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Tuesday, June 17, 2003
Well Thought Out Critique of What's Wrong with Seminary Formation
By Father Rob Johansen, read it at Crisis Magazine What's Wrong with our Seminaries?
I once read somewhere that the Historical Critical method is useful for translators--so that they know the true meaning of the "word" they are translating from one setting in history to another but useless in translating the translation into a different culture. Here is Father Rob's take on the method:
Apart from the tedium and consequent disinterest in Scripture that such total reliance on the historical-critical method engenders, the other problem with it is that it’s virtually useless for training priests to preach meaningfully from the Scriptures. The historical-critical method is certainly helpful for understanding the background and context of a Scripture passage, but it’s powerless to answer the questions in the minds of the average Catholic in the pew: How does this scripture relate to my life as a Catholic, and how does it nourish my faith? The historical-critical approach is even more inimical to penetrating the mysteries of the Faith themselves. To do that, one needs the Fathers and the spiritual senses, and that’s precisely what our seminarians aren’t getting. While this deficiency may not be the sole cause of the poor preaching many Catholics experience today, it certainly doesn’t help.
By Father Rob Johansen, read it at Crisis Magazine What's Wrong with our Seminaries?
I once read somewhere that the Historical Critical method is useful for translators--so that they know the true meaning of the "word" they are translating from one setting in history to another but useless in translating the translation into a different culture. Here is Father Rob's take on the method:
Apart from the tedium and consequent disinterest in Scripture that such total reliance on the historical-critical method engenders, the other problem with it is that it’s virtually useless for training priests to preach meaningfully from the Scriptures. The historical-critical method is certainly helpful for understanding the background and context of a Scripture passage, but it’s powerless to answer the questions in the minds of the average Catholic in the pew: How does this scripture relate to my life as a Catholic, and how does it nourish my faith? The historical-critical approach is even more inimical to penetrating the mysteries of the Faith themselves. To do that, one needs the Fathers and the spiritual senses, and that’s precisely what our seminarians aren’t getting. While this deficiency may not be the sole cause of the poor preaching many Catholics experience today, it certainly doesn’t help.
Harry Potter and the Bishop of Phoenix
There is a lot of security right now trying to keep anyone from stealing the latest Harry Potter book to be released this Friday night at the stroke of midnight. Across the nation children will crowd bookstores awaiting the latest tome from J. K. Rowling that some are reporting features such treats as vomit flavored cotton candy--just the smell of such a treat would be enough for me to be a manufacturer of a future batch!
At the same time as the the latest Potter book is being released and revealed the bishops of the U.S. will be going into secrecy at their semi-annual meeting. We can only speculate as to what they will be discussing but there is little doubt that the Bishop of Phoenix might be a late addition to the agenda. His scandalous "hit and run" accident is as scandalous as any event that he has covered up in his diocese and is seen by every Catholic that I have spoken with as a great betrayal, if not a sign of sickness (perhaps alcoholism as one person speculates).
The secrecy of the bishops will do nothing to take away the media circus from the environs of the St. Louis meeting, in fact one might speculate that the usually forgotten June meeting of the bishops is likely to receive more coverage than ever because of the secrecy in the same way that the antics of the publisher of the Potter books keeps the attempts to steal the book on the front page daily before the actual release of the title.
Harry Potter is about magic, the Christian religion is about truth, setting your light on a hill where everyone can see your good works. There are magicians in the Scriptures--they seek to replicate the miracles that the believers in God work. In the modern world sometimes it is a little hard to tell who are the magicians and who are the believers or if there are any believers out there.
Magic usually arises out of fear. A person like the title character Harry Potter, rejected by his foster family, gets to the point that reality is too difficult to deal with, so they flea into the world of "make believe" where they are powerful and in charge.
Christ offers a different type of empowerment. Christians are people who are able to face any eventuality and to see in the cross--the light of the resurrection. They can face what might defeat the unbeliever because they know that ultimately the definition of who they are comes from God not from the crowd shouting "crucify him!"
The "hit and run" mentality of not facing up to the consequences of the failures of those in the church is "fear" based and frankly reaks of folks living in a magical kingdom rather than the Kingdom of God. It sort of reminds me of the apostles fleeing Christ upon His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Folks, it all comes down to faith and faith comes through prayer and trust in God. It isn't an escape from reality it is an imersion into reality. It means facing up to all the difficulties of the present moment and doing the right thing.
Which brings us to "us". How can we work to reform ourselves and the Church? What can we do to support the work of good bishops and priests to further the establishment of the Kingdom of God?
These are the big questions and there is no magical answer to any of them, but through trust in God (exemplified by prayer and lots of it) we will find that we are able to face them and make a big difference no matter how small we are in God's Kingdom.
There is a lot of security right now trying to keep anyone from stealing the latest Harry Potter book to be released this Friday night at the stroke of midnight. Across the nation children will crowd bookstores awaiting the latest tome from J. K. Rowling that some are reporting features such treats as vomit flavored cotton candy--just the smell of such a treat would be enough for me to be a manufacturer of a future batch!
At the same time as the the latest Potter book is being released and revealed the bishops of the U.S. will be going into secrecy at their semi-annual meeting. We can only speculate as to what they will be discussing but there is little doubt that the Bishop of Phoenix might be a late addition to the agenda. His scandalous "hit and run" accident is as scandalous as any event that he has covered up in his diocese and is seen by every Catholic that I have spoken with as a great betrayal, if not a sign of sickness (perhaps alcoholism as one person speculates).
The secrecy of the bishops will do nothing to take away the media circus from the environs of the St. Louis meeting, in fact one might speculate that the usually forgotten June meeting of the bishops is likely to receive more coverage than ever because of the secrecy in the same way that the antics of the publisher of the Potter books keeps the attempts to steal the book on the front page daily before the actual release of the title.
Harry Potter is about magic, the Christian religion is about truth, setting your light on a hill where everyone can see your good works. There are magicians in the Scriptures--they seek to replicate the miracles that the believers in God work. In the modern world sometimes it is a little hard to tell who are the magicians and who are the believers or if there are any believers out there.
Magic usually arises out of fear. A person like the title character Harry Potter, rejected by his foster family, gets to the point that reality is too difficult to deal with, so they flea into the world of "make believe" where they are powerful and in charge.
Christ offers a different type of empowerment. Christians are people who are able to face any eventuality and to see in the cross--the light of the resurrection. They can face what might defeat the unbeliever because they know that ultimately the definition of who they are comes from God not from the crowd shouting "crucify him!"
The "hit and run" mentality of not facing up to the consequences of the failures of those in the church is "fear" based and frankly reaks of folks living in a magical kingdom rather than the Kingdom of God. It sort of reminds me of the apostles fleeing Christ upon His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.
Folks, it all comes down to faith and faith comes through prayer and trust in God. It isn't an escape from reality it is an imersion into reality. It means facing up to all the difficulties of the present moment and doing the right thing.
Which brings us to "us". How can we work to reform ourselves and the Church? What can we do to support the work of good bishops and priests to further the establishment of the Kingdom of God?
These are the big questions and there is no magical answer to any of them, but through trust in God (exemplified by prayer and lots of it) we will find that we are able to face them and make a big difference no matter how small we are in God's Kingdom.
Monday, June 16, 2003
Need to Replace that Ink Cartridge?
The Cistercians offer you an inexpensive option:Welcome to LaserMonks
The Cistercians offer you an inexpensive option:Welcome to LaserMonks
St. John Paul the First?
From Newsday.com:
The case is growing for making the pope's predecessor a saint, church officials said Monday. John Paul I, born Albino Luciani, was pontiff for 33 days in 1978.
The northern Italian diocese where he was born is gathering testimony about his life in hopes of persuading the Vatican that he should be made a saint, a process that can take years or even decades.
The Rev. Giuseppe Bratti, secretary to the bishop of Belluno-Feltre, said the testimony includes increasing accounts of possible miracles that faithful attribute to John Paul I.
From Newsday.com:
The case is growing for making the pope's predecessor a saint, church officials said Monday. John Paul I, born Albino Luciani, was pontiff for 33 days in 1978.
The northern Italian diocese where he was born is gathering testimony about his life in hopes of persuading the Vatican that he should be made a saint, a process that can take years or even decades.
The Rev. Giuseppe Bratti, secretary to the bishop of Belluno-Feltre, said the testimony includes increasing accounts of possible miracles that faithful attribute to John Paul I.
Sunday, June 15, 2003
Trinity Sunday
Today would be a good day to preach on God the Father, don't you think? It is Father's Day and Trinity Sunday. The Holy Spirit should have got some play last week for the Solemnity of Pentecost and Jesus has gotten play all year long, so today we should defintely hear something about God the Father.
In my dealings with people over spiritual matters, I've found that a lot of people have problems with God the Father. Of course it has more to do with earthly matters in the end than with God. Since I would remind all that when St. Philip asked Jesus to "show us the Father" that Jesus replied "anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." So in reality a good homily on the "Father" would be like a good homily on "Jesus." It would be kind of like most artists' rendition of the Trinity where God the Father is just an older version of Our Lord.
Today try to foster an ongoing sense of the adoration due to God the Father- thanking Him for all of creation with every breath that you take!
Today would be a good day to preach on God the Father, don't you think? It is Father's Day and Trinity Sunday. The Holy Spirit should have got some play last week for the Solemnity of Pentecost and Jesus has gotten play all year long, so today we should defintely hear something about God the Father.
In my dealings with people over spiritual matters, I've found that a lot of people have problems with God the Father. Of course it has more to do with earthly matters in the end than with God. Since I would remind all that when St. Philip asked Jesus to "show us the Father" that Jesus replied "anyone who has seen me has seen the Father." So in reality a good homily on the "Father" would be like a good homily on "Jesus." It would be kind of like most artists' rendition of the Trinity where God the Father is just an older version of Our Lord.
Today try to foster an ongoing sense of the adoration due to God the Father- thanking Him for all of creation with every breath that you take!
Overpopulation of Deer?
I think I counted at least 20 deer last night in our 100 mile trip back from Michigan. Two here, one there all grazing near the fast moving traffic--looking up every now and again at some faces peering in the distance in their direction.
Kind of the way that I feel when we do these booksignings that are almost always poorly planned and carried out. People come in looking at you, like who the hell are you, and you get the idea that the managers of the store haven't really done a lot of advertising or forethought about the whole enterprise that you are providing for them for free. In other words it didn't cost the bookstore anything to have us there and they made at least an extra $300+ bucks for the two hours that we were there explaining our books to their customers. But I'll bet if they had thought about it a bit more and promoted the heck out of the fact that two authors who between them have ten published books in the Catholic market--they could have made ten times that amount.
But it strikes me that many out there are a whole lot like those deer. Just grazing by the busy interstate and perhaps a little bit of grieving over the few who risk crossing the interstate and lie dead--feet up in the air by the side of the road.
I think I counted at least 20 deer last night in our 100 mile trip back from Michigan. Two here, one there all grazing near the fast moving traffic--looking up every now and again at some faces peering in the distance in their direction.
Kind of the way that I feel when we do these booksignings that are almost always poorly planned and carried out. People come in looking at you, like who the hell are you, and you get the idea that the managers of the store haven't really done a lot of advertising or forethought about the whole enterprise that you are providing for them for free. In other words it didn't cost the bookstore anything to have us there and they made at least an extra $300+ bucks for the two hours that we were there explaining our books to their customers. But I'll bet if they had thought about it a bit more and promoted the heck out of the fact that two authors who between them have ten published books in the Catholic market--they could have made ten times that amount.
But it strikes me that many out there are a whole lot like those deer. Just grazing by the busy interstate and perhaps a little bit of grieving over the few who risk crossing the interstate and lie dead--feet up in the air by the side of the road.
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