Dwight Longenecker's Blog, page 312

Take Heart Take Hope

Fr McCloskey contributes an encouraging message for the New Year. Our Catholic faith in America is on the cusp of an upsurge. Take heart, and take hope!

Santorum's Big Win

Deacon Keith Fournier writes here on Rick Santorum's victory in Iowa. Did you say Santorum didn't win? John Dickerson makes a good point here that not only did Santorum win, but he, and what he stands for won big time. He calls it not a photo finish, but a blow out. Considering the financial clout and experience Romney has and the fact that Santorum had no money and was being driven around Iowa in some fellow's pick up truck, Santorum's win is pretty amazing. Tim Stanley of the Daily Telegraph (why do the Brits cover American politics better than the Americans?) analyzes Romney's "win" here. To do so he reveals some pretty interesting statistics about the Iowa campaign:


Romney came within eight votes of being beaten by Rick Santorum, a candidate who barely registers in the national polls
- He actually received 6 fewer votes than he did in 2008 (when he lost the caucus to a former preacher)
- He won only 17 counties out of a possible 99. Santorum took 63
- He spent roughly $113 per vote. Santorum spent only $1.65
- 75 percent of the caucus voted against the winner

Where is the Black Sheepdog?

John Corapi has vanished. I feel sorry for him, and I think the less said the better. Wherever he is and however he is, we should pray for him and forgive him and hope for the best. I wrote about priests and pedestals here when the storm first blew up. You might care to read it again.

Arianism Today

Arianism, simply defined, is the belief that Jesus Christ was not equal with God the Father, but was a created being. In the fourth century the Cappadocian fathers, St Basil and St Gregory of Nazianzus (along with Basil's brother Gregory of Nyssa and John Chrysostom), fought against Arianism.



Because we celebrate the memorial of Basil and Gregory Nazianzen today it is worth examining the heresy of Arianism today. Heresies are like weeds. They keep coming back. The thing is, they come back in different guises. In the fourth century Arianism was part of the great debate over the divinity of Christ and therefore the definition of the Holy Trinity.



Today Arianism takes a different form, and comes to us in the guise of humanism. By 'humanism' I mean that belief system that takes man as the measure of all things. This humanism is a conglomeration of different modernistic beliefs, but the summary of it all is materialism-- that this physical world is all there is, human history is all that matters and the advancement of the human race in this physical realm is the only thing fighting for.



Arianism today is an interpretation of Christianity according to this whole materialistic, humanistic philosophy. Clearly, Jesus Christ as the Divine Son of God and the co-eternal second person of the Holy Trinity doesn't really fit. Instead Jesus is a good teacher, a wise rabbi, a beautiful example, a martyr for a noble cause. At most he is a human being who is "so fulfilled and self actualized that he has 'become divine'." To put it another way, "Jesus is so complete a human being that he reveals to us the divine image in which we were all created--and therefore shows us what God is like." There is a sense in which this "divinization" happened to Jesus as a result of the graces he received from God, the life he led and the sufferings he endured.



This watered down Christianity is our modern form of Arianism. The cultural context of the heresy and it's expression is different, but the essence of the heresy is the same as it always was: "Jesus Christ is a created being. His 'divinity' is something that developed or was added to his humanity by God."



The difference between Arius and the modern heretics is that Arius was actually explicit in his teaching. The modern heretics are not. They inhabit our seminaries, our monasteries, our rectories and presbyteries. They are the modernist clergy who dominate the mainstream Protestant denominations and who are too many in number within the Catholic Church as well.



Many of them don't even know they are heretics. They have been poorly catechized from the start. Their beliefs about Jesus Christ have remained fuzzy and out of focus. They hold their beliefs in a sentimental haze in which they vaguely feel that what they believe is

"Christian" but would not want to pin it down too much. This is because they have been taught that dogma is "divisive". They deliberately keep their beliefs vague, and focus on "pastoral concerns" in order to avoid the difficult questions. They have been taught that dogma is part of an earlier age in the church and that we have matured and moved on from such nit picky sort of questions. "God, after all, can't be put into a box. He's bigger than all that..."



Nevertheless, they feel totally at ease reciting the Nicene Creed every week and celebrating the Nativity of the Son of God and the great Paschal Triduum--using all the words of traditional Nicene Christianity, while re-interpreting those words in a way that would please Arius. So when they speak of Jesus Christ the Divine Son of God they really mean what I wrote above--"That in some beautiful way he was such a perfect human being that he reveals to us what God is like."



The Virgin Mary then becomes "A good and pure Jewish girl who dealt with her unplanned pregnancy with great courage and faith." The crucifixion becomes "The tragic death of a young and courageous fighter for peace and justice". The resurrection means that, "In some mysterious way, by following his teachings, the disciples of Jesus continued to believe that he was alive within their hearts and within history."



Now what really interests me is that these modern day Arians (and I'm sure the same could be said of the fourth century version) are not wicked and filthy sinners. They're nice people. They're articulate, educated people. They're well off people. They're well connected people. They're good, solid respectable "Christian" people. Heck, even the emperors were Arians in their day. They're the people on top of the socio economic pecking order. Furthermore, their Arian version of the faith seems so much more reasonable and sensible and credible than the intellectually scandalous orthodoxy of Basil and Gregory and the historic church down through the ages.



But I'm with Basil and Gregory today. I recognize these heretics for what they are: wolves in sheep's clothing. They might present as nice, respectable, prayerful and sincere Christians. That's OK. But they're heretics. They're liars, and the people who believe their lies the most are themselves. If they have their way, and if their subtle heresies prevail they will destroy the faith. Therefore they are my enemies.



 I want to hold to the historic Nicene faith with Basil and Gregory and with the saints and martyrs down the ages. I don't mind a bit if the world thinks this faith is "antique" or "quaint" or "unfortunately rigid" or "too dogmatic" or "inaccessible to modern Christians". The Arians probably made all those same arguments too.



I affirm the Nicene Creed and I don't mind saying "consubstantial with the Father" and I hold to the clarity and simplicity of the words and don't think they need to be "re-interpreted."

Theotokos

Adventures in Orthodoxy

Here's a darn good review of my book Adventures in Orthodoxy written by Robert Trexler. This book is being re-published under a new title later this year. Why not buy a copy of the first edition now? Go here to do so.

Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter

Rocco Palmo has the best information on the establishment of the Anglican Ordinariate for the United States. Read about it here and an update here informs us that the US Ordinariate will include Canada.

The Romance of Religion

At the beginning of this new year I am filled with the spirit of adventure and I encourage you fellow travelers to put away your worldly concerns and launch out again on the adventure of faith, which is the romance of religion.



What I mean by the romance of religion is not the sentimental meaning of romance--all chocolates and candles and heaving bosoms--instead I use the word 'romance' to refer to the great romances--those stories of heroes and quests and slaying of dragons and rescuing of fair damsels. To embark on this sort of romance is to step out of boat and walk on the waves. It is to take the step of faith, the leap into the unknown. It is to "cast all your care upon Him." and walk once again by faith and not by sight.



To do this means that in some way--maybe even a seemingly small way--but a way that you are able--you take a risk. You consider the way of the world which is the way of safety and security; the way of insurance policies and practical concerns--the way of prudent investments and cautious relationships, and you value them for what they are, but you also put them (even if just a little) to one side and do something daring for the deity.



How will you take that risk? There are a multitude of ways. You may give an amazing amount of your time or treasure to the Christ you love. You may attempt again to forgive the person who it is much more comfortable and pleasing to hold a grudge against. You may decide to embark on a career that is difficult and arduous, but which will be ultimately rewarding. You may quit a job which is going nowhere, and the stress of which is not worth the salary they pay. You may decide to reach out to the poor, the needy, the prisoners and the worthless ones. You may finally take up that hobby you always intended or you may just decide to read those books you intended to read. It may be something small, or it maybe something great. You may decide at last to respond to God's call and become a priest, a brother, a sister or a monk or a nun. You may propose to that fair maiden or marry that man, or climb a mountain or sail a ship across the ocean. You may have more children, or love the ones you have even more. You may, at last, truly repent of your sins and find Christ your King. You may finally decide to become a Catholic after all, and stop your dithering.



Whatever this romance is, whether it is great in the world's terms or seemingly small, I encourage you to embark on the adventure. However, I also warn you. If it is an authentic adventure for Christ you will be mocked and ridiculed and misunderstood. Those who cannot or will not embark on such an adventure will fear you and dismiss you and shake their heads sadly at your foolish choice, for what you are doing in the world's eyes is an act of irresponsibility. You will be thought an idiot and a fool.



I am speaking of the idiocy of Don Quixote or the flamboyant foolishness of Cyrano de Bergerac. I am speaking of the foolishness of the saints and the wild abandon of those who are truly sane.



If you have the courage to take such a step--even if it is a tiny step--you will not only be misunderstood and ridiculed, but you will go through a time of fear and uncertainty. You will doubt yourself and your wisdom and discernment--and this humility will take you forward. You will fear for your future and your finances and your family, and this fear will take you forward. You will long for the security and safety of home--the love of those who have rejected you and the admiration of those who think you a fool--and the loneliness of this road will move your forward, for all these fruits of the adventure of faith will be a better medicine for you than all the safety and security and power and prosperity and pride the world has to offer.



So this new year I offer you the romance of religion. Walk by faith, not by sight. Do something beautiful for God. Engage in the beautiful struggle.



Live life to the full, and most of all--do not be afraid.

Saturno Shot

A photograph of padre wearing his newly be-tasseled Saturno was requested.



Not one to fire the opening shot in the ecclesiastical fashion war, but does Fr. Z sport a genuine Norwegian beaver skin Saturno from Gamarelli's complete with tassels?



Just askin'.

Is Santorum Christian?

Terry Mattingly opines here about the Mainstream Media saying that "Catholic Santorum has enjoyed a surge among Christian voters..." Errr. I thought Catholics were not only Christian, but the first Christians. Nevermind. It reminds me of a fundamentalist gal I once knew who said, "I really would like to be a nun. If only nuns were Christian."



Anyway, I think--starting next week Todd Unctuous will have to start covering the Presidential campaign...