Friday, August 30, 2002

Request for Help

Are there any readers out there who can help me obtain a copy of any of the "Socratic Digest" publications, produced by the Oxford Socratic Club in the middle 20th Century? (I possess "God in the Dock" and have all that material. I'm looking for the actual publications, or even reproductions of them. Any condition is fine, so long as they are legible.) Thank you!
This is extremely cool. Last night, someone accessed my page from Europe, and had it translated into French. Did you know that "Pop Daddy" translates into "papa de bruit" en francais? Somehow, I'm thinking that Emily Stimpson is liking that little bit of knowledge right now...
I was in the grocery store, jsut picking up a few things. When I got to the eggs, I just stood there and stared blankly ffor a few minutes. Every egg carton said "Best if used by 9/11" and it was all I could do to just hold it together. A year later, and egg cartons can make me tear up.....
Fr. Jim has answered the call, and posted a catechitical (catechetical? catechatical?) bit on the Kiss of Peace in the Mass. Now if only people outside of St. Blog's could be made to hear this stuff, we could really get something going....
I lied to my son yesterday

I told my little boy a lie, as we were practicing fielding grounders yesterday. He keeps doing the classic little kid thing of trying so hard to look like a major leaguer (in this case, Nomar Garciaparra) that he becomes oblivious to what the ball is actually doing. I told him that if he is worried about "looking good" he will bever actually "be good," and that the only real way to look good was to be good first. I'm hoping by the time they study Bill Clinton in his social studies class that he will understand I was trying to teach him a larger life lesson, and that sometimes literal truth must yield to metaphysical truth.

[I would have linked to Nomar on the Sox's web page, but I'm so angry at the prospect of a strike that I refuse to generate even a trickle of traffic for any of the greedy jerks involved. All you Yankee fans out there, stick a sock in it. Christian charity doesn't extend to you, for you have allied yourselves publicly with the Enemy. I have come back to baseball in a passionate way this year after two decades of apostasy. To have that damaged now is deeply upsetting. Congress should revoke baseball's antitrust exemption if the players and owners don't want to keep the troops entertained. And perhaps we can have a special one-time draft--if the players don't think an average salary of $2 million is sufficient, perhaps $18,000 and food stamps while digging out the caves of Tora Bora will help them see the light.And don't tell me "it will never happen with George Bush as president." A) He has particular incentive as a former owner to distance himself; and, B) Congress can pass veto-proof legislation.]
It may be a hopeful sign

...or it may be a sign of my bad taste, but I have started to find an old joke about the Jesuits funny again. As they say (contra Disputations' suggestion that Dominicans serve the best food), "if this is poverty, then bring on chastity!"
I'd like to point out, to all you skeptics out there, that my idea of luring in hapless people by posting the phrase "unusual sexual positions" appears to be bearing, er, fruits. Last night, someone stumbled across my page by searching for "intimate birthday party ideas for husband." Welcome, Ma'am, and please grab a pew, but remember, jumping out of a donut after the 10:30 is frowned upon.
Dost Thou Truly Seek Renown

Dost thou truly seek renown
Christ His glory sharing?
Wouldst thou win the heavenly crown
Victor’s meed declaring?
Tread the path the Savior trod,
Look upon the crown of God,
See what He is wearing.

This the King of Heaven bore
In that sore contending;
This His sacred temples wore,
Honor to it lending;
In this helm He faced the foe,
On the rood He laid him low,
Satan’s kingdom ending.

Christ upon the tree of scorn,
In salvation’s hour,
Turned to gold those pricks of thorn
By His Passion’s power;
So on sinners, who had earned
Endless death, from sin returned,
Endless blessings shower.

When in death’s embrace we lie,
Then, good Lord, be near us;
With Thy presence fortify,
And with victory cheer us;
Turn our erring hearts to Thee,
That we crowned for ay may be:
O good Jesu, hear us!
Friday Intentions

If you have someone you would like to add, please email me.

For Mrs. Kairos Guy, who is getting better.

For Fr. Jim's cousin Tom. For Dave's friend Paul, who is much improved. For Zenaida Flores, Fr WJW, and Fr RWB. For Dylan's Hospital chaplain. For the repose of the soul of the young woman from East Boston, recently slain. For those who minister in inner cities, that they may help bring about peace. For Chris and his wife, in training for the law and NFP. For my wife's cousin Sue. For those who kill themselves and the people they leave behind. For John Paul II. For Alicia, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend. For Bill L.'s mother, father, and daughter, who shares something in common with me. For Eugene D. For those who need strength to bear their crosses, and those carried away by scandal. For mothers who choose life, especially those who choose adoption. For Sarah's continuing recovery. For Randy, Deb, Roger, Corey, Michael and the anonymous ones as well.

Thursday, August 29, 2002

Am I the only reader of my blog that is excited that we get not one, but TWO, "CSI" premieres in the next few weeks?
But one last thought...

One last thought. Greg Popcak ("Pop Daddy" to us in the know) thinks we should all shake hands before Mass.

It will come as no surprise, therefore, to realize that Greg is a psychotherapist, and therefore not qualified to speak on what we should or should not like. My friend at Disputations calls the idea that we should like it "cant." I disagree. It is "Kant." Forced handshaking and forced handholding (as well as the priests who badger people to sitting up front) are signs that people are universalizing their maxims again. "It is good (for me) to shake hands before Mass/hold hands/sit up front; therefore everyone must shake hands."

Those of us at the INTP end of the scale need at least 3 empty seats in every direction to be able to focus on the Liturgy, and not worry about people invading our personal space. We don't talk to people on planes or trains, and "working the room" is about as painful an experience as you can imagine. Leave us alone. You don't make us more Christian by doing this. Only more agoraphobic.
Light blogging today. JB is spending some good time with little Kairos Jr. today, just having some fun. We're heading to the barber shop for a "real" haircut soon--not one of those embarrassing "Mommy, you're pulling too hard!" ones. Be sure to read the comments on my "Mad the my Church" post. It sounds like I am far from alone in this frustration.

Wednesday, August 28, 2002

I need to apologize to my Episcopal brothers. Somehow, someone doing a search for "episcopal blather" wound up here. Mea culpa.
So, a group of people have died and are met by St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. After he processes their admission into the Kingdom, he offers to take them on a tour, which all gratefully accept.

"On your left, you will see the Baptist section," he shouts. "It's kind of loud from all the dance music they can finally enjoy!"

"Ahead, on your right, you'll find the heavenly Temple of Israel. Please note how closely the ancient architects were able to recreate it in Jerusalem."

And the tour continues, showing many different neighborhoods, until finally St. Peter begins to whisper. "Now, just around this corner please be quiet, because we are approaching the Catholic section, and they sometimes think they are the only ones up here."
Alright, this morning I am mad at my Church. My anger has nothing to do with improper (or worse) sexual behavior, nor with bishops who cover it up. It has nothing to do with a Pope who might have handled these things differently.

No, I am mad because my Church (at least in the parishes I have attended in Massachusetts, Maryland and Virginia) does not appear to know or care about what distinguishes it from other Christian communities, other than “the Pope.” Now, having "the Pope" is a good thing, to be sure, but if that's the only real difference between Catholicism and other faiths, I'm going to go join one that stops bugging me in the bedroom.

I confess to having attended very few Protestant services of any type, but the ones I have attended do seem to me superficially very similar to their Catholic equivalents. But there are things going on in the Mass that just aren’t happening at the Protestant equivalent, as an honest Protestant will admit. (Though that same honest Protestant may feel compelled to throw in the word “superstition” depending on his brand.)

The problem is, most Catholics and some priests are hopelessly ignorant of just what these things are. We go to Church, we mumble through some half-memorized prayers, we stand in line and get the wafer, and we duck out as quickly afterwards as possible.

This is not just the fault of the laity, though. We’ve never been told any better. Raise your hand if you can explain what happens when the priest prays over the bread without using any words longer than 3 syllables. (Those of you dialing in from Steubenville—you know who you are—put your hands down.) If you do in fact know, only keep your hand up if you’ve ever had it explained in a homily, or in a special lecture at your church; grad students in theology don’t count.

I think one reason Evangelical converts remain so evangelical even within the Church is they knew the Catholic faith better from the outside than most of us cradle Catholics do from the inside. They heard from their pastors about all the errors that Rome teaches; having now acknowledged the Truth of popish teachings, they want to share that knowledge.

This is sadly not true of most of the priests I have known—even the very good ones. Fr. Jim has made an attempt, by explaining the vestments on his blog, and I hope he will do the same with the structure of the liturgy (or, more properly, liturgies) but that is insufficient. CCD when I attended it was a sad pathetic joke, dealing mostly with “Children’s Bible” stories and lame attempts at forced memorization of prayers, without any real explanation of them. I never laid eyes on a catechism until my mother pulled out her childhood copy of the old Baltimore version.

I’m not suggesting reimplementing the old, memorized question and answer method. I don’t think that’s too much better, though at least it does give you some pat answers to give heretics now and again. But you shouldn’t have to enroll in Franciscan U’s graduate theology program to learn this stuff either. The Church should be teaching this as a matter of course to her corpus.

Here are a few concrete suggestions, for you to take to your Pastor or DRE (if you have a non-radical-lesbian or “Voice of the Feckless” DRE):

1) Invite students in the “Mass Class” at the local seminary to come and do their class in your parish hall some evening, or after noon Mass some time.
2) Ask for homilies explaining the Faith. Yes, I know homilies ought to relate to the readings, but this is important, and surely better than another tape of the Cardinal rattling the collection plate for the Annual Appeal.
3) Help develop a monthly “Catechism for Adults” class. Model it on the RCIA program.
4) “Theology on Tap.” My former parish had this occasional program where some of the guys would go out for beer and theological discussions. Why not make it more directed?
5) Start a book club dedicated to reading some good, lively and accessible works on the basics of the faith.

Those of us in our 20s, 30s, and 40s, have been, on the whole, very poorly served by the generations before us. They replaced a hard, unfeeling style with felt banners and guitars, but forgot to hang onto the substance. If we are going to raise children of real faith (my wife and I both work in high schools, and faithful Catholic children are increasingly rare) we have to know it ourselves. If you want to make a constructive demand of your church in this time of difficulty, demand that your parish teach what the Roman Catholic faith actually means.

If Voice of the Faithful wants a motto, how about “Teach the Faith; Change the Church!” A syllogism is so much more Catholic than a slogan, isn’t it?
Wednesday Intentions

If you have someone you would like to add, please email me.

For Mrs. Kairos Guy, who is slowly getting better.

For Dave's friend Paul, who is much improved. For Chris and his wife, in training for the law and NFP. For my wife's cousin Sue. For those who kill themselves and the people they leave behind. For victims of bombings in Israel. For John Paul II. For Alicia, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend. For a just peace wherever fighting prevails. For S, her mother and her family. For Bill L.'s mother, father, and daughter, who shares something in common with me. For Eugene D. For those who need strength to bear their crosses, and those carried away by scandal. For mothers who choose life, especially those who choose adoption, Sarah, Randy, Deb, Roger, Corey, Michael, Megan and the anonymous ones as well.
Give Thanks

O give thanks, give thanks unto the Lord,
For He is good, and His mercy endureth forever.
To Him which led His people through the wilderness,
For He is good, and His mercy endureth forever.
He turnèd the wilderness into a standing water,
And dry ground into water springs.
Strengthen ye the weak hands and confirm the feeble knees,
Say to them that are of a fearful heart,
Be strong, fear not, behold your God will come with a recompense.
Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened
And the ears of the deaf, of the deaf unstoppèd.
And a highway shall be there,
And it shall be callèd the way, the way of holiness,
The unclean shall not pass over it,
The unclean shall not pass over it,
But the redeemèd of the Lord shall walk therein;
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion,
To Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads,
They shall obtain joy and gladness,
And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Monday, August 26, 2002

Deceptive Advertising

So I'm posting this, to see how many "google" hits I can generate by typing the phrase "unusual sexual positions" on my page. This is a shameless attempt to lure loose people into the parish hall of St. Blog's, where, with luck, they will find help.

:-)
Allow me to link to victor lams, who has to be the mentalest member of St. Blog's. (Which makes him very welcome on my page.)
The Cardinal

I don't claim to know the Pope's motivation in (supposedly) turning down Bernard Cardinal Law's resignation, any more than I claim to know Law's motive for offering it in secret. And I most certainly do not want to put any sort of Oprah-esque feel good spin on the fact that Law is still the Archbishop of my diocese.

But for all of you who have been blogging angrily about these facts (or ranting in bars, or calling the "David Brudnoy Show"), allow me to ask: have you considered how much harder the testimony and media attention is on the "current" Cardinal than it would be on the "former" Cardinal? If Law resigned and were sent to some monastery to live out his days, he would give his testimony, then slip into a van and drive off to New Hampshire, untroubled by telephones and televisions, ignoring all requests for interviews, and sleeping without the need to look for cameras outside his bedroom.

As it now stands, he still preaches public masses, still presides over one of the most prominent Catholic dioceses in the country, and must deal with the daily public scorn of the chattering classes whose attentions he once sought. For a Pope whose principal concern is the redemption of souls, which would have been the better course to take: the institutionally-sound public firing, or the personally-redemptive public agonistes?

To Rod Dreher and all those whose anger has boiled over: perhaps the man who brought down European communism knows precisely what he is doing. If you really want to do something about Cardinal Law, pray for him. Don't pray spitefully that he be removed, pray that he, like all people, receives Christ's mercy and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The madder you are, the more you need to pray *for* him, not about him. Pray also that the Holy Father is guided by the Holy Spirit to serve the true interests of the Church. And pray that healing for all of us will come in God's own time.
With Grateful Heart My Thanks I Bring

With grateful heart my thanks I bring,
Before the great Thy praise I sing;
I worship in Thy holy place
And praise Thee for Thy truth and grace;
For truth and grace together shine
In Thy most holy Word divine,
In Thy most holy Word divine.

I cried to Thee and Thou didst save,
Thy Word of grace new courage gave;
The kings of earth shall thank Thee, Lord,
For they have heard Thy wondrous Word;
Yea, they shall come with songs of praise,
For great and glorious are Thy ways,
For great and glorious are Thy ways.

O Lord, enthroned in glory bright,
Thou reignest in the heavenly height;
The proud in vain Thy favor seek,
But Thou hast mercy for the meek;
Through trouble though my pathway be,
Thou wilt retrieve and strengthen me,
Thou wilt retrieve and strengthen me.

Thou wilt stretch forth Thy mighty arm
To save me when my foes alarm;
The work Thou hast for me begun
Shall by Thy grace be fully done;
Forever mercy dwells with Thee;
O Lord, my Maker, think on me,
O Lord, my Maker, think on me.
Monday Intentions

If you have someone you would like to add, please email me.

For Mrs. Kairos Guy, who is slowly getting better.

For Dave's friend Paul, who is much improved. For Chris and his wife, in training for the law and NFP. For my wife's cousin Sue. For those who kill themselves and the people they leave behind. For victims of bombings in Israel. For John Paul II. For Alicia, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend. For a just peace wherever fighting prevails. For S, her mother and her family. For Bill L.'s mother, father, and daughter, who shares something in common with me. For Eugene D. For those who need strength to bear their crosses. For mothers who choose life, especially those who choose adoption, Sarah, Randy, Deb, Roger, Corey, Michael, Megan and the anonymous ones as well.

Saturday, August 24, 2002

Please keep Timothy Michael Dolan in your intentions. He's being installed as Archbishop of Milwaukee this week.

Friday, August 23, 2002

[Boy, I *was* tired this morning. I accidentally posted this on Radio Free HMS!]

Why I don't totally hate post-modernism

CS Lewis often wrote how much easier it was to convert a pagan than a nominal but lapsed Christian. Well, I agree, and that's why I don't totally hate post-modernism. (Since I'm tired and have made 14 typos already this morning, I will call it PM from here on out, though I normally I abhor the practice of "initializing.")

Yes, of course it is evil, denying as it does not only particular truth, but the power of truth itself. It denies that there is Truth, and, when it feels compelled to speak a truth, it does so with ironic distance, always attributing it to some interesting but erroneous character or author. I also know I'm being lazy and lumping in a lot of seemingly distinct schools of thought into the general title of PM. Logical Positivism, Structuralism, even to some extent Marxism. But they all share this common dependence on and contempt for history. They all believe in the power of the intellect to overthrow the ideologies of the past.

And PM is the worst, because it uses the power of the intellect to deny its power to do any of these things. And that's why I don't totally hate it. It is self-negating.

The danger in it, of course, lies in the famous Chesterton line that a man who believes in nothing will believe in anything. But that's also the opportunity. An honest postmodernist can only forestall the inevitable, not prevent it. At some point he must come to examine his philosophy that says "there is no truth but I will it so" and declare that truth, too, null and void. And when he does, he will hopefully find a Christian or a Jew standing nearby to rush into the vaccum in his heart.

Bazarov, the protagonist of Turgenev's "Fathers and Sons," is a nihilist doctor in Russia in the mid 19th Century. He and his companion run around blithely denying everything, having fun drinking and arguing with the friend's uncle. Until Lady Odintsova arrives, and then Bazarov falls in love. Even as he struggles to deny the feelings, and declare them mere chemical reactions in his brain of no true meaning, he is overcome by the power and reality of this emotion. Sadly, because he is surrounded by nihilists and those who profess belief but do not possess it, he is overcome. He dies of a probable suicide, deliberately exposing himself to cholera to treat a patient.

It is our job to find the PMs and befriend them, so that when the crisis comes, we are there to help them.
Far Be Sorrow, Tears, and Sighing

Far be sorrow, tears and sighing!
Waves are calming, storms are dying,
Moses hath o’erpassed the sea,
Israel’s captive hosts are free;
Life by death slew death and saved us,
In His blood the Lamb hath saved us,
Clothing us with victory.

Jesus Christ from death has risen,
Lo! His Godhead bursts the prison,
While His Manhood passes free,
Vanquishing our misery.
Rise we free from condemnation;
Through our God’s humiliation,
Ours is now the victory.

Vain the foe’s despair and madness!
See the dayspring of our gladness!
Slaves no more of Satan we;
Children, by the Son set free;
Rise, for life with death has striven,
All the snares of hell are riven,
Rise and claim the victory.
Friday Intentions

If you have someone you would like to add, please email me.

For Mrs. Kairos Guy, who is slowly getting better.

For Dave's friend Paul, who wound up losing a kidney in his surgery. For Chris and his wife, in training for the law and NFP. For my wife's cousin Sue. For those who kill themselves and the people they leave behind. For victims of bombings in Israel. For John Paul II. For Alicia, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend. For a just peace wherever fighting prevails. For S, her mother and her family. For Bill L.'s mother, father, and daughter, who shares something in common with me. For Eugene D. For those who need strength to bear their crosses. For mothers who choose life, especially those who choose adoption, Sarah, Randy, Deb, Roger, Corey, Michael, Megan and the anonymous ones as well.

Thursday, August 22, 2002

Found this at Dappled Things today:

I'm Just an Old Lump of Coal -- ... but I'm gonna be a diamond some day: Now, for a few thousand dollars, you too can have the carbon in your cremated remains subjected to intense pressure and heat and transformed into a brilliant diamond.

... "We're building on the simple fact that all living creatures are carbon-based and diamonds are carbon-based," said Greg Herro, head of LifeGem Memorials. The blue diamonds are the answer to people who think a tombstone or an urn full of ashes is not personal enough. And they are portable, Herro said. ...


Great, now I'm going to get nervous every time Sally calls me her "diamond in the rough."

[I can only imagine the Mafia types lining up to have this done to their enemies. There are so many sick, wrong things with this.]
Additional prayer request

For Paul, who is having kidney surgery today.
A few randomish thoughts today.

I wrote about marriage and marital obedience a few weeks ago. One more thought on that. Any husband who uses the power of Ephesians for his own comfort has abused the power. The purpose of saying “the husband is the head of the family” (and please note, I did not in fact say that) is not so Daddy can get what he wants. If you are entrusted with authority, use it carefully. It is there for you to make decisions about the good of the FAMILY, not the DADDY.
One of the things the Church teaches about marriage is that the husband and wife form a spiritual bond, that is unbreakable in a valid marriage (and never formed in an invalid one). This sometimes seems high metaphysical mumbo jumbo to me. On the other hand, Sally and I routinely send and receive “messages” to each other. I will be at the store, and think “Boy, those muffins look tasty today,” and buy half a dozen. When I get home, Sally will ask “Did you get my ‘message’ to buy muffins?” Or I will think “Ooh, tomorrow is street-cleaning day. Sally needs to park on the other side of the street.” When she gets home she will tell me she remembered about the time I was thinking that. You can call this whatever you want, but it happens often enough that I have to think there’s something to all this teaching. Imagine that.


There are a number of members of “St. Blog’s” who have been extraordinarily stand-up people over the past few weeks. I will be thanking them more specifically and publicly in a few more weeks, when the uncertainties of the moment have crystallized. But you know who you are, and Sally and I are tremendously grateful to you.


In matters of sexual teachings I am perhaps at my least orthodox as a Catholic. This will not be a blog that takes most of those issues on, because I have gotten to my heterdoxy the hard way, by study, prayer and thought, and I don’t want to give anyone a short cut to that. (In spite of a few brief flings with controversy at the outset of “Kairos” I now think that what I do best here is stay out of controversial subjects and try instead to explain complicated ones simply.) But let me say this about most sexual heterodoxy: Stop it. Those who deny for their own convenience the truth that there is absolute truth about sexuality would reduce us to animals. The Judeo-Christian tradition is about elevating mere flesh and bone, and acknowledging a power to be more than smart reptiles. If you start running around suggesting that our sexuality doesn’t count, then you are going to have to make exceptions in other areas, and pretty soon we’re all just monkeys again. And I can think of no more pathetic state for humanity than that.


O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go

O Love that wilt not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths its flow
May richer, fuller be.

O light that followest all my way,
I yield my flickering torch to thee;
My heart restores its borrowed ray,
That in thy sunshine’s blaze its day
May brighter, fairer be.

O Joy that seekest me through pain,
I cannot close my heart to thee;
I trace the rainbow through the rain,
And feel the promise is not vain,
That morn shall tearless be.

O Cross that liftest up my head,
I dare not ask to fly from thee;
I lay in dust life’s glory dead,
And from the ground there blossoms red
Life that shall endless be.
Thursday Intentions

If you have someone you would like to add, please email me.

For Mrs. Kairos Guy, who is slowly getting better.

For all children who have fallen victim to violence, for the safety of all who are endangered or missing. For the Church in Boston. For persons with same-sex attraction who aspire to live the Christian life and those, of all inclinations, whom unchastity hinders. For artists. For Sarah E-Pression.For Chris and his wife, in training for the law and NFP. For my wife's cousin Sue. For those who kill themselves and the people they leave behind. For victims of bombings in Israel. For John Paul II. For Alicia, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend. For a just peace wherever fighting prevails. For S, her mother and her family. For Bill L.'s mother, father, and daughter, who shares something in common with me. For Eugene D. For those who need strength to bear their crosses. For Fr. Jim's cousin, mothers who choose life, especially those who choose adoption, Karin, Elizabeth, Sarah, Randy, Deb, Roger, Corey, Michael, Megan and the anonymous ones as well.

Wednesday, August 21, 2002

So, Mark Shea declared a revolution over at HMS Blog yesterday, and I told him his revolution was boring. Now he's issued some blogwas against me, so I have decided to establish "Radio Free HMS" as a counterrevolutionary force, protecting good against eeeeeevil. Kind of a "blog in exile." Come on over to check it out. If you are a blogger known to me who would like to post over there, send me an email and I will give you privileges.

VIVA LA REVOLUCION!!

Er, La COUNTERrevolucion!
Oh, duh.

So here's the answer to fear vs. common sense, and also to my wife's and my present difficulties:

For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel: "In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength. But you refused and said, "No! We will flee upon horses"-- therefore you shall flee! and, "We will ride upon swift steeds"-- therefore your pursuers shall be swift! (Isaiah 30:15-16)
Fear vs. Common Sense

It strikes me that there is no clear line between fear and common sense sometimes, and that as Christians, one call towards doing acts is to get close to that line and even cross it.

This occurred to me when, for the umpteenth time I saw a broken down motorist on the side of the road and didn't pull over to see if anyone needed help. Often, I cannot in fact pullover, because I notice it too late, and I live in Boston. (Don't judge me. You've never lived here.) Driving around here is insane, and you cannot react with normal reflexes and expect to live much past your first rush hour.

But other times I see people and ponder whether to stop, and by the time I think it through it's too late. What causes the pondreing is the possibility that the people stopped by the side of the road are there to kill me. Well, not me, as such, but any person dumb enough to stop. That sort of thing makes the papers just often enough to be present in my mind. Statistically, that's a foolish worry for me, but improbable things are usually frightening enough to override reason. Additionally, sometimes people who really do try to help wind up in trouble if the person being aided freaks out and thinks the *helper* is actually the killer.

None of this is a very good excuse for inaction, however, and so I feel kind of crummy about it. If I see a cell phone in the hands of the person, I can keep going without much guilt. But I sure wish my common sense fear of doing something risky (just getting out of your car on the highways here is pretty bloody risky) would get out of the way of my obligation to help those in obvious need.
Thank you for the prayers this morning. The news was at the good end of the spectrum, but still not conclusive. So we continue to be in that cross-bearing place where not knowing is the challenge. Modern medicine is an amazing thing, but sometimes the best thing a doctor can do is say nothing.
Don't let the fact that this is a really great rock song trick you into thinking it's inappropriate here. It's not some namby pamby feel good son I'm attributing "deep meaning to". It was written with a particular meaning in mind.

ELEVATION

High, higher than the sun
You shoot me from a gun
I need you to elevate me here,
At the corner of your lips
As the orbit of your hips
Eclipse, you elevate my soul

I've lost all self-control
Been living like a mole
Now going down, excavation
I and I in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high, elevation

A star lit up like a cigar
Strung out like a guitar
Maybe you could educate my mind
Explain all these controls
I can't sing but I've got soul
The goal is elevation

A mole, living in a hole
Digging up my soul
Going down, excavation
I and I in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high, elevation

Love, lift me out of these blues
Won't you tell me something true
I believe in you

A mole, living in a hole
Digging up my soul
Going down, excavation
I and I in the sky
You make me feel like I can fly
So high, elevation
Elevation...

Tuesday, August 20, 2002

We are waiting for some info from the doctors that could be good, bad, or really bad, so prayers for me and Mrs. K would be very much apreciated. Especially if you happen to be seeing this in advance of about 8 am Wednesday.
You are 36% geek
You are a geek liaison, which means you go both ways. You can hang out with normal people or you can hang out with geeks which means you often have geeks as friends and/or have a job where you have to mediate between geeks and normal people. This is an important role and one of which you should be proud. In fact, you can make a good deal of money as a translator.

Normal: Tell our geek we need him to work this weekend.


You [to Geek]: We need more than that, Scotty. You'll have to stay until you can squeeze more outta them engines!


Geek [to You]: I'm givin' her all she's got, Captain, but we need more dilithium crystals!


You [to Normal]: He wants to know if he gets overtime.

Take the Polygeek Quiz at Thudfactor.com

'Oh God, Not Today!'

I am often troubled when I hear someone say, "I know God saved me!" because that would imply that God chose not to save some other person. One can look at the evacuation of the WTC as a miracle, because "only" 2,800 some people were killed (no final number has been reported, and the total shrunk by four yesterday). But one can also say "Why didn't God hear the prayers of the 2,800 who did not get out?"

At the same time, there are double blind studies that suggest prayer does have a measurable influence on medical outcomes. I linked to them any number of times when I first started this blog. (I have yet to hear an atheist address them, by the way.)

What makes me uncomfortable is the certainty with which a person proclaims God's salvation. For this certainty, that the Hand of God interfered in my life in such a tangible way, holds many dangers in it. When a prayer is answered in the negative, the outcome for the person may be fearsome. The tendency to say "My spouse was saved because he goes to church. Look what happened to your spouse, who does not go!" is a constant temptation.

For myself, the compromise I have struck with such "flare prayers" is to ask for a specific outcome, but periodically to insert the phrase "if it is in accord with Your will." This reminds me of the idea that God sometimes says "no" to prayers, and that His reasons may appear inscrutable.
Choice in China. The reflexive use of the word "choice" here makes this all the more sad and pathetic. How can you write a headline using that word and, in the very first paragraph, include the apologetic "Punishing rules continue to be enforced in some areas, but overall, sterilization as a method of birth control has declined"?
Do you like what you find at Kairos? Make a donation. (And thanks to Disputations for a really excellent idea. Want to know what's so excellent? Then click on the link. It's not what you think.)
Stop me before I blog again

Once I get going on books, it is hard to stop. A reader noted that the books I posted were very fiction heavy. Though this wasn't deliberate, I'm fine with that. Good novelists can tell you a great deal more about the human condition than many writers of "non-fiction" and they usually reach a wider audience. But I do have a few more non-fiction works to recommend (plus a couple more novels).

John Marshall: Definer of a Nation by Jean Edward Smith. Best. Political. Biography. Ever. Marshall is the least known but arguably most important figure of the early republic. Want to understand how the constitution and the republic survived some serious internal threats in the early years? Read this book. (And tell all those annoying Jefferson hagiographers to stuff it.) [By the way, Smith's Biography of US Grant is also very, very good.]

This People's Navy by Kenneth Hagan. A provocative history of the US Navy by a former professor at Annapolis. Takes a very different interpretive approach from many others.

Faithful Dissent by Rev. Charles Curran. Whether you are at the Emily Stimpson or Mike Hardy end of the theological spectrum, you need to read this book. You may disagree with it totally, or you may find yourself nodding in agreement. But it is an essential work for anyone struggling with the formation of conscience. HOWEVER, you must approach it critically: if you are predisposed to agree with Curran, make sure you read some critiques of it first. If you are in the opposite camp, make sure you read a defense of it, because forming your conscience does not mean seeking out scholars who agree with your biases.

Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev. A good book for those of you who (like me) tend to think the baby boomers screwed up an otherwise excellent world. Post-modernism was invented a long, long time ago.

The Ugly American by Eugene Burdick and William J. Lederer. There's an easy way to tell whether a person has ever read this book. If he uses the phrase "Ugly American" to mean a loud, obnoxious, stereotypical American tourist and tut tuts at cultural imperialism, he hasn't read it. The "Ugly American" is just about the only sympathetic character in the whole book. Terrific story, and brilliant analysis of what went wrong in the fight against communism in Asia. Also a great model for what to do in the Middle East, once Saddam is converted to a smoking hole in the ground, and Arabia is handed back to the Hashemite dynasty.
Another humble subject of the Lord

Fr. Jim took up my humility post yesterday, and (without meaning to impugn me) correctly noted that those of us who speak the most about humility are often those who live it least. Since he has hit the nail on the head in my own case, here's another exercise in humility for you. (His post, which includes St. Ignatius' levels of humility, is worth a look. Scroll down, since his archives usually stop working as soon as someone links to them.)

Yesterday's examples were very easy compared to this one:

Think of Saddam Hussein. Now acknowledge that he is every bit as loved by God as you are, and that he is just as important to Christ as you.
Instead of a hymn or a psalm, today is a sonnet. There's a Catholic blog written by a teenager named Alicia, called "In the time of your life" where I was reminded how much I like this sonnet. Has anyone ever set it to music? (Meanwhile, check out her blog.)

Batter my heart, three-person'd God, for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurp'd town to'another due,
Labor to'admit you, but oh, to no end;
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captiv'd, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly'I love you, and would be lov'd fain,
But am betroth'd unto your enemy;
Divorce me,'untie or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you'enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.
Tuesday Intentions

If you have someone you would like to add, please email me.

For Mrs. Kairos Guy, who is slowly getting better.

For all children who have fallen victim to violence, for the safety of all who are endangered or missing. For the Church in Boston. For persons with same-sex attraction who aspire to live the Christian life and those, of all inclinations, whom unchastity hinders. For artists. For Sarah E-Pression.For Chris and his wife, in training for the law and NFP. For my wife's cousin Sue. For those who kill themselves and the people they leave behind. For victims of bombings in Israel. For John Paul II. For Alicia, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend. For a just peace wherever fighting prevails. For S, her mother and her family. For Bill L.'s mother, father, and daughter, who shares something in common with me. For Eugene D. For those who need strength to bear their crosses. For Fr. Jim's cousin, mothers who choose life, especially those who choose adoption, Karin, Elizabeth, Sarah, Randy, Deb, Roger, Corey, Michael, Megan and the anonymous ones as well.

Monday, August 19, 2002

This sounds interesting. This group is going to spend the next year reading the Catechism in small doses and discussing it on their message boards. All converts, heretics and people of otherwise dubious Catholic pedigrees are welcome (and even encouraged to attend). (Credit to John Betts for pointing it out.)
Late intentions

Please include Zorak of E-Pression in your prayers, as she is undergoing gallbladder surgery, and Fr. Bob Carr, who is (understandably and justifiably) at wit's end.
Not that you asked

Not that you asked, but something occurred to me during Mass yesterday, when I was thinking about "Dying you destroyed our death" instead of the Mystery of Faith we were actually saying. It is a huge objection for many agnostics and atheists that Christ would have to die to redeem us, but as usual with most such objections, it struck me how very wrong that idea is. It says ever so much more about the state of humanity than of God that we would only finally and fully begin to listen after putting God to death.
It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am

When I was first getting going with this blog, I did a brief tour of some of the classical virtues and vices. I had intended it to be comprehensive, and it may still be yet, but I got hung up on humility, and haven’t been able to get back to it coherently. Humility hung me up because it is the hardest virtue.

That surely sounds wrong, doesn’t it? If you took a poll, my guess would be that the majority of responders would choose “chastity” as the most difficult, and humility the easiest. This, however, stems more from misunderstandings of the two than from any real truth about their natures.

One thing that has been said very often by many better writers—but that retains truth nonetheless—is that it possible to “be” something, or to “become” something, by doing it first. Thus, if one sets one’s mind towards doing charity, truly doing it, one will discover that one’s mind and mood become charitable. As soon as one stops worrying about being, and becomes engrossed in doing, the being follows almost automatically.

And so, chastity can be done by an act of will. I do not dispute that the act of will is greater or lesser for some, of course, but an act of will it remains.

Humility isn’t quite so neat. For it contains a paradox within it that makes it much trickier to navigate while you attempt to learn it.

At least a few readers said to themselves, their computers or the blind people to whom they read Kairos out of kindness, “Aha! I’ve got him! All I have to do to ‘do’ humility is to put others first. And that is surely easier than making sure those lustful teens leave room for the Holy Spirit!” Well, yes, I suppose so. But hang on a moment, first.

Most people, when they “put others first” do it either out of latent self-interest or self-loathing. Personally, I vacillate between the two at a speed measurable only by well-equipped laboratories engaged in experiments that would baffle Schrodinger. (Sorry about the lack of an umlaut.)

The first part is the old question about whether altruism exists at all. The second is a kind of reverse narcissistic personality disorder, that places the self above others by lowering it. If I am the lowest creature that ever was, in a perverse way I am the best. (I don’t, by the way, suggest that I very often get to the extreme endpoints of these two states, merely that my actions and attitudes inscribe a sine wave across the scale.)

The paradox of humility is in the ironic heading above: it in fact is hard to be humble when you are as great as I am. But humility, true humility, can only flow from that realization.

Now, there are about two kajillion (2 x 10^bazillion) errors and heresies that can flow from what I just said, so hang on before you go divorce your spouse and start a temple to yourself in Aspen.

Humility starts in a realization that you are great. You are, after all, a creature of God. He may not have made you out of clay, except at several removes, but He did make you, and He endowed you with gifts and freedoms to make it possible for you to see and appreciate Him, and this is undeniably great. So no more running around, muttering under your breath at yourself for being such a jerk all the time, or for being the worst person to ever live, or whatever other bile you spew at yourself with great regularity. Stop it. You are God’s creation, and continually or continuously putting yourself down borders on blasphemy.

HOWEVER.

If I stopped there, I would have written nothing that you couldn’t find in a book of daily affirmations in the “self-help” section of the local Borders. I’d probably also have a bestseller, an infomercial and a jet. [Ed. note: how come the spell checker knows “infomercial” but not “kajillion”? Doesn’t seem right somehow.]

Here’s the paradox: everyone else is God’s creature, too. You are no better than everyone else, but you are no worse, either. So, yielding to the needs of others because they are better than you is as wrong as putting yourself first because you are better than others. Neither one is true humility.

Humility is recognizing that “all men are created equal.” Not in the foolish, “pretend we’re all the same and define differences out of existence” modern western sense of that. But in the original sense, equality before God, or equality under law. Once you recognize that, you put the needs of others first because it is right, and because putting your own first no longer makes much difference. [For those who wish to dispute the “2+2=4” statement that “putting others first is right,” I refer you to Aquinas and Aristotle. I’m not proving objective truth here, but discussing how to apply it.] What can it matter, then, if you are first among equals or last?

Fine and good, then, you say. What’s so tricky about that?

Well, try it. Try to acknowledge in your heart that the smelly man in the next pew singing off-key is as loved by God as you. Not so easy, but possible, after some wrestling. No points, however, if you had to think of some known virtue he possesses to offset his smelly bad singing. We’re not weighing good against bad here, we’re talking about starting points.

Now try this: accept that you are the best player on the team. Seriously. If you are the one player your team can’t do without, you are the best. And it is humble to accept it. Note, I’m not giving you permission to brag about it, or to rub others’ faces in it. But it is prideful to pretend you are not, all the while cherishing a secret knowledge that you carefully hide from others. It is humble to say, “I am,” and to move on.

And that is really the secret of humility: accepting reality as you find it, and acknowledging your own place in it. You are better at some things, worse at others, and endowed with gifts you must use as best you can. At the same time, you are in just the same state as every other person, and you, knowing your own heart better than others, should recognize your weaknesses very well, and be glad for others who manage not to fail quite so often as you.

Humility lies in taking joy, real, Christian joy, in everyone, including yourself. Loathe those things you do and others do that are not in themselves good. But do not loathe yourself anymore than you loathe others for them. Loving the sinner and hating the sin is as true for your own sins as for anyone else’s.
Tuesday Intentions

If you have someone you would like to add, please email me.

For Mrs. Kairos Guy, who is slowly getting better.

For all children who have fallen victim to violence, for the safety of all who are endangered or missing. For the Church in Boston. For persons with same-sex attraction who aspire to live the Christian life and those, of all inclinations, whom unchastity hinders. For artists. For Sarah E-Pression.For Chris and his wife, in training for the law and NFP. For my wife's cousin Sue. For those who kill themselves and the people they leave behind. For victims of bombings in Israel. For John Paul II. For Alicia, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend. For a just peace wherever fighting prevails. For S, her mother and her family. For Bill L.'s mother, father, and daughter, who shares something in common with me. For Eugene D. For those who need strength to bear their crosses. For Fr. Jim's cousin, mothers who choose life, especially those who choose adoption, Karin, Elizabeth, Sarah, Randy, Deb, Roger, Corey, Michael, Megan and the anonymous ones as well.
Because I got in an argument this weekend with an Espiscopalian about who can take communion at a Catholic wedding, I present
Psalm 34 today.


Of David. When he pretended to be insane before Abimelech, who drove him away, and he left.

1 I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
2 My soul will boast in the Lord ;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
3 Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.

4 I sought the Lord , and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
5 Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
6 This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
9 Fear the Lord , you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

11 Come, my children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord .
12 Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
13 keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies.
14 Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.

15 The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 the face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

19 A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the Lord delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.

21 Evil will slay the wicked;
the foes of the righteous will be condemned.
22 The Lord redeems his servants;
no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

Friday, August 16, 2002

We're taking a little time away this weekend, it looks like. So this is it until Monday.

A few books I forgot to mention: Anything by Chesterton, but read the comments on the previous book post to see why that was deliberate, not accidental. Also covers what I dislike about Malcolm Muggeridge.

Lincoln at Gettsyburg by Garry Wills. Yeah, I know. But this is a tremendous book, and worth reading in the present world.

Huck Finn, by Mark Twain. A great but flawed book about people and how they are.

Abandonment to divine Providence by Cassaude (I think). Hard to read in a few sections, and I don't totally agree with it. But it is a GREAT starting point for thinking about how to live in the moment.

I've got some interesting stuff brewing for next week, so check back Monday.
Psalm 15

A psalm of David.

1 Lord , who may dwell in your sanctuary?
Who may live on your holy hill?

2 He whose walk is blameless
and who does what is righteous,
who speaks the truth from his heart
3 and has no slander on his tongue,
who does his neighbor no wrong
and casts no slur on his fellowman,
4 who despises a vile man
but honors those who fear the Lord ,
who keeps his oath
even when it hurts,
5 who lends his money without usury
and does not accept a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things
will never be shaken.
Friday Intentions

If you have someone you would like to add, please email me.

For Mrs. Kairos Guy, who is slowly getting better. For Chris and his wife, in training for the law and NFP. For my wife's cousin Sue. For those who kill themselves and the people they leave behind. For victims of bombings in Israel. For John Paul II. For Alicia, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend. For a just peace wherever fighting prevails. For S, her mother and her family. For Bill L.'s mother, father, and daughter, who shares something in common with me. For Dylan. For Eugene D. For those who need strength to bear their crosses. For Fr. Jim's cousin, mothers who choose life, especially those who choose adoption, Karin, Elizabeth, Sarah, Randy, Deb, Roger, Corey, Michael, Megan and the anonymous ones as well.

Thursday, August 15, 2002

From our bulging "Wish I'd written that!" file

This is from 1967!"Moreover, no solution of the present crisis of our society, of the personal problems and quandaries of the individual members of our society, nor of our multifarious educational problems, is possible or conceivable unless it is firmly rooted in our Western Christian heritage. This does not mean going back to anything we had before, but it does mean going back to our roots in the past, and growing onward from those roots, which must be found in a period in our past before the alien gods of material affluence, of power-thirsting, of sex-obsession, of egotism and existential self-indulgence, became the chief aims of life, eagerly embraced, as they now are, by our contemporary 'trahison des clercs.'"
There's an interesting argument going on in the comments at Mark Shea's blog. Rod Dreher of NRO wrote "My friends and I sat around feeling even more bilious than usual toward the bishops because we take the faith seriously enough to make real sacrifices to serve Christ, and most of them don't give evidence of taking it seriously at all -- or at least not seriously enough to risk "scandal" to save Catholic children and families from pederast priests. I keep trying to find a way around the grave insult to the Catholics of Boston that the Vatican is delivering to them by keeping Bernard Law as their archbishop (and Mahony in L.A., and...), but I can't."

Here's my response:

Rod,

I hear you, and I'm sympathetic, but you sound like the older brother in the Prodigal Son story, or the vineyard laborers who started early in the day, looking at the bishops showing up with only an hour to go.

I don't mean to be uncharitable (I truly don't) but what possible difference does it make to you that some bishops behave badly while you and the friends you spoke of behave well?

I ask because I feel the same way most of the time. And I can only conclude that I am being prideful, and haughty in my own way. I measure them against myself and find them wanting, and that is a terrible, terrible thing I do. Cardinal Law is my Archbishop, and every Sunday I pray "for Bernard, our bishop" and then I pray for myself, for adding "he sure needs it."

If we are being insulted here in Boston, then we must bear that as we bear all insults, with humility and forgiveness. I believe that to be true because those are just about the only things I want more than anything NOT to be true.

Be faithful. Be happy. Be patient. And be trusting in God. Don't worry about the wages paid to others: are you getting a fair wage for the labor you put in?
9/11

Alan Dowd proposes to make 9/11 a holiday. I have heard this idea before, and while I am sympathetic to it I oppose it.

First, we haven't won the war yet, and I don't think we should celebrate what was, in essence, an American defeat--even as a somber holiday--while we are still fighting. Pearl Harbor Day, though often recognized, has not become a holiday at least in part because of its "infamy." 9/11 is much the same.

Second, Dowd proposes that it be a day without commerce, that schools and businesses be closed for the day. While this holds appeal in the abstract, the reality is there is no way to avoid commerce on this day. Americans cannot resist commercializing even somber religious holidays. (And lest we think it a modern problem, complaints about the lack of understanding of "the true meaning of Christmas" date well back into the 19th century.) Easter bunnies and Fourth of July sales are a part of our national character. Congress could regulate only so much of it, and sooner or later some state assembly would cave to business interests and allow businesses to be open. Once that happens, protection from "unfair competition" will soon ensue, and we will have stores open just as on Memorial Day.

Soon enough, sales will begin--after all, it was only October before it became patriotic to buy diamonds and automobiles. It will not be long before bad taste takes over, and "prices come crashing down" or some other hideous metaphor pollutes our national culture.

We are at war. The best way to honor those who died on September 11, 2001, is first to defeat those who murdered them. We ought not rest until we have won. I would rather see every American pause at 8:48 am and recite the Pledge of Allegiance and one of the prayers of St. Ignatius.

Lord, teach me to be generous.
Teach me to serve you as you deserve;
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and not to ask for any reward,
save knowing that I do your will.
Books I like

Never one to miss an opportunity for vanity, I herewith present a selection of books that I think highly of. The only criteria for being on this list is that I read it, and thought it worth recommending. Some are annotated, and some you’ll just have to trust me on.

The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene. I don’t think much of Greene personally (read his preface to Kim Philby’s “My Secret War” to learn why) but as a novelist and storyteller I can find no fault. I could list at least half a dozen of his books here as favorites, but this one stands above the rest, for its perfect capturing of what it means to be Catholic, a sinner, and still to persevere.

In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead by James Lee Burke. Burke is one of the better crime novelists around, writing compelling prose with a languid Southern feel. His books also deal in broken people and bring a Catholic mysticism to the genre while retaining a quiet, wry sense of humor. The first book in the series is “The Lost Get Back Boogie” (if you are someone who needs to read the books in order) but this one is my favorite.

The Aubrey/Maturin Series by Patrick O’Brian. Also, “The Unknown Shore” which contains O’Brian’s prototypes for the characters of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin. I blogged about these books back in May sometime so I won’t repeat myself.

“A Hostage to Fortune” and “Fate is the Hunter” by Ernest Gann. These are Gann’s autobiographical works, the former being a full autobiography and the latter being a memoir of his flying career. Gann has to be one of the most interesting people to have lived in the 20th century. He worked in movies as a cameraman and later talent evaluator for Jack Warner, produced Broadway plays (and even gave Mary Martin her start), was a successful novelist, airline pilot, and painter. He also snuck into Holland during World War II and spied on the German occupation. His novels include “The High and the Mighty” and “The Antagonists” (which became the ABC miniseries “Masada”).

CS Lewis. There’s really nothing bad in his works, but if you haven’t read Mere Christianity or the Screwtape Letters, you have really done yourself a disservice.

The “Hinges of History” series by Thomas Cahill. Yes, he’s a screaming liberal on the Church, but as a historian and scholar he’s first rate, and his works have a lively, enjoyable quality to them. “How the Irish Saved Civilization” is great fun, however contentious my father thinks the title.

“Rogue Male” by Geoffrey Household. Terrific thriller.

“Past Caring” by Robert Goddard. My favorite of Goddard’s books, and also his first. A thriller about a historian who takes on an interesting investigation into the history of a family that turns ugly fast. Don’t start it at 10pm unless you can stay up until 3 to finish it.

Nautical fiction, unannotated: “Run Silent, Run Deep,” Edward Beach. “The Cruel Sea” by Nicholas Monsarrat. “The Caine Mutiny” by Herman Wouk. “Mutiny on the Bounty.” The “Horatio Hornblower” series by CS Forester. Sorry, I know it’s blasphemy, but I don’t like Melville.

Things I’ve read recently: “A Voyage for Madmen” by Peter Nichols. Gripping “true adventure” about a singlehanded sailboat race. “Descent into Hell” by Charles Williams. Mixed bag. I think I need to read it again before reviewing it, but I can’t give it the whole-hearted endorsement that others have. “Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea.” Hard to believe this one is not a novel. “A Fellowship of Valor: the Battle History of the U.S. Marines.” Say what you will about the Marines, they do propaganda better than any of the other services. I recommend the audio version. “Isaac’s Storm” about the Galveston Hurricane of 1900. Tremendous. “Faster” by James Gleick. A book-length essay about the acceleration of life. Good, not great. Plus a bunch of chewing gum fiction not worth mentioning.

Cookbooks: How to Cook Everything. The Best Recipe series. The New Book of Middle Eastern Food. The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. The I Hate to Cook Book. All of these are more than collections of recipes, and the last one is audibly funny.
Thursday Intentions

If you have someone you would like to add, please email me.

For Mrs. Kairos Guy, who is slowly getting better. For Chris and his wife, in training for the law and NFP. For my wife's cousin Sue. For those who kill themselves and the people they leave behind. For victims of bombings in Israel. For John Paul II. For Alicia, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend. For a just peace wherever fighting prevails. For S, her mother and her family. For Bill L.'s mother, father, and daughter, who shares something in common with me. For Dylan. For Dave's nephew and family. For Eugene D. For those who need strength to bear their crosses. For Fr. Jim's cousin, mothers who choose life, especially those who choose adoption, Karin, Elizabeth, Sarah, Randy, Deb, Roger, Corey, Michael, Megan and the anonymous ones as well.
A Psalm in lieu of a hymn

One thing of interest in reading the psalms is how often the psalmist speaks to the Lord in a familiar tone, sometimes with an emotion very like anger or resentment, even while praising God. The first line of this psalm is "Why, O Lord , do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?" I wonder if our modern sense of decorum, which permits us to sing as though we are God, but does not permit us to be mad at God while still loving Him, is of much worth.

Psalm 10:12-18

12 Arise, Lord ! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.
13 Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself,
"He won't call me to account"?
14 But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;
you consider it to take it in hand.
The victim commits himself to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evil man;
call him to account for his wickedness
that would not be found out.

16 The Lord is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
17 You hear, O Lord , the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,
18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

Wednesday, August 14, 2002

Mutated Gene Source of Language, Study Says

"The research suggests the genetic mutations may at least partly explain why humans can speak and animals cannot. Researchers are likely to attempt to introduce the genetic mutations into mice as part of their work, but they said many other genetic changes would likely be necessary to produce a talking animal, and several said they doubted anything of the sort would ever be possible, let alone desirable.

Can a four-assed monkey be far behind?
A Blog of silence?

A question/thought/idea: would it be a good or bad thing, or entirely irrelevant, to suggest a day of blogging silence Sept. 11? Instead of spending time at the computer blogging, we could be praying, visiting a church, quietly reflecting, or *doing* rather than talking about doing.

I am undecided myself what value the idea has, so please comment or email away.
China Update

I no longer think it's enough just to say "I'm not going to buy products made in China." I think now I have to tell store managers when I'm leaving without a product because they only carry Chinese brands. If you do this, you will find store managers making faces that indicate they are working very hard at being patient with another religious nut, but that's okay. Personally, I'm not seeking martyrdom, but suffering for our convictions is supposed to be part of the territory, and if putting up with condescension from the manager of the local Wal-Mart is the cross I must bear, then so be it.

BUT, if all of you out there who are doing this (and a number of you have written to say you are) also tell the stores what's going on, it is just possible they will begin to sense a trend. And businesses, being driven by the bottom line, will follow any trend they think might be profitable.

Mrs. Kairos Guy suggested, for instance, that I call LL Bean. LL Bean unfortunately almost exclusively sells footwear that is made in China. But Bean is a company that takes stands and responds to its customers. If enough people contact them about this, it may prompt them to think about changing their vendors,or putting pressure on the vendors to change their practices. Or, failing that, Bean might at least have enough clout with the vendors to get them to certify that they aren't using slave/prison camp labor or factories owned by the military.

Something like the "Sullivan principles" (from South Africa's Apartheid days) adapted to China would be especially useful in situations like this. Sadly, all the people who were so active on South Africa seem not to be very interested in a situation in China that is also morally heinous.
Okay, now back to blogging. (And hating Blogger for eating posts!)

Don't forget to make your nominations for Most Overrated Rock Band of All Time and favorite One-Hit-Wonder. I will summarize and post sometime over the weekend or early next week.
Thank you

Thank you all again for the many expressions of kindness and the many prayer intentions. Sally is home and slowly improving. Your continued prayers for the next few months will be very much appreciated.

Update: I forgot a while ago specifically to thank the many fellow bloggers who posted requrests for prayers on their blogs, Flos Carmeli (to whom I owe a link in any case) and relapsed Catholic in particular. Thanks to all.
Wednesday Intentions

If you have someone you would like to add, please email me.

For Mrs. Kairos Guy, who is slowly getting better. For Chris and his wife, in training for the law and NFP. For my wife's cousin Sue. For those who kill themselves and the people they leave behind. For the repose of the souls of Fr. Tom's nephew, Brian H., and the victims of bombings in Israel. For John Paul II. For Alicia, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend. For the repose of the souls of Iris and Violet Carey, and their parents. For a just peace wherever fighting prevails. For S, her mother and her family. For Bill L.'s mother, father, and daughter, who shares something in common with me. For Dylan. For Dave's nephew and family. For Eugene D. For those who need strength to bear their crosses. For Fr. Jim's cousin, mothers who choose life, especially those who choose adoption, Karin, Elizabeth, Sarah, Randy, Deb, Roger, Corey, Michael, and the anonymous ones as well.
Thanks to God

Thanks to God for my Redeemer,
Thanks for all Thou dost provide!
Thanks for times now but a memory,
Thanks for Jesus by my side!
Thanks for pleasant, balmy springtime,
Thanks for dark and stormy fall!
Thanks for tears by now forgotten,
Thanks for peace within my soul!

Thanks for prayers that Thou hast answered,
Thanks for what Thou dost deny!
Thanks for storms that I have weathered,
Thanks for all Thou dost supply!
Thanks for pain, and thanks for pleasure,
Thanks for comfort in despair!
Thanks for grace that none can measure,
Thanks for love beyond compare!

Thanks for roses by the wayside,
Thanks for thorns their stems contain!
Thanks for home and thanks for fireside,
Thanks for hope, that sweet refrain!
Thanks for joy and thanks for sorrow,
Thanks for heavenly peace with Thee!
Thanks for hope in the tomorrow,
Thanks through all eternity!

Tuesday, August 13, 2002

Tuesday update

Thank you all for your prayers. Mrs. Kairos Guy came home from the hospital last night. We still don't have a confirmed diagnosis, but at least have some strong indicators of what has been wrong. She is still not well, but there has been some improvement, and there should be more in the coming days. In the meanwhile, please keep the prayers and good wishes coming: they help tremendously. She told me Sunday morning she could feel them.

I will be getting back to work in the next day or so. Blogging will resume later today if the positive trend continues. Thank you for your patience!

Saturday, August 10, 2002

Update

Many thanks for all the prayers (thank you Kathy, especially, for pointing out the need.) Please keep Sally in your prayers, as she remains hostpitalized. We don't know what is wrong at this point--there are many possiblities, but after 36 hours with the doctors, we still don't know. The situation does not appear to be life threatening, but we can't really say until we get a diagnosis. It is very scary.

Friday, August 09, 2002

Mrs. Kairos Guy is very sick, and in the hospital. There will not be any blogging until she is back home and better.
Mrs. Kairos Guy is sick this morning. Since I will be taking her to the doctor in a bit, there will be no blogging until lunchtime. And what blogging there is will likely be back on topic today, and generally more charitable, though, since I need to report back on the end of my conversation with "Bob"--and that will try my charity severely--I can't promise a completely charitable blog day.
If you're a blogger who was inspired in part by Kairos, why not clock on the "Blogtree" link on the right, and make the connection?
Glory Be to the Father

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, Amen.
Friday Intentions

If you have someone you would like to add, please email me.

For Mrs. Kairos Guy, who is sick. For my wife's cousin Sue. For those who kill themselves and the people they leave behind. For the repose of the souls of Fr. Tom's nephew, Brian H., and the victims of bombings in Israel. For John Paul II. For Alicia, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend. For the repose of the souls of Iris and Violet Carey, and their parents. For a just peace wherever fighting prevails. For S, her mother and her family. For Bill L.'s mother, father, and daughter, who shares something in common with me. For Dylan. For Dave's nephew and family. For Eugene D. For those who need strength to bear their crosses. For Fr. Jim's cousin, mothers who choose life, especially those who choose adoption, Karin, Elizabeth, Sarah, Randy, Deb, Roger, Corey, Michael, and the anonymous ones as well.

Thursday, August 08, 2002

Noooooooooo. Not Russell Crowe!!!!!!

Sorry Emily, I know you like him, and he's good and all. But not as Jack Aubrey. Drat and conflab it all.


The World of Patrick O'Brian (FAQ) The much-awaited motion picture is currently in production at 20th Century Fox and Samuel Goldwyn. Filming began 17 June 2002 and runs through this October. Tentative release date is 2003. Directed by Peter Weir, it stars Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey and Paul Bettany (who co-starred with Crowe in A Beautiful Mind) as Stephen Maturin. The film has been listed in several sources as alternatively titled Master and Commander and The Far Side of the World—the exact final title has not yet been announced by the studio. There are several links to good online news reports on the filming and production of the movie on our new Patrick O'Brian Movie Page.
Hussein Says Anyone Who Attacks Iraq Will Fail
President Saddam Hussein warned today that any troops invading Iraq would be "buried in their own coffins."


If Saddam were really as evil as his reputation, wouldn't he threaten to bury us in someone else's coffins?
I shudder to think what might happen if some of these lifeguards grow up to work for Norman Mineta. Can we please find a way to deal with breast-feeding that neither freaks out at it, nor pretends it doesn't exist, but that also acknowledges that many natural things ought not be done in a pool?
John at Disputations posted some pro-Dominican remarks yesterday, at least one of which was made at the expense of the order that tried to draft me in the first round coming out of college. (I played Lector on my college team, but they thought I was more natural as a Pastor. So I held out and they traded my rights to the Laity for a conditional draft pick and a decent bottle of wine.) Therefore, I herewith invite, in addition to the squabble over music, jokes about said order.

(For those who are here for serious reflections on life, fear not. As soon as the humidity returns in a few days, this Spring-fever-like eruption of snarkiness will end, and bloviation will return.)
Soldiers of Christ, in Truth Arrayed

Soldiers of Christ, in truth arrayed,
A world in ruins needs your aid:
A world by sin destroyed and dead;
A world for which the Savior bled.

His Gospel to the lost proclaim,
Good news for all in Jesus’ Name;
Let light upon the darkness break
That sinners from their death may wake.

Morning and evening sow the seed,
God’s grace the effort shall succeed.
Seedtimes of tears have oft been found
With sheaves of joy and plenty crowned.

We meet to part, but part to meet
When earthly labors are complete,
To join in yet more blest employ,
In an eternal world of joy.
Defeat

"It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail."
--Gore Vidal

So my wife and I had an argument. We have just moved far from our former parish and so obviously will be attending a new church. The incomparable Miss S, a former member of Organized Agnosticism, wants to parish shop, whereas I, having been raised in the One True Faith, believe we are stuck with whatever slobs and cretins we happen to live near. (Spare me complaints about my uncharity: we have moved into a college dorm. Even the smart kids are cretins in college.) Now, I know (I read it somewhere, perhaps on a box of "Holy O's" or "Beaties--the Breakfast of Martyrs!") that we in the Apostolic Line of things don't get to choose. We are stuck with the people around us, and--more to the point--they are stuck with us. Unless we run around advocating abortion and the like, we are pretty much immune. (That's still an offense, right?) But the Barely-Converted Heretic doesn't ever believe me when she doesn't like my answer, so we decide to appeal to a higher authority: Mom. (Not, in this case, Holy Mother Church.) Mom, you see, is a theology student at a major metropolitan newspaper--er, theology school.

But this school, being run by a society that rhymes with Sneezes, hasn't gotten around to teaching the answer to basic questions yet, even though Mom's been there a while. (Hi Mom!) So Mom appeals to Mom (yes, this time I mean Holy Mother Church). She asks a priest well-versed in such mundane things as canon law (though how he found time for it with all the Wellness Seminars going on I have no idea) and he, of course, comes back with the expected answer:

We all were secretly converted to the Congregational Church in 1983. Apparently, the whole "fighting communism" thing was just a ruse to distract us, a sleight-of-hand meant to ensure that we didn't know that the Holy Father was handing over the keys of Heaven to some really groovy new-age folks.

In other words, I was wrong, and it is now perfectly fine to live in Tulsa but attend Mass in Opaloosa. Where's that link for that Pius the 13th guy again?

[PS Wouldn't it be cool if people who belonged to Organized Agnosticism got to put letters after their name, like it's a religious order, or a British thing. "JB Kairos Guy, OA, OBE, KCE"?]

[PPS Anyone who has a recipe for "humble pie" please email it to me. Apparently, in my house I not only have to eat it, I get to bake it too.]
Information, please

Well, okay. Just feedback. Except for a couple emails from Dave Pawlak, I don't think I've ever received any comments or other feedback on the more-or-less-daily hymns. I'm just wondering if they add or subtract anything, or are neutral, to your experience of Kairos. I'm going to continue to post ones for my own sake, but I may make it less frequent if it turns out to be primarily an exercise in self-gratification. As the man used to say, "Ed and I thank you fer yer support."
Thursday Intentions

If you have someone you would like to add, please email me.

For my wife's cousin Sue. For the repose of the souls of Fr. Tom's nephew, Brian H., and the victims of bombings in Israel. For John Paul II. For Alicia, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend. For the repose of the souls of Iris and Violet Carey, and their parents. For a just peace wherever fighting prevails. For S, her mother and her family. For Bill L.'s mother, father, and daughter, who shares something in common with me. For Dave's nephew and family. For Eugene D. For those who need strength to bear their crosses. For Fr. Jim's cousin, mothers who choose life, especially those who choose adoption, Karin, Elizabeth, Sarah, Randy, Deb, Roger, Corey, Michael, and the anonymous ones as well.

Wednesday, August 07, 2002

Have I ever recommended you read Jonathan Levi's "A Guide for the Perplexed"? (Not to be confused with the better known book of the same name by Moses Maimonides). Well, I should. Some reviewers didn't like it, but I found it highly enjoyable, and worth pondering a smidge. Read, and discuss.

[Hmmm. Maybe I need to post a list of books. Maybe even an Amazon wishlist. After all, I seem to be practically the last blogger in Christendom without a little paypal button. Maybe I could "bleg" for books. Mmmmmmm, boooooooks.]
Additional band contest

I am also now accepting nominees for your favorite "one hit wonder." Mine? At the moment, Chumbawumba, with a song that could be an American anthem: "I get knocked down."

"We'll be singing
When we're winning
I get knocked down
But I get up again
You're never gonna keep me down"
Contest clarification

Duran Duran doesn't count. I said rock bands. (Hair metal bands do, sadly, count. My criteria are obscure and unbending, but fair.)
Contest

For no reason whatsoever, I am now accepting nominations for "Most Overrated Rock Band of All Time." I nominate Fleetwood Mac, and will delete any entries that suggest U2. Let the flames begin.
Light blogging day. Sorry.
I can't really resist this. Apologies in advance.

A lot of people have been posting about the movie "Signs" and the director M. Night Shyamalan. Most people seem to like it and him. But if they didn't....

wouldn't the headline....

HAVE to be:

(sorry)

Shyamalan a Ding Dong!

[That's it: off the Confession and a rosary, RIGHT NOW!]
I have run out of patience with the Bob argument. I began to feel like the John Cleese character in the Monty Python argument sketch. Hope I haven't upset both readers who were following it intensely.
Spirit Offers Free Flights on 9/11
Tue Aug 6,11:21 PM ET

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - Spirit Airlines announced Tuesday that all its flights on Sept. 11 will be free, saying the offer is a response to travelers' reluctance to fly on the anniversary of the terrorist attacks.
Wednesday Intentions

If you have someone you would like to add, please email me.

For the repose of the souls of Fr. Tom's nephew, Brian H., and the victims of bombings in Israel. For John Paul II. For Alicia, her sister, and her sister's boyfriend. For the repose of the souls of Iris and Violet Carey, and their parents. For a just peace wherever fighting prevails. For S, her mother and her family. For Bill L.'s mother, father, and daughter, who shares something in common with me. For Dave's nephew and family. For Eugene D. and my wife's cousin Sue. For those who need strength to bear their crosses. For Fr. Jim's cousin, mothers who choose life, especially those who choose adoption, Karin, Elizabeth, Sarah, Randy, Deb, Roger, Corey, Michael, and the anonymous ones as well.

Tuesday, August 06, 2002

More from Bob. This may be it for me for a while, as this is taking way more time than I can afford right now. Warning: the post is long, and I did not want to delete from it, in the interest of fairly representing Bob's views.

Your reply is thoughtful, well constructed, and demonstrative. I deeply appreciate the effort you put it into it. You have made a logical and reasonable argument.

I believe your argument is a trifle incomplete, though, and papers over some areas of weakness. I hope you do not mind if I point them out, or rather, explain where our thoughts diverge. After all, if you desire to continue to particpate, then I would characterize this exchange not as a contest but an examination.
To the point:

1) All Christianity is not an argument from authority. There is that which is a matter of logic and that which is a matter of experience, then there is that which is a matter of speculation, interpretation, invention, piety, and ecclesiology. A simple way to put the issue is thus - Truth vs. Truth plus ideology. (Or Jesus vs. Jesus and propaganda about Jesus.)

2) We cannot possibly take the Gospels (NT or OT) to mean what they say. They say too many different things to mean the same thing or point to the exact same conclusions.

3) Authority as you refer to matters of history (testimony) and science (demonstration) is entirely incorrect as an example related to religion and spiritual Authority. Matters of history such as Hitler and Napoleon rely on
inductive reasoning (a rational endeavor), correspondence of evidence, the weight of corroberating testimony. What we accept as authority in science is reliance on experiment (verifiable experience). You can reinvent the wheel any time you like to determine whether round will roll. But even better, you can do the work in your head, a thought experiement to determine the truth of many natural things.

Associating demonstrated proofs in history and science with undemonstrable assertions in religion is a false analogy in this instance.

4) Certain first principles are essential to Christianity, indeed. For Jews, one first principle is necessary - there is one God. The second principle is an interpretation derived from the first - and he has chosen the Jews for his people.

Christians have three primary principles - God is One. Jesus is God. God is Three Persons. It is from these we derive everything else, but nothing automatically follows from these principles in terms of demonstrable proofs.
Scripture is clearly a commentary upon these principles (experiences, revelations). The Church is obviously an invention flowing from these Revelations.

But nothing in Scripture or Church can ever be as true or demonstrated rationally as principle revelation, and revelation is only relevant to those who experience it; not to those who merely possess hope that they are true (or put all their trust in the testimony of others). Raymond Brown once pointed out - "God doesn't write books, people write books. " We can apply
this to the church also. People create religions, not God.

Faith is an interactive sport or a feedback loop. By seeking you find, by finding you seek again. It is the way of prayer, not entirely but primarily a solitary endeavor (as exemplified in Jesus' life and being).

Revelation, or spiritual experience, is not a matter of argument from authority. It is a demonstrable result of human endeavor which is verifiable through testing, concordance, prior evidence, testimony, and examination.The experiment is applied in a somewhat different manner than a purely material one, but verifiable, nonetheless. You may call it Pascal's wager or the psalms recommendation to "taste and see", but there is a large body of knowledge and experience related to spiritual phenomena which has survived the test of time, and enjoys careful revision and addition. There is also that which is gratuitous and comes unbidden. All such experience is subject to comparison, contrast, interpretation, seculation, and conclusion.

The knowledge derived from it often concludes in ways that are logical and non-contradictory - but not always. Sometimes, a religion imposes constraints upon experience in such a way as to render it untrustworthy or ideological. Paul suggests testing all such things, but doesn't say how testing can be done without prejudice, therefore the tests of the Church are as likely to be biased as the proclamations of the source of phenomena.

(An example: some fellow claims to have an experience of the eucharist bread turning into actual flesh. The church says, nonsense. The bread can never give an outward appearance of Jesus' flesh. But the church's test of the claim is spurious. Why? In one sense, anything is possible for God, and thus if God wants to turn the bread into an actual lump of flesh and skin, it is well within his omnipotence; and two, the Church has to demonstrate that it and it alone has the absolute authority to speak for God. An extraordinary claim that demands extraordinary proof.)

Jesus, though, is always able to prove my personal claim that he is God, arisen and alive, through extraordinary means. He does so millions of times to people over millenia and the results are usually extraordinary (people change for whom change was impossible); while the church is never able to prove its extraordinary claims by extraordinary means over any period of time to any substantial number of people. It's claims always remain just that - assertions of human will and nothing more, ending in absurd conclusions.

Bob



Bob,

In response, you partially misundertand me. When I say "all Christianity is an argument from authority" what I mean is, Christianity has nothing to say without that authority. Particular teachings may not refer to Matthew 16:19, but without the authority of it, there's no point in speaking of moral doctrine. It is reduced to opinion, and of a somewhat blasphemous nature, without it.

Second, we can and we do take the Gospels to mean what they say. That does not mean we must abandon reason when we approach them. It is not always crystal clear what the point was, and Jesus *is* quite clear at any number of places that this is deliberate. But scripture is the starting point, and the starting point of exegesis is the literal meaning. We work from there, and sometimes stay with the literal meaning and sometimes try to understand more deeply. The general rule of thumb is, the less clear or the more counterintuitive something in the Gospel is, the harder we have to work to understand it. But "whatever you bind on earth" has been understood in more or less the same way more or less from the early church until Martin Luther. Paul, especially in the authentically Pauline letters, takes the authority of the Church as a given, and those were written within the first decades after Christ's death, a fact which no serious scholar contests.

But my point is not to argue exegesis as such. My point is, if we are Christians, really Christians, we must accept that the authority granted the Church was granted by Christ, or else the choosing of the Apostles and the Pentecost have no meaning at all. And the people who knew Christ personally, or who converted under the Apostles, believed this to be the case. This is the authority of testimony you refered to, and the only authority I am arguing about (I haven't even hinted at "revelation" in this discussion). And this authority grants knowledge, power, and a particular relationship with the Holy Spirit (as testified to in Acts, at Pentecost, in a book quite possibly written by an original apostle--though that point is not undisputed.)

In any case, you proceed from a false premise. "Scripture is clearly a commentary upon these principles (experiences, revelations)." No. Some scripture is this, but some is nothing more than testimony to what was witnessed firsthand or recorded at secondhand, in a serious attempt at history. (Luke is considered by many scholars in recent years to be a true work of history; many, many details once considered to be literary embellishments have turned out to be facts borne out by archaeology. The location of Herod's palace, for one, that was often cited as an example of how Luke "got it wrong" turns out to be a fact that Luke, uniquely among early histories, had right.)

The first five books of the New Testament are not commentaries, but actual histories. The fact that they disagree in certain details should not obfuscate the fact that they agree in many details, and on nearly every large issue. They agree, in fact, much more closely on most questions than many non-religious documents of the era that are accepted as authoritative history. The epistles are in some cases commentaries, but the Gospels are not, and it is disingenuous to conflate the two.

The fact that much of the preaching reported in them is contrary to expectation, or shocking, does not by itself mean we cannot treat the reports as serious. And it is not the same thing as saying the reporters themselves are unreliable, but that is in effect what you are saying.

You beg the question when you assert that "The Church is obviously an invention flowing from these Revelations" and "People create religions, not God." You have assumed as a premise the item in dispute. I assert, on the authority of Jesus Christ, as substantiated in the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, and any number of the epistles, that the Church is *not* an invention, but the Creation of Christ. I argue this not on the authority of the Magisterium, but the authority of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. I assert that that authority grants the Magisterium power to bind and loose.

The principles of Christianity, which were never in dispute until after Luther, are much more than three persons, one God. They are encapsulated in the creed we say each Sunday. "We believe in one God, the Father the Almighty...We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of the God...We believe in the Holy Spirit...who proceeds from the father and son...We believe in one Holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come." That creed was written in the 4th century (either 325 or 391 AD), and encapsulates the fundamental precepts of Christianity, the "first principles." They are not Roman Catholic christianity, but "mere" Christianity.

There is no logical proof of the authority of the Magisterium that does not proceed from the authority granted by Christ. It would be self-nullifying if there were. If you wish to dispute it, you need to dispute either: Matthew 16:19, and it purports not to be a revelation but a quotation; or the facts of Apostolic succession. While "The Church says so" may be what some Catholics argue, it is not in fact what the Church teaches.

You are proceeding from assumptions about the New Testament that are not borne out either by the texts themselves, or by most scholarship on the subject. I don't know where to take the conversation from here.

Peace,
Brian