The Spirit of Medieval Philosophy by Etienne Gilson

The Spirit of Mediaeval Philosophy by Etienne Gilson

Most historians of thought have a tendency to skip over what they refer to as "The Dark Ages," going straight from ancient Greece and Rome to the Renaissance and Enlightenment periods. Sure, there was some literature and art in this Christian-dominated period, but philosophy did not develop at all (so the historians claim) until people like Descartes arrived. Gilson examines if there was a mediaeval philosophy. Clearly, European thought was dominated by Christianity but it did not develop in a vacuum and plenty of authors in Jewish and Muslim traditions commented and expanded upon classical philosophers like Plato and Aristotle.

Gilson has a lot of issues to grapple with. Theological reflection was the primary interest in the middle ages, but that did not exclude the application and adaptation of philosophical ideas to their Biblical understanding of the world. "Faith Seeking Understanding" is the motivation and inspiration of thinkers from Saint Augustine to Saint Thomas Aquinas (held as the exemplar of Christian philosophy). Syncing up philosophical insights with theological insights creates a new system, built on the shoulders of what came before, but clearly going higher and in different directions from what came before.

After affirming the existence of mediaeval philosophy, Gilson runs through many other issues, showing the mediaeval Christian anthropology, including epistemological and moral concepts unknown or underdeveloped in the classical period. The meaning and purpose of human life has a tremendous shift with the revelation of a personal God who becomes man and shares in our life. The age did have a distinctive philosophy (often imbedded in the theology).

The book is a very technical and detailed discussion of these issues. Gilson is a persuasive writer but the text is dry and aimed at an audience that has a lot of familiarity with mediaeval Christianity and classical issues in philosophy. I found it tough going in spots, even with a lot of prior knowledge of the issues involved.

Mildly recommended--this requires some pre-requisites to appreciate fully.

Sample quote, the key shift that distinguished medieval thought:

"There is but one God and this God is Being, that is the corner-stone of all Christian philosophy, and it was not Plato, it was not even Aristotle, it was Moses who put it into position." p. 51

Book Review: The Dialogue by Catherine of Siena

The Dialogue by Catherine of Siena

Catherine of Siena (1347-1380) was a lay person following Dominican spirituality who was a mystic and also involved in secular and papal politics. She is most famous for convincing Pope Pius XI to return to Rome from Avignon in 1376. She also wrote many letters and some prayers, though her major work is The Dialogue of Divine Providence. It's written as a conversation between God and a soul and was dictated by Catherine while in an ecstatic state.

The dialogue works through several questions that the soul (presumably Catherine's) has for God that He lovingly answers. The main focus is on achieving spiritual perfection through a holy life. God describes the path to Heaven He has laid out for us, describing it as a bridge between Earth and Heaven. That bridge is Christ and has three primary stages that match the progress in virtue and grace. In the first stage, motivated by the fear of punishments like eternal damnation, a person seeks a virtuous life without much love in their heart for the Lord. They just want to avoid suffering. This stage is identified with being at the feet of the Lord. In the second stage, a person is virtuous for the consolations of doing good. The focus is still on the self, on one's own wellbeing, the happy feelings one gets when doing a good deed. Here, the soul approaches the heart of Jesus on the cross. The final stage is full perfection, where one is virtuous because it pleases the Lord and conforms to the Divine Will, regardless of personal consolation or discomfort. This stage is at the mouth of Christ and represents a full union with God. 

The soul also asks about for the world with all its problems and challenges. God discusses the respect that is owed to those with religious vocations (especially bishops and the pope), even if they commit grave sins and provide scandal to the world. He will judge such people; it is not our role to condemn them. He will provide what is needed for people to make it to Heaven. The many people that make up the Mystical Body of Christ all have different roles to play and are given different gifts and abilities to use for His greater glory and the sanctification of themselves and others. The importance of obedience in the spiritual life is discussed at length.

The book is very well written. While she has deep insights into human and divine relationships, they are presented in a very concrete way that is easy to understand. She is occasionally repetitive, re-emphasizing themes and ideas that are important. I found the book very helpful and inspiring. The mystical insights are not shrouded in a fog of technical terms or unfamiliar situations. We've all dealt with good and bad bosses (in family or work or politics or society), we've all felt the inadequacy of efforts or the frustration of unfruitful exertions. Her advice is timely and easy to take. It is easy to see why she was declared a Doctor of the Church. 

Highly recommended.

Sample Quote: 

Why we have individual charisms: "These and many other virtues I give differently to different souls, and the soul is most at ease with that virtue which has been made primary for her. But through her love of that virtue she attracts all the other virtues to herself, since they are all bound together in loving charity." [pp.37-38]

An entirely Dominican metaphor: "Just as a dog stationed at the gate barks when it sees enemies, and by its barking wakes up the guards, so this dog of conscience would wake up the guard of reason, and reason together with free choice would discern by the light of understanding who was a friend and who an enemy. To friends, that is, the virtues and holy thoughts of the heart, they would give warm affectionate love by exercising them with great care. To enemies, that is, vice and perverse thoughts, they would deal out hatred and contempt, striking them down with the sword of hatred and love by reason's light and free choice's hand. So at the moment of death their conscience does not gnaw but rests peacefully because it has been a good watchdog." [p. 263]

Book Review: Saint Katharine Drexel: Apostle to the Oppressed by Lou Baldwin

Saint Katharine Drexel: Apostle to the Oppressed by Lou Baldwin

Katharine Drexel was born the middle daughter in an upper-class Philadelphia family in 1858. Their extended family had varying degrees of Catholic fervor but the three Drexel sisters were very devout. Katharine was especially devoted to the Holy Eucharist and wished she could receive daily communion, something not possible at the time. Her parents died and left a large fortune to the three daughters, though they only received the income from the fortune during their lives. Many young women were taken advantage of by fortune hunters and Francis Drexel wanted to protect his children from exploitation. Even so, the income was substantial.

Katharine struggled in her young adulthood with her vocation. She wanted to serve the poor, especially the African-American and Native-American communities that were at best neglected (more often despised) in late-19th century America. The Catholic Church, while interested in all peoples, only had limited abilities (and struggled with prejudice against it at that time). Katharine funded several missions out west and started schools in Philadelphia. The Bureau of Catholic Indian Missions formed in the 1870s and Katharine was a staunch financial supporter.

She was convinced by her bishop to start her own religious order dedicated to ministering to these underserved communities. The process was long and arduous. She began with temporary vows and training at the Religious Sisters of Mercy in Pittsburgh. Soon enough, she established a convent in Philadelphia and drew young women to her own Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament. Several years were required by the Philadelphia Bishop O'Connor before the sisters could go out west--they needed both spiritual formation and practical education to minister on the reservations. Drexel began a vocational school that would eventually transform into Drexel University. The sisters began serving a variety of communities in the American west.

She also funded several schools and parishes for African-American communities, starting in Philadelphia and branching out to the American South. Memories of the Civil War were still fresh in many minds and hearts. Fighting both segregation and discrimination became an ongoing battle for her nuns. She founded Xavier University of Louisiana, the first Catholic and Black university in America. Katharine traveled often to visit the sisters across the country. 

She lived to the middle of the twentieth century. Her cause for sainthood was opened almost immediately (several people who knew her thought she was a saint during her lifetime). She was canonized in 2000, the first U. S. citizen to be declared a saint. 

This biography does a good job recording Katharine's history and her personal character, going through the events of her life starting with her grandparents, the first Drexels to come to American in the 1700s. The overview in interesting and inspiring.

Recommended.

Sample quote, from Cardinal Dougherty, the Archbishop of Philadelphia during Katharine's Jubilee year in 1941:

Humanly speaking, the sacrifice was heroic. She did not give up nets and other fishing apparatus as the first Apostles; she did not leave poverty and drudgery; she turned her back on wealth, social prominence, enjoyment of all that money can buy in order, even in her early youth, with its bright prospects, to dedicate her life to the outcast, downtrodden despised Indians and Negroes of the United States. [p. 185]

Book Review: Arguing Religion by Robert Barron

Arguing Religion: A Bishop Speaks at Facebook and Google by Robert Barron

In 2017, Bishop Robert Barron was invited to Facebook headquarters in Silicon Valley to give a presentation. He decided to talk about one of the great challenges of our time, how to have a civil conversation on a topic people disagree on, in this case, religion. He was then invited to Google where he talked about how religion opens up the intellectual world, not closes it down. These two talks have been combined into this short book.

A lot of fruitless encounters happen on-line, with people virtually shouting at each other. Barron has experienced this first hand as he engages the broader culture through social media. He makes a lot of great points about how religion is falsely perceived in our culture (like it isn't rational or it is a private matter not meant for public discourse) and shows ways that can bear a lot of fruit in mutual understanding, a requisite first step in persuading other people about anything. He urges readers to follow the example of Thomas Aquinas, the 13th-century theologian and philosopher. Aquinas often quoted others he did not entirely agree with, like the ancient Greek pagan Aristotle, the medieval Jewish thinker Maimonides, and the medieval Muslim philosopher Avicenna. Aquinas found good and salient points in these thinkers and was able to integrate them into his own thought, even if he didn't agree with their conclusions or some of their principles. Thomas is a model of fruitful intellectual dialogue.

In the second part of the book, Barron describes how human nature is aimed at the true and the good because we humans have intellect and will. We want to know the truth because it is good in and of itself. Everyone desires happiness even if they don't all agree on what creates happiness. Barron explores the classical ideas of human fulfillment (wealth, power, prestige/honor, pleasure) and how they are never fully satisfying. They are all finite goods that cannot give full satisfaction. Only an ultimate good will ultimately satisfy our longing for goodness, for happiness. 

The book reads very quickly and is very on-point. Barron's text is persuasive and concise. This is well worth reading.

Highly recommended.

Book Review: Life of Christ by Fulton J. Sheen

Life of Christ by Fulton J. Sheen

The famous American Catholic prelate Fulton Sheen wrote a theological biography of Jesus based on the Gospels and his own reflections. He goes through all the details of Jesus's birth, ministry, death, and resurrection with plenty of references to the prophecies and prefigurements in the Old Testament. He makes comments and gives insights into Christ's actions on earth and how they contribute to our salvation.

Sheen's main theme is the contrast of Jesus's life to our lives. We are here to live as best we can; Jesus came to die for us. Jesus lived in a dangerous time, under a Roman rule that drove Judaism into factions and a social structure that left the ill and the poor in desperate situations. He lived an itinerant life, gathering followers who did not fully understand what He was doing. His head disciple, Peter, was scandalized at the idea that Jesus would have to die an ignominious death, even though he recognized, thanks to grace, that He was the Messiah. Sheen gives a powerful testament to Christ, showing His uniqueness as the Son of God and His familiarity as the Son of Man. Jesus came that we might have life more fully, but the path to that fuller life led Jesus to the cross.

Occasionally, Sheen's commentary reads a little dated. He talks about the great threat of communism (the book was first published in 1952). He also takes a dim view of unfettered capitalism. Sheen uses the Knox translation for quotations from the Bible that sounds old-fashioned even though Knox translated in the 1940s. He uses a lot of "thees" and "thous" along with "Isais and "Jeremias" for "Isaiah" and "Jeremiah." The text does not sound contemporary, but that is okay in my view. Other readers may feel differently.

His writing style is so straightforward and honest. Even though he is theologically insightful, he doesn't bog down in terminology or abstract arguments. His explanations are easy to follow and provide a greater insight into Christ's life and mission.

Recommended--these are good reflections by a master communicator and theologian. 

Sample text:

Human infirmity touched Him so deeply, because deafness, dumbness, leprosy, insanity were the effects of sin, not in the person afflicted but in humanity. Because His death would remove sin which was the cause (though the final release from sickness and error would not come until the resurrection of the just), He said that it was just as easy for Him to heal one as the other. [p.203]

On the difference between Peter and Judas: 

Why, then, is one at the head of the list, the other at the bottom? Because Peter repented unto the Lord and Judas unto himself. The difference was as vast as Divine-reference and self reference; as vast as the difference between a Cross and a psychoanalytic coach. Judas said he had "betrayed innocent blood," but he never wished to be bathed in it. Peter knew he had sinned and sought redemption; Judas knew he had made a mistake and sought escape--the first of the long army of escapists from the Cross. Divine pardon presupposes but never destroys human freedom. [p. 372]

Book Review: Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Psalms 1-50 ed. by C. Blaising and C. Hardin

Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Old Testament VII: Psalms 1-50 edited by Craig A. Blaising and Carmen S. Hardin

This commentary provides an overview of patristic thought on the first third of the Psalms. The book has the text of each psalm (the translation is the Revised Standard Version) followed by a synopsis of the comments from the ancient Fathers of the Church. After that is texts from the Fathers (usually a paragraph of commentary, see the sample texts below), with citations for further research. 

This book is valuable as a study guide for exploring the Psalms as the earliest Christians saw them. The Fathers range from the first disciples of the apostles down to Saint Augustine in the 400s. They have a lot of interesting insights intot the meaning of the psalms. The commentaries also provide a way to pray the psalms more deeply by extending the time a reader spends with each psalm, highlighting nuances that can be passed over with a quicker reading.

I found this very valuable and am looking forward to the next volume.

Highly recommended.

Some sample texts:

From the commentary on Psalm 29, by Basil the Great on false glory:

The cedar is at time praised by Scripture as a stable tree, free from decay, fragrant, and adequate for supplying shelter, but at times it is attacked as unfruitful and hard to bend, so that it offers a representation of impiety.

And from the commentary on Psalm 32, by Caesarius of Arles on confession:

God wants us to confess our sins, not because he himself cannot know them but because the devil longs to find something to charge us with before the tribunal of the eternal Judge and wants us to defend rather than to acknowledge our sins. Our God, on the contrary, because he is good and merciful, wants us to confess them in this world so we will not be confounded by them later on in the world to come.

And from the commentary on Psalm 42, by Augustine on seeing God:

"Where is your God?" If a pagan says this to me, I cannot retort, "What about you? Where is your God?" because the pagan can point to his god. He indicates some stone with his finger and says, "Look, there's my god! Where is yours?" If I laugh at the stone, and the pagan who pointed it out is embarrassed, he looks away from the stone toward the sky; then perhaps he points to the sun and says again, "Look, there's my god! Where is yours?" He has found something he can demonstrate to my bodily eyes. For me it is different, not because I have nothing to demonstrate but because he lacks the kind of eyes to which I could demonstrate it. He was able to point the sun out to my bodily eyes as his god, but how can I point out to any eyes he has the sun's Creator?

Book Review: Dark Passages of the Bible by Matthew J. Ramage

Dark Passages of the Bible: Engaging Scripture with Benedict XVI & Thomas Aquinas by Matthew J. Ramage

Plenty of passages in the Bible are hard to square up with Christian beliefs in the twenty-first century. The most famous is Abraham nearly sacrificing his only son on the command of God, a seemingly senseless and cruel request. Plenty of other verses command or condone lying, murder, and full-scale genocide. How can these texts be inspired? How can they be reconciled with teachings like "turn the other cheek" (Matthew 5:39) or "love your enemies"(Matthew 5:44)? These problems draw a lot of contemporary interest. It has been grappled with through the years by a variety of theologians. And by "years" I mean three millennia of Judeo-Christian thought.

The classical solution is to look at the whole of Scripture and the spiritual meaning of passages. The enemies of the chosen people are metaphors for sins that should be cast away or destroyed without mercy. Isaac's sacrifice is clearly meant to foreshadow Christ's sacrifice. Often the literal sense of passages are ignored or twisted to make a theological point. Some of these interpretations are sublime; others are not very convincing.

With the advent of the historical-critical method in the 1800s and 1900s, bible scholars started looking at the historical contexts of the human authors, exploring why they would write what they did and how it compares to other ancient texts. The method allows thinkers to stay on a strict literal interpretation with clever guesses or conjecture about what the human authors meant and how they could and did contradict one another and future Christian teaching. The method stays at the human level, resulting in a lot of debunking or disbelief.

Pope Benedict XVI (the retired pope) has spent a lot of time and ink on the problem of the relationship between classical interpretations (what he calls "Method A" exegesis or analysis of scripture) and the works of the historical-critical method (what he calls "Method B" exegesis). Benedict acknowledges that both methods have flaws and strengths. He proposes a "Method C" to use the best of both approaches. Ramage explains all of this in the context of the more difficult passages of scripture, including issues like the conflicting evidence in the synoptic gospels and John's gospel about the date of Jesus's crucifixion. Benedict acknowledges the problem in his Jesus of Nazareth book covering Holy Week and offers suggestions to help resolve the difficulties. 

Ramage does a great job laying out the problems and the potential solutions. He also draws out how this idea of combining methods goes back at least as far as Saint Thomas Aquinas (who lived in the 1200s). Even though Aquinas didn't have historical-critical exegetes to deal with, he did see the tension between the literal and the spiritual understandings of scripture and made a lot of effort (similar to Benedict's) to reconcile the two. Ramage acknowledges that there are too many passages to deal with in just one book but his method, inspired by Benedict and Aquinas, is a great tool to have in developing a deeper understanding of the Bible as God's inspired word.

Highly recommended.

Book Review: This Is My Body by Robert Barron

This Is My Body: A Call to Eucharistic Revival by Bishop Robert Barron

With a 2019 Pew Forum survey revealing that only one-third of American Catholics believe that Jesus is truly, really, and substantially present in the Eucharist, Bishop Barron and his fellow bishops decided to do something about it. A National Eucharistic Revival has been on-going since 2020 with conferences and pilgrimages. This book is part of the effort. It's short (a little over 100 pages) but has a lot densely packed in on the reality of the Eucharist.

The book covers three aspects of the Eucharist: as a sacred meal, as a sacrifice, and as a fundamental reality. The concept of union through eating a meal is ubiquitous in human culture. People develop a sense of comradeship and conviviality when they eat together. Sacred meals date back at least as far as the Exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt described in the second book of the Bible. The Passover meal is instituted as part of a sacred, miraculous event that leads the people to a greater intimacy with God. This meal is brought to its highest level at the Last Supper, when Christ instituted the Blessed Sacrament. He explicitly united it with His sacrifice on the cross. The long tradition (both within Judaism and outside of it) of offering animals or other things in sacrifice to the divine reaches its climax with Jesus. His death and resurrection are the events that restore completely the friendship with God that was lost in the Garden of Eden. Finally, Barron discusses the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, looking at the theological history including recent attempts to refine the descriptions offered.

This book is a great primer on Eucharistic theology, giving the reader a lot to think about and appreciate. Barron's arguments are clear and thorough. It's a great resource to deepen faith in the Eucharist.

Highly recommended.

Book Review: I See Satan Fall Like Lightening by Rene Girard

I See Satan Fall Like Lightening by Rene Girard

A lot of contemporary people compare the Bible to mythology, implying that it is both unoriginal and fictitious. In a subtle analysis, Rene Girard draws out some crucial distinctions and similarities between classical myths and the content of the Old and New Testaments, though his main purpose is not to debunk the debunkers, but to examine a common destructive cycle in human society.

As individuals and collectively, people fall into mimetic desire--the desire for what someone else has. The desire naturally causes conflicts, which often escalate. In order to relieve the tension and restore (or in some cases create) social order, a scapegoating mechanism is used. An individual is blamed for the problem and eliminated from the group (typically by death). The tension is eased and the problem is solved, uniting the society. The punishment is seen as divinely inspired or satisfying, thereby fixing the situation and creating a new cohesive social order. Of course, the new social order will have mimetic desires spring up, creating a tension that will boil over into another crisis that is resolved by finding a victim to take on the sins and expiate for them. Girard calls this the cycle of mimetic violence.

Girard cites two main examples of the mythological take on the cycle. First, Oedipus's parents hear the prophecy that he will kill his father and marry his mother. To avoid this, the parents have him cast out, expecting him to die. He doesn't and is raised without knowledge of his true parents or the prophecy. Through circumstance, he returns to his hometown of Thebes, kills his father and marries his mother. Then a plague descends on the city (caused by the gods) that can only be ended when Oedipus's guilt is discovered and he is punished. Second, Apollonius of Tyana (a real person from second century AD) lived in Ephesus when an epidemic. To cure it, Apollonius pointed out a poor, ragged, blind beggar in the market square. He told the crowd to stone the beggar which would appease the gods and cure the epidemic. After the crowd (which was a first reluctant) killed the stranger, the plague ceased. In both cases, a larger societal problem was solved violently through the punishment of a more-or-less innocent scapegoat. The mechanism is not limited to fiction as the Apollonius example shows.

Girard's primary example from the Bible is Jesus's crucifixion (though he does write about Old Testament figures like Joseph in Egypt and Isaiah's suffering servant). The jealousy of the Jewish leadership over Jesus's success as a preacher boils over and spreads to Pilate who wanted to maintain the peace in Palestine and to the crowd that had welcomed Jesus joyously only a few days before. Even Jesus's own followers give in to the social pressure and abandon Him. A larger societal problem was solved violently through the crucifixion of Jesus. 

The key difference for Girard is that in the mythological cycle of mimetic violence people are unaware of the process in which they participate and the guilt of the victim is not disputed. Biblically, Joseph was persecuted unjustly by his brothers in Genesis just as Jesus was in the Gospels. The victims are innocent, though their suffering is transformed in a more substantial way to the benefit of their societies. They are aware of the cycle and are able to free themselves from it thanks to divine intervention. The apostles recognize their ignorance and go out humbly and forthrightly to proclaim the saving message of Jesus to everyone.

While the theory is very interesting and has lots of subtle and dramatic arguments in its favor, I found the presentation unsatisfying. Girard claims that the cycle of mimetic violence is not just a cause of social order, but what begins societies. He cites examples but there are plenty of other cases where families grow into societies. His application of the cycle of mimetic violence is too universal to be convincing. Also, he seems unaware of or ignores other counter-examples to his theory. He describes how everyone, including Pilate and the disciples, are swept up into the condemnation of Jesus. Even the thieves crucified with Jesus have scorn. Except Girard never talks about the Good Thief. Also, Jesus caused wide-spread discord among people following Him after the claim that they need to eat His flesh and drink His blood in John 6. Surely this situation should have resulted in mimetic violence? Girard's theory is fascinating within his context, but there is a larger context.

Mildly recommended--the powerful ideas are not convincingly presented here.

Sample quote about the thieves crucified with Jesus: The more one is crucified, the more one burns to participate in the crucifixion of someone more crucified than oneself. [p.21]

Book Review: Women of Hope by Terry Polakovic

Women of Hope: Doctors of the Church by Terry Polakovic

So far (September 2024), four women have been declared Doctors of the Church by the Catholic Church. A Doctor of the Church is a saint who is recognized for their writings and teachings that have contributed to the intellectual and, more importantly, spiritual development of people. The two most famous doctors are Saint Augustine and Saint Thomas Aquinas. This book gives overviews of the women who are doctors, in the order that they were declared. 

Saint Teresa of Avila lived in the 16th century as a Spanish Carmelite. At the time, many religious orders were in decline, in need of reform. She was a passionate advocate for that reform, especially in her own order. Her early life needed improvement and she found life in the convent transformative. She wrote much and advised others at all levels of society. Her reforms had a great impact and her writings, especially The Interior Castle and The Way of Perfection, are beloved classics.

Saint Catherine of Siena lived in central Italy during the 14th century. She was born to a large family but was constantly looking for solitude. She had vision of Jesus from her youth though she did not become a cloistered nun. She lived in the world, writing many letters advising on spiritual matters. She also traveled, especially to Avignon, France, where the Popes had been living since the early 1300s. She pleaded with Pope Gregory XI to return to Rome. She convinced him and in 1377 the pope returned to Rome. In addition to her letters, she wrote The Dialogue of Divine Providence, a series of questions and answers between her and God the Father on spiritual issues.

Saint Therese of Lisieux lived in Normandy, France, at the end of the 19th century. She had a rather unremarkable life. She grew up in a typical middle-class family. Most of her sisters went to the same convent, a Carmelite in Normandy. She died at a young age (24!) of illness. She probably would have been forgotten but her superior ordered her to write about her life, resulting in the spiritual classic The Story of a Soul. She details her simple life and her simple spirituality. She did everything from her youngest age to please God. Even small acts can become sacred and salvific when done in a Christ-like spirit. The first printing of her book was distributed among the Carmel convents but soon was recognized as a powerful witness to a life of Christian simplicity and love. It spread like wildfire.

Saint Hildegard of Bingen lived in 12th century Germany. She started her spiritual journey as a young woman who became an anchoress--a religious who was sealed into a cell next to a church or monastery. In her case, it was a monastery and she was in with some other women. She was in the cell for twenty-five years. She and her companions attracted many people for advice and other women to their vocation. They outgrew their cell and moved to a run-down monastery, what we would now call a "fixer-upper." She had spent her years praying and reading, so when she came out, she had a large body of knowledge and much preparation. She wrote books and plays along with letters. She composed music for the plays; she wrote about the medicinal value of plants. She lived to her eighties in a time when life expectancy was mid-thirties. She has only recently been rediscovered and was made a doctor of the church by Pope Benedict XVI.

Author Terry Polakovik does a good job present overviews of the women's lives and their impacts on the Church. She identifies them as women of hope because, in spite of their situations of hardship, they trusted in God and kept the faith. The book was written during the Covid pandemic and Polakovik draws some parallels with contemporary situations and reactions. I found this aspect interesting but its relevance will probably wane in the coming years. The text is interspersed with reflection questions, some of which draw on our current issues around Covid.

Recommended--this is a good introduction to these four women and provides plenty of pointers to find out more about them.

Book Review: Stay By Me, Dear Friend by Julie Davis

Stay By Me, Dear Friend by Julie Davis

One of the great challenges of being a Christian is developing your personal relationship with Christ. Like most other relationships, it takes time, commitment, and interest to make progress. The goal is not simply to know the other but to love the other. When people fall in love, they think about each other all the time and want to be together all the time. It's a crazy and wonderful time. That's the way we Christians should be with Jesus, though it is much more tricky because it is so different from a romantic relationship. And it is so much more important.

Julie Davis provides a lot of devotional material to get the reader into that state of intimate friendship with Jesus. This book has, on each page, one or two related quotes, a reflection, and a short prayer. Facing pages have related materials with a shared title over the two-page spread. The reader can read one page if time is short or both pages to get some more depth or different perspectives on the same idea. The format works very well and is not tied down to days of the week or of the year. In the introduction, Davis even encourages readers to jump around. Find something useful or eye-catching or inspiring. The book is divided loosely into sections for different times of day, showing how to be aware of Jesus throughout the day, being present to Him and talking with Him like a good friend. It reminds me of Fiddler on the Roof, where the main character Tevye has a very frank and familiar way of talking with the Lord, which he does throughout his day, asking for help with a problem or complaining about a misfortune or offering advice on how to handle a situation (yes, Tevye gives advice to God!). We could all be more like Tevye and this book helps.

Highly recommended--I read through it quickly to write the review but will use it as a devotional and go through it at the proper pace.

Sample quote of a quote:

Worry does not empty tomorrow of its trouble. It empties today of its strength. Unknown [p.93]

Book Review: Pensees by Blaise Pascal

Pensees by Blaise Pascal

In addition to being a mathematical wiz, Blaise Pascal also wrote on theology and philosophy. He left a lot of unfinished fragments that he was in the process of organizing into categories or topics. Not every piece found a spot, so this loose collection of writings is available in many editions with many different orderings of the material. Some items are just a sentence or two; others are a page or two.

Despite the unfinished nature of this set of writings, several themes and ideas reoccur. He is well aware of the tension in people between their higher, nobler aspirations and their baser, viler desires. He writes eloquently about needing a balance between the two since we are all in a state of more or less equilibrium between those extremes. As a Christian, he acknowledges our dependence on God to achieve redemption and happiness. Having a genuine faith is challenging because of the pitfalls of our natural inclinations. Pascal engages in some contemporary disputes between the Jesuits and the Jansenists. The text describing his famous wager about the existence of God is also in this book. 

As with any book of aphorisms and short arguments, some are more compelling and interesting than others. I found the haphazard nature a bit off-putting and would have liked something more concrete. The texts do give a lot to think about many times. I wish I had done some highlighting or marking off of passages since I did find many parts harder or less interesting to go through.

Mildly recommended.

Sample quotes:

#121 It is dangerous to explain too clearly to man how like he is to the animals without pointing out his greatness. It is also dangerous to make too much of his greatness without his vileness. It is still more dangerous to leave him in ignorance of both, but it is most valuable to represent both to him.

Man must not be allowed to believe that he is equal either to animals or to angels, nor to be unaware of either, but he must know both. [p.60]

#562: There are only two types of men: the righteous who think they are sinners and the sinners who think they are righteous. [p.222]

#671 If you want people to think well of you, do not speak well of yourself. [p.242]

#949 It is false piety to preserve peace at the expense of truth. It is also false zeal to preserve truth at the expense of charity. [p.325]

Sacred Art at National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC

My church sponsored a tour of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. First, we traveled to Mary Mother of God Church (only a few blocks from the NGA) where the pastor gave us an overview of art creation and appreciation. Then we walked down to the gallery to view some works. The pastor gave us handouts with general principles for prayerfully experiencing art works. The handouts also provided write-ups about eight of the works.

Gallery exterior

The first work is the The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew by Duccio di Buoninsegna, circa 1308. 

The Calling of the Apostles Peter and Andrew (Click to enlarge, hereafter CTE)

This famous scene has some nice little details. Peter represents the Western church with a latin-style beard. Andrew's long beard imitates the Greek style of eastern monks. They both hold onto the net full of fish, symbolic of the entire Christian church.

Next (and not on the pastor's sheet) is Madonna and Child with Two Angels, 14th century by a Veronese sculptor (there's a lot of anonymous works to go along with the vague dates that things were painted or sculpted). 

Madonna and Child with Two Angels, CTE

I was struck by how piercing all the eyes are on this sculpture. The adult-faced baby Jesus is very common in art works, especially in earlier, less naturalistic renditions like eastern icons.

Next up is Madonna and Child with God the Father Blessing and Angels, circa1370 by Jacopo di Cione.

Madonna and Child with God the Father Blessing and Angels, CTE

A more humble setting for the most popular duo in art, Mary is seated on the ground holding the baby Jesus. Jesus obviously wants to nurse from His mom which rich women often did not do, leaving the task to wet nurses. This reinforces her humility and her affection for her Son. The prayer book on the bottom right shows she's not uneducated. God the Father looks like an adult Jesus which makes a lot of sense theologically.

Madonna and Child with Saints Andrew, Benedict, Bernard, and Catherine of Alexandria with Angels  was created around 1387 by Agnolo Gaddi.

Madonna and Child with Other Saints, CTE

This work is a triptych, a three-part image. In the center is Mary and the infant Jesus with some angels at their feet. On the left is Saint Andrew (holding his cross, the tool of his martyrdom) and Saint Benedict (holding his rules for monasticism, since he is the father of western monasticism). On the far right is Saint Catherine of Alexandria, a very popular saint in the Middle Ages. Saint Bernard is the founder of the Cistercians; he also holds his book of monastic rules. I like the parallelism of the books and the pink garments from Andrew and Catherine, along with angels and Jesus. Also, there's the Annunciation depicted on top with the angel on the left and Mary on the right.

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, circa 1335 by Bartolomeo Bulgarini, gives the saint a solo presentation. 

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, CTE

Saint Catherine was an Egyptian martyr whose death involved a spiked wheel, often shown in depictions of her. She was from a royal family and was supposed to marry Emperor Maxentius but she converted to Christianity after a dream where Jesus gave her a ring. Philosophers were sent to try to talk her out of it; she argued them down easily. She was supposed to be martyred between two spiked wheels but they burst into flames. She was beheaded. The icon shows her regality and a bit of humor, with her using the spiked wheel as a holder for her book. 

A popular juxtaposition is shown in The Annunciation and Expulsion from Paradise, circa 1435 by  Giovanni di Paolo.

The Annunciation and Expulsion from Paradise, CTE

Mary and the Archangel Gabriel have their famous scene in the center where Mary says yes to the will of God. On the left, Adam and Eve have said no to the will of God and are cast out of Eden by an angel. Tucked away on the right is Joseph, foster father of Jesus, warming himself by a fire--maybe he's getting ready for the Nativity in a winter cave? I am not sure why he was added, though the diagonal from God the Father to the foster-father of Jesus is interesting.

An especially famous image is Adoration of the Magi, circa 1492 by Fra Angelico and Fra Filippo Lippi. 

Adoration of the Magi, CTE

Fra Angelico did not finish it before dying, so Fra Filippo Lippi finished it. The Magi lead a procession that winds its way back through an arch, around the hill, and extends to the top right part of the image. Everyone honors Jesus! Florence, the town where the artists worked, had a massive procession every five years in honor of the Magi, so this reflects that tradition.

Saint John in the Desert, circa 1445 by Domenico Veneziano shows a stark image of John the Baptist.

Saint John in the Desert, CTE 

John sheds his fine clothes and puts on the rough skins that will identify him in his role as the Baptist. The path ahead, up the mountain, is strewn with rocks, symbolizing the hard road ahead. But the path also has a small stream next to it, so a source of life-giving water is at the top of that path too. 

The Annunciation, circa 1445 by Fra Carnevale, is another take on the meeting of Gabriel and Mary.

The Annunciation, CTE

The outdoor location is unusual as is the angel coming with a flower, which I suppose symbolizes the glad tidings. Viewers get a good sense of Mary's humility in acceptance.

Perhaps the most famous portrait in the National Gallery, Ginevra di Benci was painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1474. The work is covered with protective glass and is difficult to photograph (click the link above to get a clearer look).

Ginevra di Benci

The outdoor setting and the more casual style (three-quarter facing, no jewelry or fancy clothing) marks off young Leonardo's shift into a more realistic style. Mona Lisa would be painted thirty years later and become the iconic female portrait. 

The portrait is unusual because it has been painted on the reverse or back side, including the motto "VIRTUTEM FORMA DECORAT," which means "Beauty Adorns Virtue." The center sprig is juniper, suggesting the subject's name since the tree is ginepro in Italian. The laurel and palm branches indicate moral and intellectual excellence.

Back of Ginevra di Benci (the painting's back, not hers)

Pieta (The Dead Christ Mourned by Nicodemus and Two Angels) was painted by Filippino Lippi (who is a different artist from Fra Filippo Lippi) around 1500. 

Pieta, CTE

Nicodemus, the member of the Sanhedrin who was secretly a follower of Christ, tenderly holds Jesus's body as the angels take away the instruments of torture. While no Scriptural basis for Nicodemus being at Christ's burial exists, it makes an interesting subject. His turban is the same color as the angels' robes, making a subtle connection between the creatures mourning their Creator.

Fillipino Lippi has another Biblical scene on display: Tobias and the Angel, painted around 1475.

Tobias and the Angel, CTE

Tobias is Tobit's son. He is instructed by the angel (recognized as Archangel Raphael in Christian tradition) to use a fish's organs to cure his father. Again, Lippi connects the angel and the man through their clothes, though the angel is much more at peace than the man. The fish is rather small, almost invisible. 

Sandro Botticelli's Adoration of the Magi, circa 1478, is another classic image. 

Adoration of the Magi, CTE

The cave of the Nativity becomes ancient Greek ruins, showing the end of pagan worship and a link between ancient and Christian thinking. The crowd is smaller than in Fra Angelico's work above. The people are more reverent too. Here is an act of worship more than a spectacle.

A more rare topic is the Visitation, where the Blessed Virgin meets her cousin Elizabeth, who is pregnant with John the Baptist. Piero di Cosimo painted The Visitation with Saint Nicholas and Saint Anthony around 1489. 

The Visitation with Saint Nicholas and Saint Anthony, CTE

When works were commissioned, often the artist was asked to add in some favorite saints. Thus Nicholas and Anthony are in the foreground with similar postures forming the base of a triangle with Mary and Elizabeth's heads at the top. The vibrant youth of Mary shows in her cloak, while Elizabeth is reminiscent of an elderly nun. 

Downstairs, in the sculpture gallery, two items caught my eye. First is Madonna and Sleeping Child by an unknown Italian artist around 1500. 

Madonna and Sleeping Child

The nonchalant Jesus has fallen asleep in Mary's lap in a charming pose. She strikes me as praying for her child to stay asleep. I've had this pose with my infant children many times, so I can identify with this work.

David Triumphant was sculpted by Thomas Crawford in 1848.

David Triumphant

Young David, before he was king of Israel, has slain and decapitated Goliath, champion of the Philistines. His casual pose includes leaning on a harp, a bit of bronze added to the marble statue emblematic of his future writing Psalms. A lot of detail is packed in one work (he's even standing on Goliath's shield!), making it fun to contemplate and admire.

Book Review: God or Nothing by Robert Cardinal Sarah

God or Nothing: A Conversation on Faith with Nicolas Diat by Robert Cardinal Sarah

Robert Cardinal Sarah, a high official in the Vatican, started his life in an obscure village in Guinea, Africa. His town has a Holy Ghost Fathers mission from the turn of the twentieth century; Sarah is only a third generation Catholic. He was very impressed with the fathers and discerned a vocation to the priesthood, not an easy thing in a country run by communist dictators and awash in poverty. His life took many dramatic turns, eventually leading him to Rome as a seminarian. He was ordained in 1969 and became bishop of Conakry (Guinea's capital) in 1979. He was reluctant to take on the duty, thinking of himself as unworthy and unprepared. Also, his predecessor was jailed by the communist dictator Sekoue Toure. Sarah excelled, reforming the local seminary and eventually being called to Rome to another service for which he was unsure, secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. He trusted in Pope John Paul II and in the Lord that he would be successful. The story of his life is fascinating and well told by the cardinal through the book's interview format.

But his history only covers the first third of the book. The rest provides reflections and insights Cardinal Sarah has gathered over his years of service. He is forthright in his support of the Catholic faith, especially related to family and social issues. The heart of the faith is the love found in the Holy Trinity; we are meant to reflect and express that love in our lives, no matter what our station in life. He combines a wide knowledge of Scriptures and Church teachings with his experiences in Africa. This book is a delight to read and gives an interesting perspective that is both familiar and original.

Highly recommended.

SAMPLE QUOTE:

The ideological spirit is the opposite of the Gospel spirit. That is why priests who choose to follow or to propagate political ideas are necessarily on the wrong path, since they make sacred something that is not supposed to be. Ideology is by nature disconnected from reality, and it is necessarily a source of division, since it cannot win the lasting allegiance of people who are still anchored in reality, in good times and bad. [p. 130]

Movie Review: The Jeweller's Shop (1988)

The Jeweller's Shop (1988) directed by Michael Anderson based on the book by John Paul II

This intergenerational story starts in Poland 1939 as young people head off on a mountain hike. Friends Andre (Andrea Occhipinti) and Stephane (Ben Cross) are taken with Therese (Olivia Hussey) and Anna (Jo Champa). The two couples are interested in marriage but face the looming prospect of World War II. Stephane and Anna move to Canada where he can finish his medical studies and start their married life. Andre and Therese stay in Poland, visiting the titular shop kept by an enigmatic and wise jeweller (Burt Lancaster) who sells them wedding rings and gives them advice on their future lives. Andre dies in the war. Therese is pregnant. She moves to Canada after the war to build a new life as a piano teacher. The children of the two couples grow up and become enamored of each other. The 1960s are a very different time and they face hard challenges as they consider getting married.

The story is an interesting melodrama and has a lot to say about marriage and marital happiness. Stephane and Anna struggle as their family grows, drifting apart from each other even as they work hard to provide a home to their children. Their daughter is worried that all marriages are like her parents' marriage and does not want to go down a road to unhappiness with Therese's son. He struggles without a clear example of what it means to be a man and a husband, that is, without his father's presence. These genuine, real world problems are viewed through the lens of John Paul II's theological musings on the family (the book was written before he became pope), showing an understanding that acknowledges the hard work needed for marriage and the greater beauty that can be found in a healthy, fruitful marriage. No marriage is ideal and no marriage is doomed to misery. But marriage is important and must be taken seriously. The view is refreshing and hopeful.

Recommended.

Book Review: The Witness of Early Christian Women by Mike Aquilina

The Witness of Early Christian Women: Mothers of the Church by Mike Aquilina

Aquilina has written many books about early Church history. Here, he profiles many women who were examples of the radical shift in attitudes towards women instituted by Jesus Christ. In the ancient world, women were, at best, secondary people. They had no direct influence over government and could not testify in court. They were esteemed for their beauty and their ability to bring new men into the world. By contrast, Christ treated women as equals and ministered to them as much as to men. Only one male disciple was at the foot of the cross; four to six women were there (including His mom). In the first four centuries of the Christian era, many women witnessed to their Christian faith in diverse ways.

Aquilina groups these mothers of the church according to those ways. Some were martyrs to the faith, including popular ones like Saint Agnes, Saint Perpetua, and Saint Felicity. Others are less famous, like Saint Thecla, who was a contemporary of the apostle Paul. Her story comes down from the earliest centuries though The Acts of Paul and Thecla are not canonical. Like many other virgin martyrs, she defied her parents' and her society's wishes, refusing to marry and instead following a life a prayer into her old age.

Other women were writers and thinkers, roles almost unheard of for women in antiquity. Proba the Poet wrote an epic in the Roman style but she retold Christ's life. Saint Marcella started a monastic group for herself and other women, learning and praying together. Aquilina includes Saint Monica in this group, who not only prayed for her son Augustine's conversion but also argued with the great doctor of the Church. 

The final group is independent women, of whom Saint Helena is the most famous. She was the mother of Emperor Constantine, the ruler who legalized Christianity in AD 313. Helena embraced the Faith and went to the Holy Land to find the sites where Jesus lived and died. She ran the expedition herself, the first archeological effort in Israel, which had fallen into ruin. I found Egeria the Tourist the most charming. She wrote letters to her community at home (southern France), describing her pilgrimages to holy sites around the Mediterranean. She was free to travel and had no regular group with her. No male companions are ever mentioned. She climbs Mount Sinai and visits Thecla's tomb, drawing inspiration and grace from her adventurous life.

This book is a quick read at 160 pages. It provides a lot of interesting insights into how the world changed for the better with the coming of Christianity and how women played important roles in the early Church. Aquilina's style is easy to read and he presents many passages from ancient texts describing these mothers of the early Christian Church.

Highly recommended.

Review: Holy Women You've Never Heard Of

Holy Women You've Never Heard Of by Dr. Elizabeth Klein and Dr. Jessica Murdoch

This original content from Formed (a Catholic video streaming service) caught my eye. Doctors Elizabeth Klein and Jessica Murdoch host a short series about female saints from the past two thousand years you probably have never run across. I knew about two of them, so I met three new sisters in the Lord through this series. The visual is just the two doctors at a desk having a conversation, describing the lives and virtues of these women who should be better known. 

Episode One is about Saint Macrina the Younger (died 379). She's actually the older sister of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa. The family is described as the "second holiest family" by the hosts. Basil and Gregory are famous especially in the Orthodox and eastern churches. Macrina took over managing the family's affairs when their father died. She was engaged but her fiance died before the wedding. She took this as a sign that she should be devoted to a life of virginity and Christian perfection. She took care of their mother and managed their various estates, paying taxes in three different provinces and to the imperial government. She turned the main estate into what today would be a retreat center. She developed a semi-monastic prayer life and gave hospitality to other Christians who would visit. She often gave good advice to her brothers. Her life story is known through The Life of Macrina by her brother Gregory.

Episode Two is about Saint Mary of Egypt (344-421). Her job was prostitution, which she enjoyed a lot, living the life of a party girl. She decided to leave Egypt on a sort of anti-pilgrimage to Jerusalem where she would be a temptress for actual pilgrims. She tried to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher but was prevent by an invisible force. She had a moment of conversion, confessed her sins, and went into the desert beyond the Jordan River to live an ascetical life. Years later, a priest discovered her and gave her communion after hearing her life story. She asked him to come back the next Easter so she could receive again. When he came back, she was dead with a note to the priest. He spread her story, which is very popular in Eastern churches. The commentators brought up the insights that no matter how decadent you think modern times are, there's been plenty of similarly decadent times before. More important, no matter how vile a lifestyle one has, God always offers forgiveness and redemption. He loves all of us, even the most hardened sinners.

Episode Three is about Saint Scholastica (480-543). She was the twin sister of Saint Benedict, the founder of western monasticism. Benedict went to live as a hermit in the Italian hinterlands only to be followed by others who wanted to imitate his holiness. Scholastica also went into the wilderness and drew a crowd of women. Benedict made his famous Rules for a monastery; his sister used them for hers about five miles away. They would meet in a farmhouse once a year for pious conversations. At their last meeting, she wanted him to stay, but he demurred. She then prayed to God. A sudden, violent storm came up, preventing Benedict from returning to his monastery.

Episode Four is about Brigid of Sweden (1303-1373; also known as Bridget or Birgitta). She was the daughter of royalty and had a vision of Jesus as a ten-year old. She raised a family with a pious husband. They had eight children, including a saint. She had a good reputation in their society. She and her husband split up so he could join a monastery while she founded a new order, the Bridgettines. She went on a pilgrimage to Compostela and had more visions. She even advocated for the pope to return from Avignon to Rome, much like Catherine of Siena. She had two vocations, an unusual situation. As her life circumstances changed, she changed with them. She did what God wanted her to do in her life.

Episode Five is about Blessed Marie-Anne Blondin (1809-1890). She grew up in Quebec on a farm. She learned to read and write at the age of twenty. She formed an order to teach the rural poor so they could benefit from getting an education as she did. The order grew quickly. The bishop assigned a young priest to help but he turned out to be controlling and made false accusations against her. The bishop eventually sided with the priest and asked Marie-Anne to step down from leadership of the order. She was very reluctant but obedient. She spent the last forty years of her life in humble service to the order. She carried a bitter cross for a long time. She is a great example of living a mundane life with charity. A subsequent chaplain found out about her heroic virtue (this was after she died) and gathered a lot of information about her, the beginning of her canonization process.

I found the series very entertaining and easy to watch. The set-up with just two speakers talking to each other is fine since each episode is ten to fifteen minutes long. It would have been nice to throw up some icons or other images on the screen, but it was not really necessary. 

Recommended.

The series is available on Formed, a Catholic streaming website. My local parish sponsors subscriptions for parishioners; maybe yours does too?

 

Book Review: Socrates' Children Vol. II by Peter Kreeft

Socrates' Children Volume II Medieval Philosophers by Peter Kreeft

See my review of volume I here.

After the regular introduction to philosophy in general and justification for this series in particular, Kreeft covers numbers 34 to 54 of his 100 most important philosophers in the Western tradition. He starts off surprisingly with Saint John the Evangelist, who wrote the fourth gospel in the New Testament. John was a harbinger of things to come, not just theologically, but philosophically. To be more precise, he began the serious union of theology and philosophy that would dominate the Medieval period. 

Most of the philosophers in this period were Christians; most of them were theologians who used philosophy to help understand the Christian faith. The texts of Aristotle (except for his works on logic) were lost at the beginning of this period, leading to a dominance of the Platonic tradition. Resolving Platonic and Neo-Platonic theories with Christian teaching proved difficult, though St. Augustine did a masterful job reconciling the two in the late 300s and early 400s. In the 1100s, the texts of Aristotle came back to Europe by way of the Muslims (who had them in translation), creating a new need for a synthesis between the popular philosophy and Christian understanding. Thomas Aquinas stands as the best at uniting the two, taking the good things out of Aristotle to help explain and understand the Christian faith. Some theologians put more emphasis on Aristotle, leading to various dubious ideas like the "two truths" theory where what is known from philosophy sometimes contradicts what is known from Christian faith. To resolve the problem, thinkers posited that both were accurate in their own way, a not very satisfactory solution. The Medieval period wound down with William of Ockham's theory that there are no universals and that everything has its being in God. Moral goodness only comes from the divine fiat, not from the nature of reality, because there is no nature. All things are individuals, generalizations like "cat," "dog," or "human" do not exist in reality, but only Fifi and Fido and Frank. Ockham set up a lot of ideas that would get champions later on (probably in the next volume?).

The book is entertainingly written, with a nice blend of clarity and humor. Kreeft does a good job reviewing various people even when he disagrees with them (he even calls Ockham a villain!). Augustine and Aquinas, the two big thinkers from this period, get much longer descriptions. The others are reviewed in three to five pages. It is easy to ready for amateurs and a great review for those who have already studied philosophy.

Highly recommended.