Of Your Charity...

Please remember my father, Peter Scott, in your prayers: today is the 32nd anniversary of his death.

Please also continue to pray for our friend Clare, who is still in a coma after being hit by a car four weeks ago.

Light of the World - Final Section

Light of the World  - Pope Benedict XVl, Published by CTS

Part lll: Where do we go from here?

As I hinted in my last post, I am reviewing the final section of the Holy Father's book in one go, rather than chapter by chapter.  There are various reasons for this: but the principle one is that I felt that what I was writing was a lot less interesting than what the Holy Father had written, and I was concerned that if I went on and on, I might put people off, rather than encourage them to read it.

So this will be a brief skim of the final five chapters and will draw more heavily on the Holy Father's words than mine, in the hope of conveying more accurately how excellent this book is.

Chapter 13 is on Church, Faith and Society, and discusses the problems of modern society, including rampant capitalism and a belief in science that displaces faith, and how the Church engages with them. "Science alone, in its self-isolating search for autonomy, does not do justice to the whole range of our life.  It is a sector that gives great gifts, but it depends in turn on man's remaining man.  We have seen it ourselves: progress has increased our capabilities, but not our moral and human stature and capacity.  We have to regain an internal balance, and we also need spiritual growth."  The Holy  Father also reflects on the Church as the Body of Christ: "St Paul understood the Church precisely not as an institution, as an organisation, but as a living organism, in which all the members work with and in relation to each other, in which they are all united because of Christ.  This is an image, but it is an image that leads deep below the surface and that is very realistic, if for no other reason than because we believe  that in the Eucharist we really receive Christ, the Risen One."

Chapter 14 is Overdue Reforms?  Here the Holy Father considers the various demands for change that modernity makes of the Church with regard to celibacy, Women's ordination and homosexuality, for example.  Each time his answer combines faith and charity, intellect and orthodoxy, holiness and compassion.  On 'remarried' people receiving the Eucharist, he acknowledges the cultural difficulty of people even understanding what is truly meant by marriage in modern society, but concludes: "But that is no reason to give up monogamous marriage or to cease struggling to preserve this form.  That would contradict the Gospel."  Similarly on contraception, whilst acknowledging the problems modern society has with grasping the truth of the Church's teaching, he is nonetheless clear: "we should not take the failure to live up to this high moral standard as an authoritative objection to the truth."

On Celibacy: "Celibacy is an affront to what man normally thinks.  It is something that can only be done, and is only credible if there is a God and if celibacy is my doorway into the Kingdom of God.  In this sense, celibacy is a special kind of sign."  And on calls for the ordination of women: "The point is not that we are saying we don't want to, but that we can't."  And on homosexuality: "The issue at stake here is the intrinsic truth of sexuality's significance in the constitution of man's being.  If someone has deep-seated homosexual inclinations - and it is still an open question whether these inclinations are really innate, or whether they arise in early childhood - if, in any case, they have power over him, this is a great trial for him, just as other trials can afflict other people as well.  But this does not mean that homosexuality thereby becomes morally right.  Rather,it remains contrary to the essence of what God originally willed."

Chapter 15 is called How is the Church renewed?  Here the Holy Father gives pride of place to liturgy.  'If it is true - as we believe it is - that Christ is really present in the Eucharist, then this is the event that is at the centre of absolutely everything;"  and referring to his practice of distributing Holy Communion only on the tongue and only to kneeling communicants, he explains: "I wanted to send a clear signal.  I wanted it to be clear: Something quite special is going on here!  He is here, the One before whom we fall on our knees!  Pay attention!  This is not just some social ritual in which we can take part if we want to."

Chapter 16 is Mary and the Message of Fatima. The Holy Father describes himself as growing up with a Christocentric piety.  His predecessor is well known to have had a strong Marian devotion, but Pope Benedict makes clear that a Christocentric approach inevitably leads to Marian devotion too: "it goes without saying that the Mother of God, the Mother of the Lord, is an essential part of the picture too." He resists over-literal interpretations of the Fatima message: "The point was rather that the power of evil is restrained again and again, and that again and again  the power of God himself is shown in the Mother's power and keeps it alive."

Chapter 17 is The Return of Jesus Christ.  This is a wide-ranging and fascinating chapter, including much discussion of the historicity of the Jesus of the Gospel, as elucidated in the Pope's book Jesus of Nazareth - which he points out he published under his name, Ratzinger, as it is not a work of the Magisterium but a scholar's contribution to the debate.    Finally, however, "the really crucial thing is that the Church offers Him.  That she opens wide the doors to God and so gives people what they are must waiting for and what can most help them.  The Church does this mainly through the great miracle of love, which never stops happening afresh."

The final chapter is On the Last Things.  "That is a very serious question.  Our preaching, our proclamation, really is one-sided, in that it is largely directed toward the creation of a better world, while hardly anyone talks any more about the other, truly better, world.  We need to examine our consciences on this point."  He continues on the reality of traditional eschatology: "A real Last Judgement takes place."  He concludes the interview and the book: "That is the important thing: that we become capable of God and so are enabled to enter into eternal life. Yes, he came so that we might come to know the truth.  So that we might touch God.  So that the door might be open.  So that we might find life, real life, that is no longer subject to death."

There follow a number of useful appendices: extracts form important sermons and talks, and a chronology of his pontificate.  I hope that in these reviews I have managed to convey something of the humanity and humour, as well as the intellectual rigour and steadfast faith of the Holy Father: but my real intention was to introduce you to a book that you will want to read for yourself: his words say it so much better than mine!

Light of the World - Ch 12

Light of the World  - Pope Benedict XVl, Published by CTS

Chapter 12: The Williamson Affair

The Holy Father starts this chapter by making it clear that he knew lifting the excommunications on the SSPX bishops would not be a popular move.  However. he believed that in justice it was the right thing to do.  There excommunication, he explains, had been as a result of offending against the primacy of the Pope (by being consecrated bishops after Pope John Paul ll had refused to sanction their consecration); once that offence against the primacy was removed, they were no longer excommunicated.

The Holy Father's regret is that nobody in the Vatican had spotted quite how extreme in his views Bishop Williamson was; and nobody could have foreseen that he would choose to embarrass the the Holy Father - and the rest of Christendom - by his Holocaust denial precisely at the moment the excommunication was lifted.

The Holy Father is also clear that certain elements in the secular media were simply waiting for a chance to renew their attack on the Church and on him personally - and of course the Williamson affair provided the perfect excuse.  He is also clear that if he had been briefed about Williamson's views, he would have teated him separately from the other bishops of the SSPX.

However, the Holy Father's visit to Israel shortly after the Williamson Affair gave him the opportunity to talk directly with Jewish leaders and re-establish good relationships with the Jewish community.  He was evidently very moved by the hospitality he received on that visit, as well as the opportunity to visit the places associated with Our Lord's life and death: "it always goes to one's heart to visit the place where he preached, the place of his birth, the place of his Crucifixion, the tomb."


The chapter concludes with the Holy Father's reflections on the first five years of his pontificate; especially the pastoral visits and the Year of Paul and the Year of Priests; "on the other hand, we have had this long period of scandal, and the woulds that have been inflicted on the Church, even though,as we have already said, they have a purifying virtue and so may turn out to be positive."

Finally he looks forward to the task ahead: "But we must summon fresh energy for tackling the problem of how to announce the gospel anew in such a way that this world can receive it, and we must muster all of our energies to do this.'

This task, the new evangelisation, becomes the focus for the final section of the book: Where do we go from here?


Before I come to that, I would like to wish all readers of this blog every blessing this Christmas-tide.

Light of the World - Ch 11

 Light of the World  - Pope Benedict XVl, Published by CTS

Chapter 11: The Journeys of a Shepherd

This chapter deals with the Holy Father's travels, as its title suggests.  Seewald starts by asking him if he gets stage fright and how difficult it is to follow in the footsteps of his great predecessor who was clearly so excellent at filling the world stage.  Pope Benedict's humility and trust in God - and his characteristic sense of humour (blaming the cardinals for electing him) - all come through in his answers.  He is there to do a job, and the One who gave him the job will sustain him 

He speaks particularly warmly about the World Youth Days and the extraordinary impact they have both on him and on the young people who attend them.  His comments on his trips to South America, and the USA show that he is well aware of the difficulties in these areas, as well as the vibrant Faith he encountered.  Spain and France both clearly hold a high place in his affection due to their historic and enduring Catholicity, even though, in both, that is being strongly challenged.  He notes that he has yet to make a major visit to his home country and expresses a particular wish to do so.

The chapter closes with reflections on his visit to Africa, and the media-generated controversy over his comments on condoms.  This section also includes the passage that was more recently leaked and taken out of context to present the idea of the Holy Father 'softening' the teaching on condoms.  Actually reading his words in context, it is clear that that was a gross distortion; and the DCF has recently issued a clarification, which amounts to 'the Holy Father said what he meant and meant what he said - but don't read other things into his words that he neither said, intended nor implied...'

Given the controversy, this is a particularly important chapter to read carefully and clearly as there is no doubt that despite the clarification, there will be many who continue to try to misrepresent what he said in pursuit of their own agenda.

The Gospel of Paul

The Gospel of Paul - Msgr Ronald Knox  Published by CTS

This booklet collects a series of sermons given by Mons Knox at Westminster Cathedral in 1950.  Let me say straight away that I am a great Knox fan, and that if you are not, you should be!

For anyone unfamiliar with his writing, this is a good introduction.  He is both scholarly and accessible; and in writing (or preaching) about St Paul both are extremely valuable.  And for anyone familiar with Knox but less so with St Paul, this is also a good introduction...

Knox starts by exploring the Pauline approach: why is it, for example, that St Paul, in his epistles, never quotes Our Lord?  Once you ask the question, it does seem most extraordinary.  But for Knox, it is really the key to understanding St Paul: he is not trying to do what the Evangelists do, recount the life of Our Lord, explaining that God had become a Man.  Rather he is trying to communicate the central fact that 'God had become Man, had infected the human race, as it were, with his Divinity.'  


Knox then goes on to consider how St Paul treats the Old Testament.  You can't open his epistles without tripping over allusions, references and quotations to the Old Testament: it was foundational to his thinking.  'St Paul saw the Old and New Testaments as a series of parallel columns... And the list begins quite simply, 'Adam equals Christ.' We must see Adam as the head of the human race by physical descent, as summing up in his own person the whole experience of humanity; then we shall begin to understand how Christ is the head of the human race by spiritual adoption, and how he sums up in his own person the whole experience of his Church.'  And so Knox takes us by the hand and leads us through Paul's sophisticated thinking, in an intelligent and understandable way.

The next chapter treats of Christ's Divinity in St Paul's writing.  Again, Knox is a great guide, pointing out, for example, that although the doctrine of the Trinity keeps appearing in St Paul's writing, it is not because he is hammering home that doctrine: rather he alludes to it frequently in passing, as though we can take that as read, and use it to shed light on something else.  That has wonderful implications for the sophistication of his readers; who were, don't forget, new converts: how well instructed they must have been! And exploring St Paul's insistence on Christ as Creator and Christ as Redeemer, Knox writes: 'the eternal generation of the Divine Word is the first echo, as it were, which breaks the mysterious silence of heaven.  And the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the first echo which breaks the silence after the long sleep of death which has gone on undisturbed since Adam fell.'

Chapter (or sermon) four deals with Christ's Humanity.  Knox raises the question of emphasis: will St Paul be more interested in the Incarnation (as the Greek Fathers tend to be) or in the Atonement (as the Latin Fathers tend to be)?  He then leads us on an exploration of Paul's thought, showing how both aspects feature in his writing: Christ living and Christ dying are both central to his thought.  And finally, Knox opines, St Paul would have refused to separate them: 'all I know is that my life is "the faith I have in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." '(Ga 2:20)

The following sermon (or chapter) is on the Mystical Body.  Somehow the myth has grown up that the Church was a later invention, perhaps introduced by Constantine with his Roman love of administration and structure.  St Paul gives the lie to this: he uses the term more than sixty times: it is quite central to his thinking.  And the key, as so often with St Paul, is that he mentions it in passing so much, as though we can take that for granted: he is not preaching the Church so much as assuming it.  And for St Paul the Church means one thing above all: it is identified clearly with Christ: it is His body.  And the fact that he refers to its members as saints is not naivety, but a challenge. 'These 'saints,' (says Knox) 'had to be warned against fornication, against thieving, against bitter schisms; it is the Church we know.  We are not impeccable, not confirmed in grace, he tells us, any more than the Jewish people, God's church in the desert (1 Co 10:12).  But we are Christ's bride: shall we mar that beauty?  We are Christ's body: shall that unity go for nothing?'


The final chapter and sermon is on the Risen Life of the Christian.  Here he discusses St Paul's view of the regenerated Christian, and how we should live in the Spirit, or as Knox says the idiom really means: 'strolling about at our pleasure in the Spirit.'  And part of the richness of Knox's understanding springs from his linguistic knowledge and attention to the details of language. ' Abba, Father.'  Why does St Paul say that?  Why does he give you the title first in Aramaic and then in Greek?  Knox doesn't claim to know, but his speculations are rich as ever, and as always make us think more deeply about a familiar text.  And that is why I love Knox and recommend both this book and indeed everything I have read of his.

Light of the World - Ch 10

 Light of the World  - Pope Benedict XVl, Published by CTS

Chapter 10:Proclaiming the Gospel

Peter Seewald points out that Pope Benedict's very fist publication as a student and his first publication as Pope were about Love.  This is clearly core to his pontificate, and perhaps is best summed up when he says: 'It is evident to day that we need to find our way back to the genuinely Christian attitude that existed among the first Christians and in the great periods of Christian culture: the attitude of joy in, and affection of, the body, of sexuality - seen as a gift that always requires discipline and responsibility as well.'

The conversation progresses to Summorum Pontificum, the famous moto proprio of 2007 which made it clear that priests had the right to say, and people the right to attend, the traditional Latin Mass, without needing permission from anybody.   

Again it is fascinating to hear the Holy Father's thinking behind the act: 'Liturgy, in truth is an event by means of which we let ourselves be introduced into the expansive faith and prayer of the Church,' and 'We cannot say: before everything was wrong, but now everything is right; for in a community in which prayer and the Eucharist are the most important things, what was earlier supremely sacred cannot be entirely wrong.  The issue was internal reconciliation with our own past...'

After touching briefly on the Good Friday Prayer for the Jews and the German tax laws, the chapter concludes with the Holy Father's robust defence of the cause of his great predecessor Pius Xll.  He refutes the slanders heaped on him posthumously and looks instead at the record of what he actually did, and what he tried to do: 'and on that score we must really acknowledge, I believe, that he was one of the great righteous men and that he saved more Jews than anyone else.'

Light of the World - Ch 9

 Light of the World  - Pope Benedict XVl, Published by CTS

Chapter 9: Ecumenism and the Dialogue with Islam

The Holy Father is being acclaimed in some quarters as the Pope of Christian Unity; and in many ways that seems justifiable.  That may seem odd when unity with the Anglicans seems more distant than ever, following their unilateral decisions to break with Christian tradition.  However, many of us thought that such a corporate re-union was always an extremely remote contingency.  What the current Holy Father has done is address the reality of that, and make it much easier for those Anglicans who sincerely want to be reunited with Rome to act on that wish.  How many will accept that invitation remains to be seen.  

But where he has made real progress is in the much more challenging but also more credible work of seeking reunion with the Orthodox.  What comes through at the start of this chapter is both how important a priority this is for Pope Benedict, and how warm he personally feels towards the Orthodox leaders.  Whilst he is warm and optimistic, he is also prudent and precise, recognising that there is still significant work to be done.

The conversation then turns to the Chinese situation, and the current changing political situation which means it suddenly seems possible to reunite the authentic and the official Catholic hierarchies in that troubled country.

The issue of the various Protestant groupings is then discussed.  The Holy Father is clear about why these are officially referred to as 'ecclesial communities' rather than Churches: according to the Second Vatican Council, the protestant bodies which do not have proper bishops, priests and sacraments cannot properly be described as Churches.  In the meantime, the Holy Father is doing what he can to facilitate the reintegration into the Church of those willing to reintegrate, whether individually or in groups.

The chapter concludes with a discussion of relations with Islam.  Naturally the Regensberg lecture is discussed, and the Holy Father expresses his dismay that lines from an academic paper were taken out of context and used in a way he had simply not intended.  

But it is clear that many Islamic leaders and scholars respect Pope Benedict as a leader and a scholar, and because of that he is able to engage with them in some crucial discussions on Islam's relation with violence, with reason, and with the issue of people who convert from Islam to Christianity.  These are important discussions and the Holy Father does not shy away from the difficult issues, nor is he naive in his assessment of Islam, which he sees as complex with both positive and negative tendencies within it.

This is another fascinating chapter, in which one feels one gets close, again, to issues the Pope has thought deeply about, and cares deeply about.  If one objective of reading the book is to get closer to the Holy Father, this is one of those chapters where one really feels that one does.

Light of the World - Ch 8

 Light of the World  - Pope Benedict XVl, Published by CTS

Chapter 8: In the Shoes of the Fisherman

This chapter starts with some reflections on the Holy Father's predecessor, the great John Paul ll.  In particular, Pope Benedict notes how he was an even more compelling witness to Christ in his last years, when suffering, than in his earlier years travelling the world.  This Pope Benedict describes as 'a sign in which the power of the Cross was suddenly revealed.'

 As Seewald continues to explore what might be the new themes of the current pontificate, he asks about the relationship of the Church with the Jews, noting how positively Benedict's election was greeted by Jewish leaders.  The Holy Father makes clear that he sees the integrity of the Old and New Testaments as being essential to an understanding of our Faith.  For that reason he sees the Jewish people as our fathers in Faith, and that improving relations between the two religions is core to his pontificate.

With typical intellectual clarity, the Holy Father corrects Seewald, when he suggests that unlike John Paul ll, Pope Benedict refers to himself as 'we.'  It is more subtle than that:when voicing a personal view or opinion, speaking purely as Joseph Ratzinger, the HOly Father uses 'I.'  But when articulating commonly held beliefs of the Church, in his representative capacity as its head, then 'We' is appropriately used.

They also discuss Pope Benedict's management of the Curia, in which his predecessor had taken relatively little interest.  The Holy Father is emphatic that he seeks to appoint men of courage to important positions: people who will not bow down to pressure, but take a stand for what they know to be right.

Although this is a relatively short chapter, the feeling grows that one is getting to know the Holy Father more and more personally.  In particular the way in which he talks about his predecessor and about the Jewish people reveals his warmth, humanity and humility.

Light of the World - Ch 7

 Light of the World  - Pope Benedict XVl, Published by CTS

Chapter 7: Habemus Papam

Chapter 7 is the start of the second section of the book, which is called The Pontificate.  Seewald goes back to the time of the Holy Father's election, and invites him to reflect on that period.  What comes through is that the Pope felt overwhelmed by what God was (improbably as he saw it) asking of him, but trusted that He knew what he was doing.  Moreover, in the midst of the huge responsibilities and demands of his office, he is keenly aware of the need for reflection and meditation, to avoid getting consumed in activism.

Seewald also asks how isolated a new pope feels: no longer able to go to a restaurant with a friend informally and so on, and also whether that results in his being cut off from ordinary people and their lives and concerns. 

The Pope clearly misses that freedom of movement, but is quick to rebut the idea that he is isolated from people.  He points out that he spends most of his days meting people: bishops from all around the world who bring him their reports on their local people, ordinary people in audiences, and of course his household staff.

The topic then moves on to the need for a new evangelisation of the world: living and proclaiming the Gospel with ever greater fidelity.  That was the reason for the Year of St Paul and the Year For Priests: to re-present to the Church and the World the basic Gospel, and the role of the Church in proclaiming and actualising it.

They also discuss the relationship between Faith and Reason, and the centrality of that to Benedict XVl's pontificate: 'For after all reason was given to us by God. It is what distinguishes man.'

Finally, Seewald asks about the Holy Father's particular charism as a German Pope, given Germany's own characteristics: on the positive side, rigorous intellectual searching; but on the negative, the tendency to schism, and most terribly the Nazi abomination.  The Holy Father suggests that in choosing a professor to be Pope, it would seem clear that it is the intellectual tradition that God wanted to draw on.

Reflections on Mary

Reflections on Mary - Pope Benedict XVl - published by CTS

Before Light of the World arrived, I had started Reflections on Mary, so have been reading the two concurrently.  Having now finished Reflections, I thought I'd review it, and then continue my chapter by chapter review of the Light.

It is a very simple booklet, made up of quotations from the Holy Father's homilies, Angelus reflections, addresses and so on.  One of the things I like about it is that it is arranged chronologically.  So the first chapter is about the Annunciation, the second about the Visitation and so on.  Each chapter consists of ten to twenty extracts; and each extract is very short: a point to meditate on.

And that's the second thing I like about this booklet: it is ideal for meditation.  So for Advent, one could profitably reflect day by day on extracts from the first three chapters, (Annunciation, Visitation, Magnificat) and then move onto the section on the Nativity at Christmas, and so on.

The third thing I like is the Analytical Index: so if you do not want to take a chronological approach, but prefer a thematic one, you can look up, for example, Grace or Obedience, and find relevant passages.

However, the real strength of the book, of course, lies in the wisdom and love of Pope Benedict's insights.  Quotation is difficult, as every paragraph calls for it, but to give you a flavour, here are some that struck me:

18. Giving oneself entirely

Mary is, so to speak, totally emptied of herself; she has given herself entirely to Christ and with him is given as a gift to us all.  Indeed, the more the human person gives himself, the more he finds himself.

Homily, 8.12.05

63. On Calvary

The traditional image of the Crucifixion portrays the Virgin Mary at the foot of the Cross, according to the description of the Evangelist John, the only one of the Apostles who stayed by the dying Jesus... The Evangelist recounts: Mary was standing by the Cross.  (cf. John 19: 25-27).  Her sorrow is united with that of her Son.  It is a sorrow full of faith and love.  The Virgin on Calvary participates in the saving power of the suffering of Christ, joining her "fiat', her "yes", to that of her Son.

Angelus, 17.9.06 

The final chapter is Prayers to Mary, and these two are all drawn from the Pope's speeches and writings.

All in all a wonderful booklet for anyone seeking to deepen or refresh their Marian devotion.

Continued prayers please...

Please continue to pray for our friend Clare, who was hit by a car a fortnight ago.  She has undergone several operations and is still in a coma in hospital, making progress, but slowly.

Pray, too, for her family and friends.

Alma Redemptoris Mater, 

Quae pervia caeli porta manes, 

Et stella maris, succurre cadenti,

Surgere qui curat populo: 

Tu quae genuisti, natura mirante, 

Tuum sanctum Genitorem

Virgo prius ac posterius, 

Gabrielis ab ore

Sumens illud Ave, 

Peccatorum miserere.

Light of the World - Ch 6

 Light of the World  - Pope Benedict XVl, Published by CTS

Chapter 6: Time for Conversion

Increasingly as I read Light of the World, I thing the Chapter divisions and titles are not helpful.  What we are reading is a conversation - a long conversation, but one that has more continuity than discontinuity.  The chapters have been imposed after the event, somewhat arbitrarily, and then given titles that can seem more arbitrary.  I understand the need, from the editor's and publisher's point of view.  A book-length text with no divisions might just seem too daunting to many readers.  But I wonder if they could have addressed that need differently.

I should also say that is a small criticism, and one can easily ignore the chapter divisions and titles. And indeed, I am using them as a way of reviewing the book as I read it, rather than waiting to the end.  Further, that is the only criticism I have of the book so far, so it should not be taken out of proportion (if I were famous, some journalist somewhere would run the story:  AP-S Slams Pope's Book, no doubt).

In this chapter the Holy Father continues his theme of the struggle for civilisation in modern times.  He sees both the threats and dangers which threaten civilisation, in particular a secular philosophy which is finally devoid of hope, and the great hope that stands in opposition to that: God's saving purpose: 'So it seems to me important not to see only the negative side.' 

In particular, he looks forward to the second coming, and the need for conversion to prepare mankind for that; and the consequent need for Catholics to find new ways to proclaim the eternal truths of the Gospel, and these new ways will spring from living the Gospel 

In the light of this Seewald asks if he envisages another Vatican Council, and he is clear he has no such intention.  Interestingly he comments on the last one: 'But to put into practice what was said, while remaining within the intrinsic community of the faith, is a much more difficult process than the Council itself.  Especially since the Council came into the world in the interpretation devised by the media more than with its own documents, which are hardly read any more.'

This is one reason why soi-disant liberal elements within the Church are so scared of Pope Benedict, not least as he and they know that he could have added '..and some bishops,' after the word media with no loss of accuracy...

Seewald also asks what he sees as his task as Pope, and he answers in a characteristically self-effacing way, and a way that is contrary to the zeitgeist of 'progress' which he has already called into question: 'Not every pontificate has to have a brand new task.  Now it is a matter of continuing this [to open a path for a breakthrough to faith, which he earlier attributed to his great predecessor] and grasping the drama of the time, holding fast in that drama to the Word of God as the decisive word - and at the same time giving Christianity that simplicity and depth without which is cannot be effective.'

Light of the World - Special Offer at CTS

The CTS is advertising a special offer: 25% off Light of the World if bought from its www site.

Light of the World - Ch 5

 Light of the World  - Pope Benedict XVl, Published by CTS

Chapter 5 - Dictatorship of Relativism

Here it seems as though we are getting to the heart of the Holy Father's philosophy: the importance of truth.  He clearly understands why people are scared of the idea of truth, and acknowledges that terrible things have been done by those claiming to know the truth; but he also points out that we cannot operate as human beings without it.  He is also quick to point out that 'truth comes to rule not through violence, but rather through its own power.'

He then addresses the intolerance of the new paganism, which in the name of 'non-discrimination' for example, creates 'a tyrannical standard which everyone must follow.'  He sees the new ideologies leading to a desacralisation of our understanding of what it is to be human, and 'without this respect man makes himself absolute and is allowed to do anything - and then really becomes a destroyer.'

He also addresses the apparent paradox of those countries with large Catholic majorities which allow themselves to be dominated by a minority that shapes public opinion: a kind of schizophrenia.  He is very clear that we need to inform modernity from within Christianity, rather than allow modernity to displace our faith. 'We can only hope that the inner strength of the faith that is present in people will then become powerful publicly as well by leaving its imprint on public thinking too, and that society does not simply fall into the abyss.'

The chapter concludes with the Pope talking about the current resurgence in the Church, in Latin America, in Africa - and also in the West.  He says, tellingly, that 'the bureaucracy is tired and spent' and looks rather to the young for the future.  And of course he sees all this in the larger context of salvation history: paganism breaks through again and again; the reality of original sin is there for all to see. 'But again and again the divine presence in man becomes evident also.  This is the struggle that passes through all of history.  As St Augustine said: World history is a battle between two forms of love.  Love of self - to the point of destroying the world.  And love of others - to the point of renouncing oneself.  This battle, which could always be seen, is in progress now, too.'

.

Light of the World - Ch 4

 Light of the World  - Pope Benedict XVl, Published by CTS

Chapter 4 - The Global Catastrophe

This chapter addresses both the practical and the moral and spiritual state of the world, and the links between them.  At the practical level, the Holy Father discusses issues like global warming and global debt, but all the time he takes the conversation back to the more fundamental moral and spiritual issues.

He addresses the false notion that sees progress as simply an increase in knowledge and power, and reminds us of the urgent necessity of re-introducing fundamental moral and spiritual considerations. "This is the question: what is good?  Where should knowledge be leading power?"

He also looks at the way in which our thinking is disconnected: we may all agree that a problem is serious, at a global level (eg the global financial problems) but we are reluctant to take any action individually which might diminish our own comfort, however necessary that might be.  The pope sees religious communities as able to offer an example here: they can thrive, not just survive, despite not indulging in consumerism

He concludes by suggesting that many live their lives as practical atheists.  While they may accept that there is a God who started the whole thing going, they do not see him as interested in us here and now.  The Holy Father says: That is why it is so urgent also to bring the question about God back into the centre.

And that is what is notable throughout this book so far: God is the centre of the Pope's thinking: everything is seen with the eyes of super -nature as well as the eyes of nature.  It is good to spend time in such intellectual and spiritual company.

1500 visits

I don't watch the stats counter for significant numbers, but I had a look this morning and saw it had reached exactly 1500 which is a nice round number.  It's good to know someone out there is reading (blogging is always something of an act of faith [with a small f] unless you check the visits occasionally...)

Light of the World - Ch 3

 Light of the World  - Pope Benedict XVl, Published by CTS

Chapter 3 - Causes of the Crisis and a New Opportunity

In this chapter, one gets a further and fascinating insight into how the Holy Father views the abuse crisis.  He is quite clear that one can see it both as the work of the Devil, fighting against the priesthood, and particularly in the Year of the Priest; and also that one can see it as providential, at least in terms of the timing of the revelations and discovery - as calling us all to a renewed and humbler appreciation of the priesthood.

He points out that the whole affair really raises that most profound mystery, the mystery of evil.  And that of course leads us straight to the person of the crucified Christ.  This is all situated, of course, in a culture that had gone astray in the decades leading up to the abuse cases, and the Holy Father makes a clear statement of the dangers of a relativist or consequentialist ethical approach in this context.  The case of Marcial Maciel is also considered in similar terms.  

This short chapter concludes with the Holy Father hoping that the crisis will provoke a catharsis in which we recognise anew our fundamental values, both within the Church and in wider society.

All in all, this chapter provides another fascinating insight into the Holy Father's thinking - and also introduces some themes that it will be good to recall when we address the much leaked, and much distorted, comments about condom use later in the book.

Light of the World - Ch 2

Light of the World  - Pope Benedict XVl, Published by CTS

Chapter 2 - The Abuse Scandal

The chapter headings in the book are somewhat arbitrary: clearly this was one long interview, subsequently broken into chapters for the sake of turning it into a manageable book.  And clearly, Peter Seewald had a set of questions to ask, and a progression through them, which shaped the interview and the subsequent book.

So it should be no surprise that the first questions in this chapter have nothing to do with the Abuse Scandal.  Rather they are setting the scene;  they deal with the Holy Father's immense, and perhaps surprising, popularity at the start of his pontificate, and the fact that he managed a seamless transition from his great predecessor, and also the Benedict himself had always been aware that it would not always be easy: at his election he had asked: 'Pray for me that I may not flee for fear of the wolves.'  When Seeger reminds him of this prayer, his answer includes the reflection: 'If there had been nothing but approval, I would have had to ask myself seriously whether I was really proclaiming the whole gospel.'


Then there are a few questions around the lifting of the excommunications on the bishops of the SSPX, particularly the controversial Bishop Williamson.  This topic is explored in more depth in a later chapter. At this stage, there are a coupe of things that emerge clearly.  One is that press distorts and misrepresents what is going on in this case, sometimes through ignorance, and sometimes willfully.  The other is that the `pope was following canonical process, not endorsing the views of  Williamson or the others, nor giving them any official role in the Church.

Then we get into the Abuse Scandal itself.  A few things stand out from this discussion, too.  one is the intensity of the pain the Holy Father feels as a result of the abuse, and his compassion for the victims.  Another is his understanding of the need for justice and love to play an equal part in the Church's response.  He touches too on the fact that the media love to attack the Church, recognising Seewart's statistics which show that abuse involving Catholic priests is disproportionately low in comparison with other groups - but quickly pointing out that that provides no excuse whatsoever. and that the media could not attack the Church in this way if there were not evil within the Church.  The other message that comes through very clearly is his determination to avoid the recurrence of any such tragedy.

As with Chapter One, this was a fascinating read, and despite the difficult subject matter, it was a pleasure because one felt that one was getting to know the Holy Father better and better - and to like him more and more.

Light of the World - Ch 1

Light of the World  - Pope Benedict XVl, Published by CTS

OK, I repent.

I have just read the first chapter of the Holy Father's book, and decided to review that.  Subsequent reviews of the rest may follow as time allows.

But I really want to convey immediately my enthusiasm for Light of the World.  As you probably know, it is actually the transcription of a long interview by Peter Seewald.  This makes it very accessible and even intimate in tone.

The first chapter is called Popes do not fall from the sky, and discusses the  Holy Father's election to the papacy and his reflections on his office and himself in it.  What makes it so wonderful is the character of Pope Benedict which comes through all the answers: his humour, his background, his learning and his humility.

And often it's the telling detail that captures this: so when he's just been elected Pope, Seewald asks him about his reactions, at a time when it is known that other popes have broken down in tears. He responds:Actually at that moment one is first of all occupied by very practical, external things.  One has to see how to deal with the robes and such...

And it delights me that he likes to watch Don Camillo and Peppone films with his household staff.

On the strength of this chapter alone, I have no hesitation in recommending you buy the book at once!

Light of the World

I received my review copy of the Holy Father's book today, and will read and review it in due course - a bit busy at present, so don't hold your breath.

Of your charity...

Of your charity, pray for the recovery of Clare, a friend who was hit by a car on Saturday and is still in a coma after extensive surgery.

Newman - His Life and Legacy

Newman - His Life and Legacy by Fr Ian Ker, published by CTS

Fr Ian Ker is one of the leading experts on Blessed John Henry Newman, and has written many books on him.  This is a short and very readable biography, tracing Newman's life and legacy and ending with his imminent (at the time of writing) beatification.

The first section, The Anglican Years,  treats Newman's early life, his election to a fellowship at Oriel College, Oxford, and the period of the Oxford Movement and the famous Tracts.  All this is fascinating, and Fr Ker makes it clear that Newman's project at this time was to find a way forward that was more warm-hearted than liberalism, more intellectually coherent than evangelicalism - and not Roman!  This was Anglo-Catholicism, his famous via media: but it was more an idea than a reality.

However, just as Newman felt secure in the Oxford Movement, he started to be assailed by doubts, and the next section, The Path to Rome, traces the growth of Newman's conviction that the Church of England was not the solution.  It was in this period that he developed his ideas on the Development of Doctrine, which in turn led him to realise the foundations and principles of Catholic tradition;  he was also strongly influenced by his studies of the Church Fathers and pre-reformation saints, and the combined effect of this made him decide to convert to Catholicism in 1845.  He was received into the Church by Blessed Dominic Barberi.  He was ordained in 1847 and quickly set up the Birmingham Oratory at Maryvale, where he was joined by F W Faber.  Faber and Newman were very different in many ways, so it was fortunate that Faber soon left Birmingham to found the London Oratory.

The following section, The Catholic Years, details quite how difficult Newman found life within the Catholic Church in England in the years following the restoration of the Catholic Hierarchy in 1850.  Newman invested a lot of time and energy in the project to set up a Catholic University in Ireland, but with only limited success, and with a lot of tension between himself and Cullen.  In the meantime he had been embroiled in a libel action, and relations between the Birmingham and London Oratories had degenerated severely.  By 1861 he was so run down that his doctor ordered several months rest. Following an attack in an article by Kingsley, Newman wrote a series of pamphlets in response, eventually published in 1864 as the Apologia pro vita sua.  This proved to be a turning point: it was a best seller, providing him with financial security for the first time since his conversion, but more importantly, it was very well received both by Catholic clergy and by non-conformists.  He continued to take a moderate position: orthodox but against the extremism of the Ultramontanes;  for that reason he was concerned at the idea that Papal Infallibility was about to be defined: but when the definition was agreed, he was more than happy with it.  This section concludes with an account of his later years, including his appointment as a cardinal in 1879,  and his final illness.

The final section, Beatification, is much briefer.  As well as tracing the development of Newman's cause, it refutes the anachronistic modern interpretations of his burial in the same grave as Fr Ambrose St John. This is certainly a timely and important refutation, but it was a pity that the book ended on that note: I would have preferred a final summary that was more positive.

However, this is a well-written and very interesting book.  Like so many CTS publications, it is somewhat marred by poor editing: there are errors of punctuation  and typos (eg winter for writer!) that make the sense hard to follow occasionally.  Nonetheless, I thoroughly recommend it - you have just a few weeks to get it if you want to have a copy in this, the year of Newman's beatification.

The Parish Book of Chant

The Parish Book of Chant - (ed. Richard Rice)  Church Music Association of America

This is a fantastic resource for anyone seriously interested in following the Church's teaching about the primacy of Plain Chant in Catholic Liturgy.

It starts with the Order of Mass, first in the Ordinary Form and then in the Extraordinary Form, with the appropriate chant in its place, where that is unchanging (eg the Pater Noster).

This eloquently makes the point that Chant is appropriate in the OF as well as the EF.

There follow the chants for the Ordinary of the Mass (Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus and Agnus Dei) in various versions, some familiar (De Angelis, Orbis Factor, Cum Jubilo) and many less well known (Lux et Origo, Pater Cuncta, Dominator Deus etc) as well as the wonderful Ambrosian Gloria.  There are also four settings of the Credo, and Alleluias, psalmtones, and the Requiem Mass.

The next section is general hymns and chants, from the Adoremus to the Veni Sancte Spiritus, followed by Marian chants: three settings of the Salve Regina, two each of the other seasonal antiphons, along with eight other chants.

Then there is a collection of Hymns and Chants for the different seasons of the Church's year, from Advent through to Easter, and finally Gospel Canticlas and the Litany of the Saints.

There is also a guide to singing chant, which is perhaps a little dated in the light of recent scholarship, and a guide to the pronunciation of Liturgical Latin.

All in all a tremendous resource - every parish should have several, and any individual with any interest in chant should certainly invest in a copy.

8 Deadly Sins

8 Deadly Sins by Fr Vivian Boland, OP - CTS Deeper Christianity Series

Seven deadly sins, surely?  That's what we all learned in our catechism - and indeed that is the number the Church has settled on.

But Fr Boland starts by pointing out that many of the early Fathers of the Church listed 8 deadly sins; and his introduction is also an interesting exploration of the significance of different numbers, particularly 3 and 4, and their products and multiples.

In fact, although he calls the book 8 Deadly Sins, possibly to pique our curiosity, and recognise the wisdom of the early fathers, he considers them in seven chapters, presumably in deference to the tradition of the Church.  The 'missing' sin is really a matter of whether we consider pride and vain-glory to be one or two sins.

Each chapter then offers a thorough exploration of the nature of each sin, its place in our experience and its particular characteristics, on the basis that we should know the enemy.  This is informed by a sound knowledge of how the various Fathers of the Church have viewed each sin, and the differences in their views. And of course, each chapter contains spiritual advice on how to counter or resist the sin under discussion.

For example the chapter on Anger points out that the Bible frequently presents anger as a good thing, and explores why this is the case.  It then explores the uses of anger, different types of anger, displaced and projected anger, and how to turn anger to good.

There are many fascinating insights, and the whole book is very thought-provoking and conscience-pricking.  This is well worth reading and then re-reading: having finished it, I want to go back and read it again, as I am sure there is much I missed first time through.

So I thoroughly recommend this booklet to anyone who wants a quick but intelligent introduction to understanding sins and how to combat them.

Spiritual Warfare (Continued)

Spiritual Warfare - by Fr Vivian Boland  CTS Deeper Christianity Series



Chapter three is Wrestling With God.  The key point that Fr Boland makes here is that God always fights for his purposes, which may or may not coincide with what we would decide.  Further, we may not always see or understand His purposes.  Therefore we may find ourselves 'struggling to understand the mystery of God's love, and the wisdom of what God is doing with our lives.

We are reminded of the Warrior God of the Old Testament, and how he attacks Moses and Abraham - not to mention Job.  Fr Boland writes: In the practice of prayer, at the level of our feelings, in our relationships with others, in the successes and failures that come our way, in the struggle with sin - within all this we must wrestle not only with flesh and blood, and not only with the  spiritual hosts of wickedness, we must wrestle above all with God.'  This struggle with God he relates to St John of the Cross's Dark Night of the Soul.

But if this is dark and opaque, the next chapter reintroduces light: Christ, Our Champion.  For we know that if we have to contend with God, that Christ has gone before us, and done so in Gethsemane and on Calvary.  Though stripped of his garments, naked vulnerable and powerless, Christ prevails. It is through love and obedience that Christ triumphs, and it is through clinging to Him and to His Cross that we can partake of that triumph.


I found this a difficult book, in the best sense of that word: it made me think.  It confronted some of my assumptions complacency and comfort and brought me fact to face, once again, with the reality of the spiritual combat in which we are engaged.  My own inadequacy in that combat was made clear yet again, but the hope that is Christ was also held out as the way to fight the good fight to the finish.


Well worth reading - and then re-reading...

Spiritual Warfare (part 1)

Spiritual Warfare - by Fr Vivian Boland  CTS Deeper Christianity Series

In his Introduction, Fr Boland acknowledges that the language of combat and warfare in not fashionable in spirituality or theology these days.  But he is unrepentant for, as he points out, the New Testament is full of such language.

He opens his exploration with a chapter on The Struggle with Ourselves.  This chapter is developed in a series of threes: the threefold nature of the temptation at the Fall, Deuteronomy's three paths to sin, and Sirach's three warnings.  All these he relates to:

• the desires and needs of the body
• what is pleasing and delightful to our eyes or others'
• what gives knowledge, power and autonomy.

He then looks at this the other way round: all temptations will inevitably concern our relationship to self, to others or to God. And it is in this triangle, of relating correctly to self, others and God that the Christian is called to live.

Spiritual warfare - the fight for a Christian life - involves battles at each point of this triangle.  And once more, the primary weapons are threefold: almsgiving helps us relate correctly to others; prayer helps us relate correctly to God; and fasting helps us relate correctly to ourselves.

After exploring these three in some depth, Fr Boland next considers another three: poverty, chastity and obedience, which also relate to these three battle grounds; and he concludes this chpater by a consideration of the usefulness of temptation, as strengthening the human heart.

The second chapter is Not Just Flesh and Blood.  Here Fr Boland reminds us that it is a Cosmic Battle in which we are engaged, 'against the principalities, the powers... the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places' according to St Paul (Ep 6:12).  He reminds us too that Our Lord in His time on earth was not just a healer and preacher, but that he was also an exorcist, engaged in this same spiritual combat; a combat which culminated in His victory.  And as we are not Manichees, we recgonise the supremacy of God over evil and the total comprehensiveness of that victory.

Fr Boland continues with a reflection on the strange saying of Julian of Norwich, that 'sin is behovely' and the extraordinary words of the Easter Vigil 'O certe necessarium Adae peccatum... O felix culpa...' (O certainly necessary sin of Adam.... O happy fault....)  Following von Balthasar, Fr Boland interprets the descent of Christ into Hell as proof that His victory reaches even the darkest corners of Hell and that we must in charity hope for the salvation of all (while recognising that we cannot claim to know that all are saved, for judgement belongs to God alone).

The final section of this chapter is on Angels and Demons, and reminds us of the need to ask for and accept angelic assistance, and above all the protection of the Holy Spirit.

The third chapter has the startling title Wrestling with God - and I will get to that later.