Pope Francis the Frigid

Here is a quote from a blog post by Fr Ray Blake that I recently read and it perfect summs up some of my concerns/feelings to do with our current Pontiff.

I must admit I still don't understand Francis. Is he the greatest thing since unsliced bread, a cunning old Jesuit, a conservative, a trad, a prophet, a fool or even the anti-Christ; a breath of fresh-air or the stench from the tomb of those rather detestable men who surrounded the Blessed Paul VI and added to his suffering?

I have never done the Benedict through Francis thing at least, but neither am I convinced of the Francis against Benedict thing entirely. I am still perplexed and confused by him. Perhaps it is in Francis who rather than being an Emperor who is wearing no clothes we actually have clothes with no Emperor. I mean those morning homilies that come out of the marble halls of Sta Martha that are full of barbs but actually teach nothing. Perhaps we should expect nothing!

Another thing that confuses me about him, is that he is widely know for his smile and how friendly he is. Yet have you seen him when he offers Mass? He looks miserable, mutters and mumbles the words, won't kneel or sing... yet he has no problems giving speeches or kneeling to wash feet.

I pray for him, but so much about him leaves me cold

The original Irascible Hermit

Here is a lovely link regarding St Jerome, who is my inspiration for this blog.

Too often the saints are presented to us as saccharine, almost feeble and pathetic people who are so removed from our everyday lives. But St Jerome is so earthly, raw and real. He is a saint I can connect with as someone very passionate with strong opinions. Sometimes his temper got the better of him in the defense of the Faith... read these two quotes from his Defence of our Lady's perpetual Virginity against Helvidius. The first quote is from his introduction, and the second quote is his conclusion.

1. I was requested by certain of the brethren not long ago to reply to a pamphlet written by one Helvidius. I have deferred doing so, not because it is a difficult matter to maintain the truth and refute an ignorant boor who has scarce known the first glimmer of learning, but because I was afraid my reply might make him appear worth defeating. There was the further consideration that a turbulent fellow, the only individual in the world who thinks himself both priest and layman, one who, as has been said, thinks that eloquence consists in loquacity and considers speaking ill of anyone to be the witness of a good conscience, would begin to blaspheme worse than ever if opportunity of discussion were afforded him. He would stand as it were on a pedestal, and would publish his views far and wide. There was reason also to fear that when truth failed him he would assail his opponents with the weapon of abuse. But all these motives for silence, though just, have more justly ceased to influence me, because of the scandal caused to the brethren who were disgusted at his ravings. The axe of the Gospel must therefore be now laid to the root of the barren tree, and both it and its fruitless foliage cast into the fire, so that Helvidius who has never learned to speak, may at length learn to hold his tongue.

 I must call upon the Holy Spirit to express His meaning by my mouth and defend the virginity of the Blessed Mary. I must call upon the Lord Jesus to guard the sacred lodging of the womb in which He abode for ten months from all suspicion of sexual intercourse. And I must also entreat God the Father to show that the mother of His Son, who was a mother before she was a bride, continued a Virgin after her son was born. We have no desire to career over the fields of eloquence, we do not resort to the snares of the logicians or the thickets of Aristotle. We shall adduce the actual words of Scripture. Let him be refuted by the same proofs which he employed against us, so that he may see that it was possible for him to read what is written, and yet to be unable to discern the established conclusion of a sound faith....

2 .....I have become rhetorical, and have disported myself a little like a platform orator. You compelled me, Helvidius; for, brightly as the Gospel shines at the present day, you will have it that equal glory attaches to virginity and to the marriage state. And because I think that, finding the truth too strong for you, you will turn to disparaging my life and abusing my character (it is the way of weak women to talk tittle-tattle in corners when they have been put down by their masters), I shall anticipate you. I assure you that I shall regard your railing as a high distinction, since the same lips that assail me have disparaged Mary, and I, a servant of the Lord, am favoured with the same barking eloquence as His mother

St Jerome is one of the little spoken about Doctors of the Church, and he is also one of the 4 great Western Doctors.

St Jerome, patron of us cantankerous hermits - Pray for us, that we may love Christ in the scriptures and be defenders of Our Lady as you were

Sinner and Theologian

Currently I am reading Christ and Spirituality in St Thomas Aquinas by Jean-Pierre Torrell, OP. In it I found a very though provoking quote that has helped validate me in my current journey so to speak.

As many of you are aware, and as I have mentioned in previous posts, I am a gay catholic who lives a gay lifestyle, yet still adheres to the Catholic faith intellectually. Often I find myself defending the teachings of the Church from people, friends, facebook and even other catholics.

I have a seminarian friend who I knew from before I entered the seminary (obviously I am no longer there, and now he has entered the seminary), we catch up once a year to discuss philosophy, theology, debate current Church politics and so forth. Often I find myself giving him suggested books or authors to read.

This quote by Fr Torrell has helped validate me in a sense, that by helping my seminarian friend and sometimes through this blog, I am a theologian (in the broadest sense of the term) even though to many my faith may be seen as to be dead. Any and every time I teach/discuss with anyone Sacra Doctrina I am fulfilling the role of a theologian and helping to santcify (or bring closer to God) the other person, even though I myself am in a state of sin and therefore I do not have sanctifying grace present in my soul. My state of soul, does not affect the truth that I am conveying

One can practice theology with a dead faith. I ought to remark, however, that this objection does not touch on theology as such, but only on the theologian. We thus pass from what is de jure to what is de facto . The latter might justify all kinds of reservations, but it remains that, de jure, "theology is a pious science"' [Chenu]. Although the loss of charity does not bring about the dissolution of the theological habitus, nevertheless it constitutes a fate as violent as that of  dead faith. The diminished habitus that we designate by this name still allows a person to adhere to supernatural truths, but the absence of charity radically deprives the theologian of his or her ability to cling to these truths in a life giving manner

In cruce latebat sola Deitas,

At hic latet simul et Humanitas,

Ambo tamen credens atque confitens,

Peto quod petivit latro pœnitens.

Plagas, sicut Thomas, non intueor:

Deum tamen meum te confiteor.

Fac me tibi semper magis credere,

In te spem habere, te diligere.

St Thomas Aquinas - pray for me

Why I am still Catholic

Recently I have had some heated discussions with Catholic friends who are rather disappointed in me. As I now live a gay lifestyle, am in a relationship with a guy and seen as living immorally - they cannot understand how I still identify as a Catholic and refuse to renounce my faith.

I found this quote over at the blog Ex Libris Theologicus that I believe helps me to explain my situation. It is from an interview with some guy called Walker Percy. Reading this reminds me of the quote from the letter of St Peter which says that we are redeemed "not with perishable things such as silver or gold,  but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot" (1 Peter 1:18-19)

So in other words, my faith is because of Christ, and for Christ. It is a gift given to me. I may live immorally, but that does not mean I have lost my faith - I just do not live it as I should. By baptism I belong to Christ and no one else. I am still Catholic by the grace of God.

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Walker Percy on his Faith (From Magnificat Magazine)

Q: What kind of Catholic are you?

 A. Bad.

 Q: Are you a dogmatic Catholic or an open-minded Catholic?

 A: I don’t know what that means . . . . Do you mean do I believe the dogma that the Catholic Church proposes for belief?

 Q: Yes.

 A: Yes.

 Q: How is such a belief possible in this day and age?

 A: What else is there?

 Q: What do you mean, what else is there? There is humanism, atheism, agnosticism, Marxism, behaviorism, materialism, Buddhism, Muhammadanism, Sufism, astrology, occultism, theosophy.

 A: That’s what I mean.

 Q: I don’t understand. Would you exclude, for example, scientific humanism as a rational and honorable alternative?

 A: Yes.

 Q: Why?

 A: It’s not good enough.

 Q: Why not?

 A: This life is too much trouble, far too strange, to arrive at the end of it and then to be asked what you make of it and have to answer “Scientific humanism.” That won’t do. A poor show. Life is a mystery, love is a delight. Therefore I take it as axiomatic that one should settle for nothing less than the infinite mystery and the infinite delight, i.e., God. In fact I demand it. I refuse to settle for anything less. I don’t see why anyone should settle for less than Jacob, who actually grabbed aholt of God and would not let go until God identified himself and blessed him.

 Q: Grabbed aholt?

 A: A Louisiana expression.

 Q: But isn’t the Catholic Church in a mess these days, badly split, its liturgy barbarized, vocations declining?

 A: Sure. That’s a sign of its divine origins, that it survives these periodic disasters.

 Q: You don’t act or talk like a Christian. Aren’t they supposed to love one another and do good works?

 A: Yes.

 Q: You don’t seem to have much use for your fellowman or do many good works.

 A: That’s true. I haven’t done a good work in years.

 Q: In fact, if I may be frank, you strike me as being rather negative in your attitude, cold-blooded, aloof, derisive, self-indulgent, more fond of the beautiful things of this world than of God.

 A: That’s true.

 Q: You even seem to take certain satisfaction in the disasters of the twentieth-century and to savor the imminence of world catastrophe rather than world peace, which all religions seek.

 A: That’s true.

 Q: You don’t seem to have much use for your fellow Christians, to say nothing of Ku Kluxers, ACLU’ers, northerners, southerners, fem-libbers, anti-fem-libbers, homosexuals, anti-homosexuals, Republicans, Democrats, hippies, anti-hippies, senior citizens.

 A: That’s true – though taken as individuals they turn out to be more or less like oneself, i.e., sinners, and we get along fine.

 Q: Even Ku Kluxers?

 A: Sure.

 Q: How do you account for your belief?

 A: I can only account for it as a gift from God.

 Q: Why would God make you such a gift when there are others who seem more deserving, that is, serve their fellowman?

 A: I don’t know. God does strange things. . . .

 Q: But shouldn’t one’s faith bear some relation to the truth, facts?

 A: Yes. That’s what attracted me, Christianity’s rather insolent claim to be true, with the implication that other religions are more or less false.

 Q: You believe that?

 A: Of course.

Christ the Builder of Eternity

Currently I am reading Abbot Vonier's book The Life of the World to Come. It is a book on eschatology elaborating on that part of the creed regarding the life of the world to come. Chapter 6 is titled Christ the Builder of Eternity and he has a wonderful theme of this temporary life being a quarry where Christ uses each of us and selects the "Elect"' using the image from the Book of Revelation to build the Heavenly Jerusalem that will be revealed at the end of time:

There is one feature in this immense labor of the Son of God which, if properly envisaged, may become for us the source of great mental peace. It is in keeping with all the canons of orthodoxy in the doctrine of divine grace and predestination to hold that the plan of the heavenly Jerusalem is a thing fixed from the very beginning, with no casual alterations or additions as time goes on. In other words, mankind here on earth is merely the quarry from which are taken the materials for the city of the living God. When the city is completed, any prolongation of mankind's existence here on earth will lose its meaning. The race of men living on this planet is entirely subservient to the needs of the divine Builder of the heavenly Jerusalem as the quarry is subservient to the needs of the edifice that is being erected miles away. When once the building is completed the quarry is closed down.... The heavenly Jerusalem is evidently meant to be a great surprise, something prepared in secret, and shown in its final glory only at the appointed time. The completed city is not said to ascend from earth to heaven, but, on the contrary, it comes down from heaven, where it had been in course of construction, as behind a screen, during the long centuries of Christ's activities.