Dwight Longenecker's Blog, page 321

Lewis

Anniversary of Jack's death today

C.S.Lewis R.I.P

Are You Scared of Spirituality?

Why is it that among 'conservative Catholics' there seems to be so little interest in spirituality? We're big on apologetics. We're big on dogma. We're big on the moral teaching of the church. We're big on the rules, the rubrics, the regulations and the routine.



But I think we're a little bit scared of spirituality. If my hunch is right, then there are some good reasons for it. Over the last fifty years of the revolution in the Catholic Church 'spirituality' has developed a bad reputation. Catechesis which should have focused on doctrine focused on 'relationships' instead. People substituted sentimentality for spiritual direction and relativity for true religion.



Sister Sandals and Father Folkmass wanted to make the faith 'relevant' and so they began to explore Buddhism and labyrinths and 'earth religions' and 'feminist spiritualities'. Spurred on by spurious psychologies they were all about 'self discovery' and their favorite mantra became, "The kingdom of God is within you" which they interpreted as "You are the kingdom of God" or "Whatever turns you on baby. That is the kingdom of God."



OK. This was swingback. They were probably reacting to a pre-Vatican II Catholic religion that they had experienced as legalistic, sometimes harsh and rigid. They were reacting against a religion that seemed to be over sacramentalized and under evangelized. They were reacting against a religion that was highly institutionalized and formally structured. They wanted something good. They wanted their faith to be real and they wanted people to 'have an encounter with Christ.' They wanted the faith to 'come alive'!



The problem is that they were not properly grounded and rooted in real Catholicism. They  went off on some New Age tangent and cut themselves off from the riches of the church. In their attempt to affirm they couldn't resist denying. They couldn't be content to snoop through other religions and spiritual traditions and perhaps glean something from them or allow the other perspective to lighten their way a little. In their enthusiasm they had to throw out what they had, and adopt something totally alien to the Catholic faith.



Consequently those who want to be faithful Catholics have swung back the other way. 'Spirituality' is now associated with nuns dressed in overalls and priests in jeans either conducting workshops on 'Channelling your Spirit Guide' or 'the Wild Man's Journey ' which means getting naked and howling at the moon in a sweat lodge.



At the same time the 'renewal movement' took Catholics in yet another direction--one which was also subjective, sentimental and suspiciously un-Catholic. Catholics who were not taken over by New Age Nuns and Flakey Friars were captivated by 'gifts in the Spirit' and 'healing ministries' and 'signs and wonders'.



Still others substituted social activism for spirituality. It was all about justice and peace and making the world a better place. The spirituality of social struggle became their prayer.

No wonder ordinary Catholic became suspicious, and for 'spirituality' the conservative Catholic is more likely to resort to the tried and true classic Catholic spiritual writers and devotional practices.



Don't get me wrong. I'm not down on St Francis de Sales or St Louis de Montfort. I'm all for novenas and scapulars and all that good stuff. However, there is also room for a more creative spirituality--a truly Catholic spirituality that is rooted in Scripture, the magisterium and the lives of the saints, and yet is also creative, positive and which connects with ordinary people alive in our world today.



The religious climate being what it is, I suspect that anything new and 'creative' will be met with suspicion by 'conservative Catholics.' That's okay. But at the same time, we do need to be open to the Holy Spirit and seek new ways to share not only the apologetical arguments and doctrinal and moral teachings of the church, but also a spirituality that touches people's lives and deepens their commitment to Christ and his church.



The faith does need to come alive and there's nothing wrong with seeking 'the encounter with Christ'. The tragedy is, the more conservative Catholics retreat from this sort of religion and remain suspicious of it, the more we will find ordinary Catholics tootling off to find what they are searching for elsewhere. Therefore we must help the faithful find that 'real religion' by digging deep and discovering all the riches of the church--the riches of theology, liturgy, art and architecture, literature, prayer and poetry, meditation, contemplation and a life truly alive in Christ.

On Girl Altar Servers

The Washington Post has picked up here on the growing trend of boy only altar servers in Catholic Churches. Here is a post I wrote on the subject some months ago. Here's what Caitlin O'Rourke thinks of the idea, and here's what The Crescat (a kind of grown up Caitlin O'Rourke thinks. What do you think?

Ugly as Sin

A new Vatican commission has been set up to tackle the problem of ugly church buildings and bad music. Learn about it here.



My first question is whether the Vatican's task force will be equipped with dynamite. Lots of it.

Last Chance

OK. This is the last shake of the gun; the last rattle of the cup; the last pass of the hat. Today ends the annual Stick 'em Up Campaign.



Throughout the year I write this blog for free, and over the last few weeks I have been planning some new features. My homilies will be posted again as podcasts. I'm going to start a radio show on local Catholic radio in the new year. I will attempt some video casts and continue to write on my blog, tween and do Facebook. I hope for more feedback from my readers and listeners, and ask you to help get the word out, not only by contributing a donation, but also by sharing posts you like, telling others about the blog and website and broadcasts and books, and so help to share the faith.



If there are things you like or things you don't like. Use the combox to say so. If there are things you would like to have featured, write and let me know. All criticism is good criticism.



So, for the last time, if you can pitch in, the recommended donation is $25.00 for the year. This comes to less than seven cents a day. Just hit the 'Donate' button and use PayPal to do the rest. If you can do more than $25.00 even better. That will help to cover those who can't do as much.



Thank you all very much!

Old Monk: God's Humility

God comes to us from below, and we must stoop to find him.

Chust for Nice

Todd on the Pope in Africa

Guest blogger Todd Unctuous is top commentator for MSM. With a degree in Media Studies from Scranton Community College, Todd writes for many papers and websites, and is known for his incisive writing, objective reporting and razor sharp comment.




I see that the Roman Catholic Pope is visiting Africa at this time in order to convert the heathen. No doubt as he sees his empire crumbling in the more developed and well educated countries he wants to find more souls among those who are still superstitious and simple minded.



This is clearly a racist, imperialist assault on poor, ignorant, black people who don't know any better. Here we have an old white, European man dressed in white robes coming to the 'dark continent' to win converts to his cause. Doesn't he understand? The poor Africans are incapable of a proper, intellectual response to his doctrinal preaching against condoms. This is a form of racism which is despicable and an insult to African people.



This is a 'Holy Father' who regularly condemns millions to death by refusing to allow them to use condoms to protect themselves from AIDS. So we see the virtual murder of millions of innocent black people in a form of planned 'ethnic cleansing'. No doubt there are sinister forces behind all this--forces that wish to obliterate the negro race from the face of the earth.



This is the head of a church that is also engaged in a war against Planned Parenthood in this country. Planned Parenthood is an admirable organization supported by our national government with grants of millions of dollars, so it must be offering a legitimate service to the poor. Here is a charity that provides help to many poor black women who are suffering. from unwelcome pregnancies.They have done nothing to deserve their plight. As President Obama has said, "Why should they be punished with a child?" Planned Parenthood has stepped in to help millions of black women terminate their pregnancies and give them freedom, yet the Pope in Rome is against such practical care for the poor black women.



I have read that Pope has visited Benin, which is a city in the large country of Africa. Benin is the capital of the native religion Voodoo otherwise known as Vodun. This religion is a natural, earth based spirituality. The simple, ignorant black people pray to the nature gods in an innocent and child like way. If any religion is attractive to me it is earth-based spiritualities like Vodun. Yet the Pope feels it is his right to criticize the local people's religion. In a breath taking expression of medieval superstition he declares that his own religion should 'banish the evil spirits' of Vodun. Once again the white, imperialist, former Nazi--Pope Ratzi--shows his hatred of other racial groups.



Who is he to talk about 'superstition' when he believes himself to be the 'Vicar of Christ' and 'God's Infallible Voice on Earth'? The sooner we rid ourselves of such medieval superstitious religions and follow gentle earth-based spiritualities like Vodun the better. Wicca is another one. Gertrude--one of my ex wives now lives in Asheville, North Carolina and is very heavily involved in the Wicca religion.



She has put on quite a bit of weight, but she carries it well, and I must say that she has never been happier and healthier. When I visited her there last year to see our daughter Stacey (who has been re-named Moonbeam by Gertrude and her partner) I shared in one of their communal lunar circles. I was very much impressed with the dignity and simplicity of the ritual. This is the religion of the enlightened future. Not the religion of the Spanish Inquisition.



Todd Unctuous is forty two.




In you have any questions or would like more information on Todd Unctuous and his illustrious career in journalism go here.

Anticipating Advent

I find myself getting enthusiastic not about Thanksgiving or Christmas--and certainly not the steady stream of stupid 'Christmas music' they play on the radio. Instead I'm anticipating Advent. I'm looking forward to beginning again and living again the great cycle of redemption.



I am also beginning to realize not only how weary I am of the secularization of holidays in the United States, but the blatant and crass commercialism of it all. It's like the devil has planned a deliberate alternative to the liturgical year. We have Advent and Christmas and Epiphany and Ordinary Time and the blessed season of Lent and Easter and Ascension and Pentecost and all these great religious seasons.



Instead El Diablo offers us a 'shopping opportunity' every month of the year. Halloween and Thanksgiving followed by Christmas and New Years followed by Valentine's Day and St Patrick's Day and Easter and Mother's Day and Father's Day and Fourth of July and Off to the Beach and Back to School and Labor Day and the Halloween again. It is like the whole American society troops off to celebrate this crass, artificial holiday routine.



I'm trying more and more to forget about all that. I don't want to be a party pooper. Far from it. But instead I want to live the mysteries. I want to celebrate Advent with anticipatory excitement and a penitential mood. I want to welcome the seasons of the year in harmony with the rhythms of redemption, and I also want to do all this without a pious sense of indignation at the secular, commercialism. I don't want to march off in a huff to 'be religious instead'.



It needs to be simple and secret and safe. It's almost as if I want to do all this on my own and with my family and parish and the whole glittery Wal-Mart, Shopping Mall, Hallmark Cards, Television Specials materialistic America can go to hell. Now that sounds harsh, but I don't use the words lightly. It does seem to me more and more to have come from hell as a kind of fiendish imitation of what we should really be doing--



--and if it came from hell, I'm very happy for it to go back where it came from.[image error]

Commando Catholicism

You've heard of Cafeteria Catholicism and Cultural Catholicism and Coca Cola Catholicism and now you've got (from the Crescat) Commando Catholicism. Go here.