On Nostalgia, Faith, and Worship

As part of my job in childcare this summer, I've spent the last few days furnishing a classroom in an old abandoned private middle school, getting it ready for 5th and 6th graders to learn and have fun.

I noticed that last month many of the old students (from as far back as 1990 even) had visited the old school and its classrooms and left messages on the chalkboards.  Now... I may be a bit cynical, but I honestly don't know of anyone (especially in their 20's and 30's) who would characterize middle school as "the best time of my life".  And yet there was not a negative message on the board, and most of them read things like "this was and always will be my home", and "all my best memories are here". Now...maybe I'm wrong and there's actually an entire generation of people who enjoyed middle school (and of course I know that anyone who hated the school wouldn't have showed up to commemorate it), but this sounds like "nostalgia":

"A sentimental longing for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.[and/or] The evocation of these feelings or tendencies, esp. in commercialized form."

So nostalgia is an emotion that colors our perception of something... It gives us a longing for something past that we've perceived to be good in contrast to a current state that we perceive to be not as good. This may be contrary to the actual case, and often times it keeps us from remembering the not-so-good that may have formed our character. In other words, the grass is always greener in the past when we wear nostalgia glasses.

There's definitely a detriment that can come with this-- primarily it distracts us from being grateful for our current blessings and state of life in preference for something that we really can't get back.  Secondly, in nostalgia we feel to acknowledge (or even move on from) sufferings and inconveniences that have formed our character and given us virtue.  If we ignore these events in our lives we are not using them for our benefit and they, in a sense, beat us and trap is in the past.

Is Nostalgia good for our faith? Does is serve a purpose in worship or drawing us closer to God?

The Hebrews were nostalgic for the kingdom days while they were exiled in Babylon. Psalm 137 shows how the Israelites would not sing or celebrate the old days in gratitude but rather looked on them with longing. They forgot that the reason they were exiled was because of their own disobedience. Instead of learning from the exile, reflecting on how to become more righteous because of it, they only sat and wept. Furthermore, they hung up their harps and refused to sing and worship the LORD. They were trapped in the past, rather than using the current situation to move forward.

Where I most often see nostalgia present in my faith is through Worship music. When I hear certain songs (most often cheesy P&W songs that were written when I was in High School), I think back to the "good old days" when I was first really passionate about my faith, I had a very strong community that I saw many times a week, and when I was really enjoying ministry and learned what it meant to be a leader. Sometimes... I long to go back to those days, to have that type of faith.

But then I realize--God has brought me to where I am in my faith for a reason. I know what my vocation, and probably my occupation, are supposed to be. I'm more educated and able to defend and express my faith. I am ready to raise children in the faith. And I have a deeper understanding of how God works in my life through providence and grace. Those days of past faith were essential in bringing me to where I am now, but they're not where I'm meant to stay, and I should seek to grow and move forward in my faith, even if that means changing how that faith is manifest and expressed, and even if it means embracing suffering.

I think that nostalgia CAN be acceptable if one does not get trapped by it, if it doesn't preoccupy one from one's current situation, and if it motivates one to pursue correct happiness. However, it is a hard thing to do, so perhaps outside of the occasional and brief relapse, nostalgia is best avoided.

Faith Vs. Reason

Faith and Reason go hand in hand--as responsible Christians, and especially Catholics, we've been told that since Thomas Aquinas, and have recently affirmed it through the Encyclical Fides et Ratio.  However, there comes a point in time when, one side becoming unbalanced or unduly focused upon, Faith and Reason can battle each other for domination and actually HINDER the growth of the Christian.

Pope John Paul II states "Faith asks that its object be understood with the help of reason; and at the summit of its searching reason acknowledges that it cannot do without what faith presents" (Fides et Ratio, 42).  Therefore, Faith without reason is "superstition", whereas Reason without faith is nihilistic and relativism (seems to be the backbone of today's society, huh?).


So which is more important, faith or reason?  As a responsible Catholic, I must say that they are both equally important--just as Scripture and Tradition are equal.  We all have a duty to be able to "give reason" as to the hope in our hearts and why we believe what we do.  Likewise, there are mysteries of the Faith that reason cannot supply an answer to, and in those we are called to have faith.


I'm going to go out on a limb here and say, in this modern day society, considering the way most Americans think, Faith is the harder virtue.  And, while I won't say its "more important", I will say that its the "safeguard" or reason, and in a sense "higher" in that it is a Theological Virtue endowed by God.


There must be an academic element to all faith, and it is good to study theology, and at the very least the basic doctrines of the faith.  We must UNDERSTAND God to KNOW and LOVE God.


HOWEVER, reason, study, and academia cannot and must not be our primary source of identification with God.  We MUST have a relationship with him, and can do that only through a faith-filled WILLING of love through him.  We must pray about what we learn and ask God to speak to us himself, not only through books.


Please, brothers and sisters.  Have faith, pray, and discern what God wants for you.  We are made to know, love, and serve God, and so let us try to do all those three equally.  


Ratio ET Fides

Exposition on "All of Creation" (Part I)

My new favorite Christian song is "All of Creation" by Mercy Me. Not only are the lyrics and musical composition beautiful technically and theoretically nearly flawless, but the theology of the words speak to the essence of the human experience.

I will present this exposition in five parts to avoid too much confusion and an epically long post. This first part focuses on Verse 1.

The progression of the song speaks of the three eras of human's post-fall existence, and when combined with the chorus and the bridge, outline the story of salvation.

Verse 1
"Separated until the veil was torn"

The first verse speaks of the time between the fall until the moment of the Crucifixion when salvation becomes possible for all. We were separated from God because of our sin and thus, salvation was not possible. However, with the crucifixion the veil was torn. This is symbolic in a few different ways. First, historically, the veil was what separated the rest of the temple from the Holy of Holies (the tabernacle), the very presence of God, which only the high priest could enter during one day of the year (Yom Kippur--the Day of Atonement). Veil, in Hebrew, literally means "to conceal". However, we know Christologically that Christ is the real presence of God, and that his sacrifice was for all people of all times. Therefore, theologically this shows that, with the crucifixion, Christ became present for all people, not just his "chosen".

Secondly, in the anagogical (Eschatological) sense (which is more relevant to the actual song), the veil refers to the [Hebrew] cosmological and [Christian] theological separation between heaven and earth. In other words, humans from earth could not reach heaven. With the crucifixion this veil was torn and salvation was made possible for all.

The moment that hope was born

How great it was of the author to include virtue in this song dealing with salvation. Present in this first age of man (fall-->atonement) is first the virtue of faith... the only virtue that could truly be present in this era (controversial statement, I realize, but that's for another post). However, with the crucifixion hope is finally born, in the ultimate sense, in that finally salvation is made possible and God fulfills his promise. Granted, hope, in some sense was always present in that God always planned to fulfill his promises, both ultimate and specific, but finally hope is completed with ability for man to receive salvation through the cross.

and guilt was pardoned once and for all

And how was this veil torn and hope born? Through the act of atonement brought about by Christs sacrificial act. According to basic "satisfaction theory", Christ paid our debt to the Father, pardoning us from our guilt in an eternal sense and enabling salvation.

Reflection on 1 Cor 7-9

How great is the Glory of God!

These are three beautiful chapters written by Paul which in return present three distinct ideas for living a Christian life.

Chapter 7 deals mostly with how to be married, but in a more general sense how to live out one's vocation. As I am yet unmarried, I will focus on the general aspect of relationship and vocation. In verse 4 Paul tells the Christian that both spouses do not have control over their own bodies, but rather a claim to the other's. What a beautiful statement that strikes at the heart of a Holy Marital Relationship--MUTUAL SUBMISSION AND SACRIFICE! When we enter into a relationship, especially one with the commitment such as marriage, we enter into a life lived exclusively for the betterment of the other person. Think of the weight of that responsibility! But in love all things are possible, for love builds up, and the Lord grants us an endless supply should we desire it! This commitment is final--under no circumstance should two married believers separate.

Chapter 8 deals with eating meat sacrificed to idols, however the deeper issue hear concerns acting out love. While those that say that other gods don't exist and thus eating such meat is OK are objectively right, they're arrogant knowledge overshadows their spirit of love. Their actions lead those who are weaker to scandal and sin, and thus it is not merely enough for the knowledgeable to profess their faith in "One God", they must ACT in a spirit of love as well.

Chapter 9 talks of the duties of those called to minister. This again focuses much on sacrifice and discipline. In v. 16 talks about the obligation that preaching the gospel gives him. This obligation means that in order to preach the Gospel, Paul must give his will to God and becomes free only in so much as he "becomes a slave to all" (v. 19). Next, in a beautiful passage, Paul describes how he has "become all things to all peoples" (v.22) in order that some might be saved. This speaks deeply to my heart as it is what i desire to be, and also what I think we all are called to be in some sense. We must use any moral means necessary to reach others, and often this includes making ourselves weak, vulnerable, and scared. I will end in the same way that Paul ends this section:

"Do you not know that in a race the runners all compete, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win it" (1 Cor 9:24).

Reflection on 1 Cor 4-6

Having addressed the problems of the Corinthian Church is the past two chapters, Paul now begins to move into his teaching about how to fix said problems. In the following chapters there is heavy implications about living a virtuous life.

Trustworthiness--Paul says first (4:2) that stewards must be trustworthy. This is ever so important because people must be able to trust that the words we speak, and the actions that we do are in accordance with the Truth of Christ. Being trustworthy is also especially important in the second virtue:

Right Judgement--Paul states "do not pronounce judgment before the time", and that all judgment really comes from the Lord (4:5). However, being Christians there are times when we are called to exercise right judgment, especially when calling someone to greater holiness, or in preventing someone from hurting the Church as a whole. Paul deals with this in chapter 5 when he talks about the effects of Sexual Immorality on the Church. He states that these people MUST be judged and that such is a sin is even worse to associate with than robbers, greed, and idolaters. He states that even one speck can ruin the holiness of the whole (5:6). He even condones kicking such a person out! This seems radical and a last resort, for of course the purpose of the Church is to bring people to Christ, not keep them from Him. However, when the acts of one jeopardize the holiness of the whole, he must be let go. The Church has shown this in the past through the practice of excommunication in extreme circumstances. I recently had to ban a youth from the program for the rest of the year. I didn't want to, but I had to--and this gives biblical weight to the decision I had to make. All we can do for such people is pray for them. Finally, part of exercising right judgement is knowing when and where to do so. Like Paul says in Chapter 6--we don't bring matters between believers to be judged by unbelievers... that's just stupid.

Chastity--Obviously if sexual immorality stains the entire church, we should be chaste, living our lives according to the sexual guidelines of our current vocation.

Humility--The second half of Chapter 4 deals with the virtue of Humility, arguably the most important Christian and Contrary Virtue. Paul blatantly points out that all things we have are gifts, so why would we boast? Silly Corinthians. Verses 10-13 are beautiful as Paul outlines the dichometric qualities of the Apostles with those of "normal believers" in that all the Apostles do would seemingly be negative to most of society (foolish, weakness, disrepute, hunger, thirst, etc.) but because all are done in Christ, they are made righteous by them.

Freedom--Finally Paul talks a bit of freedom, which is again in conjunction with right judgment. The phrase "all things are lawful for me" at first threw me for a loop, for how can all things be lawful? However, after doing some research with some Biblical Commentaries, I realized that this statement is said by the Corinthians. In other words, it highlights the Corinthians' distorted view of freedom as being "able to do what one wants" rather than "able to do the good". Therefore, while freedom of will allows us to do what we will, the freedom allotted to us by Christ does not. Because our bodies are a temple and made to glorify God, we should actively engage that which glorifies God, and actively flee from that which does not. It sometimes takes right judgment to decide which is which.

Exposition on the Litany of Humility

The Litany of Humility, composed by Rafael Cardinal Merry del Val (1865-1930), is one of my most favorite prayers, and one which I try to pray everyday (although fail miserably at). Nevertheless, to achieve what this prayer asks for is one of the deepest desires of my heart. The prayer begins:

O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, Hear me! Here we are praying to the one who embodies the virtues that we desire most by praying this prayer--not only humility but meekness (a beautiful but often overlooked virtue). Meekness is the combination of the virtues patience (bearing burdens joyfully) and gentility (right mediation of anger) and is equivalent to mercy. By praying this litany we are not only asking for humility, but also the patience to bear, and the gentility to deal with those who/that which make us humble.

The next three sections deal with the three aspects of humility--overcoming the desire to be loved, overcoming the fear of being rejected, and desiring the good of others in all things.

From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me Jesus!

Lord, help me not to seek fame or esteem, but to accept it when it comes, and let it glorify you.

From the desire of being loved...

Lord, help me not to seek love in unhealthy or unneeded ways. Help me be complete satisfied with your love. Help me to love purely in all things.

From the desire of being extolled...
From the desire of being honored...
From the desire of being praised...

Lord, help me do all things for the love of you alone. Help me to give all praise and honor to you and keep nothing for myself. Help me to lead hearts to you, and not to myself.

From the desire of preferred...
From the desire of being consulted...
From the desire of being approved...

Lord, help me to use my gifts for only those things you deem holy. Help me not to seek approval or to flaunt gifts you have given me. Help me to accept it when my friends go to other people for advice.

From the fear of being humiliated…

Lord, banish all fear from my heart. Help me to not be afraid of anything you have planned for me. Help me not to fear my cross or the purifying fires of your love. Help me live with reckless abandon, running towards the unknown things you have planned for me.

From the fear of being despised...

Lord, help me to care only about what you think. Let me not fear the the despisement of others, which is often based on fear and misunderstanding itself.

From the fear of being rebuked...

Lord, help me accept humbly the consequences for what I have done wrong. Help me Lord to even accept responsibility for that which I did not do wrong, in order to atone for that which I have gotten away with.

From the fear of being calumniated...
From the fear of being forgotten...
From the fear of being ridiculed...
From the fear of being wronged...
From the fear of being suspected...

Lord help me to live only with joy, without fear in my heart. Help to accept all things that lead me closer to your heart.

That others may be loved more than I, Jesus grant me the grace to desire it
That others may be esteemed more than I...
That in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease...
That others may be chosen and I set aside...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided I become as holy as I should...

Lord, help me desire that which is most difficult for me, the good of others over myself. Grant me the ability to accept the greatness of others. Lord, let me be satisfied for the life you have for me.

Humility and Contrition

First Wednesday of Lent

Readings:
Jon 3:1-10
51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19
Lk 11:29-32

"A heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn."

In all that you do be humble and contrite
Let all that you fail to do be likewise
For this is the way of the Lord

On Thirst and Knowledge

For as long as I can remember I have longed to acquire knowledge. In my hirearchy of motivations it is second only to deep relationships. The Enneagram speaks to this fact--I consistently test as a "4" with a very strong "5" wing.

What is it that gives me my thirst and desire to know all things?

I have always held value in my intelligence. Perhaps my longing to acquire knowledge is to aid my ego and confidence in myself through that facet.

The pursuit of wisdom is the pursuit of God. Perhaps I realize that by journeying to know all things, I am thus journeying to know the ways of God.

Maybe i'm just interested in a lot of things and long to understand them.

Some questions are not answerable... perhaps this is one of them. Is it important to know why I want to know? Probably, so as to guard against vain or sinful pursuits. Most likely its a combination of all three explanations, and perhaps more I have not thought of. For now though, my mind has run out of ideas concerning this topic.

On Happiness

The Church teaches that happiness comes solely from God, because only God and union with him as such can provide one a truly fulfilling happiness. However, popular wisdom seems to suggest also that one only has to choose to be happy in order to be happy. What are the dynamics of each of these statements and how do they relate to each other?

Happiness as coming solely from God: Nothing on the earth can make us entirely fulfilled or happy. Because we were created for union with an ultimate and infinite being, no immediate and finite pleasure can ever fully satisfy us. This is what Augustine means when he states that “our hearts are restless until they rest in you, O Lord.” Therefore, on earth true and absolutely fulfilling happiness is not able to received or attained. However, because the Lord desires to be happy, there must be some way in which we can get the fullness of happiness possible in this earthly life. Since happiness comes through union with Christ, the most obvious way in which we would receive happiness in this life would be through the primary means of union with Christ in this world… through the Sacraments, especially that of the Eucharist and the Holy Mass.

However, even though happiness comes most completely from God, that does not preclude our choice in the matter. Whereas God offers us virtually unlimited and free happiness by means of union with him through the Eucharist, a gift is merely an empty vessel unless it is properly received by the receiver. It like any of the other theological and spiritual gifts or virtues—God freely gives them to us, such as grace, but it is only through our full and willing acceptance of them that we can truly receive them and be transformed by them. This is how we as human persons have a choice in our happiness. We can choose to try to make our own finite happiness, and end up feeling unfulfilled, or we can willfully and joyfully accept the infinite happiness God gives to us and be happy even when are sad or suffering. When we are sad we only need to choose to be suffering with Christ, which is an acceptance of his infinite happiness and a step towards union with him. We need only to receive the Eucharist, which is the most important thing anyone can do each day. Therefore, we need only to praise and love God to be truly happy, for all other things are changing, finite, and in vain.

Therefore, these two ideas of happiness coming from God and human persons choosing to be happy are not contradictory to each other, but merely the choice to be happy is limited to choosing the ultimate and infinite, or choosing the immediate and finite.