A reader recently posed the following question
October 10, 2009
A reader recently posed the following question,
“As a ardent follower of Jesus, Protestant, not Catholic, I often want to ask why it is that most Catholics I speak with default to their association with the Catholic Church, rather than to Jesus Christ?”
I think the simple answer is that we Catholics believe the Catholic Church is the very Church established by Jesus through His Apostles. For us, leaning on our “association with the Catholic Church” is not a lean away from our Lord, but a leaning on Him.
When I say, “… I will attempt to approach the issues as a Catholic…” I am saying I will attempt to approach the issues as a Christian. But to merely say Christian would not completely paint the picture. I am Catholic. I am a special kind of Christian. I am a member of Christ’s Church—One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
Our association with the Catholic Church is absolutely an association with Jesus Christ. Without Christ, there is no Catholic Church.
I don’t know what to say
July 4, 2009
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted anything original. I guess it’s because I don’t know what to say. I like reading other people’s blogs because I get to “hear” someone else’s opinion and insight on a subject of interest to me. And so, I try to return the favor by giving my own opinion.
But lately, I find that I don’t have an opinion on the things I’ve been thinking most about. I only have questions. My faith is still sound. I am a committed Catholic. I believe in an objective truth. But I find myself very frustrated and confused by the “either or” political movements going on. And I find it difficult to discuss these issues with people I know. They either think I am an “un-American liberal” or they think I am a “close-minded idealist.”
What does our faith tell us about our approach to issues such as…
- Universal health care
- Affirmative action
- Gun control
- Minimum wage
- Capital punishment
- Welfare
- Social security
- Migrants and refugees
- Green initiatives
- Economic policy
These are the questions I seek real answers to. But it seems that both sides (liberals & conservatives) are oversimplifying their own cases—they’re oversimplifying the issues. I’m afraid that too many of us put or allegiance to a certain political party over our own faith.
So my goal is to look at these issues through the lens of scripture and the teachings of the Magisterium and try to determine what is the best approach for each. I will attempt to approach these issues not as a Republican or Democrat or even as an American. Instead, I will attempt to approach the issues as a Catholic.
I hope to write more about each issue, as I feel confident in what I glean.
Steal Box
May 19, 2009
With building blocks I have built my box
I have chained it and bolted it and secured it with locks
I have welded and barred it and sealed it shut
Now I am safe from all of the things outside my little hut
From the excess, the sin, temptation and glut
Inside my steal box I have much that’s for sure
I have safety and warmth and cleanliness and a comfy decor
I have decorated it and swept it and cleared the stable
Now I am prepared for company but no one is able
To get inside and share my table
-Dominic Tramontana
The cross saved my marriage
May 7, 2009
Jesus died on the cross for us. And like His life and resurrection, His death accomplished something very profound for us. Yet, as I learned some time ago, His cross also revealed and demonstrated something to us all—an eternal truth that saved my marriage.
About 6-7 years ago, my marriage wasn’t doing too well. Neither my wife or I had given up yet, but all of our efforts were focused on trying to “fix” the other person. I was certainly selfish and my wife might say she was too. But then something happened to us. We both began our reversion back to the Catholic Church—we started to embrace our Christianity. As a result of that journey, we began to do (imperfectly) what we were commanded to do by our Lord. We began to mimic what He showed us on the cross (albeit on an unfathomably smaller scale).
Once my wife and I began to focus our attention on giving to God, we were compelled to give to others. By that simple shift in focus, something happened. Our marriage began to heal itself. We were no longer concerned with fixing the other person. We were concerned only with giving of ourselves to God and giving of ourselves to others (including each other). Our animosities and egos waned. We fell in love again. With God. And with each other.
We find in the cross, not only our Lord, but also His living out what He called the two greatest commandments.
“‘Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?’
He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
As He hung on the cross, He was giving Himself up to our heavenly Father for us. He did nothing for himself. The cross pointed up towards our Father in heaven, and out towards us. And in the center of that intersection was Jesus Christ.
My wife and I have been married for almost twelve years. It is considered a short time by some and a long time by others, but I know we will not part until death. And if anyone is interested in the secret, the secret is in Christ, in His cross and in His words.
“Love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. And love your neighbor as yourself.”
Knighthood for the 21st century
April 1, 2009
In the war against the “culture of death”, there are many battles that need to be fought and won. These battles, like the crusades of our past, need Catholic men—chivalrous knights—to stand on the front line and battle the forces of evil. But what does it mean to be a “Catholic knight.” TheMarch edition of Columbia, the official magazine of the Knights of Columbus, presents two articles that offer several inspiring guidelines and ideals for forging a new Catholic knighthood.
In his article, Knighthood Perfected, Amateo Seno explains Fr. McGivney’s vision for a new perfected knighthood.
“[Father McGivney had envisioned a new perfected knighthood], a vision of Knights who have forsaken all earthly lords to humbly serve the Lord of lords and the King of kings. It was a vision of Knights who would be devoted not just to any lady of the nobility, but to Our Lady, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary…These Knights would have beaten their swords into plowshares so as to work peaceably by sharing their charitable aid to those in need. They would crusade against injustices not by force, but by the power of the cross guiding their words and deeds.” -Amateo Seno
Stratford Caldecott, in his article The Universal Knight, finds in St. Joseph the very epitome of chivalry.
“As modern knights of Christ battle the culture of death and fight for the soul of the age, St. Joseph can serve as a special inspiration—the patron of a new chivalry for the 21st century…[T]he greatest paragon of chivalry, the true ‘universal knight’ in a spiritual sense, is Joseph of Nazareth. Long before chivalry was partially and imperfectly rediscovered by the soldiers and saints of the West, it was present in Joseph. In him, justice was combined with tenderness, strength and decisiveness with flexibility and openness to the will of God.” -Stratford Caldecott
The war which began in the Garden of Eden is now playing itself out in our governments and in our homes. And though we know what side wins in the end, we all have an obligation to take part in the battle. We need a troop surge of “universal knights.” A surge of Catholic men modeled after St. Joseph.
The “Catholic knight” is called to “serve the Lord of lords and the King of kings.” His devotion should rest in no mere “lady of the nobility, but to Our Lady, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.”
As Amateo explains, “The word knight itself is derived from the Old English cniht meaning youth or servant.” So, as Knights, as men, as Christians, we are His servants.
Blue Steal
March 3, 2009
In the shadow of the Motor City
There lives a band of people
A people made of gristle and bone
A people tough and gritty
They fight and they work
As much as they have to
And they love and they sing
As much as they can
They’re tough individuals
But that’s not why they survive
It’s because of their families
With each other they thrive
This people may look rough
But there is no doubt that they feel
They’re resilient and tough
They’re forged from blue steel
-Dominic Tramontana
Abstracted liberalism
February 25, 2009
Some people think this is art…
I don’t.
Abstract art doesn’t fit my subjective view of art. Objectively, I suppose it could. If I assume, for example, that the artist who painted The Black Square was trying to convey a message of loneliness then I suppose he or she has created art (in the purely objective sense). But a black square is not art in my very subjective mind. It’s a black square.
Just as emotion without the constraints of reason can, from a political/societal standpoint, destroy lives and families, so too can emotion without reasonable constraints destroy art. Abstract artists paint, draw or write music which conveys some emotion; hate, anger, love, peace, etc., but they do so in a way that appeals merely to the lowest of our brain functions—instinct. This is the same truth marketers and casino owners take advantage of. Black is power. White is purity. Red is passion. And so on. It doesn’t take much to trigger a knee-jerk emotional response in someone. But it takes tremendous talent to touch someone’s soul—to appeal to their human will and intellect. Abstract art just can’t do what real art can do.
Now I’m going to contrast the Black Box with a real painting.
The painting below, by Timothy Jones, does much more than simply jar my reptilian brain like the Black Square. Tim’s painting moves me. It moves my spirit and intrigues my imagination.
At first glance, the person in the boat seems all alone. But he does not suffer from loneliness. He’s on his way out to do some fishing for his family. It will be a long day out on the sea by himself, but he enjoys the quiet and is comforted by the knowledge that what he is doing will bring joy to his family when he gets home. The other figure in the boat, a tackle box I imagine, is placed directly in front of the fisherman. Perhaps it serves as a reminder of his task.
Abstract art just cant do what art like that of Tim Jones can do.
We’re so blessed to have Pope Benedict XVI
February 18, 2009
Pope Benedict did not chitchat with Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Instead…
“His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the Church’s consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death which enjoin all Catholics, and especially legislators, jurists and those responsible for the common good of society, to work in co-operation with all men and women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development.”
Splendid article!
“ROME, February 11, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The dissident, leftist movement in the Catholic Church over the last forty years has severely undermined the teaching of the Catholic Church on the moral teachings on life and family, a prominent US Orthodox rabbi told LifeSiteNews.com. Rabbi Yehuda Levin, the head of a group of 800 Orthodox rabbis in the US and Canada, also dismissed the accusations that the Holy See had not sufficiently distanced itself from the comments made by Bishop Richard Williamson of the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) on the Holocaust.
‘I support this move’ to reconcile the traditionalist faction in the Church, he said, ‘because I understand the big picture, which is that the Catholic Church has a problem. There is a strong left wing of the Church that is doing immeasurable harm to the faith.’
Rabbi Levin said that he understands ‘perfectly’ why the reconciliation is vital to the fight against abortion and the homosexualist movement.
‘I understand that it is very important to fill the pews of the Catholic Church not with cultural Catholics and left-wingers who are helping to destroy the Catholic Church and corrupt the values of the Catholic Church.’ This corruption, he said, ‘has a trickle-down effect to every single religious community in the world.’
‘What’s the Pope doing? He’s trying to bring the traditionalists back in because they have a lot of very important things to contribute the commonweal of Catholicism.
‘Now, if in the process, he inadvertently includes someone who is prominent in the traditionalist movement who happens to say very strange things about the Holocaust, is that a reason to throw out the baby with the bathwater and start to condemn Pope Benedict? Absolutely not.’
During a visit to Rome at the end of January, Rabbi Levin told LifeSiteNews.com that he believes the media furore over the lifting of the excommunications of the four bishops of the Society of Saint Pius X is a red herring. He called ‘ridiculous’ the accusations that in doing so Pope Benedict VXI or the Catholic Church are anti-Semitic and described as ‘very strong’ the statements distancing the Holy See and the Pope from Williamson’s comments.
Rabbi Levin was in Rome holding meetings with high level Vatican officials to propose what he called a ‘new stream of thinking’ for the Church’s inter-religious dialogue, one based on commonly held moral teachings, particularly on the right to life and the sanctity of natural marriage.
‘The most important issue,’ he said, is the work the Church is doing ‘to save babies from abortion, and save children’s minds, and young people’s minds, helping them to know right and wrong on the life and family issues.’
‘That’s where ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue has to go.’
Although numbers are difficult to determine, it is estimated that the Society of St. Pius X has over a million followers worldwide. The traditionalist movement in the Catholic Church is noted for doctrinal orthodoxy and enthusiasm not only for old-fashioned devotional practices, but for the Church’s moral teachings and opposition to post-modern secularist sexual mores. Liberals in the Church, particularly in Europe, have bitterly opposed all overtures to the SSPX and other traditionalists, particularly the Pope’s recent permission to revive the traditional Latin Mass.
The Vatican announced in early January that, as part of ongoing efforts to reconcile the breakaway group, the 1988 decree of excommunication against the Society had been rescinded. Later that month, a Swedish television station aired an interview, recorded in November 2008, in which Bishop Richard Williamson, one of the four leaders of the Society, said that he did not believe that six million Jews were killed in the Nazi death camps during World War II.
At that time, the media erupted with protests and accusations that the Catholic Church, and especially Pope Benedict XVI, are anti-Semitic.
Rabbi Levin particularly defended Pope Benedict, saying he is the genius behind the moves of the late Pope John Paul II to reconcile the Church with the Jewish community.
‘Anyone who understands and follows Vatican history knows that in the last three decades, one of the moral and intellectual underpinnings of the papacy of Pope John Paul II, was Cardinal Ratzinger.
‘And therefore, a lot of the things that Pope John Paul did vis-à-vis the Holocaust, he [Benedict] might have done himself, whether it was visiting Auschwitz or visiting and speaking in the synagogues or asking forgiveness. A lot of this had direct input from Cardinal Ratzinger. Whoever doesn’t understand this doesn’t realise that this man, Pope Benedict XVI, has a decades-long track record of anti-Nazism and sympathy for the Jews.’”
