Austin Hall Library

Small Beginnings and the Kingdom of Heaven

Today's Gospel reading is Matthew 13:31-35, which reduces to writing Jesus' teaching to his disciples on how the world is transformed into the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom "is like a mustard seed" that someone sows in a field, which starts small "and becomes a tree", and "like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of flour until all of it was leavened".

So it is with our own tiny efforts to speak and live the Gospel wherever we find ourselves. The effects take time, but slowly, perhaps imperceptibly at first, growth like nature out of control exceeds our imaginings. It is happening now, and has been for quite some time. It will continue unabated to the end of the age as earthly regimes come and go. "Let anyone with ears listen!"

At the recommendation of a friend, I purchased Universalis over the weekend and downloaded it to my iPhone and to my PC. It is a well-designed application for praying the Liturgy of the Hours--the official body of daily prayers prescribed by the Catholic Church to be recited at the canonical hours. Christians from the Western and Eastern traditions (Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican) celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours under various names. And, to my mild surprise, numerous Protestants from a variety of backgrounds other than Anglican appear to be using the Universalis application, as evidenced by comment threads I have seen.

For those interested in expanding and deepening their prayer lives, and reading and praying through the Holy Scriptures as it has been done since ancient times, I highly recommend the Liturgy of the Hours. And, now, with the creation of Universalis, one doesn't have to purchase multiple prayer books and master a complex system of moving from one text to another.

The Already Here Kingdom

An on-line friend was kind enough to forward me a courtesy copy of a book recently written by the pastor of his church. Written by Benjamin W. Miller, The Kingdom Has Drawn Near, is a treatment of the biblical concept of the Kingdom of God, which was originally delivered to parishioners in the form of four sermons preached on consecutive Sundays in 2008.

It is a short book, divided into four chapters, and presented from the perspective of classical Trinitarian orthodoxy, particularly as articulated by the Continental Reformed tradition. While the author is admittedly Calvinist, the influences of numerous thinkers from the Reformed tradition are evident throughout (e.g., Kuyper, Vos, et al.).

In short, The Kingdom Has Drawn Near, is a winsome and articulate scriptural defense of the idea that the Kingdom of God referred to in the Bible is a present reality. The contrary idea (e.g., that the kingdom is yet future) is unique in the Christian tradition to Protestantism, and Miller does a fine job of disputing that idea. Some parts of the book will be appreciated and embraced only by those of Calvinist conviction, but the author's deep respect for the authority of the Bible, careful analytical approach, and classical Trinitarian orthodoxy makes The Kingdom Has Drawn Near a devotional work worthy of serious consideration. It is available directly from Sensus Divinitatis Publishing.

Books That Clear Fog From the Soul

There is a great deal of discussion about cognitive dysfunction (also known as "brain fog") these days--experiences of mental confusion or lack of mental clarity. It is called "fog" because it feels like a cloud that reduces visibility or clarity.

The result of any number of factors, one underrated possibility is the condition of one's soul. Plato said, "A sensible man will remember that the eyes may be confused in two ways--by a change from light to darkness, or from darkness to light; and he will recognize that the same thing happens to the soul."

When confusion exists in the soul, the following books can help to clear the fog:

The Everlasting Man (by G.K. Chesterton) The soul must be touched, provoked, engaged before fog begins to lift. Chesterton's The Everlasting Man remains a great platform from which to provoke thought about the uniqueness of humans and to challenge those who embrace a materialist worldview (most moderns). This is the book C.S. Lewis credited with "baptising" his intellect, and the book he called the "best popular apologetic I know". Avoid the recent Wilder Publications edition (pictured in this link). It is poorly edited.

Orthodoxy (by G.K. Chesterton) Written by "The Apostle of Common Sense", this book is an excellent place to start to address the questions of modernity and faith. This entertaining and enchanting book is for anyone who has, or has ever had, an ounce of foggy skepticism in them.

On the Incarnation: De Incarnatione Verbi De (by St. Athanasius) This fourth century masterpiece (make sure to acquire the translation with C.S. Lewis' Introduction) cogently addresses the foundational and stunning truth that God came to earth in human flesh. Many foggy ideas about God and man can be made clear from this starting point.

Mere Christianity (by C.S. Lewis) A simple and popular defense of traditional theism (in Christian form), logically presented and beautifully expressed. Lewis, a Protestant (Anglican), and one of the great modern thinkers and communicators, succeeded in presenting a clear exposition of revealed truth common to, and profitable for, all faithful Christians. This book is not a technical and exhaustive treatment of any subject, but it is a popularly written book that has proven an effective fog-lifter for scores of confused people for decades.

Theology for Beginners (by F.J. Sheed) This is perhaps the best introductory book on Catholic theology in print. Simply and clearly written by a Catholic street evangelist familiar with every question and challenge to Catholic teaching, it is a clarifying delight to read. It is valuable, and perhaps enlightening, for Protestants and other people of good will to read as well. 

Authenticity: A Biblical Theology of Discernment (by Fr. Thomas Dubay) A deeply insightful look at very practical subjects--prayer and discernment, and the danger of self-deception.

This Tremendous Lover (by M. Eugene Boylan) A spiritual classic that will deepen faith and provide practical guidance on living a devout Christian life. Written by a Trappist monk and dealing specifically with life in the Catholic Church, this book will best be appreciated by Catholics, but profitable for all ecumenically-minded Christians. 

Two Thousand Years of Revelation, History, and Tradition Down the Drain

  I had no idea.

A Short List of Insightful Blogs About Faith

The blogosphere is filled these days with astute commentary on theology and religion. While numerous blogs could be highlighted for the quality of the writing and commentary, among my favorites in specific categories are:

American Papist: Not Your Average Catholic (For commentary and analysis on current events of interest to Catholics and others--written by Thomas Peters, a lay Catholic graduate theology student in Washington, D.C.)

Principium Unitatis ("A blog dedicated to the reunion of all Christians"--written by Bryan Cross, a very fine thinker and philosophy PhD student)

Glory to God for All Things (An award winning blog with in-depth content written by an Orthodox priest)

InternetMonk.com ("Dispatches from the post evangelical wilderness"--written by Michael Spencer, a rigorous and thoughtful Protestant (Baptist) minister who has published some insightful commentary on the future of evangelicalism)

He is Coming

"Today you will know the Lord is coming, and in the morning you will see his glory."

(The Invitatory antiphon for the Morning Office, December 24, 2008)

Come Be My Light

Alice Thomas Ellis said: "Highly coloured sentimentality is a more comforting response to death than acceptance of the stark facts and it was easier to mourn the demise of the Princess of Wales than contemplate the life of Mother Teresa, which might have caused us to examine our consciences."

If, however, one is in the mood to examine one's conscience, I recommend Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light, which consists primarily of correspondence between Mother Teresa and her confessors over a sixty-six year period. The correspondence was preserved against her wishes and chronicles her candid "dark night of the soul"--her lengthy and agonizing doubts about God's presence and favor. It may not be comforting, but it is a stark fact that great saints, like some of us, have struggled with their faith. Curiously, however, we mourn the death of the Princess of Wales because she is seen as "one of us," and we recoil from contemplating the life of Mother Teresa because she is beyond our comprehension, or perhaps, her life in the midst of poverty, suffering, and doubts, causes us to examine our own consciences. Here is the way Mother Teresa closed one of her letters to a priest who served as her confessor: "I pray for you that you let Jesus use you without consulting you. Do the same for me." 

C.S. Lewis and Faith

I awoke to thoughts on the writings of C.S. Lewis--for no apparent reason. His Abolition of Man had a significant impact on my thought. It is the book I most often recommend by Lewis. The series of short lectures do not make up a work of academic philosophy, but they do accurately describe the loss of any objective transcendent moral standards in modern man, substituted for the most part by mere statements of subjective feeling. Contrary to the opinions of some, the book is not an apologetic for Christianity. Rather, it is a subtle and popular treatment of principles engraved upon the hearts of all men, whether outwardly "religious" or not.

As for Lewis's faith, he said he came to believe Christianity was true by the   usual combination of authority, reason, and experience. He indicated that he decided to accept the authority of many wise people in different times and places who taught the reality of the spiritual world. And, his reason eventually convinced him that it was more far-fetched to cling to his materialism than to believe in a spiritual reality. He believed feelings alone were totally inadequate reasons to accept or reject anything as true. The practical purpose of faith, according to Lewis, is to retain our hold upon the truth that seems irresistible and obvious during times of special grace, but which seems more or less unclear at ordinary times (Kathryn Lindskoog's observation about Lewis).

On the Locus of Hell

By the way, I happen to love Washington, D.C. (see this post). I find it compulsively stimulating and exciting. "Hell", as I use the term in my previous post is, after all, not a location, and it is not transparently grotesque or unattractive. On the contrary, at some level it presents itself to our senses as charming, attractive, even alluring. It is not at all the failure to get what one loves. It is getting what one loves only to discover too late that one has loved the wrong thing.

What Happened to Advent?

Joseph Bottum, editor of First Things, has a short piece in the most recent issue of that journal on the secularization of Advent. It is well worth reading. Here is the introductory paragraph:

"Christmas has devoured Advent, gobbled it up with the turkey giblets and the goblets of seasonal ale. Every secularized holiday, of course, tends to lose the context it had in the liturgical year. Across the nation, even in many churches, Easter has hopped across Lent, Halloween has frightened away All Saints, and New Year's has drunk up Epiphany."

We entered yesterday all over the world the four-week period of preparation and hope that begins the liturgical year. This special season, along with Lent, is important to counteract the numbness brought about by the sedatives of modern life.