December 2007 Archives

Now of this Mediator [Jesus] it would occupy too much space to say anything at all worthy of Him; and, indeed, to say what is worthy of Him is not in the power of man. For who will explain in consistent words this single statement, that "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us," so that we may believe on the only Son of God the Father Almighty, born of the Holy Ghost and the Virgin Mary? The meaning of the Word being made flesh, is not that the divine nature was changed into flesh, but that the divine nature assumed our flesh. And by "flesh" we are here to understand "man," the part being put for the whole, as when it is said, "By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified," that is, no man. For we must believe that no part was wanting in that human nature which He put on, save that it was a nature wholly free from every taint of sin - not such a nature as is conceived between the two sexes through carnal lust, which is born in sin, and whose guilt is washed away in regeneration; but such as it behoved a virgin to bring forth, when the mother's faith, not her lust, was the condition of conception. And if her virginity had been marred even in bringing Him forth, He would not have been born a virgin; and it would be false (which God forbid) that He was born of the Virgin Mary, as is believed and declared by the whole Church, which, in imitation of His Mother, daily brings forth members of His body, and yet remains a virgin. Read, if you please, my letter on the virginity of the Holy Mary which I sent to that eminent man, whose name I mention with respect and affection, Volusianus.

- - St. Augustine, The Ineffable Mystery of the Birth of Christ the Mediator Through the Virgin Mary

Merry Christmas to you and yours,
Jay

Well - as Matthew pointed out in our comments - it has become official: Tony Blair was received into the Catholic Church. In a country where a Catholic still cannot be king, the former prime minister has now converted to the Church that Jesus Christ founded. We've talked about the possibility before, but now it's more than speculation, he is actually Catholic.

I'm curious what others think. I know Tony Blair was not the biggest supporter of life, but perhaps his position will begin changing now. We can only hope and pray, since he still has a powerful voice in England. And our prayers are with him as he begins receiving the Sacraments.

God bless,
Jay

I firmly believe that they shouldn’t, but if someone can put up a strong argument for it, then I’m willing to change my mind. A couple of Catholic parishes I’ve attended in the past couple of years have hosted Christmas parties in the beginning of December. This has always bothered me, but really sunk in this past Sunday. Last Sunday was Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent, which is supposed to signify a break from some kind of abstinence during Advent.

My question is, what’s the point of Gaudete Sunday if there is no effort to keep Advent a sober, reflective, prayerful time before Christmas? What’s the point of Advent altogether? Shouldn’t parishes have Christmas parties during the 12 days of Christmas after Christmas day?

Has anyone else had similar experiences, or are these isolated cases?

God bless,
Daniel

December 14th is the feast day of St. John of the Cross, a doctor of the Church and a saint I feel particularly drawn to. Saint John of the Cross has much to teach us about getting closer to God through sacrifice and suffering. His book “Dark Night of the Soul” is a profound insight into experiencing God’s love through pain and sacrificing your own desires. He experienced this love particularly while he was locked in a windowless cell for nine months by his own religious order, the Carmelites, because he remained in the outlawed “Discalced” Carmelite sect which focused on poverty. Three times a week after his daily meal of bread and water, he was whipped for his continuing obstinacy.

In light of the feast day of this master of spiritual growth through sacrifice, I will offer some thoughts on the subject.

Offering sacrifice is arguably as old as the human race itself. Humans have been offering sacrifices to what they believe to be divine for as long as history is able to record the fact.

Sacrifice is the highest act of religion. It withdraws something from man's personal use and makes it sacred. Possible motives to offer sacrifice include giving thanks, attempting to win good will, or making up for an offense. The object sacrificed is the external, tangible sign of these inner motives. When humans make sacrifices to God, they acknowledge themselves as finite and God as infinite. The favor humans ask for through sacrifice is ultimately for life, something only God can give. In sacrifice, one acknowledges God as the source and lord of one's life.

Yet as finite creatures, we cannot offer God a sacrifice worthy of Him. Since God is infinite, humans cannot love, praise, and give thanks to God as He deserves to be loved, praised, and thanked. This is why original sin was such a grave act. Once humans decided to break the relationship with God, there was nothing they could do in their power to repair it. The relationship could be restored only by God's merciful initiative. Also, because of Original Sin, humans are inclined to prefer themselves to God. Because of concupiscence, our lower faculties often weaken or oppose the decisions of the will. This all makes our human situation seem evermore hopeless.

Thanks to God's mercy, He sent his Son, fully God and fully man. As God, and as man who is not affected by original sin, Jesus offers God the Father a perfect sacrifice for all of humanity.

I can’t wait to celebrate His birthday soon!

Have a blessed Advent,
Daniel

In light of the feast of St. Nicholas and the gift-giving associated with this saint, this article will add a twist to the idea and focus on the gift of self.

The main idea of the theology of the body is to make our bodies a gift to others so that we can love and be loved as God loves, thus fulfilling our highest destiny. But what exactly does this mean? First of all, we must recognize that the body is an integral part of the human person, so it is good. Creation, especially our bodies, is good. Second, human beings are fulfilled only in communion with others. We are not created to be alone; we are created to find our fulfillment in relationships with others. This is why God created Eve for Adam. Without an 'other', it would be impossible to make our bodies a gift. By making our bodies a gift to each other, we reflect the life and love of the Trinity.

Now the sexual differentiation between Adam and Eve allows men and women to be a special gift to each other. If a man and a woman are called to the vocation of marriage, then they, on a natural level, fully express the nuptial meaning of the body. The love between spouses can actually make a third person, just like the Holy Spirit spirates from the love between the Father and the Son. Yet one does not have to be married to be able to make his body a gift to another. Single and consecrated celibate people live out their gift of self in different ways. Celibate people make themselves a total gift to God by renouncing marriage and making themselves completely available for spiritual fatherhood or spiritual motherhood. They are a powerful sign of the life to which we're all called to live in eternity: a life united with Christ where none marry or are given in marriage.

Ultimately, the purpose of the theology of the body, as with all Church teaching on sexuality, is to build a culture of life. Life is a gift. It can only be given or taken away by God, the author of life. To build a culture of life, the Church and her teachings protect marriage and the family, which are the fundamental human institutions that nurture life. To attack these institutions is to attack civilization and humanity itself. Though Christ has won the war and conquered death, we are currently engaged in battle with those who promote a culture of death. The defenders of this mentality apply a cost-benefit analysis to life and make death an acceptable solution to human problems such as suffering, unwanted pregnancies, and issues regarding population. As Catholics called to build a culture of life we must oppose this mentality and defend the defenseless, no matter how "useless" they might seem to be in society's eyes. With the good news of salvation we must transform ourselves, live the Gospel, and make it penetrate every part of society until every institution recognizes and upholds the immeasurable gift of human life.

Have a prayerful Advent and God bless,
Daniel