A Good Day to Delve into the Meaning of Freedom

Freedom can only thrive in a culture where self-giving, discipline and obedience overcomes Individualism, Hedonism, Minimalism – and their various sundry ally philosophies such as Relativism and Materialism. Great excerpt on freedom here. 

Are you thriving? Or are you just surviving? Discipline awakens us from our philosophical stupor and refines every aspect of the human person. Discipline doesn’t enslave or stifle the human person; rather, it sets us free to soar to unimagined heights. Discipline sharpens the human senses, allowing us to savor the subtler tastes of life’s experiences. Whether those experiences are physical, emotional, intellectual, or spiritual, discipline elevates them to their ultimate reality. Discipline heightens every human experience and increases every human ability. The life and teachings of Jesus Christ invite us to embrace this life-giving discipline. - by Matthew Kelly

Have not money, possessions, power and even knowledge, diverted man from his true destiny?

tip to Asia News
Pope: with Christ, flee from the idols that alienate man
Paris (AsianNews) - With a complete overturning of the Marxist theory on religion as the "opium of the people", and of Enlightenment rationalism, on the uselessness of God in life, Benedict XVI today claimed that Christ, the Eucharist, the Mass, help man to free himself from the "idols" that, as in ancient paganism, "constituted a powerful source of alienation and diverted man from his true destiny". And precisely in order to free man from the prison of the idols, the pope invited the young people to follow the call to the priestly and religious vocation.

On the second day of his visit to France, the pontiff celebrated the Mass in the Esplanade des Invalides, with almost 300,000 people: the attendance exceeded all of the predictions, almost as if to disprove all of the theories about the secularization dominating the country, once called the "eldest daughter of the Church".

In his homily, the pope commented on the readings of the liturgy for the feast of of Saint John Chrysostom, one of the greatest fathers of the Church, from the fourth century, who left works of catechesis, liturgy, and theology that are still kept alive in both East and West.

Beginning with the appeal from the apostle Paul to "Shun the worship of idols" (1 Cor. 10:14), the pontiff explained what idols are: "The word 'idol' comes from the Greek and means 'image', 'figure', 'representation', but also 'ghost', 'phantom', 'vain appearance'. An idol is a delusion, for it turns its worshipper away from reality and places him in the kingdom of mere appearances. Now, is this not a temptation in our own day – the only one we can act upon effectively? The temptation to idolize a past that no longer exists, forgetting its shortcomings; the temptation to idolize a future which does not yet exist, in the belief that, by his efforts alone, man can bring about the kingdom of eternal joy on earth! . . . Have not money, the thirst for possessions, for power and even for knowledge, diverted man from his true destiny?"

Benedict XVI recalled that the condemnation of idolatry is the condemnation of sin, but not of the sinner; on the contrary, man is called to truth and to conversion, to discover God through the use of reason. But "How do we reach God?".

"Communion with the Body of Christ", the Eucharist, is the means by which we are helped to free ourselves from idols, because we discover the true face of God: "Millions of times over the last twenty centuries, in the humblest chapels and in the most magnificent basilicas and cathedrals, the risen Lord has given himself to his people, thus becoming, in the famous expression of Saint Augustine, 'more intimate to us than we are to ourselves' (cf. Confessions, III, 6, 11)". And again: "The Mass invites us to discern what, in ourselves, is obedient to the Spirit of God and what, in ourselves, is attuned to the spirit of evil". "He alone [Christ present in the Eucharist] teaches us to shun idols, the illusions of our minds".

The urgency of celebrating the Eucharist as an instrument of truth for the faithful and for the world impelled the pope to make an appeal to the young people: "Do not be afraid! Do not be afraid to give your life to Christ! Nothing will ever replace the ministry of priests at the heart of the Church! Nothing will ever replace a Mass for the salvation of the world! Dear young and not so young who are listening to me, do not leave Christ’s call unanswered".

His final invitation was to mission, to communicate the faith in truth and love with those around us: "When we speak, do we seek the good of our interlocutor? When we think, do we seek to harmonize our thinking with God’s thinking? When we act, do we seek to spread the Love which gives us life?"

And he concluded: "I entrust you, dear Christians of Paris and France, to the powerful and merciful action of the God of love who died for us upon the Cross and rose victorious on Easter morning. To all people of good will who are listening to me, I say once more, with Saint Paul: Shun the worship of idols, do not tire of doing good! May God our Father bring you to himself and cause the splendour of his glory to shine upon you! ".

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"Have not money, the thirst for possessions, for power and even for knowledge, diverted man from his true destiny?"

What do you think? Is Pope Benedict XVI correct and if he is have you considered your very own calling (as we all are called) to actively participate in God's mission of redemption?

Why 'Apologize'

Nick Milne hits the nail on the head in Being an apologist means never having to say you’re sorry. In it, he quotes Brian Visaggio:

In my experience, these amateur apologists go out of their way looking for trouble, and consider their academic arguments regarding the placement of the comma in 23:43 and its relation to purgatory a sacred duty. They are Serious Catholics, and they hang out on debate boards having the same eleven arguments again and again and again. Disproportionately converts, many have serious intellectual acumen and a respect and discipline regarding the Scriptures culled from years of being Scripture-toting Evangelicals, but in their enthusiasm for their newfound faith often lose sight of the goal of the Church, which is to help form her people in the image of God.

Look especially for first person singular examination of motives in Nick's excellent post. It's a great mirror for one concerned with truth, goodness, and mercy - starting where one should start: with myself.

Aramis - A Professed Member of the SFO

August 3, 2008, my wife and I, along with 10 other folks, made our profession into the Secular Franciscan Order (SFO). It was the largest class professing into this regional chapter in quite some time.

You might ask, who are Secular Franciscans?

The Secular Franciscan Order is that branch of the worldwide Franciscan Family and was founded by St. Francis of Assisi in the early 1200s. The Secular Franciscan Order is made up of laity and diocesan clergy.

Its aim is to make present in the life and mission of the Church the charism, or special gift, given to St. Francis and passed on to all his followers - to renew and build up the Body of Christ from within with a simple, straight-forward living of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Prior to the profession ceremony yesterday our formation director read us the following from Adrienne von Speyr (The Magnificat - August 2008 pp 77-78):

With us, the call is always in danger of being relegated to the past. We rest in it instead of growing in it, instead of clinging to the Lord day after day in his word, in his Eucharist and in every other mode of his presence among and for us. We should attach much more importance to the call and its duration. We are ready to believe that the Lord looks down on us from heaven and is present to us in the Host. But we are less ready to believe that, once his call has been heard and answered, it continues to echo in our lives, that it never ceases to do so, that the word must never become a resting-place. The call should be as important to us as the most serious concerns of the Church - both our own call and that of others. We must remain, at any cost, in the number of those who keep the call alive in themselves, and we must pray for the grace to do so. Often we feel that we are safe as long as we pray. "As long as I pray the breviary every day, as long as I pray at all, everything will somehow be all right." But we forget that the call is just as important in our lives as prayer is. Actually, we should hear again in every prayer the words: "You follow me." ... All (we can do is) leave everything to him and follow him as well as we are able ...

As he lay dying, Francis told his brothers, “I have done what was mine to do, may Christ now teach you what you are to do.” I don't believe all are called to live within a structure of a religious order, however my question now is, have you heard your calling to participate in building up the Body of Christ through prayer lately?