Happy Feast of St. Catherine of Siena, OP!

Today the Universal Church celebrates of of the Dominican Order's shining lights: St. Catherine of Siena: Mystic, Dominican Lay Woman, Preacher, Nurse, and Doctor of the Church. In the icon above, the Church is symbolized by the boat, showing how St. Catherine had to support it during one of its most tumultuous times. I confess, I don't know very much about St. Catherine. I tend to be attracted to the more obscure saints, and leave the big names alone. In the community, however, we have a St. Catherine expert. He preached very lovingly about St. Catherine's life and writings this morning.
***
The best part of today, has to have been when a classmate of mine told me that she was becoming a Dominican Associate (Dominican Lay Woman, like St. Catherine) through the Racine Dominican Congregation of Sisters. To learn more about the Racine Dominicans see this website:http://www.racinedominicans.org/. Another friend of mine, this one a male, told me that he's joining a chapter of Dominican Laity in Michigan. To find out if there's a OPL chapter near you, see this website: http://www.domcentral.org/oplaity/laycat.htm. I absolutely love the fact that the Dominican Order embraces so many different ways of life. If only we had a branch of contemplative monks to match the contemplative nuns, we would be set. A very popular OPL candidate for sainthood is Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati.
***
St. Paul was speaking to me today. The line that stood out to me today from the reading at Morning Prayer was "we are giving ourselves up to death." And from Evening Prayer: "Slaves to Righteousness." Both of them have to do with a way of approaching life that I think gives us insights into the line between ordinary faith, and the faith of the saints. The faith of the saints is extreme: it demands a complete focus on God, out of love, which then allows for greater freedom. A greater freedom to do crazy things that only saints would do--like writing to the pope and telling him to get back to Rome (St. Catherine), getting walled inside a little room attached to a Church (Bl. Julian of Norwich), and preaching to people who have no reason to believe a word you're saying (St. Paul). The second line struck me, because I think most people understand the idea of being enslaved to sin. Even St. Paul writes about doing the opposite of what he actually wants to. Yet, a saint continuous strives to be a "slave of righteousness." Imagine if one day, you felt like you couldn't help doing the right thing--the way you currently feel when to mess up, and do something you hoped not to do. Wouldn't it be cool to be so radically changed by God's grace that to do the right thing would become almost unavoidable? As Paul shows us, this radical change takes time. Fighting for the change is what defines a Christian, obtaining it, is the work of God.
***
I was also, in light of the feast day, thinking about the "way of the Preacher" that Dominicans talk about. Part of my reflection after rosary, which was a continuation of a reflection I've been having the past few days, is that part of being a preacher is having an inner fire. The things that a preacher gets upset about are not the kinds of concerns other people might worry about. The insight that I'm trying to express is that I've learned to look at, for example, my negative inner conversations in a more constructive light. Instead of saying that I've been having uncharitable thoughts about particular brothers, I can now see that what's at the heart of the matter are theological, spiritual, social, etc., issues that I have strong opinions about. There's nothing wrong with getting all fired up--I just have to learn to use the fire productively. A preacher preaches because he cares--namely, he cares about Truth (Veritas is the motto of the Dominican Order). Someone who cares about Truth must speak out, this is one lesson from St. Catherine's life.
***
I also had some inspiration today. I woke up at 5:30am and could tell I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, so I started to search for information about Bl. Carino of Balsamo, one of my favorite Dominicans. Lo, I found not just an article, but one published this year in the Catholic Historical Review. It gave some more information about the events leading up to St. Peter Martyrs assassination and the continued devotion to Bl. Carino in Forli, where he lived, and Balsamo, where he grew up. As if that weren't enough, I came home later this afternoon, and found another article on Carino, this one by a literature professor at Bard College. I haven't yet gotten the text for that one.
***
In closing, I leave you with a passage from Bl. Julian of Norwich's Showings chp. 24: "And this is the knowledge of which we are most ignorant; for many men and women believe that God is almighty and has power to do everything, and that he is all wisdom and knows how to do everything, but that he is all love and is willing to do everything--there they stop...So, of all the properties of the Holy Trinity, it is God's wish that we should place most reliance on liking and love; for love makes God's power and wisdom very gentle to us; just as through his generosity God forgives our sin when we repent, so he wants us to forget our sin and all our depression and all our doubtfull fear."
***
I'm off to work on my Predestination paper.
Br. Paul, OP~

Br. Henry Denier, OP Day!

Today, among the brothers remembered in our prayers, the Province of St. Albert the Great especially remembers Bro. Henry Denier, OP, who died on this day in 2004. It's rare for people who lead such humble, unassuming lives to be noticed by others, let alone considered saints--that's just how our Bro. Henry is remembered. Even in the prayer line before dinner, while we were praying for our dead, the prior referred to this brother as Saint Henry Denier.

***

Currently, I don't have any great stories to tell about Bro. Henry. The notice about his life in our official directory has only the bare bones. He was born Anthony Dominic Denier in Cincinnati, OH on March 26th, 1912, the youngest of three sons. He and his brothers ended up in an orphanage, where Anthony was baptized. Eventually, he went the Ohio Mechanic's Institute in Cincinnati, and worked as a machinist, a gardener, and painter. But in January, 1937, he entered the Dominican Order as a cooperator brother, receiving the name Brother Henry. He made first profession of vows on July 25th, 1938. Bro. Henry served the newly formed Province of St. Albert the Great in Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, and Colorado, doing maintenance and sacristan work.

***

In 2001, Br. Henry's health declined when he had to have quintuple bypass surgery, and later, he had to have a leg amputated. After being moved to Chicago for care, he died on April 27th, 2004, and was buried in All Saints Cemetery, Des Plaines, Illinois.

***

Seven years after his death, Bro. Henry's memory lives on and is revered.

***

If you want to learn more about Bro. Henry visit: http://www.domcentral.org/inmemoriam/henry/default.htm and listen to the stories that were told by the friars who knew and loved him.

***

Also, if you have a need that you'd like some help with, drop Bro. Henry a line, and see what happens. Perhaps God would like to be glorified through the life of this holy cooperator brother.

***

I am mindful, as well, that this is the anniversary of the day that I recognized that I was called to be a cooperator brother. Who knows, perhaps Bro. Henry was helping me with my discernment.

Peace,

Bro. Paul~

Feast of St. Mark

Happy Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist, everyone! It's been some week for me. I had assignments due in all five of my classes. Two presentations, one commentary, and one major paper. My presentation on Aquinas, Freud, and Conscience was basically a flop. I'm a perfectionist, so I hate the fact that I was overdependent on my notes for the second half of the presentation, and didn't give the kind of ending that lets people know I was done. Yeah...not good...but not horrible, either. I probably did fine. My presentation on the Song of Songs for Bible Interpretation class went much better, and I was quite happy with it. I got an A- on the commentary, which is good enough for me, and I'm quite proud of the paper I did for Church History II. It's the Austen paper I've been going on and on about. I finally gave it the title: "Vocation on Trial: Edmund Bertram and the Defense of the Anglican Priesthood in Jane Austen's Mansfield Park." I was up until almost one on Wednesday night getting it footnoted and revised for Thursday.

***

I'm very happy about a few things in particular tonight. One, I was able to get back to the gym today, after taking the week off for homework. I don't like to miss workouts, but I find I really work best in the mornings, and when I have a big block of time to force myself to sit and focus on one thing--so, interrupting the morning to go workout isn't ideal during this kind of week. Two, I was able to get a new pair of shoes, after my beloved Keen sandals started falling apart--the shoe strings, not the shoe itself. Pictured above is a sandal much like the new sandals I bought today. They are expensive, I know, but I look at them as an investment. They last a long time, and they're active wear (you can run, hike, etc. in them, which you can't do as easily in other sandals). Some people just don't like the design, but ever since I first saw them in Denver, I've loved them. And three, I finally finished chapter eight of the novel I'm writing. I've been stuck on in for over a week, and just did not see how I could move on. Finally, an unexpected family was called into being, and they gave me just what I needed to get my main character moving on--and the new events at the end of the chapter set me up for explaining why my heroine falls in love...maybe. I don't like to predict the future in this story, as it has a life of its own. Anyway, it's good to be back in the swing of things.

***

God has been very good to me this week. I've experienced so many graced moments---moments in which I believe the Spirit has been present, guiding me, encouraging me, and teaching me. Even so, I've been a little spiritually dry. I think it happens when I stop thinking about the faith and run on auto. You can't really do that for long periods of time. At least for me, I find I have to constantly keep asking myself about what I believe, and what does being Christian mean for living in the world. Why am I a Dominican friar? it's all connected to the life question--as in, why am I here? Human existence is absolutely amazing to me. I believe whole-heartedly in the Church's teaching that it is in our freedom and our reason that we most resemble God--but these two things entail great responsibility. As Jane Austen points out in Mansfield Park there are two factors at play in human life: knowledge of ourselves and of our duty. When I hear these ideas, I don't hear just more talk about rules and guidelines, I hear the Christian belief that we humans are made in the image and likeness of God. Why wouldn't we choose to be our best and reach our potential? I know it's complicated. Soooo many things can happen in one's life (not to mention the effects of Origian Sin) to confuse and seduce us--but just maybe there's still something left in us that if we would only attend to it, we might make that step forward. I think this is what the saints have done.

***

St. Mark, pray for us!

P~

Home Again

Well, I returned home yesterday at 2pm. I had an interview in Chicago for a summer job teaching reading comprehension to in-coming high school freshmen. Hopefully, I'll get the position, which will allow me to discern if I have a teaching vocation. If hired, I'm tempted to have the kids read Pride and Prejudice, which would be fun to teach, as well. The only danger being that the kids would rent the movie instead of reading the book.
***
By the way, I want to compliment the Megabus company. It was my first time traveling across country via bus. The Megabus was very comfortable. It's very affordable, too. Flying to and from Chicago would have been at least $400, if not more. With Megabus, it was only $40.00 round trip. If you book early enough, it's as low as $1.00. On the way up, the one bus driver showed two movies. On the way back, there were fewer people, and I had two seats to myself. I was able to get some homework and contemplation done.
***
My major goal today is to work on my Mansfield Park paper. To answer one reader's question, the paper is an exploration of Edmund's vocation to the Anglican priesthood. Scholars debate what is the central dramatic question of this novel. Unlike in the other Austen novels, which have romantic relationships as the central question, Mansfield Park seem to have several. Walter Anderson believes the main issue in MP is "home", as in whether or not Fanny Price will have a home at Mansfield Park. David Carroll, in contrast, thought "the central dilemma of the novel is Edmund's inability to reconcile the demands of his vocation with those of his heart". These two important issues may explain why MP is unlike the other novels, in that the "happily ever after" of the marriage is written more like an afterthought, than the great resolution. People are dissatisfied, therefore, because they think the main question is whether or not Fanny and Edmund will get married. This is still an important question, no doubt, but the main obstacle to this event--unlike in the other novels--doesn't rest with Fanny Price. Fanny is fairly perfect how she is. The problem is that Edmund is in love with someone else. Luckily--for Fanny, that is-- he's also determined to be a clergyman, something the worldly Mary Crawford (Fanny's rival) cannot accept. Edmund doesn't give Mary up without a fight. He tries to explain to her his vision of the priesthood. There are several scenes in the book in which he defends the clerical state. These are the scenes I am looking at, as a way of exploring Austen's own defense of the clerical profession (the profession of her father, two of her brothers, and several men of her acquaintance). While Austen does critique the clergy (as we see with Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Elton in Emma, and Dr. Grant in Mansfield Park, she also makes it the chosen profession of three of her heroes: Edward Ferrars in Sense and Sensibility, Henry Tilney in Northanger Abbey, and Edmund Bertram in Mansfield Park. In the end, as Irene Collins writes in her book Jane Austen and the Clergy: "The clear impression is that Jane took clergymen for granted and judged them as she found them, expecting them to be neither better nor worse than other men." In Edmund, however, we see a young man aspiring to the clerical state full of idealism. As we do not see him at ministry, we can only imagine that his approach to the priesthood will be somewhat different, somewhat better, than that of Mr. Collins, Mr. Elton, and Dr. Grant. With a wife like Fanny to support and advise him, I like to think that Edmund was able not only to achieve, but to excel, in the pastoral work he takes up at the end of Mansfield Park.
***
Back to work for me,
P~

Earthquake!

I was woken up last night by my bed shaking. It felt like somebody was either jumping on it, or was moving the mattress some how. I thought it might be either a devil or ghost, actually! So I sat up and waited to see if it continued. Then, I woke up again, was checking my email, and find that Illinois had an earthquake that was felt in Cincinnati, Chicago, and St. Louis. It's my second earthquake (the first was a tremor in San Francisco).
***
P~

Good News

Yesterday, three men were accepted as candidates for the novitiate class of Fall 08. This makes five accepted for next year so far. There are two other men lined up for another admissions board, so hopefully, next year's class will be 7+.

***

As I wrote in an earlier posting, which I deleted, this week hasn't been the easiest for me, nor was this weekend the most renewing. I think, in some ways, I was running on empty, and need this week to be a week of contemplation. I've picked up my Julian of Norwich again to read and think about before office, and that has been helpful. Julian's one of my favorite spiritual writers, because she's so straightforward about her opinions about salvation. I hope to make time for contemplation throughout the day, as well, instead of focusing so much on the homework that needs to be done.

***

Last night I had a blast watching the BBC's A Room with a View. I thought it was dreadful compared to the Helena Bonham Carter version put out years ago. Luckily, about a half an hour into the movie, three of my fellow Dominicans joined me in watching it, and we spent the rest of the time laughing at it. Dominicans are too good at commentary! To be honest, the film made the story look like: 1) Prim and Proper English girl goes to Italy, 2) Said girl enjoys wandering in the woods, where she kisses man she hardly knows, 3) A man who enjoys bathing publically. ---That's an odd plot. I've read A Room with a View, so I know that there's more poetry to it than that. But I really enjoyed the fact that the climax of the story is such an ordinary moment as when Lucy Honeychurch finally breaks down while talking to Mr. Emerson, and says, "But I've made a muddle of everything." That's all she had to say in order to admit her true feelings, and why she hadn't acted on them. It's wonderful. Of course, E. M. Forster is one of my favorite authors. Where Angels Fear to Tread and Maurice are excellent stories, as well.

***

I've begun my paper of Mansfield Park. Two or three pages a day ought to do it. By the way, I highly recommend the movie The Jane Austen Book Club. I actually like it better than Becoming Jane, which I bearly liked at all, compared to Miss Austen Regrets, which I thought was well done.

P~

The Samuel Cupples House

Above is a picture of the historic Samuel Cupples House, located at the heart of Saint Louis University's campus. It's a house I've often admired fromt the outside, but was finally inspired to visit this morning. Inside, I found a fantastically rich interior, complete with hardwood floors, wood panelling, and period furniture. My favorite piece of art was a painting of St. Sebastian on the second floor. All in all, the visit was an inspiration for me, and was used for ideas in the story I am currently working on. (I also think that this house would make a fantastic priory!)
P~

Ron Einhaus's Photography

Every week on Wednesday, I have the joy of getting an email from Ron Einhaus. He's the father of one of my best friends from high school who does a lot of photography. I absolutely love his work, and often change my computer wall paper each week, using his art. The above picture is one from this week's selection. I recommend his website to anyone who enjoys pictures of architecture, nature, and animals (last week he had great pictures of the animals in the Cincinnati Zoo). His website is: http://www.roneinhaus.com/. He's based out of Kentucky, my beloved Commonwealth, so many of his pictures are from there, in particular the Covington/Cincinnati area.
Peace,
P~

St. Jean-Baptist de la Salle Day

St. Jean-Baptist de la Salle

(The priest who founded the Christian Brothers!)

***

First of all, preaching went very well on Saturday night. However, it can always be better, and as I was reflecting tonight (during a meeting!) a good idea came to me that would have made my message even more solid. The best part about it this time was how relaxed I was. Of course, right up until the second I finished the scripture reading, part of me was on high alert--but I think all of my deep breathing and positive thinking and prayer paid off, and I had fun telling my brothers about St. Vincent Ferrer and the story behind his being the patron saint of construction workers. My main message was, based on Acts 2:14, 22-23 that we Dominicans are called to: 1) Preach to non-believers, 2) Preach to bring people to repentence, and 3) Preach about the God we know, that we've experienced for ourselves. Both St. Peter the Apostle and St. Vincent Ferrer did this.

***

Sunday was an excellent day, even though I was almost hit by a car (that story is less interesting that one might think). The two highlights were going to an afternoon baseball game at SLU and attending the "Pray for Porn" (reduction) holy hour at Aquinas Institute. Basically, we began with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, then prayed the luminous mysteries of the Holy Rosary, and listened the the fantastic preaching of the Jesuit priest, Fr. David Meconi, SJ. The idea behind the program was to pray for all those who are addicted and impacted by the plague of pornography, and make others aware of the problem--which is especially important on a college campus where young people can fall prey to the laissez-faire attitudes of our secular society. It was the idea of Br. Daniel, who did an excellent job of making it all come together.

***

Today was one of those busy days that leave you feeling like you didn't do much. Life does seem like, as Jane Austen said, a quick succession of busy nothings. Those busy nothings can sanctify, if done rightly. Alas, I did not do them "rightly". Still, a highlight to the day was sitting down during recreation and listening to Father Benedict Ashley, OP tell me stories about his days as a young priest working for the Chicago diocese. As he told the story of a dinner scene at the rectory of a rather excentric older priest, it was like he was writing a novel. He said the hosting priest (pastor of the parish) was having a dinner with his associates (underlings) and had forgotten to put in his hearing aids. While he told joke after joke, one of his disgruntled associates made snide remarks about the jokes. So there was Father Ashley, a prisoner at this unhappy meal. It was hilarious to imagine.

***

Anyway, let the week of studies begin.

St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for us!

Paul, OP

A Day of Little Events

Today, the Feast of St. Isidore of Seville, by the way, has been a day of little events. I spent most of it on my own. One of the goals of the afternoon was to finally get my driver's license changed to a Missouri license. This saved the afternoon from being just another sleepy effort to get homework done. Another benefit was that it gave me a reason to visit the St. Louis University Art Museum (pictured above). I noticed last week that a new exhibit had gone up by Jerry O. Wilkerson called "Discerning Palette", so I walked in on my way home.
***
Just as I was coming in, two older ladies were on their way out. They were absolutely raving about the museum and how great they thought everything was, so I was excited to explore. Luckily, I was on my own. I tend to go at a fast past through art I'm not feeling, and then soaking in the pieces I like.
***
Mr. Wilkerson's work had me torn. I liked his technique, which is a soft pointillism. My two favorite pieces by him were 1) a tiny little painting called "The Sunrise", which was a picture of a little breakfast muffin, and 2) a quilt that had patches depicting pizza (it sound weird, but the general effect was pleasing.) I also like the painting "Refrigerator on Easter Morning" with its chocolate bunny. Over all, however, I was not that taken by paintings of food, no matter how expertly done. I then explored the next floor, which didn't have anything that really grabbed me.
***
On the third floor, however, there was this startling sculpture of Christ by Philip Hitchcock. The Christ figure was completely nude, and lifesize, standing next to a narrow and roughhewn cross. Christ's arms were embracing the cross, while his face looked up to the heavens, as if the Christ were speaking to the Father. I found the sculpture tastefully and respectfully done. I find it interesting, however, when artists depict Christ in such muscular terms. In this sculpture, it looked like Christ spent at least an hour in the gym every day. The"perfection" of the body seemed to demand that this be the focal point of the Christ's identity and desirability--yet...the facial expression prevents this overly physical interpretation, capturing a glimpse of human spirit, particularly, the emotions, through the expression of the eyes. What this sculpture ended up doing, then, is illustrating in a concrete way the classic "spirit-body" reality of the human being, which is often thought of as the source of conflict, but in the Christ, is peacefully unified.
***
On the floor above that one, the museum had a great collection of Jesuit Missionary artifacts--religious art, old furniture, photographs, liturgical books, vestments, including personal items that once belonged to Fr. de Smet, who did so much important work in the St. Louis area.
***
And, on the top floor, there was a collection of Asian art that I really enjoyed. Either carved in ivory or jade, there were little statues of people or giant ships all over the place in many glass cases and cabinets. ---In short, if you're in St. Louis, I recommend this museum---it's free!
***
In Biblical Interpretation class, the main assignment is a paper which incorporates many forms of criticism and interpretations. I'm researching a passage from The Song of Songs. For one of my modern interpretative approaches I read an essay by Christopher King from a book called The Queer Bible, which gives you a clear idea of what hermeneutical lens he's using. It's interesting, the whole first half of the essay I didn't believe at all. He was trying to make claims about the Song of Songs that I just did not buy. He writes, "In the final analysis, the Song of Songs presents us with an insight already known and spoken out loud by queer folk: Reciprocal desire is a law unto itself. In the Song of Songs, neither 'nature' nor gender can finally lay claim on the allegiance of truly well-ordered desire. Only a mutually beheld allure, an attractiveness that opens up the possibility of a coequal response between lovers, holds the last word in matters of love, sexuality, and human eros." To a Catholic Christian, this claim should ring false. Everything, even human desire, is subject to natural law, and reference to God. The intensity of a desire and its reciprocity is not enough to justify action.
***
Neither did I buy his argument that what drew the male and female to each other was a mutual attraction to their "sameness", which was just his way of taking a story clearly about male and female heterosexual attraction, and turning it into one about homosexual attraction: "The dynamism might be heterosexual, but its structure is definitely homoerotic". For me, he was reading into the text, and using the text to push an agenda.
***
That said, I found his later arguments quite interesting. These arguments had to do more with how gays and lesbians could relate to the lovers in the Song of Songs. 1) The lovers are outcasts of society (which says there's something wrong with their love), 2) The lovers have to meet in secret, 3) There is physical violence inflicted on the female lover (=bashing), 4) There's an estrangement from family (particularly from the parents) and home, and 5) There's a threefold desire for: Personal Honesty, Acceptance from Others, and Reconciliation with Society/Family/Home. These things I could see in the texts, and understand how a homosexual reader would find them meaningful for his or her own life. King concludes, "Such love will, inevitably, cause social friction and discord. These difficulties, however, arise not because queer eros is inherently unjust. On the contrary, they arise because it is so acutely just that it calls the social constructions of nature, culture, and law to a painful but healing crisis."
***
While I disagreed with many of King's underlying premises and conclusions, I did find the essay helpful in two ways---1) Understanding the intensity and violence of the Song of Songs (the forbidden passion of the two lovers versus a disapproving society) and 2) Understanding how a Biblical book takes on new or richer meaning when read with a particular lens (as certain things are highlight that might otherwise be missed).
***
Well...tomorrow is my turn to preach. Luckily, it's the feast day of one of the Order's most outstanding preachers--St. Vincent Ferrar. Hopefully, this great saint, not to mention, my Dominican brother, will help me out with his prayers. As always, I put my trust in the Holy Spirit.
Peace,
Paul, OP~

Thomas Aquinas and the Sound of Music?

Today's topic from my Thomas Aquinas class was particularly enjoyable, but not for any obvious reason.

***

Basically, there were two camps of thought coming out of an Aristotelian tradition--the "Augustinian" and the Latin Averroists (L.A.s). We have to know that the L.A. camp received their interpretation of Aristotle from the Arabic commentators of Aristotle's writings. These Arabic commentators believed in the concept of double truth--which means, something can be philosophically true, but theologically false, and the two realities need not trouble the individual (who keeps the two realms separate). Because of the L.A.'s interpretation of Aristotle, and their acceptance of ideas like 1) There's one soul for the whole universe, 2) Natural happiness (w/o reference to God--if I got this right), and 3) the Eternity of the World--the Augustinians wanted to reject Aristotle.

***

Into this story steps Thomas, with the important question--did the Arabic commentators get it right? For this particular class, we looked at Thomas's response to the idea of an eternal world. If a philosophy like Aristotle's says that the world was eternal, or at least could be eternal, how could that work with theology, which clearly states that God created the world? So, we see Thomas not so much refuting the claim, but showing how it could work both philosophically and theologically.

***

First of all, the question of the eternity of the world is not an unimportant question, because the only reason Christians necessarily have for believing that the world was created is because of revelation. Otherwise, it is philosophically possible to say that matter always existed. Can the two be put together?

***

Thomas thinks that you can for two reasons. 1) Just because something is created, doesn't mean that there has to be a time separation of cause from effect. For example: if there is a sun, there is sunlight. Another example, if you have a burning candle, you will have light and heat. Sunlight in the first example, and light and heat from the second example remain effects. So with God, one could argue, if you have God, you have certain effects that come from having a God exist. Such an effect could be material reality. If so, since God is eternal, such an effect would also be eternal, even though it is an effect.

***

The second point, which will incorporate the Sound of Music is that to be created out of nothing, implies that there was a time when there was nothing. Instead, Thomas argues that this simply means that things that are created only exist because God wills them to be. There's a line in one of the songs from the Sound of Music that says, "Nothing comes from Nothing, nothing ever could." It's odd to get such a philosophical principle stated in a love song, but it's basically a very good summary to Thomas's thought. People make the "nothing" in the equation "God created us from nothing" into a something--the something that God makes things out of. The something that was before us. Again, what the nothing asserts is that material reality is completely dependent on God for existence. If he did not will it to be, then it would not be (there would be nothing). This willing for material reality to be can be, as was said earlier what you have when you have a God existing, and so the fact that things wouldn't be without God's will, or that they come from nothing, need not mean that the world is not eternal.

***

None of this proves that the world is actually eternal--but what it does do is to show how the theological belief that God created the world, and the philosophical hypothesis that the world was eternal need not necessarily contradict one another. This is important in this particular instance, because if the group called Augustinians (not the OSAs, but the supposed defenders of Augustine's thoughts on the matter) had won the day, and Aristotle had been completely rejected by Christians theologians and academics, we would be the poorer for it.

***

Of course, everthing I said is a summary of the class and may be inaccurate, so...I recommend people read Thomas's "On the Eternity of the World Against Murmurers" and double check my memory. And the next time you're watching the Sound of Music, see if you can find other philosophical principles embedded in the music.

Response to Muscovite's Comment

While I respect what Muscovite has to say (see the comment to the previous post), I think that it's seriously biased on two counts: 1) the comment is a rather scathing judgement about Americans, and 2) she uses a particular interpretation of the lives of saints to support her claim. I'll try to address her comment as thoroughly as I can. It's worth engaging in dialogue, as clarifying one's position is a good thing and can lead to new insights.
***
1) What muscovite thought I meant by self-esteem, I would call self-consciousness or self-centeredness. Certainly, popular American culture seems to promote the "Me" individualistic mentality, versus the "We" or the communal mentality, but this need not relate to the concept of self-esteem. Christian self esteem, from my view point, has to do with how one perceives his or her self-worth, as informed by salvation history and Christian anthropology. Certainly, the saints were well aware of their sinfulness, and their need for God's grace--but they also, whether through direct revelation or through other means, came to the understanding that they were the beloved of God. A Christian is called upon to live out of the understanding that he or she is the beloved son or daughter of God. It's by standing in this light, that a Christian comes to desire the greatest good, over the petty inferior goods offered by the world. Self-esteem, in this respect, is intergral to accepting the new creation gained by Christ's passion, death, and resurrection. Besides, humility is a virtue that allows you to see yourself properly, not a cross to beat yourself up with.
***
2) As a pastorally minded person (as all religious are called to be when they interact with people) it certainly would be unhelpful to walk around with the idea that people need less self-esteem. When you interact with people as a minister, you realize that although on the surface things appear to be going well for people, and they seem to have great lives, many suffer from a lack of self-esteem or self efficacy. The weaknesses in these areas can lead to depression, divorce, abuse, and a loss of faith. These people don't have genuine self-esteem, not in the Christian sense, even if they are self-conscious or self-centered--because they don't understand who they are in relation to God, other people, or themselves as unique creations. If anything, I think Americans, in general, suffer from low self-esteem, caused by a lack of informed reflectiveness.
***
3) Saints are unique people, in unique situations--special models of grace, but nonetheless, products of a particular place and time. I would caution the use of their lives as reasons for judging the lives of not so perfect people. Besides, just with scripture, you have saints at every point of the spectrum on most questions. Henri Nouwen, a very holy priest of modern times, spent much of his ministry instilling in people the concept that they are the beloved sons and daughters of God--building up their Christian self-esteems.
***
4) Finally, I don't agree with your last comment either, that what the individual saint thought of themselves didn't matter. What you think of yourself always matters, in terms of what you choose to do. A person who was able to realize that God loved them, and yet was unable to allow that to translate into a healthy sense of self-love, has not fully understood God's communication. A saint loves what God loves. God loves each one of us. So a saint ought to love him or herself, if he or she wants to be like God, love as he loves, do as he does.
***
5) Sin and guilt are products of the Fall, and are thus realities that each one of us has to deal with. However, Christians believe in the saving death and resurrection of Christ. We live, now, not in the despair of sin, but in the confidence of God's mercy. Sin is no longer an excuse for humanity to be disconnected from God.
***
Please read Julian of Norwich's Revelation of Divine Love (Julian is pictured above), and you'll understand my perspective.