The good and bad of Humanae Vitae at 50

This coming Wednesday, July 25, marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of the encyclical Humanae Vitae by Pope Paul VI. (And I just realized now for the first time that this encyclical came out just a little over a week before my parents got married; I had never realized that before!)

Probably more people inside and outside the Church have heard of this encyclical than any other papal encyclical in modern times because it discusses such a controversial topic, contraception. Everyone has an opinion on it.

Again, much will be written about it in Catholic media about it this week, and one can find a wealth of information. I will just say a few things:

From where I stand, the encyclical has more good than bad, but both need to be discussed.

The good is that it came to the right conclusion, using artificial birth control is not a morally right decision. Its predictions what would happen with increased use of it have largely come true: increased divorce, infidelity, abortions, sterilization programs, and loss of respect for women have all occurred since then.

There is some bad though.

First, is it is generally agreed that it could’ve been a better written document, with more references to Scripture and Tradition, as well as more references to the theology of the entire body, not just the sexual act. (Would things be different if John Paul II had written it instead of Paul VI? A case could be made for that.)
Another bad, which I just learned today, was that there was a three year gap between the end of the commission to study the issue, and the time the encyclical was published. It certainly didn’t come across as decisive with that amount of time passed.
Finally, the worse bad of them all it that has been largely been a failure, more Catholics are practicing birth control now than ever before. ( Maybe it didn’t stand a chance being published at the height of the sexual revolution in 1968? Who knows? )

So while it has been proved prophetic, it has not necessarily been proven successful.

All these things should make rich topics of conversation this week in the Church, and hopefully we all can do some reflection this week on this issue. To that end, I most likely will publish a few more things about this issue throughout this week, so stay tuned!

The reasons why May is the month of Mary

I think many of us know that May is the month of Mary, but not many of us know why it is.  Here are some insights into this, courtesy of the National Catholic Register, and Aletia.org.

The custom spans both centuries and cultures, with roots going back as far as the Ancient Greeks. In early Greece, May was dedicated to Artemis, the goddess of fecundity.  In Ancient Rome, May was dedicated to Flora, the goddess of blooms, or blossoms. They celebrated ludi florals, or floral games, at the end of April and asked the intercession of Flora for all that blooms. 

In medieval times, similar customs abounded, all centering around the practice of expelling winter, as May 1 was considered the start of new growth.  This was long before “Mother’s Day” was ever conceived, though the modern celebration is closely related to this innate desire to honor maternity during the spring months.  During this period, the tradition of Tricesimum, or “Thirty-Day Devotion to Mary,” came into being.  Also called, “Lady Month,” the event was held from August 15-September 14 and is still observed in some areas.  It included thirty daily spiritual exercises honoring Mary. 

However, the idea of a calendar month dedicated specifically to Mary didn’t come into play until the 18^th century.  It was in this era that Mary’s Month and May were combined, making May the Month of Mary with special devotions organized on each day throughout the month. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “The May devotion in its present form originated at Rome where Father Latomia of the Roman College of the Society of Jesus, to counteract infidelity and immorality among the students, made a vow at the end of the eighteenth century to devote the month of May to Mary. From Rome the practice spread to the other Jesuit colleges and thence to nearly every Catholic church of the Latin rite.”

Various private devotions to Mary quickly became widespread during the month of May, as it is recorded in the Raccolta, a publication of prayers published in the mid-19th century. It is a well-known devotion, to consecrate to most holy Mary the month of May, as the most beautiful and florescent month of the whole year. This devotion has long prevailed throughout Christendom; and it is common here in Rome, not only in private families, but as a public devotion in very many churches. Pope Pius VII, in order to animate all Christian people to the practice of a devotion so tender and agreeable to the most blessed Virgin, and calculated to be of such great spiritual benefit to themselves, granted, by a Rescript of the Segretaria of the Memorials, March 21, 1815 (kept in the Segretaria of his Eminence the Cardinal-Vicar), to all the faithful of the Catholic world, who either in public or in private should honour the Blessed Virgin with some special homage or devout prayers, or other virtuous practices.

So we see a connection here between Mary and the themes of new life, springtime, maternity, and fruitfulness.  It makes sense!   Let us use the graces available this month to counteract the anti-life and anti-motherhood mentality that has been unleashed in our times, and pray for a renewal of life and family values in the world today.

The important (still ) reasoning behind the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker

The Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker is May 1.   That date has a history.  In some ancient cultures, it was typically associated with the beginning of summer.  Down through the centuries, it has been celebrated by different cultures with song, dance, and food.   It was chosen by labor groups in the late 1800's as International Workers Day, sort of a "rebirth" so to speak of worker's rights, specifically the 8 hour work day.  The Communist Party adopted this day to fit its own platform.

It was in response to this that Pope Pius XII designated this day in 1955 to be forever celebrated in honor of Saint Joseph the Worker.  The Holy Father saw the pitfalls of communism and was quick to recognize that a Catholic response was needed.  

Communism may have seemed attractive.  It may have been seen as a legit response to the extremes of unbridled capitalism.   Communism may have had noble aspirations in the beginning, to make the lives of the common worker better,  but it was doomed to failure because some of its central underpinnings went against the yearnings of the human heart. It denied man the ability to work for and own property, to be a “master” of at least part of creation.  It abolished religion, which deprived  man the ability to publicly praise and worship God, which is his destiny.   It abolished freedom of the press, the ability to freely share information, vital for a healthy society.  It abolished the free ballot, thus guaranteeing the continued reign of one political party/ ruling class.

God created man with free will.   Despite the fact that we will sometimes do badly, we must still be allowed freedom to speak (freedom of the press), to worship (freedom of religion), and to have dominion over the world around us (right to own property), if we are to achieve our potential and be happy.

In communism, every right was subjected to the state.   A just society, on the other hand, while recognizing the state does need some things from us, and we do indeed need the state for some things, will not give the state total power over us.   God created man in his own image and likeness (Genesis 1:27).  He created man first before He made a government.  Society needs to think in the same order; man first, government second.  

We must remain vigilant in America that we do not respond to the ills of capitalism in the extreme like the Soviet Union did.  Yes, there are wrongs with capitalism, and our current Holy Father Pope Francis has spoken about them.  However, the other extreme is just as bad, as I have discussed here.

Let us not make the same mistake as a country that Russia made.   Let us not even allow us to go down that path.  Let us not let the government get too big, and too all-encroaching in our lives that it tramples our freedom.  

Saint Joseph the Worker, pray for us.

(This post was a condensed version of my post on this topic on August 8, 2015 entitled Saint Joseph the Worker versus Communism).   

The four wonderful characteristics of a resurrected body

 So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. ⁴³ It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. ⁴⁴ It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44

Based on this Scripture passage, Saint Thomas Aquinas defines four characteristics of what our bodies will be like in heaven; impassibility, subtlety, agility, and clarity.   I came across recently an article by a man named John Johnson for the Catholic blog Veritas.  He does a good explaining what they are, so I will let him speak:

First, Impassibility (“It is sown in corruption, it rises in incorruption…”). Not only will you live forever in heaven but the gift of impassibility means that the glorified body can suffer no corruption or pain, and it will not be subject to carnal passions. You won’t need any physical food and you won’t age. Your bodies will be animated, in a sense, by God, who is Life itself. You will have spiritual bodies – or, should we say, spiritualized bodies. No longer, tied to the dust of the earth from which you came, you will be totally aimed at God.

Next, the blessed will have subtlety. (“It is sown a natural body, it shall rise a spiritual body…”). By subtlety, we do not mean underratedness. Because our bodies will not be subject to any laws of material nature, nothing will stand in our way. The prime example of subtlety in Scripture is John 20:19 when Jesus walks through the walls of a locked room to get to the disciples. By the gift of subtlety, our bodies shall be able to freely penetrate other bodies (walk through walls). Interestingly, our bodies will even be subtle with respect to one another. Totally sharable, we will be able to completely communicate, through our bodies, our joys to our neighbor. Though I do not know of one that has been done, a further study on the connection to the gift of Beatific subtlety and the sexual urge to share a body in this life would be worthwhile.

Thirdly, you bodies will have what St. Thomas calls agility. (“It is sown in weakness, it shall rise in power…”). This is a good one. Because, in Heaven, your body will be so unified and obedient to your soul, it will do whatever you can think of. Think about how incredible this is: if you can think it, your body can do it. Yes, I will be able to dunk. This actually explains why every human longs to do things like fly and have super speed. God gave us an appetite for these actions because we are actually meant to be able to do them. And we do see agility, in its seminal form, in the natural order. Isn’t it true that everything we see well trained athletes doing on ESPN’s Top Ten Plays of the Week is due to nothing more than a body which is well trained and habitually obedient to the rational soul of the athlete? So the Blessed, with their agile bodies will be able to fly, float, have super strength and be able to move faster than a speeding bullet.

Lastly, our resurrected bodies will possess the gift of clarity. (“It is sown in dishonor, it rises in glory…”). This clarity, or “brightness,” will be the glory of the blessed soul which overflows through the head and the rest of the body. It is the light of glory which Jesus gives us a glimpse of at the transfiguration. We will possess the very intellectual light of God (lumen gloreae) by which we will see him in his light that is otherwise unapproachable. As crystalline, the heavenly glory of our bodies will present to all; their very organization and internal structure will be immediately visible. And yes, we will actually have halos - these will be a sign of our kingly reign with Christ. The means by which our glory was accomplished will also be visible to all. The doctors will have the crowns of doctors and the martyrs that of martyrs. The particular means will also be evident: John the Baptist might have some sort of scar around his neck. The statues of the apostles in Rome usually portray them holding the instrument of their martyrdom – this is not just a good means of catechesis, but an insight into the nature of their to-be glorified state. Our crosses, everything painful in this life, will be, one day, transformed into something glorious. There is a story St. Augustine tells of a man who was burdened by uncontrollable flatulence - in Heaven, he was blessed with the gift of wondrous musicality. 

A few words of my own to end this:

Let’s do everything we need to ensure we get to heaven by living and dying in a state of grace.  What glories await us!

God's great creation, Part Three: Man

Today, we conclude our short series on God’s great creation by focusing on the pinnacle of God’s creation, the greatest thing he ever created, man.

The Catechism in #355 lists four ways that man is unique among all of God’s creation:

1)      Man is made in the image of God.

2)      In his own nature, man unites the material and spiritual worlds.

3)      Man is created male and female.

4)      God establishes man in his friendship.

Man is made in the image of God.   Only man can know and love God.  He is the only one created for his own sake, not for the sake of something else.   He alone is called, by knowledge and love, to share in God’s life.  This is why he was created.   Only he is capable of self-knowledge and has the freedom to enter in communion with another.  He can respond with faith and love to God in a way no other creature can.  God created everything for man, and man was created, in turn, to love God back and offer creation back to him.   Because of his common origin in God, the human race forms a unity, and is called to solidarity and charity.

In his own nature, man unites the material and spiritual worlds.   Man, body and soul, is willed by God.  Man was formed from the earth, but only became alive when life was breathed into him.   The soul is the spiritual principle in man.  One cannot be a human person without a soul.  Because it animates the body, the body shares in the dignity of the aforementioned “image of God”.    The soul is created by God, and since, as we said, one cannot be a human person without a soul, we can say it is God who creates human persons.    The body and the soul are so united that we can say the person is truly one, even as he is both body and soul.

Man is created male and female.   God created men and women equal in dignity, but different in such that they become complimentary to each other.   He willed them to be together, and each for the other.  They are not incomplete and only, therefore, complete with the other.   No, they are complete as individuals, but together, they form a communion of persons, and transmit life.  In both of these, they reflect God, who is a communion of persons, and who transmits life.   They reflect him as Trinity and as Creator.   They are called to “subdue the Earth” as stewards of God, who share his providence for his creatures.

God establishes man in his friendship.   Man was created in friendship, and in harmony with creation.  (This state is only surpassed by being made new creatures in Christ where we become divinized and live in God as adopted children, not just friends with him.)   In his original state, man was in harmony and at peace with himself and all creation.  He would not have to suffer or die.   He would master himself, and master creation.  All this will be lost, however, by original sin, which we spoke in the series we did on suffering, most specifically in this post:

http://jimscatholicblog.blogspot.com/2017/10/the-mystery-of-suffering-part-two.html

What dignity man has.    It is imperative that society get back to a more highly exalted view of man.  All the components that we discussed here must be emphasized; that we are made in the image of God, that we are body and soul, that we are male and female and therefore, meant for each other, and that we are called to be friends with God, participants in, and stewards of, all creation.   If we get back to honoring man as he should be, then our respect for all of God’s great creation will be all it can be, and the world will be a better place.

Let us close this post and this series with the beautiful words of Psalm 8, which speak glowingly of man, and indeed, of all God’s great creation.

O Lord, our Sovereign,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory above the heavens.
²     Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
    to silence the enemy and the avenger.

³ When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
    the moon and the stars that you have established;
⁴ what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
    mortals that you care for them?

⁵ Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
    and crowned them with glory and honor.
⁶ You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under their feet,
⁷ all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field,
⁸ the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
    whatever passes along the paths of the seas.

⁹ O Lord, our Sovereign,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Saint Joseph, model of artisans, pray for us.

God's great creation, Part Two: The visible world

In the last series, we looked at God as Father and Creator.  In this series, we are looking at what God created, namely, in the words of the Apostles’ Creed, the heavens and the earth.   In the last post, we looked at the invisible world, the heavens.  In this post we will look at the visible world, the earth.

God created this visible world, just as he did the invisible one.   The creation of the visible world is outlined in the story of the six days of creation as found in Genesis.   God creates in order from day one to day six: light, the sky, water, land, the sun, the stars, sea creatures, air creatures, land creatures, and finally, man.   Then God rests on the seventh day, and blesses it. 

This story points to several important truths about this world that God has created.

1)      Nothing exists that does not owe its existence to God the Creator (#338).   God created out of nothing, so nothing would exist without God.  This includes everything that is, was, and will ever be.

2)      Each creature possesses its own particular goodness and perfection (#339).   Everything that God created was “good”, as we read in Genesis.   Each creature reflects in its own way a ray of God’s wisdom and goodness.  We have to treat each other with that truth in mind.

3)      God wills the interdependence of creatures (#340).  Creatures only exist in relation to each other.  We are dependent on each other, we complete each other, and we are called to serve each other.   There is solidarity among all creatures (#344).

4)      There is beauty of the universe (#341).   The relationships among creatures point to a unity and harmony in the world, in the midst of all the diversity.  It reflects the beauty of the Creator.

5)      While all creatures are good, there is a nonetheless a hierarchy of creatures (#342).  God loves all his creatures, but some reflect his perfection more than others.  The six days of creation reflect an order from less to more perfect creations. Man is the summit of the Creator's work (#343).   Our Lord says, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight.   But even the hairs of your head are all counted. Do not be afraid; you are of more value than many sparrows."  (Luke 12:6-7)     

6)      There is something special about the sabbath - the end of the work of the six days (#345).  He blessed this day, unique among all days.  On this day, God finished his work of creation.  His special blessing of this day, which occurs immediately after the initial creation of the world is completed, points to a few realities: that creation is good, that God’s laws of creation are good and trustworthy, that all creation is oriented towards the Sabbath, to the worship of God, and that keeping his commandments is to correspond to the laws of creation.  Respect for laws inscribed in creation and the relations which derive from the nature of things is a principle of wisdom and a foundation for morality (#354).

7)      For Christians, however, there is a greater work than even creation, and that is redemption.   When we are re-created in Christ, we enter the “eighth” day (#349).   (For more on the Sabbath, and the 8^th day, read my post:

http://jimscatholicblog.blogspot.com/2017/03/sunday-mass.html

As we stated in the last series, God created the world to show his glory.  Both the visible and invisible worlds radiate the beauty, truth, love, and power of God.  The fact that he freely chose to create both a visible and an invisible world shows that there is something noble in both; things that can be seen, like animals and nature, and things that cannot be seen, like intellectual thought and sensual feeling.  All things point toward God and when used rightly in accordance with his laws, lead us to Him, who is our end and destiny.  We must treat both the spiritual and the natural worlds with the respect each deserve.

But nothing in creation radiates the glory of God as much as man, and as such, the topic of man deserves its own post, and that will be next as we conclude this short series on God’s great creation.

Joseph most obedient, pray for us.


(The attached painting is Jan Brueghel's the Garden of Eden.)

God's great creation, Part One: The invisible world

In the last series, we looked at God as Father.  The last few posts in that series dealt with God as Creator.  

Now, it is time to look at what God created.  In this post and the next, we will look at the created world, or as the Creed refers to it, the heavens and the earth.   (This post will focus on the heavens, and the next will focus on the earth.) In the final post, we will look at the pinnacle of his creation, man.

The Catechism explains what is meant by the phrase “the heavens and the earth”.  We read in #326: The Scriptural expression "heaven and earth" means all that exists, creation in its entirety. It also indicates the bond, deep within creation, that both unites heaven and earth and distinguishes the one from the other: "the earth" is the world of men, while "heaven" or "the heavens" can designate both the firmament and God's own "place" - "our Father in heaven" and consequently the "heaven" too which is eschatological glory. Finally, "heaven" refers to the saints and the "place" of the spiritual creatures, the angels, who surround God.    As we hear in the Nicene Creed, God created all things “seen and unseen”.  So basically, Earth is what we visibly see around us, while the "heavens" refer to the unseen, but real nonetheless, creation of God, a "place" that surrounds him.  God, as creator, made both;  the angelic, and the earthly.

What are angels?   They are servants and messengers of God.  They are purely spiritual, with no bodies.    They have intelligence and will, and surpass us in perfection. (There’s a big but to that, however, which we will get into later in this series.)

Angels were created through and for Our Lord Jesus Christ.  We read in Paul’s letter to the Colossians:  for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. (Colossians 1:16).   They serve at his pleasure, but what is most important for us now, is that they are messengers of his saving plan.  We see angels in the Infancy narrative, and then again at the empty tomb.  (We also saw them throughout the Old Testament, as well, as the way was prepared for Christ.)

The Church, in her liturgy, joins the angels in worshipping God.   We think of the phrase we often hear at Mass, “With the choirs of angels in heaven, we now join in their unending hymn of praise.”  They guide the Church, and all of creation.  Each one of us has our own guardian angel.

The Catechism does not go into this, but I think it interesting just to list the different orders, or “choirs” of angels that have been discerned in the tradition of the Church. This list comes courtesy of Catholic.org.  There are nine.   We will start with the highest rank, and work our way down.

1)      Seraphim are the highest order or choir of angels. They are the angels who are attendants or guardians before God's throne.

2)      Cherubim have intimate knowledge of God, and praise him continually, just slightly below the seraphim in the order of rank.   Like the seraphim, they are intimately associated with the glory of God.

3)      Thrones are the angels of pure humility, peace and submisssion. They reside in the area of the cosmos where material form begins to take shape. The lower angels needs the thrones to access God.   They exist at the boundary between heaven and earth.

4)      Dominions are angels of leadership. They regulate the duties of the angels, making known the commands of God.

5)      Virtues govern all nature. They have control over seasons, stars, moon; even the sun is subject to their command. They are also in charge of miracles and provide courage, grace, and valor.

6)      Powers are warrior angels against evil defending the cosmos and humans. They fight against evil spirits who attempt to wreak chaos through human beings. (I like these guys!)

7)      Archangels are generally taken to mean "chief or leading angel.  They deliver important messages at critical times in the history of salvation.   Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael are all archangels.

8)      Principalities are hostile to God and human beings.  The fact that Christ rules over them shows the reign of Him as King, and so, they still serve a purpose.

9)      Angels While all the choirs are known as angels, the lowest order has no special name; they are just called angels.  These angels are closest to us.  (These would include our guardian angels.)  They deliver the prayers to God and God's answers and other messages to humans. Angels have the capacity to access any and all other angels from any other rank at any time. They are the most caring and social to assist those who ask for help.

For a little bit more personal reflection on angels, please read the post I did on them back in 2015:

http://jimscatholicblog.blogspot.com/2015/07/angels.html

Now there is more to the invisible world, to the heavens, than just angels.  There are the Saints who have gone before us.   They all surround the throne of God, singing his praises, and delighting in doing his will.  However, while it is a holy place, it is still separate from Him, and cannot be equated with God himself.  It is still indeed a creation of God, just like our visible world is.  It was created, like our world was, for God’s glory. 

Heaven is indeed where we wish to be some day.  But keep in mind that our destiny is not just to enjoy heaven as a creation of God, but rather, to enjoy God himself.  This, I think, should caution us to make a slight distinction when we refer to the heavens as a created place, versus heaven as our destiny.  Heaven as our destiny will encompass all the wonderful things about “the heavens”, but it will be even more!   For the most part, heaven is beyond words, but over the centuries, many Saints and scholars have come up with words to describe a little of what it will be like there.   That is beyond the scope of this particular post, though, but I hope to come back to it someday.  

(If you are new to this blog, however, I did speak of heaven in general in a post back in 2016.   Here is a link if you are interested:

http://jimscatholicblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/tough-teachings-heaven_82.html

In the next post, we will turn from the invisible to the visible creation.

Joseph, diligent protector of Christ, pray for us.

(Attached picture is angels by 14th century painter Guariento Di Apro.)