What Satan put into the heads of our remote ancestors was the idea that they could ‘be like gods’–could set up on their own as if they had created themselves–be their own masters–invent some sort of happiness for themselves outside G0d, apart from God. And out of that hopeless attempt has come nearly all that we call human history–money, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, classes, empires, slavery–the long terrible story of man trying to find something other God that will make him happy.

This quote by itself could generate a post (if not more) alone. To be brief, let me point out one point that struck me. I think Lewis is suggesting that man will most mess up, when he attempts to be his own author. The self cannot self-construct itself. It may only be discovered in others, and in sum, in the Ultimate Other, namely God who is the Creator.We possess nothing: not ourselves, not the capability to invent or construct the self, and certainly not the power to invent entities of happiness or self-satisfaction. I propose that the most mature self is the emptiest, most kenotic, self. That’s when the “self” is, in fact, most itself: when it is in the hands of God at the service of others.

Shortly following this passage, the author continues:

A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.

To be honest, I am not a fan of the terminology utilized: “human machine”. Regardless, Lewis’ message here is, at least as I see it, right on target. Separate humanity from divinity, and see what happens: the consequence will not be satisfaction or happiness, but more likely misery. The human heart is restless without God. Humanity belongs to God, and so without God the human spirit is hungry, starving for her authentic nutrition. Without the Lover, a beloved is empty, alone, searching for her source of energy, love and even life. Surely, many of the Psalms attest to this.

On a side, perhaps more personal, note, this is why I am so nervous about so many “social justice” organizations sprouting up. It’s the newest trend, and is quite popular in the college scene, might I add. Yet, it concerns me because I am wondering what kind of justice is even possible if it is a justice that is Godless. Without God, there is no liberation. And if there is a case where liberation is promised, and God is not a part of the equation, I caution the subjects. True justice is about God, as is happiness, peace, harmony, and life. A secular philosophy will never establish peace–in society or in the heart. That belongs to the work of God, in whose plan we are of fundamental importance.

[T]aking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing either into a heavenly creature or into a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow-creatures, and with itself. To be the one kind of creature is heaven…To be the other means madness…Each of us at each moment is progressing to the one state or the other.

This is quite the radical statement. As a preface to it–and this is by no means contrary to any of Lewis’ theology–I add here that in all things, everything is in God’s hands. Apart from God, we cannot turn into a heavenly creature. That is impossible. Grace is gratuitous, never merited, and it is only through God’s grace that the human person may mature, grow, and become holy. That said, we are also not God’s puppets or His robots.

What I love most about this passage from Lewis is it exemplifies the importance of existential orientation, namely, that to be oriented toward the Divine results in peace, and to oriented in any other direction results in madness. Every moment, moreover, is a moment of potential orientation: who am I facing? Myself or God? Money or God? Family or God? Literature or God? In every molecule of this penultimate existence, if the primary focus is not God, then there is an incompleteness, a soil for madness and interior agitation. An authentically abundant life, on the contrary, is God-centric, and in that central, over-encompassing orientation toward God, all things naturally follow in their proper order and relevance. Apart from God, there is disharmony. With, through, and in God, there is life.

________

San Francisco: HarperCollins, 2001. Quotes (in order given here): pp. 49, 50, 92

“Progress means not just changing but changing for the better.” “We all want progress. But progress means getting nearer to the place where you want to be. And if you have taken a wrong turning, then to go forward does not get you any nearer.”

While this post is not meant to enter into the political turmoil in which we live, I think, after looking at quotes such as these, it’s impossible not to. Who, in today’s political market, does not promise progress? Often times, too, it is a promise for progress through radical change. Yet, we must ask the question: Where are we going? Is it progress when the smallest person of society, because they may inhibit others pleasure, are murdered? Is it progress when we let relativism flood education? Is it progress when technology replaces books, character, human development? Is it progress when marriage and the family is not the center of society and culture, but is diminished to something created by the State and the State only? Is it progress when intervention means war, guns, bombs, and death? Is it progress when charity does not form the nucleus of our lives? Is it progress when man loses sight of the Divine goal? Is this progress?

If we want progress, then we need to gaze into that which is above, into the Divine. If we want progress, then we must think above materialism; what if instead we consider spirituality, and with that virtue, ontological maturation, and love? Moreover, peace cannot be scrutinized as just a hippy’s dream, but rather as the ultimate satisfaction and desire of the human person. Progress must be examined through that lens. And that implies God. Culture and politics without God is a joke. “Change” is only progressive when it in fact generates authentic progress–love, service, peace and closeness with God.

“If you look for truth, you may find comfort in the end: if you look for comfort you will not get either comfort or truth–only soft soap and wishful thinking to begin with and, in the end, despair”.

If we reduce man’s greatest satisfaction to mere comfort, then we are reducing, too, the potential greatness of man. It seems to me that is what Lewis is suggesting here. True greatness is, well, greater than comfort. He acknowledges that it may eventually lead to some experience of comfort, but if we degrade life to a comfort-seeking journey, then where will that take us? I am reminded of Plato’s conception of the soul as once having wings. Shall we be content with a wingless lifestyle? Or perhaps, shall we try to cultivate our wings and fly? To limit our desire is to attempt and limit the Divine, in which case, then end will only be “despair”.

“Enemy-occupied territory–that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.”

That is just awesome.

__________

San Francisco: HarperCollins, 2001. Quotes (in order given here): pp. 13, 28, 32

And the irony is that for those that take their faith seriously and that of their surrounding network they have a desire to live out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20), but they have no immediate network to actively do so outside of ”cold calling.”  To be a Great Commission people, we need to expand our network of friends and associates beyond our Christian ones.  To do so demands an intentional effort on our part to make friends beyond our inner circle.  How do we do this?  We do this by getting involved in activities (not sinful) that enable us to meet new people and expand our sphere of influence.  In secular terms this is called “networking.”  For the Christian, proper networking could have eternal significance. 

One of the best books I have ever read on networking is called Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi.  In this pivotal work on networking, Ferrazzi believes in building relationships.  Networking for Ferrazzi is more than just exchanging business cards and making as many contacts as possible (quantity).  It is about helping make the other person successful and focuses on the “quality” of the relationship.  If he is at a party or event, he doesn’t go around trying to meet as many people as possible, but finds it better to focuss on a few he can get to know well.  His book discusses sending out a newsletter regularly to contacts related to books you’ve read, contacting people on significant occasions, the importance of staying connected through calling and texting regularly, and the use of social media,  how to make use of small talk and listening, and the importance of following up. 

One chapter that particularly struck me is the dinner parties he would host regularly and how he would try to “never eat alone.”  The dinner become focused less on the food and more on the people present.  He would invite some people he would already know and others he would not.  The dinners became opportunities to network (build relationships) for everyone involved.  Doesn’t this sound like exactly what Jesus did in his ministry?  

My wife and I tried this recently. We got involved in our neighborhood yard sale, inviting friends to bring over their “junk” and we and they were to invite other neighbors we did not know.  After the yard sale, we hosted a dinner to get to know people even better.  I am convinced that Ferrazzi’s thoughts on networking could be easily used for Christians to be better evangelizers in a way that is more than just sharing of words, but sharing of self (1 Thessalonians 2:8).  Good evangelizers are good networkers!  We are relational evangelizers! 

So, let’s go out and bring Christ to the nations.  To do so, let us look around at work, in our neighborhoods, at the gym and find opportunities to meet new people, form friendships, and share the most important people in our lives–one of them being Jesus.  To love our neighbor, we must first find neighbor.  This requires going to where neighbor is.  This is not just the first steps towards love of neighbor, but like Christ leaving the ninety-nine sheep to find the one (Matthew 18:12-14), it is, in and of itself, love.

The Crucified Rabbi is available for only $14.95 from Amazon.com. Marshall’s book encompasses a wide-range of topics exploring their OT and Jewish roots: Jesus’ messiahship; Mary as Queen mother of the fulfilled Davidic kingdom (the Church); the papacy; Catholic view of baptism; the Mass and the Eucharist; Catholic priesthood; priestly vestments; cathedrals; parishes; monasticism; Catholic views on marriage; holy days and the liturgical calendar; Saints; and the afterlife. His book also includes a very helpful appendix which lists over 300 OT passages Marshall believes Jesus fulfilled in His NT life and mission. His bibliography includes both useful scholarly and popular works for further reading. This book is a must read. 

In this book, Marshall beautifully shows how Catholic Christianity is intimately connected with its Jewish origins. He masterfully weaves together biblical narratives, traditional Jewish literature, the lives of the Saints, magisterial Catholic sources, and his own personal anecdotes, to produce a gripping story of discovery. With this book, Marshall has successfully shown how Catholic Christianity’s roots lie in the OT narratives as they reach their fulfillment in the NT. 

Marshall’s work is particularly interesting to me because he was an ordained Episcopalian priest, and it was through his study of the OT and Jewish roots of Christianity, which he presents in this book, that he became convinced that the Catholic Church is the Church Jesus founded. Despite many hardships and difficulties, he and his family entered the Catholic Church, and he is currently completing doctoral work in Philosophy at the University of Dallas. His conversion story is available online from his popular blog Canterbury Tales.

First of all, it is filled with both highly original and old classic articles that are written from the heart of the Church. Its pages are filled with writings from some of the world’s finest theologians and Catholic biblical scholars as well as some of the most important up-and-coming Catholic scholars. The entire journal is devoted to Catholic biblical theology that is rooted in the Church’s Tradition and Liturgy. The articles are academic and scholarly, and thus some of them assume a readership that has familiarity with Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic (including, in at least one instance, Syriac). Most articles are accessible to non-specialists as well, and any educated lay person would benefit from reading most of the journals’ articles. 

Letter & Spirit brings together a whole host of classic articles by some of the world’s leading Catholic theologians including Pope Benedict XVI, Jean Cardinal Daniélou, Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, Hans Urs von Balthasar and Louis Bouyer. In addition, the journal published a sometimes hard to find English translation of a classic text on the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation written by a president of the mixed commission on that document, Augustin Cardinal Bea, and the journal also reprints an English translation of an entire book (one of his most important!) by Yves Cardinal Congar. 

Letter & Spirit also republishes classic works on Scripture from some of the finest minds the Church produced in the medieval period including St. Thomas Aquinas and Hugh of St. Victor. 

Finally, Letter & Spirit publishes original articles by some of the leading Catholic theologians of our day. Somehow they managed to get an original essay (not published anywhere else) by Christoph Cardinal Schönborn despite his incredibly busy schedule, as well as an original essay (not published anywhere else) by the late Avery Cardinal Dulles before he passed away. They have also published articles by Dr. John Cavadini, current Chair of the Department of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, who Pope Benedict XVI recently appointed as a member of the Pontifical International Theological Commission (one of the few lay members, and one of the even fewer U.S.-born members). Dr. Hahn publishes original articles of his own in each issue, and in my opinion, they represent his best work in print. Other contributors of original articles include the internationally renowned patristic scholar Dr. Robert Louis Wilken, Fr. James Swetnam of the Pontifical Biblical Institute (one of the world’s leading authorities on the Letter to the Hebrews), the great Notre Dame (formerly at Harvard) Bible scholar Dr. Gary Anderson, the liturgical theologian Dr. David Fagerberg, the prolific Catholic theologian and well-respected Thomist Dr. Matthew Levering, the popular Catholic scholar Fr. Robert Barron, the great Thomistic scholar Fr. Romanus Cessario, Dr. Rusty Reno, Dr. Mary Healy and the renowned Dr. Michael Waldstein. The works of a number of important up-and-coming Catholic Bible scholars are featured as well: Dr. Brant Pitre, Dr. John Bergsma, Fr. Pablo Gadenz, and Dr. Rodrigo Morales of Marquette University. And there’s even more whom I omitted!!! Anyone serious about contemporary Catholic theology as it relates to Sacred Scripture and to the Sacred Liturgy, cannot afford to ignore this journal. 

This is the only journal I’ve found that consistently leads me to new (and old) insights, and that nourishes my mind and my soul. The articles are consistently of the highest quality. And the beautiful thing is that they’re all available from amazon.com, at cheap prices!!! Scholarly journals of even a lower caliber usually range from $30 to over $100, but each of these journals can be purchased for under $12 (in most cases, just over $10)!!!!!  The five volumes are available by clicking the links below:

• Letter & Spirit, Vol. 1: Word, Worship, and the Mysteries
• Letter & Spirit, Vol. 2: The Authority of Mystery: The Word of God and the People of God
• Letter & Spirit, Vol. 3: The Hermeneutic of Continuity: Christ, Kingdom, and Creation
• Letter & Spirit, Vol. 4: Temple and Contemplation: God’s Presence in the Cosmos, Church, and Human Heart
• Letter & Spirit, Vol. 5: Liturgy and Empire: Faith in Exile and Political Theology

Face Forward is more than just a social network for youth to engage with one another and priests in a safe environment, it is also a very good tool for catechesis of the youth.  They have a quiz challenging kids to know their faith, they have a section called “Mass Musings,” and the vocation director even has his play list up for the kids to listen.  As another example, recently they posted a video on the “O Antiphons” for Advent.  This is really instructive for the youth! I spoke with Father Jeff who described interesting and engaging features to come and discussed that he is going to get the seminarians to help write on the site.  I am excited to watch this site grow and expand, and I will be interested to see its effects on vocations for years to come.  For readers with teenage kids, I encourage you to check out Face Forward.  While the events and the information is local to Columbus, Ohio, I think the idea is worthy of mention as a great example of the new evangelization and something I hope spreads across the nation. 

Please take a moment to “Become a Fan!”

As a reminder, Ryan has been working to do a similiar thing (bringing Christ to others through the use of the new media) with iPhone apps.  Download the latest one on the Rosary (it’s free).