Contrariwise

Time for another catch-all update.

Last Monday, I started a 54-day rosary novena. I prayed that particular devotion for the first time last summer, and the fruits were amazing. Our Lady handed my prayers on to God to use in his unique ways. This summer, I’m praying it for my three guy friends who are starting seminary this fall: Alex and Pat Y., who graduated last year and are becoming Dominicans, and Tim, who graduated last month and will be studying for the Archdiocese of Washington. I think the first time I see them in the habit or seminarian garb, I will burst into tears of joy. Mary and her boyfriend Matt are throwing a party for them at the CSC later this month. It’s got a black and white dress code, and I know just what to wear.

I went to daily Mass all last week. On Thursday, Fr. Bill celebrated at 8:30am for the MOEs. I didn’t even try to get up early enough for that and just went to St. Mark’s. I may have only been the youngest person there by 20 years instead of 40 like at home. It was the Feast of the Visitation of Mary. I was pleasantly surprised to hear the Magnificat read as the psalm in the style of the LOTH. Cases like those make me wonder why the lectionary is still based on the NAB, or why the NAB isn’t up for revision again. (Maybe it is; I don’t know.) If the NAB translation of the Magnificat and Psalm 23 aren’t good enough to be proclaimed at every Mass, what makes the rest of that translation good enough? I don’t mean that as a wide criticism of the USCCB; I still love Msgr. Malloy and Fishers of Men. The Bible, though, is too important to our faith to let it carry on without being the best.

Speaking of the Bible, Read the rest…

Melinda Selmys writes in the National Catholic Register this week about the folly of expecting God to prove his existence. Even if he appeared to skeptics and answered every question they raised, they would still find a way to rationalize him away.

I agree that that’s a silly expectation. As I’ve come to learn more about Catholicism and Scripture, I’ve discovered something wonderful. There is so much logic and exegesis that can be applied to everything the Church teaches before you have to “take it on faith.” Why do I believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist? Not just because the Church says so. He said so, in the Bread of Life Discourse (John 6), and he wasn’t joking. If he was joking, he wouldn’t have let so many of his disciples leave him that day.

I believe that faith is something that you must claim for yourself. In Protestant rhetoric, you have to “have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” It has to be your decision; not your mom’s, not your wife’s, not even just the desire of Jesus himself. I’m not saying that you need to be blinded and knocked off your horse (Acts 22:6-16) before you can reasonably be expected to believe the truth. And I’m not saying that God will accept your bargain (”do this miraculous thing and I’ll believe”) or give you the right “feeling.” I’m saying that God wants us all for himself, and he will give us every opportunity and every grace we need to embrace him. Choose God. The rewards are literally endless.