Dr. Taylor Marshall | Canterbury Tales

Christian Courtesy & the Fountain of Life

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 07:09:29 PDT

I’m sitting in the Dallas/Fort Worth airport right now. I'm on my way to Denver to speak at the Catholic Media Conference.

I just successfully finished dodging through the TSA labyrinth of pain. My belt and shoes are back on now. I've collected my accouterments. I am struck by how inhumanely the TSA workers treat us, and how inhumanely the flyers treat the TSA workers in return.

It’s a ping pong match of disrespect.

Then, I go to purchase a green tea. Again, the customers in line are cold to the coffee bar workers. An alien might assume that the customers are being forced to buy something they don't want form people they don't like. The coffee bar workers are doing their best to smile and take orders.

When I make my order, I try a little experiment. I say, “Good morning ma’am, may I please have a green tea and a bottled water. Thank you. I appreciate it. Have a nice day.”

A smile and some personal friendliness immediately transform the ladies behind the counter. To give them a smile and something personal was like giving a Route 44 Sonic Ocean Water to a man dying of thirst in an Arab desert. A smile can be a fountain of life. Oh, and unlike my comrades in line, I actually received shiny happy service from the ladies behind the counter.

It feels good to be courteous. I wish I had seasoned the TSA workers with a little smile and a kind word. Maybe even a “God bless you.”

Call it the theology of working your way through an airport. Shouldn’t we Christians be courteous? We speak a lot about the theology of the human body and the dignity of human life. Shouldn’t we also show courtesy to the TSA and the coffee workers? Shouldn't "smiling" be part of the theology of the body? The face is the mirror of the soul. It should be that people everywhere implicitly know, “Christians have joy. I like them. Maybe I'll become one of them?”

Godspeed,

Taylor

PS: This is completely unrelated. I just now saw at the airport newsstand a magazine (the Atlantic) cover-title that reads “What Straights Can Learn From Gay-Couples: Why Homosexuals have Happier and More Meaningful Relationships Than Heterosexuals.” Something like that. The media war is on. They won’t stop until they have full victory. Keep Calm and Keep Scapulars On...

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The War is in Your Soul - An Enemy Within

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 07:53:15 PDT

Who is your greatest enemy? The friend who hurt you so badly years ago? Someone who persecutes you? The government? The devil?

Let me suggest that your greatest enemy is yourself. God made you to be with Him forever. Your divinely appointed destiny is to enter eternal bliss and be perfectly happy for ever.

But there is only one person in the world that can lose that for you. Only one person can forfeit eternal beatitude: You.

It's more than that. Which voice tells you that you're a failure? Tells you that people will laugh at you.?Tells you that you cannot succeed? Tells you that you're no good. Tells you that you're a loser? Tells you that your ideas are worthless? Tells you that people don't love you? Tells you that God doesn't love you?

Chances are, the voice that speaks that way most often and the loudest is not your boss, spouse, or enemy. It's the voice in your head. You are your own worst critic. We often do the devil's work for him freely.

Thanks to Adam and Eve, there is a battle raging inside of all of us. I feel it. You feel it. Almost 2,000 years ago Saint Paul described it like this:

“I find then a law, that when I have a will to do good, evil is present with me. For I am delighted with the law of God, according to the inward man: But I see another law in my members, fighting against the law of my mind and captivating me in the law of sin that is in my members.” (Romans 7:21–23, D-R)

So what's the answer? How do we battle this enemy of concupiscence within? Saint Paul explains:

“But in all these things we overcome, because of Him that hath loved us. For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor might, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37–39, D-R)

The answer is "because of Him that have loved us." Nothing can separate us form that infinite love. Yes, you can resist and squander that gift. The rejection of divine love is called mortal sin. We're in mortal combat with ourselves. At the end of time, we'll look back and see that the battle was not chiefly against Satan or evil governments. The battle is within. It's against yourself.

Whatever you do, don't panic. God wants you to be saved (1 Tim 2:4), and He's doing everything possible for you. He loves you!!! Here's Saint Paul's advice for the inner battle:

“Watch ye: stand fast in the faith: do manfully and be strengthened. Let all your things be done in charity.” (1 Corinthians 16:13–14, D-R)

Don't give up. You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you!

Comments: Do you feel this battle inside? How does Christ lead you to the victory? Please leave a comment

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Why God is Father, not Mother

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 09:41:33 PDT

Why do we say, "Our Father" and not "Our Mother"? God the Father, it would seem, does not have sexual organs of gender. Why then is He God the Father?

Lately, we have been exploring the way the culture of death manipulates the words of our language to gain ground in the culture war. So far, we've looked at Enlightenment use of the term "individual" and then, more recently, the phrases "gay marriage" and "marriage equality."

We are observing the careful strategy to strip "personhood" away from what it means to be human. Ultimately, this is a demonic attempt to undermine the way we know God as Father.

Our Lord Jesus Christ revealed God as His Father. Christ's mission, among other things, was to reveal that God could become our Father and so He taught us to pray "Our Father."

The Fatherhood of God goes back to the Old Testament: "He shall cry out to me: Thou art my Father." (Psalm 88:27)

But why is God "Our Father" and not "Our Mother"?

Sacred Scripture does use maternal language God. The Prophet Isaiah reveals:

"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you” (Isa 49:15), and "As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you" (Isa 66:13).

These are metaphors of God's tender mercy and compassion. Many have argued that passages like this prove that God is equally "Our Mother." Is this the case? Scripture and Tradition answer in the negative.

Here's the answer briefly. God created us male and female. Just like the rest of the animal kingdom, we humans are male and female. The Bible associates man with the actualizing power of the divine and the woman with the receptive power of the creation.

The marriage of a man and woman signifies the sacramental union of the uncreated God with creatures. When a husband enters the bride, a new life springs forth. When God enters creation, the Life of the World springs forth. The Incarnation of Christ is revealed.

This is why nature, creation, and the Church are always feminine. We speak of Mother Nature, Mother Earth, and Mother Church. These signify the receptive womb or matrix awaiting divine life.

This is also why Saint Paul associates the rejection of God with homosexual behavior (gay and lesbian) in the first chapter of his Epistle to the Romans:

“Who changed the truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause, God delivered them up to shameful affections. For their women have changed the natural use into that use which is against nature. And, in like manner, the men also, leaving the natural use of the women, have burned in their lusts, one towards another: men with men, working that which is filthy and receiving in themselves the recompense which was due to their error.” (Romans 1:25–27, D-R)

Whenever we reject the sacramental vision of God as life giving Groom and creation as receptive Bride - when we mix that up - homosexuality is the result. The way we think leads to the way we act.

If sexuality does not have a divine signification pointing toward human salvation and felicity, then it loses all meaning.

Godspeed,

Taylor

PS: This is another reason why we must continue to employ the language of "Mother Church" and encourage true devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is the archetype for the Church and for all creation. She is the perfectly receptive woman. Yet another reason why she is sinless and without stain. The pinacle of true femininity.

Comments: Please leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts. Do you agree?

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Why the Word Matrimony, Not Marriage, is Better

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 05:46:48 PDT

Those seeking to redefine marriage are making great gains against the perennial doctrine of matrimony found in nature, Scripture, and Tradition.

As we discussed in a previous post, the architects of culture always begin with the battle of language. This is a philosophical strategy.

When we change the way we speak, we change our ideas. Changes in our ideas lead to changes in our actions.

words > ideas > actions

This corresponds to the moral capacity of man. After all, we can sin in "thought, word, and deed."

We've taken a big hit with the coinage of the phrase "marriage equality." This means that those that don't approve of homosexual "marriage" are against equality.

Imagine someone at a cocktail party asks you, "Are you in favor in marriage equality?" What do you say? Are you against equality?!

It's like the question, "Have you stopped beating your wife?" There is no satisfactory way to answer that question.

Okay, so here's what you do in that situation. Change the word. Go with matrimony.

Matrimony comes from the Latin matrimonium. It is a compound of two words: mater meaning "mother" and the suffix monium signifying "action, state, or condition."

Matrimony refers to the conception of babies in the mother's womb. The very word refers to the primary use of holy matrimony.

We must stress that matrimony is an institution for having babies. Traditionally, the ceremony for matrimony symbolized and focused on this reality.

As matrimony became sterile through a contraceptive mentality over the last 50 years, homosexual unions (100% biologically sterile) became fully acceptable.

So stress matrimony. Use that word and explain to people what it means. Matrimony entails motherhood!

Comments: How will people react when you say, "Well, I actually believe in matrimony. It's a gift to provide children in the way God provided." Please leave a comment below with your thoughts and ideas.

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Why Did God Give the Rosary? Answer from Saint Pio and Bl John Paul II

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 08:34:39 PDT

The Catholic Church has only known the Rosary for about 800 years. The fifteen mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary were given by Our Lady to Saint Dominic.

[Please read my article: "How Our Lady Gave the Rosary to Saint Dominic"]

Since then the Catholic Church has encouraged all the faithful to pray the Rosary.

Padre Pio once said:

“Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother. Love the Madonna and pray the Rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given by God pass through the Blessed Mother.”

And only two weeks after his election to the See of Peter, Pope John Paul II frankly admitted:

“The Rosary is my favourite prayer. A marvellous prayer! Marvellous in its simplicity and its depth.

Now consider this. Saint Francis of Assisi did not have the Rosary. Neither did Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, nor Saint Anselm, nor Saint Bede, nor Saint Gregory, nor Saint Benedict, nor Saint Augustine, nor Irenaeus, and not even the Holy Apostles.

The Holy Rosary is relatively new. And yet I am convinced that it is absolutely essential for our time. The "newness" of the Rosary reveals that the last 800 years of Church History has required a new weapon.

The Blessed Virgin Mary gave us a Scriptural weapon. She asked Saint Dominic and Blessed Alan that there be 150 Hail Mary's said in honor of the 150 Psalms. Also, she provided 15 biblical mysteries from the life of Christ for us to meditate upon. The whole arrangement is Our Lady's homage to Sacred Scripture. The 150 Hail Mary's were broken up into 15 "decades" of ten Hail Mary's. In this way, we can experience the biblical mysteries of her Son's life.

But why? Why did Heaven come up with this plan with beads and mysteries?

In many ways, the 1200s were the high point of Christian civilization. It was the era of Saint Thomas Aquinas and King Saint Louis of France. Since then, it's been a bumpy ride. The Rosary has been the chain or the seat belt that we need in these times of turbulence.

We need Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. The Rosary is a tangible sign that we are connected to Him. When I touch my Rosary, I know that Mary is connecting me to her Son. Jesus became human through Mary and that human connection is found there with her.

I'd really encourage you to pray the Rosary every day for the rest of your life. Make it part of your daily routine. It should be more important than brushing your teeth or checking your email. Praying the Rosary only takes 2% of your day. 15-20 minutes. Be a 2-percenter! Pray the Rosary daily. It will give your soul peace. You'll learn more about yourself and about God. You will got lost in the rhythm of the prayer and discover yourself with Jesus. It's truly beautiful!

ad Jesum per Mariam,

Taylor

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6 Reasons Why the Scouts of St George is Not for Everyone

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 09:40:15 PDT

We are getting thousands of emails from all over the world. By God’s grace, the Scouts of Saint George will launch on time by the end of the summer!

These emails express excitement from young men and parents. However, its becoming apparent, that the Scouts of Saint George (SSG) isn’t for everyone.

I want to be 100% transparent about what the Scouts of Saint George is and what it is not. I do not want anyone to spend their efforts with us only to be disappointed.

We have a very specific mission and goal: that Catholic men and boys will become saints in their love for our Lord Jesus Christ. The context we have chosen for this is the outdoors in the scouting tradition founded by Baden-Powell.

Here are 6 reasons why the Scouts of Saint George isn’t for everyone:

1) This is a Catholic movement. Please understand that the SSG is for Catholic men and Catholic boys. There are a number of reasons for this exclusivity:

a) The SSG will include activities expressly Catholic (Mass, Rosary, Marian hymns, pilgrimages to Guadalupe/Fatima/Rome, prayers to Saint George, etc). It’s not fair to ask non-Catholics to act contrary to their religious beliefs.

Image this! Think about forty boys and a few dads sitting around a campfire at 10:45pm with the sky full of stars. They just spent a long and exhausting day hiking and practicing survival techniques. The sky is full of constellations. The Milky Way is spread out above them. The boys just finished telling camp fire stories and performing a few skits. The dads cooked peach cobbler for the boys in their cast-iron dutch ovens. When they finish their hot cobbler, the boys take turns leading the Rosary and finish by chanting the Salve Regina to Mary in Latin.

If that doesn’t excite you, then the SSG is probably not for you.

If this sounds like a scouting dream come true. Then join the team and start a troop.

b) Membership and leadership standards will include recommendations from a Catholic priest in good standing and safe-environment classes from the local diocese.

c) It would be disingenuous to give awards referring to saints, Mary, or sacramental realities to non-Catholics. A Mormon shouldn’t be receiving Trinitarian badges. Protestants shouldn’t be receiving Marian or Eucharistic regalia or symbols. It’s inauthentic. It doesn’t comport with the truth.

d) What if we allowed non-Catholics? What if a Troop became 51% Protestant and voted to have a Calvinist chaplain instead of a Catholic priest? Then what? Are any Catholics going to join it? The SSG in that town has abandoned its birthright.

“But what about witnessing to other non-Catholic boys? We cannot leave them out in the rain!” I certainly feel this objection in my heart. I was a non-Catholic scout and I do know that Catholic scouts had an influence on me. Trust me. I understand. However, if we are going to avoid the mistakes of the BSA, we are going to have to make a stand on this. We must be on the same page when it comes to moral issues. Which leads to…

2) We have high moral standards. The SSG are called to high standards. Alcoholism, adultery, fornication, and any other transgressions against the doctrinal or moral teaching of the Catholic Church will not be tolerated in the adult leaders or with the scouts. The SSG should be exemplars of virtue in their community.

3) This is a men’s movement. A lot of people have taken exception to this. “The Scouts of Saint George is as much about Cahtolic men as it is about Catholic boys.” I’ve placed this quote in bold because that sound bite should be repeated whenever anyone talks about the SSG.

Visit your local Catholic parish and you’ll see that men have generally abandoned its leadership. This is true with attendance and volunteer work. The published stats are readily available. We need a renewal in Catholic manhood. We start with the men and their boys. We begin to start a revolution where fathers and sons are not embarrassed to pray the Rosary together.

Can mother’s help out and be involved in a number of ways? Of course! We need the mothers! Wives are integral to the spiritual formation of their husbands and their sons. Our wonderful mothers are not to be excluded. However, the leadership and camping activities are for men and boys only. Boys become men through the mentorship of other men. The Blessed Virgin Mary was without sin, all holy, all wise, and the most perfect creature of all. Yet God still placed Saint Joseph into Christ’s life. Mary facilitated. However, Mary did not teach Jesus how to carve wood. She left that to Joseph.

4) We are not co-ed. Young men and women need each other, but they also need to have times apart. I’m an Eagle Scout. I’ve been a high school teacher. I am a college professor. I am a father. Take it from me: Boys act and think differently when girls are around. They don’t ask questions. They play it cool. They are more self-aware. They are less aware of their friends and more aware of the girls. That’s not bad. That’s just the way things are. Why fight nature?

Boys (and men) need to get away and get into the woods and sit around the fire. I believe that down to the core of my bones. Is your husband stressed out? Send him out into the woods. He’ll come back a happier man.

Will we start a “Scouts of Saint Joan of Arc” at some point? We are considering it. Right now, there is more demand for SSG and we are overwhelmed. Moreover, I am an Eagle Scout. I don’t know much about girl scouting. We would need women to help take up the torch in this regard. I’m open to it.

5) We are not a “boy’s club.” The Scouts reading following the SSG website already understand this. The Knight of Columbus Squires and other great boys groups are wonderful. We promote and support them. However, scouting is different. It’s an outdoors movement. It entails rappelling, knots, camping, backpacking, survival, dutch oven cooking, fishing, etc.

Camping and doing survival weekends isn’t for everyone. We are not chiefly concerned about community service. We encourage that, but that’s not the point of SSG. We want a boy to come home and proudly tell his mother that he now knows how to rig a small sail boat. We want a boy to have that moment of self-confidence burned into his memory.

6) We have high-standards. This point comes from Baden-Powell. He understood that boys don’t want to be boys. Boys want to be men. Inner city gangs understand this. Unfortunately, many good people do not understand this reality with boys. The SSG isn’t going to be an easy “check the box” organization. The ranks will be earned and the boys will know their faith and have character. We expect that many these young men will go on to be the heroic priests of the next generation.

Scouting, to distill the idea, is asking boys to achieve manhood. We are modeling ourselves on chivalry and the art of being a gentlemen. We aren’t going to tolerate backward baseball caps, shirt tails out, and white basketball shoes with the uniform. Yes, it’s going to be a little bit old fashioned. The handbooks, uniforms, badges, hats, neckerchiefs, and everything associated is going to be of higher quality than the BSA. When you see it, you will say, “Wow!” When non-Catholics see it, they will say, “I wish I were Catholic! That looks so cool!

Your sons will look like men because we want them to become men. Baden-Powell always stressed the importance of self-respect and public appearance, and we should not forget it. There is nothing Catholic about looking like a slob. From the chivalric orders, to the religious orders, to the diocesan priesthood, the Catholic Church has always insisted on proper dress. The Scouts of Saint George should see themselves in that tradition.

I imagine that a few will read these six points above and think, “Shucks. I’m out. This isn’t for me. This isn’t for my family.” That’s okay. It’s better for all of us to realize this at the beginning rather than two years into it.

If anyone wants to fight over these 6 points of identity for the SSG, please don’t. These six principles are not up for debate. They are part of the core identity of the Scouts of Saint George. There are other boys clubs and scouting organizations out there. I’m sure you can find a fit.

Now I turn my eyes to those who have read these six points and are fired up. Do you want be that father sitting around the camp fire praying the Rosary and looking up at the stars? Do you want a Catholic mens/boys movement that seeks to transform the culture and restore genuine manhood? If so, please start a troop in your town. Man up and take the lead. Let’s work together.

On our death beds, we will be glad and grateful that we did this…

CALL TO ACTION: We will begin the registration of the first 100 SSG Troops on July 1, 2013. These first 100 Troops will be “Charter Troops” and will retain special badges and honor in perpetuity as the original “100 Charter Troops of the SSG.”

In order to Charter a Troop you need:

A father to volunteer as Troop Sergeant (sergeant comes from the Latin serviens, meaning “one who serves”)
You need at least Catholic six boys. Baden-Powell believed that six boys were the bare minimum. We are exclusively Catholic among the Scouts and the leadership.
Support from your priest. A Troop cannot be chartered without a letter for reference from a priest in good standing. Adult volunteers will need to go through the “Keeping Kids Safe” (or similar program) in your Catholic diocese.
You will need to register your troop at the SSG website to be officially associated with the SSG. Look for the application form in July.

Godspeed,

Taylor Marshall, PhD
Eagle Scout

PS: If you'd like to learn more about the Scouts of Saint George, please click here.

PPS: If you want to join the growing conversation, leave a comment by clicking here.

Also, please check out my brand new book The Eternal City: Rome & the Origins of Catholicism at amazon.com by clicking here.

5 Mistakes I Made in Giving Away a Book (and the new download link)

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 15:33:10 PDT

I recently gave away a book to the readers and I admit that I made several mistakes. Here's the background...

On my birthday (March 29) I announced that I was going to give away a free book to the readers of this blog. I posted several potential book titles and the readers voted.

Your the readers elected for Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages.

I got to work on it right away. Writing was the easy part. The hard part was figuring out how to ship the book out via email. Along the way, I made a few mistakes. Here's what happened.

First, I'm very happy with the book itself. I asked for volunteers and received responses from over 300 people. I chose six highly qualified people and we went to work. That "Inner Circle" team was amazing. Where did I mess up? Not enough time. We kept to an aggressive schedule. We went from idea to book in just two months. The final product was great, but I rushed the ending and so the book had a few typos and then a technical difficulty with downloading.
I scheduled the release of the book around the time of my wife's due date! Baby #7. And wouldn't you know it, the baby was born on the same weekend as the book release. Talk about stressful! I should have just delayed the book by a week or two. It wasn't fair to the readers or to my family.
I used Mail Chimp to organize the mailing list. The book was going out to over 7,500 blog subscribers and you can't use gmail to do that. So I paid $75 per month to Mail Chimp to make this happen. However, I'm new to Mail Chimp. If this hadn't been a free book, I would have hired someone to run Mail Chimp for me. As it was, I was baptized by fire.
The first 2,000 readers receiving the book pdf via email received it easily and with no problems. Within several hours I was getting feedback from people who had already read the book! They loved it, but noted a few typos and a small missing section. I don't know how that happened. Horrified, I fixed the book and upload the corrected book pdf file. However, Mail Chimp didn't like that I had modified the free book pdf file. Immediately, everyone started having problems downloading the file from inside their emails. If you're stilling having problems, here's the new working link to download the book.
From the huge response, I've realized that I should have had a paperback version printed. I'm getting responses from people who want a real tangible paperback of Thomas Aquinas of 50 Pages. However, if you do the math, that becomes quite expensive:

printing plus shipping ($7) x 7,500 recipients = $52,500 bucks

I'm not in a position to spend close $50,000 in a free book give away. I wish that I were. One day...one day...

So we're looking at making a paper version available at an affordable price. Of course, you're always allowed to print it out from your own printer. I don't have a timeline on this, but there will be a paperback version of Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages one day and be assured that readers here will have the first swing at it.

When I realized the technical problems, I sent out the book again with a new link to all the subscribers.

But to make it easy on everyone: here's the link to the book. Just click on it and open it up. It's a pdf of the free book.

Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages download link here.

Again, I apologize to all of you had technical problems. I should have all the bugs fixed for the next free book.

Godspeed,

Taylor

PS: Will be transferring this blog over to Wordpress over the next two weeks. This will fix many of the current bugs on this site (and make commenting easier). My goal is to make this site better and better for the readers/subscribers.

Do you enjoy reading these posts by Dr. Taylor Marshall? Make it easier to receive new daily posts. Receive these blog posts through email free by clicking here.

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Also, please check out my brand new book The Eternal City: Rome & the Origins of Catholicism at amazon.com by clicking here.

Should you say "Individual" or "Person"?

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 18:49:31 PDT

Has anyone ever called you a "bright individual" or a "gifted individual"? What does that word "individual" mean? It means "undivided one." Stop for a moment and consider this, you "undivided one." Isn't "undivided one" a strange way to refer to people?

Referring to people as "individuals" became common in European languages after 1600, especially in English. It's a feature of the so-called Enlightenment.

Recall that the Enlightenment was that so-called Era of Light after the so-called Dark Ages of Christendom. For historical reference, the Enlightenment after the state establishment of the Protestant Reformation and ended with the bloody guillotines of the French Revolution...

The Enlightenment posited that the nation is divisible. The Church is divisible. The city is divisible. The town is divisible. The family unit is divisible. Even marriages were divisible. However, the person is not. He or she is triumphantly individual.

The problem, you see, is that viewpoint becomes a very individualistic way of looking at reality. Now all major intellectual shifts succeed after linguistic shifts have become previously established. The debate over the definition of "marriage" is a contemporary example. The move away from person to individual signified the enshrinement and idolization of the human individual. Man truly became the measure of all things.

You can see how the Reformation paved the way for this kind of language. To be an Enlightenment Christian all you need is yourself and the Bible. That's it.

We traded in the old communion of the saints and the universal fellowship of Christendom of previous centuries for that new shiny title of individual. Denominations will divide, but the believer never will. And so the individual believer trumped everything.

Contrast "individual" with the word "person." The term comes from the Latin personare meaning "to sound through." It refers to a mask or a face and the act of speaking to others. The term person is relational and this is why Catholic theology refers to the three Persons of the Holy Trinity as three divine Persons and not three divine Individuals. There are other important theological reasons, as well. See Thomas Aquinas Summa theologiae I, q. 29, aa. 1-4.

In my discourse with others (and especially when I teach a class), I try not to use the word individual at all. I speak of people as persons. It reminds us that the three Divine Persons of the Blessed Trinity are truly the pattern for proper interpersonal relationships here on earth and beyond.

We can only truly find ourselves when we make ourselves a gift to others. There is no life, happiness, or salvation without personal and social relationships. I perceive that contemporary man is finally coming to undersand this. We don't want to be individuals anymore. We want to be connected. I want to be a person with personal relationships.

Do you?

Godspeed,

Taylor

Question for comments: Play with the ideas in your mind. Do you want to have a personal relationship or an individual relationship with other people? How do words transform the way we speak? I'd love to hear your comments about this below. What are other examples of "language wars"?

Do you enjoy reading these posts by Dr. Taylor Marshall? Make it easier to receive new daily posts. Receive these blog posts through email free by clicking here.

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Also, please check out my brand new book The Eternal City: Rome & the Origins of Catholicism at amazon.com by clicking here.

Video: Dr Marshall on Catholic Answers Live

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 07:03:18 PDT

I was recently on Catholic Answers Live with Patrick Coffin. What a great show!

We spent the hour discussing "Why is the Catholic Church Roman" and we took some pretty interesting live phone calls from listeners. Here's the full show uncut:

If the video does not appear, click here to watch it.

If you like the interview, please take a moment to look at my brand new book The Eternal City: Rome & the Origins of Catholicism at amazon.com by clicking here.

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Pope Francis: “The Church is a Love Story not an Institution" Plus 5 Titles of the Church

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 12:38:53 PDT

Pope Francis recently said, “The Church is a love story, not an institution."

Does that make you feel uncomfortable? I feel a little uncomfortable when I read that, because I'm sold on the idea of the Church as a visible "institution." However, as I chewed on this quote from the Holy Father I began to seem the wisdom in it.

Of course, we sometimes speak of the "institutional Church," but we should remember that this is not the language of Scripture or the Tradition.

Instead, the Catholic Church tends to focus on images of relationships in order to describe the Church:

Bride of Christ, Rev. 19:7, "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”
Body of Christ, Ephesians 5:22-23, "Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body."
Daughter of Zion, John 12:15, "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”
Flock of God, 1 Peter 5:2, "Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness."
Household/Family/People of God, in Ephesians 2:19, "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household," People of God, 1 Peter 2:10, "for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."

In Scripture, the Church is often depicted in terms of relationships. Bride, children, family, daughter, and so on. For me, this is a great reminder about the chief identity of the Catholic Church. Relations are based on love and the Church is the 2,000 year story of that love story.

At the end of the day, we are not saved by faith alone, but by love. St John Of The Cross once wrote, "In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone." So the Church is chiefly a love story between God and His redeemed. If broken sinful people can see the Church in that light, then they will flock to her. If she is a cold institution with hoops to jump through and unclear rules, people will have a cold attitude toward her.

The Church succeeds to the extent that she responds in love to Christ. The liturgy is a love story. I attend the Extraordinary Form (Latin Mass or 1962 Missal) because, in my humble opinion, it feels less like an institutional town-hall meeting and more like an intimate slow dance. It's quiet and personal. The familiar unfolding of the liturgy is like a flower blossoming to meet the sunshine. No bride wants an irreverent wedding. So why do we stand for irreverent Masses?

Personal question. Are we in love with Christ? As a Catholic are you caught up in this love story? Your husband and bridegroom sacrificed everything for you. Are you caught up in the love story?

Pardon me is this sounds hokey, but for me it exposes some hard places in my heart. As He said to Peter, He says to us, "Do you love me?" That's what He really wants from us, isn't it?

Again, if you think this is sentimental, change the focus a little. The point here is that love (caritas) should be ruling our lives. Faith that is not formed by love is dead, as Saint Paul and James teach in their epistles. You can have faith to move mountains, but if you're not in love with Christ, it's all in vain.

The Reformation really got it wrong. They were worried about "works" and people trying to "earn" salvation. So they resorted to teaching salvation by "faith alone." That's the wrong answer to a good question. The real solution is love. As Saint John Of The Cross wrote, "In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone." If you have true love for Christ, you'll have faith and works without a doubt. They follow from love.

Question for you: Is this hokey or does it touch your heart? Should we speak of the Church as Love Story? I look forward to reading your thoughts in the comments below.

PS: I friend of mine put together a FREE ebook on Pope Francis. I'll be making this new ebook on Pope Francis available soon. Look for an announcement next week. Click here to sign up and be notified.

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Exorcism, Satan, and the Baptismal Liturgy "Outside the Gates"

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 11:03:17 PDT

Michelangelo's Expulsion of Adam & Eve

Yesterday, our newborn daughter Elizabeth Joy Anne Mary Marshall was baptized. She was less than 48 hours old. Every time I watch a baptism (especially the baptisms of my own children) I cannot help but be so grateful to God. He led us to become Catholic. It's the greatest mystery of my life!

Baptism of Elizabeth

Our daughter was baptized in the Extraordinary Form (1962 Latin version). It's a beautiful rite if you've never seen it. Here's a video of our son Blaise being baptized in the Extraordinary Form about two years ago:

Our wonderful priest Father Phil Wolfe explained the rite beforehand. Here is the gist of the explanation:

There are only two kingdoms in this cosmos. There is the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan.

(This assertion is taken word for word from the opening of Pope Leo XIII's encyclical Humanum Genus issued on April 20, 1884. See also Saint Thomas Aquinas explanation at Summa theologiae III, q. 8, a. 7).

Thanks to Adam, we were born in the wrong kingdom. The kingdom of darkness. As Father said, Adam sold us up the river to sin. Saint Paul wrote that through original sin, we are "children of wrath, even as the rest" (Eph 2:3)

To use a well known image from your childrens' Bibles, Adam and Eve were cast outside of the gates of Eden. All children since that day are born "outside the gates."

Regretfully devils roam "outside the gates." Read the Gospels. The devils are real and they are after us!

This is why the Catholic sacrament of baptism always begins with an exorcism of the infant. That's right an exorcism. We are not assuming that the infant is possessed by a devil. No. Rather we are assuming that the infant is "outside the gates" and not yet under the protection of Christ the Savior and King.

The traditional Catholic baptismal liturgy is chiefly concerned with the idea of gates. In fact, the liturgy appeals to doors and gates regularly. This is a reference to being cast "outside the gates."

Before we can understand the baptismal liturgy, we have to learn something about Catholic architecture.

The Narthex ("lobby") signifies the netherworld and chaos.
The Font (place of baptism) is the entry into the Church. In the old days it was often caged and locked to prevent desecration. In Europe, the baptismal font is housed in a different building just outside the doors of the Church (eg, the Duomo in Florence). The gates of the baptistery have special meaning as we'll see. In the video above, you'll see that certain rites are performed while the priest stands in the gate of the baptistery before admitting the infant for baptism.
The Nave (place of the pews) signifies Church. The word 'nave' refers to 'naval' as in Noah's Ark, the Barque of Saint Peter, the ship of salvation. If you're in the Church, you're in the ship. You're in Christ's navy. You're safe inside.
The Sanctuary signifies Heaven. This is where the altar and tabernacle are. It's where the sacrifice is offered. In order to be in the Sanctuary, you had to wear cassock and surplice. It was marked off by a rood screen, iconostasis, or altar rail.

[If you want to understand how all this relates to Moses and the Old Testament architecture of the Jewish Temple, I wrote an entire chapter on it in my book The Crucified Rabbi. You may be able to sample some of that chapter at amazon.com. Click here to see it.]

Now that we understand the structure of a Catholic Church, we can better appreciate the old liturgy for baptism. Here's the structure:

Phase 1 in the Narthex:

Questioning of Godparents; they ask for baptism and faith for the infant
Exsufflation (the priest blows air on the baby)
Sign of the Cross
Imposition of Priests Hands
Placing of Salt in the Baby's Mouth to Prepare Her for Eucharist
Exorcism
Sign of the Cross
Imposition of Hands
The Godparents holding the baby, grab onto the priest's stole as the priest "tugs" them into the Church. They pray the Apostles Creed as they enter with the child.

Phase 2 in the Nave:

Godparents stand with baby on the outside of the baptistery doors.
Pray the Our Father.
Solemn Exorcism of baby.
Ephphetha (priest's spit on the baby's sense organs) and repeats the words of Jesus "Ephphetha" meaning "be opened.")
In the name of child, the Godparents renounce of Satan and all his pomps.
Priest anoints infant with Oil of Catechumens and welcomes infant into the doors of the baptistery.

Phase 3 inside the Baptistery:

Profession of Faith
Baptism of Infant
Anointing with Chrism
White Linen Cloth
Priest gives the newly baptized baby a lit candle. She has been enlightened by Christ.
Final Words

After the baptism, it is customary to "church the mother" - the rite of thanking God for the healthy birth and a blessing on the mother as she rejoins God's people. That's another topic for another blog post.

The movement from door to door, gate to gate, symbolizes a transition from the Kingdom of Satan to the Kingdom of Christ. A theological and ontological change is made inside the baby's soul. She is a new creation in Christ.

Saint Paul wrote clearly on this matter. Baptism has real power, because it is Christ who acts in the sacrament:

"For as many of you as have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ." (Gal 3:27)

"Know you not that all we, who are baptized in Christ Jesus, are baptized in his death?" (Rom 6:23)

If you have a hard time with understanding how innocent children could be born with original sin under the Kingdom of Satan or you don't accept that babies need baptism, I wrote a whole chapter on this topic in my book The Catholic Perspective on Paul which you can preview by clicking here.

I hope you find this helpful and reasonable. Baptism is serious spiritual battle! In the early centuries, baptism was extremely revered by by Christians since most of them were coming from an entirely pagan culture...

...and guess what? We are returning to those days of paganism. Our culture is more and more pagan as the days roll by. Look at Europe. Paganism is making a come back. We must re-embrace the profound theology of baptism - the transfer from the Kingdom of Darkness to the loving Kingdom of Light in Christ.

The Marshalls with our great friends the Lows, the Godparents!

Let's open the comments: Do you have any thoughts on infant baptism? Pope Francis recently spoke about the need to make baptism for readily available for all (Pope Francis says Don't Hold Infant Baptism Hostage). Pope John Paul II also spoke about the need to not delay baptism (JP2: "Don't Delay Baptism"). How can we as grandparents and parents obey the constant teachings of the Holy Fathers?

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Also, please check out my brand new book The Eternal City: Rome & the Origins of Catholicism at amazon.com by clicking here.

Photos of Our New Baby: Elizabeth Marshall

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 08:12:34 PDT

Here are some photos of our new baby Elizabeth Joy Anne Marshall.

In the first photo, I am weighing Elizabeth in a device similar to one used to weigh cat fish. That's the only way I know how to explain it. She is 9lbs 0 oz. and 22 inches. A pretty big girl.

See the baby feet hanging out and the midwife in action trying to keep the little one from falling out:

[if you cannot see the photos in your subscriber email, click "always display images" in your email service or email client.]

Here are the youngest two Marshall children (Becket and Blaise) meeting their new sister for the first time:

Here's Becket. He was laughing about it all. I don't know why he thought the baby was so funny. Maybe he's relieved not to be the baby anymore:

Here's a photo of Becket, Blaise, Joy, and me with the baby Elizabeth:

Here's the whole Marshall tribe, now four boys and three girls. Our twins are thrilled to have a new sister!

Thank you for all the prayers!

Godspeed,
Taylor

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Our Baby is Born: Elizabeth Joy Anne Marshall

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 10:25:16 PDT

Dear Friends!

Last night around 2am, my beautiful wife Joy Anne home-birthed our seventh child, a little girl whom we have named "Elizabeth Joy Anne Marshall."

The first thing I did was kiss Joy and pray the Te Deum.

Elizabeth was a hefty 9 lbs and she measured 22 inches. She is beautiful with black hair like her daddy.

I'll post some pictures on the blog later today!

I would like to thank all of you that emailed me or sent us kind comments on Facebook/Twitter with your prayers. The Marshall family is so happy and grateful today.

Joy and these seven babies are God's greatest gifts to me...

ad Jesum per Mariam,
Taylor

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The FREE book is being sent to you now!

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Fri, 31 May 2013 12:57:17 PDT

I want to thank you for reading this blog. The FREE pdf ebook Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages that you the readers voted for is being sent out right this very instant...

If you're a subscriber, you may have already received it. If you are not yet a subscriber, but want to receive the book, sign up by clicking here.

This new Aquinas book is being sent out to over 7,000 readers. That's a lot of good people who are interested in Saint Thomas Aquinas!

This book is about you. It's what you asked for and I had a great time working on it. As an author, I want to write for you - the faithful readership.

The volunteer Inner Circle did a great job suggesting ideas and edits. You'll see their names in the book, but I want to thank them again here:

Rob Agnelli

Lucia S. Percovich

Rachael Murphy

Tom Venzor

Sister Grace Marie

Clint Rain

The book is fun, concise, and informative thanks to them.

New subscribers are already contacting me saying that they have not received the book yet. Don't worry. If you subscribed in the last 24 hours, it may be a little delayed. I probably won't leave this free ebook up forever so if you want a copy of the book, sign up now by clicking here.

Comment Time: Now it's time for a new writing project? What would be another great free book idea?

How about a fiction novel? Another book along the lines of "_______ in 50 Pages"? What do you want to read?

Godspeed,
Taylor Marshall

PS: My wife Joy is now over nine month's pregnant with our seventh child. Please pray for her and for our new baby girl, Elizabeth. We hope that this baby Elizabeth will be born on the feast of the Visitation (May 31) in honor of Saint Elizabeth! Wouldn't that be great?

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Photo: Scouts of Saint George Logo Mock Up

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Thu, 30 May 2013 08:13:54 PDT

Steven Nelson, a Catholic Graphic Artist, sent me this mock up for a potential logo for the Scouts of Saint George. I love it. What about you? Please leave a comment.

Here's what is happening with the Scouts of Saint George:

200 Catholic Eagle Scouts are on board.
1,500 parents/volunteers are on board.
We'll have a website up soon with more and more content. The content of the Handbook will begin to appear here. We will also have samples of the uniform and ranking system. We will be looking for feedback as we move on.
We will also create a way on the website for parents in towns and cities to connect and link up as we form troops over the summer. The goal is 100 troops by Sept 1, 2013. If you want to start a Charter Troop, please contact me.
We'll likely start a Kickstarter campaign to initiate the uniforms and Handbook.
We're consulting with lawyers about trademarked items with the BSA and how to set up things above board on our end. We have had several top-notch lawyers volunteer their time and efforts.

Please keep praying for the Scouts of Saint George. Just keep imagining the sight of forty boys sitting around the campfire praying the Rosary and singing Marian hymns. We will build this with God's grace.

"Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. Unless the Lord keep the city, he watcheth in vain that keepeth it." (Ps 26:1, D-R)

If you want to join the Saint George Launch Team, sign up by clicking here. We need you!

If you more ideas, please leave a comment below.

Do you enjoy reading these posts by Dr. Taylor Marshall? Make it easier to receive his new daily posts. Receive these blog posts through email free by clicking here.

Also, please check out my brand new book The Eternal City: Rome & the Origins of Catholicism at amazon.com by clicking here.

The War of Faith: Understanding the Resistance

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Wed, 29 May 2013 10:58:54 PDT

This is your negative inner voice
Dr Bones McCoy is "the Resistance."

Yesterday I spent some time with Catholic author and speaker Brandon Vogt. Brandon Vogt is a lynchpin in Catholic social media. We're both big fans of Seth Godin and the concept of being a "generous author." That means giving away your work even when it doesn't profit (Click here for details) . It's more about loving your readers and have a relationship with them than it is about the dollars and dimes.

As Brandon and I were driving around talking about this idea, he recommended a book for me to read:

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield

I purchased the audio version and I started listening to it. True, Pressfield isn't a Catholic author but he does have a firm grasp on the philosophy of human nature.

Pressfield speaks of the "the Resistance." Seth Godin calls it the "Lizard Brain." It's that force within you that tells you to stop doing what's important. Call it writer's block, fear, or procrastination. I like his term "the Resistance," although "Lizard Brain" is more memorable. Lizards only want to hang out in the sun and avoid danger. That's the part of your brain that wants to do the same. The "Resistance" is the same idea.

If you're trying to write a novel and you check your email twelve times instead, that's "the Resistance." If you're trying to build something huge and life-changing for you and others, but you're afraid to launch it or assemble a team, that's "the Resistance."

Let's break in down with an easy analogy.

If you're a Star Trek fan, Captain Kirk is is the concupiscible passions. Spock is the intellect guided by logic. But Dr. Leonard Bones McCoy" is "the Resistance." He is always reminding us of how everything is going to fail. He's negative. He's pessimistic.

Pressfield goes so far as saying that "the Resistance" is what prevents you from becoming who God wants you to be.

Now, Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas called "the Resistance" a defect in your irascible passions. It's fear as related to a lack of fortitude or courage. It's also related to pride. Procrastination or writer's block is often a fear of people criticizing us or laughing at us. It's a fear of losing face or losing status.

Pressfield's book is aptly named "The War of Art," because creating anything always comes down to fighting a war.

So I began to consider how "the Resistance" or "lack of fortitude" might relate to the War of Faith. We are in a war. In the culture war, we are losing. When it comes to practicing Christianity in public or the defense of human life or matrimony, we're taking major setbacks. Lizard Brain is in control.

I think it's because we're listening to that inner voice of Resistance.

"It'll never work. I'll just keep checking my email and Facebook. I have this great idea, but it'll never work. I can't succeed because of ______. I'll just watch another YouTube video. I could never be a (priest religious father mother inventor author speaker entrepreneur leader teacher professor, or ________ fill in the blank."

Overcoming the Resistance is like a entering into a cold pool or a cold shower. The best way to do it is jump into it. Don't dip your pinkie toe. Jump in. The more you jump in and feel that tremendous shiver and gasping for breath, the more you will acquire the virtue of fortitude. The more courageous you will become and the more heroic you will be in the War of Faith.

We need courageous heroes. We need men and women to jump into the icy water. Dipping our toes and gauging it will get us nowhere. It's uncomfortable. But that's where we need to be - where it's most uncomfortable.

Question: Steven Pressfield says where ever you meet the most Resistance, that's where you need to be. The Resistance always points true north. What goal do you want to achieve that makes you most uncomfortable? That should be your number one goal. What is that goal? Please share it by leaving a comment.

I'll be vulnerable with you: My Resistance right now is writing fiction novels and being afraid that people will laugh at me or think I'm not a serious academic for dabbling in fiction. Oh well. I have to pursue it. Time to jump into the icy waters, even Dr. McCoy says that I'll catch a cold...

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Free Book is Ready: Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Tue, 28 May 2013 07:46:57 PDT

Your free book, as promised on March 29 2013 is now ready for you. On my birthday (March 29), I promised a free gift to you. I let the readers pick which book I would write for you and you chose Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages. It's now ready and wrapped.

Our Inner Circle of volunteers read the book, and made wonderful suggestions. Also, our amazing Catholic graphic designer Steven Nelson (see his portfolio here) reworked the book cover because the original one (with Thomas in the zero of "50") made Thomas look really fat and obscured the zero in "50," making it look like "Thomas Aquinas in 5 Pages." Thank you to everyone who picked up on that!

I love the new version. Steven Nelson changed the "50" and added the Eucharistic sunburst for the word "in."

So the new book ships out to all 6,351 subscribers on Friday May 31 - Feast of the Visitation. That's a lot of free books. If you're an email subscriber, you'll get the book in pdf format. You don't need to do anything more. If you want the free book, sign up by clicking here. (We're not doing a paperback version at this time. Shipping would be way too expensive.)

I won't keep this book up for that long. I have many other free book ideas. So if you want the book, please sign up now and get it Friday. It will come in an email with a download link.

If you're already signed up, please share this friends via email, Facebook, and Twitter if you think they'd also like the free book. It's a free gift and it doesn't cost me any more if 6,000 people receive it or 60,000 people receive it.

Again, they can sign up by clicking here.

I just want to make the world a more Thomistic place!

Also, please check out my brand new book The Eternal City: Rome & the Origins of Catholicism at amazon.com by clicking here.

How Do We Fight the Secular Agenda?

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Mon, 27 May 2013 08:25:16 PDT

Over the last several days, I've received thousands of emails and notes from people all over the world. They are responding to the Saint George Scouting Manifesto. Reading these messages has been one of the most powerful experiences of my life. It's a game-changer for me.

Here's what I've learned:

Good people are ticked off. The secular agenda is in full effect. No one can deny it. The secular agenda has extended its tentacles into public schools, college campuses, television, movies, marriage, kid shows...and now even the Boy Scouts. The cancer is everywhere and good people are ready for drastic treatment. "Bring on the chemo. Let's fight this, even if it hurts. Even if it costs."
People are ready to take action. I don't have all the answers. There are so many fronts. I go back and forth. Where do we begin? Scouts? Is Scout too modest? Do we go deeper? Colleges? Do we create films? How do we restore all things in Christ?
This is bigger than all of us. People have been fighting on all these fronts. People have been starting schools, starting colleges, starting movements, creating films, starting radio stations, initiating campus ministries, writing books, starting priest groups, launching online apostolates, etc. An active tribe is forming. We are coming to know each other.
Most importantly, our activities must be supernatural. Activism is only activism. Human nature without grace gets us nowhere. Signing petitions isn't much. Joining groups accomplishes little. Supernatural acts require faith. Faith means feeling the sense of risk and doing it anyway. We must pray, study the Sacred Scriptures, live the seven virtues, pray the Rosary, support the Holy Father, and ask Christ to be King again. He's waiting for us. He's waiting for His army to turn to Him.

I'm more optimistic than I have ever been. Do not be discouraged. Become a modern day Mattathias Maccabeus who stood up when all seemed lost, and said:

"Let everyone who has zeal for the Law of God and who stands by the covenant follow me!" (1 Maccabees 2:27)

If you need encouragement, sit down and read 1 Maccabees. A small group of men risked everything - and they drove off the pagans who had desolated the Temple. They restored the glory of God.

Question: Let's have a brain storming session. How do we make a deep and lasting impact in our cultures? How do restore all things in Christ? How do we bring about the glory of God? Please leave comments below...

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Catholic Scouts of St George: 9 Ways to Help

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Sat, 25 May 2013 09:11:16 PDT

Yesterday, I posted my Catholic Scouting Manifesto in response to the recent Boy Scouts of America decision to change the traditional moral policies of the Boy Scouts...

The short of it is that we plan to initiate the Scouts of Saint George for young men who love virtue and the outdoors. This is not a club. This a group for scouting. Backpacking, fishing, dutch oven cooking, repelling, sailing, etc. It's based on camping and roughing it.

Best of all, the Scouts of Saint George may be able to have:

Holy Mass on camp outs,
group Rosaries around the campfires,
pilgrimages to shrines or holy places in Europe,
Catholic chaplains,
magisterial authority,
male Catholic leadership,
all within the tradition of what it means to be a virtuous outdoorsman.

The response to the 'Scouts of Saint George' has been immense!

65 CATHOLIC EAGLE SCOUTS have joined the team to get the Scouts of Saint George started. A core group of 65 Eagle Scouts (and that number is growing) is a powerful asset.
Over 500 people have signed up and volunteered to get the Saint George Scouts off the ground.
There have been hundreds of comments and emails flashing around.
2000 "Likes" on Facebook.
We have also had lawyers, graphic artists, and current Scout Leaders volunteer their time.

This all happened in less than 24 hours.

Here is what will happen next. Can you help us in any of these ways:

We prayerfully need Pope Francis to recognize the Scouts of Saint George movement in some way. It struck me that Pope Francis' baptismal name is "George" - Jorge Mario Bergoglio! If anyone can open a door, please help. Pope Francis has a love for young people and the Church needs a global movement for young people. I think that he would give it his blessing. If someone could just get him to read the initial Manifesto post!
Our goal is to have 100 Troops erected by September 1. Initially, a troop will consist of 2 to 100 boys with a father as a Senior Guide (sorry the word "Scoutmaster" is restricted by the BSA). Would you like to start a troop? Pray about it and let me know.
We need a uniform design. It has to be functional and cool looking. Traditional but practical.
We need insignia/badges design (this is where graphic artists come in).
We need a system of badges and ranking. The terms "Life" "Star" and "Eagle" are restricted by the BSA. The team of Eagle Scouts will create the ranking system. Currently, I like the idea of "Pontifical Scout" or "Papal Scout" as our highest honor - equivalent to Eagle Scout.
We need a Handbook. I'll work on this book with the other Eagle Scouts.
We need lawyers because the BSA is very protective of "scouting terminology." We need counsel.
We need moms and dads talking this up with other parents and scouts. Spread the word. This is not limited to the USA. This could happen on every continent.
We need promotion on radio and the internet.

Can you help in any of these ways? If so, please sign up:

After reading this you make think an endeavor of this magnitude is crazy. I don't. It could happen. This is an opportunity for Catholic fathers especially. We all know that our culture is feminizing what it means to be a man. The Church needs something cultivate young men in virtue. Young men need the outdoors. It's integral. This could be a great moment for Catholic fathers!

WARNING: After several months go by, the shocked reaction of parents to the BSA decision to tolerate homosexuality will die out. People will forget it and move on. The momentum will be lost. People will return to apathy. This is why it is important that we act now. I hope you agree.

Again, if you are willing to help in any way, even if by praying, please sign up by clicking here.

Why I'm Starting a New Boy Scouts: My Catholic Scouting Manifesto

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Sat, 25 May 2013 09:46:21 PDT

I am an Eagle Scout and I loved being a Boy Scout - all the way from Cub Scouts to Eagle. I want my sons to become Scouts and share that tradition with them...but I can no longer support the Boy Scouts, because of this.

I've been thinking and worrying about the Boy Scouts for months. I knew this decision was coming and I knew that the Boy Scouts would go the wrong way.

I also knew in my heart that I would have to do something about it when it actually happened...

So here's my manifesto on why we need Scouting, but why we now need an alternative Scouting organization for Catholics: The Scouts of Saint George.

In 1908 Robert Baden-Powell wrote a book for boys about reconnaissance or scouting titled Scouting for Boys. Baden-Powell was a lieutenant general in the British Army.

He developed an ideal for young men about being a "Scout," and ideal that included mentorship, camping, woodworking, backpacking, sports, and most important of all: virtue and the art of being a man.

Baden-Powell was an Anglican and he chose the fleur-de-lis as the emblem of Scouting. The fleur-de-lis is an ancient symbol of virginity and the Blessed Virgin Mary - rather fitting in my opinion. (Regrettably the BSA has trademarked the fleur-de-lis.)

Scouting spread to America and across the globe and it always possessed a religious element. We are now at the moment when this integral feature has been denied.

So we need to create a new organization for the old tradition. Here's what I'm going to do about it, and I need all the brave souls that I can get. This will be an "Eagle Project" of a lifetime!!!!

We are going to make Catholic Scouts happen: the Scouts of Saint George.

Here's the mini-manifesto in 7 points:

The Scouts of Saint George must be Catholic and acknowledge every jot and tittle of the magisterium of the Church - and be in full communion with the Holy Father.
A personal relationship with Christ and the growth in manly virtue will be at the heart of the Scouts of Saint George.
The Scouts of Saint George will be like the Boy Scouts of America with hiking, fishing, camping, merit badges, and a highest rank (equivalent somehow to Eagle Scout). Same format and structure. The Scouts of Saint George won't reinvent the wheel. Traditional scouting works. Why change it? We're just going to preserve the tradition and import a Catholic identity.
The Scouts of Saint George must have protection from government interference, which means it must be grassroots. Otherwise, we are under government regulation and pressure in the years to come. We must avoid influence from lobbyists and governmental powers to compromise (as has happened with the BSA).
The Scouts of Saint George will be free and open-source. Like the original Baden-Powell, all you'll need is the book, uniform, and badges. That's it. The rest is grassroots. Fathers and sons organize and simply register or seek recognition from the other Scouts of Saint George.
The Scouts of Saint George is global. My goal is to get Pope Francis to approve it and recognize it.
Why Saint George? I have a devotion to him and he's the exemplar for young men in the categories of courage and virginity? We need young men to slay the dragons of our era. Wouldn't you agree?

Okay, who's in? I need thousands of collaborators on this one. This will be a great project to get in on the ground floor:

Sign up now to get involved with the "Scouts of Saint George"

This is a different email list from my blog subscribers. I'm not going to confuse the two. If you want to help Scouts of Saint George, please sign up afresh below:

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5 Ways to Simplify Your Spiritual Life - and Make It Beautiful!

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Thu, 23 May 2013 08:56:31 PDT

Devotions can be like jewelry. They bring about beauty and accent the appearance of the one wearing them. However, too much jewelry can be a distraction. At one point, they become counterproductive.

I have discovered this to be the case with devotions in my own life. The more complicated things become, the more suffocated I feel.

You start with basics. You have a daily Rosary and then the daily Divine Mercy chaplet, and then a Novena to the Holy Spirit, and then a Novena to Saint Joseph, and then a Holy Hour once per day, and then you have to care for your spouse, and your children. Oh, and then there is the Knights of Columbus meeting. The Bible study. The Altar Guild meeting. And daily Mass. Liturgy of the Hours. Little Office of the Blessed Virgin. One-Year Catholic Bible. Reading a Saint story daily. Reading the Summa...

...and then you snap. Then you go crazy. The spiritual life becomes complicated, conflicted, and stifling.

You're wearing so much spiritual jewelry that you cannot even stand up and walk around. The yoke is no longer easy. The burden is no longer light. It's heavy. Really heavy.

From time to time, this happens to me. Devotions, commitments, and resolutions add up. Life changes. New children are born. We move to new places. We acquire different responsibilities. We enter into different seasons of life.

Frequently, we must reassess our journey with Christ. Simplicity is best when its rooted in love for God.

Saint Francis de Sales said, "We are not drawn to God by iron chains, but by sweet attractions and holy inspirations." The same saint said, "We must fear God out of love, not love Him out of fear." We do not need a complex constellation of devotions. We need simplicity.

True devotion to God derives from simple love. I heartfelt "I love you," to God is worth more than a strenuous Lent with resentment.

Saint Therese the Little Flower wrote, "Loves consumes us only in the measure of our self-surrender." Love is the core.

In order to re-discover this simple core, here are five ways to simplify and revitalize your life with Christ.

1) Mental prayer is the most important kind of prayer. Mental prayer is talking to God with your heart and mind. It's conversational. In mental prayer, you tell Jesus about your hopes, joys, fears, and sufferings for each and every day. It's intimate. There is something simple and unassuming about mental prayer. Set your iPhone for five minutes and talk to Jesus from the heart. Add minutes over time.

2) Do you have a basic prayer structure in your life? A morning prayer/offering. Prayers at meals. Angelus. Daily Rosary. Prayers before bed.

If this seems overwhelming, don't worry. Just start with one devotion and think of it as a brick. You don't need build the house at one time. Brick by brick is the prudent way. Rome wasn't built in a day. Add one thing at a time. Don't start praying the Breviary or fifteen decades of the Rosary overnight. Ramp up slowly.

3) How can you make a better Holy Communion? The Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of our lives as Christians. How can you amplify that reality in your life. Could you say prayers for the night before. Is there a prayer you could add to the moment when you receive Communion? Something special that only you and God know? How can you crown that moment of Holy Communion?

4) What's your "policy" on going to Confession? Do you have a simple rule that makes it regular and easy? What is one thing you could do to make Confession into a sought after joy, rather than a dreaded obligation? All the spiritual masters say that frequent confession is essential to growth. Make a simple, easy to remember plan.

5) Set some goals. Get out a sheet of paper. Stop reading right now and get a sheet a paper....

Okay, do you have that sheet of paper? Write down your daily, weekly, monthly, and annual devotions. If you don't have any. Don't worry. Assess where you are. Then ask yourself where you want to be one year from now. Best of all, discuss this with your spiritual director. Get his objective diagnosis. If you don't have a spiritual director, talk to a friend you trust in a casual way.

Set a simple plan and then stick with it. If you decide to pray the daily Rosary of five decades. Do it. Don't feel obliged to bump it up or turn it down. Just be steady. If you miss. Just start over the next day.

Did you decide to do the Morning Offering every day? Great. If you forget and remember to say it at 9pm at night. No worries. Just say it when you remember. If you forget for three days, say it anyway as soon as you remember. Keep it simple. Remember, it takes about twenty-one days to create a habit. Give it twenty-one days before you even begin to become discouraged!

The key to simplicity is habit and pattern. Why do you think monks and nuns lived patterned lives? Simplicity.

Question for comments: Sometimes I set forth my patterns, but I don't feel like it. I have those days where I am less than inspired. What do you do on those days? For me it helps to be by a Tabernacle or to look at a crucifix. What about you? Please leave a comment.

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Social Media vs. the Catholic Church (?)

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:04:37 PDT

Here's the summary of this post: "How the Internet is game-changer for the Catholic Church." Keep reading if you're interested...

This summer I'll be speaking at the 2013 Catholic Media Conference in Denver. I'll be giving a presentation on the "Ethics of Social Media."

The elements of social media (internet, blogs, podcasts, synchronous college courses, live streaming internet radio, phone texts, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) are now a permanent part of our lives. You can try to be a Luddite, but not for long. You will drown in the waves. You will lose the cultural battle.

Think about these two bullets:

Social media now has the power to bring pornographic videos through an iPhone into a teenager's bedroom.
Social media now has the power to bring videos of the Pope celebrating Mass, Bibles, Catechisms, and Fulton Sheen mp3s to China, North Korea, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, etc. - places where missionary efforts have been widely blocked.

As Uncle Ben from Spiderman cribbed from the Bible: "With great power, comes great responsibility." How can Catholics surf the wave of information crashing upon us?

No doubt, the power of information just became more powerful. Information is faster and easier. This is like fire. It can bring about great good and great evil. Fire can burn down your house and crackle the skin off your bones. Fire can also cook your steak and warm your home. The problem is not the fire per se.

As you know, Popes issue encyclicals. They are called "encyclicals" because once upon a time they needed to be "cycled" around. These documents had to be distributed through the rings of information. At first hand copied. Later printed. Later photocopied. Later faxed. But now, Pope Francis can send out a tweet via Twitter and it goes to 2.5 million people instantly. Pope Boniface VIII (d. 1303) would have fleeced France a hundredfold in order to acquire this new kind of social power.

What does this mean for Catholics?

I read somewhere recently that 60% of the internet is delivering pornography. That means that Wikipedia, your favorite blogs, sports scores, and whatever are only 40% of what is "the internet"!

That is a bleak statistic. Nevertheless, I'm hopeful. When people look back at our century, they will speak of the canonized saints who used this great power to evangelize the face of planet earth. The next Boniface, Dominic, Catherine of Sienna, or Francis Xavier will come seemingly out from nowhwere when things seem almost lost. Then Christ will act with great power.

These future saints could be little old nuns like Mother Angelica or they could be a handful of Catholic college kids who launched an initiative that reformed the Catholic Church through their keyboards. I don't know. What I do know is this: When the printing press emerged in the 1500s, Protestants and Humanists flocked to it. Catholics were slow on the uptake. We should learn from this mistake.

I hope that we won't make the same mistake with the new digital medium. The Catholic Church could become the most influential voice on the planet. But she needs saints to make it happen. Not mere techies. She needs "holy techies" who have a passion for truth, souls, and most importantly, love for Christ and His Church.

Question: I have some ideas on how this "game changer" could happen for the Catholic Church through the new media. I'll be sharing them in the months to come. Before then, I want to hear your ideas. How do we share the Gospel with every person on earth? How do we harness this power? How do we create something like an EWTN that is 1,000 times bigger and more influential?

Please leave a comment below. If you're getting this blog post via email, and you want to leave a comment, please scroll down and click on the comments link.

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Did God Send the Tornado? The Problem of Natural Evils

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:18:27 PDT

When a person murders another person, there is outrage. Many ask, "How could God allow this?" Yet there remains an implicit understanding that humans have free will. When a murderer kills another human, we blame the murderer.

But what about natural evils? Natural disasters?

A tornado that kills children does not have free will. A tsunami does not have free will. A virus or cancer does not have free will. All these forces kill people. Why?

Why would a good God allow this?

A doctor friend of mine, Ben Olsson, DO, recently said, "Someone needs to come up with a theology of viruses. How do we account for the creation of these "non-living" things that destroy human bodies?"

These problems point to the final frontier of theology and philosophy. They are the perennial unanswered questions...

Today our hearts go out to those who have died and suffered in the tornado of Oklahoma. God is all-loving and all-powerful. So why didn't He stop the storm?

In philosophy, this is the problem of theodicy. The word "theodicy comes from two Greek works theos meaning "God" and dike meaning "justice."

When dear little children die in a violent tornado, humans begin to question the "justice of God."

Just a few days ago, I wrote a blog post on how to speak with atheists. You can find it by clicking here. I mentioned in this post that atheists are not usually atheists because of the cosmological arguments. They are atheists because of evil. They reject God in the face of moral, but especially natural, evils.

The atheists points to the TV screen and says, "Aha, all those children died in a tornado. You're God did that. Is that your God?" For these atheists, it is better to deny God's existence than it is admit that God is evil or ambivalent.

The atheistic critique of theists is the thread running through Fyodor Dostoyevsky's The Brothers Karamazov. (A great novel that you should read. You can get here.) Ivan the atheist brother asks Aloysha the Christian brother about the cruelty children receive. He refers to God as the "architect" of the arrangement when he asks:

"Would you consent to be the architect under those conditions? Tell me honestly!"

"No, I wouldn't agree," said Alyosha quietly.

Even the innocent and faithful Alyosha seems confused and ashamed about the problem of evil.

The human heart, like Alyosha, knows that if there is a God, and that God should be good. The heart cannot make sense of it all. It hurts. It requires a quiet response and a lowering of the eyes.

Enough philosophy. Why did a tornado kill innocent children? What's the answer?

The answer is not one that you will like...

The answer is silence. Sit down and read the book of Job in your own silence. It is without a doubt the most powerful treatise on theodicy. It involves terrible moral and natural evils happening to one man.

When the evils happen, Job remains silent.

Job's "friends" Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar come and they remain silent until Job finally speaks.

Next, the friends try to provide Job with a cogent account of theodicy - an account of why God allowed these evils to befall Job. Their speeches are unsatisfying. The young man Elihu defends Job and God. Finally God speaks. God does not condemn the men for asking the question and trying to seek answers. But God does not give an answer.

No answers are provided. Rather faith and silence are implied. The Eastern theologian Alexander Schmemann notes that "Job, the sufferer, is the Old Testament icon of Christ. This reading announces the great mystery of Christ's sufferings, obedience and sacrifice.” (from his A Liturgical Explanation for the Days of Holy Week)

Silence. This is the posture of Jesus Christ in the face of evil - all evil.

"He was offered because it was his own will, and he opened not his mouth: he shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth" (Isaiah 53:7).

So we must remain silent. Have faith. Pray. The answer will not be given to us. A compassionate and trustful silence is all we have.

Please pray for the injured, suffering, and dead of Oklahoma. Kyrie eleison 40x. Ave Maria.

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I'll be on Catholic Answers LIVE today!

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:30:11 PDT

Dear Friends,

I'm so happy and excited.

Today (May 20) I'll be on one of the best shows on radio - Catholic Answers Live - (coast to coast) discussing the question, "Why is the Catholic Church Roman?" (6pm Eastern).

If you're interested in the topic and haven't read my new book The Eternal City: Rome & the Origins of Catholicism, this will be an easy and quick introduction to the biblical and historical theology for "Roman" Catholicism.

I hope to take questions, so please call in!

Here are the show details:

DATE: Monday, May 20, 2013

TIME: 6pm Eastern Time / 5pm Central Time

ONLINE: If you're town does not have Catholic Answers Live, you can listen live online by clicking here.

For those in North Texas, I'll be with Dave Palmer on the Guadalupe Catholic Network at 12:30pm discussing my new free book on Thomas Aquinas: Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages: A Brief Layman's Guide. Dave Palmer is the Thomistic radio host par excellence. Dave has read the entire Summa - so it should be a great show!

You can sign up to receive the free book Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages on May 31 by clicking here.

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How to Speak with an Atheist Friend or Loved One

noreply@blogger.com (Taylor Marshall) — Sun, 19 May 2013 12:22:46 PDT

Atheists: Dawkins, Harris, Hitchens

In this post, I'm going to share with you what I believe to be the most powerful way to speak with atheists. But first...

Last night I had the sad experience of learning that one of my cousins is an atheist. I say sad, because all my hope in this life comes from my faith in Christ. If I did not have Christ, I don't know what would happen to me.

I am not saying that atheists cannot be naturally happy or even naturally virtuous. However, I am a man of faith. I am a Catholic. I believe in Heaven and Hell. I want everyone I meet to go to Heaven...not Hell. With eternity on the line, we need to be intentional about what matters most. So how do we share our faith effectively?

I know many atheists. I have friends and family who are atheists. We speak openly about God, morals, and the afterlife. Regrettably, I used to be much more aggressive in my approach. I don't think aggression or argumentation (however logical) works.

So what does work?

Let me suggest that you first pray and second remain calm. Third, ask your atheist friend this question: "Do you believe in love?"

In other words, is love real? Spend your time discussing love. Is love an instinct? Is it a passion? Is love a hormonal phenomenon? Is love a virtue? Is love a "force"? Is love a "thing"? Where does love come from?

Love is a great way to begin. Very few people will reject the existence of love. That's a great thing! You have somewhere to start.

As much as I love Thomas Aquinas, I realize that the atheist remains unmoved by the five ways of Thomas. (By the way, I discuss this phenomenon regarding atheism and Aquinas in my new free ebook which you can get on May 31 if you sign up for it.) Most atheists don't disbelieve because philosophical arguments from causality. Most atheists disbelieve because they have experienced sheer evil in the world.

So don't start with causality or evil! Start with the idea of love and begin the great conversation. I think you'll discover a strong way forward if you apply this approach with grace, love, prayer, and personal penance.

Remember. You can only rightfully share God (who is Love) if you speak and act with love. If you come off as angry or judgmental, forget it.

Question: Do you have friends or loved ones who are atheists? Would you share some tips with us? Do you have success stories? Please share!

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Dr. Taylor Marshall | Canterbury Tales

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The FREE book is being sent to you now!

Photo: Scouts of Saint George Logo Mock Up

The War of Faith: Understanding the Resistance

Free Book is Ready: Thomas Aquinas in 50 Pages

How Do We Fight the Secular Agenda?

Catholic Scouts of St George: 9 Ways to Help

Subscribe to our Scouts of Saint George mailing list

Why I'm Starting a New Boy Scouts: My Catholic Scouting Manifesto

5 Ways to Simplify Your Spiritual Life - and Make It Beautiful!

Social Media vs. the Catholic Church (?)

Did God Send the Tornado? The Problem of Natural Evils

I'll be on Catholic Answers LIVE today!

How to Speak with an Atheist Friend or Loved One