A New Site for New Thinking

This blog is being fine tuned. Sometimes a thought has to be followed to its conclusion without worrying whether or not it is completely refined, or is even a candidate for the refining process. Working documents need a home of their own. So I offer this site, WorkingDocs. Because I have in mind the hope of starting an actual discussion with others about the works in progress, ideas, etc., the new site will also be geared toward finding others who wish to think about the liturgy, the church year, and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

There will be no polemics at this blog: God Alone: Gethsemani Reflections, there might be at the Working Documents site, however I promise this: there will be no rancor, or shield thumping, or spear jabbing at either site, neither by me, or anyone else. The body of Christ is not meant to be hacked to pieces just so one side can pit its arguments against another side.

Dialog is both possible, and to be encouraged, yet without rancor, hurt feelings, and verbal attacks. What we all share in common should at all times be our focus. Jesus Christ, the son of the Living God, Co-Eternal with the Holy Spirit.

Look at that statement again.

What we all share in common should at all times be our focus. Jesus Christ, the son of the Living God, Co-Eternal with the Holy Spirit.

If we think about that statement long enough it becomes easy to understand how someone might intrude into that blissful reality, by insisting on some point or the other, to which we can only say, "I'm sorry, this is important how?"

The point of that little soapbox moment was to underline how important it is to focus ourselves on the central Supernova of our faith, Jesus Christ, and to treat one another as he would have us do. In the same spirit I offer the new site, not to replace this blog, but to be the home of thinking and working before writing on this page.

If anyone is interested, that is. If, or if not, God bless you.

New Web Address

Yes, I have moved house, as the British say. I sprang for the ten bucks it cost to buy my slice of the world wide web. There are several reasons for the move, but the most important reason has to do with the direction this blog is moving. No longer a personal spiritual journal, although no less of one, this blog now looks to specific areas of interest to me.

-- Liturgy
-- The Church Year as a developed spiritual path.
-- The Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The three work together to form a method of keeping Jesus Christ the focus of the gaze of our faith,and the heart of our religion. Future entries will explore this in more detail, I'm sure.

The Adoration of the Sacrament is something that will be discussed here. Future meditations and devotions for a Holy Hour will be posted. Upon realizing that St. Joseph's has a daily Adoration, I decided to participate as often as possible. I read what they had to offer, and it was good enough, but sparked a realization that I could indeed write something at least as good, if not better.

I have realized that these private interests of liturgy, the church year, and the Sacred Heart, are all fodder for writing.

Eucharistic Adoration, and a Daily Seed

I went to the Eucharistic Adoration at St. Joseph's today. They have it in a long, slender room, against a long wall, with a double row of chairs. The monstrance was an old design, whether or not it was an actual mid twentieth century monstrance, I do not know. What is a monstrance? It is a vessel usually gold, or silver, in which the consecrated host is exposed for adoration. This one had a sunburst pattern around the center.

What is interesting is that they do this five days a week. It prompts me to ask, where have I been? Five days a week the consecrated elements are exposed less than four miles from my house, and I do not spend some period of time there each day? True, there were seven other people there in that smallish room, but that did not matter. The sacrament was exposed and, my, how Jesus did dominate the room.

On another subject, I have been getting an email called The Daily Seed, which is mostly lectionary, and Christian Classics. Check it out. It's associated with Shalom Place.

St. Gregory Nazianzen, Doctor of the Church

Gregory Nazianzen was born in Nazianzus in the year 330. While preparing this entry I noticed how tempting it was to define Gregory by his relationship with St. Basil the Great. The two men went to University together in Athens. Their friendship was so deep and lasting, that they nearly made promises to always be together. In fact, Basil had Gregory move to a monastery he had founded. Gregory lived there a while, but his father, Bishop of Nazianzus, wanted Gregory to come home and help him in his pastoral duties.

I have failed, I confess, to keep my promise. I had engaged even at Athens, at the time of our friendship and intimate connection there (for I can find no better word for it), to join you in a life of philosophy. But I failed to keep my promise, not of my own will, but because one law prevailed against another; I mean the law which bids us honour our parents overpowered the law of our friendship and intercourse. Yet I will not fail you altogether, if you will accept this offer. I shall be with you half the time, and half of it you will be with me, that we may have the whole in common, and that our friendship may be on equal terms; and so it will be arranged in such a way that my parents will not be grieved, and yet I shall gain you.

There is something quite nice about that letter. We have the the luxury of the knowledge that God was directing both their lives for God's own purposes. To our great benefit! In the two men Basil and Gregory, it must have seemed very different. They were going about their lives without the knowing they were to become Doctors of the Church. What's funny about that though, is that in the remaining letters between Basil and Gregory, they often misunderstood what the other one was saying. One would be joking, and the other wouldn't get it, so that required another round of letters saying, "I was only kidding." In short, it was a very human relationship.

So, with that part of his life aside, let's move on to what he did that got him the title "the Theologian," or my favorite, "the Christian Demosthenes." You can be sure he did his work at Church Councils such as the second ecumenical council, and the First Council of Constantinople, in 381.

About the same time Gregory is elevated to the Patriarch of Constantinople. About a year later he became so disgusted by the "schemes and intrigues" the always flourish around positions of power, he resigned.

I offer now a brief series of selections.

From Gregory's Funeral Oration for Basil. He talks about how he arranged for everyone to have so high an opinion of Basil that by the time they met him he was

Alone of those who had come to Athens to study he was exempted from the customary ceremonies of initiation. . . . Such was the prelude to our friendship, the kindling of that flame that was to bind us together.

The following is from a Sermon on God's Generosity.

To all earth's creatures he has given the broad earth, the springs, the rivers and the forests. He has given the air to the bireds, and the waters to those who live in water. He has given abundantly to all the basic needs of life, not as a private possession...as common to all, amply and in rich measure.

The list of Gregory's writings include Five Theological Orations, the Philocalia (excerpts from Origen), a joint effort with Basil compiling Origen's writings, and a poem called De Vita Sua. Beyond that he wrote a two-hundred and forty-three letters. He was also instrumental in defending against a heresy which denied that the Holy Spirit was equal with and to God.

The Curtain Falls; The Curtain Rises

I've been trying to buy a 2008 calendar to put on my prayer desk, something that will keep track of the liturgical day, color, feast, memorial (mandatory or optional), commemorations, or solemnity. Tonini's didn't have what I wanted. Hopefully, St. Joseph's will have a parish calendar I can get with no difficulty. And that's made me think about the liturgical year.

The church year is a road map for spiritual growth. Some of my earliest introduction to the old Roman Breviary was Fr. Pius Parsch, and his comments for each day, as well as each canonical hour. Now, Fr. Parsch is very dated, both in language and in view of God, but it must be said that he entered fully into the spiritual path of the liturgical year. I do not recall any book that developed the path of the liturgical year. (Hopefully someone will correct me if I'm wrong).

It makes sense that the first thing to do would be to pay especial attention to each day using all the material available, i.e., LOTH, Mass readings, Mystery of the Rosary, reading from the Church Father's, even the saint of the day. Then I suppose you interpret it all in light of the season's theme. A next step might be developing meditation topics for each day, as well as daily thematic summaries. Perhaps after that, a meditation topic, followed by a lectio suggestion.

I have no idea what any of this might lead to, but it's certainly going to be taking up some of my time. If anyone should be interested, write to me and we can talk about it.

Peace