Author Archives: Adam Fischer

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Existence of God – 9

By Ed Pluchar, on June 22nd, 2013%

And now, after nine posts, the thesis: If we are careful, there is much to be gained from the analogy of God as the author of creation.

I have drawn out this one attribute (omnipotence) via this one argument (the KCA) so that I would not have to draw out the introduction of the analogy. Let’s see how that plays…

Let us consider an author, one just starting to write a book. Let’s say you are the author, for the time being.

You are writing a love story, set in pre-Industrial America. An upper class woman and a working class inventor, he working on a prototype for a steam engine. They have a rendezvous in his shop, a secret appointment, and things start to get, um, steamy…

(Nice pun at the end there, you).

All of the evocative details aside, do you not have power, say, to have a giraffe walk through the shop during the middle of a long kiss? Can’t you send stars crashing into each other in the rhythm of their heavy breathing? Can’t you cut away the rest of the planet, so that they exist, in this shop on a small island of earth, with a . . . → Read More: Existence of God – 9

Existence of God – 8

By Ed Pluchar, on June 18th, 2013%

One may get the feeling that I’ve been circling back a bit, and I hope that doesn’t induce any mental motion sickness (or too much tedium). I’ve heard somewhere that a speaker must state a thing five times in order for it to be retained by the hearer.

Alas, we will take the KCA as a step in this process, and now discern where it might lead. At the very least, I will now co-opt William Lane Craig’s hard work and twist it for my purposes.

Craig points out that, if the KCA is successful, it gives us a cause for the Universe (all time, space, matter, and energy) which transcends the Universe. He also notes that this cause must be unimaginably powerful. Is not the creation of the Universe the mightiest act you can conceive of?

And, in what seems to be a later addition to his thought on the subject, Craig notes that the KCA may even give us a personal cause – that is, a cause that acts, when it could have chosen not to act.

To further draw out the distinction: If the laws of physics really are responsible for the creation of the Universe, they . . . → Read More: Existence of God – 8

Fatherhood

By Ed Pluchar, on June 16th, 2013%

Without wanting to get anyone’s hands too dirty, I think it can be said without controversy that fathers suffer a bruised reputation these days. I will give you evidence – my favorite coffee shop, Caribou Coffee, has offered “BOGO” drinks on Mother’s Day, but had to be petitioned to offer them again (the following year) on Father’s Day. BOGO, of course, stands for “buy one, get one (free)”.

I mostly wanted free coffee, and would readily admit that mothers deserve the honor before fathers do. I think it’s proper that Mother’s Day should arrive first each year.

A funny thing happens to fathers who venture out with their children and without their mother. After a stranger, approaching in admiration, comments to me, “You’ve really got your hands full!” – four kids and their Papa, walking around the farmers market in good order and with pleasant dispositions – the next thing she/he says is, “You’re done now, right?”

If you are not the parent of multiple children, the intimation may not be obvious. What the stranger means is, you’re done having children, since four is plenty, right?

I think I’m quite within my rational rights to be upset about such a . . . → Read More: Fatherhood

Existence of God – 7

By Ed Pluchar, on June 14th, 2013%

Following the last set of posts on the Kalam Cosmological Argument (KCA), we have…well, what do we have?

Suppose you are skeptical – that may be fair. Which premise do you object to, and why?

For the skeptic, that is the only course of action here. The logic can’t be denied (unless you want to deny logic). Even for a hobbyist of philosophy, that’s pretty easy to see.

Let’s just say, for the sake of explanation, that you don’t like the first premise, “Whatever begins to exist has a cause.” You think, vaguely (as I do),* that quantum mechanics must reveal some exception to this rule, or that somewhere down the line, we’ll find something truly astounding, which can’t be anticipated by this kind of logic. Maybe in a Universe with different rules of physics, there are also different rules of logic.

Aside from taking the opportunity to use a phrase like “atheism-of-the-gaps,” what I would point to is the notion that we don’t need 100% certainty of the argument for it to be successful. We just need the premises to be more plausibly true than their denials.

Is it more plausibly true, I would ask, that “Whatever begins to . . . → Read More: Existence of God – 7

Existence of God – 6

By Ed Pluchar, on June 8th, 2013%

We’ve been considering the concept of infinity as it relates to the Kalam Cosmological Argument (KCA) and the existence of God.

Imagine you’re stranded in a town in the middle of nowhere. It’s getting dark, and you need a place to stay for the night. You come to a 10 room hotel and ask the clerk for a room. He says, “Unfortunately, every room is booked. You might try Hilbert’s Hotel down the road. They’re full right now, but they always have room.”

You can feel your face wrench into a puzzled expression, and the clerk merely shrugs and goes back to his business. You figure, in any event, that Hilbert’s Hotel might be the only other place in town, and it might be worth suffering some word play in order to find a place to sleep.

As you go, you seem dimly that Hilbert’s Hotel is quite a long building. It seems to go on forever toward the horizon, or as much of the horizon as you can still make out. You step inside.

“Hi, I’d like a room. The gentleman down the road said you were full, but might have a room anyway?”

The proprietor smiles at you. . . . → Read More: Existence of God – 6

Existence of God – 5

By Ed Pluchar, on June 4th, 2013%

In the last post we saw (in brief) how the Kalam Cosmological Argument (hereafter, KCA) interacts with physics – namely, how it is supported by the fundamental acceptance of causality in science (or science would soon die) and how the evidence seems to point to an absolute beginning of the Universe.

In light of this evidence (and the evidence for fine-tuning), many theorists have posited some form of a multiverse, the idea that though we are causally isolated from all other universes (often thought of as bubbles in a great foaming sea), ours is only one of many possible worlds. Perhaps infinitely many, which would wash out much of the significance of the fine-tuning argument.

But let’s pause and consider – is it possible for an actually infinite number of things to exist?

Interesting as it is to apply this question to the multiverse, we should prefer to handle one argument at a time. If someone responds to Premise 2 of the KCA – The Universe began to exist – by saying it might not have, but rather, it could be past-eternal, we come to the question at hand: Can an actually infinite number of things (in this case, past . . . → Read More: Existence of God – 5

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Existence of God – 4

By Ed Pluchar, on May 31st, 2013%

And so, what can be said about the Kalam Cosmological Argument in particular?

Some rather intriguing things, if you ask me. The following exposition is heavily informed by what William Lane Craig has to say about this argument, in support of it and in anticipation of possible objections. You may, without too much exercise of the mind, still find an objection; you may also depend on the notion that Dr. Craig has fielded it, or readily will.

Premise 1 – Whatever begins to exist has a cause.

Another way of saying this is, “Nothing comes from nothing.” In the last post, I linked to the Wikipedia page for Lawrence Krauss, a theoretical physicist who authored the book, A Universe from Nothing. In it, according to the NYT, he proposes a “deeper nothing,” from which even the laws of physics are absent, and out of this nothing the Universe was born. But then, he doesn’t actually mean “nothing” – we might have been spawned by the multiverse, which even the layman realizes is a whole lot of something.

By “nothing,” Dr. Craig says, we actually mean “not anything.”

And this seems to be true, in the sense that Stephen Hawking (also . . . → Read More: Existence of God – 4

Hail Mary

By Ed Pluchar, on May 27th, 2013%

A conversion story, via the Mother of God. There are two parts.

Existence of God – 3.1 (an aside)

By Ed Pluchar, on May 25th, 2013%

There’s a TED talk in which Alain de Botton said (in effect): I’m not here to discuss whether there’s a God or not. We know there’s no God. Let’s also admit that militant atheism doesn’t really get us anywhere. Instead, let’s move on and talk about how we’re going to live our lives in a world without God.

His primary objective, to restate the paraphrase, was to envision an entirely secular culture, one that might even borrow from the “good things” he had seen religion doing. An interesting perspective, if you’re curious.

In a similar fashion, my primary objective in this series is not to prove that God exists. I did say that I’ve been studying the question, with all of the focus and spare time afforded to a father employed in a field far from Philosophy. I do say, so far as I can tell, that God’s existence seems to me more plausible than not. And not just by a little, but overwhelmingly so.

Further, as an autobiographical aside, I don’t believe my purpose is to go about proving that God exists. I think there are minds at work which fare far better than mine, and their arguments range from . . . → Read More: Existence of God – 3.1 (an aside)

Existence of God – 3

By Ed Pluchar, on May 22nd, 2013%

In our last exciting installment, I said that skeptics (and believers) often have a view of God which is painfully small, especially for human minds. I noted that those human brains are often seen as bearing no significance at all, none to speak of anyway, when compared with the size of the Universe. What, then, could set the Universe in motion? How much greater must that intelligence and power be, compared even with our wild imaginations?

I submitted that this power (whatever its source) is something beyond comprehension, whether it comes from God or else a natural cause. I think we must say the same for that intelligence – this is almost easier to recognize, though still beyond comprehension – though I do not necessarily mean that we must therefore admit a God.

I don’t know what else you’ll say could manifest that intelligence, but I’m listening.

Even with a view toward modern science (let alone “God”), I am looking through the glass dimly, and still can appreciate what a startling display of intelligence has been required to understand the cosmos, to draw conclusions about its origins and to sketch out what are the laws of physics. There are people . . . → Read More: Existence of God – 3

Please read Plantinga

By Ed Pluchar, on May 17th, 2013%

Here’s a world-class philosopher who makes the “wise” look foolish, and the “foolish” look wise. Very interesting ideas, even in a vanilla task like summing up the three main lines of thought in the Western world.

He also proposes the idea* that science (featuring evolution) is actually not in conflict with religion (featuring Christianity) as so many suppose, but is in deep conflict with naturalism (featuring the absence of God). Here he easily exposes such voices as Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett; they are no more than schoolyard bullies stating claims that are in wild excess of the facts. They are, in fact, religious about their naturalism, and theirs is the religion incompatible with evolution.

Back to the “Existence of God” series presently…

*If you haven’t followed it yet, this link is to a review of Plantinga’s book, Where the Conflict Really Lies, by philosopher Thomas Nagel. Nagel is an atheist, and is an atheist I can readily respect. He has declared, for example, that materialism is almost certainly false. If Plantinga and Nagel are leading the way, I count myself hopeful for future discourse on life’s big questions.

Existence of God – 2

By Ed Pluchar, on May 10th, 2013%

In the preceding post I attempted to refute the idea that anyone can consider the question of God’s existence to be trivial. While it seems to be a question of utmost importance to theists and atheists alike, there are some who find themselves feeling blase about it. I hope those who find themselves indifferent will become convinced that the question is worth exploring.

Granting that the question is important – how to begin?

The second obstacle I have noticed is that many A&A (agnostics and atheists) have not really considered who God is, or who God would be if he existed. They often set up a strawman, or a teapot, and suppose that by logic or mockery they have eliminated the possibility of God’s existence.

But I can’t put all of the blame for this particular fallacy on the skeptics. They typically reference believers whom they know, and point out the sorts of things those believers do and say (Westboro Baptist comes to mind as an extreme example, but the bulk of the criticism is aimed at more mundane practices). Believers are not well represented, for example, in suggesting that the athletic team of their choice was specially chosen by God to . . . → Read More: Existence of God – 2

Existence of God – 1

By Ed Pluchar, on May 9th, 2013%

This aims to be a humble post, not standing up to the enormous significance of the subject. Still, something of some significance might be said, and if not, you can have your money back. (No refunds on time)

First of all, as I’ve been casually studying proofs for the existence of God, a proof against, and the objections and rebuttals besides, one thing can probably be said without controversy: There are some people who think deeply about this subject, and in fact are consumed by it. Others do not and are not, and they have reached their conclusions by whatever means each one found persuasive.

I am speaking, then, more toward the second group. To the first group, I wouldn’t have anything to say which has not, most likely, already been dealt with. Instead, among them, I am an observer and a student.

I share with them the conviction that this is a subject of first importance, and with that conviction I come to the second group. However, as I’ve begun talking to some of my agnostic and atheist friends, I’ve learned that most of them just don’t find the question significant.

Bear in mind – I am not yet . . . → Read More: Existence of God – 1

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Venerable Antonietta Meo

By Ed Pluchar, on April 27th, 2011%

Antonietta may become the youngest (non-martyr) saint ever canonized by the Catholic Church. At least that’s what Wikipedia tells me.

This is really amazing. I think this is probably a good example of what Jesus meant by child-like faith. Thanks to Mike Lloyd for the link.

Fire-Breathing Catholics

By Ed Pluchar, on April 14th, 2011%

“If they should come for the innocent without stepping over your body, then cursed be your religion and your life!” – Dorothy Day

Yes, how is that for a litmus test? I can’t read or even think of this line without shivering. I think I would have the same reaction if I had ever had the opportunity to meet Dorothy Day.

This may or may not become a series, but I’m confident there is enough material.

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At the name of Jesus…

By Ed Pluchar, on March 31st, 2011%

The following linked passage is, I believe, based on a hymn from the early Church, which St. Paul quotes to make a point. Always making points, that one.

I particularly like this hymn.

The following is a sentimental notion, and therefore not of much use to anyone’s spiritual journey. Nevertheless, I have imagined such an event, such an uttering of Jesus’ name which would, in fact, bring every beast and human to its knees. Would it be the very voice of God, calling for His Son? Would the sky be stained with the colors of the Apocalypse, the wind dense with the presence of the Creator?

This can’t be more than silly.

And yet…I believe we were at Mass when Amelia, as is her custom, was rummaging through her purse and our pockets and the missalette. She stopped at the cover which held the image of an icon. There was the Virgin Mary, holding the child Jesus. Standard stuff, if you’re looking for song number #438 and just flipping past it.

Amelia pointed, which cued Marcy to tell her who those people are. She said, “That’s Mary, and that’s Jesus.”

For a long moment, Amelia did nothing but stare. It . . . → Read More: At the name of Jesus…

The New Evangelization: Conversation

By Adam Fischer, on March 24th, 2011%

Last week in an address to the Seminary community at Mundelein Cardinal George highlighted the pastoral importance of listening. He stressed that listening to God’s people helps you to hear their fears, their needs, their desires, their shortcomings, and all of the things that can help you lead and pastor them. This got me to thinking about the importance of conversation in the New Evangelization.

While it is extremely important to broadcast the true message of salvation in every way (print, web, social media, DURING THE HOMILY) people are just a bit more complicated than being just consumers of salvation data. They need to gnaw on it, play with it, work it out in their own way. They need to have conversations about it.

I was recently reading a post on Fr. Barron’s Word on Fire regarding the Japan tragedy and a young woman named Monica posted a question in the comments. It was a thoughtful question and was written by someone who looks to be genuinely seeking truth. Unfortunately, as of this writing, the question has gone unanswered. I think this is real shame. Now I’m not trying to pick on WOF, I think they’re doing great work but . . . → Read More: The New Evangelization: Conversation

Ashes Data, or proof that repentance matters

By Adam Fischer, on March 12th, 2011%

A while back I was involved in remodeling the St. Julie Billiart website. At the time I also installed Google Analytics to track the web traffic on the site to help St. Julie analyze trends as well has help optimize their website. I came across some data this week that was eye opening and I thought I’d share it with you.

One of the first improvements I wanted to make in the redesign was adding a “quick links” section on the right hand of the page. This provides some of the most frequently accessed content (Mass times, confession times, bulletin, etc) in an easy to find place for users. Last Christmas I added a seasonal quick link for Christmass Mass schedules on December 18th. From the time of December 18th (5 days before Christmas Eve) to January 3rd (as the link also contained New Years information) the page was viewed 723 times.

On Monday March 7th (2 days before Ash Wed.) I posted an Ash Wed page. From the 7th until Wednesday 9pm that page was viewed 1,027 times. In the period between Dec 1st and March 10th it ranked as the third most-viewed quick link on the site, behind the permanent . . . → Read More: Ashes Data, or proof that repentance matters

Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return…

By Ed Pluchar, on March 10th, 2011%

That may seem to be a harsh or morbid subject to accompany this picture. Is it any less true for babies? (This particular baby being my three-month-old daughter, Ruth).

More importantly, though, I think there is something in the levity of a baby receiving ashes that is easy to miss for “serious” Catholics – namely, perhaps we are sometimes too serious about ourselves. Perhaps there is great truth in the notion that a baby does not think any more of herself than what she is – if she really thinks that much about herself at all.

If the majority of our time could be spent in carefully attending to – and punctuated by wonder at – the souls around us, then maybe it is not so harsh a thing to say, “You are dust.” In the context of such a truth you see how wondrous the Lord is.

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Holy Day of Obligation (or, why this is anything but Ordinary time)

By Adam Fischer, on February 8th, 2011%

Author’s Note: I’ve spoken to quite a few friends recently who have mentioned that it has “been awhile” since the last time they went to Mass. That led me to write the following.

Truly remarkable, life-altering occasions seem to come rarely in our lives and the lives of those around us. Certainly those in my age bracket may beg to differ as the costs of bridesmaid dresses and groomsmen tuxes seem to pile up summer after summer. If this describes a recent, but distant, history then you might now be familiar with the baby showers, Christenings, and first birthdays that come with such a blessed past. But upon further reflection it appears that these events certainly are rare – a handful at best, two at most. Knowing this intuitively we have a natural tendency to describe anything that happens with frequency as quite routine. Mundane. Old hat. Even our liturgical calendar is currently set to “Ordinary” time.

It’s quite easy for us to perhaps be lax during this time between Christmas and Lent. Perhaps what is seemingly ordinary doesn’t quite rouse up the “extraordinary” out of us. Certainly we’d get out of the routine for a wedding, a Baptism, or . . . → Read More: Holy Day of Obligation (or, why this is anything but Ordinary time)

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A clean soul

By Adam Fischer, on January 25th, 2011%

Ed’s wonderful reflection on the sacrament of Reconciliation led me to my own thinking.

I don’t have any profound insights to share on this other than a desire to strongly encourage you to build a better habit of visiting the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I often hear of Catholics who don’t attend often, or haven’t been back since they first received the Sacrament! (Pastors haven’t helped this, I cannot call the last time I heard a solid homily in a parish setting on the sacrament – if at all)

There really is no better feeling in life than walking out of a confessional. I can never help but have a smile on my face, and am sometimes surprised when other penitents don’t.

If you think it’s weird, or you don’t feel comfortable, or are afraid the priest is going to judge you, well get over that IMMEDIATELY. I heard a great homily by a former Benedictine abbot who is living with us at the Seminary on sabbatical about this issue. His message was clear: do not discount the overwhelming grace that the confessor receives from the sacrament. By hearing the struggles, the pains, the sorrows, and the suffering of people a . . . → Read More: A clean soul

Embrace

By Ed Pluchar, on January 18th, 2011%

Confession is a little-understood practice, and I’m not here to say that I understand it very well.

It seems related to this: Once, in a group prayer, the leader asked us to imagine an encounter with Jesus Christ. Then, we were asked to choose our expected response from the following: Would you fall to your knees in worship? Would you run to Him and embrace Him? Would you approach and simply begin speaking to Him? Or what?

I was among the minority who said that they would first fall to their knees, while the greatest percentage said they would first seek to embrace Him.

I was tempted, at the time, to feel a little superior about this. Fools! Don’t you know Who this is? You will be stopped dead (read: dead) in your tracks.

Yet I tried not to feel superior, and reflected on the variation in responses. To me, it remained an almost scientific fact: This is God. If you came within 10 feet of a lightning bolt, you would hit the deck. How much faster will you fall before the Almighty, and never even look up unless you are invited to? My answer was based in psychology, and . . . → Read More: Embrace

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Speechless

By Adam Fischer, on December 25th, 2010%

The opening of the Gospel of John continues to inspire and amaze. John boldly proclaims “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.”

As Catholics we believe that the world was created ex nihlio, that is “out of nothing.” The Creation account consistently repeats the phrase “and God said..”. God didn’t roll his sleeves up, prepare the materials, gather His tools, and create the world. No, he SPOKE it into existence, out of nothing.

And we know that all things were created through Christ who was the Word. And when it came time, at just the right time, Christ became flesh. He who spoke the world – all we see, all we taste, all we touch, all we feel – into existence came onto the scene as an infant. The etymology of our modern word infant comes from the Latin “infans” meaning “unable to speak.”

And so, on this Christmas morning we ponder the infant Christ, born of a Virgin, foretold by prophets, heralded by angels, blessed by shepherds and . . . → Read More: Speechless

Chased

By Ed Pluchar, on December 18th, 2010%

Just cracked open Thomas Merton, “The New Man,” and within two pages I was struck by something which points at one of the more mysterious elements of my life.

To begin, here’s the passage from Merton:

“Life and death are at war within us. As soon as we are born, we begin at the same time to live and die.

“Even though we may not be even slightly aware of it, this battle of life and death goes on in us inexorably and without mercy. If by chance we become fully conscious of it, not only in our flesh and in our emotions but above all in our spirit, we find ourselves involved in a terrible wrestling, an agonia not of questions and answers, but of being and nothingness, spirit and void…

“Everything hangs on the final issue, in the battle of life and death. Nothing is assured beforehand. Nothing is definitely certain. The issue is left to our own choice. But that is what constitutes the dark terror of the agonia: we cannot be sure of our own choice. Are we strong enough to continue choosing life when to live means to go on and on with this absurd . . . → Read More: Chased

The “War” on Christmas

By Adam Fischer, on December 14th, 2010%

It seems like every year the Christmas controversy rages. You know which one I’m talking about. Many faithful grumble aloud about the old “Holiday-Christmas” word switcharoo. The Word on Fire blog even decried it as a “War on Christmas.” I don’t want to seem like I’m coming down on people who feel this way. Their frustration certainly is justified, and the injustice of making money on Christ’s birth while never wanting to mention His name is certainly silly, but I think we sometimes get our knickers in a bunch unnecessarily.

When I drive around my hometown and see all the light posts adorned with decorations, I see all of the lighted shops, and all the Christmas trees in the window I can’t help feeling like this is all a part of the Divine drama of life. To me the “war” on Christmas is actually the most dramatic representation of the need to evangelize we have in this world. Sure, the world might not recognize Christ in Christmas, but it certainly does palpably show a desire for Him. Think about it. Think of the millions of dollars municipalities in this country spend on their Christmas decorations. Think of all the man hours that go into . . . → Read More: The “War” on Christmas

Catholicism and Buddhism

By Ed Pluchar, on December 8th, 2010%

I have been listening to “A New Earth,” by Eckhart Tolle, which was pitched on audible.com as an introduction to Buddhism.

Buddha.

I’ve long been curious about Buddhism, and so sought to educate myself on the basics.

The book deserves a complete review, but that isn’t going to be possible here. What follows are some of the highlights and conclusions from my “reading” of Tolle’s work.

1. There is a great deal to admire in Buddhism and the pursuit of Enlightenment.

2. Tolle narrates, and has a tremendous presence through his voice.

3. I say as a matter of faith (and not as a self-deluded “theologian” or some such) that Buddhism has a great deal of truth in it, but perhaps not all. The remaining points will focus on this.

A. Of all the people Tolle quoted, he quoted Jesus most often. I suspect that he was targeting the Western audience and saw Jesus as common ground. At one point, he suggests that many of history’s enlightened have had their teachings twisted and misinterpreted posthumously. (Obviously the Christian takes issue with the implication that this happened with Jesus).

B. Still, in his use of Jesus’ sayings, Tolle offers new angles. . . . → Read More: Catholicism and Buddhism

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Chesterton and Balance

By Ed Pluchar, on November 26th, 2010%

Taken from Orthodoxy:

“The modern latitudinarians speak, for instance, about authority in religion not only as if there were no reason for it, but as if there had never been any reason for it. Apart from seeing its philosophical basis, they cannot even see its historical cause. Religious authority has often, doubtless, been oppressive or unreasonable; just as every legal system (and especially our present one) has been callous and full of a cruel apathy. It is rational to attack the police; nay, it is glorious. But the modern critics of religious authority are like men who should attack the police without ever having heard of burglars. For there is a great and possible peril to the human mind: a peril as practical as burglary. Against it religious authority was reared, rightly or wrongly, as a barrier. And against it something certainly must be reared as a barrier, if our race is to avoid ruin.

“That peril is that the human intellect is free to destroy itself. Just as one generation could prevent the very existence of the next generation, by all entering a monastery or jumping into the sea, so one set of thinkers can in some degree prevent . . . → Read More: Chesterton and Balance

The Gospel as Relationship

By Adam Fischer, on November 23rd, 2010%

Throughout the last two months this notion of the Gospel as Relationship has really consumed me. The idea was first kicked off when, while studying the 10 commandments, I had heard for the first time that some artist renderings of Moses with the tablets show three commandments on one tablet and the other seven on the other. It shows the delineation of the Law as commandments dealing with the relationship between man and God (the 3) and man with one another (the 7). While I could go on about how interesting the difference in number of commandments is, it really has driven home the Gospel as relationship.

Indeed this is what Jesus says when he is asked to explain the Law. ”To love the Lord God with all your heart, soul, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself.” This amazing summation of the law is a testament to the Gospel as relationship. Jesus is making it clear that true humanity is recognizing oneself as a relational being. Therefore, living in a way that pleases God is equated to living in a way that honors, respects, and helps to keep relationships holy, pure, and well formed. This really is the summation . . . → Read More: The Gospel as Relationship

Birth

By Ed Pluchar, on November 17th, 2010%

From the book of Jeremiah, 1:4-10:

4 The word of the LORD came to me, saying,

5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew[a] you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

6 “Alas, Sovereign LORD,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

7 But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the LORD.

9 Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. 10 See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”

My spiritual director keyed me in to this passage as I dwelt on the blessings God has given me, and whether I am wasting them. She was trying to strengthen, I think, the sense of God’s presence and purpose in my life. . . . → Read More: Birth

Spirit and Sports

By Ed Pluchar, on November 9th, 2010%

It’s a proven fact that I would estimate 55% of NFL players, upon scoring a touchdown, will give some acknowledgment to God.

You get the fingers pointed skyward, the knee and a moment of stillness, the chest tap, and so on. I think I’ve seen the “grenade launch” where the players forgot to throw the grenade, so I suppose that one was attributed to God. They’re lucky the whole stadium didn’t blow up.

Anyway, I have no problem with this, and sometimes find it touching. I realize these players, typically, won’t represent the depth of religious devotion that many religious, parents, and children demonstrate every day.

Yet, like life, the most impressive displays of religious devotion come from the valley. (Here, by “impressive,” I mean something that makes and/or leaves an impression).

Growing up, I admired a friend of mine, Dave, who played every game as hard as he could. He simply would never give up, and fought tooth and nail to stay in every contest. (I’m not kidding about the nails. I was scratched on several occasions). His ferocity was a contrast to my more even demeanor, and I frequently wondered if I was lacking in spirit.

While at . . . → Read More: Spirit and Sports

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Oh Brother.

By Ed Pluchar, on October 26th, 2010%

I’m just going to do some linking here.

Fr. Robert Barron is a priest for the Archdiocese of Chicago and the Francis Cardinal George Chair of Faith and Culture at University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary (I didn’t know that position existed until I wrote it just now). When I was a seminarian at St. Joseph College Seminary (Loyola University Chicago), Fr. Barron came to speak on occasion. He was always insightful and well-spoken, one of my favorite guest speakers.

He has a blog (www.wordonfire.org) and recently wrote an article for the Catholic New World (newspaper for the Archdiocese of Chicago) on the Hitchens brothers, Christopher and Peter. The former is a renowned atheist, and the latter eventually came to espouse Christianity. The two have sometimes debated the subjects of religion and God’s existence in public presentations. While searching for Fr. Barron’s article, I encountered this video which hits all of the same points, sometimes verbatim. It’s six minutes long, and thought-provoking.

Namely, he hits the point which seems so obvious that I am always surprised when intelligent atheists (Christopher Hitchens, in this case) miss it: God is not the cause of society’s ills or tragedies. When God . . . → Read More: Oh Brother.

Death by a thousand cuts

By Adam Fischer, on October 24th, 2010%

I came across an online story discussing unsealed documents in the diocese of San Bernadino California regarding sexual abuse by priests. As a Seminarian I cannot explain to you the overwhelming grief and pain it brings me every time I read a story like this. There truly are no words to describe the deep pain I feel every time I read of hear of these stories. There are also no words for the anger that I have for those who were so inept at handling the situation.

When I read stories like this I honestly ask myself and God “How do any of us stay in the Church?” It literally is by the grace of God that faith can endure in these times.

I’m also sick of the apologetics that come with this situation. They make me grow tired and weary. How do we defend something that is so utterly indefensible? How can we, with straight faces and upright hearts, try to discuss statistics, reasons, psychology, and the like? And furthermore – how can some people out there actually get angry with the media? Get angry with those who write and talk about this issue?

Are we being treated fairly? Certainly not. . . . → Read More: Death by a thousand cuts

Home

By Ed Pluchar, on October 23rd, 2010%

This is like real-time breaking news!

Adam and I are having a G-conversation as I type. That is, Google Chat, for all you tech-unsavvies.

We’re talking about home, the soul’s desire for wholeness. I have just said that one has to believe there is only an endless search for home, if you’re looking for it in this life, and no soul finds it until he or she comes to Heaven.

(Salvation)

This has been a subject most inspiring and terrifying, for me. Leaving inspiration [ecstatic-ness] aside as somewhat self-explanatory, it is terrifying to imagine this: You come to your final moments, and you have the fortune (good or ill is subjective) to see it coming. Your last breath, and you will feel your spirit leave your body.

But will you? Is there a spirit in you, that will then leave when your body dies?

Or is that it? [Black] Do you close your eyes, and like an insignificant movie, you are never animated again?

(Life everlasting)

I’ve had to remind myself to believe this, or else my trust is vastly inconsistent with my thoughts. And, so often, I am wanting for the kind of joy one might expect of a . . . → Read More: Home

Dispassionate somethings

By Adam Fischer, on October 22nd, 2010%

St John of the Cross in his masterful writing discusses the importance on being dispassionate towards things, experiences, thoughts, and ideas that seem holy. It can be a difficult thing to grasp, but it is ultimately an understanding that God is infinite, and everything that we think, experience, and learn can help us come to terms with this ultimate nature of God, but can also eventually become a hollowed, graven thing that can be a stumbling block to our growth in grace. I wrote the following in a spat of inspiration from this:

You must not confuse something that brings you to God as God Himself. For the God who created that something out of nothing cannot be that something, but rather will use that something for you to explore his infiniteness beyond something.

What then, shall we despise that something for it is not God? May it never be! God constrained himself to the finite to bring us the reconciliation needed to be infinite with him. We should be thankful for these somethings, but must be willing to loosen our grasp on them at any moment, because what we should always be eagerly desiring to grasp is He, Himself . . . → Read More: Dispassionate somethings

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Closer

By Ed Pluchar, on August 4th, 2010%

This post may teeter on the brink of cheesiness. You have been warned.

There’s a song by Ne-Yo called “Closer.” ($250 to the winner of the wager, “Will Ne-Yo’s ‘Closer’ ever be referenced on www.twocatholicguys.net?”)

Stay with me. I know I’m not helping.

Here’s a link to the music video. Be warned, the lyrics and video are very suggestive. Alright, time to talk myself out of this hole I’m digging.

My thesis might run something like this: There seems to have been whole centuries when the most talented artists were rendering works to the glory of God. Some still do. However, the glorified artists (who may or may not be terrifically talented) of our time are not doing this, and it is a shame.

I take part of that back. Some of them will point upward and thank God when they win an award. It’s not nothing.

In the case of Ne-Yo, I am not arguing that his lyrics should be “explicitly” Christian, or theistic. This isn’t like taking Bryon Adams’ “Everything I Do” and imagining the lyrics declare the love of God (except for the lying part). Anyway, the best possible conversion of that song has already been achieved.

. . . → Read More: Closer

Episode 5 with Eric and Colleen Fitts from Bethlehem Farm

By Adam Fischer, on August 2nd, 2010%

Eric and Colleen Fitts stopped by the show for Episode 5 to tell us about Bethlehem Farm. Bethlehem Farm is a Catholic community doing great work in the Appalachian region of West Virginia. The married couple (with a baby on the way!) discuss the mission of their ministry and what it’s like living a simple life of Discipleship. Check it on out by clicking play below!

[Audio clip: view full post to listen]

Faith and Reason

By Adam Fischer, on August 1st, 2010%

If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then empty (too) is our preaching; empty, too, your faith. Then we are also false witnesses to God, because we testified against God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all. (1 Cor 15:14-19)

These are the words of St Paul to the Corinthians (emphasis mine). Here we catch a glimpse of the wonderful Catholic Tradition of Reason. St Paul makes it very clear – if what we teach and what we preach isn’t actually true – then we should be pitied! Such a proclamation might be offensive to modern, relativistic sensibilities, but its reason is sound. The consequences of what you believe are the impetus behind how you act, and how you act . . . → Read More: Faith and Reason