Catholic Thought discussion

I just created this topic because I really don't know where to place an article that I'd recommend.

This article by Derya Little is absolutely super and frankly a must read by every Christian woman, but I would stretch that and say every woman. It's titled "The One answer to the ancient and continuing bondage of women." It has a subtitle (or is that a summary paragraph): "Questions have always surrounded the female sex, while the only answer and its bearer often got lost in the sea of voices. In order to make the woman become more acceptable, different tools were invented. Tools of bondage; tools of oppression."

It is the best article I have ever read on the subject, summing up the entire history of women's oppression and why I think Christianity of all the major cultures in the world has been the outlet from which women's liberation has occurred. The article was published in the World Catholic Report, and you can find it here:
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2...

By the way, if you've never heard of Derya Little, she's a convert from Islam through atheism, and her book detailing her spiritual journey From Islam to Christ: One Woman's Path through the Riddles of God is a stunning read. I highly recommend it.

This article is all Catholic Thought members should read. It articulates my vision for this book club. The article is "The intellectual appeal of Catholicism" by David G. Bonagura, Jr. published in The Catholic World Report.

The article makes the case for the intellectual side of Catholicism. Perhaps this is the heart of the article:

When St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the “varieties of spiritual gifts,” he noted how, with whatever gift they have received, believers can work for the common good. What he did not mention is how these gifts work inwardly to transform the recipients’ souls through the Spirit. The first two gifts Paul mentions are wisdom and knowledge—two of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit—which are given in baptism and strengthened in confirmation.

Of course, not every wise or knowledgeable person burns with a zealous faith; far from it. Nor, for that matter, is every saint endowed with uncanny intellectual gifts—Joan of Arc, John Vianney, Andre Bessett, to name but three, have proven that personal holiness, and not personal IQ, is most pleasing to God.

But for certain Catholics, the wisdom and knowledge alive in our beautifully compelling Catholic intellectual tradition speak intimately to their souls and inspire in them a deeper love of the Lord. Why can a heady book by a Newman or a Ratzinger have such a transformative effect on one’s faith and practice? And why do so many converts “read their way into the Church”?

Faith, the assent of the mind to God and His revelation, is an intellectual virtue. All those who have been blessed with faith use their intellect to know God, but not all are attracted to faith through the life of the mind.

You can read the entire article here:
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2...

Catholic Thought book club I hope is a means for those who want to explore the intellectual side of Catholicism.

The article mentions and quotes from The Intellectual Life: Its Spirit, Conditions, Methods by A, G. Sertillanges, O.P., a book I have on my bookshelf and occasionally open to find some brilliant nugget of wisdom. I would love to read that book here on the book club one day. I highly recommend it.

Absolutely, I love this approach toward greater familiarity with our God, with our love of Him. I don’t add it to Books I’m Currently Reading, because I tend to toy with her writings in bits to chew on, but Edith Stein! …. Another convert who read Teresa of Avila, and knew. BTW, her book on Women is a must read.

Bishop Robert Barron writes about Edith Stein, unforgettably, in his book Catholicism:

‘’There is a report from a German soldier who was making his way to the Russian front. On August 7 he was
on the train platform in Breslau, Edith Stein’s hometown, when a train pulled up, filled with people packed together like animals. When the door slid open, the young man was practically overcome by the stench. Then a woman appeared in the characteristic habit of the Carmelites. She commented to the soldier on the terrible conditions on the train and then, looking about wistfully, said, ‘This is my beloved hometown. I will never see it again.’ Many years later this former soldier saw a photograph of Edith Stein and identified her as the nun he had met that day.’’

On the same page, above the print, is a photo of the site of Edith Stein’s death at Auschwitz.

I absolutely love her! She is Saint Teresa Benedict’s of the Cross. Edith Stein.

Yesterday was the feast day of Thérèse of Lisieux. I read a great article from a person who has mixed feelings for Thérèse's book Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/what...

The article is a little on the long side, but pretty interesting. It brings out her positives and negatives. The article will make you either want to read her book or decide against reading her book. I'm not sure how I feel now. But I do love the idea of Thérèse's "little way."

The Word On Fire Institute reported that so many people responded to Bishop Barron’s invitation to virtually attend his Mass for the feast of St. Therese that it crashed the servers!

Now I haven't read the article, too busy canning tomato sauce at the moment :) ,but I read her book a few years ago, and found it fascinating. Here you have this young girl who has these incredible insights far, far ahead of her age. The book is definitely worth reading.

Kerstin wrote: "Now I haven't read the article, too busy canning tomato sauce at the moment :) ,but I read her book a few years ago, and found it fascinating. Here you have this young girl who has these incredible..."

You can tomato sauce, Kerstin? I thought only we Italians did that. My family had done it for years. We had enough jars to last us all year long. We only stopped a few years ago with my father passing on and my mother in her eighties.

I do :) I have 16 pints, probably not enough to satisfy an Italian family, but for us it is plenty - I think. This is the first year I made it. I have more experience making jellies, putting up cherries in brandy or fermenting sauerkraut or cucumbers for pickles.

Kerstin wrote: "I do :) I have 16 pints, probably not enough to satisfy an Italian family, but for us it is plenty - I think. This is the first year I made it. I have more experience making jellies, putting up che..."

Typical for us was anywhere from 100 to 130 quarts per year. ;)

Lol! I can't compete with the professionals!
Golly, that's easily 500 lbs. of tomatoes!! Thinking out loud, if you have 50 plants and get 10 pounds each in a good year... or you buy from a farm nearby :)

I’m lost. Somehow, I wandered onto the Food Channel. 😊

Kerstin wrote: "Lol! I can't compete with the professionals!
Golly, that's easily 500 lbs. of tomatoes!! Thinking out loud, if you have 50 plants and get 10 pounds each in a good year... or you buy from a farm ne..."

I think we used to buy 12 to 15 bushels of tomatoes. A bushel must have weighed at least 40 pounds. So yeah it probably came to about 500 lbs of tomatoes. Trucks used to come to the neighborhoods from the farms selling bushels. Here's an article on a family from Staten Island. Now these guys were professionals!
https://www.silive.com/gracelyn/2020/...

It's the both/and of Catholicism. You feed both spirit and body!

Manny wrote: " Trucks used to come to the neighborhoods from the farms selling bushels. Here's an article on a family from Staten Island. Now these guys were professionals!
https://www.silive.com/gracelyn/2020/..."

If this isn't Catholicism at work, I don't know what is! A family in multiple generations working together to keep tradition alive. Beautiful!

Of course it is. I hope you know I was only teasing. 🥰

Oh yes :)

Story of a Soul can be best understood in the Study Edition with its great background information..

Donna wrote: "Story of a Soul can be best understood in the Study Edition with its great background information.."

Thanks Donna. I'll have to look for that.

I found this a worthy article at Crises Magazine: "Is Scott Hahn a Fundamentalist?" Eric Sammons does a superb job shooting down this negative book on Scott Hahn. Even though I was a cradle Catholic already, Scott Hahn had a great influence on my return. I admire him dearly. Scott Hahn is everything that is right with the Church. No wonder certain non-traditional factions in the Church want to take him down. How dare they.
https://www.crisismagazine.com/2021/i...

What makes Hahn so formidable is that he is such a towering intellect and they can't beat him. He is quite a stumbling block for the modernists.

I came across an article for an upcoming publication of a new book by Joseph Pearce: Benedict XVI: An Apology. It's not on Goodreads yet since it hasn't been published yet, but what a great subject by a great Catholic biographer. The article is actually an excerpt from the book's introduction, and here are two paragraphs that capture the intent of the book:

Having made an apology for the inadequacy of this volume in the explanation of what it isn’t, I’d like to conclude these introductory remarks by declaiming unapologetically what it is, or at least what it is intended to be. However inadequate, it shares the same laudable goal as Chesterton’s Aquinas, which, Chesterton wrote, “makes no pretense to be anything but a popular sketch of a great historical character who ought to be more popular.” My goal is the same as Chesterton’s. I wish the following book to be a popular and accessible sketch of a great historical figure, in my judgment one of the greatest popes in the Church’s history, who ought to be more popular. Beyond this simple goal, it makes no pretenses whatsoever.

The ultimate justification for this book is that it is an apology in the other and better sense of the word. It is an apologia, a spirited and heartfelt defense of Pope Benedict’s words and works, a tribute to his life and legacy, a homage to his sanity and sanctity. It is a vigorous defense of a rigorous and vigorous defender of the Faith. For this, at least, I make no apology because no apology is necessary.

Here's the link to the article in the Catholic World Report:
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2...

That's exactly how I feel about Pope BXVI! He's my beloved pope. I intend to read this book. Perhaps the book club can vote it in as a read also.

This is such a great read: "Have Yourself a Sad and Lifeless Christmas: Christmas for the 17th-century Puritans was a miserable affair, set in strong opposition to the joyful customs of the Continental Catholics"

It shows how the Puritans tried to stamp out Christmas festivities, but ultimately Catholic feast replaced it in the English speaking world. From Catholic Answers, here's the link:
https://www.catholic.com/magazine/onl...

Thank you Manny. Merry Christmas!

I'd like to read more of Pearce, and about Benedict. Thank you, Manny, for the recommendation. And Merry Christmas to all in this group!

Ah, Fulton Sheen had such great aphorisms!

We should keep in mind Fulton Sheen’s notion about what distinguishes the Puritan from the Catholic. He said the Puritan attitude is, “First comes the feast, then comes the hangover.” The Catholic attitude is, “First comes the fast, then comes the feast.”

We are still very much in the Puritan mindset. Advent is now a pre-Christmas taken up by various parties aside from the endless rushing around, then comes the big day, and many take down all the decorations before you ring in the New Year. After all, the house has to be "put together" again, a hangover indeed.
In contrast, think of the twelve days of Christmas in days of old. First was the contemplative but joyful preparation of Advent, and then twelve, twelve! days of rejoicing and merriment befitting the one and only Savior. In our Catholic circles we need to revive the proper sequence of fasting and feasting.

Kerstin wrote: We are still very much in the Puritan mindset.

I think the United States is rooted in two opposing mindsets: the puritanical and the bacchanal...lol. We Catholics need to teach them that you can have a good time without overindulging.

Singing with the choir on this! Our simple outdoor holiday lights include a large white star. There was something poignant and holy about it being the brightest light in my cul-de-sac from Jan. 1 through Jan. 6, after all the other houses had taken down their decorations.

It's weird how the secular Christmas frenzy starts in October?September? and ends Dec. 25. My Greek Orthodox brother (a convert) and his family are blessed to be free of the secular chaos as they observe the final days of Advent and celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7.

Manny wrote: "I came across an article for an upcoming publication of a new book by Joseph Pearce: Benedict XVI: An Apology. It's not on Goodreads yet since it hasn't been published yet, but what a great subject..."

I sometimes think Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will be more appreciated by later generations. I think highly of him. Am slowly working my way through his Jesus of Nazareth series. The pages are so full of wisdom. I look forward to reading the Pearce book.

Gerri wrote: "Singing with the choir on this! Our simple outdoor holiday lights include a large white star. There was something poignant and holy about it being the brightest light in my cul-de-sac from Jan. 1 t..."

Our tree is still up :-)
Traditionally in the Roman Rite the decorations are taken down after Epiphany, Jan 6th (the real day, not the US surrender), but I have a hard time every year to let go, lol.

This is sad. It's the leaving of Catholics in whole sale in South America.

https://catholicvote.org/wsj-column-p...

I don’t know if Pope Francis could have done anything different to change this. I’ve met Latin Americans that have left for Protestantism and they just don’t want to be Catholic. I think they identify Protestantism with becoming upscale and modern. Perhaps this is why Pope Francis is so anti TLM. He might feel that’s just the opposite of where Latin America wants to go. Pentecostalism is almost just the opposite of TLM. Still the Pope’s emphasis on climate change isn’t what they want to hear.

Anyone who has any insight or personal experience on this, I'd welcome your thoughts.

I think it is the same malady all over: lack of teaching and internalizing proper reverence for the Eucharist. Nobody who has sincere reverence and love for the Eucharist will ever leave the Church. There is no greater connection to Christ than through the Eucharist. They may side-step into TLM or even Christian Orthodoxy if modernists do too much damage, but they won't abandon the Eucharist.

Pope Francis occupies himself very much with secondary issues, such as climate change, economic inequalities, etc. The primary purpose of the papal office, however, is to bring people to Christ, to encourage personal holiness, to show the path to salvation.

This is a recommended video, not an article, but I figured this was the best place to share it. It's especially fitting because I just finished reading the fascinating final Magi comments (Chapter 12, Conclusion, Epilogue). Transcendence is what comes to mind when listening to this version of Ubi Caritas:
https://youtu.be/oCQOXY-FWTk

Absolutely astounding!
If we got to sing in choir stuff like this we'd have full churches...just saying...

Hear! Hear!

That was beautiful Gerri.

YouTube finally accepted that I like chant, classical and sacred music and dislike hip-hop, K-pop, rap and most "popular" music. They occasionally toss me crumbs of videos to my liking. Here's the same group singing Ava Maria - https://youtu.be/dRzI8y-EJJ0

Gerri wrote: "YouTube finally accepted that I like chant, classical and sacred music and dislike hip-hop, K-pop, rap and most "popular" music. They occasionally toss me crumbs of videos to my liking. Here's the ..."

How do you sign up for such videos? I normally have to search them out myself.

This is a fascinating article: "The Religious Nature of the City" by Chad Pecknold. I've never heard of him but really this is excellent. It's long and a good part of it references St. Augustine's City of God which we have been reading as a long term read. So if you have read or have been reading City of God you will definitely find this interesting, both in understanding Augustine's work and in understanding the problems of the modern world.

https://postliberalorder.substack.com...

Manny wrote: "How do you sign up for such videos?..."

I haven't really figured it out, Manny. I subscribe to channels like DeMontfort Music when I stumble across them - usually by doing a search within YouTube after learning of them outside YouTube. Sometimes I do general searches for Gregorian chant or whatever type of music I'm seeking at the time. But neither of those actions produces a lot of similar video choices on my home page. On the other hand, if I watch something on - say - everyday fashion in the 15th century, my home page fills up with related content.

I've heard results are better if you click the notifcation bell after subscribing to a channel. But I don't like endless streams of notifications. I rarely turn them on in any social media.

Thank you Gerri. I sign up for endless subscription of emails and they just flood my inbox. I know how that is.

Gerri wrote: "This is a recommended video, not an article, but I figured this was the best place to share it. It's especially fitting because I just finished reading the fascinating final Magi comments (Chapter ..."

Gerri, that was beautiful!

Lisa wrote: "Gerri, that was beautiful!"

I thought so, too, Lisa. I'm glad you liked it.

Amy Coney Barrett
I recommend reading a surprisingly fair article on the newest member of the Supreme Court in the current issue of The New Yorker, February 14 & 21 Issue. It is available on-line:
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...

It manages to tell a fascinating and amazing story of her personal life and career, if you can overlook and bypass the magazine’s usual narrow-minded slights.

Galicius wrote: "Amy Coney Barrett
I recommend reading a surprisingly fair article on the newest member of the Supreme Court in the current issue of The New Yorker, February 14 & 21 Issue. It is available on-line:
..."

I did not read the entire article. It was too long. I read about half. But I have to disagree that it was fair. The title alone should tell you its bias: "Amy Coney Barrett’s Long Game
The newest Supreme Court Justice isn’t just another conservative—she’s the product of a Christian legal movement that is intent on remaking America.."

""Intent on remaking America" is not a job of a judge. (1) That is saying she has an agenda and therefore not a good judge. (2) These and throughout the article, it is language that sends fears down Liberals. Everything about the article to me is saying she is an activist conservative that will not read the law fairly but promote her agenda. Even "her long game" in the title implies she is plotting and scheming.

Manny wrote: "Galicius wrote: "Amy Coney Barrett
I recommend reading a surprisingly fair article on the newest member of the Supreme Court in the current issue of The New Yorker, February 14 & 21 Issue. It is av..."

You would have been more upset by the magazine’s politics in the second half of the article. I was too. What I was impressed by was Judge Barret’s personal life and previous experience. I should have been more specific. The magazine’s politics is no doubt to the extreme left, if that is how it can be described. Lines such as “draconian anti-abortion law in Texas” “A majority of Americans want to keep abortion legal, but the Justices may well overturn Roe anyway” (p. 47) show that very well. “Majority of Americans”? Where is this information from? There were dozens of surveys on this issue over the last decades and they do not support that statement, rather the opposite.

Many years ago I subscribed to The New Yorker but it's politics drove me out. Keeping it legal is different than have it as essentially a constitutional mandate. That's where the left blurs the issue. Abortion is not a fundamental right and therefore each state can determine whether it should be legal. Roe v Wade needs to be overturned. Keeping it legal is a local issue, not a federal mandated issue.

Yes, I have been impressed with Barret's life story too.

This is an excellent article on the "Liturgy Wars". It's pretty much how I feel. Here's a quote:

"The split that has developed since has been between those who are convinced that everything should change – the old joke about Masses in the 1970s was “everything changes but the bread and wine” – and those who are determined nothing should change. I have little patience for those who claim that “folk Mass,” Modernist churches, and gather-and-praise songs are “for the kids,” since anyone who talks to “the kids” knows that they find these things old-fashioned, uninspiring, and hopelessly “lame.” And yet, it’s also not clear to me that Catholics can keep doing exactly the same thing as before the Council and claim to be faithful to the Council’s intentions for reform."

I am with the author who prefers a reverent Novis Ordo. Worth a read here:
https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2022...

This is a super article by Marcus Grodi of The Journey Home program and The Coming Home Network. It explains the concept of justification and why it's not by faith alone as some Protestants claim:

https://marcusgrodi.com/2022/03/03/sa...

What makes so interesting is that he creates this "parable of the Board Game."