Highest Catholic Chapel in the World

I thought this was pretty cool. Perhaps even more what I like is the reason why the chapel was created!

Benedicite.

Creation as an Icon

It's been a particularly long day today having lectures for Christology, 'Living Theology', and Hermeneutics of the Old Testament - a 9am-6pm affair! As such this post comes much later on in the day than normal. This will be the trend for the next couple of months just so you know.

In Christology today we looked at how the environment may reflect or reveal something about God and the Trinity. It was a pretty interesting debate we had across the class. I do tend to switch off a bit when I hear about the environment, not because I don't care about it (far from it) but just because the media is forever going on about it. It's one reason why I have increasingly turned away from CAFOD which seems to run endless environmental campaigns. But I do my bit for the environment, as we all should as faithful Catholics. One question flagged up by my lecturer was "Does the environment suggest a Trinitarian God?" It is quite easy to answer 'Yes' to that when you understand the working of the Trinity (or at least grasp bits of it). But if we were coming from a view point where we knew nothing about the Trinity, would we then think that creation had to involve more than 'one party'. It is so easy to step into heresy on topics like this so I ask for your discretion on the way I may phrase sentences, assured by the fact that I adhere strongly to what Holy Mother Church proclaims.

My initial remark, to counteract those who said creation did not itself suggest a Trinitarian God at work, was that creation to me indicated a relationship; if you look at a plant or a cloud, they don't just appear; it is a collaborative action to make a plant grow with the right amount of this gas, that gas, water, sunlight and so on. With clouds you need the different temperatures and weather fronts - nothing happens by itself, it's a team effort so to speak. I said that this being the case, creation points to a diverse range of events and thus in my opinion suggest a God made up of three beings (in the Christian understanding of God at least). This was easy enough to justify given that I have an understanding of the Trinity, but I did cave in when I had to say whether I would still hold my position if I didn't know about the Trinity - tricky topic and my head began to hurt after! My lecturer mentioned in a passing statement that creation can be seen as an icon which points to God (just as traditional icon you might find in Catholic and definitely in Eastern church buildings) - creation as a door way to the eternal God. I quite like this image. It is not however to say creation is God which is the heresy of Pantheism.

Perhaps some of you have better insights which I have just missed. Does creation suggest a Trinitarian God?

Benedicite.

Superbowl

Only a short post today and on nothing particularly 'Catholic'. I was up till the early hours of the morning (which is very unlike me) watching the Superbowl. I must say the first half was a bit boring but the second half opened up and was pretty exciting with at least one fantastic drive and touchdown. I was backing the Colts (for no real reason... I like blue perhaps) so no win for me! Congrats to any Saints fans.

I'll end it here :) I have Hebrew in a bit.

Benedicite.

Religious Image of the Week

National Catholic Youth Conference in Kansas City 2009; procession with the Most Blessed Sacrament. This is what we need more of in England!

H/T The Catholic Key Blog

Benedicite.

Friday Divine Comedy

I have been reading for the first time Dante's Divine Comedy. I don't read much poetry but the Divine Comedy is something I have heard lots about both in my theology classes but also from the life of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati who was known for memorising passages of Dante and reciting them wherever he went. The fact Pier Giorgio took to Dante was enough reason for me to order a copy and to get reading.

I had thought about typing bits of it out (and I haven't ruled this out I must confess) but I have found a series of narrated videos on Youtube in language which is relatively easy to understand. My version is more poetic but for somebody not used to reading a lot of poetry, it certainly has put me to the test. I hope to have a video each Friday till Youtube runs out of each 'Canto'. I hope this will permit some of you to experience some of Dante if you haven't read any of his works.



Benedicite.

Some Biblical Trivia

Those of you who haven't been able to do much in the way of Biblical studies may not be aware that the Gospel of Matthew is written for a Jewish audience. As such, the stresses or themes are slightly different to the other Gospels so as to relate better to the audience in hand.

It might be advantageous to have the Holy Book at the ready. We will look at Matthew 1, the 'Genealogy of Christ'. Jews (at least in Biblical times) are fascinated by numbers. In fact, I think it is a human quality to be fascinated by numbers even if we, like myself, are completely useless at adding, subtracting and multiplying them! Take a moment to familiarise yourself with the text in question.

You will notice at verse 17 that it says the following:

"The sum of generations is therefore: fourteen from Abraham to David; fourteen from David to the Babylonian deportation; and fourteen from the Babylonian deportation to Christ."NJB

Fourteen. You will find in the Gospel of Luke (though I must confess I haven't counted) that there is no stress on the actual number of descendants. You will also find in Luke that the genealogy of Christ comes much later than in Matthew; again for Jews genealogy is important, after all a Jew is defined as being born of a Jewish mother. Furthermore if Matthew is trying to convince the Jews that this 'bloke' is the Messiah, he must show that he comes from good stock.

As I ever so slightly alluded to earlier, in Luke's Gospel you will find irregularities in the list of descendants. Perhaps I am being slightly unfair, perhaps I should say Matthew has irregularities in his list - whichever takes your fancy! This is not some error, far from it. Matthew is far more concerned with the number of people in the list than with who the people are, or indeed naming them all! The generations mentioned can be split into 6 groups of 7. The number 7 is a sign of 'completion' or indeed 'covenant'; this can be applied through out the scriptures, particularly in the Old Testament but also in the New Testament (5 loaves, 2 fishes). Matthew is signalling that this is no ordinary list, this is one of great importance. So for Matthew, having fourteen names is far more important than actually listing all of Christ's forefathers and mothers.

Another interesting play with numbers (and this is no accident), David (Jesus being a descendant) in Hebrew (which at the time used no vowels) would be written as such:

DWD (Da-wii-d)

If we take the numerical value of the letters according to the Hebrew alphabet we have the following:

4 - 6 - 4

Those good at mental arithmetic will have calculated that those numbers add to, surprise surprise:

14

This play with numbers and words is a Rabbinic technique known as 'Gematria' which is a corruption of 'Geometry'. 

Benedicite.

Vocations video from Southwark

I can't remember whether I posted this video before (it is on my sidebar) so here it is (again?). I think the seminarian in hand has done a top job; it is certainly one of my favourite videos for the Year of Priests:



Benedicite.

Religious Image of the Week

A bit later than normal but sent in by Katie of Campionist:

Sr. Emily of the Schoenstatt Sister of Mary

Let us also pray for our religious in this Year of Priests; we pray for an increase in vocations to the religious life.

Benedicite.

An enjoyable birthday

Just a quick post to say I've really enjoyed my birthday weekend. I had a lovely meal with my family and grandparents on Saturday in my village pub. Sunday was spent with a very good friend of mine. We went to see 'The Book of Eli' which was particularly enjoyable. I think I might write a little something on the film sometime, we shall see.

I am now back at university and will be heading in for my Hebrew class. In other news, my bishop, Thomas McMahon, has met with the Holy Father in Rome as part of the English Bishops Ad Limina visit.

Benedicite.

My covenantal day (and in my opinion, year!)

Today I celebrate my twenty-first birthday. I can't quite believe it to be honest. Lately I have been thinking, 'Oh I'm getting old' and have become perhaps more reflective on how my life is taking shape and where I might be heading. But increasingly I seem to be thinking, 'Oh how young I still am!' I am still incredibly young with, God willing, much more of life ahead of me. I sometimes feel on top of the world but as I reach this birthday of covenant (3x7 = very holy number and thus very holy year) I realise I merely stand at the foot of this grand mountain, that of life.

God has been an instrumental part of my life for at least the past five years and of course before that, despite my lack of enthusiasm for Him and anything religious. I am reassured and yet terrified by the fact that my life is in his hands. I do not know where or what I will be in the years to come. In fact, I don't even know where or what I will be in a few hours! The death of Pope John Paul in 2005 was a moment which shook my life; I am fully aware that another single moment can come and radically shake my life. So fragile is life, so fragile am I.

I always rely on your prayers. By myself I can do nothing, but I know with your prayers and together with the rest of the Church I can be an instrument of God's love in this troubled world. Many say this is my twenty-second year of life but I didn't realise this past year was my twenty-first so I name January 29th 2010-2011 my 'Holy Year', my 'Year of Covenant'. This day marks the opening of the 'Holy Door'. Please join me on this wonderful journey.

Benedicite.