Showing posts with label Saints. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Saints. Show all posts

Sunday, June 28, 2015

Saint Francis of Assisi and Brother Wolf

"...'Brother Wolf, you have killed and pillaged like a wanton criminal, and for that you deserve punishment! But accept instead the forgiveness of all the men you have wronged. Come now, here is my hand. In the name of the Holy One, come to me, and pledge that from this day on you will live at peace with men. Come!'...

"...He was only in time to see the berserker-wolf take the last hesitant step of its advance. To see it raise one metal paw — and with its steel claw-fingers gently touch the kneeling friar's extended hand...."

That's from Fred Saberhagen's "Brother Berserker." The "berserker-wolf" part of Saberhagen's tale is based on a legend in "Fioretti di San Francesco," written a century and a half after Francis of Assisi died.

"Firoetti" is probably the most popular collection of stories about Saint Francis: but "Scripta Leonis, Rufini et Angeli Sociorum S. Francisci," compiled by Brother Leo and other companions, comes from folks who actually knew and worked with him.

Today, Saint Francis of Assisi is the patron Saint of ecologists and animal welfare/rights workers, and may be as popular as garden gnomes and plastic flamingos in my country's yards.

"Animal rights?" I'd better explain that. Imagining that gerbils are people is, in my considered opinion, daft. However, respect for the integrity of creation — and the Creator — demands that we take proper care of critters. (Deuteronomy 25:4; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2415-2418)

Daniel 2:79-81 Reminds me of Laudes Creaturarum/Canticle of the Creatures/Canticle of the Sun, and that's another topic.

Asisium, Assisi, and a Rich Kid's Impulsive Charity


About three millennia back, Umbri moved into the upper Tiber valley. Etruscans were taking over Umbrian territory around the time Artaxerxes I issued the decree quoted in Ezra 7:13-26.

The Etruscan — or Italic — city called Rome started adding other cities to its growing kingdom within a century or so of Egypt's 25th Dynasty.

Romans built Asisium on Monte Subasio while Bindusara ruled the Maurya Empire, Ostrogoths leveled the place when Wen ruled the Western Wei, but business was pretty good when the Jin and Song dynasties were running north and south China.

Folks were calling Asisium Assisi by that time.

That was about eight and a third centuries ago, and brings me to a young dropout named Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone. He was the son of a wealthy silk merchant living in Assisi, Pietro di Bernardone; and Pica de Bourlemont, a noblewoman originally from Provence.

Pietro nicknamed his young son Francesco, there's a story behind that. Pietro probably didn't worry much about the lad's enthusiasm for troubadours — medieval rock stars, sort of — and loud clothing. Boys will be boys, after all.

The good times didn't last. Arguments over Francesco's impulsive charity escalated into legal action. Francesco eventually dropped out of the family business, and the family; and become a beggar.

The rich-kid-turned-beggar later founded a monastic order, wrote "Laudes Creaturarum," and may have negotiated a pact between a town and a wolf.

Francis of Assisi died in 1226, and was declared a saint by Pope Gregory IX in 1228.

The Wolf of Gubbio


Umbri called their town Ikuvium, Romans called it Iguvium, the Iguvine Tablets are still there, these days it's called Gubbio, and that's yet another topic.

The point is that Gubbio is several mountains north of Assisi, and folks there had wolf problems about eight centuries back.

It was bad enough when the wolf attacked livestock, and stubbornly refused to be killed. Then it developed a taste for humans, and pretty soon was hanging around the city gates, waiting for its next meal.

That's when Francis of Assisi said he'd go have a talk with the wolf. Folks tried talking him out of becoming the wolf's next dinner-to-go, but Francis went anyway.

A crowd followed him — at what they judged a safe distance — to watch the carnage.

Maybe you've read the story before. In case you haven't: Francis made the sign of the Cross, walked out of Gubbio, and made the sign of the Cross again when the wolf rushed at him.

Francis told the wolf to stop — which, surprisingly, it did. He then explained the flawed ethics, and consequences, of eating people:
"...'Brother wolf, thou hast done much evil in this land, destroying and killing the creatures of God without his permission; yea, not animals only hast thou destroyed, but thou hast even dared to devour men, made after the image of God; for which thing thou art worthy of being hanged like a robber and a murderer.

" 'All men cry out against thee, the dogs pursue thee, and all the inhabitants of this city are thy enemies; but I will make peace between them and thee, O brother wolf, is so be thou no more offend them, and they shall forgive thee all thy past offences, and neither men nor dogs shall pursue thee any more.'..."
("Fioretti di San Francesco," trans. by Hudleston, Roger, ed. (Burns Oats (1926)); via Heritage Press and EWTN)
A great acreage of verbiage later, folks living in Gubbio learned that the wolf had been desperately hungry. They agree to feed it daily, it stopped attacking them, and quite a few folks in Gubbio started taking God a great deal more seriously.

Eventually the wolf died. Local tradition has it that Gubbio gave the wolf an honorable burial: later building the Church of Saint Francis of the Peace at the site. I'm pretty sure that's the San Francesco della Pace (Chiesa dei Muratori) in Gubbio.

Renovation work in 1872 required moving a slab near the church wall. A large wolf's skeleton, apparently several centuries old, was underneath. It's been reburied inside the church.1

More about humans, wolves, and all that:
1 "Francis of Assisi," Adrian House, Paulist Press. p. 181. (2003); ISBN 978-1587680274; via Wikipedia.)
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Saturday, November 1, 2014

Elijah and the 12-Star General

Tomorrow's post is about death, judgment, Heaven, Hell, and all that. Coming back from a desperately-needed coffee break, I realized that the following paragraphs made sense, in context — probably. But since I didn't have the rest of the post written yet, I figured it'd be easier to slap them into an 'unscheduled' post, and cudgel my brain back on-track.

Death and Special Cases


Elijah's departure, described in 2 Kings 2:8-11 was a special case.

Then there's Mary, mother of my Lord. She's a very special case: shielded from original sin, the ethical rot we inherit from our first parents; and currently what I've called a 12-star general.

There's a difference of opinion about how Mary made the transition to life, version 2.0. I'm (Roman) Catholic, so I help celebrate the Feast of the Assumption each August 15.

Other Catholics celebrate the Dormition of the Theotokos on the same date. Wikipedia discusses "Assumption vs. Dormition" in their page on the Assumption of Mary.

I'm enough of a scholar to appreciate that whether Mary died and was resurrected shortly thereafter; or seemed to be dead, wasn't, and was taken directly to God's kingdom; is a significant question.

But I'm also a Norwegian-Irish-Scots-American — so I also think the important point is that Mary is alive, and has been doing what we'd call diplomatic work for at least part of the last two millennia.

You've probably heard about the incidents at Lourdes and Guadalupe. News of Mary's appearance at Champion, Wisconsin, isn't quite as high-profile. Not yet, anyway, and that's another topic.

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians

Catholics don't worship Mary. She's as human as I am. We do, however, recognize the guts and endurance her life experiences demanded: and recognize her as a Saint, someone who displayed heroic virtue.

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Sunday, June 29, 2014

Peter, Paul, and 16 Soldiers

Readings for the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, 2014:

Saints Peter And Paul 2014

By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas
June 29, 2014

As kind of a test: how many soldiers were assigned to guard Peter? In the acts of the apostles we are told that they laid hands on members of the Church to harm them. And under that persecution Peter was arrested and taken into custody and put in prison under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. And as the story goes the Church is praying for Peter and so finally an angel appears to help Peter escape the chains from his wrists and was told put on his sandals and cloak, follow me said the Angel.

Now my question to you is why did it take 16 soldiers, Roman soldiers at that, to keep one Christian in custody. There is no indication that he was out to hurt anybody. Did they think that by arresting Peter, who was obvious the leader of this new band of troublemakers, they could keep control of them.

The question needs to be asked, "what made them so fearsome that they had to be imprisoned, persecuted, executed and brought under the control of the state? Well the simple answer is, they preached the gospel. The preaching of the Gospel by the Apostles and the followers of Christ was clearly coming against the dictates of a very sinful world.

Sometimes we have to ask ourselves has anything really changed these last 2000 years. I declare to you without hesitation that unless we realize that we are in a war against evil in the world and this war can only be won if we turn our hearts and our minds to Christ, we will not win. Remember Christ died on the cross to overcome death and sin in our world.

So now another question: why does God allow evil to exist in the world. Maybe the simplest answer I've ever heard to that question was posed in the movie entitled, Oh God, when God, played by George Burns was asked that question, by Denver, he gave the answer, "I don't allow evil, you do." We are taught a more philosophical answer to that question, that God allows evil in the extent that God can use it for good. Yeah I know, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me either but when it comes to the mind of God we are all left in awe!

We can reflect along with Peter that the Lord sent his angel and rescued him from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting. The new Evangelist is convinced that if the risen Jesus can do it once, the risen Jesus can do it again.

The other Saint in our Solemnity today is St. Paul. As the letter of St. Paul to Timothy reminds us that he must have been anticipating that the time, that, he calls his departure is at hand. He says I have competed well; I finished the race; I have kept the faith. How often have we heard father Statz say of himself and of his ministry that if only he can finish the race and keep the faith. As I reminded you and him last Wednesday's 5:30 Mass, as Paul reminds us in his letter, that a crown of righteousness awaits. Paul reminds us in his letters that being an Apostle for Christ is not paved with palm branches and flowers, but is paved with thorns, and thistles, rocks and potholes, also in our day rough paved and gravel roads.

So the question arises again what has changed in 2000 years? One thing we can depend on absolutely is that the Church was persecuted in the past and will be persecuted today and in the future. For the Church is Christ's active body in the world. So as they Crucified Christ on the cross the Church will be Crucified in the politics of our world. WHY? Because, the church being the body of Christ can do nothing else but engage in this war on the side of Christ. Our opponents in this war can get very vicious and mean at times but remember they follow no rules. But when there are, no rules, engagement comes to light people of goodwill recognize it and want more and more to have what we have. So sometimes, when it seems like rules and more rules control our lives we nevertheless with patience and Love for Christ and his Church, we come to realize the peace and security we have in this, One Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church. You might reflect on this too, from time to time, what a great blessing it is to belong to a Church that recognizes that we are all sinners and yet provides a means to restore our Baptismal Purity. This is no small matter for there is no greater means to Salvation, Eternal Life, then the Sacraments of this Church.

So we can reflect on the lives of Peter and Paul and how sin affected them personally. And finally how they were martyred for their faith and yet are remembered as great Saints of the church. I would want all of us to understand that sin is never, never, the last word. The church looks at sin, as a doctor looks at an ill patient, someone to be healed and brought back to perfect life, in Christ. Do I dare ask, "what are you waiting for?" Sin, can devastate the soul, as cancer devastates the body. How does this all work?

The closing words of our gospel today are great comfort to us individually and as a Church community because it says, "I will give you the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven." This authority has been given our priests in the Sacrament of Confession! Because this homily is attempting to deal with the sins of the world I beg you to not add your sins as ammunition to the evils of the world.

You all be Good, be Holy, Preach the Gospel always and if necessary use words.
'Thank you' to Deacon Kaas, for letting me post his reflection here.
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Sunday, April 27, 2014

Now it's Official: St. John XXIII; and St. John Paul II


(From Reuters, via BBC News, used w/o permission.)
(Early arrivals at St. Peter's, Rome.)

About 1/1000th of the world's living Catholics were in Rome today, to be on hand for the canonization of two Popes: John XXIII and John Paul II. We don't have an exact count, since they didn't all fit in St. Peter's Square, but it looks like about a million Catholics came to be near, if not at, the ceremony.


(From BBC News, used w/o permission.)
(Several thousand of the folks who came to Rome, in St. Peter's Square.)

Most of us couldn't make it to Rome: and never will. That won't stop us from celebrating on our home turf, in culturally-appropriate ways: like these folks in the Philippines.


(From Reuters, via BBC News, used w/o permission.)
('Mini-popes' and Filipino 'Swiss Guards' in the Philippines.)

Two Millennia and Counting



I've heard that the 11 surviving Apostles and Matthias divided the known world into 12 sectors: one for each of them. Then they headed out, acting on the standing orders outlined in Matthew 28:19-20.

Communications weren't what they are today, but we're reasonably sure that they reached Armenia, Ethiopia, Carthage, Syria, and Persia. One of them made it as far as India. My ancestral homelands don't show up in traditions involving the 12: hardly surprising, since some of them were on the other side of barbarian lands bordering the Roman Empire.

Meanwhile, the authority my Lord gave Peter was passed along to Linus. Centuries rolled by, and so far the bark of Peter has had 264 senior officers on deck.

We're spread thin in some places, but today we live on every continent except Antarctica: and some scientists there have been Catholic, like Brother Consolmagno.

A few dozen Popes are recognized as Saints. Some were anything but. Then there was Benedict IX, who was Pope three times from 1032 to 1048.

As kingdoms, empires, and civilizations, rose and fell: the Church kept going, no matter who was Pope. I could have assumed that the Church 'just happened' to survive every crisis: and was on a millennia-spanning 'lucky streak:' or that the Church was getting outside help. More topics. (January 13, 2011)

Saints: It's What You Do


(From Dnalor 01, via Wikimedia Commons, license #CC-BY-SA 3.0, used w/o permission.)
(John XXIII's body, in the altar of Saint Jerome in St. Peter's.)

John XXIII wasn't declared a Saint because his body is in remarkably good condition, years after his death. The Church recognizes that as the result of embalming and a triple-sealed coffin.

He and John Paul II passed the usual qualifications for Sainthood: which include two verified miracles. Real miracles: not the 'miraculous face of Jesus in a jar of mayonnaise' fluff that gets in the papers now and then. (April 5, 2011; October 17, 2010)

As usual, news coverage of the canonization included 'analysis' that tried to ram Catholic beliefs into contemporary pigeonholes; some refreshingly accurate observations; and lots of pictures. BBC News did a reasonably good job, aside from a clueless analysis, and linked to a nine-item slide show.


(Reuters/BBC News, via BBC News, used w/o permission.)

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Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Astronomers, X-ray crystallographers, Apothecaries, and Saints


(From Claudio Coello, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
(Saint Dominic, patron of: astronomers; astronomy; Dominican Republic; falsely accused people; Santo Domingo Pueblo, New Mexico, U.S.A.; Valletta and Birgu, Malta; and Managua, Nicaragua.)

I ran into the names of a few patron saints while researching a post that's due Friday morning:
I didn't find a patron Saint of meteorologists, or molecular biologists, for that matter. I don't think that shows that the Church is against meteorologists or molecular biologists, though.

Now that I think about it, I don't know of a patron Saint of X-ray crystallographers either. Röntgen discovered X-rays, and there weren't any molecular biologists before the 1930s.

Aristotle wrote "Meteorology" about 2,350 years back, and folks were making systematic observations from the 1400s, at least: but  meteorology didn't take off until around the 1600s or 1700s, depending on who you listen to.

We've got at least a half-dozen patron Saints of physicians, including St. Luke the Evangelist. He's got a rather large portfolio: he's also patron of artists, surgeons, students and — I am not making this up — butchers; and several other occupations.

I think the explanation is that "physician" is an occupation that's changed over the millennia, but which predates ancient civilizations like Sumer.

Folks haven't been meteorologists for more than a few centuries, tops: and nobody was a molecular biologist, computer programmer, or nuclear physicist, until a few decades back.

Given time, I'm pretty sure that someone one of those job titles will be recognized as a Saint: and may wind up as patron saint of one or more of those disciplines.

The Pontifical Academy of Sciences includes several molecular biologists, and that's another topic:
By the way — maybe you heard that Saint Dominic was the first Inquisitor. That would be quite a trick, since Dominic de Guzmán had been dead for 10 years when the office of the Inquisitior started in Lombardy, and that's yet another topic. Topics. (July 22, 2012; September 19, 2011)

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Sunday, February 23, 2014

Science, Faith, and Albertus Magnus

This isn't your usual "religious" blog.

In the last few weeks, I've written about planetary defense against asteroids and comets, why smallpox isn't a threat any more, and how Neanderthal genes may affect folks trying to stop smoking.

My shameless interest in science and flagrant faith flies in the face of the view that religion and science are at war.

My faith doesn't depend on a lively interest in this wondrous creation: but it's not threatened by knowledge, either.

Space Aliens, Authority, and Getting a Grip


(Columbia Pictures. via Space.com, used w/o permission.)

I think UFO religions are a mistake, but that searching for extraterrestrial life is reasonable: and fascinating. I'm not one of the 90.19% who believe space aliens are "out there," but I certainly won't claim that life exists on Earth and only on Earth.

Assuming that there must be life on other worlds makes as much, or as little, sense as assuming that there isn't: given what we know today. Some of us will keep looking for life, and learning about the universe, using science: until we find a better method. (February 7, 2014)

My guess is that the Church won't issue a policy statement about dealing with space aliens until, and unless, we actually meet some. When, and if, that happens, I'm quite certain that we won't be told to shut our eyes and pretend they're not there. We've been through something like the "are we alone?" debate before.

On March 7, 2014, it'll be 737 years since the Church banned claiming that there's only one world.

God's God: Aristotle's Not

I gather that the issue was authority.

Back in the 13th century, educated Europeans had a very high opinion of Aristotle. Some may even had the attitude expressed by Dante, that Aristotle was "the Master ... of those who know."

A few researchers realized that the universe might be much more than our Earth and sky.

Others, predictably, didn't like the new idea: which would have been okay. Insisting that other worlds can't exist: because Aristotle said so? That's a problem, since nobody's opinion outvotes God's.

As I've said before, that's when the Church stepped in. After March 7, 1277, Catholics weren't allowed to claim that Earth must be the only world. (January 29, 2012)

I did a little checking, and learned that the 219 Propositions of 1277 were later annulled. Interestingly, the Wikipedia article about that particular document didn't mention Proposition 27/219, so I'm guessing that the 'God's God, Aristotle's not' principle is still valid.

Evolution and "A State of Journeying"

I've explained why I don't denounce evolution as "the religion of the antichrist." (January 2, 2014)


(From "The Three-Story Universe," © N. F. Gier, God, Reason, and the Evangelicals (1987), via Nick Gier, University of Idaho, used w/o permission.)

I'm sure that God could have created a universe designed along the lines imagined by ancient Mesopotamians: and which was only a few thousand years old.

But I'm also willing to take the universe "as is."

Over the last several centuries, we've learned that we live in a vast and ancient cosmos: which operates under rational physical laws. I don't see how that can interfere with faith in an infinite, eternal, and rational Creator. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 159, 202, 279, 301)

We've also learned that things change. Considering what happened when the first of us broke the lease in Eden, I'm very glad that this universe is in a "state of journeying." (Catechism, 302-305) (January 18, 2012)

Dürer, Eden, and Getting a Grip

Believing what the Church says about Adam, Eve, and original sin is one thing. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 355-378, 388-412) (July 11, 2012)

Trying to believe that our first parents were German is daft. (May 16, 2012)

That sort of silliness isn't necessary, since the Bible wasn't written by Americans: or by folks with a contemporary Western worldview.

If I assumed that every word of the Bible is literally true, from the viewpoint of a post-Victorian American, I might not get past the two creation stories in Genesis. (Genesis 1:1-2:4 and Genesis 2:4-9)

I could read the two accounts of creation, notice that they're not exactly alike: and assume they're different because religion is stupid.

Or I could assume they're both literally, word-for-word, true: and that I'm puzzled because thinking is a sin.

Instead, I read Genesis 1:1-2:4 and 2:4-25 as an explanation of God's role in our existence: among other things.

As far as I'm concerned, all that's changed in the last few centuries is how much we know about the "clay" God used. (December 13, 2013)

If anything, I'm impressed at how similar the 'origins' accounts in Genesis and those in other cultures are.

The "Golden Age," Χρυσόν Γένος or Chryson Genos, is unique to ancient Greece and Rome: but a remarkable number of other folks remembered that we've known better days.

Maybe that's because folks around the world share the same basic hopes and fears. Or maybe we're looking at what happens when a scattered humanity tells the same tale around the evening fire for a million years, and that's another topic.

Patron Saint of — Scientists?!

"God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed - the sixth day."
(Genesis 1:31)
This wonder-filled universe is still "very good," and we've still got the Adam's job of tending it. (Catechism, 373, 2402)

Science and technology aren't transgressions, they're tools we're expected to use: wisely. (Catechism, 339, 2292-2296) (March 17, 2013)

It's no wonder, though, that some folks think the Catholic Church encourages superstition: Albertus Magnus is a patron saint of scientists, students, medical technicians, philosophers, and the natural sciences.

And he was interested in astrology.

Back in the 13th century, Albertus Magnus was occasionally called a wizard and magician: hardly surprising, considering his "tampering with things man was not supposed to know," as the fictional Mr. Squibbs put it.

His posthumous career as an alchemist was equally imaginative, but his interest in astrology wasn't.

Astrology, along with any other sort of divination, is against the rules today. (Catechism, 2116)

In the 13th century, being interested in astrology didn't make someone an "astrologer" in today's sense.

Researchers of the late Middle Ages thought that Earth was a small part of the universe: and that what happened 'out there' affected what happened here. They were right about that, but further study showed that the real 'cosmic' influences don't lend themselves to fortunetelling. Astrology isn't astronomy, even though both involve stars and planets.

Wrenching myself back on-topic — Albertus Magnus saw no conflict between worshiping God and studying God's creation.

Neither do I.

As a Catholic, I must believe that God is truth, that truth cannot contradict truth, and that studying this astonishing universe is okay. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 159, 214-217)

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More about what the Bible is, and isn't:
  • "Understanding the Bible"
    Mary Elizabeth Sperry, Associate Director for Utilization of the New American Bible, USCCB
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Monday, December 16, 2013

Jeanne d'Arc: Barbecued History

Growing up as a Protestant in an increasingly secularized America, the Joan of Arc I'd read about was a crazy young woman who heard voices and was finally burned at the stake by superstitious officials.

After I got interested in Medieval Europe, I realized that the historical Jeanne d'Arc's story didn't match the popular version.

I'd learned how to do historical research by then, and knew that folks from different countries might see events in different ways.

America started as an English colony, so it's not surprising that we often see European history from an English perspective.

Folks in England weren't likely to by sympathetic toward a young French woman who managed to embarrass English forces. After Henry VIII set up his personal church, being solidly Catholic probably didn't help Joan of Arc's reputation in England either.

The Maid of Orleans might have been an incredibly lucky lunatic with unbelievable charisma, whose luck finally ran out at Compiègne. It seemed more likely that this unlikely young military commander and philosopher had the same sort of backing as St. Francis of Assisi and St. Thomas More.

By 1430, she'd thoroughly frightened both English and Burgundian leaders, which helps explain the sort of trial she got: by English occupation forces in Rouen. And that's another topic. Topics.

High-Profile Missions

By the way, if I got unmistakable instructions, like Ezekiel by the river Chebar, Saul on his way to Damascus, or St. Jeanne d'Arc near Domrémy: well, that probably won't happen. Most of us don't get those high-profile missions, for which I'm duly grateful.

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Sunday, September 1, 2013

Humble, Yes: Delusional, No

I'm supposed to be humble, which isn't the same as being delusional. Not according to the Catholic Church, anyway.

Avoiding Inordinate Ambition or Pride

"HUMILITY: The virtue by which a Christian acknowledges that God is the author of all good. Humility avoids inordinate ambition or pride, and provides the foundation for turning to God in prayer (2559). Voluntary humility can be described as 'poverty of spirit' (2546)."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, Glossary)
An important word there is "inordinate ambition." We're not supposed to have no ambition at all, or go out of our way to become poor. Some Saints were poor: but some, like Louis IX of France and Sir Thomas More, were anything but. It isn't being poor, or rich, that makes Saints. (July 28, 2013)

It's their heroic virtue, living in fidelity to God's grace, that makes Saints special. (Catechism, 826)

Working With What I've Got

There's a tendency in my native culture to see "humility" as a sort of make-believe: denying that our strengths are real. That's crazy.

If I tried being that sort of "humble," I'd pretend that I can't write, or apologize profusely for being such a lousy writer. That seems like a waste of time, and would probably be annoying.

I've got something close to the gift called "the expression of knowledge" in 1 Corinthians 12:7-10. That isn't bragging. The package I was born with includes an intense interest in language, with a knack for reading and writing.

I didn't have anything to do with that, any more than I'm responsible for the color of my eyes. My contribution to the mix was deciding, as a child, that I wanted to write: and following through on that decision by working at developing my skills.

Beggars, Choosers, and Me

As far as I can tell, being humble is acknowledging that God is large and in charge. God doesn't owe me anything.

As St. Augustine said, "Man is a beggar before God."

Applying the beggars can't be choosers principle, I think accepting what I get from God also makes sense. For whatever reason, I was born a cripple, with freakishly enhanced language abilities. On the whole, I'm content with what I have: and hope that I'm making good use of these gifts.

Beggars can't be choosers, but we can ask for good things. What I get is up to God, and that's okay with me. What's important is having "a humble and contrite heart." (Catechism, 2559)

"Poor in Spirit," Not "Despondent"

Matthew's Beatitudes start with the familiar "poor in spirit" promise.
"3 'Blessed are the poor in spirit, 4 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
(Matthew 5:3)
So, what does "poor in spirit" mean?

I've heard "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee" sung as if it's a dirge. Some folks seem to think Matthew 5:3 says "blessed are the despondent...." Others seem convinced that poverty, by itself, is a virtue; that the physical world is evil; and that's another topic. Topics. (June 3, 2012; May 7, 2012)

If being poor in the financial sense is needed for virtue, folks like St. Louis and St. Thomas More are hard to explain.

I think being "poor in spirit" has more to do with attitude than how much someone has in the bank.

Detachment from Riches

Having few worldly resources may give us more opportunities for realizing that we're dependent on God, but anyone can choose that sort of awareness. The trick isn't being poor: it's being detached from wealth.
"Jesus enjoins his disciples to prefer him to everything and everyone, and bids them 'renounce all that [they have]' for his sake and that of the Gospel.335 Shortly before his passion he gave them the example of the poor widow of Jerusalem who, out of her poverty, gave all that she had to live on.336 The precept of detachment from riches is obligatory for entrance into the Kingdom of heaven."
" 'Blessed are the poor in spirit.'337 The Beatitudes reveal an order of happiness and grace, of beauty and peace. Jesus celebrates the joy of the poor, to whom the Kingdom already belongs:338
"The Word speaks of voluntary humility as 'poverty in spirit'; the Apostle gives an example of God's poverty when he says: 'For your sakes he became poor.'339"
(Catechism, 2544, 2546 [emphasis mine])
The summary of that section says it pretty well:
"Detachment from riches is necessary for entering the Kingdom of heaven. 'Blessed are the poor in spirit.' "
(Catechism, 2556)
Apparently being poor is okay, being rich is okay: but being attached to wealth is a bad idea. So, I think, is flaunting wealth. That seems to be one of the points of this morning's first reading:
"2 My son, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts.

"Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God.

"What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things beyond your strength search not.

"The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs, and an attentive ear is the wise man's joy.

"4 Water quenches a flaming fire, and alms atone for sins."
(Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29)

(From Zentralbibliothek Zürich, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
" 'Alle Weissheit ist bey Gott dem Herrn...' ("All wisdom comes from the LORD....")
(Sirach, first chapter, German translation), anonymous artist 1654."

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Friday, July 12, 2013

Science, Sainthood, and High-Temperature Superconductivity

I had the pleasure of reading about the science angle of Sainthood this week: written by someone who checked the facts.

We may also be discovering a new dimension in quantum physics.
  1. Science and Miracles
  2. Quantum Physics: Waves, Particles, and Maybe More

Saints?

Depending on who's talking, saints might be:
  1. "King's kids"
  2. An American football team
  3. People who've been dead for centuries
  4. Disciples of remarkable fidelity
I'm Catholic, so "A" doesn't apply. I've written about the prosperity gospel and other bad ideas before. (May 17, 2013)

Spelled with a capital "S," answers B or D are correct: and so is C, sort of. This isn't a 'sports' blog, though, so I'll concentrate on saints (lower case "s") and Saints (capital "S"), Catholic style.

I am, God help me, a saint with a lower case "s." I'm a Christian. I follow Jesus, and am part of my Lord's Church, so I'm a saint. (February 14, 2010)

I don't feel particularly saintly, but I don't need to: and that's another topic. (November 24, 2009)

With a capital "S," a Saint is someone who has lived a holy life, shown heroic virtue, and is currently dead. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 828)

Quite a few Saints lived in the centuries before steam power replaced horses, but we're still finding new ones. 20th century saints include Padre Pio and Maximilian Kolbe. I haven't heard of a 21st century Saint, but we're only an eighth of the way through this century.
"SAINT: The 'holy one' who leads a life in union with God through the grace of Christ and receives the reward of eternal life. The Church is called the communion of saints, of the holy ones (823, 946; cf. 828). See Canonization."
(Catechism, Glossary)

Tools and Documentation

The Catholic Church didn't use science to identify our early saints because it hadn't been invented yet.

Scientific method as we know it is fairly new, although its roots are deep. Folks like Anaxagoras, Pythagoras, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, and Copernicus had been developing ways to analyze knowledge for about two millennia when Francis Bacon and others jump-started scientific method about five centuries back.

As the Church gets new tools for sorting through facts, old records get reviewed. For example, about 50 years ago, when folks at headquarters discovered that St. Christopher had never been canonized.

Personal devotion to Christopher is still okay, but his feast day isn't on the calendar now. (April 5, 2011)

We'll probably see more adjustments like that, as the Church's archives get converted to machine-readable formats. I have no problem with that, since human beings will still make the decisions. What will change are the tools we use while analyzing facts.

Faith, Science, and Raising Kids

My wife and I home schooled our kids for grades seven through 12: their choice.

Part of our job as parents is teaching them that God and ethics matter. We're also expected to help our children learn the skills and knowledge they'll need as adults. (Catechism, 2221-2226, 2228-2230)

I thought they should get an overview of the size and workings of the universe. Even if they didn't become scientists, knowing basic science will help them be better citizens.

Love and Learning

The Catholic Church says:
Learning about this vast and ancient creation is optional, but valuable. (Catechism, 159, 282-289, 2293)

1. Science and Miracles

"The Science of Miracles: How the Vatican Decides If They're Real"
By Tia Ghose, LiveScience (July 9, 2013)

"When Pope John Paul II died eight years ago, supporters chanted 'Santo subito,' or 'Sainthood now!'

"It looks like his supporters will finally be getting their wish. The former pope's path to sainthood is almost complete, with the Vatican recently confirming that he performed two miracles. Now all that's left is the official canonization ceremony, which has not been scheduled yet. The process of certifying miracles in the Catholic Church goes back centuries and involves an investigation by scientific experts....

"...Though it may seem strange to outsiders, verifying that miracles have occurred can strengthen people's beliefs, said Michael O'Neill, who runs the website MiracleHunter.com...."
I believe in miracles. Being a Catholic, I have to. (Catechism, 547-549)

That's not the same as believing television advertisements for 'miraculous' glow-in-the dark Jesus junk.

Here's a quick look at what the Catholic Church says about (real) miracles:
"MIRACLE: A sign or wonder, such as a healing or the control of nature, which can only be attributed to divine power. The miracles of Jesus were messianic signs of the presence of God's kingdom (547)."
(Glossary, Catechism)
More about miracles:

"No Natural or Scientific Explanation"

"... In the Catholic religion, saints are people who are in heaven with God. Though many more people may be in heaven and technically saints, those deemed official saints of the church are ones that the Catholic church knows are in heaven. As such, people can pray to these saints, who sometimes intercede on their behalf with God.

"But determining who is in heaven is a tricky proposition. That's where miracles come in. According to the church, miracles, or divine events that have no natural or scientific explanation, serve as proof that the person is in heaven and can intercede with God to change the ordinary course of events...."
(Tia Ghose, LiveScience)
I think it's likely that we don't know everything about how the universe works. What doesn't have a "natural or scientific" explanation today may be a natural phenomenon that we understand: a thousand years from now.

The Catholic Church doesn't put off decisions about Saints until we have all the answers. I'm okay with that.

Medical Miracles

"...Nearly all, or '99.9 percent of these are medical miracles,' O'Neill said. 'They need to be spontaneous, instantaneous and complete healing. Doctors have to say, "We don't have any natural explanation of what happened," ' O'Neill said.

"A woman whose breast cancer was cured wouldn't qualify, for instance, if she was given a 10 percent chance of survival - she would need to be told there was no chance of survival before any divine intervention, said the Rev. Stephan Bevans, a theology professor at the Catholic Theological Union...."
(Tia Ghose, LiveScience)
These aren't 'medical miracles' like aspirin or neural interfaces. When terminal cancer disappears suddenly, completely, for no natural reason: that's a miracle.

"Recent:" by Catholic Standards

"... In 2010, former Pope Benedict XVI confirmed that John Paul II had posthumously healed a French nun suffering from Parkinson's disease. The church recently confirmed a second miracle, when a Costa Rican woman's brain injury spontaneously healed after praying to John Paul II.

"Miracles can be confirmed only if the healed person prayed solely to one person, such as John Paul II, during their ordeal. That way, there can be no mix-up when determining which person in heaven interceded on their behalf, O'Neill said.

"Recent tradition

"The process of using miracles to determine saints has a relatively short history in the Catholic Church. Prior to 1531, when a Spanish peasant reportedly saw an image of the Virgin Mary in the slopes surrounding Mexico City, miracles weren't required and saints were agreed upon mostly through tradition or martyrdom, O'Neill told LiveScience...."
(Tia Ghose, LiveScience)
I like being part of an outfit where a process that's more than four centuries old has a "relatively short history."

By the way, that "Spanish" peasant is Juan Diego, a Native American with a Spanish name. He's famous for being involved in the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Tepeyac Hill.

2. Quantum Physics: Waves, Particles, and Maybe More


(Robert Goddard at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Tallahassee, Florida, via Simons Foundations, used w/o permission)
"The strange properties of superconducting materials called 'cuprates' (bismuth strontium calcium copper oxide is shown in this microscopy image), which cannot be described by known quantum mechanical methods, may correspond to properties of black holes in higher dimensions....."
"Signs of a Stranger, Deeper Side to Nature's Building Blocks"
Natalie Wolchover, Simons Foundation (July 1, 2013)

"According to modern quantum theory, energy fields permeate the universe, and flurries of energy in these fields, called 'particles' when they are pointlike and 'waves' when they are diffuse, serve as the building blocks of matter and forces. But new findings suggest this wave-particle picture offers only a superficial view of nature's constituents.

"If each energy field pervading space is thought of as the surface of a pond, and waves and particles are the turbulence on that surface, then the new evidence strengthens the argument that a vibrant, hidden world lies beneath.

"For decades, the surface-level description of the subatomic world has been sufficient to make accurate calculations about most physical phenomena. But recently, a strange class of matter that defies description by known quantum mechanical methods has drawn physicists into the depths below.

" 'I've grown up as a physicist just living on that flatland, that 2-D space,' said Subir Sachdev, a physics professor at Harvard University who studies these strange forms of matter. Now, there is a whole new dimension to explore, he said, and 'you can think of the particles as just ending on that surface.'..."
It's nice when new data confirms that explanations we've found for natural phenomena are correct.

It's exciting when we find facts that don't fit established theories, particularly when it looks like we've found "a whole new dimension to explore."

"A New Way of Looking at Nature's Building Blocks"

"...Of all the strange forms of matter, cuprates - copper-containing metals that exhibit a property called high-temperature superconductivity - may be the strangest. In new research published online June 24 in the Journal of High Energy Physics, physicists at the University of California-Santa Barbara have explored the deeper phenomena that they claim are connected to the perplexing 'surface-level' behavior of cuprates. By focusing their calculations on that underlying environment, the researchers derived a formula for the conductivity of cuprates that was previously known only from experiments.

" 'The amazing thing is you start with this theory and out you get the conductivity of these strange superconductors,' said Sachdev, who was not involved with the work.

"The results bolster the evidence that this new way of looking at nature's building blocks is real and that it is 'strikingly literal,' said Jan Zaanen, a theoretical physicist at Leiden University in the Netherlands.

"What's more, the results could be seen as an unusual, indirect kind of evidence for string theory - a 40-year-old framework that weaves together quantum mechanics and gravity and is as mathematically elegant and profoundly explanatory as it is unproven.

"With looming questions about the nature of dark matter, the mysterious substance thought to constitute 84 percent of the mass in the universe, and the search for a 'theory of everything' that mathematically describes all of nature, researchers say the findings could have sweeping implications...."
(Natalie Wolchover, Simons Foundation)
Having an elegant set of equations is nice, at least for mathematicians. Discovering that the elegant math is 'real,' that it reflects how part of the universe works, is good news for scientists.

I'm impressed at what looks like another example of recursion. We see forms like circles, spheres, and spirals in a vast range of scales: from microscopic creatures and sunflower heads to whirlpools and galaxies.


(Brandon Weeks (August 7, 2004), via Wikimedia Commons)

Finally, "high temperature" superconductors aren't what I'd call warm. 'Ordinary' superconducting metals become superconductors at around 243 degrees below zero centigrade. The high temperature variety change at a comparatively high temperature of minus 135 centigrade, or 211 below zero Fahrenheit.

Even by Minnesota standards, that's cold.

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Friday, July 6, 2012

Heroes; Freedom; Doing Good and Avoiding Evil

I found two sorts of heroism in the news, and solid thoughts about freedom:
  1. We Still have Heroes
  2. True Freedom
  3. Pharisees, Herodians, and the American National Government
  4. Archbishop Sheen: Now the Venerable Fulton Sheen

1. We Still have Heroes

photo from WKYC / wkyc.com, used without permission
(from WKYC, used w/o permission)
"Akron: Heroic trucker sacrifices life in accident"
WKYC, Akron, Ohio (July 5, 2012)

"A trucker steered his out-of-control rig past people, cars, and business, only to die moments later.

"Chris Burgess, 41, lost the brakes on his 15-ton dump truck on Portage Trail, a steep hill in Akron. He careened through a busy intersection, and headed straight for a shopping center before swerving at the last moment into the Cuyahoga River.

" 'He definitely sacrificed his safety for the safety of everyon[e] else who was around here,' said Karla Maple, who was in the parking lot of the Valley Centre Plaza on Akron-Peninsual Road in the Merriman Valley....
I hope and pray that Chris Burgess, and everyone else who has died while saving others, 'rest in perpetual light,' as the old prayer goes.
"Réquiem ætérnam dona eis, Dómine,
et lux perpétua lúceat eis.
Requiéscant in pace. Amen."

("Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace. Amen.")
(Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church)
Did Chris Burgess go to a Catholic, or any other sort of, church? I don't know. All I know about him is what's in the WKYC article:
"...Margaret Paulin, who was working at White Swan Quality Cleaners, was directly in the path of the out-of-control dump truck, which was loaded with 15 tons of sand. She said it seemed to be going 100 miles per hour.

"Paulin looked out the front window of the business and saw Burgess make what seem[e]d like an impossible sharp left turn into the river, just before he would have plowed through the shopping center...."
(WKYC)
There's very good reason to believe that Chris Burgess, in the last moments of his life, showed a virtue that the Catholic Church calls fortitude:
"Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good. It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life. The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions. It disposes one even to renounce and sacrifice his life in defense of a just cause. 'The Lord is my strength and my song.'70 "In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."71"
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1808)
Being at the wheel of a dump truck when the brakes fail isn't a "persecution," of course, but it does offer opportunities to face fear: and make decisions.

I prefer to think that Chris Burgess decided the safety of others was more important than his own, and that avoiding the loss of more lives was a "just cause." WKYC spotlighted some of the folks who are alive today because of Mr. Burgess' decision:
"...Trista Merendino and her children, ages 6 years and 9 months, escaped with their lives only because Merendino happen[e]d to turn down her car radio at the very moment Burgess was laying on his truck horn.

" 'I had the green light and was about to pull into the intersection,' she told WKYC. 'And then I heard the horn and stopped just in time.'..."
(WKYC)

2. True Freedom

"Government cannot take away true freedom, Archbishop Chaput teaches"
Benjamin Mann, CNA/EWTN News (July 4, 2012)

"Government cannot give or take away the ultimate freedom found in obedience to God, Philadelphia Archbishop Charles J. Chaput said at the closing Mass of the U.S. bishops' 'Fortnight for Freedom.'

" 'True freedom knows no attachments other than Jesus Christ,' Archbishop Chaput said in his July 4 homily at Washington, D.C.'s National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

" 'True freedom can walk away from anything - wealth, honor, fame, pleasure … It fears neither the state, nor death itself.'...
I wrote about the freedom to act as if God matters for two weeks:
According to Archbishop Chaput, whether we're free or not depends on us. I agree:
"...'We're free only to the extent that we unburden ourselves of our own willfulness and practice the art of living according to God's plan,' Philadelphia's archbishop said. 'When we do this, when we choose to live according to God's intention for us, we are then - and only then - truly free.'

" 'This is the kind of freedom that can transform the world. And it should animate all of our talk about liberty - religious or otherwise.'..."
(Benjamin Mann, CNA/EWTN News)
Archbishop Chaput had quite a bit more to say:

3. Pharisees, Herodians, and the American National Government

"Thousands Attend Closing Mass of 'Fortnight for Freedom' at Washington Basilica"
Zenit.org (July 4, 2012)

"Thousands of people packed the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. for the closing Mass of the Fortnight for Freedom.

"Organized by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the Fortnight for Freedom was a period of prayer, study, catechesis and public action. The USCCB has openly protested a mandate within the Affordable Care Act that would require religious institutions to cover sterilization, contraception and abortifacient drugs.

"The archbishop of Philadelphia, Archbishop Charles Chaput, gave the homily, focusing on the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus tells the Pharisees and Herodians to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's....
Like I've said before, I'm a practicing Catholic, so I have to believe some things, like:
I also have to be a good citizen. (Catechism, 1915, 2239, 2239) But 'giving Caesar what belongs to Caesar' doesn't include believing that some local authority can redefine natural law.

I'm expected to do good and avoid evil: even if some leader says otherwise. (Catechism, 2242)

4. Archbishop Sheen: Now the Venerable Fulton Sheen

"Archbishop Sheen decree a 'great day' for US Catholics"
CNA/EWTN News (June 29, 2012)

"Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of Peoria says the declaration of Archbishop Fulton Sheen as 'venerable' is wonderful news for both the diocese and the Catholic Church in America.

"On June 28 the Pope Benedict XVI authorized the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the much loved U.S. archbishop, author and television evangelist. The move brings Sheen closer to sainthood.

" 'Fulton Sheen's zeal, wisdom, and holiness should help us build our faith,' Bishop Jenky said. He thanked God that the Catholic Church has recognized 'a son from central Illinois.'..."
I'm very glad to see this development. Archbishop Sheen's cause for sainthood started in 2002. Like the article said, the designation "venerable" means that Fulton Sheen's life demonstrated heroic virtues.

Nothing miraculous has been attributed to Fulton Sheen. Officially. Yet.

A Possible, Alleged, Miracle

"...If a recognized miracle is attributed to him, he can be beatified. Two recognized miracles mean he can be canonized as a saint.

"One possible alleged Fulton Sheen miracle is already under investigation.

"In December 2011 a tribunal of the Diocese of Peoria, Ill. concluded its investigation into a reputed miracle attributed to Archbishop Sheen’s intercession. It sent the results to the Vatican for consideration.

"Bonnie Engstrom and her husband Travis prayed to Archbishop Sheen in September 2010 after she delivered an apparently stillborn son at home in Goodfield, Ill.

"The baby, named James Fulton after the archbishop, was rushed to the hospital but had no pulse for 61 minutes after his birth. Following their prayers his heart started beating and he escaped serious medical problems....
(CNA/EWTN News)
A stillborn baby, with no pulse for 61 minutes: who has no serious medical problems after his heart goes back online? That sounds like a miracle: which is why the evidence will be thoroughly examined. Miracles happen, but it takes more than someone saying 'it's a miracle' for the Church to give official recognition.

'A Special Road'

"...Dr. Andrea Ambrosi, the postulator leading Archbishop Sheen's cause for canonization, did not speak about the possible miracle. However, he said the canonization cause is 'taking a special road' and moving 'quite quickly.'

" 'This is due to the importance of this cause for Fulton Sheen's sainthood to the American Church and all the faithful,' he said June 28. 'We hope to go on with continued momentum.' "
(CNA/EWTN News)
I think America's current ethical lapses, and Fulton Sheen's cultural importance in this country, are probably factors in Sheen's cause for sainthood being no a 'fast track.' But I'm also sure that the Church's investigators will use 'due process,' and that if there's a non-miraculous explanation for an infant's apparent death being undone: they'll report that, and move on.

Frustrating as it can be, I vastly prefer the Church's insistence on evidence and formal process to more 'if it feels right, it probably is' approaches.

Right now, we have an American whose "heroic virtues" have been verified: and declared by the Pope. That's something to be glad about: America needs heroes.

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Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

Background:Posts in this blog: In the news:

What's That Doing in a Nice Catholic Blog?

From time to time, a service that I use will display links to - odd - services and retailers.

I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.

For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.

Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.

Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.