Regarding Dwarves and Giants

"Bernard of Chartres used to say that we are like dwarfs on the shoulders of giants, so that we can see more than they, and things at a greater distance, not by virtue of any sharpness of sight on our part, or any physical distinction, but because we are carried high and raised up by their giant size."
                                                      ~ John of Salisbury, "Metalogicon"

Before I go too far along with this blog, I want to say a few words about its title, as it expresses a conviction about knowledge and life that is rather central to me. The phrase "on the shoulders of giants" comes from the above quote and, as you can see, expresses the view that any insight later ages possess comes from the monumental work and vision of those who came before.

This view is one that is especially important in my own life, in both a Catholic and more natural sense. As a Catholic, I am struck by the fact that I am an inheritor of a great Tradition. So many men and women who have come before me bore this Tradition, this Gospel, throughout the years of history. Today, especially, is an important day to remember that since it is the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul. Peter and Paul, two incredibly strong men, sacrificed everything they had, their very lives, for the Gospel that was given to them. As Catholics, we stand on their shoulders. Through their faith and work, the small fledgling Church got off the ground. They gave so much out of love for Christ, and out of love for us. It's amazing to think how many blessings we owe to them, blessings that we are now charged to keep safe and give to future generations.

Of course, there are so many more men within the Church that I feel close to. Great thinkers such as St. Augustine, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, and St. Thomas Aquinas have had such an impact on my own thinking. When I write on this blog, I hope to stand on these men's shoulders and not betray the vision they have passed on to me, though I know in my weakness I am bound to from time to time. Saints like Therese of Lisieux, John the Apostle, and Padre Pio have helped form my love of God. And of course, there are so many more saints praying for me who I don't even know! The Communion of Saints is such a living thing, and we have our place in it. We are part of community that quite truthfully spans the halls of time.

On a more human side, I always try to remember the men and women in my own family who came before me. My parents and grandparents are easy to think of since I know them, and I know more intimately the sacrifices they have made so that I might live, and live well. But my mind goes back to all those family members that came before them that I don't know. When I graduated from high school, my Grandma McMenamin gave me a small metal cross about a foot high. It looked old and a little bent up, and it appeared to be changing color in a few places. Grandma told me that this cross had come across the Atlantic from Ireland with my Grandfathers relatives. It still strikes me when I look at it to think of those men and women from over a hundred years ago, gathered around that cross in prayer. I owe my faith to them, I owe it to their relationships with Christ, and I pray that they are now enjoying His company for all ages!

My point is, we are not alone in this travel through time. It seems like the present age would like to think of itself as springing fully grown from nowhere - owing nothing to the past generations. However, in reality we do owe so much to them. There have been so many truly wise men to come before us, and it is quite literally discriminatory to consider their views wrong because they are "antique", "old fashioned" or "medieval". We are truly dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants, and if we chose to jump off, we will certainly lose our view of reality (and perhaps our very lives, since these giants are tall). It's my goal to always ride these shoulders.

New York, Modernity, and Christian Citizenship

So, the state of New York has opened up marriage to homosexual couples, and I'm left thinking "How should a Christian respond to this?" Disgust should certainly be there. We should be disgusted when the state sanctions and glorifies an intrinsically disordered act. We should weep that the state is teaching people that sexuality is purely about themselves, about the couple, when in fact this is a cheapening of sexuality. We should be upset that the nature of sexuality as procreative love is so derided and debased in our culture.

However, I find it really easy to be disgusted. What I mean is, it seems like it's very easy for us Catholics to simply be upset about the current state of affairs. When I hear of losses in the culture wars, I can become down and depressed and just stay there. While repugnance of sin is certainly necessary for the spiritual life, its not enough.

This decision to allow gay marriage in New York is a chance to turn back once again to Christ. It's a chance for us, His followers, to ask the important questions "Why do we want the culture to be Catholic? Why is the acceptance and glorification of homosexuality against this?"

We are living in a post-Christian culture. The moral traditions of thousands of years have already crumbled, so it should come as no surprise when this culture glorifies something disordered. As Catholics, as Christians, we are living in a culture that is not really our own. I feel like this is something I tend to forget. Sometimes I lose sight of Our Lord and hope for a Catholic culture just so that I can be in the majority again. It's very easy to look around at all the entertainment and material goods our culture can give and forget that Our Lord has said we are not of this world. But when something like this happens, something that wasn't inevitable but was a logical conclusion of so much that came before, we are reminded of our citizenship in another world and another order.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we definitely all strive to spread his gospel. Like St. Andrew in John's Gospel, we are called to meet Christ in a personal relationship and then introduce others to this relationship. The real reason we hope to restore a Catholic culture to the world is not simply so we'll be in the majority again, but so that the culture of the future will be more conducive to a relationship with Christ. I find that to be the real tragedy of a state accepting gay marriage: it teaches people falsehoods about themselves that inhibit a relationship with the Truth. It teaches people that their sexuality is purely about themselves, rather than the truth that it is about others. It teaches people to turn inwards and enjoy what they have now, rather than to put themselves aside. If people are constantly turned in on themselves, they do not turn their eyes outward to gaze on Christ.

If our hope is for a culture conducive to loving Christ, we must first love Him and speak to Him ourselves. We need to speak with Him, trust Him, and confidently ask Him to pour forth His love into the hearts of our fellow countrymen. In short, we must all pray. Christ is the one that provides the victory, not us. The evil of the homosexual agenda is too strong to be defeated by any other means. It is like the demon that threw the boy in Matthew's Gospel into fire and water, "this kind never comes out except by prayer and fasting." Mt. 17:21. 

Ah, glorious Summer

A remarkable thing happened this past Tuesday - Summer began. Indeed, since it was a slow news day, major news outlets were full of explanations as to why June 21st was the beginning of Summer. They lucidly explained that on June 21st the sun would reach its highest point in the sky at precisely 1:16 pm EDT, and in fact would be directly overhead on the Tropic of Cancer at that point. Hogwash.

I have to laugh when I hear these reports on the two solstices and two equinoxes during the year. They always seem to imply that seasons and time are measured by the scientists, like all things in life. For most real people, though, Summer started many weeks ago, because in reality life is not ruled by scientific definitions. For my wife Liz and I, summer started on Memorial Day weekend. That weekend we attended a wedding, went to the subsequent outdoor reception, grilled burgers at my best man's house, enjoyed alcoholic drinks with lime (Corona's and GT's, a particular favorite of Liz), and stayed out late so that we could drive home when it was cooler. These are the sort of things that truly define Summer, not the analytical definitions of science.

For us, Summer is about outdoor picnics with family and friends. It's about getting outside just because you can. Liz has recently started taking our son Alan out on walks in the afternoon. Its a chance for her to enjoy the weather, stretch the legs, and breath in some fresh air. For his own part, Alan is a little man who truly understands Summer. He's fascinated by the outside and never grows weary of all the splendors of nature. His always naps underneath the wide open skies, and when he comes in he is immediately ready to eat.

A truly wise young man! Food is an especially important part of Summer. While philosophically I espouse a local view of food consumption, I do not always follow my intellectual convictions. The lime, for instance, being God's fruit for Summer, should be mass distributed in a good society. Summer calls for limes in the same way that Fall calls for apples. It is truly Summer when you can enjoy an alcoholic drink with lime. At all other times of the year, the lime seems out of place. Ah, but in the Summer, it is the most necessary ingredient! It always feels wrong to drink a Corona in Summer without lime. Sometimes extraordinary circumstances call for such a sacrifice, like when your friend has several Coronas left in the fridge but has made the fatal mistake of running out of lime. At such times, the demands of friendship are rigorous. At all other times, the demands of Summer for limes should take precedence.

All said, then, Summer is a time for truly vigorous living. If Spring is the dawn of life, and Fall is its consummation, Summer is that season where life is truly itself. It is that time of year where God tells you to rejoice, work, pray and love. It's the time for weddings, barbecues, late nights and adventures. Winter and its focus on the home, the hearth and the family will come. Now is the time to rejoice in God's amazing creation! And such an amazing gift it is.

The Antithesis of Ennui

I'm currently re-reading John Senior's the death of Christian Culture. For anyone who hasn't read it, I definitely encourage you to pick it up since Senior has a true mastery of contemporary thought (well, somewhat contemporary, the book was first published in 1978). Among the many topics that Senior tackles in his book is the subject of ennui. Very early on (which tells you how far I've gotten through it so far) Senior identifies ennui as one of the key characteristics of the modern age.

Indeed, it seems this boredom with the world is everywhere we look, and not just in the non-Catholic circles. So many people today seem to have a "weariness" or, as Senior describes it, a "nausea" when it comes to life. I know that I experience this. There are days where I feel like doing the same old thing is just tiresome. Working, doing dishes, paying bills, it all seems to take its toll. I look back at my college days, filled with so little responsibility and so much fun, and I think, "Wow, being fully grown-up now is boring."

Of course, this isn't what I really think of my life. Starting a family has been the greatest thing to ever happen to me. It's a constant source of joy and thanksgiving. But it struck me as I was reading Senior's work that the antithesis to ennui was exactly what I find in my family: the joys of day to day life. Ennui is rooted in a disgust of being, in a disgust of existence. But most especially, it seems to be a disgust in the every day existence. The ennui-infected modern age flees from the every day to look for the extraordinary. It is in constant search of the new and exciting experience.

True joy, though, is not found in life's new and fleeting experiences, but is found rather in the living out of the daily experience. All the things that matter most to us - God, Church, family, friends, community - are experienced mostly in daily living. An archetype for truly human and Christian daily living is found in the "hidden" years of Christ's life. For 30 years Jesus lived, worked, loved, and prayed the daily life. Our Savior spent this time rejoicing in creation, rejoicing in the ordinary. These years of Our Savior's life were the complete antithesis to ennui and to the resulting perpetual search for the new. He spent such a large portion of his life doing his daily duty, and we can hardly think that this time was wasted. I, at least, am often tempted to think these years were purely a preparation, like he was in a waiting room for 30 years before beginning his public ministry. No, he must have truly lived out human existence during this time.

I think its important to remember this. I know it is for me - doing many of the same things day in and day out. Our Lord's first 30 years of life remind me that I need to cultivate this spirit of joy in the everyday. I have my moments where I believe I do in fact accomplish this, but this type of living is something that is a continual commitment. Indeed, I think it has to be a daily commitment, one that is rooted in a relationship with Jesus Christ. All of us Catholics, myself especially, need to live in that house in Nazareth on a day to day basis. This truly Christian life is so very opposed to ennui.

A New Experiment

So here we are, in a digital age.

For many of us Catholics, we're not exactly sure how this whole "digital age" thing happened. We feel as if we were going along in our daily lives and suddenly we found ourselves plugged in to Facebook, twitter, e-mail, YouTube, Hulu and a thousand other services. Even though I'm very young (24), I still remember the days before internet, before unlimited and constant connectivity. I only got a cell phone 2 years ago.

And so, like many Catholics and like many people in general, I find that the place of internet in my life is still a new one. The internet, unlike God, family, work, and leisure, still needs to find exactly where it fits in. Is it something purely for entertainment? Information? News? I'm still not sure.

What I do know, though, is that it's literally changed everything. In fact, I'm not sure there's any going back (unless something absolutely catastrophic happens). It appears that this whole internet thing is here to stick around, not just as a small hobby, but as an essential part of people's lives. Indeed, our Holy Father, in his message for the 45th World Communications Day, says as much: "It is an ever more commonly held opinion that, just as the Industrial Revolution in its day brought about a profound transformation in society by the modifications it introduced into the cycles of production and lives of workers, so today the radical changes taking place in communications are guiding significant cultural and social developments...I would like then to invite Christians confidently and with an informed and responsible creativity, to join the network of relationships which the digital era has made possible. This is not simply to satisfy the desire to be present, but because this network is an integral part of human life."

So, this blog will be my attempt to answer the Holy Father's call for digital living. Before this, I've never really been able to maintain a presence online. Sure, I have Facebook and e-mail, but I'm sure several of my friends could tell you I'm terrible at actually responding to things. Further, I don't really share any of myself. Most of my activity is limited to solely posting the occasional article I find interesting. But Benedict says, "To proclaim the Gospel through the new media means not only to insert expressly religious content into different media platforms, but also to witness consistently, in one's digital profile and in the way one communicates choices, preferences, and judgements."

Hopefully, then, this blog will be the beginning of something. Its my mission to share with you, the mysterious and unknown digital reader, more than just philosophical thoughts. Hopefully, we can find wisdom and truth through the communication this tool affords.

That's what this is. A new experiment.