Last week we heard a splendid presentation by Fr. Richard Reidy. Fr. Reidy is the Vicar General for the Diocese of Worcester, and he holds degrees in both civil and canon law. His presentation was on Pope Francis's Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, "The Joy of the Gospel", and how the Pope has challenged us to both live a life of Christian joy and share that love with others.
Fr. Reidy began with a quote by G.K Chesterton about joy: "Joy...is the gigantic secret of the Christian." Chesterton's quote calls to mind the beginning of St. Augustine's Confessions, in which the Doctor of Grace tells us that "our hearts our restless until they rest in you [God] (inquietum est nostrum cor donec requiescat in te, 1.1.1). The cor inquietum is what drives us to find joy in life, we whose lives Thoreau called ones "of quiet desperation." The joy which we pursue in life, as Augustine observed, can only be found in Christ, and that is the central theme of Evangelii Gaudium. At the same time, however, this truth calls us to examine how well we live and speak of this joy in our own lives.
Evangelii Gaudium is an Apostolic Exhortation addressed to all Catholics, clergy, religious and laity. As the name would suggest, this document is not so much a doctrinal presentation as it is an exhortation on the joy of being a Christian. Some have said it can also provide a blueprint for what Pope Francis wants his papacy to accomplish.
The document outlines several challenges for both the Church and the world. The first line sums these challenges up as an indictment of present issues: "The great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience." Pope Francis challenges parts of our capitalist society, saying that unbridled market forces cannot be relied upon to solve problems. While the Church affirms we have a right to own private property, that private ownership must be used for the sake of others' well-being. He also criticized income inequality, globalization and consumerism.
At the same time, Evangelii Gaudium reaffirms many traditional teachings. Pope Francis described the family as the building block of society, and warned against the danger of changing marriage to just an expression of love. He also said that the Church's teaching on abortion would never change, and he affirmed the dignity of the human person. He likewise affirmed that the issue of women's ordination was closed, and that the priesthood would always be exclusively male. He praised the practice of traditional Catholic devotions, such as Adoration, and strongly criticized relativism, citing the USCCB's statement on objective truth.
On the subject of joy, Pope Francis is adamant that all joy finds its source in Christ. While advanced societies are good at providing pleasure, they are deficient at engendering joy. Rather, joy comes from a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. However, the busyness and distraction of living in the present often cloud the enjoyment of the moment. Our faith offers a remedy to this: we know that Christ is always with us, and that with him any trial can be overcome, and that all our fears will come to pass. This faith inspires us to serve the poor and to instruct others in the truth. Every human being, regardless of who they are, longs for Christ's love. That is the answer everyone is searching for.
Having been given the gift of faith, we Christians are called to share that gift with the whole world. The central message we must share is that Christ on the cross has saved the world; God's mercy comes first in evangelization, and the precepts of the law, while still of supreme importance, come after that mercy.
Evangelii Gaudium is also critical of spirituality confined to the self, and professionalism among the clergy. Rather, the Church is in need of witnesses, more so than teachers, to enter into the lives of others and to share Christ's love. Being confined is akin to a slow suicide. Instead, we are called to love others because everyone is made in God's image, and somehow reflects His glory. By helping someone else, true joy is fostered in the heart.
We sincerely thank Fr. Reidy for his informative and challenging explanation of this very important document. For the full text of Evangelii Gaudium, see here.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Theology by the Slice: "St. Alberto Hurtado"
Last night we heard an impromptu talk by our very own Fr. John Gavin, S.J. Fr. Gavin spoke about the life and theology of St. Alberto Hurtado, a Chilean Jesuit who lived from 1901 to 1952. Canonized in 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI, Alberto Hurtado, he is the patron of Chile, the poor, street children and social workers. There are several misconceptions perpetuated about him, ranging from the claim that he was a liberation theologian to that he held pre-Vatican II spiritual beliefs. These claims, however, are untrue; rather, Alberto Hurtado used traditional Catholic spirituality and theology in relation to contemporary issues of poverty and communism.
Hurtado's father died when he was young, and as such his family suffered from many financial troubles. He first encountered the Society of Jesus when he began to attend a Jesuit high school. He later attended the Catholic University in Santiago and became a civil lawyer. His legal career did not last long, however, and he soon entered a Jesuit novitiate, an experience which he described as ecstatic and heavenly. He later did studies in Spain and, after the civil war broke out, Belgium. He was ordained a priest in 1933. After earning a doctoral degree in education (interestingly enough studying the American educationalist John Dewey) he returned to Chile to teach at the Catholic University.
He also began to lead the youth branch of Catholic Action, a lay movement established by Pope Pius XI. Issues arose under his leadership, however, when the movement became involved in Chilean politics. Given the political turbulence of the time, combined with the overwhelming poverty afflicting the country, political involvement became a troublesome enterprise, and Fr. Hurtado was forced to resign form Catholic Action. He also received criticism for a book he wrote, Is Chile a Catholic Country?, in which he criticized the lack of Church presence among the poor and homeless.
Fr. Hurtado realized his true calling in October of 1944. While walking home one evening, he encountered a homeless man on the street. This encounter prompted him to deliver a homily to a women's spirituality group, in which he said that he saw Christ suffering in that man, and that Christ had no home. The next day, he was surprised to discover that the women had taken up a collection for that man, and told Fr. Hurtado to give the man a home.
This event revealed his calling, and he quickly set out to establish the Hogar de Cristo (Home of Christ) Foundation, which worked to provide not only shelter, but also education and formation for the poor and homeless of Chile. To this day Hogar de Cristo remains the largest Catholic charity in Chile, and has spread to several other South American countries (and Florida). In addition to this, Fr. Hurtado also established several Catholic Unions, and he wrote several works on the poor and Catholic teaching. He died of cancer at the age of 51, and was made a saint 53 years later.
Pertaining to his theological teaching, Fr. Gavin emphasized three points:
First, the Doctrine of Deification is central to Alberto Hurtado's teaching. Deification, or Theosis, is an ancient doctrine stating that humans become divine by becoming one with God. Christ's Incarnation serves as an analog to how the baptized Christian will enter into union with God, a return to grace and an entering into divine sonship. Deification is central to Hurtado's doctrine, which focuses upon the guiding of the human person to his supernatural end. In an excess of poverty or wealth, however, that course to that supernatural end is obstructed, because the former begets envy and anger, while the latter begets pride and an over-reliance upon the self. Rather, by a fostering of virtue, we are allowed to become more Christ-like. Still, deification and original sin also remind us that heaven is not meant to be found on earth, and no social program will ever entirely eliminate suffering due to humanity's fallen nature and need for grace.
Further, Hurtado's teaching incorporates the doctrine of the Mystical Body of Christ, famously promulgated by Pope Pius XII's encyclical Mystici Corporis Christi. All the baptized participate in the body of Christ, and all the clergy, religious and laity are drawn together into the Church. Being a part of this body calls us all to transform the world in Christ.
Finally, Hurtado focused upon the reciprocity of justice and charity. Charity is a theological virtue, and is thus a gift given by God's grace. However, we must also be just, giving to each his due, to be charitable. If that fact is ignored, one cannot be truly charitable. Justice begins where charity ends - both feed each other in living a Christian life.
Overall, Alberto Hurtado believed in a social doctrine which was sacramentally-centered. If there is a lack of priests, and a subsequently diminished access to the Eucharist, confession, and other sacraments, then the social apostolate will be unable to flourish and will ultimately collapse.
Pope Francis has in fact drawn upon many of Hurtado's teachings, and uses them in his own teaching and writing. Alberto Hurtado, then, is an important figure with which to be familiar so as to understand Pope Francis's teaching.
We sincerely thank Fr. Gavin for putting this talk together on such short notice, and for exposing us to the life and teaching of this very beautiful and edifying saint.
Hurtado's father died when he was young, and as such his family suffered from many financial troubles. He first encountered the Society of Jesus when he began to attend a Jesuit high school. He later attended the Catholic University in Santiago and became a civil lawyer. His legal career did not last long, however, and he soon entered a Jesuit novitiate, an experience which he described as ecstatic and heavenly. He later did studies in Spain and, after the civil war broke out, Belgium. He was ordained a priest in 1933. After earning a doctoral degree in education (interestingly enough studying the American educationalist John Dewey) he returned to Chile to teach at the Catholic University.
He also began to lead the youth branch of Catholic Action, a lay movement established by Pope Pius XI. Issues arose under his leadership, however, when the movement became involved in Chilean politics. Given the political turbulence of the time, combined with the overwhelming poverty afflicting the country, political involvement became a troublesome enterprise, and Fr. Hurtado was forced to resign form Catholic Action. He also received criticism for a book he wrote, Is Chile a Catholic Country?, in which he criticized the lack of Church presence among the poor and homeless.
Fr. Hurtado realized his true calling in October of 1944. While walking home one evening, he encountered a homeless man on the street. This encounter prompted him to deliver a homily to a women's spirituality group, in which he said that he saw Christ suffering in that man, and that Christ had no home. The next day, he was surprised to discover that the women had taken up a collection for that man, and told Fr. Hurtado to give the man a home.
This event revealed his calling, and he quickly set out to establish the Hogar de Cristo (Home of Christ) Foundation, which worked to provide not only shelter, but also education and formation for the poor and homeless of Chile. To this day Hogar de Cristo remains the largest Catholic charity in Chile, and has spread to several other South American countries (and Florida). In addition to this, Fr. Hurtado also established several Catholic Unions, and he wrote several works on the poor and Catholic teaching. He died of cancer at the age of 51, and was made a saint 53 years later.
Pertaining to his theological teaching, Fr. Gavin emphasized three points:
First, the Doctrine of Deification is central to Alberto Hurtado's teaching. Deification, or Theosis, is an ancient doctrine stating that humans become divine by becoming one with God. Christ's Incarnation serves as an analog to how the baptized Christian will enter into union with God, a return to grace and an entering into divine sonship. Deification is central to Hurtado's doctrine, which focuses upon the guiding of the human person to his supernatural end. In an excess of poverty or wealth, however, that course to that supernatural end is obstructed, because the former begets envy and anger, while the latter begets pride and an over-reliance upon the self. Rather, by a fostering of virtue, we are allowed to become more Christ-like. Still, deification and original sin also remind us that heaven is not meant to be found on earth, and no social program will ever entirely eliminate suffering due to humanity's fallen nature and need for grace.
Further, Hurtado's teaching incorporates the doctrine of the Mystical Body of Christ, famously promulgated by Pope Pius XII's encyclical Mystici Corporis Christi. All the baptized participate in the body of Christ, and all the clergy, religious and laity are drawn together into the Church. Being a part of this body calls us all to transform the world in Christ.
Finally, Hurtado focused upon the reciprocity of justice and charity. Charity is a theological virtue, and is thus a gift given by God's grace. However, we must also be just, giving to each his due, to be charitable. If that fact is ignored, one cannot be truly charitable. Justice begins where charity ends - both feed each other in living a Christian life.
Overall, Alberto Hurtado believed in a social doctrine which was sacramentally-centered. If there is a lack of priests, and a subsequently diminished access to the Eucharist, confession, and other sacraments, then the social apostolate will be unable to flourish and will ultimately collapse.
Pope Francis has in fact drawn upon many of Hurtado's teachings, and uses them in his own teaching and writing. Alberto Hurtado, then, is an important figure with which to be familiar so as to understand Pope Francis's teaching.
We sincerely thank Fr. Gavin for putting this talk together on such short notice, and for exposing us to the life and teaching of this very beautiful and edifying saint.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
New Posts and Pictures
Check out our new post on Fr. Tacelli's talk below, with pictures! Also, pictures have been added to the post about Fr. Manoussakis's talk on St. Augustine here.
Friday, February 7, 2014
Theology by the Slice: "Belief in God, Belief in Science"
Last night's talk was an especially significant one for our group, because it marked the (approximate) one-year anniversary of the Society's first* ever Theology by the Slice presentation. Fittingly, the speaker for that first talk returned last night for the first presentation of this semester. Fr. Ronald Tacelli, S.J. is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and the adviser to our sister group at BC, the St. Thomas More Society. In a characteristically witty and thought-provoking fashion, Fr. Tacelli delivered a talk entitled "Belief in God, Belief in Science" which, naturally, dealt with the relation between science and faith.
Fr. Tacelli began by stating that there is much confusion about the relation between science and religion, and discussed the supposed antagonism which exists in being a person who both respects science and holds some religious faith. The study of any empirical science makes an enormous presupposition, that of the existence of the world. There can be no empirical science without the world's existence, because science takes data, obtained from observation of the world, and uses it to draw conclusions. But the very existence of the world raises several questions: why does the world exist? Why are there temporal limits to its existence? These questions are beyond the capacity of science as such either to ask or answer, because that answer cannot exist within the bounds of space and time. Rather, the great Unknown which these questions seek as their answer is the very realm which is proper to religion.
Further, science is unable to tell us how we ought to live. Every individual must make a choice about what is "the good." This good, if it is a reality, is not open for the realm of science to treat, for it cannot be empirically understood. When a human makes a choice to pursue the good, the individual makes himself into a being identified with that good. Thus, as Immanuel Kant understood, an individual identifies himself with the good chosen and so becomes an end to himself. But neither the agent as choosing nor the end chosen can beempirically understood.
Science deals with things considered abstractly. When dealing with a concrete entity, science will hold that entity against abstract and law-like norms. On the other hand, an individual deals largely with the concrete. How one pursues improvement or deals with shame, for example, are both experiences which one relates to as an individual. A question such as "what are the goods you wish to cherish?" is one which can only be answered for oneself, and not by anyone else. Such pursuit of the mystery of life brings one to the threshold of religious commitment. This mystery can be approached as if it were nothing, and thus ignored, or it can be pursued with reverence and devotion, in the hope of forging a relationship with it. Nevertheless, such pursuit is not an abstract empirical analysis, but is rather the most concrete decision a human being can make.
This is both the glory and the limit of science, that it does not concern itself with the individual as such. For all we know of the world, there is still mystery to it, a mystery which was made incarnate in Christ. The mystery is eternal, and it is one which we will partake of in Heaven. The pursuit of that mystery forms a road map which leads the sojourner to the love which he desires most deeply.
Afterward, in response to a question concerning creationism, Fr. Tacelli remarked that all order in the universe is order created by God, and however it works is how God intended it to function. Thus, if evolution as currently understood is in fact the truth of biological development, then that is the system fashioned by God.
We sincerely thank Fr. Tacelli for his wonderful and illuminating discussion of this matter, which is frequently at the center of modern discourse. As further reading on the subject, he suggested Pope Francis's encyclical Lumen fidei and the first chapters of Pope Benedict XVI's The Yes of Jesus Christ (written when he was still Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger). Another good book to consult, detailing the relation between science and faith, would be Stephen Barr's Ancient Faith and Modern Physics.
*"Why Does God Hide?", delivered by Fr. Tacelli on January 30, 2013.
Fr. Tacelli began by stating that there is much confusion about the relation between science and religion, and discussed the supposed antagonism which exists in being a person who both respects science and holds some religious faith. The study of any empirical science makes an enormous presupposition, that of the existence of the world. There can be no empirical science without the world's existence, because science takes data, obtained from observation of the world, and uses it to draw conclusions. But the very existence of the world raises several questions: why does the world exist? Why are there temporal limits to its existence? These questions are beyond the capacity of science as such either to ask or answer, because that answer cannot exist within the bounds of space and time. Rather, the great Unknown which these questions seek as their answer is the very realm which is proper to religion.
Further, science is unable to tell us how we ought to live. Every individual must make a choice about what is "the good." This good, if it is a reality, is not open for the realm of science to treat, for it cannot be empirically understood. When a human makes a choice to pursue the good, the individual makes himself into a being identified with that good. Thus, as Immanuel Kant understood, an individual identifies himself with the good chosen and so becomes an end to himself. But neither the agent as choosing nor the end chosen can beempirically understood.
Science deals with things considered abstractly. When dealing with a concrete entity, science will hold that entity against abstract and law-like norms. On the other hand, an individual deals largely with the concrete. How one pursues improvement or deals with shame, for example, are both experiences which one relates to as an individual. A question such as "what are the goods you wish to cherish?" is one which can only be answered for oneself, and not by anyone else. Such pursuit of the mystery of life brings one to the threshold of religious commitment. This mystery can be approached as if it were nothing, and thus ignored, or it can be pursued with reverence and devotion, in the hope of forging a relationship with it. Nevertheless, such pursuit is not an abstract empirical analysis, but is rather the most concrete decision a human being can make.
This is both the glory and the limit of science, that it does not concern itself with the individual as such. For all we know of the world, there is still mystery to it, a mystery which was made incarnate in Christ. The mystery is eternal, and it is one which we will partake of in Heaven. The pursuit of that mystery forms a road map which leads the sojourner to the love which he desires most deeply.
Afterward, in response to a question concerning creationism, Fr. Tacelli remarked that all order in the universe is order created by God, and however it works is how God intended it to function. Thus, if evolution as currently understood is in fact the truth of biological development, then that is the system fashioned by God.
We sincerely thank Fr. Tacelli for his wonderful and illuminating discussion of this matter, which is frequently at the center of modern discourse. As further reading on the subject, he suggested Pope Francis's encyclical Lumen fidei and the first chapters of Pope Benedict XVI's The Yes of Jesus Christ (written when he was still Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger). Another good book to consult, detailing the relation between science and faith, would be Stephen Barr's Ancient Faith and Modern Physics.
*"Why Does God Hide?", delivered by Fr. Tacelli on January 30, 2013.
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Theology by the Slice: "Love (3) by George Herbert"
Are you ready for a blast from the past? On October 18 (prior to this blog's creation), Prof. James Kee of the Holy Cross English Department delivered a wonderful talk on the religious themes of a poem by the seventeenth-century English poet George Herbert, Love (3). The poem is part of a collection of poems called "The Temple", in which each poem represents a location in a church. The poem is:
Love bade me welcome, yet my soul drew back,
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-ey'd Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning
If I lack'd anything.
"A guest," I answer'd, "worthy to be here";
Love said, "You shall be he."
"I, the unkind, the ungrateful? ah my dear,
I cannot look on thee."
Love took my hand and smiling did reply,
"Who made the eyes but I?"
"Truth, Lord, but I have marr'd them; let my shame
Go where it doth deserve."
"And know you not," says Love, "who bore the blame?"
"My dear, then I will serve."
"You must sit down," says Love, "and taste my meat."
So I did sit and eat.
The narrator has to be coaxed into attending "the feast", which is an eschatological kind of feast. This image of the feast hearkens to a parable told by Jesus of a master who hosted a feast and sent his servants out to find attendees; however, some of the people spoken to did not want to come. Likewise, the narrator in this poem takes the position of the reluctant guest.
Prof. Kee noted how the choice of verbs was supremely simple, but nonetheless potent. He further noted how the guest argued that his eyes were unworthy to look upon Love, which prompts the response that God Himself made the eyes, and as such would not have made them without the intent of them being used.
The response of the narrator to that proved rather chilling, that "let my shame go where it doth deserve." In other words, his own self-hatred would let him prefer Hell than to his own unworthiness at the feast. Prof. Kee commented that this sort of self-hatred is a problem which arose in modern times, and is at odds with the self-love, or cupiditas which was more frequently talked about in the Middle Ages.
Finally, Love tells the narrator that He bore the blame, referencing of course Christ's sacrifice on the cross. The narrator then decides he wants to "serve", but Love insists that all he do is sit down, and He will provide. He concludes by finally agreeing to be served at the feast: "So I did sit and eat." The verb is past tense, which is consistent with the base tense of the narrative.
Prof. Kee also related this to a speech given by a Holy Cross alumnus, William Jenks '58, a quadriplegic who suffered from polio for 26 years. Mr. Jenks gave a speech to his class in 1979 after this long period in which he insisted that people "learn to be loved." That is, by accepting help in smaller matters, we train ourselves to ask for help with respect to larger things. The quote which he impressed upon us was, "The able-bodied can be brought to truth through hurts that never show. I think it's likely I am not the most seriously wounded among us, only the most conspicuously bandaged. Sooner or later every one of us will be made to feel flawed, inadequate, powerless. And there's no defense against it … The alternative is to let yourself be loved. Not pitied, indulged, or pampered, but loved."
This fascinating talk illumined the depth an complexity of a seemingly simple poem. As always, we sincerely thank Prof. Kee for his time and effort.
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
He came down to earth from heaven
This weekend, we put on our second all-night vigil, this time for the feast of Christ the King.
The evening began with mass at 8 pm, in which we heard a wonderful homily about the Blessed Sacrament and how adoration strengthens us and prepares us to proclaim the good news. At the conclusion of mass, the Blessed Sacrament was immediately exposed, and utter silence filled the chapel at the end of Adoro te devote.
This silence remained almost entirely unbroken throughout the whole evening, with the exception of a midnight recitation of the Sorrowful Mysteries (in Latin!). It was truly an amazing spectacle: amidst all the hubbub of a typical Saturday night at the college, there was a small pocket of silence, reverence and awe, as we knelt in silent adoration of Our Lord. Silence in today's world is a rare gift, and that night there was an abundance of it.
There is no doubt that this was truly an enriching experience for everyone who came. With several priests offering confession for first hour of the night, anyone who wished was able to receive the sacramental grace of God's forgiveness, and then proceed to adore Him, made present in the Eucharist. The chapel was never empty, and even in the wee hours of the morning there were always several people adoring. It was wonderful to see students, whom we had never even seen before, coming in to spend a few minutes with the Lord. I firmly believe that He was calling to everyone to come in and bask in His glow.
Adoration concluded the next morning with Benediction and a mass celebrated for the Feast of Christ the King. The homily that morning reminded us of Christ's supreme rule, and how is he is the perfect and just king, an anchor to Truth and the pinnacle of self-sacrificing rule.
The all-night vigil was a wonderful experience for everyone who came; between the beautiful organ and music, the enlightening sermons, and the precious gift of an entire night of prayer with the Lord, all were enriched who came to adore. We sincerely thank everyone who made the vigil possible, and look forward ot seeing everyone again for the Lenten vigil next semester!
Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament... There you will find romance, glory, honour, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth, and more than that: Death. By the divine paradox, that which ends life, and demands the surrender of all, and yet by the taste -or foretaste- of which alone can what you seek in your earthly relationships (love, faithfulness, joy) be maintained, or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, which every man's heart desires. -J.R.R. Tolkein
The evening began with mass at 8 pm, in which we heard a wonderful homily about the Blessed Sacrament and how adoration strengthens us and prepares us to proclaim the good news. At the conclusion of mass, the Blessed Sacrament was immediately exposed, and utter silence filled the chapel at the end of Adoro te devote.
This silence remained almost entirely unbroken throughout the whole evening, with the exception of a midnight recitation of the Sorrowful Mysteries (in Latin!). It was truly an amazing spectacle: amidst all the hubbub of a typical Saturday night at the college, there was a small pocket of silence, reverence and awe, as we knelt in silent adoration of Our Lord. Silence in today's world is a rare gift, and that night there was an abundance of it.
There is no doubt that this was truly an enriching experience for everyone who came. With several priests offering confession for first hour of the night, anyone who wished was able to receive the sacramental grace of God's forgiveness, and then proceed to adore Him, made present in the Eucharist. The chapel was never empty, and even in the wee hours of the morning there were always several people adoring. It was wonderful to see students, whom we had never even seen before, coming in to spend a few minutes with the Lord. I firmly believe that He was calling to everyone to come in and bask in His glow.
Adoration concluded the next morning with Benediction and a mass celebrated for the Feast of Christ the King. The homily that morning reminded us of Christ's supreme rule, and how is he is the perfect and just king, an anchor to Truth and the pinnacle of self-sacrificing rule.
The all-night vigil was a wonderful experience for everyone who came; between the beautiful organ and music, the enlightening sermons, and the precious gift of an entire night of prayer with the Lord, all were enriched who came to adore. We sincerely thank everyone who made the vigil possible, and look forward ot seeing everyone again for the Lenten vigil next semester!
Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustrated, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament... There you will find romance, glory, honour, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth, and more than that: Death. By the divine paradox, that which ends life, and demands the surrender of all, and yet by the taste -or foretaste- of which alone can what you seek in your earthly relationships (love, faithfulness, joy) be maintained, or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, which every man's heart desires. -J.R.R. Tolkein
Friday, November 22, 2013
Theology by the Slice: "Ecce Homo: How Reading Nietzsche Can Make Us Better Catholics"
On Wednesday night we were treated to an engaging and thought-provoking talk by Prof. Matthew Dinan of the Holy Cross Political Science Department. Prof. Dinan's presentation was titled "Ecce Homo: How Reading Nietzsche Can Make Us Better Catholics."
Prof. Dinan began by stating that it is currently a very bad time to be an atheist. The reason for this is that the New Atheists, led in their charge by Richard Dawkins, the Cambridge biologist, fail to provide any thoughtful criticism of Christianity. Dawkins employs a very narrow form of "science" to refute Christianity, a definiton of science based solely upon human genetics.
Darwin's main argument against God's existence, as portrayed in his book The God Delusion. The argument presented is that, for God to have been creator, He must have been more complex than His creation, putting
Him at the wrong end of the evolutionary spectrum. This argument is very flimsy, because it fails to take into account that God is eternal and creation is temporal, and the same sort of evolutionary standard cannot be applied to God's infinitude. In effect, the Dawkins argument focuses not on the particulars of Christian belief, but is merely a polemic contempt for Christianity. The New Atheists have no interest in serious dialogue.
In contrast with these weak arguments, the nineteenth-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche proposes far more difficult challenges to Christianity - namely that Christians are unable to deal effectively with the comforts of bourgeois society and that they lack the joy of the Gospel.
The first challenge is manifested in Nietzsche's work Thus Spoke Zarathustra. In the book, the character Zarathustra emerges from a cave high atop a mountain and descends to the land below. in the forest, Zarathustra encounters a pious hermit who, thinking Zarathutra is a fellow hermit, warns him that the nearby townspeople dislike hermits. Zarathustra, meanwhile, is shocked because the hermit does not realize that God is dead. Nevertheless, Zarathustra doesn't inform the hermit of this, but instead proceeds on to the town.
In the town, the locals, who are very hedonistic and petty, think that Zarathustra is a tightrope walker coming to entertain them. Zarathustra then announces to them that God is dead. The people, however, are unaffected and confused, and fail to understand his message.
There is a stark contrast between the hermit and the townspeople. To the hermit, because of his strong belief, God is still alive. To the townspeople, however, God is already dead, because they instead worship pleasure and comfort. They are what Nietzsche terms "last men." The theme here is that modern Christians don't understand the call to distinction presented by the Gospel. In effect, we must change our lives, like the hermit, and not fade away into hedonism like the last men. Thus, we are challenged to ask: do we put too much stock in petty things? Are we distinct?
Beyond this, Nietzsche argues that modern Christians are about hatred and selfishness, rather than charity and joy. He argues that when modern Christians act charitably, they do so not to help the poor, but to bring down the powerful. thus, by helping the powerless, they validate their own weakness. Thus, modern Christian charity is merely envy of the powerful, and resentment. This in turn makes them joyless, and obscures the good news of the gospel.
Finally, Nietzsche threw in the caveat that, by throwing out God, people everywhere will fail to appreciate truth. Although he probably believes truth is more subjective, he still acknowledges that out ideas about truth have a firm foothold in God, and with God's "death", the basis of truth will be destroyed - in effect, modern atheists are unprepared to deal with the consequences of God's "death."
In sum, the thought of Nietzsche challenges modern Christians to look past resentment, even resentment for Dawkins, and instead to answer the call for a changed life based upon the joy of the Gospel. He also challenges us to approach science not as a threat, but as a part of God's Truth.
We thank Prof. Dinan very much for his time and effort in preparing this presentation. It is very good to be aware of the challenges levied against Christianity today, and how to answer them through examples of right Christian life.
Prof. Dinan began by stating that it is currently a very bad time to be an atheist. The reason for this is that the New Atheists, led in their charge by Richard Dawkins, the Cambridge biologist, fail to provide any thoughtful criticism of Christianity. Dawkins employs a very narrow form of "science" to refute Christianity, a definiton of science based solely upon human genetics.
Darwin's main argument against God's existence, as portrayed in his book The God Delusion. The argument presented is that, for God to have been creator, He must have been more complex than His creation, putting
Him at the wrong end of the evolutionary spectrum. This argument is very flimsy, because it fails to take into account that God is eternal and creation is temporal, and the same sort of evolutionary standard cannot be applied to God's infinitude. In effect, the Dawkins argument focuses not on the particulars of Christian belief, but is merely a polemic contempt for Christianity. The New Atheists have no interest in serious dialogue.
In contrast with these weak arguments, the nineteenth-century German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche proposes far more difficult challenges to Christianity - namely that Christians are unable to deal effectively with the comforts of bourgeois society and that they lack the joy of the Gospel.
The first challenge is manifested in Nietzsche's work Thus Spoke Zarathustra. In the book, the character Zarathustra emerges from a cave high atop a mountain and descends to the land below. in the forest, Zarathustra encounters a pious hermit who, thinking Zarathutra is a fellow hermit, warns him that the nearby townspeople dislike hermits. Zarathustra, meanwhile, is shocked because the hermit does not realize that God is dead. Nevertheless, Zarathustra doesn't inform the hermit of this, but instead proceeds on to the town.
In the town, the locals, who are very hedonistic and petty, think that Zarathustra is a tightrope walker coming to entertain them. Zarathustra then announces to them that God is dead. The people, however, are unaffected and confused, and fail to understand his message.
There is a stark contrast between the hermit and the townspeople. To the hermit, because of his strong belief, God is still alive. To the townspeople, however, God is already dead, because they instead worship pleasure and comfort. They are what Nietzsche terms "last men." The theme here is that modern Christians don't understand the call to distinction presented by the Gospel. In effect, we must change our lives, like the hermit, and not fade away into hedonism like the last men. Thus, we are challenged to ask: do we put too much stock in petty things? Are we distinct?
Beyond this, Nietzsche argues that modern Christians are about hatred and selfishness, rather than charity and joy. He argues that when modern Christians act charitably, they do so not to help the poor, but to bring down the powerful. thus, by helping the powerless, they validate their own weakness. Thus, modern Christian charity is merely envy of the powerful, and resentment. This in turn makes them joyless, and obscures the good news of the gospel.
Finally, Nietzsche threw in the caveat that, by throwing out God, people everywhere will fail to appreciate truth. Although he probably believes truth is more subjective, he still acknowledges that out ideas about truth have a firm foothold in God, and with God's "death", the basis of truth will be destroyed - in effect, modern atheists are unprepared to deal with the consequences of God's "death."
In sum, the thought of Nietzsche challenges modern Christians to look past resentment, even resentment for Dawkins, and instead to answer the call for a changed life based upon the joy of the Gospel. He also challenges us to approach science not as a threat, but as a part of God's Truth.
We thank Prof. Dinan very much for his time and effort in preparing this presentation. It is very good to be aware of the challenges levied against Christianity today, and how to answer them through examples of right Christian life.
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