Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog

Just when you think the misandrous Maureen Dowd cannot go any lower...

2012-05-26T18:55:37-07:00

... she writes this sort of stuff, from her most recent, uh, screed, "Father Doesn't Know Best":

The bishops and the Vatican care passionately about putting women in chastity belts. Yet they let unchaste priests run wild for decades, unconcerned about the generations of children who were violated and raped and passed around like communion wine.

When hell freezes over, Dowd will write the following:

The public school administrators and educators care passionately about talking of "tolerance" and "respect". Yet they still allow preying teachers to run wild, unconcerned about the tens of thousands of children who are harrassed, molested, violated, and raped, and passed around like hall passes.

Rather than bother with another fisking (we've already done that and been there recently), let's go with a simple clerihew:

The mocking, misandrous Maureen Dowd,
Preaches her Time-ly religion, loud and proud:
Men are evil and hell will forever persist,
While chastity, clergy, and Church exist.

We now return to our regularly scheduled blog posts.

Pentecost, the Church's birthday, and the Church's humility

2012-05-26T12:55:29-07:00

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for Sunday, May 27 2012, Pentecost Sunday | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Acts 2:1-12
• Ps 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34
• 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13 or Gal 5:16-25
• Jn 20:19-23 or Jn 15:26-27; 16:12-15

“The Christian Church is the detonation of that explosive for which a train had been prepared through the centuries,” wrote Monsignor Ronald Knox in a collection of essays titled Stimili (Sheed & Ward, 1951). “Everything that happened before the day of Pentecost was a kind of dress-rehearsal for the day of Pentecost.”

Many of the Church Fathers contemplated how Old Testament events foreshadowed or pointed toward the dramatic outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room and the events immediately following.

This was interpreted by some of the Fathers as a reversal of the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9). Responding to man’s arrogant attempt to build a tower “with its top in the heavens”, God came down and confused the language of men so that they could not understand one another. Without the ability to communicate, mankind was scattered “abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” At Pentecost, God again descended and again caused confusion—but it was confusion caused by awe and astonishment, for men “from every nation under heaven” could understand one another.

“The church’s humility,” wrote St. Bede, “recovers the unity of languages that the pride of Babylon had shattered.” Man cannot, by his own efforts and intellect, achieve heaven; it is a grace and gift granted by the power of the Holy Spirit.

A second foreshadowing was the span of time between the first Passover and the arrival of the Israelites at Mount Sinai. The book of Exodus does not provide an exact time, stating the people arrived at Sinai on “the third new moon” (Ex. 19:1). Later, however, the feast of weeks, which was celebrated seven weeks after the first harvest was cut (cf., Dt. 16:9; Ex. 23:16; Lev. 23:9-21), was connected with the Exodus. Eventually, a span of fifty days was reckoned between the Passover and the feast of weeks, also known Pentecost (Greek for “fiftieth”).

Christ was the final and perfect Passover lamb who had, in fact, died during the feast of the Passover; by his Resurrection, he was also “the first fruits” from the dead (1 Cor 15:20). Therefore, Pentecost was the celebration of the divine harvest, brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit.

Finally, Pentecost had become associated in Judaism with the giving of the Law and the establishment of the Mosaic covenant at Sinai. The parallels here are both evident and significant: the new people of God, the Church, is formed by Christ (who is the New Moses) and filled by the Holy Spirit (who is the soul of the Church). The new and everlasting covenant is established by the law of Christ—that is, the law of Love—which in turn we are able to live because of the grace and gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The Church, St. Paul states in today’s Epistle, is the Body of Christ, having many parts but being one by virtue of one Spirit and one baptism (1 Cor 12:12-13). The Church was not an afterthought or a Plan B, but was at the heart of the Father’s plan of salvation from the beginning; it was, the Catechism notes, “the goal of all things”, because it is the household of God, in which man enters into saving communion and is filled with the divine life (CCC 760).

Pentecost, then, is the birthday of the Church—a birthday giving new birth to mankind, regardless of race, sex, or social status. We are meant, Monsignor Knox wrote, “to find ourselves as members of a Spirit-filled, Spirit-actuated Body; if we remain in its unity, we know that the life of the Spirit, is, however imperceptibly, expressing itself in us.”

That unity, however, is often threatened by the temptation to save ourselves and to achieve wholeness apart from God. The feast of Pentecost reminds us that we have been saved from the land of sin by the Son, filled with divine life by the Holy Spirit, and called to the Promised Land by the Father.

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the May 31, 2009, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

The uniqueness of Saint Philip Neri, the "Apostle of Rome"

2012-05-26T10:17:54-07:00

Prior to editing and designing the booklet accompanying the film, Saint Philip Neri: I Prefer Heaven, I knew only the bare outlines of the life of St. Philip, whose feast is celebrated today. He is, I think, one of most unusual and intriguing of the Saints. Here is a bit about him from the short bio I wrote for the booklet:

Philip’s approach was unique, especially for sixteenth-century Rome. He engaged in personal conversations, using his natural humor and warm personality to gain the attention and interest of the youth. “His tactics,” observed Rev. Louis Bouyer in St. Philip Neri: A Portrait, “were entirely spiritual and none could avoid his influence except by avoiding him altogether; and there he was, like another Socrates, with apparently nothing else to do but wander about the Roman streets joining in every kind of group quite freely, as ready to play quoits as to pass his time in any shop where customers, without any intention of buying anything, could talk indefinitely.” It was especially his quips, jokes, and wit that gained him a growing following. Philip knew, Bouyer wrote, how humor can direct, shape, and guide: “His shrewdness is shown by the fact that a teasing joke thrown out in passing often altered the whole course of someone’s life.”

Also unique was the absence of any distinctive doctrine or devotion. Because of this absence, it would be easy to misjudge the source of Philip’s dynamic work and miss how deeply rooted it was in a profound mysticism and disciplined asceticism. “What cannot be doubted,” stated Bouyer, himself an Oratorian, “is the mysticism which crowned all his asceticism. This astonishingly human saint was saturated in the supernatural; this Florentine, while being truly a man of his times, seemed to have stepped out of the Acts of the Apostles.” On the eve of the Feast of Pentecost in 1544, not yet thirty years old, Philip had a vision of a ball of fire, which “entered his mouth and settled in his heart”, causing it to palpitate with a strange violence, but without causing him pain. For the next fifty years, Gallonio records, he experienced “continuous involuntary tremors and palpitations of the heart.” After his death, an autopsy revealed that two of the ribs on his left side were broken and expanded outward.

And from Fr. Frederick L. Miller's essay (also in the booklet), "Saint Philip Neri: Priest and Spiritual Father":

Although the Protestant Reformation did not directly influence the Church in Italy, Philip was aware that something dark and harmful was happening in the Lord’s vineyard. Philip lived his priesthood in a Church torn apart by heresy, schism and even cruel martyrdom. He had a particular love and concern for the seminarians of the Venerable English College in Rome. He was aware that the majority of these students, once ordained priests, would return to England and ultimately shed their blood as martyrs for Christ and his Church. To this day, the seminarians of the English College sing first vespers on the Solemnity of Saint Philip Neri at the Chiesa Nuova in honor of the Roman priest who blessed their forebears on their way to martyrdom.

Historians have opined that Saint Philip played a large role in protecting Rome from the intrusion of the errors of Protestantism. He did this in at least three ways. First, he organized a prayer group known as the Oratory for young people. The youth would gather in his presbytery each week, or several times a week, to read and discuss Sacred Scripture, to pray spontaneously, to sing hymns and to present ferverinos (short and fervent presentations on a theme assigned by Saint Philip) on Christian doctrine, the virtues and the lives of the saints.

In effect, Philip, by introducing the young to a form of lectio divina, taught them to pray with the Scriptures. Their presentations on doctrine and the lives of the saints helped the young to interpret the Scriptures within the sacred tradition of the Church. At the same time, Father Philip was preparing his spiritual children to explain the faith to their contemporaries and defend it whenever necessary, especially if Reformation thought found its way into Italy. In effect, Saint Philip’s prayer meetings formed contemplative apologists of the faith.

The booklet also contains an essay by Sandra Miesel, "Saint Philip's Legacy: Holiness and Friendship", and Discussion Questions. Here is more about the film:

Saint Philip Neri: I Prefer Heaven

DVD | 205 minutes

An epic feature film on the famous "Apostle of Rome" and great friend of youth in the 16th century. One of the most popular saints of all time, St. Philip Neri was widely known for his great charity, deep prayer life, and tremendous humor. Hoping to join St. Ignatius of Loyola's new order of Jesuits and be a missionary to India, Philip was instead guided by Providence to seek out the poor and abandoned youth of Rome to catechize them in the faith and help them find a better life. He became the founder of the religious congregation, the Oratory, that worked with the youth and also labored to re-evangelize a decadent Rome.

This captivating film highlights Neri's great love for youth, his warm sense of humor, contagious joy, deep mystical spirituality, and his amazing gift for miracles. Actor Gigi Proietti gives a moving performance as St. Philip in this beautifully produced film that is directed by Giacomo Campiotti, director of the acclaimed films Bakhita: From Slave to Saint and St. Giuseppe Moscatti. Includes a 16 page booklet including essays by Carl E. Olson and Sandra Miesel.

This DVD contains the following language options: Italian with English or Spanish subtitles. This is a Region 1 DVD (playable ONLY in Bermuda, Canada, the Cayman Islands, United States and U.S. territories).

Michael Hesemann to guest on CatholicTV on Tuesday, May 29th

2012-05-26T09:46:34-07:00

WATERTOWN, MA (May 25, 2012) – Michael Hesemann to Appear on Live Talk Show of the CatholicTV® Network

On Tuesday, May 29, 2012, Michael Hesemann, who worked with Msgr. Georg Ratzinger on the book My Brother, the Pope, will be featured on the CatholicTV Network’s nationally broadcasted live talk show; This is the Day.

Michael Hesemann has become one of the most important religious historians in the world. Accredited as a journalist by the Holy See Press Office, he is one of few academic historians who have been granted access to the Vatican Secret Archives for research.

Born in Duesseldorf, Germany, he studied history, cultural anthropology and journalism at Germany’s Goettingen University. Hesemann has written more than 30 books, and has been involved in the production of a number of documentaries throughout his career.

In “My Brother the Pope,” Msgr. Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI’s older brother, gives insight to the Ratzinger family, and the close friendship two brothers developed early and have maintained for more than 80 years.

Msgr. Ratzinger became an accomplished musician and, while his younger brother was becoming known in German academic circles as a brilliant young professor, he would become the director of the world-famous cathedral choir of Regensburg, Germany, the Regensburger Domspatzen. The Ratzingers endured the difficult period of National Socialism in Germany, and the brothers went on to become priests and leaders, with one of them, ultimately, Pope Benedict XVI.

Msgr. Ratzinger recalls their lives in intimate detail, and warmly. In the process, he paints a beautiful portrait of Catholic family life and, in the most literal sense, of enduring fraternal charity. The words are seasoned and complemented by many photographs in black and white and color.

“My Brother the Pope” is available in hardcover and eBook format for the Kindle, Nook, iPad and more from Ignatius Press. Ignatius Press is among the largest U.S. publishers and distributors of Catholic books, magazines, videos, DVDs, and music. It is the primary English-language publisher of Pope Benedict XVI’s books.

For more information visit: www.ignatius.com/promotions/my-brother-the-pope.

Bad Religion, Bad Results

2012-05-25T00:03:00-07:00

Bad Religion, Bad Results | Christopher White | Catholic World Report

Ross Douthat's book, Bad Religion, sets out to explain "how we became a nation of heretics".

Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics
by Ross Douthat
Free Press (New York, 2012)
337 pages.

In a 2005 study conducted by sociologists Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton, they found that 97% of teenagers professed some sort of belief in the divine. 71% of those teenagers also agreed that they were “very” or “somewhat” close to God, and an overwhelming majority identified themselves as Christians. Contrary to public opinion—and the fear of many parents and churches around the nation—secularism does not appear on the rise in the United States. Celebration, however, would be premature. According to Ross Douthat, it’s not that we no longer have religion in this country. Instead, we have bad religion—which is the theme (and title) of Douthat’s latest book Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics.

For Douthat, the youngest ever New York Times op-ed columnist, “America’s problem isn’t too much religion, or too little of it.” Bad religion, according to the author, is “the slow-motion collapse of traditional Christianity and the rise of a variety of destructive pseudo-Christianities in its place.” Chock full of telling anecdotes and history, Douthat surveys the rise and decline of mainline Protestantism in the United States, as well as the golden era of American Catholicism that reached its peak in the 1960’s. For Catholics and Protestants alike, much of the twentieth century was defined by an individual or a family’s commitment to their particular faith tradition, which had a core understanding of orthodox beliefs and practices, dubbed by the Anglican C.S. Lewis as a mereChristianity. The problem today, however, is that most Americans are losing that center.

Continue reading...

Liturgical Diversity in the Third Millennium

2012-05-24T00:44:53-07:00

Liturgical Diversity in the Third Millennium | Charles G. Mills | Homiletic & Pastoral Review

The liturgy in the West, today, is far richer than that set forth in the liturgical books promulgated by Pope Paul VI.

In the 1970s, it was generally assumed that the liturgical reform, called for by Vatican II, had taken its final shape with the publication of the new liturgical books. Recent events have shown clearly, however, that the liturgy in the West, today, is far richer than that set forth in the liturgical books promulgated by Pope Paul VI.

Recent decisions regarding the extraordinary or older form of the Roman Rite, the Anglican Catholic Rite, and the ancient rites of religious orders, opened the door to a rich variety of rites. In the 1970s, however, most insisted that, outside of a few places in Milan, Spain, and Portugal, there was only one way to celebrate a Latin or Western Mass: the Roman Rite of Paul VI. The flexibility of the newer, or ordinary form, of the Roman Rite has proven to be an inadequate substitute for a variety of rites.

The most important alternative to the ordinary form of the Roman Missal, promulgated by Paul VI, is the extraordinary or older form of the Roman Mass. This form of the Mass has a much more extensive, richer text of its ordinary parts. It has fewer Gospels, Epistles, and Lessons. Unlike the newer form, there is never both an Epistle and a Lesson on the same day. The older rubrics are much more detailed and strict than the newer ones. There are more allowed variations in the newer form than in the older one. Unlike the very flexible newer rite, there are a very limited number of forms the older right can take. The flexibility of the newer rite has not always been completely positive. The alternatives to the newer form of the Roman Rite are described below, with special attention to the older form of the Roman Rite, which is the only alternative most pastors will encounter.

Many people currently misunderstand what distinguishes the two forms of the Roman Mass.

Continue reading at www.HPRweb.com.

Catholic Education and Life Down Under

2012-05-23T15:56:11-07:00

Catholic Education and Life Down Under | CWR Staff | Catholic World Press

An interview with Tracey Rowland, Dean of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne, Australia.

Dr. Tracey Rowland is Dean and Associate Professor of Political Philosophy and Continental Theology at the John Paul II Institute (Melbourne), a member of the Centre for Theology and Philosophy at the University of Nottingham, and a member of the editorial board of the English-language edition of Communio, founded, among others, by Joseph Ratzinger. She is the author of Culture and the Thomist Tradition: After Vatican II (2003), Ratzinger’s Faith: The Theology of Benedict XVI (2008), and, most recently, Benedict XVI: A Guide for the Perplexed (2010). Catholic World Report interviewed her recently about the John Paul II Institute, the writings and thought of Blessed John Paul II, and the state of Catholicism in Australia.

CWR: Thirty years ago this October, Blessed John Paul II issued the apostolic constitution Magnum Matrimonii Sacramentum, promulgating the Pontifical Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family, which today has campuses all over the world. What specific hopes and goals did he have for the institute?

Tracey Rowland: Blessed John Paul II hoped that the institute could undertake the academic work needed to defend marriage and family life. Most dioceses have pastoral agencies to help struggling families, but in the post-1968 intellectual climate it was no longer a simple case of providing pastoral support, but of intellectually defending the whole notion of marriage as something worthwhile in itself.

Extensive research also needed to be undertaken in the ancillary fields of bioethics, sexuality education, natural family planning, taxation policies, and secularism. One could say that the mission of the institute was to undertake the intellectual work needed to promote a culture of life and a civilization of love.

CWR: This past summer marked the 10th anniversary of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and the Family in Melbourne. How did the institute come to be established in Australia? What has been your involvement with the school?

Read the entire interview on www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

Catholic feminist admits the CDF is right about wayward Sisters

2012-05-23T00:07:00-07:00

by Carl E. Olson | Catholic World Report

After the CDF released a Doctrinal Assessment on April 18th focused on the renewal of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), various Catholics came out in support of the (supposedly) unfairly maligned sisters. Sure, the common line went, some problems exist here and there, but everyone knows women religious are almost uniformly selfless, dedicated, and orthodox. They are also, it was said, defenseless and stunned by the CDF's document. Further, the "attacks" on these aging sisters by the Vatican (or "Rome", or "the Pope", or "tyrannical, white men who can't jump") are not only based on wildly exaggerated and politically-motivated accusations, they reflect the sort of ultra-conservative, hyper-controlling, mega-authoritarian approach so common among bishops since the Second Vatican Council.

Many disagreed, including myself (shocking, I know). More surprising is the disagreement of Catholic feminist and journalist Angela Bonavoglia, author of Good Catholic Girls: How Women Are Leading the Fight to Change the Church. In contrast to many of her progressive allies, Bonavoglia doesn't think women religious have been wrongly accused. Instead, she thinks the CDF is mostly on the mark in identifying the actions and beliefs of the LCWR leadership (and others), but that the CDF is completely wrong to think those actions and beliefs are anything but good, wholesome, and necessary. She writes, in a May 21st piece for The Nation titled, American Nuns: Guilty As Charged?:

After giving an obligatory nod to the sisters’ good works in schools, hospitals and social service agencies, the CDF devoted the remainder of its Doctrinal Assessment to attacking the sisters for failing to provide “allegiance of mind and heart to the Magisterium of the Bishops”; focusing on the “exercise of charity” instead of lambasting lesbians, gays, and women who use birth control or have an abortion; refusing to accept the ban on women’s ordination; allowing “dialogue” on contentious subjects; and tampering with the notion of God the “Father” while promulgating other “radical feminist” theological interpretations. The CDF’s solution: send in three men, an archbishop and two other bishops, to take control of LCWR for five years.

This led to an enormous outpouring of support to the sisters. But to anyone who has been watching the nuns closely, an unsettling observation emerges: these charges appear, in some measure, to be true. But that is not because, as the Assessment insists, LCWR has rejected “communion” with the church. Instead, it is evidence of a theological conflict that is raging in the Catholic Church, a conflict that most of us only notice when it spills over into American politics.

Bonavoglia is, of course, correct in situating the wayward beliefs and actions of certain women religious within a larger context. And she is right to point to a "theological conflict that is raging in the Catholic Church", even though I disagree with how she fleshes out that description—a description reliant on the same tired, and misleading "liberal vs. conservative" paradigm that has been in vogue since the time of the Council itself:

Continue reading on the Catholic World Report blog.

Mark Brumley's Pick of the Week: "a book every adult Catholic should read at least once..."

2012-05-23T00:03:00-07:00

40% off Mark Brumley's Pick of the Week*

I can't tell you my all-time-favorite Ignatius Press book because I have several "all-time favorites". Far be it from me to talk up one over the others. However, here's a book every adult Catholic should read at least once--Theology and Sanity by Frank Sheed, the famous author, publisher and street teacher.

Theology and Sanity is simply one of the best books on the Catholic faith ever written. Period. It offers clear thinking (sanity) when it comes to God and what he has created (everything else).

This book revolutionized my life when I first read it over thirty years ago. I was then an Evangelical Protestant and a fan of C.S. Lewis. I challenged a Catholic friend to show me the Catholic Lewis. My friend handed me Theology and Sanity.

Frank Sheed was, like C.S. Lewis, a master of lucidity. It was Sheed who first led me to think seriously about Catholicism.

Theology and Sanity is Sheed's masterpiece. Don't be put off by the word "theology" in the title. This is no abstract, hifalutin tome. Every word of it was "street tested" in Hyde Park and elsewhere, in Sheed's platform talks for the Catholic Evidence Guild and his inevitable encounters with the anti-Catholic hecklers. You'll be shocked by how much Sheed makes theology make sense! You won't look at the world in the same way after you've read this book.

Theology and Sanity is available in print and ebook format. Plus, don’t miss Sheed's other books--Saints are not Sad, A Map of Life, and To Know Christ Jesus.

Buy two copies--one for you to read and keep, and the other to give away to a friend or family member.

*Employee Pick of the Week program features savings of 40% off a book, movie, or compact disc personally chosen and recommended by an Ignatius Press employee. Each week, an Ignatius Press employee will select a favorite book, movie, or other Ignatius Press product and write a few sentences about why he/she thinks customers will enjoy the particular selection. A short bio of the selecting employee will also be included, giving customers a chance to learn a bit more about the people who are Ignatius Press. Email blast items below are not 40% off, but 20% off

Mark Brumley is President of the Board of Directors of Guadalupe Associates and Chief Executive Officer for Ignatius Press. He also oversees magazines for Ignatius Press and is associate publisher of IgnatiusInsight.com. His articles have appeared in a wide variety of publications. Mark lives in Napa, California with his wife and children.

Offer ends Tuesday May 29th, 2012 at 12:00 midnight EST.
These prices are available online only through Ignatius.com

Preparing for Pentecost with 20% off

Penecost is this coming Sunday, May 27th. To prepare for this feast, Ignatius Press is offering 20% off a selection of books and movies. From books by Pope Benedict, Scott Hahn to Peter Kreeft as well as DVDs hosted by Steve Ray, we have plenty of titles to help you prepare for Pentecost.

Books

One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic
The Early Church Was the Catholic Church
Kenneth Whitehead
Whitehead shows in this book how the early Church has, in fact, not disappeared, but rather has survived and persisted, and is with us still. "Reformers" are not so much the ones needed by this Church as are those who aspire to be saints—to follow Christ seriously and always to fulfill God's holy will by employing the means of sanctification which Christ continues to provide in the Church.
Regular price: $16.95, sale price: $13.56

Holiness is Always in Season
Pope Benedict XVI
This inspiring volume presents the Pope's numerous reflections on many saints arranged according to the calendar year. He shows how the life of each saint has something unique to teach us about virtue, faith, courage and love of Christ.
Regular price: $21.95, sale price: $17.56

The Church of God
Body of Christ and Temple of the Holy Spirit
Fr. Louis Bouyer
How does the Church perceive herself? Fr. Louis Bouyer's The Church of God sets out to answer that question, in light of Tradition and theological reflection through the centuries, but especially by drawing on the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.
Regular price: $29.95, sale price: $23.96

New Outpourings of the Spirit
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
This volume consists of two fundamental texts by Cardinal Ratzinger, on the ecclesial movements and new communities within the Church since the Second Vatican Council. These writings are particularly meaningful with regard to the intense spiritual journey which the ecclesial movements and the new communities are experiencing in view of their meeting with Pope Benedict XVI on Pentecost 2006.
Regular price: $14.95, sale price: $11.96

Divine Intimacy
Vol. 1
Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen
Divine Intimacy is considered a classic throughout the Christian world, a work prepared with loving and conscientious labor by one of the great Catholic teachers of our time. Volume I covers from the First Sunday of Advent through the Eighth week of Ordinary Time.
Regular price: $16.95, sale price: $13.56

Church Fathers
From Clement of Rome to Augustine
Pope Benedict XVI
Following his best selling book, Jesus of Nazareth, and his talks published in Jesus, the Apostles, and the Early Church, Pope Benedict's Church Fathers presents these important figures of early Christianity in all their evangelical vitality, spiritual profundity, and uncompromising love of God.
Regular price: $14.95, sale price: $11.96

Blessing Prayers
Devotions for Growing in Faith
Fr. Peter Cameron, O.P.
When you are looking for reassurance of God's love in your life, but can't find the words to fit your need, Blessing Prayers is an ideal guide!
Regular price: $9.95, sale price: $7.96

The Bible For Little Ones
Maite Roche
From Creation to Pentecost, the main stories from the Old and New Testaments are lovingly told and illustrated for very young children.
Regular price: $12.99, sale price: $7.96

Ignatius Bible (RSV), 2nd Edition
A completely new design and typeset edition of the popular Ignatius Revised Standard Version-Catholic Edition Bible, with minor revisions to some of the archaic language used in the first edition.
Regular price: $21.95, sale price: $17.56
Also available in Hardcover and Leather

The Rosary: Chain of Hope
Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel
Fr. Groeschel presents this book of meditations on all 20 mysteries of the rosary. Drawing on his vast personal experiences as well as the grand traditions of the Church, he takes us on a spiritual journey that will inspire us to greater depths of prayer.
Regular price: $14.95, sale price: $11.96

You Can Understand the Bible
Peter Kreeft
You Can Understand the Bible will transform dry study into spiritually satisfying adventures in God's Word.
Regular price: $17.95, sale price: $14.36

The Seven Joys of Mary
Romanus Cessario, O.P.
A beautiful book of meditations illustrated with more than 70 full-color reproductions of the masterpiece The Seven Joys of the Virgin by Hans Memling (c. 1480).
Regular price: $12.95, sale price: $10.36

Inside The Bible
Fr. Kenneth Baker
This book is a popular introduction to each of the 73 books of the Bible designed to help the reader grow in the knowledge and love of God's Word.
Regular price: $17.95, sale price: $14.36

New Testament
Ignatius Catholic Study Bible
the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament brings together all of the books of the New Testament and the penetrating study tools developed by renowned Bible teachers Dr. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch.
Regular price: $24.95, sale price: $19.96
Also available in Hardcover and Leather

The Acts of the Apostles
Ignatius Catholic Study Bible
Scott Hahn, Curtis Mitch
This study bible leads readers through a penetrating study of the Book of Acts, using the biblical text itself and the Church's own guidelines for understanding the Bible.
Regular price: $9.95, sale price: $7.96

Jesus, the Apostles and the Early Church
Pope Benedict XVI
this book tells the drama of Jesus' first disciples — his Apostles and their associates — and how they spread Jesus' message throughout the ancient world.
Regular price: $14.95, sale price: $11.96

Films

Footprints of God: Jesus
The Word Became Flesh
In this edition in the Footprints of God series, join Stephen Ray as he catches fish in the Sea of Galilee, camps along the Jordan, and explores the places Jesus lived and performed his miracles.
Regular price: $24.95, sale price: $19.96

A.D.
A.D. vividly recreates the turbulent years following the death of Christ. This Biblically and historically accurate drama is the perfect resource for any church or home study group wishing to explore the New Testament period, the Early Church, or the Book of Acts.
Regular price: $29.95, sale price: $23.96

Saint Peter
Legendary actor Omar Sharif gives a deeply moving, authentic portrayal in this epic film about St. Peter, the leader of the Apostles and first Pope, filmed on location in Europe.
Regular price: $19.95, sale price: $15.96

Acts
Visual Bible
As a sturdy merchant ship plunges through ancient seas, journey with the physician Luke (Dean Jones) as he tells the enthralling story of danger, struggle and triumph that marks the birth of the Christian church in this epic series based on the Book of Acts.
Regular price: $21.95, sale price: $17.56

The 12 Apostles
This History Channel special provides a revealing look at the group of poor tradesmen who went on to become some of the most celebrated spiritual leaders in all of history.
Regular price: $19.95, sale price: $15.96

Jesus' Early Life and Ministry in Galilee
On a Holy Land Pilgrimage
In this exciting episode of the Holy Land journey with the famed author, film producer/host and veteran pilgrim guide, we visit Galilee and Northern Israel, following in the footsteps of Jesus, Mary and the Apostles.
Regular price: $19.95, sale price: $15.96

Catholic World Report and Homiletic & Pastoral Review

Unintended Problems, Unintended Blessings
by David Paul Deavel

Brad S. Gregory's The Unintended Reformation aims at telling us how the West went from a time when “late medieval Christianity in all its variety was an institutionalized worldview that influenced all domains of human life” to a time he designates as “the Kingdom of Whatever” in which relativism is king and, consequently, a notion of the “good life” has been replaced by “the goods life.” Capitalism and consumerism order the day and the one who dies with the most toys wins. How did this happen?

Liturgical Diversity in the Third Millennium
by Charles G. Mills

In the 1970s, it was generally assumed that the liturgical reform, called for by Vatican II, had taken its final shape with the publication of the new liturgical books. Recent events have shown clearly, however, that the liturgy in the West, today, is far richer than that set forth in the liturgical books promulgated by Pope Paul VI. Recent decisions regarding the extraordinary or older form of the Roman Rite, the Anglican Catholic Rite, and the ancient rites of religious orders, opened the door to a rich variety of rites.

A most quotable day!

2012-05-22T16:30:09-07:00

There have been a number of quotes worth noting and passing along regarding the many lawsuits against the HHS mandate. Let's begin with Timothy Cardinal Dolan, appearing today on "CBS This Morning:

Timothy Cardinal Dolan told "CBS This Morning" Tuesday that the compromise reached earlier this year is not sufficient because the exemptions made for churches are too restrictive.

"They tell us if you're really going be considered a church, if you're going to be really exempt from these demands of the government, well, you have to propagate your Catholic faith and everything you do, you can serve only Catholics and employ only Catholics," Dolan said.

"We're like, wait a minute, when did the government get in the business of defining for us the extent of our ministry," Dolan said. ...

Dolan also criticized Georgetown University's decision to invite Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to speak to graduates of its school of public policy last week because of her role in formulating the policy.

"Well, I do think that's a problem. Georgetown is the oldest Catholic university in the country. Part of Catholic identity is to be in union with the bishops," Dolan said.

"When they would invite someone that is so dramatically at odds with one of the central tenets of the faith, that does bother us," Dolan said.

Next, an excerpt from Mary Ann Glendon's WSJ essay, "Why the Bishops are Suing the U.S. Government":

Like most Americans, the bishops have long taken for granted the religious freedom that has enabled this nation's diverse religions to flourish in relative harmony. But over the past year they have become increasingly concerned about the erosion of conscience protections for church-related individuals and institutions. Their top-rated program for assistance to human trafficking victims was denied funding for refusing to provide "the full range of reproductive services," including abortion. For a time, Catholic Relief Services faced a similar threat to its international relief programs. The bishops fear religious liberty is becoming a second-class right. ...

More is at stake here than the mission of all churches, including the Catholic Church, to provide social services like health care and education to everyone regardless of creed, and to do so without compromising their beliefs. At the deepest level, we are witnessing an attack on the institutions of civil society that are essential to limited government and are important buffers between the citizen and the all-powerful state.

If religious providers of education, health care and social services are closed down or forced to become tools of administration policy, the government consolidates a monopoly over those essential services. As Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, put it, we are witnessing an effort to reduce religion to a private activity. "Never before," he said, "have we faced this kind of challenge to our ability to engage in the public square as people of faith."

And from George Weigel, writing at NRO yesterday:

This argument over the meaning of religious freedom was not initiated by the Catholic Church; it was initiated by an administration that seems to regard “religious freedom” as merely a privacy right to certain kinds of recreational activities (like worship). As in its international human-rights policy (which speaks exclusively of “freedom of worship”), the administration seems unwilling or unable to grasp an elementary truth: Religious convictions are community-forming, and those communities, like the individuals whose conscientious convictions form them, are the subject of genuine religious freedom.

While Obama supporters (including some Catholics) will contend that this is partisan politics, it isn’t — except insofar as the administration has made it so. It was the administration that refused to countenance Catholic concerns before and after the mandate was issued. It was the administration whose apologists (including Secretary Sebelius) bent every effort to turn what was clearly a religious-freedom issue into a “War on Women.” It has been the administration and its Senate allies, like Majority Leader Harry Reid, who have refused to enter into any sort of serious discussion aimed at mitigating Catholic concerns. It is the administration that seems willing to drive the Catholic Church out of health care, education, and social services if that is what is required to enforce the administration’s notions of “reproductive health” and “reproductive choice.” If the administration pays a price for this in November, it will have no one to blame except itself.

Read his entire piece, "The Mandate War". The fourth and final quote is from Brent Bozell of the Media Research Center:

The evening news broadcasts all but spiked the largest legal action in history to defend our constitutionally protected religious freedom. The May 21 editions of ABC’s World News and NBC’s Nightly News refused to report the fact that 43 Catholic dioceses and organizations filed a lawsuit on Monday against the Obama administration. CBS Evening News gave this historic news a mere 19 seconds of air time.

This is the worst bias by omission I have seen in the quarter century history of the Media Research Center. Every American knows about the Chinese communists withholding for 20 years the news that the US had landed on the moon, because it reflected poorly on the government. Our US media today are no different. They are now withholding news from the American people if it is harmful to the re-election of Barack Obama. ...

The fact is that the Catholic Church has unleashed legal Armageddon on the administration, promising ‘we will not comply’ with a health law that strips Catholics of their religious liberty. If this isn't 'news' then there's no such thing as news.

His entire post can be read on the News Busters site. I'm not too taken with the use of "Armageddon", but for those who are familiar with the Book of Revelation, it has a certain if strained viability.

Gay Marriage—Nothing New Under the Sun

2012-05-22T00:38:42-07:00

Gay Marriage—Nothing New Under the Sun | Benjamin Wiker | Catholic World Report

Gay marriage and homosexuality were part of the moral landscape faced by the first Christians in Ancient Rome.

Given that the gay marriage agenda will be increasingly pressed upon Catholics by the state, we should be much more aware of what history has to teach us about gay marriage—given that we don’t want to be among those who, ignorant of history, blithely condemned themselves to repeat it.

Contrary to the popular view—both among proponents and opponents—gay marriage is not a new issue. It cannot be couched (by proponents) as a seamless advance on the civil rights movement, nor should it be understood (by opponents) as something that’s evil merely because it appears to them to be morally unprecedented.

Gay marriage was—surprise!—alive and well in Rome, celebrated even and especially by select emperors, a spin-off of the general cultural affirmation of Roman homosexuality. Gay marriage was, along with homosexuality, something the first Christians faced as part of the pagan moral darkness of their time.

What Christians are fighting against today, then, is not yet another sexual innovation peculiar to our “enlightened age,” but the return to pre-Christian, pagan sexual morality.

So, what was happening in ancient Rome? Homosexuality was just as widespread among the Romans as it was among the Greeks (a sign of which is that it was condoned even by the stolid Stoics). The Romans had adopted the pederasty of the Greeks (aimed, generally, at boys between the ages of 12 to 18). There was nothing shameful about such sexual relations among Romans, if the boy was not freeborn. Slaves, both male and female, were considered property, and that included sexual property.

But the Romans also extended homosexuality to adult men, even adult free men. And it is likely that this crossing of the line from child to adult, unfree to free—not homosexuality as such—was what affronted the more austere of the Roman moralists.

Continue reading this article at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

The Eminent Doctrine of St. John of Avila: A Most Dynamic Priesthood

2012-05-21T00:07:00-07:00

The Eminent Doctrine of St. John of Avila: A Most Dynamic Priesthood | Brother John Paoletti, MIC | Homiletic & Pastoral Review

The prayer, work, and lifestyle of St. John of Avila provides an eminent doctrine for priests and seminarians: intense spiritual life, rooted in faith, coming first in the life of a priest, flowing from an interior union with Christ, consummated, and made real, on Calvary.

Pope Benedict XVI announced, to all the priests and seminarians gathered at World Youth Day in Madrid, that he will soon declare St. John of Avila a doctor of the Church. 1 We should not understand this event as an isolated occurrence. In 2008, Pope Benedict declared the Year of St. Paul, and in doing so, turned our gaze to Christ crucified. Soon thereafter, we celebrated the Year of the Priest, in which we recalled the great dignity of the sacred orders, and the example of St. John Marie Vianney. Declaring St. John of Avila a Doctor of the Church, is yet another action taken by our Holy Father in his efforts to bring revival to the many priests in the third millennium. It is, at the same time, a gift to the entire Church to have a new doctor from which to learn.

Doctors of the Church are distinguished in three ways: by eminent doctrine, by a life of significant sanctity, and by a declaration of the Church. What does John of Avila (nicknamed “The Master”) have to contribute to the doctrine of the Church, and what can we learn by looking at the life he led? These two questions of doctrine, and a living example, are not separate in his life. The prayer, work and overall lifestyle of St. John provides an eminent doctrine for priests and seminarians on how an intense spiritual life, rooted in faith, comes first in the life of a priest, with everything flowing from this interior union with Christ—a union consummated, and made real, on Calvary.

The Rock of Faith
John of Avila (Jan 6, 1500 – May 10, 1559) was raised in a wealthy and religious family in southern Spain. He began to study law but was unsatisfied dealing with the matters of the world, returning home to live the life of a hermit. After three years of seclusion, he encountered a Franciscan friar who was passing through his town. The friar told him that he had too many useful gifts to remain a hermit. So, John left his hometown to study for the diocesan priesthood, being educated by the Dominicans. After ordination, he desired to be a missionary in the Indies. He was prevented from doing so by his local bishop. He spent the rest of his life serving parishes, defending himself against the Inquisition, building seminaries and schools alongside the Jesuits, and offering exceptional spiritual direction to many people, including: St. Teresa of Avila, St. Peter of Alcantara, St. John of God, and St. Francis Borgia.

Read the entire essay at www.HPRweb.com.

Unintended Problems, Unintended Blessings

2012-05-20T23:14:42-07:00

Unintended Problems, Unintended Blessings | David Paul Deavel | Catholic World Report

Brad S. Gregory's The Unintended Reformation traces the lineage from the Reformation to today's relativistic "Kingdom of Whatever"

Brad S. Gregory
The Unintended Reformation
Belknap Press, 2012
592 pages, $39.95

Modern academic history, according to historian Daniel Lord Smail, suffers from “the inflationary spiral of research overproduction, coupled with an abiding fear of scholarly exposure for not keeping up with one’s field.” In other words, academic history has become a thicket of writings telling one more and more about less and less. Or, depending on your cynicism, less and less about less and less. Big picture essays and books are left to popular historians and historical novelists, who are generally officially disdained and privately cherished by the professors. Much easier to write insomnia-curative tomes about “Sinister Service: Left-Handed Archdeacons in the Diocese of York from 1247-1258.” (Yes, I made that up, but admit it: you weren’t sure.)

Brad Gregory is not one of those historians. The Unintended Reformation aims at telling us how the West went from a time when “late medieval Christianity in all its variety was an institutionalized worldview that influenced all domains of human life” to a time he designates as “the Kingdom of Whatever” in which relativism is king and, consequently, a notion of the “good life” has been replaced by “the goods life.” Capitalism and consumerism order the day and the one who dies with the most toys wins. How did this happen?

Gregory does not posit the middle ages as a “lost Golden Age,” but he does credit the Church centered around the bishop of Rome of that time with continuing the institutional, theological, liturgical, and practical legacy of the apostolic and patristic periods—i.e. the Church was indeed noticeably still the Church. In a nod (un-noted) to Chesterton’s Orthodoxy Gregory describes the medieval Church as a “large playground, but one enclosed by forbidding fences—an almost riotous diversity held together in an overarching unity by a combination of ingrained customs, myriad institutions, varying degrees of self-conscious dedication, and the threat of punishment.”

Unfortunately, like any playground, there were some bad kids. Gregory notes the widespread failure of the clergy, especially popes, to advance meaningful institutional reforms. Too often popes and bishops were smokin’ in the boys room themselves.

The upshot is that the kids—the laity—too often had to police the playground themselves. Gregory gives evidence that the fifteenth-century was an age of devotion to Christ and rising concern for the scandalous behavior in the Church. When shepherds would not make concrete reforms the laity did it themselves, often relying on the local political authorities who were all too eager for control over local Churches. When figures like Calvin and Luther decided that the Roman Church’s problem was not just personnel, but the theology itself, there was ample political cover given by the Church’s political “protectors” who were often already at odds with the papacy and its allies anyway over purely secular matters.

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

Maureen Dowd marks the day with a sputtering Feast of Condescension

2012-05-20T01:43:52-07:00

This week the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. Maureen Dowd, meanwhile, is castigating the Church via her own little Feast of Condescension, filled with her usual sour soundbites and tasteless morsels.

As usual, she opens with a dubious assertion, upon which she then clumsily builds her house of snark and sand:

I ALWAYS liked that the name of my religion was also an adjective meaning all-embracing.

By "my religion" she must mean faux Catholicism or catty secularism as the name "Catholicism" does not mean "all-embracing". The Greek word katholikos means "throughout the whole", or universal, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church notes, saying, "The word 'catholic' means 'universal,' in the sense of 'according to the totality' or 'in keeping with the whole.'" (par 830). This refers to two essential qualities: the Church is in union with her head, Jesus Christ , and the Church has been sent by Christ to proclaim the Gospel and draw men into her unity. This unity is not based on vague emotional appeals but in Christ, first, and in the authority, doctrine, worship, and tradition given by him to the Church and safeguarded by the Holy Spirit.

I was a Catholic and I wanted to be catholic, someone engaged in a wide variety of things. As James Joyce wrote in “Finnegans Wake:” “Catholic means ‘Here comes everybody.’ ”

So it makes me sad to see the Catholic Church grow so uncatholic, intent on loyalty testing, mind control and heresy hunting. Rather than all-embracing, the church hierarchy has become all-constricting.

(I didn't know that Joyce was a Catholic bishop and theologian; I thought he was a novelist. Go figure.) Dowd apparently thinks catholicity is some sort of code word for a vague sense of warm, fuzzy tolerance unconcerned completely with specific beliefs, doctrines, and dogmas. She is also apparently unaware of the New Testament and the history of the early Church, which are filled with many examples of loyalty being tested (remember the fellow named Simon Peter? No?) and heresies being exposed and addressed (think, for example, of the seven churches in The Apocalpyse, as well as Docetism, Gnosticism, Arianism, etc.). What Dowd sees as constricting is most likely a matter of definition, clarification, and explanation. And, indeed, that is the case:

It was tough to top the bizarre inquisition of self-sacrificing American nuns pushed by the disgraced Cardinal Bernard Law. Law, the former head of the Boston archdiocese, fled to a plush refuge in Rome in 2002 after it came out that he protected priests who molested thousands of children.

Based on Dowd's hysterical rhetoric ("bizarre inquisition"), one wonders if she ever read the CDF document in question? Because, if she did, she is purposefully and wildly misrepresenting it. As for Law, it's worth recalling that the tensions and difficulties between the LCWR and the CDF date back to 1972, and that whatever influence Law may or may not have exerted doesn't really matter as the key questions are obvious to all sober, serious observers: is the CDF document accurate? Are its concerns warranted? Yes and yes. But, again, that would require reading the document, understanding the history and context, and refusing to be thrown off track by the predictable, tired, and shrill references to the clergy sex scandals.

But the craziness continued when an American priest, renowned for his TV commentary from Rome on popes and personal morality, admitted last week that he had fathered a child with a mistress.

The Rev. Thomas Williams belongs to the Legionaires of Christ, the order founded by the notorious Mexican priest Marcial Maciel Degollado, a pal of Pope John Paul II who died peppered with accusations that he sexually abused seminarians and fathered several children and abused some of them.

This is classic Dowd: she is incapable of constructing a coherent argument or developing even the most fragile thread of logical connections, so falls back on her single gift, as it were: finding a man guilty of a real or perceived crime or flaw, and smiting him like a panicked school girl trying to kill a common spider with a two-by-four.

What, exactly, does the situation involving Fr. Williams have to do with her anger over "the bizarre inquisition of self-sacrificing American nuns"? Actually, there are connections to be made, but they don't serve her purposes at all. For instance, if she is implying that the LCWR leadership (specifically addressed by the CDF) is somehow being unfairly targeted by (take your pick) the Pope, the Vatican, or the dreaded "Rome" while priests who have commited grave sins are being ignored, she is wrong. The Legionaries, of course, have come under tremendous criticism and pressure, and it was then-Cardinal Ratzinger who, as head of the CDF, "promoted the canonical investigation against" Maciel, as ZENIT reported over a year ago. Fr. Williams, it must be pointed out, has admitted his sin and has been removed from public ministry. " I am deeply sorry for this grave transgression", he stated, "and have tried to make amends."

All-encompassing, you see, does not mean that the serious sin of Fr. Williams is of no consequence, just as it doesn't mean that teaching falsehoods about the Church, the person of Christ, salvation, sexuality, contraception, and abortion are of no consequence. And yet no one from the LCWR, as far as I know, has admitted to promoting obvious errors and facilitating serious misrepresentations of Catholic doctrine for years and decades. On the contrary, it appears that the LCWR leaders are circling the wagons and hunkering down in hopes of continuing to travel down The Dissension Trail.

Dowd goes on to defend "silver-haired former Kansas governor" Kathleen Sebelius, described as "a practicing Catholic", while railing against the "dogmatic censorship" of Cardinal Donald Wuerl, whose rejection to Georgetown's shallow sophistry in defending its invitation to an open supporter of abortion (and the HHS mandate) was not only in keeping with his position of rightful authority, but was remarkably restrained considering the arrogance displayed by the university. Dowd then writes of contacting Mario Cuomo, whose measured and thoughtful words (ahem!) demonstrate his remarkable (ahem!!) statesmanship and (ahem!!!) profound wisdom:

“If the church were my religion, I would have given it up a long time ago,” he said. “All the mad and crazy popes we’ve had through history, decapitating the husbands of women they’d taken. All the terrible things the church has done. Christ is my religion, the church is not.

“If they make the mistake of saying that a politician has to put the church before the Constitution on abortion or other issues, there will be no senators or presidents or any other Catholics in government. The church would be wiser to take the path laid out for us by Kennedy than the path laid out for us by Santorum.”

If this is what passes for intelligent commentary among progressives, I'd hate to see what the leftist rabble have to say (oh, never mind; I can simply visit Huff-and-Puff Post and bask in pure, unfiltered ignorance). Yes, there have been some bad popes and many bad Catholics—come to think of it, there have been bad Catholics in our own time who have openly and passionately defended the right to murder the unborn, to the bloody tune of over 30 million since 1972. That is not just mad and crazy and terrible, but demonic and evil.

Oddly enough, the Constitution says nothing about abortion. But, really, what sort of confused nonsense is Cuomo spouting? The Church follows the path established by Christ, a path that exists because of the magisterial teaching that comes to us via apostolic succession, and is fully informed by both faith and reason. His remark about Kennedy and Santorum reveals one thing: he knows well the sort of stale bread crust expected by Dowd's readers, and he happily obliges (all the while muttering, "I'm personally opposed....I'm personally opposed...).

Coming full circle, consider this from the 1908 Catholic Encyclopedia, from the entry for "Catholic":

The combination "the Catholic Church" (he katholike ekklesia) is found for the first time in the letter of St. Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans, written about the year 110. The words run: "Wheresoever the bishop shall appear, there let the people be, even as where Jesus may be, there is the universal [katholike] Church."

So, the word "catholic" does not really mean "all-embracing", but Catholics are certainly called to embrace all of the doctrines and dogmas of the Church. As the Catechism states, "There is an organic connection between our spiritual life and the dogmas. Dogmas are lights along the path of faith; they illuminate it and make it secure. Conversely, if our life is upright, our intellect and heart will be open to welcome the light shed by the dogmas of faith" (par 89). One hopes and prays that Dowd will see and welcome that light.

Also see:

• "The Angry, Lazy Bigotry of Maureen Dowd" (Catholic World Report; May 2, 2012).

"I wish to thank Ignatius Press for the timely publication...

2012-05-19T22:02:20-07:00

... in English of this new book by Nicola Bux, well known for his stance in promotion of the ideas of the Holy Father concerning the repair of the liturgical breach. "Timely" is the right word not because there is anything particularly new in the book, which might throw the advantage in "battle" to either reform group whether it be to those favoring restoration of the Roman Rite and subsequent organic growth within the tradition going back to St. Gregory the Great or be it to the reform of the reform people. Bux honestly and rightly makes his case for rallying to the standard of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. He speaks clearly and convincingly of his understanding of the Pope's will that the usus antiquior find more general use everywhere (in every parish?) of the Catholic Church, thus enabling it to be that mirror to aid the reform of the reformed liturgy.

Bux touches masterfully upon the unquestionable merits of the Mass of the Ages when it comes to fulfilling that which is liturgy's role in the heart of the Church. He argues certain points better than I have seen in the dozen or more books on the topic, which I've had occasion to read and reflect upon over the last few years. Well done! And, yes, timely, Ignatius Press! Thank you!

I find myself particularly sensitive to and in agreement with his arguments, quoting the Pope, concerning kneeling as a posture for both liturgy and prayer (not to limit discussion to the reception of Holy Communion):

Read the rest of Archbishop Thomas E. Gullickson's review of Nicola Bux's new book, Benedict XVI's Reform: The Liturgy Between Innovation and Tradition. Here is more about the book:

When Benedict XVI reestablished the celebration of the older Latin Mass, voices of protest rose up from many sides. The widespread fear was-and is-that the Pope had revealed himself as the reactionary defender of tradition that many have accused him of being since he was the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the former Holy Office.

Defenders of Benedict XVI have responded to these objections by explaining that the use of the Tridentine Rite is not a "step backward" to pre-Vatican II times, but rather a step forward. Now the Church can see what the older rite offered in terms of beauty, reverence, and meaning and perhaps desire more of those elements in the ordinary form of the Mass.

A professor of theology and liturgy, the author of this book explains the motives behind the Pope's decision to allow two forms of the Mass. He does this by turning to the Pope's own theological and liturgical writings, but he also draws from his experiences on various Church commissions and in offices of the Roman Curia.

The author also brings to his subject an astute understanding of current social and spiritual trends both inside and outside the Church. Sensitive to modern man's hunger for the sacred, he desires with Pope Benedict XVI that the Mass be first and foremost a place of encounter with the living God.

Nicola Bux is a priest of the Archdiocese of Bari and a professor of eastern liturgy and sacramental theology. He has studied and taught in Jerusalem and in Rome. He is a consultor to the Congregations for the Doctrine of the Faith and for the Causes of Saints and consultant of the international Catholic theological journal Communio. He was recently named a consultor to the Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff.

The book is also available in electronic book formats.

New books and books to read in an "Orwellian dystopia"

2012-05-18T12:19:36-07:00

Part two of my interview with Brandon Vogt is now up on Brandon's Thin Veil site.

The two topics of discussion are new Ignatius Press releases that have caught my attention and this fun question (as long as it remains theoretical): "Imagine the world has collapsed into an Orwellian dystopia replete with book burnings. You can only save five titles to pass on to your children—what do you select and why?"

Here are my answers. And here is Part One of the interview.

Mark Brumley discusses the YOUCAT....

2012-05-18T11:58:16-07:00

... on the "Discerning Hearts" program. You can listen to the thirty minute interview at www.DiscerningHearts.com.

Not Nearly Blue Enough and Nothing Like Jazz

2012-05-18T10:01:23-07:00

Not Nearly Blue Enough and Nothing Like Jazz | Thomas S. Hibbs | Catholic World Report

The dilemmas of the contemporary Christian filmmaker

Despite the fact that nearly the entire plot of Blue Like Jazz is preoccupied with its main character’s loss and eventual recovery of his Christian faith, its director, Steve Taylor, insists that it is not a Christian movie. In distinguishing Blue Like Jazz—based on Donald Miller’s best-selling semi-autobiographical novel—from Christian films, Taylor has in mind overtly religious films such as Facing the Giants, Fireproof, and Courageous. Unlike these films, Blue Like Jazz contains more humor, is less intent on evangelization, and makes an attempt at engaging secular culture. In another, less welcome way, in terms of box office receipts, Blue Like Jazz has also distinguished itself from explicitly Christian films. Whereas these films have seen long and lucrative runs in theaters, Blue Like Jazz nearly disappeared after a modest opening weekend. Part of the problem with Blue Like Jazz is that it is not complex or subtle enough to appeal to a secular audience, so it ends up appealing to a sub-sub-culture, liberal Christians disaffected from what they take to be the constraints of Southern Evangelicalism.

Blue Like Jazz is the coming of age story of Donald Miller, a smart but sheltered Texas Southern Baptist, who becomes disillusioned with his faith after he discovers that his own mother is having an affair with his church’s married youth minister. Prodded by his secular father, who supplies him with a collection of jazz albums, the most notable of which is John Coltrane’s Love Supreme, he heads off to Reed College in Portland, Oregon, a bastion of academic liberalism. Surrounded by stridently secular students, Miller casts aside his Christian commitment and becomes immersed in a culture that celebrates all the things Miller’s boyhood church warned him against.

The gap between Miller’s former and new life comes to the fore late in the film and resolves itself with a confession of faith that involves mostly apologies for how Christians have behaved. Some Christian critics have objected that while Texas-style Christianity comes under severe criticism in the film, the liberalism at Reed does not receive anything like the same treatment. That’s true in a way; for example, liberalism is not subjected to the sort of mockery that Miller bestows upon the liturgical kitsch of the church of his youth. An early scene in which a pastor uses a prop (a piñata in the form of a cross) to make a point about Jesus is amusing. He has the kids come up and gather round the altar, beneath the piñata; when it shatters, candy comes flowing out. He draws out the lesson for the children: just as the piñata had to be broken so that the kids could get the candy, so Jesus had to be broken for us to receive his blessings.

Although there is some truth to critics’ objections, what is striking about the film is its isomorphic depiction of Texas religion and Northwest liberalism. In a comical way, Miller juxtaposes Christian bumper stickers with liberal bumper stickers.

Read the entire review at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

On Georgetown and the Essential Unity of All Knowledge

2012-05-17T15:18:14-07:00

On Georgetown and the Essential Unity of All Knowledge | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J. | Catholic World Report

Freedoms are being restricted with the aid of Catholics who have denied, in practice, any real connection between reason and revelation.

“Faith’s recognition of the essential unity of all knowledge provides a bulwark against the alienation and fragmentation which occurs when the use of reason is detached from the pursuit of truth and virtue; and in this sense, Catholic institutions have a specific role to play in helping to overcome the crisis of universities today.”

-- Pope Benedict XVI, “Ad Limina Address to U. S. Bishops, May 5, 2012.

In its editorial occasioned by Georgetown University’s invitation to Kathleen Sebelius—a Catholic, who is engineering the requirement that Catholic institutions must provide services to any employee, even if they include things contrary to conscience, faith, and reason—the Catholic Standard (May 10) called the invitation disappointing “but not surprising.” Though this statement is rather blunt, it is probably too mild in light of the damage the invitation causes. It is more than “disappointing,” though it is indeed no “surprise.”

The distance that many Catholic universities are perceived to have moved from Catholicism is, for many, illustrated by the publicity of this invitation. Honoring the person who intends to shut one’s institution down unless it conforms to laws that deny religious liberty and human intelligence seems, at best, dubious.

The best background “theory” about why Sebelius was interested in this invitation is that the Obama administration does not think it can win the election if people are reminded of the economy. Thus, effort is made to shift attention to what are called “moral” issues, a euphemism for the use of “rights” to redefine the whole field of public life. Obama’s advocacy of gay-marriage also falls into this category. The administration understands the value of splitting the religious vote between those who stand for Christian teachings and practices and those who reject them but insist on changing the Church to conform to the secular pattern. However many can be enticed by this tactic may be enough at the polls to win reelection. The only bad prince, as Machiavelli put it, is one who loses power.

The Church would expect, at a time when its liberty of mission and action is threatened by specific governmental decree, that universities, not just Catholic ones, would be the first to come to its aid. But they seem to be the last. They appear mostly indifferent to what has been probably the most unique of American legal innovations about the relation of religion and government. The Sebelius invitation, from the outside, seems an indifference to the Church by those who would be most expected to support her on the grounds of intelligence itself.

The issue is whether universities called “Catholic” have not become rather secular with vague religious symbols still about but no substantial connection with what it is to be Catholic in reason and intelligence. The bishops, for all their courage in facing this question, have not addressed the factual question about what is the actual orientation of universities that are called “Catholic” for whatever reason.

II.

Meanwhile, Pope Benedict XVI has been speaking to various groups of the American hierarchy on their periodic visits to Rome to report on the status of the local Church.

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

40% off Father Fessio's Pick of the Week* (and much more)

2012-05-17T15:11:19-07:00

40% off Father Fessio's Pick of the Week*

Since this is the first in a series of book recommendations by the Ignatius Press staff, I’ll start with some brief background.

In a sense all the books we publish are recommended by the staff. We began as book-loving Catholics, not as professional publishers. And our criteria for selecting books to publish were: 1) we like the book ourselves; 2) we think the book will nourish the Faith.

Those still are our criteria, and we don’t publish any book without meeting together and discussing it.

So now to my first recommendation.

We have a large bookshelf space (see picture) that contains a copy of every book we’ve published since we began publishing in 1978. I walked along it looking at the titles, to help me decide which title I should begin with. I was amazed at how many books—and how many good books—we’ve published over the years. It made my decision of where to start all the more difficult.

But I’ve got to do it. So here it is: G.K. Chesterton’s Everlasting Man. Why?

Of all our books (besides the Ignatius Bible), it’s the one book I wish every Catholic, every Christian, everyone interested in getting to the truth of things would read. It was written over 80 years ago, but it is as relevant today as it was then.

It is a brilliant description of and argument for the uniqueness of man in the world of nature, the uniqueness of Christ among men, and the uniqueness of the Church in human history. It is a classic of the 20th century (at least), one of the best books of a great and prolific author.

I’ve read it at least 20 times myself, always with satisfaction—and more than satisfaction: joy.

It’s available as a single volume or, if you really want to treat yourself, as part of our Collected Works in a volume that also contains his two outstanding biographies of St. Francis of Assisi and St. Thomas Aquinas. It's also available as a downloadable audio file, e-book or audio book on CD.

Go ahead! Enjoy them! Refresh your mind and heart!

Father Fessio, S.J., is the founder and editor of Ignatius Press. For more information about Father Fessio, click here.

*Employee Pick of the Week program features savings of 40% off a book, movie, or compact disc personally chosen and recommended by an Ignatius Press employee. Each week, an Ignatius Press employee will select a favorite book, movie, or other Ignatius Press product and write a few sentences about why he/she thinks customers will enjoy the particular selection. A short bio of the selecting employee will also be included, giving customers a chance to learn a bit more about the people who are Ignatius Press. Email blast items below are not 40% off, but 20% off

Offer ends Tuesday May 22nd, 2012 at 12:00 midnight EST.
These prices are available online only through Ignatius.com

Celebrating the Saints with 20% off

There are many feast days of the Saints for the remainder of May and well into June. In honor of these great saints, Ignatius Press is offering 20% off a selection of books and films. These products go in depth about saints such as Philip Neri, Damien of Molokai, Thomas More, Rita of Cascia and more. Enrich your knowledge of the powerful and inspiring lives they lived and how they dedicated their lives to God in varying degrees (go below the "fold" for more):

Books

The Life of St. Philip Neri
Antonio Gallonio
This account of Philip's life, written by his disciple Antonio Gallonio soon after the saint's death, captures well his holy zeal for God's work in the face of a corrupt and decadent Rome; his great sense of humor, which he would often use to remind people of hidden spiritual realities; and the many extraordinary miracles and conversions wrought by St. Philip both during his lifetime and after his death.
Regular price: $16.95, sale price: $13.56

Saint Paul
Pope Benedict XVI
In this book, Pope Benedict XVI, a profound spiritual leader in his own right and a first-rate theologian and Bible commentator, explores the legacy of Paul. Pope Benedict follows the course of the Apostle's life, including his missionary journeys and his relationship with the other apostles of Jesus such as St. Peter and St. James, and Paul's martyrdom in Rome.
Regular price: $14.95, sale price: $11.95

Four Witnesses
The Early Church in Her Own Words
Rod Bennett
What was the early Church like? Contrary to popular belief, Rod Bennett shows there is a reliable way to know. Four ancient Christian writers—four witnesses to early Christianity —left us an extensive body of documentation on this vital subject, and this book brings their fascinating testimony to life for modern believers.
Regular price: $18.95, sale price: $15.16

The Spirit of Father Damien
The Leper Priest-A Saint for Our Times
Jan de Volder
With careful and even-handed expertise, De Volder follows Father Damien's transformation from the stout, somewhat haughty missionary of his youth, bounding from Europe to Hawaii and straight into seemingly tireless priestly work, to the humble and loving shepherd of souls who eventually succumbed to the same disease that ravaged his flock.
Regular price: $15.95, sale price: $12.76

Simon Called Peter
In the Company of a Man in Search of God
Dom Mauro-Giuseppe Lepori, O.Cist
Abbot Lepori's meditation on the relationship between our Lord and Saint Peter invites us to consider our own relationship with Christ. As he imaginatively retells the well-known stories from the Gospels, he revivifies them and makes them present to us, deepening our understanding of the calling we have received from Jesus and strengthening our confidence that the Lord will, indeed, bring to completion the work of love He has begun in us.
Regular price: $12.95, sale price: $10.36

Saint Anthony and the Christ Child
Helen Walker Homan
Helen Walker Homan contributes her third volume to the Vision Books series of saints for youth in this story of the life of the greatly beloved St. Anthony of Padua.
Regular price: $9.95, sale price: $7.96

The World of Saint Paul
Joseph Callewaert
Joseph Callewaert's engaging work on St. Paul reads like a novel. With inviting, even dramatic, prose, it recounts the story of the great Apostle to the Nations.
Regular price: $16.95, sale price: $13.56

Father Damien and the Bells
Arthur and Elizabeth Sheehan
This is the story of the saintly Fr. Damien, who in 1872 went to the island of Molokai, where lepers had been exiled to live in miserable surroundings.
Regular price: $9.95, sale price: $7.96

Saint Philip of the Joyous Heart
Francis X. Connolly, S.P.S.
This Vision book for young people 9-15 years old tells the story of one of God's most lovable and loving saints, St. Philip Neri.
Regular price: $9.95, sale price: $7.96

Saints Are Not Sad
Short Biographies of Joyful Saints
Frank Sheed
The saints Sheed chose for this collection are from various time periods: six before A.D. 500, seventeen from then to the Reformation, and seventeen from the Reformation to the middle of the twentieth century.
Regular price: $19.95, sale price: $15.96

Book of All Saints
Adrienne von Speyr
Over a period of many years, Adrienne would see the saints (and other devout people) at prayer.This book presents these unique mystical insights into the prayer lives of these many saints.
Regular price: $24.95, sale price: $19.96

St. Thomas More of London
Elizabeth Ince
St. Thomas More comes to life in this biography from the acclaimed "Vision Books" series of saints for youth 9 - 16 years old.
Regular price: $9.95, sale price: $7.96

Scandal of the Incarnation
Irenaeus Against the Heresies
Hans Urs von Balthasar
In this book, quotations from Saint Irenaeus have been arranged thematically in order to show the unity of his Christian view of the world.
Regular price: $14.95, sale price: $11.96

Saints and Heroes
Ethel Pochocki
In this updated anthology Ethel Pochocki, has selected a mixture for older youth of "soldiers and sailors, kings and queens, doctors, lawyers, beggars, thieves, poets, diplomats, fools and cranks," and she has told their stories in her characteristic lively style.
Regular price: $15.95, sale price: $12.76

Saints For Today
Reflections on Lesser Saints
Ivan Innerst
This collection of portraits of the lives of twelve saints, many less well-known, focuses on how each of these particular men and women have a specific message that is significant for those living in our challenging times.
Regular price: $9.95, sale price: $7.96

Married Saints and Blesseds
Ferdinand Holbock
Fr. Holböck's tells the inspiring stories of over 200 married saints and blesseds from the Virgin Mary and St. Joseph to Margaret of Scotland, King Louis of France, Thomas More, and modern examples like Gianna Molla and Louis and Zélie Martin, parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
Regular price: $18.95, sale price: $15.16

King's Good Servant But God's First
The Life and Writings of St. Thomas More
James Monti
The King's Good Servant but God's First is a meticulously documented work with over 1,400 footnotes that makes considerable use of recent research regarding the life, writings and times of Saint Thomas More.
Regular price: $21.95, sale price: $17.56

Films

Saint Philip Neri
I Prefer Heaven
An epic feature film on the famous "Apostle of Rome" and great friend of youth in the 16th century. One of the most popular saints of all time, St. Philip Neri was widely known for his great charity, deep prayer life, and tremendous humor. This captivating film highlights Neri's great love for youth, his warm sense of humor, contagious joy, deep mystical spirituality, and his amazing gift for miracles.
Regular price: $24.95, sale price: $19.96

Saint Anthony
The Miracle Worker of Padua
This is the first major feature length drama on the life of St. Anthony of Padua, the beloved miracle worker and one of the most popular saints in Christian history. Made in Italy with top-notch acting talent, and superb cinematography, this is an outstanding film on the amazing life of St. Anthony.
Regular price: $19.95, sale price: $15.96

Footprints of God: Peter
Keeper of the Keys
Filmed completely on location in Rome and the Holy Land, you will follow Peter from Galilee to Rome to discover answers about the major role of the Papacy in the saga of salvation.
Regular price: $24.95, sale price: $19.96

Saint Rita
Famous as the patron of hopeless situations, St. Rita of Cascia is immortalized in this wonderful, deeply moving film about this beautiful woman who lived in Italy in the 14th century.
Regular price: $24.95, sale price: $19.96

Footprints of God: Paul
Contending For the Faith
Join the adventure in this edition of the Footprints of God series as Stephen Ray, best-selling author and popular Bible teacher, takes you on the road with St. Paul through Israel, Syria, Turkey, Greece and Italy.
Regular price: $24.95, sale price: $19.96

Molokai
This drama is the story of Fr. Damien, who in 1872 went to the island of Molokai, where lepers had been exiled to live in miserable surroundings. Damien earned the trust of of the lepers, and his appeals for help resonated throughout the world.
Regular price: $19.95, sale price: $15.96

St. Anthony of Padua
My Catholic Family
Thomas and his wife Helen guide their children Alex and Sarah in the ways of holiness by teaching them about the lives of the saints. In this episode, explore the life and witness of the great preacher, St. Anthony of Padua.
Regular price: $14.95, sale price: $11.96

Saint Thomas More
My Catholic Family
This episode shows the story of the martyr and patron saint of lawyers, and how to put the virtue of service into practice. .
Regular price: $14.95, sale price: $11.96

Paul of Tarsus
Messenger of Jesus Christ
This fast paced and insightful film takes you on the journey of Paul the Apostle, from his dramatic conversion at Damascus to his total commitment to spreading the Word of God at all costs, to his condemantion and death in Rome.
Regular price: $14.95, sale price: $11.96

Clare and Francis
A major epic feature film on the lives of St. Clare and St. Francis of Assisi shot on location in Italy.
Regular price: $24.95, sale price: $19.96

Man for All Seasons
This is the acclaimed Academy Award winning drama about the conflict between St.Thomas More and King Henry VIII which is filled with intrigue and courage.
Regular price: $19.95, sale price: $15.96

Dear Friends of Ignatius Press,

Ignatius Press is collaborating with the Napa Institute on its second-annual conference, July 26-29, 2012, on the theme “Catholics in the next America”. The conference will showcase inspirational, thought-provoking presentations by world-class Catholic thinkers from among the ranks of our bishops, priests, religious, and lay leaders.

This is, once again, going to be an outstanding conference in northern California’s world-famous Napa Valley winegrowing region.

I am please to tell you that one of this year's featured speakers is Ignatius Press Founder and Editor, Father Joseph Fessio, S.J. Also among the speakers are best-selling Ignatius Press authors Peter Kreeft and Father Robert Spitzer.

This year’s Napa Institute will focus on three topics that affect every Catholic committed to living out the faith in an increasingly secular and atheistic society— Religious Freedom, Catholic Education, and Reason & Faith.

To develop substantive discussion on those important topics, the Napa Institute will feature a renowned keynote and breakout session speakers:

Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Donald Cardinal Wuerl
Bishop Salvatore Cordileone
Bishop Robert Morlino
Bishop Robert Vasa
FatherRobert Barron
FatherJosephFessio, S.J.
Dr. Tim Gray
Frank Hanna III
Hugh Hewitt
Dr. Peter Kreeft
Leonard Leo
Father Robert J. Spitzer, S.J.
Father Norbert Wood, O. Praem.
Elizabeth Yore

Catholic leaders in the Church, theology, apologetics, evangelization, business, education, media, and culture will gather for formation, worship, fellowship, and collaborative mobilization to evangelize the culture.

Please prayerfully consider attending this year’s conference from July 26-29 in Napa Valley, CA. For more information, or to register, please visit the Napa Institute website.

Mark Brumley
President
Ignatius Press

The Image of Man Has Been Raised Up: On the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord

2012-05-17T00:01:00-07:00

The Image of Man Has Been Raised Up: On the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord | Carl E. Olson

"You ascended into glory, O Christ our God, and You delighted the disciples with the promise of the Holy Spirit. Through this blessing, they were assured that You are the Son of God, the Redeemer of the World."
—Troparion for the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Feast of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ

"Christ's Ascension is therefore not a spectacle for the disciples but an event into which they themselves are included. It is a sursum corda, a movement toward the above into which we are all called. It tells us that man can live toward the above, that he is capable of attaining heights. More: the altitude that alone is suited to the dimensions of being human is the altitude of God himself. Man can live at this height, and only from this height do we properly understand him. The image of man has been raised up, but we have the freedom to tear it down or to let ourselves be raised."
— Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, from Images of Hope: Meditations On Major Feasts (Ignatius Press, 2006)

Readings:

• Acts 1:1-11
• Psa. 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
• Eph. 1:17-23 or Heb. 9:24-28; 10:19-23
• Lk 24:46-53

"As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven." (Lk 24:51)

With these simple, matter-of-fact words, Luke describes the Ascension of Jesus, expressed even more concisely in the Creed: "He ascended into heaven." This event is so important for Luke that the Acts of the Apostles opens with a description of the same event. As the disciples looked on, Luke records, Jesus "was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight" (Acts 1:9). Mark's account, heard today, is equally direct and succinct: "So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them, was taken up into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of God" (Mk. 16:19).

This dramatic moment has been celebrated in the Church on the fortieth day after Easter since the earliest centuries. Some of the Church Fathers, including Augustine, said that the feast had been observed since the time of the apostles, although the earliest evidence of its celebration dates to the fifth century. In the Latin Rite in the United States the Feast of the Ascension is one of six solemnities, the others being the solemnities of Mary, Mother of God (January 1); the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15); All Saints (November 1), the Immaculate Conception (December 8), and the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ (December 25).

Despite being a solemnity and a holy day of obligation, the Feast of the Ascension is sometimes completely overlooked or not given much attention. Ask Catholics what is the significance of the Feast and answers aren't always immediate. The rather mysterious nature of the Feast is heightened in some ecclesiastical provinces by its transference from the sixth Thursday of Easter to the following Sunday. [1] In a way, the Solemnity bears a resemblance to the sacrament of Confirmation, the exact meaning of which is not always understood well and suffers for not being more clearly explained and comprehended.

This occasional murkiness is unfortunate because the Ascension is such a joyful event in the work and life of Jesus Christ, as well as being a vital reality in the ongoing life and mission of the Church. To appreciate this joy and vitality we should keep in mind what the Catechism of the Catholic Church states about the liturgical calendar: The Church, "in the course of the year, . . . unfolds the whole mystery of Christ from his Incarnation and Nativity through his Ascension, to Pentecost and the expectation of the blessed hope of the coming of the Lord" (CCC, 1194).

Hinted at here are revealing parallels between the Incarnation and the Ascension and between the Nativity and Pentecost. In the Incarnation the eternal Son of God took on human nature in order to save mankind. By the power of the Holy Spirit, divinity and humanity were united in one Person; the Word became flesh (Jn 1:14) and lowered Himself to the level of dust and death. The Nativity is the physical, outward revelation of this reality: the Christ Child is born and history and the world are never the same.

At the Ascension the crucified, risen Son of God returns to His Father. Having descended to dusty earth, He now returns to heavenly glory. Having conquered death, He ascends to eternal life. But He returns to the right hand of the Father not just as the Word, but as the Incarnate Word. The doors of heaven are now open and humanity can now approach the throne room of God, the way having been paved by the life, death, and resurrection of the God-man. Pentecost, finally, is the manifestation of the God-man's Church, which is both human and divine. The Church was revealed to the world on that day—fifty days after Easter—by the power of the Holy Spirit.

All of this theology is nice enough, but what does it mean for us? It means the Feast of the Ascension is a celebration of salvation won. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that "in the Eastern Church this feast was known as analepsis, the taking up, and also as the episozomene, the salvation, denoting that by ascending into His glory Christ completed the work of our redemption." The tendency is often to think of the Resurrection as the culmination of Jesus' salvific work, but it is the Ascension that places the final stamp of approval on the sacrificial and victorious work of our Savior. This is beautifully expressed in the first chapter of Paul's epistle to the Ephesians:

May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might: which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens ... (Eph. 1:17-20).

Now that the Incarnate Son of God has ascended into heaven and sits in the throne room of God, mankind can follow. United to the Son through baptism and deepening communion with Him through reception of the Holy Eucharist and the other sacraments, the hope of heaven is ours.

"The ascension of Christ is our elevation," declared Leo the Great in a sermon on the Ascension, "Hope for the body is also invited where the glory of the Head preceded us. Let us exult, dearly beloved, with worthy joy and be glad with a holy thanksgiving. Today we not only are established as possessors of paradise, but we have even penetrated the heights of the heavens in Christ." Where the sin of the first Adam closed the gates of Paradise, the righteousness of the new Adam has opened them wide.

Jesus promised His disciples that He would prepare a place for them (Jn. 14). Because of the Ascension, we know He has prepared a place for those who are His. Because of the Ascension, we have the hope of His return and of our future passage into glory. "The Ascension, then," Pope John Paul II explained in May 2000, "is a Trinitarian epiphany which indicates the goal to which personal and universal history is hastening. Even if our mortal body dissolves into the dust of the earth, our whole redeemed self is directed on high to God, following Christ as our guide."

Our Guide has come, died, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. Let us celebrate the Feast!

ENDNOTES:

[1] One question that often arises about the Feast of the Ascension is why do some provinces celebrate the solemnity on the following Sunday and not on the sixth Thursday of Easter? The short answer is that the bishops of those regions believe that it makes sense pastorally to do so.

The website for the United States Council of Catholic Bishops has a page explaining some of the situation based on the norms of the Code of Canon Law. It notes that Sunday and the six solemnities referred to above are holy days of obligation. It then quotes Canon 1246§2: "However, the conference of bishops can abolish certain holy days of obligation or transfer them to a Sunday with prior approval of the Apostolic See." Further on, the page has the following explanation:

"In accord with the provisions of canon 1246§2 of the Code of Canon Law . . . the National Conference of Catholic Bishops of the United States decrees that the Ecclesiastical Provinces of the United States may transfer the Solemnity of the Ascension of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter to the Seventh Sunday of Easter according to the following procedure.

"The decision of each Ecclesiastical Province to transfer the Solemnity of the Ascension is to be made by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the bishops of the respective Ecclesiastical Province. The decision of the Ecclesiastical Province should be communicated to the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and to the President of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. [dated August 6, 1999, Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord]."

A reason often given for moving the day of the Feast from Thursday to Sunday is that many more Catholics (who are usually working on weekdays) can attend the holy day of obligation. It has also been suggested that this will allow priests, liturgists, and musicians to devote more time to prepare for the Feast of the Ascension.

(This article was originally published in 2004 in Our Sunday Visitor in a slightly different form.)

Related IgnatiusInsight.com Articles and Book Excerpts:

• The Dignity of the Human Person: Pope John Paul II's Teaching on Divinization in the Trinitarian Encyclicals | Carl E. Olson
• The Liturgy Lived: The Divinization of Man | Jean Corbon, O.P.
• Theosis: The Reason for the Season | Carl E. Olson
• Jean Daniélou and the "Master-Key to Christian Theology" | Carl E. Olson
• Creation, Salvation, and the Mass | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• "The Central Event of History" | Fr. James V. Schall, S.J.
• Creation | Adrienne von Speyr
• Are Catholics Born Again? | Mark Brumley

Newsflash: I agree with Dan Brown on something!

2012-05-16T19:43:09-07:00

The Boston Globe sounds the warning: Dan Brown is working on a new book. The acclaimed historian author pulp fiction peddler has this to say:

I can tell you there is another book in progress. I am having a great time with it. I cannot share with you the subject matter or the location, but it’s another ROBERT LANGDON THRILLER in the world of symbols and codes. It opens in a much different way than my other books, and Langdon is in a very different situation than he’s ever been in and has to use a different set of tools to extricate himself.

Hmmm. A "different set of tools", eh? How about one or more of the following, Mr. Langdon:

1. A brain. For someone who is so smart, you ain't too smart
2. Real books by real scholars. Margaret Starbird is not a good source for anything but nonsense.
3. Humility. I know, I know; arrogance is your essential personality trait. Still...
4. Laryngitis. It would cut down on the painful, embarrassing dialogue. And shorten the book by 88.438%.
5. A thesaurus. On second thought...

Brown adds the following: "Once I pick a topic and location, I have to read a lot to educate myself." I agree! He has to. But does he? The evidence doesn't speak well for the level of his self education.

The SSPX and the Electronic Grapevine

2012-05-16T00:07:00-07:00

The SSPX and the Electronic Grapevine | Michael J. Miller | Catholic World Report

Document leaks fuel speculation about schism within the SSPX on the eve of major CDF meeting.

A letter by the General Superior of the Society of St. Pius X clarifying his response to Rome’s Doctrinal Preamble was submitted to the Vatican on April 17 and now awaits review on May 16 by the “Wednesday meeting” of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The cardinals and bishops of the CDF will discuss Bishop Bernard Fellay’s response, and then deliver their individual opinions and reasons to the Holy Father. After studying the dossier, Benedict XVI will decide whether or not to reinstate the Society of St. Pius X canonically as an approved apostolic society of priests in the Catholic Church.

Meanwhile, two private letters written in early April—one by the three other bishops of the SSPX and a response to it by Bishop Fellay and his two assistants—were anonymously posted on the Internet. This was the first major leak from within the Society since they began their theological discussions with the CDF in 2009. The contents of the letters should surprise no one who has heard or read public statements by the same writers: Bishops Tissier de Mallerais, Galarreta and Williamson sternly warn that negotiations with Rome are a trap that will lead to assimilation and compromise with the principles of Tradition; Bishop Fellay urges his brother bishops to take a supernatural view of the Church and to consider the vast improvement in the Society’s situation vis-à-vis Rome in recent years.

The manner in which these two documents were leaked is itself newsworthy. Almost immediately after the confidential letters were posted online, a friend notified the editor of the Traditional-Catholic blog Rorate Coeli, who downloaded a copy of each. He reported the leak on May 9, while refusing on principle to divulge the contents. On May 10 he described the formats of the respective documents: a PDF file created on April 19 of the actual letter signed and sent by Bishop Fellay on April 14, and a PDF file created on April 5 of an unsigned draft version of the earlier letter from the three bishops (eventually dated April 7), together with a .DOC file containing an English translation thereof.

Continue reading at www.CatholicWorldReport.com.

On Writing, Reading, and Fr. Barron's "Catholicism"

2012-05-16T00:01:00-07:00

I was recently interviewed by Brandon Vogt of The Thin Veil; the first part of the inteview is now available for viewing, commenting, and memorizing:

Q: You've run Ignatius Insight for a while, and with your books and editing roles your days are filled with writing. What are some of the ups and downs of being a full-time writer?

Readers might be surprised to learn that not only did I invent the Internet, I was the first blogger. Ever. And if any readers aren't surprised to hear that news, I humbly acknowledge their trust and suggest they seek therapy for gullibility susceptibility syndrome.

But, more seriously (if only slightly), this summer will mark ten years as a blogger—or, as I prefer to be called, “author of thousands of mini-books that don't cost readers a cent.” I began blogging in June 2002, shortly after becoming editor of Envoy magazine, and then began blogging on Insight Scoop in May 2004, after taking the job as editor of Ignatius Insight.

Which brings me to your question. First, I think being able to make a living as a writer is a privilege, and I hope to never take it for granted. Writing is a craft and an art, of course, and so deserves due compensation, but a writer must earn a hearing and a readership.

One of the challenges of being a writer is to develop and build trust with readers, which is a complicated and even mysterious process, but necessarily involves integrity—personally, professionally, and everything in between. And since I obviously write often—almost daily!—about Catholicism, I have a great responsibility to present and articulate Catholic doctrine, theology, practice, and history as accurately as possible. I do so first as a Catholic, but then as someone with a vocation to communicate, as best I can, the truth regarding everything I write about, even in the shortest and least consequential blog posts.

Ah, so that's what evolution looks like!

2012-05-15T16:34:20-07:00

Thomas Haine takes the time to document President Obama's painful, historical "evolution" on "same-sex marriage":

In 1996, Obama affirmed “I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages.” (In another document that year he promised his support for a gay marriage resolution in Illinois.) But only two years later, on another questionnaire, he was just “undecided.” Then in 2004, he stated, “I am not a supporter of gay marriage as it has been thrown about, primarily as a strategic issue.” In 2006 he wrote “it is my obligation … to remain open to the possibility that my unwillingness to support gay marriage is misguided.” In 2008 at Saddleback Church, he said “I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman.” Again that same year to MTV, “I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman. I am not in favor of gay marriage.”

Then, two years after his election, Obama’s public evolution began. In October 2010: “I have been to this point unwilling to sign on to same-sex marriage primarily because of my understandings of the traditional definitions of marriage. But I also think you’re right that attitudes evolve, including mine. … I think it’s fair to say that it’s something that I think a lot about.” In December 2010, he said, “My feelings about this are constantly evolving. I struggle with this.” In June 2011, White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer stated, “The president has never favored same-sex marriage. He is against it. The country is evolving on this, and he is evolving on it.” On October 3, 2011, Obama said, “I’m still working on it.” For the next few months it was often reported, and never rejected, that Obama’s opinion was still evolving. Then last week, the administration was lulled out of its slumber by Joe Biden’s bumbling remark on May 6 (which seemed to offer his support for gay marriage), but stuck to the old position that Obama’s opinion was still evolving. Jay Carney stated on May 7 that the President’s opinion “is what it was.” Then, two days later, Obama spoke: “I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.”

So, to summarize: Obama was for gay marriage, before he was undecided, before he was against it, before his feelings were evolving again, before he was both against it and evolving at the same time, before he was simply working on it, before his position was “what it was,” before he was for it again, 16 years after the saga began.

Haine then notes: "The reactions to his announcement have been almost as interesting as the narrative itself. Some liberal commentators have reacted tepidly, while others are doing their best to celebrate, painting Obama again as a paragon of political courage. But the only way to admire Obama for his transformation on marriage is to refuse to read the timeline." One suspects that is a risk the President and his advisors are willing to risk. Read Haine's entire essay, "Explaining Obama's Evolution" on the Public Discourse site.

Speaking of timelines, here is a basic graphic depicting the "evolution of civilzation" for those who want to start with the big picture before getting into the details: