Orestes Brownson and the twin evils of Capitalism & Socialism

The following quote is from Orestes Brownson, quoted by Michael Greaney at Just Third Way blog.

"Communion with God through Creation and Incarnation is religion, distinctively taken, which binds man to God as his first cause, and carries him onward to God as his final cause; communion through the material world is expressed by the word property; and communion with God through humanity is society. Religion, society, property, are the three terms that embrace the whole of man's life, and express the essential means and conditions of his existence, his development, and his perfection, or the fulfillment of his existence, the attainment of the end for which he is created."

Michael has a multipost series on Brownsen and the mistaken view that the only options are Capitalism or Socialism. you can start the series here.

Brownson is on my reading list but hasn't floated to the top yet.

From Steve Ray

Vietnamese Father of 50 Babies – all saved from abortion
by Steve Ray on December 13, 2011

This man is a modern day hero. Watch the video to see his incredible story. When asked why he has saved all these babies from abortion and adopted them he said, “I am a Catholic!”

With over 7,000 graves of the unborn in his backyard he and his wife hold vigil for their little souls. This is a man and women who live their faith and make huge sacrifices for the unborn. Wait until you see the beautiful living babies who who have been slaughtered. Wait until you see his yard full of gravestones.

Saints still live among us. Living martyrs. Holy men and women who love God and others more than themselves.

Click to watch the report

St Albert, peace, and Dominicans

The following quote is from "St Albert the Great" by Kevin Vost:

Albert was a consummate peacemaker among men because peace, like joy, is an effect that flows from charity, an infused virtue with which Albert was abundantly blessed. Peace is a concordance or harmony of desires among persons. When those persons’ desires are not fully just and their thoughts are not focused on good and honorable ends, peace will not last long. [Albert] knew well that true peace was only possible among good men, and that is why his greatest peacemaking efforts were performed not in the settlement of sundry disputes but through his teaching and preaching: by making men good .

This reflects a thought I have long harbored, and I think brings out what I believe to be the serious error espoused by those Dominicans who seek political solutions through political means, neglecting and even denigrating the preaching mission, which some have even called "useless" (in personal communications).

I will even offer this additional thought; the lack of peace the ends in war is the terminal symptom of the failure to preach; because of our fallen nature we will not fall far from the nature family tree (Cain) but will fall far from our adopted family tree (of Life).

St Albert well understood that men journeying together towards heaven live in a harmony not found amoung men journeying any other direction.

How to Preach A Very Bad Homily

This is actually rather priceless! From the blog of the Eastern Province:

How to Preach A Very Bad Homily, Fr Basil Cole, O.P., gave the following talk at a conference to the priests of the Archdiocese of Minneapolis/St. Paul....

read it here

Peter Kreeft answers the question, "Can a Catholic be a Liberal?"

This interesting report is by Doug Erickson in the Wisconsin State Jornal, as reported by Fr Z here. I'll just snip a bit here...

There is no middle ground to Kreeft. It would be silly and redundant to him, for instance, to call someone a “pro-life Catholic.” You cannot be anything but against abortion to be a Catholic, Kreeft said.

“To be a Catholic is to take the whole deal,” he told the crowd.

Kreeft said several definitions of a liberal can and should fit Catholics, including “someone who is generous and unselfish” and “someone who highly values liberty and freedom.”

On abortion, Kreeft contended Catholics are the “true liberals,” because a liberal wants to extend liberty to the oppressed, and “the unborn are the most oppressed,” he said.


Kreeft said these Catholic advisers “told the Kennedys how they could get away with murder.” Kreeft then made one of his boldest comments of the evening, suggesting the theologians who first convinced Democratic politicians they could support abortion rights and remain Catholic did more damage to the Catholic Church than pedophile priests.

“These were wicked people. These were dishonest people. These were people who, frankly, loved power more than they loved God,” Kreeft said. “Sorry, that’s just the way it is. In fact, I’d say these were even worse than the child molesters — though the immediate damage they did was not as obvious — because they did it deliberately, it wasn’t a sin of weakness. Sins of power are worse than sins of weakness. Cold, calculating sins — that’s straight from the devil.”

Read the full article here

Some strong words. First I am glad to see that the primier Social Justice issue is being called out; the bulk of purported social justice advocates these days seem to have no interest in the lives of the unborn, demonstrating a very inadequate understanding of justice and the hierarchy of value that necessarily attaches there-to.

It is the strong condemnation of dissident theologians which I believe is remarkable - a bit of straight talk the likes of which is rarely heard. Then to put it in perspective by stating that it caused more damage than pedophile priests; amazing. He's right, of course.

From Frederick Faber

THE ETERNITY OF GOD

O Lord! my heart is sick
Of this perpetually lapsing time,
So slow in grief, in joy so quick,
Yet ever casting shadows so sublime:
Time of all creatures is least like to Thee,
And yet it is our share of Thine eternity.

O change and time are storms
For lives so thin and frail as ours;
For change the works of grace deforms
With love that soils, and help that over powers;
And time is strong, and, like some chafing sea,
It seems to fret the shores of Thine eternity.

Weak, weak, forever weak!
We cannot hold what we possess;
Youth cannot find, age will not seek,
O weakness is the heart’s worst weakness:
But weakest hearts can lift their thoughts to Thee;
It makes us strong to think of Thine eternity.

Thou hadst no youth, great God,
An Unbeginning End Thou art;
Thy glory in itself abode,
And still abides in its own tranquil heart:
No age can heap its outward years on Thee:
Dear God! Thou art Thyself Thine own eternity!

Without an end or bound
Thy life lies all outspread in light;
Our lives feel The life all around,
Making our weakness strong, our darkness bright;
Yet is it neither wilderness nor sea,
But the calm gladness of a full eternity.

Oh Thou art very great
To set Thyself so far above!
But we partake of Thine estate,
Established in Thy strength and in Thy love:
That love hath made eternal room for me
In the sweet vastness of its own eternity.

Oh Thou art very meek
To overshade Thy creatures thus!
Thy grandeur is the shade we seek:
To be eternal is Thy use to us:
Ah Blessed God! What joy it is to me
To lose all thought of self in Thine eternity.

Self-wearied, Lord! I come;
For I have lived my life too fast:
Now that years bring me nearer home
Grace must be slowly used to make it last;
When my heart beats too quick I think of Thee,
And of the leisure of Thy long eternity.

Farwell, vain joys of earth!
Farewell, all love that is not His!
Dear God! Be Thou my only mirth,
Thy magesty my single timid bliss!
Oh in the bosom of eternity
Thou does not weary of Thyself, nor we of Thee!

Faber's Hymns, Frederick Faber, 1875

Silent Night

Soon we'll be singing that old favorite "Silent Night", a hymn to remind us of that anticipation of awaiting our Savior's humble entrance into our world. Yet, we come to church and await Him in a manner bereft of silence.

We so need to recover what is meant by "active participation" (actuosa participatio). What is it? It didn't spring immaculate and virginally from Vatican II, but already had a long history in the liturgical renewal.

"In order that the faithful may more actively participate in the sacred liturgy, let them be once again made to sing Gregorian Chant as a congregation." Pius X, motu proprio Tra Le Solicitudini

How did Vatican II expect "active participation" to be brought about? "Therefore, pastors of souls must zealously strive to achieve it by means of the necessary instruction in all their pastoral work." Vatican Council II, Sacrosanctum Concilium, n. 14

Surprise, surprise! The Fathers of Vatican II told the pastors that they should teach us Gregorian Chant so we could sing the mass as a congregation. I'm still waiting...


The quotes are from a wonderful article: The Mass of Vatican II | Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J.