Showing posts with label virtue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label virtue. Show all posts

Sunday, February 16, 2014

Sex is not a Four-Letter Word

Persons who feel that gloominess is next to Godliness are advised to stop reading NOW.

For the benefit of others, who can't seem to get the day started without a little gloom, I present these excerpts from oldies but goodies:


(From John Tenniel (1858), via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
"...Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow:—vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Nameless here for evermore...."
From "The Raven," Edgar Allan Poe
(Via Project Gutenberg)
"...Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity...."
From "The Second Coming," William Butler Yeats
(Via Poem of the Week)

Sexuality and Being Human

Sexuality is part of being human. It's designed into us, and essentially good. But like anything else involving human beings, we can either misuse it: or understand God's gift and recognize that "sexuality is a source of joy and pleasure." (Genesis 1:27; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2362)

Some folks may feel that God made a horrible mistake by making us male and female, and wish that sex would go away. Others don't seem to realize that we're rational creatures, able to use our bodies: not be ruled by them.

What the Church says about human sexuality isn't in line with today's intellectual fashions: but it's nowhere near either of those crazy extremes, either. (Catechism, 2331-2391)

Virtue, Malignant and Otherwise

I've run into individuals, Catholic and otherwise, who seem convinced that virtue means being against a laundry list of actions or opinions.

True, some actions are wrong no matter what. But mostly the Church tells us what we're supposed to be for, like social justice. (Catechism, 1928-1942)

There's a reason for that. Jesus said that the law was, essentially: 'Love God, love your neighbor.' I'm also supposed to love myself. (Matthew 22:36-40)

Focusing on a few "thou shalt nots" is a good way to get attention, and can pass for righteousness-lite. I suspect that's partly why I heard so much malignant virtue from radio preachers in my youth: and that's another topic. (December 9, 2010; June 27, 2012)

I'd rather be known for what I support, than what I'm against: Goethe's "Spirit that Denies" isn't a good role model, and that's yet another topic.
"I am the Spirit that Denies!
And justly so: for all things, from the Void
Called forth, deserve to be destroyed:
'Twere better, then, were naught created...."
Mephistopheles, from Goethe's "Faust," translated by Bayard Taylor
(Via Project Gutenberg)

Love and Driving Drunk

Loving myself doesn't mean doing whatever I like. Pleasure is okay, and being happy is not a sin. But I should think about long-term consequences. (Ecclesiastes 2:24-25; Catechism, 33, 1718, 1765)

The "friends don't let friends drive drunk" slogan has become a bit of a cliche, but it's still good advice. Love isn't approval: or turning a blind eye to self-destructive actions.

Loving my children doesn't mean giving them whatever they want, or letting them do as they like. I must respect them, show them what they must learn, and how they can make their own decisions. (Catechism, 2201-2203, 2221-2231)

I figure that kids are more likely to take rational self-denial seriously if they also experience respect and forgiveness: and those are still more topics.

Related posts:
Gloom is an option, of course: but I don't recommend it.


(Detail of an engraving by Gustave Doré; an illustration for "The Divine Comedy, 'Inferno,' " Dante Alighieri. Caption: Canto I., lines 1, 2.; Trans. Henry Francis Cary. Used w/o permission.)
"In the midway of this our mortal life, I found me in a gloomy wood, astray."
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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.

Related posts:
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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Eden - and - Adam and Eve Weren't German?!

Eden must have been a really nice place. (Genesis 2:8-9)

The visible creation is still a really nice place, for that matter. I think we can, if we look, see a sort of echo of how it's supposed to work. Bear in mind, though, that I'm some guy with a blog. I don't speak for the Church.

I've been reading about "Man in Paradise," Catechism of the Catholic Church, 374-379. ("Man?!" I've been over that before. (April 10, 2012) As I've said before, posts like this are a way for me to make sure I study what the Catholic Church has to say. You're welcome to come along for the ride.

Harmony, Mastery, and Loss

What made Eden special wasn't a good climate. Humanity lived in friendship with God. (Catechism, 374) There was a three-fold harmony, too.
"The Church, interpreting the symbolism of biblical language in an authentic way, in the light of the New Testament and Tradition, teaches that our first parents, Adam and Eve, were constituted in an original 'state of holiness and justice.'250 This grace of original holiness was 'to share in . . . divine life.'251"
(Catechism, 375)
There's more, about a state called "original justice," a life without suffering or death. This involved a sort of three-fold harmony:
  • Inner harmony of the human person
  • Harmony between man and woman
  • Harmony between the first couple and all creation
    (Catechism, 376)
We still have a large measure of the "mastery" over the world that was designed into us. What we lost was inner mastery:
"The 'mastery' over the world that God offered man from the beginning was realized above all within man himself: mastery of self. The first man was unimpaired and ordered in his whole being because he was free from the triple concupiscence254 that subjugates him to the pleasures of the senses, covetousness for earthly goods, and self-assertion, contrary to the dictates of reason."
(Catechism, 377)
I'm going to break out that bit about concupiscence:
  • Pleasures of the senses
    • Contrary to the dictates of reason
  • Covetousness for earthly goods
    • Contrary to the dictates of reason
  • Self-assertion
    • Contrary to the dictates of reason
I think the message here isn't that our senses are bad, or that earthly goods are evil, or that having opinions is wrong. Again, I've got the authority of some guy with a blog.

It seems to me that:

Concupiscence: 'I Want It Anyway'

What I see in Catechism, 377, is that concupiscence is a tendency to let things of this world override reason. It's the sort of 'I know it's wrong, but I want it anyway' urge that's all too familiar to me.

Although "concupiscence" is often associated with sex, there's more to it. A person can want quite a few things 'contrary to reason,' that have little or nothing to do with sex. Freud notwithstanding, I can imagine someone obsessing over getting some special sort of cigar - just because he or she likes cigars to a degree that's "contrary to the dictates of reason."

I put more about concupiscence, Catholic style, at the end of this post.1

Eden, and Looking Ahead

If that harmony and "original justice" doesn't sound much like the world we live in: you're right:
"This entire harmony of original justice, foreseen for man in God's plan, will be lost by the sin of our first parents."
(Catechism, 379)
Now that's a cliffhanger, if I ever saw one.

Adam and Eve Weren't German?!

I'm a practicing Catholic, so I believe that Adam and Eve existed.

That's not the same as thinking that Adam and Eve looked like the schöne Deutsche paar Albrecht Dürer painted five centuries back.

I posted about Adam, Eve, and getting a grip, yesterday:

The Bible and Me

I also take the Bible very seriously: and realize that it wasn't written by an American. I've been over that sort of thing before:
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) have a pretty good overview for folks wanting to read and study the Bible:
    "Understanding the Bible"
    Mary Elizabeth Sperry, Associate Director for Utilization of the New American Bible, USCCB
If that doesn't sound very "Biblical," bear in mind that Catholics aren't Calvinists, and that's another topic.

Related posts:
1 More about concupiscence:
"CONCUPISCENCE: Human appetites or desires which remain disordered due to the temporal consequences of original sin, which remain even after Baptism, and which produce an inclination to sin (1264, 1426, 2515)."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, Glossary

"Yet certain temporal consequences of sin remain in the baptized, such as suffering, illness, death, and such frailties inherent in life as weaknesses of character, and so on, as well as an inclination to sin that Tradition calls concupiscence, or metaphorically, 'the tinder for sin' (fomes peccati); since concupiscence 'is left for us to wrestle with, it cannot harm those who do not consent but manfully resist it by the grace of Jesus Christ.'67 Indeed, 'an athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.'68"
(Catechism, 1264)

"Conversion to Christ, the new birth of Baptism, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the Body and Blood of Christ received as food have made us 'holy and without blemish,' just as the Church herself, the Bride of Christ, is 'holy and without blemish.'13 Nevertheless the new life received in Christian initiation has not abolished the frailty and weakness of human nature, nor the inclination to sin that tradition calls concupiscence, which remains in the baptized such that with the help of the grace of Christ they may prove themselves in the struggle of Christian life.14 This is the struggle of conversion directed toward holiness and eternal life to which the Lord never ceases to call us.15"
(Catechism, 1426)

"Etymologically, 'concupiscence' can refer to any intense form of human desire. Christian theology has given it a particular meaning: the movement of the sensitive appetite contrary to the operation of the human reason. The apostle St. Paul identifies it with the rebellion of the 'flesh' against the 'spirit.'302 Concupiscence stems from the disobedience of the first sin. It unsettles man's moral faculties and, without being in itself an offense, inclines man to commit sins.303"
(Catechism, 2515)
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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Honoring the Body, Within Reason

For most of my life, I've had trouble dealing with gluttony: which is in the list of seven capital sins. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1866) Gluttony involves intense human desires, where the way my body works makes it easy for me to act unreasonably.

One way to deal with gluttony is to decide that the body is bad, and try to be purely 'spiritual.' This is a bad idea. (Catechism, 2515-2516) And I'm getting ahead of myself.

Living in a Material World

The part of the Catechism I'm reading now is about man (humanity), what and who we are. Along the way I've written about American culture and language, a movie, and a unity that we don't quite have yet:
Here's how this part of the Catechism starts. Today's post picks up several paragraphs after #355.
" 'God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them.'218 Man occupies a unique place in creation: (I) he is "in the image of God"; (II) in his own nature he unites the spiritual and material worlds; (III) he is created "male and female"; (IV) God established him in his friendship."
(Catechism, 355)
Backing up a bit more, I'm a practicing Catholic, so I have to believe that God created everything: and that what God created is good. (Genesis 1:1-31; Catechism, 337-338) Which isn't the same as believing Bishop Ussher, or hating science: and I've been over that before. (March 14, 2012, January 18, 2012)

The bottom line is that God made the material world, and God doesn't make junk.

Matter and Spirit: One Nature

I'm not nice soul, stuck in a nasty body that's dragging me into sin. I'm a human being, and the specs for this sort of creature say that a human being is a body and soul. Not a soul trapped in a body.
"The human person, created in the image of God, is a being at once corporeal and spiritual. The biblical account expresses this reality in symbolic LANGUAGE when it affirms that 'then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.'229 Man, whole and entire, is therefore willed by God."
(Catechism, 362)
There's more about body and soul, with emphasis on "and." (Catechism, 362-368) One of the important points is that man isn't two natures, body and spirit, welded together. We're body and spirit, united to form a single nature. (Catechism, 365)

Turns out that, as a practicing Catholic, I'm not allowed to despise my body:
"The human body shares in the dignity of the image of God: it is a human body precisely because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and it is the whole human person that is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit:232
Man, though made of body and soul, is a unity. Through his very bodily condition he sums up in himself the elements of the material world. Through him they are thus brought to their highest perfection and can raise their voice in praise freely given to the Creator. For this reason man may not despise his bodily life. Rather he is obliged to regard his body as good and to hold it in honor since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day.233"
(Catechism, 364)
I'm not supposed to worship my body, either, and that's another topic. (April 15, 2012)

Living in a Good World

Deciding that the world, the physical universe, is "good" wasn't hard for me. For starters, I've been fascinated by the world as far back as I can remember.

I also wasn't dismayed at the idea that the universe seems hostile or indifferent. I grew up in an region where water is a mineral for a significant fraction of the year. I figured that if I didn't have the sense to keep from freezing to death, blaming winter wouldn't help: and blaming God would be daft. Maybe that's why this is one of my favorite bits of poetry:
"A man said to the universe:
'Sir, I exist!'
'However,' replied the universe,
'The fact has not created in me
'A sense of obligation.' "
("War is Kind," Stephen Crane (1899), via Project Gutenberg)
I've run into folks who seem to think that God shouldn't exist, because there are places in the universe where we need to use our brains to survive. I don't see it that way: but like I said, I grew up in a place where winter happened.

The point I'm groping for is that I like God's creation: even the parts that could kill me if I'm not sensible. There are some Church teachings that I've had to struggle with. Believing that the world was created by God, and is basically good, isn't one of them

Sin and Virtue

In a way, it might be easier for me to deal with gluttony, if I could convince myself that 'spiritual' was good and 'physical' was bad. I could, in principle, develop an antipathy toward food and every other physical pleasure.

But I'm not going to spend the rest of my life eating barely enough to stay alive. And I'm not going to fume about the evils of steak and potatoes. Not that I'd be tempted to do that. I enjoy being a matter/spirit creature too much.

Another option I have would be to brood about the capital sins. (Catechism, 1866) And venial sins, and every other sort of sin. I could obsess about avoiding sin, and fume about how sinful other folks were: and that doesn't seem like a good idea. At all.

I think a better approach is to focus on virtues. Like the cardinal virtues:
  • Prudence
    • "Disposes practical reason to discern our true good"
    (Catechism, 1806)
  • Justice
    • "The constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor"
    (Catechism, 1807)
  • Fortitude
    • "Ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good"
    (Catechism, 1808)
  • Temperance
    • "Moderates the attraction of pleasures and provides balance in the use of created goods"
    (Catechism, 1809)
Note: "Temperance," Catholic style, is about moderation, balance, and avoiding excess. (Catechism, 2290) Carry Nation, with her Bible and hatchet, are an American phenomenon. I've been over that before, too. (October 5, 2011)

Applying what I've read, it looks like I'm obliged to see my body as good, "and to hold it in honor since God has created it and will raise it up on the last day." (Catechism, 364) That's going to take quite a lot of work. Decades of overeating and under-exercising have effects that won't be undone quickly or easily. By the way, gluttony isn't the only sin I've had trouble with. And that's another topic. Topics.

Related posts:
1 A list of major points, from Catechism, 362-368. Like I've said before, I've got the teaching authority of "some guy with a blog." I recommend following those links and reading the Catechism yourself.

One reason I make these lists is that it helps me study the material:
  • The human person is
    • Created in the image of God
    • Both corporeal/material and spiritual
      • A unified whole
    • And that's the way God designed us
    (Catechism, 362)
  • In Sacred Scripture "soul" means
    • human life
    • The entire human person
    • The innermost aspect of man
      • That which is of greatest value
      • By which man is most especially in God's image
    • The spiritual principle in man
    • Sometimes the soul is distinguished from the spirit
      (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
      • The Church teaches that this distinction does not introduce a duality into the soul
      • "Spirit" signifies that
        • From creation man is ordered to a supernatural end
        • His soul can gratuitously be raised
          • Beyond all it deserves
          • To communion with God
    • The spiritual tradition of the Church also emphasizes the heart
      • In the biblical sense of
        • The depths of one's being
        • Where the person decides for or against God
    (Catechism, 363, 367, 368)
  • The human body is
    • Part of "the image of God"
    • A human body because it is animated by a spiritual soul
    • Intended to become a temple of the Spirit
      • As part of the whole human person
      • In the body of Christ
      (Catechism, 364)
  • Man is a unity
    • Body and soul
    • Man's "bodily condition" sums up the elements of the material world
    • Through man, the material world may freely praise its Creator
      • Therefore, man
        • May not despise his bodily life
          • Since God
            • Has created it
            • Will raise it up on the last day
        • Is obliged to
          • Regard his body as good
          • Hold it in honor
    (Catechism, 364)
  • The unity of soul and body is very profound
    • "One has to consider the soul to be the 'form' of the body"
    • A human body
      • Is material
      • Is a living human being because of its spiritual soul
    • A human being is
      • Not two natures united
      • A single nature
        • Formed from the union of two natures
    (Catechism, 365)
  • Every spiritual soul is
    • Created immediately/directly by God
      • Not "produced" by the parents
    • Immortal
      • Separated from the body at death
      • Reunited with the body at the final Resurrection
    (Catechism, 366)
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Sunday, April 15, 2012

Martial Arts and the Battle for Purity

Today is the second Sunday of Easter. It's also Divine Mercy Sunday. I re-posted something the local deacon wrote about that, earlier this week:
Devotion to the Divine Mercy is one of those things that 'looks Catholic.'

Looking "Catholic"

Detail from Franciscan University's TOR community for 2007-08. © Photographs by Franciscan University Public Relations, Kevin Cooke (Graule Studios), Don Tracy, Alexander Johnnides, Emily Fogarty, Katherine Thomas, Sean Garrison, & Eileen Marrow. Used w/o permission.Photos of photos of Saint Faustina Kowalska, a European nun, the ones I've seen, show her 'in uniform.' She was a European nun, in the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. Her order's habit wasn't the same as what Franciscan monks wear: but it's got the same general 'look.'

These days, wearing a plain robe with a rope for a belt says "Catholic," a point used by television and movie directors now and then.

But in a way, there's nothing particularly "Catholic" about that sort of clothing. Quite a few religious orders got started in Europe, when the sort of clothing you see in "Very Rich Hours of the Duke of Berry" was more-or-less contemporary.

I think the name of that high-end calendar sounds classier in French, and that's another topic.


(Limbourg brothers/Jean Colombe's July, via Wikipedia, used w/o permission)
Detail from "Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry," 1412-1416, Europe.

Simple, Modest, and Five Centuries Out of Date

The Catholic Church has guidelines about what folks in religious orders should wear, including this:
"...The religious habit, an outward mark of consecration to God, should be simple and modest, poor and at the same becoming. In addition it must meet the requirements of health...."
(17, "Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life - Perfectae Caritatis," Pope Paul VI (October 28, 1965))
My understanding is that, five centuries back or so, a loose robe of the sort monks and nuns wear today was "simple and modest:"1 and wasn't all that different from what folks in the contemporary equivalent of blue-collar jobs wore.

What my forebears in Europe wore back then looks comfortable, and I'd consider wearing the same thing myself. But I won't. My reasons include:
  • Cultural norms
  • Safety
I'd stick out when I went shopping or strolled around the neighborhood if I wore a loose tunic. Besides, the relatively form-fitting clothes I get from rummage sales or Walmart are much more practical in today's post-Industrial era. Anyone who's gotten something caught in machinery knows why. And that's another topic.

Some Guy in Minnesota's Musing

My guess is that if someone founding a religious order today took the same approach as the first Franciscans or Benedictines, the new order's habit would be off-the-shelf sneakers, jeans, and work shirts from Kmart, Costco, or some other discount store.

I think that's not likely to happen, because Western civilization has changed quite a bit in the last half-millennia, and folks have different notions about what 'religious' people should wear.

A half-millennia from now, more change will have happened. For all I know, there'll be some order wearing an anachronistic outfit that looks a lot like a flannel shirt, jeans, and flip-flops. And that's still another topic. Topics.

I don't, by the way, think that the Franciscans, secular or otherwise, should chuck eight centuries of tradition and start wearing dungarees. If they started doing that, they'd just have to change their uniform again when the year 2812 rolled around. And that's yet another topic.

Martial Arts and Me

I spent Friday evening at a Soo Bahk Do test. I stopped learning that martial art when physical limitations caught up to me. My wife and #3 daughter are testing for the Soo Bahk Do equivalent of a black belt. I went along as a driver and photographer.


Soo Bahk Do Test, St. Paul. April 13, 2012.

I don't see a problem with being a practicing Catholic and learning Soo Bahk Do. Until physical limitations any a streak of perfectionism caught up with me, I was learning that martial art, too. I still have the 'pajamas:' the dobok I wore.

Clothing and Perceptions

Unlike everyday clothing of Europe's late Middle Ages, the Soo Bahk Do dobok doesn't look "Catholic."

My guess is that some Americans see martial arts and being Catholic mixing about as well as mongoose and cobra. Or tiger and crane, and that's yet again another topic.

Bingo, Beer, and Soo Bahk Do

If you came to the Stearns Country Fair, you might hear me calling calling numbers at the Knights of Columbus Bingo booth. It's been decades since I played Bingo, but not because I think it's immoral.

It's also been decades since I limited my alcohol intake to what happens at Mass, and a glass of wine or bottle of beer on rare occasions. I don't think drinking is immoral. I do, however, know that I've had a drinking problem: and re-ordered my life accordingly.

I stopped practicing Soo Bahk Do mostly because of my hips. (February 3, 2009) Until I can figure out a way to make my re-engineered hips, wrists, and hands do what's required in Soo Bahk Do; I won't be wearing a dobok.

Ethics, Rules, and the Catholic Church

The Catholic Church isn't 'lax,' or 'permissive.' If my personality and background were different, I could have a beer much more often than I do. But as a practicing Catholic, I'm not allowed to get drunk, blow the family's savings on a gambling spree, or indulge in any other sort of excess:
"The virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine. Those incur grave guilt who, by drunkenness or a love of speed, endanger their own and others' safety on the road, at sea, or in the air."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2290)
"Games of chance (card games, etc.) or wagers are not in themselves contrary to justice. They become morally unacceptable when they deprive someone of what is necessary to provide for his needs and those of others. The passion for gambling risks becoming an enslavement. Unfair wagers and cheating at games constitute grave matter, unless the damage inflicted is so slight that the one who suffers it cannot reasonably consider it significant."
(Catechism, 2413)
If my wife and #3 daughter allowed their interest in Soo Bahk Do to become idolatry, that would be a problem. So would my trying to find a way to pick up where I left off in that martial art, if I made an idol of that effort.

Idolatry, "divinizing what is not God," is against the rules. (Catechism, 2112-2114) There's the obvious sort of idolatry involving formal worship, but folks commit idolatry whenever we honor and revere something other than God, like:
  • Power
  • Pleasure
  • Race
  • Ancestors
  • The state
  • Money
    (Catechism, 2113)
Maintaining a 'perfect' figure, or excelling at sports could be idolatry: and a very bad idea. (Catechism, 2289)

Discipline and the Battle for Purity

Soo Bahk Do isn't a sport, by the way. It's a martial art that's about mental and physical discipline. I see that discipline as a connection between Soo Bahk Do and my Catholic faith.

But I do not think that every Catholic should take up Soo Bahk Do, or any other martial art. Any more than I think we should all play Bingo. Or not play Bingo.

But discipline? That's very much a part of being Catholic. Or should be.

We're supposed to:
  • Discipline our feelings and imagination
    (Catechism, 2520)
  • Practice moderation and discipline in our approach to mass media
    (Catechism, 2496)
  • Teach our children with discipline
    (Sirach 30:1-2 and Ephesians 6:4; Catechism, 2223)
    • Which is not the same as beating the kids
  • Follow the disciplines of chastity
    (Catechism, 2349)
    • Chastity isn't what you may think
      (Catechism, 2348-2350)
      • That's several more topics
Then there's the "battle for purity." (Catechism, 2520-2527) I'm about as sure as I can be about anything, that I won't win the "struggle against concupiscence of the flesh and disordered desires" without discipline; and God's grace. (Catechism, 2520)

And that's - what else? - even more topics.

Somewhat-related posts:
1 The Church has rules about clothing, but it's not "thou shalt wear clothing appropriate to middle-class Americans during the Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, or Dwight D. Eisenhower administrations." Part of the idea is to maintain modesty, but the guidelines recognize that "...forms taken by modesty vary from one culture to another...." (Catechism, 2521-2524)
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Sunday, February 5, 2012

'Love Thy Neighbor:' Putting Faith Into Practice

I think - and hope - that many Americans have heard that "love your neighbor as yourself" thing. It's half of the 'love God, love your neighbor' commandment that Jesus identified as the most important. (Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31)

That's not just about 'next-door neighbors:' We're supposed to see everybody as our neighbor. (Matthew 5:43-44; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 10:25-30; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1825)

Practical Love

Thinking nice thoughts about our neighbors is - nice. But we're supposed to have a practical sort of love. Among other things, we've got a mandate to make society better. (Catechism, 1928-1942) And I've been over that before. (September 13, 2011)

In the long term, I think folks living in the Sahel will be as ready to deal with natural disasters as Texans.1 But learning new ways of running their cultures will, in my opinion, take generations.

In the short term, folks living in the Sahel and elsewhere desperately need food and other supplies. That sort of problem can be dealt with swiftly, but somebody needs to make resources available. Preferably, a lot of 'somebodies.' Which is why I'm putting links to CRS (Catholic Relief Services) in this post.

Charity is important:
"Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1822)
I've been over that before. (November 25, 2011)

Like I've said before, believing in God is good. So is acting as if God matters:
  • Work as in "faith and works"
    • It's important
      (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1368)
  • "Productive" work that's closer to the 'work ethic'
    • It's important, too
    • So is getting paid
    • Or showing a profit, after paying your employees and suppliers
      (Catechism, 2426-2429)
      • Which can lead to conflict
        (Catechism, 2430-2436)
        • [But 'nobody said this was going to be easy.']
  • Not Working(First posted August 1, 2011)
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Monday, January 30, 2012

Charity in Truth: Freedom, Responsibility, and God

More posts about "Caritas in Veritate" (Charity in Truth)
"Caritas in Veritate"
I think most of us like 'freedom,' when it means that we can do pretty much whatever we like. Add 'responsibility,' and it's a little harder to work up enthusiasm.

Here's how today's chunk of "Caritas in Veritate" starts:
"A vocation is a call that requires a free and responsible answer. Integral human development presupposes the responsible freedom of the individual and of peoples: no structure can guarantee this development over and above human responsibility...."
(Caritas in Veritate, 17)
I think the idea of individual responsibility has been coming back into vogue. The notion that folks should 'do their own thing,' and 'look out for number one,' was attractive. Particularly after the conformist '50s. I've mentioned "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" (1956) before. (May 14, 2011)

Following individual whims turned out to be an idea that looked good on paper, but not so much in practice. My opinion.

"Conscience" isn't About Being Inhibited

Admittedly, for some folks "having a conscience" means being perpetually afraid of saying the wrong thing, wearing the wrong clothes, or thinking 'wicked' thoughts. What we say, wear, and think does matter: but living with anxiety isn't a virtue. The Catechism has a pretty good introduction to a reasonable approach to developing a conscience. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1776-1802) I think this gives the basics:
"Some rules apply in every case:
  • "One may never do evil so that good may result from it;
  • "the Golden Rule: 'Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.'56
  • "charity always proceeds by way of respect for one's neighbor and his conscience: 'Thus sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience . . . you sin against Christ.57 Therefore 'it is right not to . . . do anything that makes your brother stumble.'58"
(Catechism, 1789)

Vocations: For Everybody

For many Catholics living in America, a "vocation" is something a priest has. That's true enough, but there's more to it than that. Everybody has a vocation:
"VOCATION: The calling or destiny we have in this life and hereafter. God has created the human person to love and serve him; the fulfillment of this vocation is eternal happiness (1, 358, 1700). Christ calls the faithful to the perfection of holiness (825). The vocation of the laity consists in seeking the Kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them according to God's will (898). Priestly and religious vocations are dedicated to the service of the Church as the universal sacrament of salvation (cf. 873; 931).
(Catechism, Glossary)
I've been over this before. (December 11, 2011)

"Shared Responsibility"

I spent my teens in the '60s. I've said this before: the social and cultural changes weren't all about being irresponsible. Folks around my age were, many of us, genuinely concerned about problems like poverty. Proposed solutions weren't always sensible, and I'll get back to that.

I think we'll have folks who are below the 50th percentile in terms of wealth until Judgment Day:
"The poor you will always have with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them, but you will not always have me."
(Mark 14:7)
Pretty much the same thing is in Matthew 26:11 and John 12:8, without the "whenever you wish" part. I think it's fairly obvious that, although we can't expect to do away with poverty entirely: we're expected to help folks who need it.
"...This is why 'the peoples in hunger are making a dramatic appeal to the peoples blessed with abundance'[40]. This too is a vocation, a call addressed by free subjects to other free subjects in favour of an assumption of shared responsibility...."
(Caritas in Veritate, 17)
"Shared responsibility" may sound like the idea that we're supposed to help the poor by taking resources from folks who have more than we do, and giving them to folks who have less. I think that's missing the point.

I also think that the failure of Caritas in Veritate - and Catholic teaching in general - to conform to either the contemporary liberal or conservative mindsets puzzles quite a few folks:

Freedom and Truth

"Besides requiring freedom, integral human development as a vocation also demands respect for its truth. The vocation to progress drives us to 'do more, know more and have more in order to be more'[41]. But herein lies the problem: what does it mean 'to be more'? Paul VI answers the question by indicating the essential quality of 'authentic' development: it must be 'integral, that is, it has to promote the good of every man and of the whole man'[42]...."
(Caritas in Veritate, 18)
This "to promote the good of every man and of the whole man" sounds a little like efforts to make a 'perfect' society: where everybody would be equal, class distinctions wouldn't exist, and all that. The 20th century saw several efforts like that: of which North Korea is one of the few remaining.

Back to Caritas in Veritate:
"...The truth of development consists in its completeness: if it does not involve the whole man and every man, it is not true development. This is the central message of Populorum Progressio, valid for today and for all time. ... The Christian vocation to this development therefore applies to both the natural plane and the supernatural plane; which is why, 'when God is eclipsed, our ability to recognize the natural order, purpose and the 'good' begins to wane'[50]."
(Caritas in Veritate, 18)
I think 20th-century efforts to create a 'perfect' society failed because they ignored two important points:
  • God matters
  • Human beings act like human beings
Human beings are individuals. We're supposed to help each other: but I don't think it's reasonable to pretend that our primary identity is that of a group. As for pretending that God doesn't matter, or doesn't exist? I think that's been considered a 'sophisticated' or 'intelligent' attitude in some circles: but I think the notion's silly.

Moving on.

Massive Social Programs?

I suspect that quite a few folks in America assume that 'helping the poor' means creating yet one more government agency to manage a tax-funded program. That's probably not the best approach to the reality of poverty. Or, I think, much of anything else.

Here's something from 1991:
"...In fact, where self-interest is violently suppressed, it is replaced by a burdensome system of bureaucratic control which dries up the wellsprings of initiative and creativity. When people think they possess the secret of a perfect social organization which makes evil impossible, they also think that they can use any means, including violence and deceit, in order to bring that organization into being. Politics then becomes a 'secular religion' which operates under the illusion of creating paradise in this world...."
(Centesimus annus)
No wonder some folks think the Catholic Church is run by crazy people. The Church says that we should:
  • Help the poor
    • And so must be "liberal"
  • Not do abortions
    • And so must be "conservative"
I can see how, assuming that contemporary "conservationism" and "liberalism" were the only possible philosophies, the Church would look like a mass of contradictions. It's not, and I've been over that before. (November 3, 2008)

Finally, an excerpt from something quoted in Caritas in Veritate:
"...When God is eclipsed, our ability to recognize the natural order, purpose, and the 'good' begins to wane. What was ostensibly promoted as human ingenuity soon manifests itself as folly, greed and selfish exploitation. And so we have become more and more aware of our need for humility before the delicate complexity of God's world...."
("Address of His Holiness Benedict XVI," 23rd World Youth Day, Benedict XVI (July 17, 2008))
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Friday, November 25, 2011

My Take on the News: Charity is a Virtue

It's Thanksgiving weekend here in America, a time for visiting relatives. And, traditionally, to be thankful for an adequate harvest. I could have picked something in the news about turkeys or travel, or tradition, but thought this was a better choice:
  1. Charity: It's the Right Thing to Do

Charity? Yes, It's Important

"Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1822)
There's quite a bit more to say about charity: Catechism 1823-1829, for starters. Theological virtues "relate directly to God," and there's more about that, too. (Catechism, 1812-1813)

I suppose someone could get crazy about practicing charity. There's the joke about the overly-enthusiastic philanthropist: you could tell who he was helping, by the hunted look in their eyes.

But I don't think most of us have to worry about carrying 'charity' to crazy extremes.

One more thing about charity: of the three theological virtues (faith, hope, and charity), charity is the greatest. That's not just my opinion. Check it out: 1 Corinthians 13:1-4, 13; Catechism, 1826.

1. Charity: It's the Right Thing to Do

On average, Americans are better off than folks living in places like Somalia or Bangladesh. But the average American's $47,200 purchasing power in 2010 is just that: an average. Some folks could buy more stuff: some, not so much.

My household is on the low side of that number, by the way: but I'd still rather live in America, than elsewhere.

The point is that quite a few Americans can afford to help others, some Americans could use help, and so could folks around the world:
"As holidays approach, Catholic aid agencies encourage generosity"
Kevin J. Jones, CNA/EWTN News (November 21, 2011)

"Officials with Catholic charities and relief agencies have asked people to remember both the needs of the poor at home and those facing humanitarian disasters overseas.

"Generosity is 'so central to our faith,' said Tom Price, the senior communications manager with Catholic Relief Services. 'It is the reason for the existence of any Christian charity.'

"He cited Pope Benedict XVI's words in his 2005 encyclical 'Deus Caritas Est.' There, the Pope said that for the Catholic Church, charity is not 'a kind of welfare activity' that could be left to others. Rather, charity is 'a part of her nature, an indispensable expression of her very being.'

"Candy Hill, Catholic Charities USA senior vice president of social policy and government relations, also noted the importance of giving.

" 'Our Catholic values, teachings, and traditions are the foundation for the work we do at CCUSA. The ultimate rationale for our services is our belief in the sanctity of the human person and the dignity of human life.'

"Price, whose agency is dedicated to international relief work, told CNA that the ongoing drought and famine in East Africa is an 'urgent situation' and those affected in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia are in need of prayers.

"Hill, whose organization focuses on domestic aid, said that more than 46 million Americans live in poverty...."
Most years, I've been on the giving end of charity: which I think is a blessing. Some years, I've been on the receiving end of charity: which I think is also a blessing.

I'd better explain that last sentence. I've gotten help from folks who didn't have to lend a hand: I'm grateful for their help. I'm also glad to have been in need, so someone else could practice charity.

On the whole, though, I'd rather be on the 'giving,' than the 'receiving' end: and that's getting into more topics.

No Pressure, Just a Suggestion

No pressure, but if you're in a position to do so: it wouldn't hurt to think about helping others. The outfits mentioned in that CNA/EWTN News article are online:
Again, no pressure.

'... the Hunted Look in Their Eyes'

"Charity" is a virtue. That doesn't mean it's necessarily fashionable.

There's an uncomfortable reality behind jokes like "...you could tell who he was helping, by the hunted look in their eyes." I think that some 'charity' is misguided. But - and this is a very important point - charity is still a good idea. We just need to be sane about it:
"...In recent years, charity has often been perceived negatively. Those who undertake charitable activities are seen as well-meaning 'do-gooders' who actually foster dependency. Those who receive charity are treated in a demeaning manner. Even the word 'charity' has been transformed by some into a derogatory term. We reject this characterization. In fact, Pope John Paul II cautioned us against a rejection of charity because of a 'distorted' notion of justice: 'The experience of the past and of our own time demonstrates that justice alone is not enough . . . if that deeper power, which is love, is not allowed to shape human life in its various dimensions.'..."
("In All Things Charity: A Pastoral Challenge for the New Millennium," Catholic Campaign for Human Development, USCCB)
Here's a longer quote from what Pope John Paul II said:
"...Not in vain did Christ challenge His listeners, faithful to the doctrine of the Old Testament, for their attitude which was manifested in the words: An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth."111 This was the form of distortion of justice at that time; and today's forms continue to be modeled on it. It is obvious, in fact, that in the name of an alleged justice (for example, historical justice or class justice) the neighbor is sometimes destroyed, killed, deprived of liberty or stripped of fundamental human rights. The experience of the past and of our own time demonstrates that justice alone is not enough, that it can even lead to the negation and destruction of itself, if that deeper power, which is love, is not allowed to shape human life in its various dimensions...."
(Dives in misericordia," Pope John Paul II (November 30, 1980))
And, as usual: there's a lot more about charity. But I have to stop somewhere.

Vaguely-related posts:
Background:
  • "Deus Caritas Est - Encyclical Letter, Benedict XVI"
    Pope Benedict XVI (December 25, 2005)
  • "Dives in misericordia"
    Pope John Paul II (November 30, 1980)
  • Catholic Campaign for Human Development
    United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
  • The human virtues
    (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1804-1811)
    • The cardinal virtues
      (Catechism, 1805)
      • Prudence
        (Catechism, 1806)
      • Justice
        (Catechism, 1807)
      • Fortitude
        (Catechism, 1808)
      • Temperance
        (Catechism, 1809)
    • How we get the human virtues, what they do
      (Catechism, 1810)
    • Practicing the human virtues isn't easy
      (Catechism, 1811)
  • The theological virtues
    Catechism, 1812-1829
    • As a group are
      • Where human virtues are rooted
      • The foundation of Christian moral activity
        (Catechism, 1812-1813)
    • Faith
      (Catechism, 1814-1816)
    • Hope
      (Catechism, 1818-1821<)
    • Charity
      • Is how we love
        (Catechism, 1822)
        • God above all things for his own sake
          • Our neighbor as ourselves
            • for the love of God
      • Is the 'new commandment'
        (Catechism, 1823)
        • As Jesus said
          • "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love."
            (John 15:9)
          • "This is my commandment: love one another as I love you."
            (John 15:12)
      • "Keeps the commandments of God and his Christ"
        (Catechism, 1824)
        • "If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love."
          (John 15:10)
        • Is the "Fruit of the Spirit and fullness of the Law"
      • Jesus died for us
        (Catechism, 1825)
        • While we were still enemies
        • The Lord asks us to
          • Love as he does
            • Even our enemies
          • See everybody as our neighbor
          • Love children
            • As Jesus does
          • Love the poor
            • As Jesus does
          • Described by Paul
            (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
            ["Love" apparently being the practical effect of Charity (B.G.)]
      • Is the greatest theological virtue
        (1 Corinthians 13:1-4, 13; Catechism, 1826)
        [In NAB, "Love:" which seems to be a practical expression of Charity (B.G.)]
      • Animates and inspires all the virtues
        (Catechism, 1827)
        • Binds the virtues together
          (Collossians 3:14)
        • Is the source and goal of the virtues' practice
        • "upholds and purifies our human ability to love"
        • Raises our human ability to love "to the supernatural perfection of divine love"
      • Charity's demands, effects, and nature
        (Catechism, 1829)
          Yields
          • Joy
          • Peace
          • Mercy
        • Demands
          • Beneficence
          • Fraternal correction
        • Fosters reciprocity
        • Remains
          • Disinterested and generous
        • Is
          • Friendship
          • Communion
    (Outline of the human and theological virtues adapted and condensed from Background (October 5, 2011))
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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.