With the Pope in Prayer for the Chinese

While the death toll continues to rise in China in the wake of the massive earthquakes there, leading to so much death and misery, let us remember our Chinese brethren in prayer. Let us also remember the countless millions of unborn children there who have also perished due to immoral government policies, as well as remembering in prayer our persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ there who have suffered much—even unto death—for the faith.

Let us beseech Our Lady of Sheshan for a powerful deliverance of the Chinese people from not only the disastrous effects of the earthquakes, but also from the devastating and oppressive reality that is communism. Let us join in the following prayer composed by Pope Benedict XVI for the annual day of prayer for the Catholic Church in China to Our Lady Help of Christians, whose feast is celebrated May 24:

Virgin Most Holy, Mother of the Incarnate Word and our Mother, venerated in the Shrine of Sheshan under the title 'Help of Christians,' the entire Church in China looks to you with devout affection. We come before you today to implore your protection. Look upon the People of God and, with a mother's care, guide them along the paths of truth and love, so that they may always be a leaven of harmonious coexistence among all citizens.

When you obediently said 'yes' in the house of Nazareth, you allowed God's eternal Son to take flesh in your virginal womb and thus to begin in history the work of our redemption. You willingly and generously co-operated in that work, allowing the sword of pain to pierce your soul, until the supreme hour of the Cross, when you kept watch on Calvary, standing beside your Son, Who died that we might live.

From that moment, you became, in a new way, the Mother of all those who receive your Son Jesus in faith and choose to follow in His footsteps by taking up His Cross. Mother of hope, in the darkness of Holy Saturday you journeyed with unfailing trust towards the dawn of Easter. Grant that your children may discern at all times, even those that are darkest, the signs of God's loving presence.

Our Lady of Sheshan, sustain all those in China, who, amid their daily trails, continue to believe, to hope, to love. May they never be afraid to speak of Jesus to the world, and of the world to Jesus. In the statue overlooking the Shrine you lift your Son on high, offering him to the world with open arms in a gesture of love. Help Catholics always to be credible witnesses to this love, ever clinging to the rock of Peter on which the Church is built. Mother of China and all Asia, pray for us, now and for ever. Amen!

Thank You, Pastor Hagee

Pastor John Hagee deserves an abundance of thanks for the retraction of his anti-Catholic comments. For it is not only the retraction of the comments which deserves our profound gratitude, but the manner in which he has retracted those comments.

The following is an excerpt from a letter he sent to William Donahue, President of the Catholic League:

In my zeal to oppose anti-Semitism and bigotry in all its ugly forms, I have often emphasized the darkest chapters in the history of Catholics and Protestant relations with the Jews. In the process, I may have contributed to the mistaken impression that the anti-Jewish violence of the Crusades and the Inquisition defines the Catholic Church. It most certainly does not. Likewise, I have not sufficiently expressed my deep appreciation for the efforts of the Catholics who opposed the persecution of the Jewish people. It is important to note that there were thousands of righteous Catholics—both clergy and laymen—who risked their lives to save Jews from the Holocaust. …

In addition, I better understand that reference to the Roman Catholic Church as the “apostate church” and the “great whore” described in the Book of Revelation is a rhetorical device long employed in anti-Catholic literature and commentary … neither of these phrases can be synonymous with the Catholic Church.

The temptation of unforgiving hearts may be to question his motives as political in nature. However, such an explanation hardly accounts for the depths of his self-correction, nor does it explain the leap towards ecumenism in the letter. I do believe that he recognized that he has grieved the heart of Christ with his past anti-Catholic bigotry. It’s time to forgive and forget the multitude of mischaracterizations of our faith and move with Hagee towards Christian fellowship.

Having grown up in the Bible Belt and encountered much false belief and paranoia about Catholics, I welcome with a joyous heart the recent kind comments of the Rev. John Hagee, both his contrition and his warm words for the Pope during his April visit. I plan to contact Pastor Hagee and thank him for his sincere apology. I hope others do as well.

Rather than remembering hurtful words of the past, let us consider those honorable words concerning the Pope during his visit:

We were all inspired by Pope Benedict's visit. It is my prayer that we will now follow his example and look beyond our differences to see that when it comes to the great challenges of our times, people of faith have much in common.

Follow-Up from Saturday, Early A.M.

Well, my infant daughter decided she wanted to utilize the early morning hours to learn all that she could about the appearances of furniture rather than about the benefits of a sound night's sleep. While 3-5:30 a.m. is not normally a time I would select such an endeavor for myself, she seemed most content to do so. Now that she is asleep too "late" in the early morning for me to return to bed, I thought I would pass along this encouraging update to this story.

On the Universal Church and the Particular Churches

Anyone confused as to the relation between their own diocese and that of the Church of Rome should take note of the following quote from the Pope. Unfortunately, many have been led into accepting a low ecclesiology (theology of the Church) in the name of excessive pursuits of pluralism and multiculturalism.

I don't remember where it occurred, perhaps in the journal Communio, but there did occur a debate in the past between the Jesuit Karl Rahner and Joseph Ratzinger over the nature of the particular churches (i.e., the local churches) in relation to the Universal Church. The state of the question was whether the nature of the Catholic Church is a priori the particular churches (Rahner's position) or a priori the Universal Church (Ratzinger's position). This is hardly a trivial question. If the Church is first and foremost the local Church, then there is no Universal Church as such because the nature of the Universal Church would be to be the sum total of all her parts. The Universal Church would simply be the incorporation of particular churches, but it would have no reality in itself. Here is the Pope's teaching from Pentecost:

"The Church that is born at Pentecost is not above all a particular community—the Church of Jerusalem—but the universal Church, that speaks the language of all peoples. From her, other communities in every corner of the world will be born, particular Churches that are all and always actualizations of the one and only Church of Christ. The Catholic Church is therefore not a federation of churches, but a single reality: The universal Church has ontological priority. A community that is not catholic in this sense would not even be a Church." (my emphasis)

Rahner's position tends to essentially eliminate the Universal Church based on what I have said above, on the other hand, Ratzinger's position does no violence to the particular churches. Quite the contrary is true. Rather than dissolving the local churches, Ratzinger's position elevates their dignity for the simple fact that the Universal Church does have an ontological reality all to itself—a profound reality—to be participated in.

Analogously, it could be said that Rahner's position would be similar to each member of the Body of Christ being Christ prior to Christ's headship. Then Christ the head would be one of many equal members, since, according to this view, the Body of Christ is the sum of the members. However, this does violence to the person of Christ, essentially negating his authority. But the dignity of each member lies in the fact that he or she participates in the Christ who is the head. So it is with the dignity of the particular churches, which participate in the same outpouring of the Spirit that comes through the One Universal Church.

"The universal Church has ontological priority." In other words, the Universal Church has its being prior to particular churches. This is very important. This means that in Peter dwells the authority, and all shepherds of the Church are to unite with his authority because it is the authority that comes directly from the Holy Spirit. Each local Church is to find its repose in the pure pastures of the Church of Rome. Only in this sense may it be said, "though many, one." Praised be to God who calls all together to this unity.

Athanasius Against the World – Combatting the Threat of Arianism (Part II)

This is a continuation of my tribute to St. Athanasius (pictured in icon to the right), the great Early Church defender of Christianity. His struggle is a heroic one, one in which St. Athanasius lived up to his name, which in Greek means "undying" or "immortal."

The Near-Triumph of Arianism

Constantius initially seemed to be accepting of Athanasius’ presence. But his opponents gained in strength as the Emperor increased in power, particularly after the death of Pope Julius. Pope Liberius would not support the accusations against Athanasius either. Catholic leaders throughout the Church were threatened into support of the condemnation of Athanasius. The pope wanted a new council. Constantius, who knew that no one would dare oppose him, called the Council of Milan in 355. “With this synod began a disgraceful tragedy, for which the Emperor was chiefly responsible,” Baus writes (22). Only a few of the many bishops resisted the force of the emperor. Pope Liberius was one of those bishops, defying the emperor. Constantius in a fit of power sent the resistant into exile and set up an anti-pope (23). He then ordered the arrest of Athanasius, who had become justifiably suspicious of the emperor. Soldiers attempted to arrest him once, but Athanasius’ parishioners formed a human shield around their pastor. Then, in February 356, armed soldiers stormed the church in which he was celebrating Mass, killing many people, but Athanasius, saved by his faithful clergy, miraculously escaped (24). He found refuge in the desert.

During that time, Athanasius did not fall into despair. The most hunted man in the empire wrote some of his most important letters clearing his name. He consoled his faithful and clergy with his writing and encouraged them to remain strong. He remained very elusive in the desert with the support of the desert monks as he frequently changed hiding places.

But the evil of the persecution that fell upon the people and divided him from them grieved him greatly. “My eyes ceased not from tears, nor my spirit from groaning, because we are not permitted even to see the brethren” (25).

Athanasius had survived, but Arianism seemed victorious. Over the years, however, factions had developed within the heresy. Which faction would be imposed on Christianity? Some Arians had said that the Son and the Father were of like substance (homoi-ousios); others said the Father and the Son were like each other (homoios); others said the Father and the Son were unlike each other (an-homoios). Constantius sided with the middle party (26). The vagueness of the formula, avoiding the substantiality debate, would win many adherents, proponents explained to the emperor (27).

Constantius convened his council, calling hundreds of bishops to Rimini. The bishops were not allowed to return home without signing the Arian Creed of Sirmium; all those who held to the Nicene term homoousios lost their sees (28). Many bishops retracted their signatures upon returning to their sees (29).

Athanasius did not withhold his opinion of Constantius in his writings. In History of the Arians, he compares Constantius with Saul, Ahab, and Pontius Pilate – and of the three, Consantius is the worst! “He is even more bitter than Pilate,” Athanasius writes. “For Pilate washed his hands; but this man, while he banishes the saints, gnashes his teeth against them more and more” (30).

Saved by an “Apostate” – then Exiled

Like his father, Constantius received his baptism on his deathbed. In November 361, the archnemesis of Athanasius was dead and the empire fell to a pagan emperor. The Arian crisis had climaxed and begun its recession. Julian sought to reestablish pagan worship, rebuilding the temples Constantine had destroyed. Moreover, he sought to demoralize Christianity and renew the fighting between the Arians and Catholics. With ill intentions, he recalled Athanasius and other bishops from exile.

But rather than bring division, the return of Athanasius fostered unity among frightened Arians in need of a pastor. With Julian’s plan failing, Athanasius was exiled again – a fourth exile (31). But Julian’s death would come soon; he would not reign long, nor would his successor, Jovian. The empire fell to Valentinian I in the West and Valens in the East. Valens was just as determined an Arian as was Constantius (32). Athanasius was banished in 365 along with all the other bishops who were allowed to return under Julian – a fifth exile! But since disturbances had flared in the city, Valens allowed Athanasius’ return (33). The people had had enough. They would not lose their pastor again. Valens would reign up through Athanasius’ death.

With Emperor Valens at the helm, the political state of affairs was difficult in the end of Athanasius’ life, a proper bookend to a life that began in turmoil. But he was in Alexandria with his people. He was now ready to enter into his rest. He had served the Lord well, and had passed the theological torch onto the Cappadocian Fathers, who would lead the Church to claim total victory over the Arians in the theology of the coming ecumenical councils. Athanasius died in Alexandria on May 2, 373.

Conclusion – Man of Immortal Memory

“They will lay their hands on you and persecute you … and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. This will be a time for you to bear testimony. I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict” (Lk.21:12-13, 15).

As some Christians throughout the centuries have discovered, such as St. John the Evangelist, Origen, and Athanasius, much to their own surprise, to be sure, martyrdom is not for all. But the Cross of suffering comes with being a servant of the Lord. “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you” (Jn.15:20).

If it is true that the flight of the persecuted testifies against his persecutors, then Athanasius dealt with some of the most unsavory and malevolent men of the 4th century. “For no man flees from the gentle and the humane, but from the cruel and evil-minded” (34). It must have seemed to the Arians that Athanasius would live up to his own name, which means “man of immortality” (35). Certainly, he has become a man of immortality and of immortal memory in the mighty deeds he wrought for his Lord.

It is difficult to grasp the impact Athanasius left on the Church. He is the first in sequence on the list of the 33 doctors of the Church. He was a true guardian of the Deposit of the Faith, the great teacher of the homoousios (36), passing on right teaching at all costs. He preserved soteriology from Arian annihilation, for the separation of the divine nature from the body of Christ leads inevitably to the separation of the divine nature from the mystical body of Christ.

It is most fitting to close on the theology laid out by Athanasius himself that drove the man to endure what he did – from the desert to Nicaea to the see to exile and back again and again. Without the Incarnation and Passion of the Word made flesh, man is without hope. But because of the Incarnation and Passion, man has a promise, but not just any promise, man has God’s Word.

It was unfitting that they should perish which had once been partakers of God’s image. What then was God to do? or what was to be done save the renewing of that which was in God’s image, so that by it men might once more be able to know him? But how could this have come to pass save by the presence of the very image of God, our Lord Jesus Christ? For by men’s means it was impossible, since they are but made after an image … Whence the Word of God came in his own person, that, as he was the image of the Father, he might be able to create afresh the man after the image. But, again, it could not have taken place had not death and corruption been done away. Whence he took, in natural fitness, a mortal body, that while death might in it be once for all done away, men made after his image might once more be renewed. None other, then, was sufficient for this need, save the image of the Father (37).

Because the Son is the perfect image of the Father, he is the full revelation of the Father, revealing him without alteration or loss (38). This revelation of God in Christ unites the Father with his estranged children. Christ mediates this encounter, Athanasius teaches us. To close, in Christ’s becoming human the Son of God does not equalize himself with us. Rather, he elevates human nature to his level (39).

By offering unto death the body he himself had taken, as an offering and sacrifice free from any stain, straightaway he put away death from all his peers … He, the incorruptible Son of God, being conjoined with all by a like nature, naturally clothed all with incorruption, by the promise of the resurrection. For the actual corruption in death has no longer holding ground against men, by reason of the Word, which by his one body has come to dwell among them (40).

Footnotes

(22) History of the Church, Vol. II, 42.
(23) History of the Church, Vol. II, 42-43.
(24) Molloy, 68-69.
(25) Molloy, 78-79.
(26) Laux, 117.
(27) History of the Church, Vol. II, 47.
(28) History of the Church, Vol. II, 48-49.
(29) Laux, 118.
(30) St. Athanasius, History of the Arians, VIII, 6.
(31) History of the Church, Vol. II, 57.
(32) Laux, 118.
(33) History of the Church, Vol. II, 62.
(34) St. Athanasius, Apology for Flight, 12. Taken from Atkinson, Miles, Tr., Historical Tracts of St. Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria (Oxford: James Parker & Co.; London: J.G.F. & J. Rivington, 1843).
(35) Hardy, 48.
(36) Schönborn, 14.
(37) On the Incarnation, 13.
(38) Schönborn, 13.
(39) Behr, John, Formation of Christian Theology, Volume 2: The Nicene Faith: Part 2, One of the Holy Trinity (Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2004), 481.
(40) On the Incarnation, 9.

Athanasius Against the World – The Story of a Great Saint

On the feast day of one of the Church's greatest saints, I offer the following account of the life of St. Athanasius in two parts, the second part to come next week. I pray that this be a blessed encounter with one of the heroes of the Church who helped keep Christianity from straying from the truth to which it had always adhered.

Introduction – A Life of Tribulation

As hated and sought after as Athanasius was in the time he lived, how did he come to die an old man? Only the hand of God could have preserved his life – and it would be short-sighted not to acknowledge the deliverance of the Lord that he might work his will through his servant Athanasius. Who knows where the Catholic Church would be without the heroic efforts of the first-born of her doctors, the oft-persecuted St. Athanasius the Great? Accused, exiled, persecuted, and forced into flight, St. Athanasius never ceased to fight for his Lord and for the truth. He was only one of a few bishops left in the world who did not fall prey to the heresy of Arianism – either by their own assent or by the hostile threats of the Arians themselves. Athanasius’ courage in the face of death in addition to his many writings helped strengthen his flock and strongly combated the Arians, who said that Jesus was not God, but only the greatest of God’s creatures and at one point did not exist. Against this virulent idea, “Athanasius stood, sometimes bitterly, always bravely, for the rest of his life” (1).

Surely the great endorsements of Athanasius’ fight came from above. This legendary man, hated by so many, died in his 70s after being bishop of Alexandria for 46 years, during which he was exiled five times for a total of 17 years (2). Certainly, various men throughout the course of history have been in exile longer than seventeen years. But who has been so loved and hated and inwardly driven from above as to have been exiled five times to return all those times in that span? Only a shepherd driven by love of the Lord and his flock could bear such a burden.

If there was one man who was a thorn in the side of the Arians, it was St. Athanasius both before and after he ascended to the chair of bishop in Alexandria. In fact, from the very start of the Arian heresy when he was a deacon, Athanasius was integrally involved in decisions about dealing with the heresy (3). As a champion of the Council of Nicaea, defending the divinity of Christ and the Council’s conclusions in the face of all threats, St. Athanasius drew the ire of the Arians. As Father John Laux writes: “From this time on, the history of Arianism is largely the history of Athanasius” (4).

An Impact throughout the Centuries

Athanasius’ theology has had a broad and lasting impact, particularly on Trinitarian theology and Christology. He, as “the eminent figure connected with the theological underpinning of the Nicene Creed” (5), carried the Church from Nicaea to the following early councils. Athanasius knew that God the Son was no mere creature, as the Arians had alleged, but consubstantial with the Father. The Son is the perfect image of the Father, Cristoph Cardinal Schönborn writes. “The Son is indeed in the Father, as is quite obvious, because the total being of the Son inheres in the substance of the Father… But there is also the Father in the Son, because that which originates from the Father and is essential to him, is the Son” (6).

Athanasius’ contributions to history cannot be neglected either. He was a prolific writer from his youth. In addition to his theological writings, much of what is known of the many crises come from the hand of the bishop writing in exile. His work on the life of St. Antony also gave a close look into the life of asceticism of the monks in the desert.

The story of Athanasius has great relevance for our modern time. So many people fear the intrusion of the Church into the affairs of the state. But the story of Athanasius’ life shows what happens when a governing structure oversteps its boundaries in matters with regard to the Church. The whims and politics within the Roman Empire played a powerful effect in the near victory of Arianism. As Athanasius described it, “this heresy has come forth upon the earth like some wild monster, which not only injures the innocent with words, as with teeth; but it has also hired external power to assist it in its designs” (7). Yet despite drawing the ire of the greatest political power on the face of the Earth, the bishop persevered through a multiplicity of trials that only a few chosen souls could withstand.

Forming a Great One

Athanasius was born to a devout Christian family near the turn of the 4th century in Alexandria, Egypt, during a bloody siege of the city by the Emperor Diocletian, who was trying to subdue a rebellion at the time. While he was still a boy, the emperor’s great persecution fell upon the empire, with particular intensity upon Egypt. Between the ages of five and fifteen, Athanasius’ relatives, friends, clergy and even playmates were arrested, tortured, exiled, and even murdered. Within this “crucible of fire” (8), God shaped his character and prepared his champion for combat.

While he was a young man, Athanasius served St. Antony in the desert and developed a lifelong friendship. He became a prodigal theologian, even in his late teenage years and early young adulthood, writing masterful works such as Against the Gentiles and On the Incarnation.

In his most prominent theological work, On the Incarnation, he clearly outlines the divinity of the Son, appealing to many proofs, including the works of Christ, the Old Testament prophecies, the Virgin birth of Christ, the writings of the New Testament, the witness of the disciples to the point of martyrdom, and many more. Athanasius outlines well the humanity and divinity of the Son – true God from true God.

Even the very creation broke silence at His behest and, marvelous to relate, confessed with one voice before the cross, that monument of victory, that He Who suffered thereon in the body was not man only, but Son of God and Savior of all. The sun veiled his face, the earth quaked, the mountains were rent asunder, all men were stricken with awe. These things showed that Christ on the cross was God, and that creation was his slave and was bearing witness by its fear to the presence of its Master (9).

One finds it difficult to see how any Arian could have encountered Athanasius’ arguments that he laid out in On the Incarnation and remained Arian (much less encountering the writings of the Gospels and all of Scripture, of course).

Meanwhile, as Athanasius was maturing, a debate came to a boil. Arius in 319 challenged the teachings of Alexander, bishop of Alexandria, that the Son of God was equal to God the Father and that as Son, there was once when he was nonexistent. As time went on, Arius gathered quite a following, a following which grew even after his excommunication in 321. The peace of the Church was in jeopardy.

With the Church at an impasse, the Emperor Constantine called the Council of Nicaea in 325. Attending the Council were more than 300 bishops, and hundreds of priests and deacons. Athanasius was a deacon at the Council, and would have today been considered a periti (10). Though he was not yet a bishop, Athanasius was “held in the first rank of the members of the Council, due to his wisdom and virtue, which were well beyond his years” (11). The Council condemned Arius and his followers. Arius had been betrayed by his own supporters, who had temporarily sided with the Church to avoid punishment. Far from dropping their theological push, the Arians renewed their efforts and attacked with greater ferocity and deception.

Elevated to Bishop

In 328, when Alexander, the bishop of Alexandria, died, Athanasius’ was elected bishop. From the outset, he faced a twofold struggle – the Meletians, who contested the right to the see of Alexandria, and the Arians (12). The Arian party set its sights for attack on Athanasius from the beginning. At the Council, they had seen his energy and constancy, “and could see in him the actual rising champion of the Nicene theology” (13). While Athanasius tended to his flock in Alexandria, the Arians were regrouping.

In the years following the Council, the Nicene theology came under heavy fire. Recalled from his exile, Eusebius of Nicomedia, an adviser to Constantine, convinced the emperor that the council had used a word foreign to Scripture – homoousious. It was Eusebius of Nicomedia who “organized and directed the Arian reaction” (14). Eusebius had two objectives – to restore Arius to communion and oust Athanasius from his see. He tried to accomplish the first objective by pressuring Athanasius to restore Arius into communion (15). When Athanasius refused, many false charges were levied. This time, he was exonerated.

But more charges would come up, and his embarrassed opponents would have their revenge. The Meletians alleged that he had destroyed a chalice and had even murdered one of their bishops, Arsenius, who had secretly gone into hiding. They even alleged that Athanasius had severed the bishop’s hand for use in magic. In 335, the emperor ordered a synod to be held at Tyre. There, attendees were nearly all Athanasius’ opponents. Athanasius’ allies, the Egyptian bishops, were turned back. The synod featured plenty of drama, with the Arians producing Arsenius’ severed hand only to have Athanasius produce Arsenius – taken in custody with both hands intact. Nevertheless, no justice could be found. In fear for his life, he left the city by night to sail to Constantinople to take his case up with Constantine himself. Athanasius interrupted the emperor’s horseback ride to request a hearing in his presence. Only four of the participants of the synod at Tyre came to Constantinople. But there they produced a new accusation – that Athanasius had sent away the nation’s food supply ships. It is not known why Constantine did not dismiss this charge along with all the others, and Athanasius was ordered to exile in Gaul (16).

Following the synod at Tyre, Arius was received back into communion. With Athanasius ousted and Arius back in communion, it seemed that Eusebius was victorious. Yet, even then Arius would not be allowed to receive communion in Alexandria or Constantinople. He met with the Emperor to make a confession of faith. But Alexander, the bishop of Constantinople, refused him communion. Eusebius told the bishop that Arius would receive communion the next day. Beset with grief, Alexander prostrated himself in prayer, asking God to take his life or Arius’ before he allowed such a sacrilege. God heard. That night, Arius died suddenly and violently of a hemorrhage of the bowels (17).

In 337, the Emperor Constantine died. His kingdom fell to his three sons: to Constans, Africa, Italy, and Pannonia; to Constantine II, Gaul, and to Constantius, the East. Constantine II called Athanasius back from exile (18). His faithful and clergy rejoiced. But his time in Alexandria would be short-lived. Athanasius’ new emperor, Constantius, was a staunch Arian, and at his side stood Eusebius of Nicomedia, who soon became bishop of Constantinople. A second and longer exile was soon to come.

In 339, soldiers sought Athanasius out. The bishop caught word of it beforehand and disappeared into the city while violent mobs sacked churches and persecuted the people. After weeks in hiding, he fled to Rome to seek the counsel of the pope.

In Rome in 341, Pope Julius called a council of bishops who unanimously cleared Athanasius of all charges. He also admonished those who deposed Athansius from his see, exerting his papal authority in matters even regarding the Church in the East (19). Many Western efforts were made to try to bring Athanasius back to his see. Alongside Pope Julius, Constantius’ brother Constans took up Athansius’ case in the West, calling a synod at Sardica (Sofia) in the Balkans. Both sides arrived to discuss the case, but the Arian bishops left the synod early (20). Athanasius and fellow exiles were exonerated. But meanwhile in the East, the protesting Arians condemned all at the council.After the death of Gregory, who had taken Athansius’ see, Constantius wrote that he wanted a meeting with Athanasius. Finally, he was able to return to Alexandria after great political pressure. “The reception of the long-exiled Egyptian bishop in Alexandria resembled a triumphal procession” (21). But the worst was yet to come. At the death of Constans, Constantius became sole emperor. The whole world would become infected with Arianism.

To be continued next week ...

Footnotes

(1) Hardy, Edward Rochie, Ed., Christology of the Later Fathers (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1954), 49.
(2) Behr, John, Formation of Christian Theology, Volume 2: The Nicene Faith: Part 1, True God of True God (Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2004), 163.
(3) Molloy, Michael E., Champion of Truth: The Life of St. Athanasius (Staten Island, New York: Society of St. Paul, 2003), 19.
(4) Laux, John, M.A., Church History: A History of the Catholic Church to 1940 (Rockford, Illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1989), 113.
(5) Schönborn, O.P., Cristoph Cardinal, God’s Human Face: The Christ-Icon (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1994), 8.
(6) Schönborn, 10.
(7) St. Athanasius, History of the Arians, I, 3. Taken from Atkinson, Miles, Tr., Historical Tracts of St. Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria (Oxford: James Parker & Co.; London: J.G.F. & J. Rivington, 1843).
(8) Molloy, 7.
(9) St. Athanasius, On the Incarnation, 19. Taken from Hardy, Edward Rochie, Ed., Christology of the Later Fathers (Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 1954).
(10) Jedin, Hubert and Dolan, John, Eds., History of the Church, Vol. II, Baus, Karl, Part One: The Development of the Church of the Empire within the Framework of the Imperial Religious Policy (New York: Seabury Press, 1980), 24.
(11) Molloy, 23.
(12) Behr, Part One, 71.
(13) History of the Church, Vol. II, 30.
(14) Laux, 113.
(15) Molloy, 34.
(16) History of the Church, Vol. II, 31.
(17) Molloy, 48-49.
(18) History of the Church, Vol. II, 32.
(19) History of the Church, Vol. II, 36.
(20) History of the Church, Vol. II, 38.
(21) History of the Church, Vol. II, 40.

The Joyous Baptism of My Daughter

So I have a lot of thoughts—on St. Stephen’s martyrdom, on St. Athanasius (whose feast approaches), more about the Pope’s visit and the reception of the church in the United States, on the upcoming Solemnity of the Ascension, and also some really bad things going on in our country (racism at Planned Parenthood, sadistic “art” at Yale University, etc.).

Now I will forcibly set aside from my mind for the time the ugliness of the world.

All the ills of the world will have to wait for a father's joy, as I have quite the topic at hand: my sweet daughter's Easter-season baptism!

On the eve of the baptism of my Sophia Therese, she kept quite the prayer vigil, remembering the words of the Lord, “could you not watch with me one hour?” She kept watch for at least four, from about 2 to 6 a.m. During her vigil, she complianed most audibly and continually about being in the state of original sin. So, being as tuckered out as she was, she did not let out even a peep during Sunday Mass.

Sophia Therese, who was born on April 10, was also born on April 27—this time from the womb of the Church. The daily Psalm reading was Psalm 66 for the Mass on April 10 and Psalm 66 for the Mass on April 27. Here is part of the reading for both days,

Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!

“Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.” Amen

After the proclamation of the Gospel, Fr. Ray Ryland gave a most moving homily. The Gospel reading, Jesus promised to send another comforter, the Holy Spirit, the parakletos (Jn 14:16). There is another comforter, because he himself is our comforter. Christ is our advocate with God. “We have an advocate (parakletos) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 Jn 2:1). But we must keep his commandments, the Scripture says, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (Jn 14:15). But how do we combine faith and works, as the Scripture says: “Always do everything in order to please Jesus.” These are the words of St. Therese, who always makes her presence felt at the most important moments of our lives. She once told a sorrowful novice:

Our Lord loves the glad of heart, the children that greet him with a smile. When will you learn to hide your troubles from Him, or to tell him gaily that you are happy to suffer for Him? The face is the mirror of the soul, and yours, like that of a contented child, should always be calm and serene. Even when alone be cheerful, remember always that you are in the sight of the angels.

After these encouraging words, the time came for her baptism. Deacon Mark Miravalle blessed the water and invoked the saints. We reaffirmed our own baptismal vows (which my parents in like manner made for me) and promised to raise her in the faith in the presence of the entire Christian community, as Sophia Therese continued her slumber. Her mother and I beamed as we stood beside her most devout godparents. My wife held her over the baptismal waters. As the blessing of the Father came upon her head through the water, she extended her arms in cruciform (perhaps imitating the crucifix hanging in our home, perhaps merely stretching, but it was a sign of the presence of Christ in her to her mother and myself).

When my wife and I were engaged, we consecrated ourselves, and all the fruits that our love would bear to the Blessed Virgin, under the title of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Being in person the most visible manifestation of this love, and thus already belonging to the Blessed Virgin, we offered Sophia Therese publicly to the Blessed Mother of God immediately after the baptism.

She remained peaceful throughout the remainder of the Mass. As I held her after I received Jesus in the Eucharist, I contemplated her purity in union with the Lord. I remembered the practice of the Early Church, whose members would genuflect before the newly baptized, reverencing the purity of the presence of the Holy Spirit in them. I realized I was holding in my being Jesus Christ, the Holy of Holies, but I was also holding a holy child, made holy by the Spirit of Adoption that has rendered her a child of the Heavenly Father. Her adoption was ratified at the foot of the Cross by Christ himself, who made Sophia Therese his sister. So in a very real way, she is now more my sister than she is my daughter, because we have one God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every good gift.

And what a good gift she is! A new member has been added to the Body of Christ! “Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.”

"Expelled" Exposes Philosophical Flaws of Atheism

Ben Stein—he’s shown himself to be a pretty solid philosopher in “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed.” And he’s catching a lot of heat for it. Just have a look at the tone of these movie reviews.

Much criticism is being levied upon Ben Stein for his use of Holocaust footage to hammer home his point about the debate over Darwinism and Intelligent Design. However, some ideas have dire consequences. Stein is justified in his choice to use these images. It would be wrong to use the images if Darwinism and concentration camps were two unrelated realities. However, the connection is all too real.

Darwinian philosophy, regardless of whether a direct link may be established between itself and Nazi policy, is identical with the practice and propaganda of the Nazis. If one could put Darwinism into action, what would it look like? It would look a lot like Nazism: forced sterilization, ethnic cleansing, survival of the ... policymakers. Darwinism indeed was the philosophy that Nazi scientists held. Darwin's theory of natural selection was the foundation of policies and propaganda that helped build the menace of the Nazi regime. And Darwinism is today building the menace of academic totalitarianism and the abortion machine.

And yes, this is the problem: Atheistic scientists have squelched philosophy as a pseudoscience, and in doing so have themselves become the philosophers. Moreover, so many Christians have feared to enter into the sphere of human reason, believing that reason itself is totally untrustworthy. This, too, has effectively separated philosophy and theology. Now, where is human reason, the middle man? There is no mediator to be found, no line of communication between science and theology. But Darwinism and Intelligent Design are both philosophies at their core. What is needed for an acceptable dialogue is a return to philosophy.

In fact the great tragedy here is that there is no mediator between science and religion. Preceding a modern attempt to try to kill God and destroy His memory from the earth has been the massacre of human reason: the death of metaphysics.

Metaphysics, a branch of philosophy, concerns itself with the study of being. When scientists venture into the question, Why is there existence?, they have left the field of science and entered into the field of philosophy. The examination of existence is philosophy. It belongs to philosophy, and requires the right use of philosophical principles to master this study. Scientists have left the sphere of their expertise when they begin to treat questions on the origins of that which has existence. They are ill-equipped to answer the question. And they have sought to do so on philosophical terms.

The death of metaphysics in mainstream academia has been a bitter one, but a necessary one for irresponsible and irrational modern thought. In an academic atmosphere in which metaphysics no longer holds any sway, a few wayward scientists can do as they please, despite the pleroma of contradictions overflowing from their theories. For instance, consider the scientist in the movie who held the notion that life began on the backs of crystals. This is implicitly an assertion that matter is without beginning or end in time. How can there be an infinite regression of causes, a long chain of causes without beginning or end? This is philosophically unsound.

There is also the notion that a more intelligent species in a sense "sowed" life on this earth, which has been evolving ever since. At this point it is necessary to define philosophical terms a little bit. A contingent being is one whose existence is not strictly necessary. An absolute being is one whose existence is altogether necessary. I am contingent; you are contingent; all human beings are contingent. Philosophically speaking, it would not be absurd for a human being to have never existed. But to say that aliens caused life on earth doesn't solve the problem of contingency. What those scientists asserted is that contingent life is responsible for contingent life. Then, it could be rightly asked, how did alien life begin? We've started the problem all over again. Absolute aliens? Again, totally philosophically unsound, and in no way harmonious with common sense. No less than arch-atheist Richard Dawkins himself transgressed this most basic philosophical principle.

Many religious people are trying to answer the question on philosophical terms as well, but without mastery of the principles of philosophy. Atheistic commentators become indignant when intelligent-design proponents assert that their struggle is not a religious one. But those proponents realize, rightly, that this is not a question of religion. The question of the existence of God is a question of natural theology, a branch of philosophy because it is not based on Divine Revelation, but can be known by the human intellect alone. The notions of the atheistic scientists is all so very offensive to human reason. This is a good sign: Common sense will assist those who fight this battle. But more than that, they will need philosophy.

Ètienne Gilson, a 20th-century French philosopher, expresses this far better than I do:

A religious interpretation of nature never worries about what things are—that is a problem for scientists—but it is very much concerned with the questions why things happen to be precisely what they are, and why they happen to be at all. ... Whatever their ultimate value, these are existential answers to existential questions. As such, they cannot possibly be transposed into terms of science, but only into terms of an existential metaphysics. Hence these two immediate consequences: that natural theology is in bondage not to the method of positive science but to the method of metaphysics, and that it can correctly ask its own problems only in the frame of an existential metaphysics (God and Philosophy, second edition (Yale University Press: New Haven, 2002), 119-120).

Ben Stein, in offering his career as an oblation for the sake of truth, has brought into the public eye the many miseries of the theories of overly philosophical scientists. God is not subject to scientific observation, so the debate cannot be cut off in the class room. How could science, which is concerned with observing the material world, disprove the existence of God, an immaterial Being?

That is impossible. And unless it is serious about operating within the tenets of right philosophy, it should humbly step away from such questions. Christians, too, should recognize the reality of this threat to human reason and not fear to learn the principles of philosophy that they, too, may enter responsibly into the debate.

We must enter this debate. As Stein showed, Margaret Sanger, foundress of Planned Parenthood, took up this philosophy as her own. Natural selection is practiced still today through eugenics (Greek for good birth or well-born). As in Nazi Germany, the strength of the genes has again been equated with human worth. Several studies within the past decade have shown that a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome results in the child's death through abortion at least 80 percent of the time (some disturbing studies have shown figures above 90 percent for women who opt for abortion after having received a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome for their child). This debate has everything to do with the dignity of man, who in his immateriality is more than his chromosomes.

My review: This is the most thought-provoking documentary to come out of Hollywood in a long time. This is a must-see for our times (at the very least to thank Ben Stein for the sacrifice of his career for the sake of truth).

Philosophy comes from two Greek words: love (philo) and wisdom (sophia). Can any human love parallel the love Mary had for her divine Son, Wisdom Incarnate? In these times, we must look to Our Lady, the greatest philosopher, who keeps all good things, pondering them in her heart. After all, she is the Mother of the Word Incarnate; it is she who mediates to us the very flesh of wisdom.

Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us!

A Stumbling Block: Catholic Politicians and Public Sacrilege

I speak of Senators Kerry, Dodd, and Kennedy, in particular. I know not whether House Speaker Nancy Pelosi received the Eucharist during the Mass in Washington. But as of an Associated Press report a couple of days ago, she had said that she intended to. So I will cling to hope for the sake of her soul that her conscience prevented her from receiving Christ in the state of mortal sin. It turns out, that the sacrilege didn't end in Washington, but continued in New York. Rudy Giuliani received the Eucharist without publicly repenting of his attacks on innocent life (scandalizing as well the faithful perhaps into thinking that an annulment is somehow no longer necessary for worthy reception of the Eucharist).

Is this how we welcome the Pope, by having our elected officials publically descecrate the Sacred Body and Precious Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ?

In this case, it is appropriate to name names. As is always the case in the Church, public sin has called for public penance. These politicians have kept rivers of innocent blood flowing throughout our nation. Yet, they go to receive Jesus in the Eucharist, in outward defiance of the Pope himself (who addressed such matters in his document on the Eucharist, Sacramentum Caritatis, #83), in outward defiance of the U.S. bishops who have urged them to repent from their murderous ways, in outward defiance of Sacred Scripture itself, which reads:

For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself (1 Cor 11:26-29).

Now perhaps many may perceive these to be "intolerant" words. However, they are God's words, and the problem seems to be that we ourselves have become too "tolerant" of the greatest evils that have been wrought upon the earth.

These politicians have scandalized many Catholics who have been led astray by their "leadership" and have served as a stumbling block for those non-Catholics who are disgusted by their own policies. And this was clearly planned, as demonstrated by the Associated Press article above. This is no less than a sacrilege--these politicians used the Sacred Body and Precious Blood of Our Lord for political leverage against the authority of the bishops.

I sincerely hope that all who love the Lord Jesus Christ share my outrage at this sad, sad news--that these Catholics would wager with eternal consequences upon the Sacred Body and Precious Blood of our Lord, the God of all. It is time to storm heaven with our prayers that this desecration of the Most Holy Eucharist, Jesus Himself, not occur in this manner again, especially through the wickedness of politicians that we ourselves, to our own shame and disgrace, have elected and allowed to rule our nation.

May they turn from their deathly political platforms and turn to the infinite abyss of the mercy of God. May God forgive them and may God forgive us for having elected them!

Text of the Pope's Meeting with Catholic Educators

This translation is from the Vatican's official Web site, delivered at the Catholic University of America.

Your Eminences,
Dear Brother Bishops,
Distinguished Professors, Teachers and Educators,

“How beautiful are the footsteps of those who bring good news” (Rom 10:15-17). With these words of Isaiah quoted by Saint Paul, I warmly greet each of you – bearers of wisdom – and through you the staff, students and families of the many and varied institutions of learning that you represent. It is my great pleasure to meet you and to share with you some thoughts regarding the nature and identity of Catholic education today. I especially wish to thank Father David O’Connell, President and Rector of the Catholic University of America. Your kind words of welcome are much appreciated. Please extend my heartfelt gratitude to the entire community – faculty, staff and students – of this University.

Education is integral to the mission of the Church to proclaim the Good News. First and foremost every Catholic educational institution is a place to encounter the living God who in Jesus Christ reveals his transforming love and truth (cf. Spe Salvi, 4). This relationship elicits a desire to grow in the knowledge and understanding of Christ and his teaching. In this way those who meet him are drawn by the very power of the Gospel to lead a new life characterized by all that is beautiful, good, and true; a life of Christian witness nurtured and strengthened within the community of our Lord’s disciples, the Church.

The dynamic between personal encounter, knowledge and Christian witness is integral to the diakonia [service] of truth which the Church exercises in the midst of humanity. God’s revelation offers every generation the opportunity to discover the ultimate truth about its own life and the goal of history. This task is never easy; it involves the entire Christian community and motivates each generation of Christian educators to ensure that the power of God’s truth permeates every dimension of the institutions they serve. In this way, Christ’s Good News is set to work, guiding both teacher and student towards the objective truth which, in transcending the particular and the subjective, points to the universal and absolute that enables us to proclaim with confidence the hope which does not disappoint (cf. Rom 5:5). Set against personal struggles, moral confusion and fragmentation of knowledge, the noble goals of scholarship and education, founded on the unity of truth and in service of the person and the community, become an especially powerful instrument of hope.

Dear friends, the history of this nation includes many examples of the Church’s commitment in this regard. The Catholic community here has in fact made education one of its highest priorities. This undertaking has not come without great sacrifice. Towering figures, like Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and other founders and foundresses, with great tenacity and foresight, laid the foundations of what is today a remarkable network of parochial schools contributing to the spiritual well-being of the Church and the nation. Some, like Saint Katharine Drexel, devoted their lives to educating those whom others had neglected – in her case, African Americans and Native Americans. Countless dedicated Religious Sisters, Brothers, and Priests together with selfless parents have, through Catholic schools, helped generations of immigrants to rise from poverty and take their place in mainstream society.

This sacrifice continues today. It is an outstanding apostolate of hope, seeking to address the material, intellectual and spiritual needs of over three million children and students. It also provides a highly commendable opportunity for the entire Catholic community to contribute generously to the financial needs of our institutions. Their long-term sustainability must be assured. Indeed, everything possible must be done, in cooperation with the wider community, to ensure that they are accessible to people of all social and economic strata. No child should be denied his or her right to an education in faith, which in turn nurtures the soul of a nation.

Some today question the Church’s involvement in education, wondering whether her resources might be better placed elsewhere. Certainly in a nation such as this, the State provides ample opportunities for education and attracts committed and generous men and women to this honorable profession. It is timely, then, to reflect on what is particular to our Catholic institutions. How do they contribute to the good of society through the Church’s primary mission of evangelization?

All the Church’s activities stem from her awareness that she is the bearer of a message which has its origin in God himself: in his goodness and wisdom, God chose to reveal himself and to make known the hidden purpose of his will (cf. Eph 1:9; Dei Verbum, 2). God’s desire to make himself known, and the innate desire of all human beings to know the truth, provide the context for human inquiry into the meaning of life. This unique encounter is sustained within our Christian community: the one who seeks the truth becomes the one who lives by faith (cf. Fides et Ratio, 31). It can be described as a move from “I” to “we”, leading the individual to be numbered among God’s people.

This same dynamic of communal identity – to whom do I belong? – vivifies the ethos of our Catholic institutions. A university or school’s Catholic identity is not simply a question of the number of Catholic students. It is a question of conviction – do we really believe that only in the mystery of the Word made flesh does the mystery of man truly become clear (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 22)? Are we ready to commit our entire self – intellect and will, mind and heart – to God? Do we accept the truth Christ reveals? Is the faith tangible in our universities and schools? Is it given fervent expression liturgically, sacramentally, through prayer, acts of charity, a concern for justice, and respect for God’s creation? Only in this way do we really bear witness to the meaning of who we are and what we uphold.

From this perspective one can recognize that the contemporary “crisis of truth” is rooted in a “crisis of faith”. Only through faith can we freely give our assent to God’s testimony and acknowledge him as the transcendent guarantor of the truth he reveals. Again, we see why fostering personal intimacy with Jesus Christ and communal witness to his loving truth is indispensable in Catholic institutions of learning. Yet we all know, and observe with concern, the difficulty or reluctance many people have today in entrusting themselves to God. It is a complex phenomenon and one which I ponder continually. While we have sought diligently to engage the intellect of our young, perhaps we have neglected the will. Subsequently we observe, with distress, the notion of freedom being distorted. Freedom is not an opting out. It is an opting in – a participation in Being itself. Hence authentic freedom can never be attained by turning away from God. Such a choice would ultimately disregard the very truth we need in order to understand ourselves. A particular responsibility therefore for each of you, and your colleagues, is to evoke among the young the desire for the act of faith, encouraging them to commit themselves to the ecclesial life that follows from this belief. It is here that freedom reaches the certainty of truth. In choosing to live by that truth, we embrace the fullness of the life of faith which is given to us in the Church.

Clearly, then, Catholic identity is not dependent upon statistics. Neither can it be equated simply with orthodoxy of course content. It demands and inspires much more: namely that each and every aspect of your learning communities reverberates within the ecclesial life of faith. Only in faith can truth become incarnate and reason truly human, capable of directing the will along the path of freedom (cf. Spe Salvi, 23). In this way our institutions make a vital contribution to the mission of the Church and truly serve society. They become places in which God’s active presence in human affairs is recognized and in which every young person discovers the joy of entering into Christ’s “being for others” (cf. ibid., 28).

The Church’s primary mission of evangelization, in which educational institutions play a crucial role, is consonant with a nation’s fundamental aspiration to develop a society truly worthy of the human person’s dignity. At times, however, the value of the Church’s contribution to the public forum is questioned. It is important therefore to recall that the truths of faith and of reason never contradict one another (cf. First Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith Dei Filius, IV: DS 3017; St. Augustine, Contra Academicos, III, 20, 43). The Church’s mission, in fact, involves her in humanity’s struggle to arrive at truth. In articulating revealed truth she serves all members of society by purifying reason, ensuring that it remains open to the consideration of ultimate truths. Drawing upon divine wisdom, she sheds light on the foundation of human morality and ethics, and reminds all groups in society that it is not praxis that creates truth but truth that should serve as the basis of praxis. Far from undermining the tolerance of legitimate diversity, such a contribution illuminates the very truth which makes consensus attainable, and helps to keep public debate rational, honest and accountable. Similarly the Church never tires of upholding the essential moral categories of right and wrong, without which hope could only wither, giving way to cold pragmatic calculations of utility which render the person little more than a pawn on some ideological chess-board.

With regard to the educational forum, the diakonia of truth takes on a heightened significance in societies where secularist ideology drives a wedge between truth and faith. This division has led to a tendency to equate truth with knowledge and to adopt a positivistic mentality which, in rejecting metaphysics, denies the foundations of faith and rejects the need for a moral vision. Truth means more than knowledge: knowing the truth leads us to discover the good. Truth speaks to the individual in his or her entirety, inviting us to respond with our whole being. This optimistic vision is found in our Christian faith because such faith has been granted the vision of the Logos, God’s creative Reason, which in the Incarnation, is revealed as Goodness itself. Far from being just a communication of factual data – “informative” – the loving truth of the Gospel is creative and life-changing – “performative” (cf. Spe Salvi, 2). With confidence, Christian educators can liberate the young from the limits of positivism and awaken receptivity to the truth, to God and his goodness. In this way you will also help to form their conscience which, enriched by faith, opens a sure path to inner peace and to respect for others.

It comes as no surprise, then, that not just our own ecclesial communities but society in general has high expectations of Catholic educators. This places upon you a responsibility and offers an opportunity. More and more people – parents in particular – recognize the need for excellence in the human formation of their children. As Mater et Magistra [Mother and Teacher], the Church shares their concern. When nothing beyond the individual is recognized as definitive, the ultimate criterion of judgment becomes the self and the satisfaction of the individual’s immediate wishes. The objectivity and perspective, which can only come through a recognition of the essential transcendent dimension of the human person, can be lost. Within such a relativistic horizon the goals of education are inevitably curtailed. Slowly, a lowering of standards occurs. We observe today a timidity in the face of the category of the good and an aimless pursuit of novelty parading as the realization of freedom. We witness an assumption that every experience is of equal worth and a reluctance to admit imperfection and mistakes. And particularly disturbing, is the reduction of the precious and delicate area of education in sexuality to management of ‘risk’, bereft of any reference to the beauty of conjugal love.

How might Christian educators respond? These harmful developments point to the particular urgency of what we might cal