Catholic Saint Taught Evolution... Before 400 AD

This may sound like a title to an Eye of the Tiber article... but it is actually true! I am working on a 20 page research paper for my philosophy class titled Creation Ex Nihilo and I have learned many things in the process. The most astounding was that Saint Gregory of Nyssa, who died around 395 AD taught that creation didn't necessarily mean that everything in the world as we know it was created directly upon the moment of creation. Rather, he taught that all matter (and the supernatural) was created at the moment of creation and that the form of later results was impressed upon it. The world was to develop and, through the laws of nature which God established, what He willed to come about later would do so.

It doesn't end there!! Saint Augustine took this even further and put it more succinctly than any modern scientist, who despite their enormous wealth of scientific knowledge, could not explain better, "The waters, at the bidding of the Creator, produced the first swimming creatures and fowl, and that the earth brought forth the first buds after their kind, and the first living creatures after their kind," as well as, "suitable combinations of circumstances were wanting, whereby they might be enabled to burst forth and complete their species.” Seriously. This is evolution. Taught by the great Saint Augustine! In his commentary on Genesis, he explains that when it says, "Let the earth bring forth vegetation," it means that plants were created potentially and not immediately. And this is exactly what science discovered, over a millennium later.

On the Origin of Species was published in 1859. #goCatholicism #hipsters

I have only ruined the beautiful punchline of my (hopefully) soon to be twenty page paper on how one can accept both evolution and the dogma of creation ex nihilo (out of nothing). There is so much more to be said (obviously, I'd say at least 20 pages worth), and I am not trying to say all of that in this meager blog post. I just thought that this little tidbit of the whole story is so fantastic that I had to share! If somebody wants a more in-depth look at it, I'd be happy to share my long paper when it is done... or read Father John Zahm's book Evolution and Dogma which is the main text that I am using. He was a physics professor and priest at the University of Notre Dame and published his book at the very end of the 19th century.

Ave Crux, Spes Unica

Greatest Beard Joke Ever

Seriously, the next fifteen days are going to be...unpleasant. So, to help get through this madness, I decided to write a more light-hearted post! Ever heard of St. Thomas More? He lived in the late 15th to early 16th century and refused to give into the heretical movement by Martin Luther and the forming Church of England. Since St. Thomas More was refusing to recognize the King's church leadership because of his separation from the Catholic Church, the King then had him thrown into prison. Prior to this, St. Thomas More never really had a beard, but a year in prison is a good time to grow a nice long one. According to his biographer James Monti, "Blindfolding himself, he laid his head down on the chopping block but pulled his beard aside, telling the hangman, 'I pray you let me lay my beard over the chopping block lest ye should cut it.'" Legend has it he said, "This hath not offended the king."

First of all, that beard must have been fantastically large in order to lay over to the side of the chopping block. Not to mention the ability to have humor in such a dire-seeming situation. Ah, gotta love the stories of the saints! Good luck to all as the semester comes to a close and advent begins! Let us not forget to make time for God during this busy season.

Ave Crux, Spes Unica

To Whose Kingdom do You Belong?

Part I - To Whose Kingdom do You Belong?

"The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, 'Look, here it is,' or, 'There it is.' For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you." (Luke 17:20-21)

To whose kingdom do you belong? That of the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of the Evil One? There is no middle ground, "Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters." (Matthew 12:30) We must choose a side, an encampment. Can this be done nominally - or by name only? What if one claims to be part of God's Kingdom but doesn't live it? To be a part of God's Kingdom means to fight for it. We fight for it by our everyday actions. If we choose to sin and give in to it we are doing the work of the Kingdom of the Evil One. "The Kingdom of God cannot exist alongside the reign of sin." (On Prayer, Origen). Again, I ask, to whose kingdom do you belong?

I don't want anyone to fall into despair because they observe that their life may not be acting for the growing of God's Kingdom. Rather, take it as a place to grow! We all will fall into sin from time to time, but simply giving up and saying "I'm only human; I'm bound to sin," will be giving in to the ways of the Evil One. I encourage you to fight against this and try to make the Kingdom of God present in yourself and more present in this world. For we do not have to wait until heaven to witness the Kingdom of God! "For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you."

Let today, the solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, be a time to reflect upon to whose kingdom we belong. If somebody were to look at your life and say whose kingdom you were a part of, would they be able to say that the Kingdom of God was within you?

Part II - The King Right Before Our Very Eyes

"A certain man was once thrown into prison. He there suffered so much from hunger, thirst and cold that at last he was almost dead. One day the king determined to pay a visit to the captive, in order to find out how he bore his sufferings. Having put off his royal apparel, he went in disguise to the prison and asked the poor man how he fared, but the prisoner, being very sad and melancholy, scarcely deigned to answer him. When the king had gone away, the jailor said to the criminal: "Do you know who was speaking to you? It was the king himself." "The king!" exclaimed the captive. "O wretch that I am! If I had known that I would have thrown myself at his feet and clasped his knees, and I would not have let him go until he had pardoned me. Alas! What a favorable opportunity I have lost of freeing myself from this dungeon." It was thus the poor captive lamented in anguish and despair, but all was unavailing."

"I think, dear Reader, you understand the meaning of this story. The sufferings of this captive represent the wretchedness of man's condition on this earth. Our true country is Heaven, and as long as we are living on earth, we are captives and exiles. We are far from Jesus Christ, our King; far from Mary our good Mother; far from the Angels and Saints of Heaven; and far from our dear departed friends. But very many Christians are also, in another respect, like the captive of whom I have spoken. They do not know Jesus Christ, their true King, who not only visits them, but dwells very near them. "But," you will ask, "how can Jesus Christ dwell near them without their knowing Him?" It is because He has put on a strange garment and appears in disguise. Our Lord Jesus Christ abides in two places: in Heaven, where He shows Himself undisguised, as He is in reality; and on earth in the Blessed Sacrament, in which He conceals Himself under the appearance of bread. ... Yes, the Blessed Sacrament, or Holy Eucharist is the true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, Our Lord, who is truly, really and substantially present under the outward appearances of bread and wine."

The above quotations are the first two paragraphs to Fr. Michael Muller, CSSR's book titled The Blessed Eucharist (well worth the read). In it he presents the Catholic doctrine of the Blessed Eucharist and explains the reverence do to it and how we can and should spend time with it. I chose to include this passage today because it includes the imagery of the king in the story and relates it well to the role of Our Great King in Heaven. He is here among us for us to see and even CONSUME. Yet so many of us lack the reverence due to the King of the Universe and don't realize the truly mind-blowing gift that He offers us - Himself.

Part III - Conclusion

This is a great solemnity for us to grow in our realization of just how great and loving our Creator is. Hopefully this can be a day of much growth as we continue to contemplate God's infinite majesty. "Behold, your King!" (John 19:14)

Ave Crux, Spes Unica

Conclusion of the Year of Faith

Pope Benedict XVI recognized a need for a focus on faith this year as many regions have witnessed the spread of modern atheism. Our world doesn't view faith the same way that it used to. Now it seems outlandish to take things on by faith. Look at the field of modern philosophy - beginning with Descartes, nothing could be taken on in good faith. The ancients that followed the ways of the great Aristotle accepted the world on good faith and learned from it. But now philosophers often throw out the idea of the world as we know it and try to begin from scratch - they don't trust or have faith in their teachers.

Similarly in fields of science, faith is facing scrutiny as it has before. I am a strong believer that science and Catholicism both point towards the same truth. This idea goes back to Augustine in his work "On Christian Doctrine" which describes how good Christians are to interpret Scripture. He states that what we interpret in Scripture cannot go against what we definitively know about the world. However, many who believe in classical determinism think that just because they can explain how things happen that there isn't any reason for there to be a Divine Hand behind it all.

This isn't the view of all philosophers or all scientists, but it has definitely become a more widespread opinion. What is it about faith that scares us?

I am very glad to have had this past year to reflect upon my faith and grow in it. If God showed Himself to us, we would be blown away by His great glory. That is why He doesn't sit atop a high mountain for us to visit. That is why He hides Himself in the humble form of the Blessed Eucharist. That is why He doesn't speak to us in a loud voice. This way we may come to know Him more and grow in love for Him. For if we were to see God, we would (rightly) feel extremely unworthy and it might scare us away from talking to Him personally. If we were to see Him, we wouldn't have faith for it would be shown to us. "Jesus said to him [Thomas], 'Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.'" (John 20:29)

Let this not end our growth in faith, but be a springboard forward as we continue to cultivate our relationship with Christ. We ask that He may bless us with the grace of an ever-deepening faith so as to bring ourselves and others to rest in peace in eternity with Him.

Ave Crux, Spes Unica

For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Last night was one of those college nights that are so very important to growing as humans and enjoying our time here. I stayed up chatting with a couple friends updating each other about our lives and spending time together without doing homework. Yes, it was a late night. Due to this, I was expecting myself to be miserable today as I trudged through my classes and work load. Au contraire, I was blessed with a pleasant surprise and have been happy and smiling ever since!

We have started offering Morning Prayer in my dorm, but it has yet to catch on. So far, it is usually either just me, or I'll have one other companion. Today there were four of us that prayed the beautiful prayer together! While that may not seem significant, praying as a family is one of the most beautiful and blessed things we can do. "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) This is one of those moments where Christ's teaching really came alive for me! I truly felt his presence in those praying with me, and I have kept that with me.

As a Christian community we are called to pray in three different ways - in public, in community, and in private. We need to pray in public so others can know that we do pray, and so that they may see hope as we do, "A world at prayer is a world at peace." (Father Patrick Peyton, CSC) We need to pray in private, for Jesus told us to! "But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secrete will repay you." (Mt. 6:6) Finally, we need to pray as a community or family for as Fr. Patrick Peyton, CSC said, "The family that prays together stays together. All of these types of prayer are emphasized in the Constitution of the Congregation of Holy Cross and are applicable to all of us. If you can, try to take some time out of your day to pray privately to your Father in Heaven, as well as pray with your family - be it you biological family, your school family, your parish family, or your club family. "Ask and it will be given to you." (Mt. 7:7)

Ave Crux, Spes Unica

The Busy Life

The number of times I get the "I'm too busy to go to Mass" response is phenomenal. Sometimes it comes with an explanation of an upcoming test or paper. Other times it is accompanied by an excuse of having gone twice in a week already. All too frequently I get the response that taking less than half an hour out of a day to go to a Mass that is about a 30 second walk down the hall is too much of a time commitment - from someone who has already wasted the past hour on their computer. My least favorite is when people joke "Oh, yeah, if I had to choose between God and [insert alternative here], I would definitely choose [insert alternative here]." I usually fake a laugh to please them... but then they do exactly what they were joking about! Ah, the irrationality of the human to choose temporal and short-lived pleasures over the rewards of eternal pleasure!

This prompts me to ask two questions: Do you really believe in the Real Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Eucharist? I won't claim that I fully grasp this beautiful and overwhelming mystery! If I did, I would be prostrate in front of the Blessed Sacrament 24/7. But if we come to a greater understanding of Jesus' Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity fully present in the Blessed Eucharist, we would no longer have a hard time going to Mass.

My other question is as follows: How do you keep living your busy life without getting the nourishment you need? The busier we are, the more we frequently we should attend Mass and spend time in prayer! This is how God nourishes us and helps us manage all that we have going on. It is actually COUNTER-productive saying that one is too busy to go to Mass. No, it should be just the opposite. The busier one is, the greater the need to go to Mass and receive the necessary nourishment.

Hopefully this can give the spark to try going to one extra Mass each week. Yes, we only HAVE to go every Sunday and the other Holy Days of Opportunity as a favorite priest of mine calls them; but it is hard to grow closer to Christ or in any other area by just doing the bare minimum. Challenge yourself to make the extra effort to spend more time with God, particularly present in the Blessed Eucharist. It is easy for me compared to most because I have a chapel down the hall from me with Mass there almost every day, and a Mass within an 8 minute walk every single day. But for those of whom this isn't the case, maybe just adding one more daily Mass can help us connect more deeply with Christ and grow in Him, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.


Ave Crux, Spes Unica

Woot Woot - First Blog Post

This year is a remarkable moment, and I doubt there will be many to witness it. However, here I am, and I am making my first blog post EVER. That is, the first one I've ever done out of my own free choice. This is my first post in which I don't have to pretend like I read something (Frankenstein) or found some deep meaning in a poem I skimmed over. It's just me, and my thoughts. And so no one will read them. But regardless, I think it can become a fun exercise and maybe some strange person out there will find what I have to say insightful, interesting, or at the very least, I might make one good joke. I'm curious if I will actually post semi-regularly; it's hard to tell, for this is my first (not to mention last) free night in a while. Well, I guess I'll end the pointless rambling section of this blog and move on into the pointed rambling section.

Let's just say that I am getting pumped for Advent! Being an impatient person, advent and lent can be trying times as I look forward to Christmas and Easter respectively. Sometimes I feel as if the Church created these time periods for people like me so we can learn the great fruits that patience and waiting can bring to us. Not to mention the great hope that these seasons present!

I am already tired and I haven't put much time into this post. However, I hope to explore some ideas deeply and talk about things that are on my mind in upcoming posts. Hopefully this will happen...