl E. Olson's Blog, page 323

New children's books from Ignatius Press and Magnificat

Now available from Ignatius Press:

Thérèse: The Little Flower of Lisieux
by Sioux Gerger

Continuing with The Life of a Saint series for young people, Thérèse: The Little Flower of Lisieux tells the story of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, France, the young Carmelite nun known as the Little Flower and declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope John Paul II.

Raised in a loving and devout family, Thérèse heard the calling to religious life at an early age. She was sensitive by nature, and her tremendous confidence in the love of God was the secret to her joy and perseverance. With sanctity and wisdom beyond her years, she wrote the spiritual classic Story of a Soul before dying of tuberculosis in 1897.

Illustrated on every page with bright, four-color pictures, this life of Thérèse can be read independently by young readers, or read aloud to small children. Because of her childlike trust and simplicity, Thérèse is an ideal role model for young people.

The Adventures of Loupio, Volume 2: The Hunters and other stories
by Jean-Francois Kieffer

The excitement continues in this second volume of The Adventures of Lupio. In Volume 1, we meet the orphaned Lupio living in the days of knights and castles in Assisi, Italy. The young troubadour becomes the friend of Brother Francis and of the wolf tamed by the Saint. With his gift of song and his youthful enthusiasm, Lupio has many escapades in which he learns to love and be loved in return.

Volume 2 picks up the story with new challenges for Lupio. The youthful and colorful comic- book style presents to young readers an attractive example of a boy their age doing his best, though not without making a few mistakes along the way, to follow Jesus.

The Illustrated Acts of the Apostles for Children
by Jean-Francois Kieffer and Christine Posnard

The adventures of the apostles, as recorded by Saint Luke in the New Testament, are told for young readers with vibrant and expressive four-color, comic-book style illustrations. The simple but engaging text begins where The Illustrated Gospel for Children leaves off - with Pentecost, when the followers of Jesus are transformed by the gifts of the Holy Spirit into heroic witnesses of the Resurrection of Christ. The experiences of the early Church -- the works of mercy, the miraculous healings, and the amazing conversions -- come to life in these seventeen inspiring stories of the faith and courage.

Pictures from the Gospels, Volume 2: A Coloring Book
by Jean-Francois Kieffer

More simple but inviting line drawings about the life of Jesus by Jean-François Kieffer. Like those in Volume 1, the pictures portray the main people and events in the Gospels.

The books in this series can be colored in any order, because even though the individual pictures are different, the sequencing through the birth, life, and mission of Christ is basically the same. For example, Volume 1 begins with a scene from the Annunciation, while Volume 2 begins with a lovely picture of Mary of Nazareth. As in Volume 1, beneath the headings on each page are the Bible chapter and verse where the story can be found.

The Gospel for Little Ones: A Board Book
by Maïte Roche

With touching four-color pictures and simple but beautiful language, the life of Jesus unfolds for very young children. From the Annunciation to the Ascension, all the main events in the life of our Lord are artfully described on hard, childproof pages with rounded corners. This charming little book is an ideal way to share the Good News to small children.

More books from Ignatius and Magnificat:

• My First Prayers with Mary: A Board Book by Maïte Roche
• My First Bedtime Prayers: A Board Book by Maïte Roche
• My First Prayers for Christmas: A Board Book by Maïte Roche
• My First Prayers for My Family: A Board Book by Maïte Roche
• John Mary Vianney: The Curé of Ars by Sophie de Mullenheim, Illustrated by Adeline Avril
• Bernadette: The Little Girl from Lourdes by Sophie de Mullenheim, Illustrated by Adeline Avril
• The Illustrated Gospel for Children by Jean-Francois Kieffer and Christine Ponsard
• The Bible for Little Ones by
• Pictures From the Gospel: A Coloring Book, by Jean-Francois Kieffer
• The Adventures of Loupio, Volume 1: The Encounter and other Stories by Jean-Francois Kieffer

"My intention was to write a book that would combine three essential elements about Our Lady of Fatima"

From a just-posted press release:

Compelling Insights into 1917 Marian Apparitions Now Available

Foremost Expert Reveals Urgent, Yet Hopeful Analysis on Fatima Messages

SAN FRANCISCO, May 9, 2011 – For almost an entire century, the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal, have intensified devotion and served as an urgent message of hope to the world.  On the eve of the 94th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R., one of the world's leading experts on Fatima, analyzes this timeless event in the life of the Catholic Church in his landmark work Fatima For Today: The Urgent Marian Message of Hope from Ignatius Press.

Beginning on May 13, 1917 – and after multiple apparitions by an angel of God – Mary appeared monthly through Oct. 1917 to siblings Francisco and Jacinta Marto, and their cousin, Lucia dos Santos. The children endured ridicule and persecution – even abduction and serious death threats – but never wavered. The Blessed Mother imparted prophetic, important messages to the children, including one that foretold the assassination attempt on Blessed Pope John Paul II, which occurred on May 13, 1981.

Ignatius Press asked Fr. Apostoli to "put everything about Fatima" in this landmark work, and he has done that – and more. "My intention was to write a book that would combine three essential elements about Our Lady of Fatima," Fr. Apostoli said. "First, the historical facts of the apparitions; second, the message of prayer, sacrifice, suffering and holiness of life; third the objections and questions that have been raised concerning the message of Fatima."

In addition to carefully analyzing the events that unfolded in Fatima, Fr. Apostoli also clears up lingering questions and doubts about their meaning – including the secret Third Message and the consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

In the book's foreword, Raymond Cardinal Burke notes that Fr. Apostoli "addresses (the Third Message and the consecration of Russia) with the greatest respect and care. Placing them within the context of the complete account of the apparitions and message of Fatima, he resolves them through the careful consideration of all that was taught to the three little seers by the Mother of God."

"If there ever was a flawless work on Fatima, this is it," reported the National Catholic Register in its review of the book.

"This wonderful book on Fatima is so important!" said Fr. Donald Calloway, author of No Turning Back. "Fr. Apostoli has recaptured this heavenly message of urgency and hope for a new generation."

"The message of Fatima has often been described as a brief summary of the essentials of Christian living," Fr. Apostoli writes. "Our lady of Fatima has given us a great reminder of these essentials for our difficult times."

Fr. Apostoli, a founding member of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, has been teaching and preaching retreats and parish missions for several decades. He hosted the EWTN TV special "Our Lady of Fatima and First Saturday Devotion," and Catholic TV developed and aired a three-part series on Fatima for Today earlier this year

For more information about Fatima for Today, to request a review copy or to schedule an interview with Fr. Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R, please contact Alexis Walkenstein with The Maximus Group at 678-990-9032.   

You can read an excerpt from Fr. Apostoli's book on Ignatius Insight:

Unintentionally funny (in a sad, pathetic way) paragraph of the day

Okay, it's more than a paragraph, but the final paragraph quoted here, from this piece on the "The Christian Century" site, will do, if you're a stickler for honest headlines:

Munich, May 6 (ENInews)--The Catholic Church is seriously, possibly terminally ill and only an honest diagnosis and radical therapy will cure it, one of the sharpest critics of Pope Benedict XVI, the Swiss Catholic theologian Hans Kung, has written.

Speaking at a sold-out event in the Literaturhaus (Literary Centre) in Munich on 2 May, Kung who is a former colleague of the pope at the University of Tubingen, introduced his new book, "Ist die Kirche noch zu retten?" ("Can the Church Still Be Saved?").

Kung argues that the malady of the church goes beyond recent sexual abuse scandals. According to him, the church's resistance to reform, its secrecy, lack of transparency and misogyny are at the heart of the problem.

He said that the Catholic church in the United States has lost one-third of its membership."The American Catholic church never asked why," he said."Any other institution that has lost a third of its members would want to know why." He also said that eighty percent of German bishops would welcome reforms.

Kung is one of today's most outspoken Roman Catholic theologians. Because he questioned the infallibility of the pope in 1971, he had his "missio canonica," the license needed to teach Roman Catholic theology, withdrawn. Thereafter, he became professor of ecumenical theology in Tubingen. He remains a Catholic priest.

He told the mostly elderly audience in the Diocese of Munich and Freising, the former diocese of Benedict XVI, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, "I would have preferred not to write this book. It is not pleasant to dedicate such a critical publication to the church that has remained my church."

Two funny things: first, Küng has been presenting this same basic Spong-like message—"the Church must change or die!"—since the 1970s, but his audiences are apparently "mostly elderly". Meanwhile, for comparison, the 2011 World Youth Day, to be held in Madrid on August 16-21, 2011, currently has 347.965 registrants from around the world.

Secondly, it's hard to take Küng seriously when he says he would have preferred not to write his book, Can the Church Still Be Saved?, since he has made a living and a reputation out of bashing the Catholic Church. Except, to be fair, I do think he really regrets that the Catholic Church has not followed him in embracing a post-modern, quasi-New Age spiritualism that is heavy on empty platitudes and openly supports "contraception, abortion, euthanasia, and homosexuality", as Donna Steichen explained in this 2005 piece for Catholic World Report.

Meanwhile, näive Catholics such as myself continue to believe that promise, given by Jesus, that the gates of hell will not overcome the Catholic Church. And, no offense to Küng, but I don't think even he can command and direct the power of hell, which, alas, must surely rejoice in his continued, sad railings against the Body of Christ.

Further proof, I suppose, that Catholic-Anglican dialogue is floundering

An Anglican liturgist recently offered his thoughts about obstacles to ecumenical dialogue and relations between the Anglican Communion and the Catholic Church. Which of the following did he pinpoint as leaving him "both stunned and dismayed", as well as apparently apoplectic, miffed, and even ecumenically-challenged?

1. The ordination of women as "priests" by the Church of England.
2. The acceptance of women as "bishops" by the Church of England.
3. The acceptance of openly "gay" priests by Episcopal Church of the U.S.
4. The growing likelihood of openly "gay weddings" celebrated by various Angelican groups.
5. The now longtime acceptance of divorce and contraceptives by the Church of England.
6. The lax and ambiguous stance within Anglicanism toward abortion and related life issues.
7. The directives regarding translating liturgical texts expressed in the Vatican document, "Liturgiam Authenticam"

It's a tough one, I know. But if you managed to come up with #7 as an answer, you're a winner! From Catholic News Service:

ROME (CNS) -- Because the Roman Catholic Church was a driving force behind the development of a common English translation of basic prayers used by many Christian churches for 40 years, more recent Vatican rules for translating Mass prayers "came as a bombshell," said an Anglican liturgist.

"I do not contest for a moment the prerogative of churches to change their liturgical texts," said the Rev. David Holeton, a professor at Charles University in Prague.

But he said other Christians were "both stunned and dismayed" when the Vatican abandoned the English texts of prayers Catholics had developed with them since the Second Vatican Council and when the Vatican discouraged Catholics from consulting ecumenically on the new translations. ...

Rev. Holeton asked if "slavish conformity" to the Vatican document on translations was a greater priority for the Catholic Church than its commitment to promoting Christian unity.

The Anglican liturgist spoke May 5 at a conference marking the 50th anniversary of Rome's Pontifical Liturgical Institute.

He quoted "Liturgiam Authenticam" ("The Authentic Liturgy"), the Vatican document on liturgical translations, which said: "Great caution is to be taken to avoid a wording or style that the Catholic faithful would confuse with the manner of speech of non-Catholic ecclesial communities or of other religions, so that such a factor will not cause them confusion or discomfort."

Oh no, not slavish! How, oh how, can the Catholic Church really pursue ecumenism when it puts a higher priority on being Catholic than being Anglican? How can Catholics claim to be ecumenically-minded when they insist on following Church authority and being attentive to Church doctrine than to appeasing non-Catholics? (And, yes, those are rhetorical/sarcastic/prickly questions.)

Holeton also said, "Both the sense of being 'at home' and of being 'among friends' are foundational paving stones on the way to Christian unity and it is the liturgy, more than anything else, that has nurtured this sense of communality." But, of course, the ancient phrase, Lex orandi, lex credendi, does not mean that how we worship depends on malleable belief or a fluctuating set of doctrines. "The law of prayer is the law of faith: the Church believes as she prays", states the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "Liturgy is a constitutive element of the holy and living Tradition" (par. 1124). Or, as "Liturgiam Authenticam" states in another passage:

Since the lex orandi must always be in harmony with the lex credendi and must manifest and support the faith of the Christian people, the liturgical translations will not be capable of being worthy of God without faithfully transmitting the wealth of Catholic doctrine from the original text into the vernacular version, in such a way that the sacred language is adapted to the dogmatic reality that it contains. Furthermore, it is necessary to uphold the principle according to which each particular Church must be in accord with the universal Church not only as regards the doctrine of the Faith and the sacramental signs, but also as regards those practices universally received through Apostolic and continuous tradition. For these reasons, the required recognitio of the Apostolic See is intended to ensure that the translations themselves, as well as any variations introduced into them, will not harm the unity of God's people, but will serve it instead. (par. 80)

These matters are discussed at length—and with far more expertise—in the chapter, "The Anglican Use within the Western Liturgical Tradition", by Prof. Hans-Jürgen Feulner, Th.D., in the just-published book, Anglicans and the Roman Catholic Church: Reflections on Recent Developments (Ignatius, 2011; also available in e-book format), edited by Stephen Cavanaugh.

Also see, on Ignatius Insight:

• The Papacy and Ecumenism | Rev. Adriano Garuti, O.F.M. | From Primacy of the Bishop of Rome and the Ecumenical Dialogue
• The Vatican, Ecumenism, and Tolerance | Dr. James Hitchcock
• Rome and the Orthodox East | Aidan Nichols, O.P. | The Conclusion to Rome and the Eastern Churches: A Study in Schism

What We All Know--And Why We Can't Not Know That We Know It | An Interview with J. Budziszewski

What We All Know--And Why We Can't Not Know That We Know It | An Interview with J. Budziszewski, author of What We Can't Not Know: A Guide | Ignatius Insight | May 9, 2011

Ignatius Insight: In a nutshell, what is it that "we can't not know"?

Budziszewski: Despite the easy contemporary chatter about morality being relative, we all really know the foundational principles of right and wrong -- for example that good is to be done, that evil is to be avoided, and that it is always wrong to gratuitously harm my neighbor. Moreover we all really know the first ring of precepts that follow from these principles -- deep down even the adulterer knows that he ought to be faithful to his wife, even the murderer knows that he should never deliberately take innocent human life, and even the God-mocker knows the wrong of mocking God.

The best short summary of the things we "can't not know" is the Decalogue, provided that you take it together with what it suggests, what it implies, and what it presupposes. The commandment of spousal faithfulness, for example, presupposes the institution of marriage, and suggests the deep importance of sexual purity in general.

Ignatius Insight: What are some of the key reasons that people don't always seem to know what they "can't not know"?

Budziszewski: Let me begin with a little clarification: I don't claim that everyone knows everything. Genuine ignorance and confusion are possible about the moral details. It is only the moral basics that I claim we "can't not know."

One reason why people don't always seem to know what they "can't not know" is that the knowledge is latent. They may never have thought about it. It has to be brought to the surface. Thomas Aquinas remarks that we have a natural "habit" of knowing the first principles of practical reason, but that this doesn't mean we are actually thinking about them.

Another reason why people don't always seem to know what they "can't not know" is that morally careless ways of life make moral knowledge fuzzy and indistinct. I've claimed that even the adulterer knows the good of faithfulness, but I don't claim that he knows it clearly. His way of life dims his moral vision. To him it seems a dim abstraction. A host of other things are in clearer focus, crowding it out.

The most troubling of all reasons why people don't always seem to know what they "can't not know" is that we sometimes work very hard to convince ourselves that we don't know what we really do know. We are trying not to let their guilty knowledge rise to the surface, not to think about it, not to draw its implications -- because it would accuse us. The suppression of guilty knowledge takes a lot of energy, and a whole set of symptoms betray the effort. I may compulsively confess, to everyone who will listen, every sordid detail of what I did except that it was wrong. Or I may pour myself into constructing elaborate excuses for it. Or I may ruin my own life and destroy my relationships in a false bid for atonement -- paying pain after pain, price after price, all because I refuse to pay the one price demanded, a contrite and broken heart.

Ignatius Insight: In the Preface to the new edition of What We Can't Not Know, you speak of three general "historical phases" of the natural tradition, and write that we are now entering a fourth. What, in short, are four phases?

Read the entire interview on Ignatius Insight...

"The attitude of the Christian mother remains that of the expectant one. ...."

In bringing up her child she cannot fashion it according to her own wishes; she can only foster and protect that which was entrusted to her. This, in its religious sense, means the divine image in the growing human being. The child that in the natural sense the mother conceived by its father is in the religious sense the child of the Creator. He creates; she cooperates, with reverence. If the character of nature as the preliminary condition of grace revealed itself in the physical mother, when regarding her as the Christian mother it becomes manifest as the cooperation of the creature with the divine action.

In light of this fact, the great them of the Marian dogma refers also to the maternal woman. The cooperating creature is the daughter of the Eternal Woman, the reflected carrier of the Fiat mihi. If the attitude of the Christian mother toward her child is derived from its character as a child of God, her bearing toward her own maternal destiny is inspired by the life of Mary.

— From The Eternal Woman: The Timeless Meaning of the Feminine by Gertrude von le Fort.

Also see:

The road to Emmaus and the reality of the Eucharist

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for May 8, 2011, the Third Sunday of Easter | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Acts 2:14, 22-33
• Psa. 16:1-2,5,7-11
• 1 Pet. 1:17-21
• Lk. 24:13-35

I grew up attending a small Fundamentalist Bible chapel that believed the Lord's Supper should be commemorated each week. Nearly every Sunday we took time to contemplate the death of Jesus Christ by quietly reflecting on the Cross and partaking of bread and grape juice.

It was not, of course, the Eucharist. But it was, in hindsight, an action that pointed me, however imperfectly, to the Eucharist and the Catholic Church. Today's Gospel reading, one of my favorite passages from the Gospel of Luke, beautifully shows the relationship between the supernatural gift of faith and Holy Communion.

Luke, a masterful storyteller, incisively describes how the disciples had completely lost their bearings and sense of spiritual direction in the overwhelming aftermath of Jesus' death: "They stopped, looking downcast" (Lk. 24:17). Approached by Jesus, they failed to recognize their Lord. Responding to His question about their conversation, the men explained their confusion: Jesus was "a prophet mighty in deed and word" and yet he had not fulfilled their hope for redemption (v. 21).  In addition to this disappointment there was the added mystery of the empty tomb, although they apparently hadn't reached a conclusion about what it might actually mean.

Jesus chided them and took them to the Scriptures, "beginning with Moses and with all the prophets"(v. 27), to show them the true nature of "the Christ." There are several passages that Jesus likely showed them, including Deuteronomy 18:15, which promised "a prophet" like Moses, Psalm 2:7, a Messianic psalm, and Isaiah 53, which describes the Suffering Servant, as well as others. The disciples had to be shown that salvation and glory wouldn't come through political might or social upheaval, but through humiliation, suffering, and apparent defeat.

Thus, on the road to Emmaus, there was a re-learning on the part of the disciples, who heard a deeper explanation of the Scriptures than they had heard many times before. This was necessary in order for them to really grasp the significance of the Cross and its life-giving, soul-transforming meaning. This education came from the very One who sent the prophets and gave them words; who better than the Word Incarnate to illuminate the meaning of the sacred text? The narrative follows a distinct pattern of questioning, dialogue, and exposition of Scripture, leading to a sacrament, which is a pattern Luke uses again in the story of the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8).

Some commentators have suggested that the disciples finally recognized Jesus simply because of a familiar gesture on his part. But this understates how Luke purposefully uses the same description of Jesus' actions—"he took bread, said a blessing, broke it, and gave it to them"—as he does in his account of the Last Supper (Lk 22:19-20). Yes, the disciples certainly recognized that gesture, but the recognition was a gift of grace, and it was intimately linked with the reality of the Eucharist. Which is why they later told the others how Christ "was made known to them in the breaking of bread."

The story of the encounter on the road to Emmaus includes all of the essential elements of the Liturgy: Scripture, prayer, blessing, and the breaking of bread. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that the "Eucharistic celebration always includes: the proclamation of the Word of God; thanksgiving to God the Father for all his benefits, above all the gift of his Son; the consecration of bread and wine; and participation in the liturgical banquet by receiving the Lord's body and blood." These elements, it emphasizes, "constitute one single act of worship" (CCC 1408).

Every person hungers for this act of worship, for we were made to worship God in that way. God, in his goodness, responds to that hunger. In the midst of the disciples' confusion and blindness, Jesus sought them out, offered himself to them, and opened their eyes. He did it for me, many years ago. He wishes to meet all of us on our road to Emmaus.

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the April 6, 2008, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

From radical atheist to Catholic philosopher

On Monday I'll be posting my just-completed interview with J. Budziszewski about his new book, a revised and expanded edition of What We Can't Not Know: A Guide. I first read Budziszewski's work in the pages of First Things, for which he has written many articles, and I was delighted to hear a few years ago that he, an Anglican, had entered the Catholic Church (in 2004). But before being Anglican, Budziszewski was a Baptist-turned-atheist. And a committed atheist at that. I asked him about his conversion from atheism to Christianity:

What role did natural law play in your conversion from atheism to Christianity?  What is the general attitude of atheists toward natural law? How can it be used for serious, civil conversations with atheists and agnostics?

Thirty years ago, my change of view about God, and my change of view about natural law, were intertwined.  You might say that I was rediscovering the reality of the Creator and the significance of the order built into his Creation at the same time.

Before that, I was a very radical sort of atheist -- really a nihilist.  What I mean is that I didn't just deny the reality of God (that is, of any sort of God who could make a difference).  I went much further.  I denied that there were any rational grounds for distinguishing between good and evil.  I denied that we are responsible for our actions.  I denied the very reality of persons.  Many atheists, however, are far less radical than I was.  Quite often I meet atheists who believe, or want to believe, in the natural law.  "Why do I have to believe in God," they ask, "in order to believe in the natural law?

That's a good and welcome question, but it has an answer.  Someone who disbelieves in God certainly can believe in the natural law, but he will not find it easy to carry this off.  To put a very large problem into just a sentence, how can there be a law without a Lawgiver?  One may reply, as some atheists do, that the natural law is "written on the heart" not by God, but by evolution.  But if conscience is merely an accidental byproduct of a meaningless and purposeless process that did not have us in mind, then it isn't truly conscience, is it?  For in that case, it isn't a witness to a real law; it is merely another blind impulse, one which, had the process gone differently, might have turned out a different way that would be equally arbitrary.  Instead of caring for our young, we might have eaten them, like guppies, and there would be no grounds for passing judgment.  It wouldn't be wrong; it wouldn't be right; it would just be.

I think, then, that the atheist who is convinced of the reality of a real natural law has the best of reasons to abandon his atheism, and acknowledge the reality of the Lawgiver.  But I hope this open-minded atheist will go further still.  Law, by itself, has a heart of stone.  It tells us what is required, but it says nothing of the possibility of mercy, of forgiveness, of restoration.  By itself, considering the depth of our failings, it gives us more motive to look away, than to look — to avert our eyes from what we know we do not fulfill.  But as Christian faith declares, the law is not "by itself."  The God who is the author of nature is not an impersonal Something with no interest in us; he is also the author of grace.

Other questions addressed in the interview include the importance and history of the natural law tradition, the myth of Enlightenment-inspired "neutrality", Islam and natural law, and the character (or lack thereof) of popular discussion and debate about natural law.

• The Scandal of Natural Law | Interview with J. Budziszewski
• Objections, Obstacles, Acceptance | Interview with J. Budziszewski
• Natural Law and Bearing False Witness | J. Budziszewski | A selection from the revised and expanded edition of What We Can't Not Know: A Guide.

"Quietly but firmly Benedict is making his own distinct contribution to the battle of ideas..."

Samuel Gregg, Research Director at the Acton Institute, remarks upon how many observers (especially a great number of journalists) are missing the substantive and long-sighted work of Benedict XVI:

Have mistakes occurred under Benedict's watch? Yes. Some sub-optimal appointments? Of course. That would be true of any leader of such a massive organization.

But the real difficulty with so much commentary on this papacy is the sheer narrowness of the perspective brought to the subject. If observers were willing to broaden their horizons, they might notice just how big are the stakes being pursued by Benedict. This pope's program, they may discover, goes beyond mere institutional politics. He's pursuing a civilizational agenda.

And that program begins with the Catholic Church itself. Even its harshest critics find it difficult to deny Catholicism's decisive influence on Western civilization's development. It follows that a faltering in the Church's confidence about its purpose has implications for the wider culture. ...

Christianity, Benedict argued at Regensburg, integrated Biblical faith, Greek philosophy, and Roman law, thereby creating the "foundation of what can rightly be called Europe." This suggests that any weakening of this integration of faith and reason would mean the West would start losing its distinctive identity. In short, a West without a Christianity that integrates faith and reason is no longer the West.

Today, Benedict added, we see what happens when faith and reason are torn asunder. Reason is reduced to scientism and ideologies of progress, thereby rending reasoned discussion of anything beyond the empirical impossible. Faith dissolves into sentimental humanitarianism, an equally inadequate basis for rational reflection. Neither of these emaciated facsimiles of their originals can provide any coherent response to the great questions pondered by every human being: "Who am I?" "Where did I come from?" "Where am I going?"

So what's the way back? To Benedict's mind, it involves affirming that what he recently called creative reason lies at the origin of everything.

As Benedict explained one week before he beatified his predecessor: "We are faced with the ultimate alternative that is at stake in the dispute between faith and unbelief: are irrationality, lack of freedom and pure chance the origin of everything, or are reason, freedom and love at the origin of being? Does the primacy belong to unreason or to reason? This is what everything hinges upon in the final analysis."

It's almost impossible to count the positions Benedict is politely assailing here. On the one hand, he's taking on philosophical materialists and emotivists (i.e., most contemporary scholars). But it's also a critique of those who diminish God to either a Divine Watchmaker or a being of Pure Will.

Read the entire essay on the American Spectator site.

• Biblical Aspects of the Theme of Faith and Politics | Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
• "Introduction to Christianity": Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow | Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
• Secularity: On Benedict XVI and the Role of Religion in Society | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• The Regensburg Lecture: Thinking Rightly About God and Man | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• Benedict XVI's Theological Vision: An Introduction | Monsignor Joseph Murphy | From the introduction to Christ, Our Joy: The Theological Vision of Pope Benedict XVI
• Pope Benedict XVI, Theologian of Joy | Monsignor Joseph Murphy
• The Courage To Be Imperfect | Fr. D. Vincent Twomey, S.V.D. | The Introduction to Pope Benedict XVI: The Conscience of Our Age
• The Theological Genius of Joseph Ratzinger | An Interview with Fr. D. Vincent Twomey, S.V.D.
• Ratzinger and Regensburg: On What Is a University? | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.

"Intriguing, moving, mysterious, startling, ingenious, horrifying, imaginative and inventive."

"The Inklings" blog has posted a short review of T. M. Doran's new novel, Toward The Gleam, published recently by Ignatius Press. Here are a couple of paragraphs:

Just occasionally a book comes along that grasps the reader from the first page, but often disappoints by the time the denouement is reached. T.M. Doran's 'Toward the Gleam' with its sub-Tolkienesque dust-cover, certainly holds the attention from its first words. Indeed Doran's expert and gradual unveiling of the plot builds the tension to the point that the book is impossible to put down. When the end comes this tension is broken, in the final pages, by one of the most satisfying, and unanticipated twists of narrative. ...

Many adjectives have been used to describe the sweep of this novel: Intriguing, moving, mysterious, startling, ingenious, horrifying, imaginative and inventive. I would go so far as to say that if you are a fan of Tolkien's sub-creation, this book is a must read. Not only will it amuse and entertain, it will drive you back to the "Red Book of Westmarch" itself. Wonderful.

Read the entire review. You can also read online the first six chapters of the novel on the "Toward the Gleam" website. In addition to the handsome hardcover format, the novel is available as an electronic book and an audio download (read by Kevin O'Brien).