A Small and Pathetic Tribute to The Lord of the Rings

I have just finished reading The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.  This is my first reading of the work as an adult (I read it twice as a child.), and I must say that it was a journey well worth the undertaking.  I am sure that this post will add nothing to the utmost respect and merited fame which Tolkien already possesses in our time.  However, for myself, I wish to put down a few words of tribute for this modern author of genius, and to bestow upon him some small honor in gratitude for his epic work.

But enough with the hero-worship.  Why has Tolkien gathered such praise and cult-like adoration for his work of The Lord of the Rings?  If you are asking this question, it is most likely because you have not read the books for yourself.  I would have a difficult time relating to or understanding someone who cannot appreciate this fantasy masterpiece.  The Lord of the Rings is not so much a classic for its fantastic and imaginative world of elves, dwarves, hobbits, and orcs, but rather for its impeccable ability to strike at the core of man’s soul and inspire it to magnanimity.  Since you can read any number of books already dedicated to the subject of Tolkien and his works, let me simply reduce my commentary to a few concise bullet points which highlight why the Tolkien-cult may be well founded.

1. Tolkien is a brilliant author and poet.  

Really.  You will have a difficult time falling in love with books like The Hunger Games or Twilight after reading Tolkien.  His way of crafting literature is comparable to the formation of music by a master like Bach.   One may dislike Bach or Tolkien, but no one could legitimately criticize either for being a poor artist.  Tolkien’s vivid descriptions of Middle Earth capture the imagination of the reader in an unparalleled manner.  Tolkien, the philologist and philosopher, shows his mastery both of language and his understanding of the human experience through his graceful and fluent ability to manipulate, excite, and capture our imaginations in his writing.  He did, after all, create an entirely new language (Elvish) as the foundation for his novel.  I am truly embarrassed by attempting to write anything at all after reading his work.

2.  Tolkien is down to earth. 

Tolkien is hard not to love with his simple down-to-earth manner of writing.  His books possess a great amount of profundity and deep philosophical and theological allegory, and yet he never fails to integrate a simple and humble quality which preserves a welcome element of realism.  He strikes a perfect balance between intellectual loftiness and earthy humor.  One way Tolkien achieves this is through utilizing the comical, short, insignificant yet relateable hobbit creatures as the central protagonists of his tale.

3.  Tolkien artfully exposes the most fundamental drama and plight of man.  

Tolkien’s work is not simply about a magical ring, elves and bad guys.  The Lord of the Rings is ultimately not about a dark lord or ring at all.  The work subtly exposes the struggle man faces in his encounter with the world, the flesh, and the devil.   Ultimately,Tolkien’s world is about man’s plight for redemption and salvation.  And yet, Tolkien does not use the obvious allegories that his friend, C.S. Lewis, employed in his Chronicles of Narnia.  While the latter author unabashedly paralleled Bible stories in his fantasy works (e.g. Aslan as an allegory for Christ), Tolkien is much more subtle in his integration of philosophical and theological themes.  Tolkien’s works inspire both Christians and non-Christians in a way that may greatly surpass Lewis’ fiction.  Tolkien uses a more “classical” style, more reminiscent to the ancient pagan epics of Homer rather than to the modern Christian Milton.  But Tolkien’s work is nonetheless orthodox in its adherence to Christian philosophy.  The character of Gollum does not directly parallel any person in the Scriptures, but Gollum does uncannily incarnate any one who is suffering from addiction or subject to the powerful grip of vice.  The ring most definitely embodies the very essence of evil and sin, something which is truly alluring yet ultimately poisonous, deadly, and enslaving.

Finally, the proof of The Lord of the Rings’ greatness is ultimately only found in the personal encounter one has when entering into the mystery of Middle Earth.  I find that reading this classic dissipates my usual dry cynicism and depression.  It awakens and inflames in me a transcendent spirit of courage, nobility, and wonder.  I feel a longing to take up a sword or bow and fight in the defense of Middle Earth.  Then I remember that such a war really does exist in this life and that I must respond to its happening.  The fight that Gollum and Frodo have in resisting the lure of of the One Ring is really the same struggle I have in resisting the passions of my own flesh and addictions.  There is also found the exterior war.  Just as the evil Sauron poured out his forces to crush the civilized world of Gondor, so too I experience the ever darkening culture around me which promotes the destruction of life, family, and “common sense” principles.  I feel a renewed call to reject my apathy and to fight in the defense of life, family, and freedom.

Such is my phenomenological defense of Tolkien as a masterful author.  He has the singular ability to work his way into my mind, heart, and soul and to draw from these the highest of aspirations.

But c’mon…You want me to spoil all of this awesomeness?  Stop reading my stream of consciousness and pick up The Lord of the Rings; I dare you to enter onto this quest for yourself and to see where this journey may lead you.

Can We Just Be Friends?

 

One of the most controversial topics among young adults today is the idea of friendship.  What is friendship?  Can platonic friendships exist between members of the opposite sex?  You’ve probably seen the hit YouTube video, “Why Men and Women Can’t be Friends.”  If you haven’t seen it, watch it.

Immediately apparent among the man’s survey of young men and women is the fact that men and women each have different understandings, expectations, and intentions in a relationship.  He hits at a key element when considering the question of friendship: equality.  Can men and women be friends when they don’t share an equal vision?  Aristotle filled two chapters in his Nichomachean Ethics to discuss the topic of friendship.  His underlying premise is that true friendship must be a relationship of equality.  This equality does not mean “sameness,” but it does entail that there must be an equalness in what each  individual is seeking.  For friendship to really exist, there must be an equal desire or vision and concurrently a common pursuit between these friends in fulfilling this shared aim.

Think about professional or business relationships.  When I buy a coffee at the local coffee shop, I am supporting the business and thereby assisting the workers and owner in their means of providing a living for themselves.  The business also gives me something I desire: coffee.   Am I now friends with all the coffee house workers?  No.  I do not call my relationship with the coffee shop employees friendship.   We do not have an equal vision.  I am seeking coffee while they are seeking a living; we have two distinct ends we are pursuing.  It so happens that we can each attain our individual ends through the business transactions had in a coffee house, but this does entail actual friendship.  However, when I find out that the barista is a Red Sox fan, suddenly I encounter a shared vision, and thus, the potential for friendship.

Think of friendship as two persons walking down the same path with a common destination.  Of course, there are times we only share a temporary commute, persons whose paths will cross with ours for only a short way.  Such temporary friendships are often had between co-workers, fellow classmates, or neighbors.  We may not share much else in common with such persons besides our jobs, academic pursuits, or living arrangements, but we might still label such relationships “friendships” (at least for some time), precisely because there is a shared and equal pursuit.

However, some of us are blessed with friendships which delve deeper and will endure longer, perhaps eternally.  These are persons who share something more profound than external or environmental factors.  These are people with whom we share a common vision for how we encounter and respond to life itself.  To establish such a deeper friendship, one must encounter another who shares something more personal.  Shared religious or philosophical beliefs, sense of humor, family background, ambitions, and moral principles become the core elements to such friendships.

So can men and women be friends?  Even as a man, I will initially propose “yes,” but I think it is something rather exceptional or extraordinary.  The fundamental obstacle to male/female friendship lies in our sexual differences.  Men and women are each “wired” with different ways of thinking, reacting, and concurrent values and desires.  As such, it is often difficult, if not impossible, to establish a real shared vision.  As the above video quickly points out, men frequently choose to invest in female relationships because these have at least some romantic potential.  Women seem very often content with a man who will be less “complicated” than a woman, and therefore a preferred companion in whom they can confide, yet without any romantic interest.  Such a conflict in interests between men and women has led our culture to propose that every woman seems to want a “gay best friend.”  Such an idea implicitly states that (heterosexual) men will never be satisfied in mere friendships with women, and it shows that women sometimes simply want a man in whom they can share life, apart from the complications a sexual commitment brings.

Yet here is where our culture has ignored the fact that some visions are indeed had between men and women which are more profound, yet do not involve any sexual motive.  Certainly a brother and sister share many personal qualities in common, and yet do not have any romantic intentions (besides the occasional Luke and Leia accident).  But notice that such relationships must always be clearly understood between both parties.  When it is not a family relationship, there must exist an absolutely clear and transparent understanding concerning the nature of the relationship.  Both the man and woman must absolutely understand (i.e. it has been in some way explicitly stated) two fundamental points:

1.  There is not any romantic interest or potential in the relationship.

and

2.  There is still some common (though non-romantic) vision/pursuit which is had between both parties that can be equally shared/enjoyed.

 

Without an explicitly and unequivocally understood vision between both the man and the woman, there will inevitably arise an ambiguity which will render the friendship void or at best unstable.

Think about your friendships with the opposite sex.  How often do you find this absence of ambiguity and clarity in your shared visions?  I think it is extremely uncommon, and for this reason, I believe that men and women cannot usually be friends.  That being said, if you are blessed with genuine platonic friendships among members of the opposite sex, you have attained something incalculably valuable and worth every effort in preserving.

4 Qualities Which Invalidate Your Man-Card

Splinter in My Brother's Eye

What does it take to be a man?  It’s the everlasting question men (and women) have been asking.  It’s not easy to provide any succinct or precise definition for what it is that makes a man a man; but perhaps it is easier to identify and articulate what qualities should not belong to a man.  Recently, I have come across a few different men with qualities (or there lack of) which has inspired the following rant on four characteristics that should demerit one of his manhood.

 

1.  Lack of Initiative.  Nothing seems to be a bigger turn off for women than a man that has no initiative.  However, as a man, I can tell you that I am equally frustrated and put off when I work with a man who lacks ambition, initiative, or any kind of drive for excellence.  Having initiative doesn’t mean every man must be the stereotypical American workaholic who…

View original post 902 more words

Father’s Day

Happy Father’s Day!

Yesterday at Mass, the priest gave one of the most powerful homilies I’ve ever heard. He began by wishing all fathers a happy father’s day, and then addressed those who had not had a good father, a father who hurt them, abused them, abandoned them: “I am sorry. It’s not supposed to be that way. I apologize… and you must continue to pray for them.”
Fatherhood, he said, is such a noble vocation as one receives his fatherhood straight from God, Our Father. And while some fathers may have made this life “hell on earth” through abuse of their family or the abandoning their family: remember that real hell on earth, as well as eternal hell, are only possible when we ourselves abandon God.
Wise words to remember, when it’s so easy to blame everyone else for our faults, mistakes and unhappiness.
A good father imitates God in his faithfulness and love. He sacrifices his time, his pleasure, his own desires for the good of his family. He never stops giving, he never stops loving. Even when his children are grown and on their own, the love and sacrifices of a last forever.

In the weeks leading up to Father’s Day, there are numerous ads on TV channels advertising Father’s Day sales, peddling merchandise to give to the “old man” in your life. Tools, ties, shirts… the usual fodder for a holiday set aside to honor the dads we know and love. Watching the commercials, I witnessed smiling young dads (almost all with full heads of hair) who happily unwrapped their kid’s presents and then would laughingly go outside, hand-in-hand with the kid, to play fetch with the dog or throw the football back and forth. Cute.
I remember Father’s Day being somewhat similar to that when I was little. I’d gleefully hand him the present I’d hurriedly (and horribly) wrapped by myself (that my mom had bought), and watch him unwrap it– even though I’d told him less than five minutes before what I’d gotten him for Father’s Day.

But now, Father’s Day is a lot more than that to me. And it’s so much less to the rest of the world.

Lots of men are fathers, but not all are dads. The ratio of fathers/ dads is pretty glaringly disproportionate, even more so in the past 40-50 years, especially since the legalization of abortion and society’s infatuation with the Pill. Instead of blissful, carefree couples that can do what they want, whenever they want, without the terrible consequence called “pregnancy”, there are millions of fatherless children… and millions of childless fathers.
Not only has the acceptance of the Pill seriously damaged the way women are viewed, but also it has affected men in the same way. The “freedom” given by the Pill makes both men and women objects to be used for the other’s sexual pleasure. When procreation is negated from the purpose of sex, all that remains is pleasure for the individual. The man uses the woman for his pleasure, the woman uses the man for hers. Even if the pleasure is mutual, there is a serious, serious omission that makes it a cheap, utilitarian and selfish pleasure.

There are numerous names for sex. Two older ones are “making love” and “giving”. These phrases are in direct opposition to the selfishness of sex with birth control. Making “love” with birth control is all about the pleasure that one receives; it is selfish and egocentric. What about when people used to say they were going to “give” themselves to one another? What are you giving?– your body as a trade for sexual pleasure?
Now here comes Theology of the Body. In giving, you freely give a gift. In the case of sex, you give your body to another person. Not for pleasure, but out of love, in a desire to wholly give yourself to another in the highest way men and women can. The only true “no strings attached” is when two people give themselves to one another totally and completely.

That means accepting the consequences.

Meaning that if you do this, you both know and accept that you might be making a baby right now, because that’s what sex does when you really give your body to another, without having tampered with it to change the natural consequence.

That’s selfless, that’s real. That’s love.

Now to fatherhood. It’s no wonder that in a society that has made the baby-making act something all about pleasure that fathers are cheapened and devalued as well. In a world or a time where men had sex to make babies– or at least acknowledged and accepted the fact that having sex with a woman meant you could be making a baby with her– that meant that men were more or less ready to be men. They were ready to accept the consequences of their actions.
Dads are real men. They are those men who accepted the responsibility of becoming fathers. Some maybe not as willingly as others, or as knowingly, but Dads are those who rose to the occasion– they had greatness thrust upon them.
It’s not all cutesy kids running around handing you wrapped packages of new tools and fancy ties. Fatherhood is something so much bigger, something so important—- something that our world today mocks and reviles out of fear for the influence a real father has.

Grug, the caveman dad in The Croods, starts out as a typically clueless and overbearing movie dad, only to reveal the true depth of love he has as a father by making the ultimate sacrifice for his family.

A father is a responsible, caring, loving and giving man who has given up his own life and his own dreams to pursue another life and other dreams with the woman who bears his children. It’s breadwinning through hard work and sweat and blood and tears; it’s training up his kids so that they know right from wrong, good from bad—- and to know that their actions have consequences (the concept of “consequence” was drilled into you from an early age by either a spank or bed without dinner).
It’s raising boys to be men who respect women; and teaching daughters to be worthy of respect, and to recognize men from boys…

It’s getting up at 2 in the morning to clean up the puke from your daughter who gorged herself on too many cookies after dinner; getting up at 5 am to drive to a basketball game; staying up until past midnight, even though you have to be at work at 8, to play a game or watch a stupid movie with your kids… It’s spending hours listening to baby-babble about imaginary friends; watching girlie movies and playing “horsey”… It’s playing basketball and letting you win, and making you repeat over and over and over until you get the hang of it… It’s making you stay at the table until you finish your dinner, or stay up until you finish your homework…

It’s instilling in your kids a fear of God that lasts past 16 when they get their own driver’s license and can drive themselves to church; it’s instilling in them a fear and respect that means they will do their utmost to never act in a way that disappoints him.

It takes a real man to be a father. It sure isn’t easy—- the job description is enough to make most guys run away. It never was easy, and I imagine it’s harder in this world than it ever has been. But that’s all the more reason to celebrate Father’s Day now, to thank our Dads for being so different, so loving, so devoted, and so authentically “dad”.

Happy Father’s Day, to the greatest man I know. Thank you, Daddy. I love you!

New Year! New You! Okay enough.

Happy New Year to everyone!

It’s almost 2 weeks into the New Year, I know, but look at it this way. This weekend we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, so, technically and liturgically speaking, the Christmas season hasn’t (quite) ended yet. (Reason #432,981,343 why the Catholic Church is awesome– we celebrate Christmas longer.)

Now how are those New Year’s Resolutions coming along? Good, good. Mine? Oh, I haven’t made one yet. I’m still stuck in Christmas, remember.

New Year’s is such a strange holiday. Our world thrives on hype and spectacle, yet New Year’s never fails to be a holiday characterized more by weary exhaustion masked with artificial excitement and forced enjoyment rather than genuine anticipation of a new year and hope for a better one. With all its garish trappings and fanfare, New Year’s throws the world’s own medicine back at it, and we don’t like the taste.

There is so much pressure to have fun and bring in the New Year with a bang. The next day, we promptly resolve, with a determination that comes only from having just learned a hard lesson, to not make the same mistakes again.

The excitement at being the “new and improved” version of you lasts… until lunchtime? Two days? Maybe five? Then the novelty wears off, your iron will softens to room temperature, and theeeeeeere we go. You’re back. Your old self missed you too much.

“I’m back! Did you miss me?!”

Part of me is inclined to ridicule the throngs of hopeless optimists. Year in and year out they make, in the genuine sincerity of the moment, these resolutions that in their heart of hearts they really know will not last. I’m not a pessimist, let alone practical; and I am usually the one with the most foolish hopes and aspirations. I suppose I don’t make New Year’s resolutions, generally speaking, simply because “everyone else does”… and because this tradition seems ridiculous…

Until I realize how familiar this pattern is– seeing your faults, resolving to not make them again, getting a fresh start, and…. falling again.

This pattern generally restarts every few Saturdays, late in the afternoon, in a little room with a screen… “…I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to to sin no more, and to avoid the near occasions of sin...“

oh. Not only do we do that once a year, we do it at once or twice a month!

This sheds light on a few things. No wonder we can’t keep New Year’s resolutions– promises to “do better” that we make on our own can’t hardly be expected to be kept when a sincere pledge to God is violated on a daily– if not hourly– basis. Secondly, I see in this never-ending cycle of earnest desire to “be better” the undaunted hope of the human soul. It is seen in our ever-failing New Year’s resolutions, and in our constant “I’m sorry, I won’t do it again!” apologies to Our Lord. Does it matter that you have made, and subsequently broken, dozens of New Year’s resolutions? Does it matter that you have been to confession and dutifully prayed the Act of Contrition 100x, only to be back and do the exact same thing again? No.

Is it discouraging? Only if you choose to see it that way. But it’s really not.

Why do we bother making resolutions? Why do we not only promise God that we won’t sin, but that we won’t even let ourselves near an opportunity to do so? That seems a little rash.

Then the wise words of Benjamin Martin (aka “The Patriot) echo in my ears: “Aim Small, Miss Small.”

God has us figured out– as He should, since we’re His beloved humans and He has given everything for us. He knows that the spirit is willing and the flesh is weak. He knows that we really truly do want to serve Him, at least at some point, but that we lose sight of our goals. He knows we have short attention spans.

What happens when you, afraid to commit to something, reply with, “Sure, that sounds good but I don’t know, I might have something going on…”?

Nothing. Nothing happens. You’ve given yourself an easy way out with your “I don’t know” and “might have” another obligation.

Now imagine if we in turn said “I am truly sorry for having offended Thee and I detest all my sins… I will try, with the help of Your Grace, to sin no more, but I might mess up again so if I do, I told you so.”

God already knows you’re going to mess up again. When you say the Act of Contrition (the real one), He isn’t making you sign in blood that if you sin again, you will be immediately cast into Hell because you failed your “firmly resolve”. All that is happening is that you, in that moment in the confessional, are putting yourself before your Heavenly Father and telling Him that you will not sin again. Do you mean it? Of course you mean it– you know you don’t want to sin. Do you know that you will mess up? Sure.

Does that mean you are lying?

No.

It simply means that you will try– and that at that moment, when you are having a heart-to-heart with God, you really do mean to not sin again.

God isn’t Yoda. He isn’t a green little muppet that talks weird English. He also doesn’t give you the ultimatum of “Do or do not. There is no try.”

Instead, God says, “Aim small, miss small.” Aim for perfection. Aim for that thing which only Christ Himself, and a few other truly blessed individuals (okay, the Blessed Mother), have ever achieved. That’s one of the main reasons why Christ came to earth in the first place though– to show us the way. There’s the analogy of the man who finds a bird trapped in his barn, and who, in his desperation to get it outside to rejoin the flock, discovers the beauty of the Incarnation, of the God who became one of His lowly creatures to show them, through example, how to return to where they belong.

We cannot be perfect. We are flawed and will always fall. But what matters is our goal, and how we resolve and re-resolve to attain that goal.

We are aiming at Heaven. We are shooting for perfection. At least our sites are on, but we might not hit our mark…

We may, however, land on that little, winding road that will take us to Heaven.

Re-Post of Thoughts on Prayer

Years ago I remember reading a book for young Catholics about prayer. The point that struck me the most was that when you are praying, and you find your thoughts wandering away from the conversation you are supposed to be having with your God and Father, it is often better to bring those distracting ideas to Him instead of mentally berating yourself and trying to return to the unfathomable mysteries of the Trinity. For some reason, the notion of bringing these ordinary, everyday things to God in prayer had escaped me, and I had written them off as unimportant and silly—God wouldn’t care for me to tell Him about that, I had probably thought.

However good it is to dwell on the power and greatness of God, prayer is more than sitting in mesmerized silence, thinking about all the things about God that we do not and never will understand. Of course it is good to be humble in the presence of the Lord, and to meditate on His goodness and power—but God is more than a distant Being in the Heavens, untouchable and unapproachable in His majesty.

Prayer took on a new meaning when God became Man and taught us how to pray—giving us the “Our Father” as an example. Too often we rattle off that prayer without thinking about the words. Usually we’re thinking about how greasy that old lady’s hand is when your church forms a human chain around the entire church; or how awkward it is that you are not participating in the human prayer chain and so you concentrate on pretending to be lost in the Lord’s Prayer…

The chaplain I had at my alma mater during my junior and senior years loved the Our Father. Saying it was my penance nearly every time I went to confession. But not just to say it—I had to really say it, slowly, meditatively, taking in every word. Then I began to really appreciate the beauty of that simple prayer that I had said every day of my life, without really ever understanding it.

In that prayer, God is acknowledged as omnipotent Ruler and Creator of the Universe—but also called your Father (“Our Father, who art in Heaven”) He is praised, humbly approached, and you deliver yourself to Him, surrendering yourself to His Holy Will (“Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven”). You humbly petition Him for what you need—not just want—and you ask for forgiveness, for sins committed against Him and your fellow men (“Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”); and finally, you ask Him to rescue you from sin and even the near occasions of it (“and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.”)

Calling the Lord of Heaven and Earth your “Father” is not the way to address a God who is unapproachable and indifferent towards the millions of people on the earth, nor is asking Him for your “daily bread” or for forgiveness of sins. In this prayer, you see the love that God has for us—the love of a Father for His children.

This conscientious praying of the Our Father brought me to once again consider what I’d read before on that book on prayer—about telling God about all the little “nothings” in your life that distract you when you’re trying to say a “good” prayer. So I would begin to pray, just waiting until I got distracted. “By the way, Lord, about my job. Oh yeah, and my love-life. Oh and my co-worker, man, she annoys me. And bills are annoying too. My paycheck isn’t nearly enough…” And on and on.

The problem? My prayer life began to resemble my everyday stream-of-consciousness. And as much as I’d like to say that I “pray always”, that’s not exactly what I had going on. Prayer is supposed to be a conversation with God, not, as my fellow writer Richard Holmes put it so well, a monologue.

Mother Theresa said this about prayer: “In the silence of the heart God speaks. If you face God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you. Then you will know that you are nothing. It is only when you realize your nothingness, your emptiness, that God can fill you with Himself. Souls of prayer are souls of great silence.”

When you make prayer all about you, it is not really a prayer. You might start out, as I did, addressing God and saying “here are my problems”—but soon you forget who you are talking to and are simply making a list of “woe is me”, and not listening for a response. You must bring these things to God in prayer—and then leave them before Him, silently placing them all before Him, humbly putting all your own worries aside, making your heart ready for Him. Then you are no longer an over-worked, underpaid and unappreciated nobody, you are the beloved child of God.

It is not easy to quiet your heart. But when I succeed, I find that prayer is far less tiring and far more peaceful—which makes sense: I’d much rather listen to Our Lord than to myself! Spill out everything that is on your mind, but don’t dwell on it. Get it out there, and then leave it. Put yourself in His presence, and wait. Mother Theresa also said, “Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.”

“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness…” Mother Teresa

Philippians 4:6-7 reiterates what Mother Theresa said: “Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (RSV)

How wonderful it is to have that silence and peace, and be free of the constant barrage of noise and information we have today. We are so used to having something new garner our attention at every moment that it has become almost foreign to us to have to settle our focus on one thing, and to wait for something to come to us. But there is never anything more worth waiting for than that quiet conversation with God in the stillness of your heart. Our Lord speaking to you, coming in to your heart that you have cleared out for Him… aaah. Suddenly you find you aren’t so tied down by the everyday annoyances and struggles, and you find your heart yearning for the freedom and peace that comes in that silent prayer. You have made that time for someone other than yourself—Someone who is a much better listener and has much better advice.

The O-Antiphons

My favorite Advent hymn is O Come O Come Emmanuel. And there is no doubt that this is the most popular Advent hymn in both Catholic and Protestant circles. This one hymn captures so perfectly the spirit of Advent in it’s longing for Christ’s coming and it’s bidding us to rejoice at the Lord’s presence with us. One cannot help but hear the words of St. Bernard which perpetually echo in the Church’s Liturgy:

We Know that there are three comings of the Lord. The third lies between the other two. It is invisible, while the other two are visible. In the first coming he was seen on earth, dwelling among men; he himself testifies that they saw him and hated him. In his final coming all flesh will see the salvation of our God, and they will look on him whom they pierced. The intermediate coming is a hidden one, in it only the elect see the Lord within their own selves, and they are saved. In his first coming our Lord came in our flesh and in our weakness; in this middle coming he comes in spirit and in power; in the final coming he will be seen in his glory and majesty.” (cf. Office of Readings, Wednesday of the First Week of Advent)

What is often forgotten about this beautiful cry for the Lord to come and save Israel is that it the hymn is rooted in a collection of ancient prayers drawn from the Prophets Isiah and Micah called the O-Antiphons. And what’s more amazing is that these gems are still prayed today, even though they hail from the very first centuries of the Church. While the more popular use is in the song O Come O Come Emmanuel, their privileged place is in the Liturgy of the Hours, where the Church has immortalized them down the centuries as  antiphons so be sung with the Magnifcat at Vespers as the lamps of towns and cities are being lite (or flipped on) and the sun lays itself down for rest.

They are called the O Antiphons because in the Latin texts they all begin with the word “O”. Now, each of the invocations highlight one of the key titles used in the Old Testament to refer to the Messiah. The seven antiphons invoke the following : O Sapientia (Wisdom), O Adonai (Lord), O Radix Jesse (Root of Jesse), O Clavis David (Key of David), O Oriens (Dayspring), O Rex Gentium (King of Nations), O Emmanuel (God-with-us). They are used during the Octave prior to Christmas (December 17-23) ) which are nicknamed “the Golden Nights.”

So if you pray Vespers, take notice of these beautiful treasures and take them to prayer throughout the day. If you don’t pray the Liturgy of the Hours, you might consider just taking the texts and praying over them by themselves. They may not immediately all make self but I’m sure you can use your imagination to get at what the texts are invoking and of course you can always research the texts as well. You can view all of them here.

Narcissus and the Death of the Incarnation

Recently I have been quite agitated and disturbed by two different thoughts.  First, I have troubled by several proclaimed Christians who are consumed with the idea that “institutional religion” is evil and that the Christian Faith must be practiced purely by an individual pursuit.  The hit You-Tube video, “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus” sums it all up quite well.  The second is the recent news of yet another horrific act of violence that was appallingly directed at the most innocent in our society.  While these two thoughts are entirely in their own separate fields, it occurred to me that there may exist some minor connection between the two.  And before you jump to any conclusions, please graciously hear me out.

After yesterday’s horrific and inexplicable killing spree, people are inevitably asking  why and how any human being could be so heartless, mental, or morally depraved as to carry through to completion such a debased crime.  I don’t dare to presume that I have  any adequate explanation for those questions except to say that original sin and man’s fallen nature are much more intimately present and much uglier than we would like to believe.  Nevertheless, I think we can all resoundingly agree that one thing is certain: our world and our own American society have a deep-rooted problem.  We’re messed up and sick.  Something is wrong.

Viki Soto, 27, a first grade teacher at Sandy Hook Elementary School was killed on Friday, December 14th, 2012 when a gunman took her life in a killing spree.

Something is wrong that a depressed graduate student feels some need to channel his aggression and angst by murdering dozens of strangers at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado or that a 20 year-old dude in Newtown, Connecticut would intentionally and pointedly carry through the insidious acts of matricide, the slaughter of children, and suicide.  And while the politically charged and “sensationalist” media is pouncing on this  event as an ‘opportunity’ to discuss whether our political leaders will act to change legislation on gun rights etc, I think it is evident and blaringly obvious that there lies within our society a problem that is altogether distinct from our 2nd amendment rights.  Our society is sick and disoriented, and while we have continued to ignore the gravity of our own infectious disease, innocent children have had to pay with the cost of their blood.

Weapons, poor parents, mental illness, and heinous crimes have existed since our earliest historical records.  However, what strikes me as a something particularly disturbing in our current world is the frequency of “random” acts of violence indiscriminately directed at innocent and unfamiliar persons.  There is a certain novelty in the murderous rampaging of complete strangers which seems to have no other directed motive than the sadistic and pathological end of the crime itself.  It is this enigma of pathological crime and the alarming  frequency in which it now surfaces that leads you and me to question the source of such utter madness.

I will not pretend to possess the wisdom to so easily pinpoint the answer as to what might be the source of such insanity.  Nevertheless, I do believe that our current religious and de facto philosophical  ethos (i.e. our “world-view”) will fundamentally dictate the nature of our actions and behavior, for better or for worse.  When you look back throughout history, you must only examine what gods were worshiped and which were rejected in a nation in order to have a basic understanding as to why they behaved in the manner they did.  What sovereign deity is worshiped today?  I believe the answer is “Narcissus”, the Greek myth of the young man who fell into an    isolated, self-consumed and ecstatic love with himself.  We are Narcissists.  We love and adore ourselves and our individuality.  Today’s modern man is quick to dispose of his institutionalized religions, his matrimonial fidelity, and his duties to society, but he is just as quick to demand that God accept his view of morality, that his sexual appetite be unrestrictedly indulged, and that his government afford him whatever rights he whimsically demands.  While we feel enlightened, progressive, advanced, and more civilized with our embracing of the modern democratic ideals of freedom and equality, we have lost touch with the basic principles that orient our nature toward the development of a healthy society.  The problem is that when society elevates the autonomous individual as sovereign, the essence of community and thereby civilization (L. Civitas-city) is lost.  When the pestiferous infection of self-love is all consuming, the family will soon dissolve.  Marriage becomes disposable.  Children become disposable.  And finally “Institutional” or communal religious worship will quickly be abandoned in preference to an individualized form of worship.

The most central, essential, and radical dogma within Christianity has always been that of the Trinity.  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—3 communal and loving persons totally and essentially united in self-giving, receiving, and reciprocal Love.  Of equal importance is that

Christian understanding of the Incarnation—the second person of this communal Trinity taking on human nature in order that men might become united to God.  Such a religion is imminently oriented toward communal love that seeks union with God and extends to love of one’s neighbor.  Christianity uniquely teaches that one will only find happiness and ‘fulfillment’ when one has totally given oneself in love to God and one’s neighbor.  Such a Triune and Incarnational Faith have no place for the god of Narcissus and a culture of exorbitant narcissim.

Or does it?  Today’s self-proclaimed Christians are scandalized by the failings and hypocrisies of fellow “religious” or “institutional” Christians and are quick to dispose of communal worship, objective moral teaching, and theological dogmas.  They embrace a “Jesus and me” religion that elevates one’s own conscience and Bible as sovereign authorities and thereby arrives at the eerily familiar home in the temple of Narcissus.  Religion is reduced to a mere “spirituality” where one has the liberty to practice a faith that does not oblige any particular form of commitment and moral conduct.  And while this democratic friendly religion seems civil enough, it loses touch with the very heart and essence of the Christian creed.  A ‘Christian’ Faith which rejects communal worship is one which has lost its pedagogical potency to orient men away from their self-consumption and to give of themselves in love.  The importance of relation and relationship are lost when Christianity turns away from the One Church instituted by the Incarnated person of Jesus Christ.  Soon, these “Christians” inevitably reject the sacredness of marriage, the gift and dignity of children and life, and the objective principles which form our moral conscience.  Divorce, abortion, and contraception are nearly just as prevalent among “Christians” as among non-Christians.

And here is where I make full circle.  The difference between our modern society and recent former ages is that the spirit of Narcissus has finally triumphed and the Incarnation has now died.  Although “Christian Civilization” may only be an idea which was never fully realized in political societies, nevertheless it was the Christian Faith and its principles of love and esteem for personal and familial communion which have at least implicitly guided the moral norms of our consciences and cultures for centuries.  Today, with the rejection of communal religion (i.e. authentic Christianity) and the total embracing of Narcissism, our society has cultivated the perfect foundation for pathological crime.  The sacredness, dignity, and value of another person is lost when we have utterly turned our gaze and worship inward.

What is the solution?  The answer is simple, evident, yet hard: Love.  We must learn to imitate the love of Jesus Christ which is total and absolute.  We must throw down the idol of Narcissus and restore our worship for the Holy and Communal Trinity.  We must allow this Triune Love to radically transform and sanctify our view of marriage, our value for family, our sexual practice, and the respect and regard for our neighbor.  And finally we must gather together as Christian believers united in our Faith, remembering the words of Christ, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matt. 18:20).  The only hope for a renewed and sane society is if this regard and esteem for community which is the very cornerstone of civilization can return.  For it is only when man learns to love as Christ has taught that sanity, reason, and freedom are restored to their proper place.

This Advent and Christmas season, as we simultaneously remember the victims of Newtown and the gift of Love revealed to the world in the person of Christ, let us solemnly remember His prayer to the Father before He died:

“As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.  The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:21b-23).

A Mayan Advent

2012 is quickly coming to a close, and folks are starting to get excited and make bets as to whether or not the world will soon be ending as has been purportedly prophesied by the Mayan calender.  While it seems the majority are hesitant to naively sell themselves on the idea that the world will actually end in a couple of weeks, nonetheless it is truly interesting to observe society’s definite thrill or fascination with the idea of a world wide apocalypse.  This apocalyptic obsession is not merely embodied by the Mayan stone calendar, but is clearly exhibited by the culture’s contemporary cult obsessions with zombie , vampire, pandemic and world war III flicks, books, and TV shows.  Our society and culture are clearly enamored with the idea of death, chaos and widespread destruction.

Yet, cults revolving around world-apocalypses and mass disaster are really nothing new.  Throughout history are countless records of various prophesies of the world’s impending doom and destruction from both religious and pagan sources.  One recent prediction which comes to mind is Harold Camping’s religious cult which believed the “rapture” would occur in May of 2011 and later postponed until October.  Some of these believers sold their homes and quit their jobs in order to dedicate themselves in spreading the message of Jesus’ imminent return.  Now hundreds of these faithful believers will have to cope with the consequences of their investment in such a failed theory.

I would like to know what exactly is the cause of mankind’s perennial fascination with the apocalypse.  I suppose there is a certain thrill which man derives from starring Death in the face.  Isn’t this the reason we enjoy ‘recreational’ activities such as roller coasters and skydiving?  In the very core of our being is an imminent awareness of our own mortality, and yet there is also a primal desire to defy the inevitable arrival of this Grim Reaper.  Adam and Eve were driven to eat the forbidden fruit with the incentive of immortality (“But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die…when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God…'” [Genesis 3:4-5]).  Man’s Life and Death are fatefully interwoven in a dramatic tango wherein one seeks to dominate the other, only to discover the mysterious and frightful paradox that each is somehow intimately connected and completed by the other.

And this is where Advent steps in.  The Church’s joyful celebration of Christmas is preceded by a preparatory and ‘penitentesque’ season of Advent.  This anticipatory time is meant to remind the Christian that he must prepare and order himself to meet his God and Savior.  While Christmas honors the joyous memory of Christ’s first coming, Advent recalls that Jesus will come yet again and this time man must be ready to receive Him.  Prayer, fasting, and forms of penance are traditional practices during this season.  Yet something that is utterly absent within this time of preparation is fear.  Such a startling fact ought to give one great pause and wonder.  It would seem most natural that a religious custom calling men to prepare themselves for God’s return and judgement would embody a much greater sense of anxiety and dread (And within most of the pop-apocalyptic cults this very ‘fear and trembling’ is rampantly incarnated.).  Yet there remains a tradition within the heart of Christian culture that responds in just the opposite way.  Rather than being possessed with an intoxicating and riveting fear of death, the Christian has his mind and heart entirely wrapped in hope.

This hope is not a false optimism that politely shies away from any thoughts of death, suffering, or apocalypse.  Rather the theological virtue of hope has its essence rooted in the Christian belief that death is paradoxically the means or way through which man finds his life with God.  Christ’s suffering and death on the cross defeat the power which Death once possessed.  The cross is now the symbol of the Christian who both embraces and defies death.  It is in the cross that the Christian realizes his vocation to die to his own self and thereby find life with God.  Through this radical and total self-denial, man’s fear of death is relinquished and simultaneously his reason for hope is born.

The Christian’s response to the multifarious apocalyptic theories and cults is clear.  An authentic Christian must never become obsessed and anxious over such fatalistic conspiracies and  prophesies.  Christ has already stated explicitly that, “…About that day and hour no one knows…” (Matt. 24:36a).  Hence man’s incessant predictions on Christ’s return and the world’s end are devoid of merit and have no place in the Christian’s orientation.  The customary practice of Advent encourages the Christian in looking rightly at his end.  Death is the bridge which must be crossed for life to be found, yet this end is indeed life and not death.    The cross (i.e. death) brings hope for life, and therefore a Christian cannot be consumed with an anxiety and fear for death or apocalypse.

During this Advent season while we prepare for the return of Christ, let us remember the reason for our hope and the cause of our joy.  May we triumphantly and courageously look at death remembering that “…Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” (Gal. 5:24).  And in this crucifixion we now “live by the Spirit” Whose fruit is, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” (Gal. 5:25a, 22b)

Requem in Pace

As November comes to a close, it seems fitting that the topic of the four last things briefly be addressed.

     Heaven. Hell. Death. Judgment.

It use to be that each year Catholic’s would hear a sermon or two on these topics, but anymore it truly is rare. But really, if these things are never reflected on we have a problem because we don’t just get a golden ticket into heaven. We do “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.” So it’s a good thing to spend sometime reflecting on these four topics:

Heaven What’s it like? Do I desire it? Is is the central aim of everything I do?

Hell Do I want to go there? What would eternal separation from God be like?

Death I could die five minutes from now….who knows. Am I ready?

Judgment Have I been to confession recently? What would Christ say to me today if I died? What should I do to remedy my faults? What virtues do I need to grow in?

Eternal beatitude with the Triune God is what we are called to. Every once in a while it’s good to examine how we are doing. So go walk through a cemetery and reflect on the four last things…they’ll help you on the road to sainthood.