Pope Benedict XVI on natural law and democracy

There's a good article on zenit.org about Pope Benedict XVI's recent speech to members of the International Theological Commission. You know, the more I hear from the Holy Father, the more I like him. He is completely unafraid to speak the truth to a world in which so many people no longer believe in such a thing. Here's an excerpt from the article:

"Benedict XVI affirmed that natural law is actually a guarantee of freedom.

"He explained: 'When fundamental essentials are at stake: human dignity, human life, the institution of the family and the equity of the social order -- in other words the fundamental rights of man -- no law made by men and women can subvert the norm written by the Creator in man's heart without society itself being dramatically struck ... at its very core.

"'Thus natural law is a true guarantee for everyone to live freely and with respect for their dignity, protected from all ideological manipulation and from all arbitrary abuses of the powerful.

"'No one can disregard this appeal. If by reason of a tragic clouding of the collective conscience, skepticism and ethical relativism managed to annul the fundamental principles of natural moral law, the very democratic order itself would be profoundly undermined at its foundations.'"

St. Cyril of Alexandria and truth

As part of his ongoing series of audiences about the Fathers of the Church, Pope Benedict XVI today presented a brief teaching on the life of St. Cyril of Alexandria:

"The subject of today's catechesis is Saint Cyril of Alexandria, known as the 'pillar of faith' and the 'seal of all the Fathers'. He was born somewhere between 370 and 380, and at a young age became Bishop of Alexandria. Cyril was a zealous defender of the faith. He took care to ensure that his theology was firmly situated within the tradition of the Church by referring to preceding ecclesiastical authorities, especially Athanasius. Through a series of letters countering the position of Nestorius, the Bishop of Constantinople, Cyril made a very significant contribution to Christology defending the divinity and humanity of Christ united in the one Lord, Christ and Son. He was also of utmost influence at the Council of Ephesus, supporting the recognition of the Virgin Mary as the 'Mother of God'. This led to the deposition of Nestorius as Bishop of Constantinople. Saint Cyril, a prolific writer whose works were read throughout the Church, was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIII in 1882. May our remembrance of this outstanding figure in the history of Christianity remind us that the centre of our faith is the encounter with Jesus Christ, who gives each one of us a new horizon and a decisive direction!"

I always think it's interesting to learn a little bit about the history of Christianity and see how God has worked through very real people and events to guide His Church and its understanding of Him. The Christian faith didn't just plop down from the sky neatly packaged, nor was it fabricated during the Middle Ages. Rather, the Church's understanding developed over time, and it continues to develop to this day.

It may seem like the debates with which the Church has concerned itself over the centuries have often been esoteric, irrelevant, and prone to hair-splitting. Why should we care, one might ask, whether Jesus was two persons, as Nestorius argued, or one person with two natures, as Cyril argued? What difference does it make?

The Church believes, however, that the truth matters a great deal. The truth is especially important when we're talking about the most important Being there is, and the Church will never shy away from seeking that truth.

(Incidentally, the debate between St. Cyril and Nestorius makes quite a big difference, but I don't think I'm qualified to go into much depth about it right now.)

Truth and beauty

There's a nice piece in this week's National Catholic Register called "Benedict's Mozart: What the Pope Learned From His Favorite Composer," about the power of music to communicate religious truth. The piece includes an excerpt from a testimony Pope Benedict contributed to a book commemorating the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth last year:

“When in our home parish of Traunstein on feast days a Mass by Mozart resounded, for me, a little country boy, it seemed as if heaven stood open. In the front, in the sanctuary, columns of incense had formed in which the sunlight was broken; at the altar the sacred action took place of which we knew that heaven opened for us. And from the choir sounded music that could only come from heaven; music in which was revealed to us the jubilation of the angels over the beauty of God. …

“I have to say that something like this happens to me still when I listen to Mozart. Mozart is pure inspiration — or at least I feel it so. Each tone is correct and could not be different. The message is simply present. …

“The joy that Mozart gives us, and I feel this anew in every encounter with him, is not due to the omission of a part of reality; it is an expression of a higher perception of the whole, something I can only call inspiration out of which his compositions seem to flow naturally.”

My song is love unknown

I just felt like sharing one of my very favorite hymns, which is called "My Song Is Love Unknown." The words were written by Samuel Crossman, a 17th century Anglican minister, and the music is by John Ireland, a 20th century English composer.

It is just amazing to me how powerful the effect can be when beautiful music is combined with beautiful and true words, and this hymn is one of the most powerful I know. While reading or singing this hymn, I am often overwhelmed by its evocation of the almost unbelievable love for us that God demonstrated through the sacrifice of Jesus.

The words are below, and you can go here to listen to the music in a rather strange MIDI version. For some reason it sounds like a ghost is singing the tenor line, but it'll give you the idea. Anyway, please listen, read, and reflect if you like.

My Song Is Love Unknown

My song is love unknown, my Savior's love to me, love to the loveless shown that they might lovely be. O who am I that for my sake my Lord should take frail flesh, and die?

He came from his blest throne salvation to bestow, but men made strange, and none the longed-for Christ would know. But O my friend, my friend indeed, who at my need his life did spend.

Sometimes they strew his way, and his strong praises sing, resounding all the day hosannas to their King. Then "Crucify!" is all their breath, and for his death they thirst and cry.

Why, what hath my Lord done? What makes this rage and spite? He made the lame to run, he gave the blind their sight. Sweet injuries! Yet they at these themselves displease, and 'gainst him rise.

They rise, and needs will have my dear Lord made away; a murderer they save, the Prince of Life they slay. Yet steadfast he to suffering goes, that he his foes from thence might free.

In life no house, no home my Lord on earth might have; in death no friendly tomb but what a stranger gave. What may I say? Heaven was his home; but mine the tomb wherein he lay.

Here might I stay and sing, no story so divine; never was love, dear King, never was grief like thine. This is my friend, in whose sweet praise I all my days could gladly spend.

An unexpected lesson from my Alma Mater

"Veritas, Christo et Ecclesiae," I am told by people who know more about Latin than I, means "Truth, for Christ and the Church." It may surprise you to find out that such a quaint and outdated phrase is the official motto of Harvard University to this day (no matter how much most people there would like to pretend it isn't). The motto was adopted in 1692, and although you usually only see the truncated form "Veritas" these days, I guess Harvard still hasn't quite shed all its religious history, because "Christo et Ecclesiae" is still there on all the university's official documents, even its diplomas.

It's a common misconception that Harvard was founded solely as a school for preachers. It wasn't -- it was simply founded as a school that understood the immense importance of the Christian faith and believed -- rightly, in my opinion -- that truth without a foundation in the One Who is Truth is incomplete truth, at best.

Here's a passage from Harvard's College Laws of 1642:

"Let every Student be plainly instructed, and earnestly pressed to consider well, the maine end of his life and studies is, to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life (John 17:3) and therefore to lay Christ in the bottome, as the only foundation of all sound knowledge and Learning. And seeing the Lord only giveth wisedome, Let every one seriously set himself by prayer in secret to seeke it of him (Prov. 2:3)."

Interesting, no? A Harvard professor would probably get fired for suggesting something like that these days, but that's the school's history and, judging from the unlikely endurance of its motto, I guess it's not so easy to shake.

Anyway, I like "Veritas, Christo et Ecclesiae," almost as much as I like another of Harvard's early mottos, "In Christi Gloriam" (To the Glory of Christ), and I'll try to write this blog (and live my life) with both those mottos in mind.

Why I am a Catholic, part 1 - Truth

Basically, I am a Catholic because I believe that Catholicism is true.

Just to be clear, what I don't mean by this is that Catholicism is true for me. This is because religion is about more than just me -- it's about the objective nature of reality. The facts of the universe are what they are whether I believe them or not. That's what I mean by objective. And Catholicism, like any religion, makes claims about the objective nature of reality that are either true or false regardless of whether I -- or anyone else -- believe them, agree with them, or like them. Thus, it wouldn't make any sense (nor would it be intellectually honest) for me to say that Catholicism is true for me but not necessarily true for someone else. It's either true or it isn't.

And like I said, I believe that Catholicism is true, and for good reasons, I think. I'll have to go into what some of those reasons are a little later.