'between heaven and hell' by daniel johnston

BLESS THIS BECOMING

by Stephen Morris

Having recently entered a period of discernment, I had the good fortune of being able to bring my matters before a good and holy priest friend of mine. He told me of a story from a time when he was at a similar crossroads. He took his question before his own spiritual director, who offered the following advice: "Friend, God doesn't give a SHIT what path you walk down..." (dramatic pause) "...what matters to God is HOW how you walk it."

It was a eureka moment for me. Of course! God must be aware of our circumstances, our contexts, our abilities, our influences.... and if God is as wise, just and merciful as I believe Him to be, then God must not be inherently results-driven; rather God must be infinitely more interested in our own unique process of growth and healing.

And as I have had time to further reflect on this insight I would like to add something. It's not that God doesn't care what path we're on; its that by virtue of the way we walk, our path will change and shift accordingly. The way we walk in itself determines where we go. One who walks upright and truthfully is less likely to choose a path leading to darkness and deception.

So now when I pray, I pray in the humility of knowing that it's not up to me to be a great producer for God. Of course that would be pleasing to God, but I have come to understand that if I set my sights on my conduct, my desires, my little circle of relationships, and doing my best with what I have been given, then God will accomplish those greater things through me, should He so choose. So rather than praying for the accomplishment of spectacular goals, I think it is more fruitful to simply pray that God may simply bless this becoming.

NAVIGATING WENDELL BERRY

"Wendell Berry and The Cultivation of Life: A Reader's Guide"
by J. Matthew Bonzo and Michael R. Stevens
Brazos Press, 2008

Reviewed by Stephen Morris
to be published in The Catholic Register, December 2008

I was so glad when I learned of the opportunity to review this book; for years I've heard about Wendell Berry, but when I investigated I realized that his body of work consists of fifty years worth of novels, poems and scattered essays. And though I've heard about him in relation to theology, there seemed to be no obvious starting point into my exploration—which was eventually put on hold. So imagine my delight when "Wendell Berry and the Cultivation of Life: A Reader's Guide" was offered to me for review; it is a well-crafted consolidation of key Berryian themes in one introductory volume, and written from an explicitly theological perspective.

But to begin, its important to know a little about the man. Wendell Berry was born in 1934 in Henry County Kentucky, to a fifth generation farming family. He studied English and creative writing at Kentucky, then Stanford. He would go on to teach English and creative writing at Kentucky then NYU. But just when he seemed settled on an academic career, it all changed in 1965 when he decided to pack it in and buy a farm in rural Kentucky, where he developed a 125 acre homestead—a dramatic transition that remains the backbone of his writing and thought.

This is why his work is permeated with the sense that he straddles two contrasting worlds; the modern one that thrives on efficiency, disposability, profit, and anonymity; and the traditional one which is rooted in community, mutuality, a reverence for nature and for the miracle of life. You may see already where this is heading for Catholics; in his own way, Berry is articulating the underpinnings of what Pope John Paul II will call "The Culture of Life" and "TheCulture of Death."

But where the Pope focused on the edges of life and death, Berry is more concerned with how to live out our calling in the everyday sense; for instance, by advocating for the tradition of family farming in the age of faceless agro-business. And as consumers, he would ask us if we are supporting local farmers, their families and way of life, by buying local produce; or do we choose cheaper produce grown in China or Vietnam due to low labor costs and environmental deregulation? Reading Berry will raise our awareness of all that is at stake in such a seemingly mundane decision.

What insights does Berry offer churches? Though he is currently a practicing Baptist, his relationship with Christianity has been rocky—in the prophetic tradition of calling the Church to a deeper authenticity. The tension began as Berry took Christianity to task for its complicity in the environmental crisis. And this in the long runproved fruitful—Berry is considered a catalyst of the eco-theology movement; and we can only wonder if the Vatican would have become the world's first carbon-neutral state otherwise.

But Berry's vision of community also speaks to churches. In our modern, displaced world, Christians must ask 'How do I love my neighbors when I don't even know them?' I have a good friend who recently left the Catholic Church and one of his reasons was that despite attending Mass five times a week at a downtown parish for some two years, he met not a single person. If this can happen in our churches, it is a sad microcosm for what is happening in our world with the erosion of any meaningful sense of community.

I highly recommend this book, but it is a recommendation that comes with a warning; reading Berry will not only change the way you see the world (which is where most philosophy stops), but more importantly it will change the way you live in it. His thought comes with a radical call to transformation in ways so comprehensively mundane they cannot be dismissed simply by writing a cheque or donating a few hours of time.

Sanctity of Life Debate for Dummies:

"Anyone who's ever bought a pack of condoms knows EXACTLY when life begins."
-Peggy Noonan

"The church that marries the spirit of an age becomes a widow in the next generation."

-Dean William Inge, quoted in "Context" (March 15, 1997)

The Great Divide

by Stephen Morris

The fundamental source of human anguish is percieving the distance between The Reality and the reality of brokenness that pervades our world.

'The Reality' is our consciousness of the Kingdom of God, which Jesus tells us is within. We perceive in our own hearts a mysterious longing; sometimes experienced as an unrestriced love, or sometimes as a burning desire to reach beyond ourselves.

In faith, this is also experienced as the belief that life is beautiful, intrinsically valuable, as it is endowed with purpose by our Loving Creator. Our Creator who will, in the End, call his children home and wipe away every tear.

However, The Reality is obscured by the brokenness, the presence of sin in our world like a veil darkening a great light -- it is in us and around us. It blemishes our desire, tests our faith, and corrodes the very fabric of human relations.

Our task cannot be the obliteration of sin from this earth. Men have tried this only to have encountered unfathomable evils. We are talking about a brokenness beyond human repair.

Ultimately, the healing is God's affair; but our great charge is to be His instruments. In faith, we are to remain receptive to this calling, attuning our lives to this higher Reality. The spiritual life is a dedication to letting this light shine from us into the world, healing all that it touches.

None of this will erase the anguish, but it will prepare us for He who will. Knowing this deeply in faith, and experiencing not the finality of His love but a foretaste, will shepherd us through this passing storm.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

The orgasm has replaced the Cross as the focus of longing and the image of fulfillment.

-M.Muggerigde

'ALL MY TEARS' by Emmylou Harris

When I go don't cry for me
In my fathers arms I'll be
The wounds this world left on my soul
Will all be healed and I'll be whole

Sun and moon will be replaced
With the light of Jesus' face
And I will not be ashamed
For my savior knows my name

It don't matter where you bury me
I'll be home and I'll be free
It don't matter where I lay
All my tears be washed away

Gold and silver blind the eye
Temporary riches lie
Come and eat from heaven's store
Come and drink and thirst no more

So weep not for me my friend
When my time below does end
For my life belongs to him
Who will raise the dead again

It don't matter where you bury me
I'll be home and I'll be free
It don't matter where I lay
All my tears be washed away

THE FEMINIST THEOLOGY MONOLOGUES

BOOK REVIEW: "Feminist Theology with a Canadian Accent"

*Originally published in CATHOLIC REGISTER, August 2008

Mary Ann Beavis, Editor (with Elaine Guillemin and Barbara Pell) Novalis Press 2008, 444pp.

With the Catholic Church refusing to ordain women or to even entertain the idea, Feminists and the Church have entered into a longstanding "non-meeting of the minds". Because of this deadlock, dialogue has turned to monologue, a sad reality reflected in the pages of Feminist Theology with a Canadian Accent, a collection of 19 essays by Canadian Feminist theologians and scholars.

The numerous essays here are extremely diverse and defy classification, however various themes emerge: the history of the women's movements in Canadian churches, including efforts to ordain women in the Catholic Church; the experience of women in various contexts (Asian, First Nations, lesbian, Francophone) and the theological and spiritual struggles therein; Feminism and ecological issues; and finally, Feminist theology and the arts in Canada.

The most notable contributions are on the topic of ecology, which appears to be the most promising new chapter in Feminist theology; essays by Heather Eaton, Cristina Vanin, and Jessica Fraser explore this most pressing concern. Those interested in the arts will also find a rich exploration of Feminist theological themes in Canadian art and literature.

But save a handful of essays, the overarching trouble with this book is that it all too often reads less like theology and more like "Cultural Studies Critiques the Church." Of course the problem is that Cultural Studies stands on some extremely shaky left-wing ideological foundations. If concepts such as 'neo-imperialism', 'neo-liberalism,' or 'phallocentricism' are not part of your worldview, this book will often prove alienating. Some of the more radical examples include essays slamming the United Church for its insensitivity towards homosexuals (no, that's not a misprint). Or the critique of Canadian multiculturalism from the perspective that it only pretends to welcome immigrants, but is really just a tool of the scheming status quo devised to dominate new recruits of immigrant 'serfs' (Foiled again by the evil genius of Caribana!).

Again, the tone is all too often against Christianity; which is antithetical to the greater purpose of theology—faith seeking understanding. I'm sure that the authors in question see themselves as purifiers or liberators of the Christian tradition, but the overall feel is much too hostile for any constructive dialogue to emerge.

This is not to say that the Christian tradition has nothing to account for in its relations with women; but page after page the baby is thrown out with the bathwater as postmodern praise is lavished on the ‘transgression’ and subversion’ of Christianity, rather than on its healing and restoration. All too often I was jarred by sentences like this: “For these authors, the traditional themes of martyrdom, vicarious atonement and self-sacrifice only serve to mask, justify and perpetuate ancient patterns of patriarchal violence. Rather than resorting to traditional religion for comfort, answers or solutions, the novels cite alternative spiritualities (Goddess spirituality, ecological spirituality, mysticism) or no religion at all as sources of insight and inspiration.” (Beavis p.368) Or Cree poet Louise Bernice Halfe’s poem Blue Marrow, which is celebrated because; “By rewriting those earlier traditions, the poet simultaneously criticizes colonial religion (a.k.a. Christianity) while articulating an entirely different system of belief.” (Gilmour p.371) There is a fine line between Liberation Theology, and liberation from theology; a line crossed way too many times in these essays.

Perhaps in a way it is fitting that the publication of this book should coincide with the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae. Writing in First Things (Aug/Sept 08) Mary Ebestadt argues that this once laughing-stock of a document appears to have been vindicated by history (insert gasp here); the dark side of the sexual revolution has been a dramatic de-population of the west; the breathtaking ascent of pornography; the breakdown of marriage and the family—and the dire economic, social and psychological impact this has had on women. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of abortions performed annually (many of which are increasingly becoming sex-selective, targeting female fetuses)… Why are these matters not being addressed?

Not to put all the responsibility on Feminists for repairing the relationship with the Catholic Church—the Church is certainly not excelling in its outreach to Feminists—but to move from monologue to dialogue, Feminist Theologians would do well to break with party line and address some of these realities; perhaps even conceding that there is some wisdom in Church teaching on issues relating to women. Female ordination in the Catholic Church is unlikely to happen any time soon, and the Church will certainly never sanction abortion: but that doesn't make it a one-dimensional boogeyman of patriarchal oppression either.

ON A CERTAIN TEMPTATION IN THE SPIRITUAL LIFE

"Life is what happens when we're busy making other plans." The same can be said of the spiritual life.

Who has not found themselves frustrated in some way -- with a relationship, a job, a family problem -- and have caught themselves more and more disconnected from reality and instead living in some idealized future fantasy? Symptoms may include:

1) RETRO-NARRATIVES: Ever listen to your self talk? Do you catch yourself dealing with problems in the present from the perspective of a distant future? Perhaps youve caught yourself more than a few times saying things like "THAT will make a great story one day..."

2) CARICATURIZATION: Perhaps it is a specific person thats got you down, rather than a situation? Another symptom may be the creation of a mental caricature of that difficult person which portrays them as absurd and immutable, rather than humane and susceptible to feelings and redemptive change, just like anybody else. By perceiving people in this way, we have inherently justified our hands-off approach to reality.

3) GOOD HUMOR?: Anyone saying anything critical on the topic of humor is sure to sound like a stick in the mud, but I'll just have to roll the dice on this one... Humor is a great coping mechanism, and of course it is good to laugh at ourselves and about our problems -- but be careful that humor is not being used maliciously. Don't forget the Greek word from which 'sarcasm' is derived literally means 'to tear the flesh' -- contemplate THAT next time you watch The Simpsons! Discern whether humor functions for you in a way that 'makes light of', or if is it fundamentally violent. Never confuse laughter and smiles with goodness without attending to its nature. If it is good, it can help us bridge a rough patch and reconnect us with reality -- as when two people can laugh about a misunderstanding and move on. But if it is destructive, it can alienate us from reality atop a pedestal of smarminess.

It is important to be aware of these signs because our spiritual task is not to avoid reality, but to enter more deeply into it. Only in that way can we create a space for God's healing grace.

Christians espouse a God whom has set the precident for such an approach by having fully entered into the messiness of humanity; having been borne in a stable; lived as an immigrant; ministered to the marginalized and outcast; only to be tortured and publicly executed...

This is not to say that Christian spirituality is masochistic, but our faith does promote a spiritual path that calls for responsibility, forgiveness, and to walk in solidarity with those whom the world despises. Nothing could be more inimical than future escapism, or any escapism for that matter. Future plans and ambitions are fine, but they should not come at the expense of being present to reality. God needs us right where we are.

Whenever I catch myself becoming the escape artist I dread, I pray my favorite lyric from the hymn 'Gather Us In': "Give us the courage to enter the song...."

BOOK REVIEW: “Spirituality For Extroverts” by Nancy Reeves

Abingdon Press, 155pp.
Originally published in Catholic Register

I must confess that as an introvert, I’ve always carried the unexamined bias that religion was largely the domain of the Introvert—Introverts just seemed more likely to have their hearts set on the eschatological banquet , even though they’d probably be more comfortable with an intimate chat with Jesus over a Starbucks.

But of course this is a fallacy, and Nancy Reeves has written Spirituality For Extroverts to rehabilitate this perception. And Reeves is just the person for the task; she is not only a clinical psychologist and spiritual director, but also an introvert herself. Her background as a clinical psychologist is particularly helpful, as so many writers in this field with lesser qualifications settle on fusing spirituality with pop psychology, undermining the credibility of the genre.

This allows us to begin on solid ground, with a clear understanding of what Extroversion is. The term was first coined by Carl Jung in 1923 in his work Psychological Types, and further developed by Myers-Briggs, the founders of the Type Indicator. They have given us our common understanding of Extroversion, which is a personality type that is more open, outward, communicative and friendly. More recent biological research has supported Jung’s insight, with brain scans finding that the brains of Extroverts actually reported more neurological activity in the posterior thalamus and posterior insula—the parts of the brain that are involved in interpreting sensory data (Introverts by contrast experienced more brain activity in the frontal lobes and anterior thalamus, the parts of the brain associated with memory, planning and problem solving). Because people seek out experiences that stimulate their brains, Extroverts get more out of interacting with the outer world through positive social experiences.

What this means in terms of spirituality, is that Extroverts are likely struggle with traditional spiritual practices that involve turning inwards, such as silent retreats and contemplative prayer. What Reeves advocates is the ‘different strokes for different folks’ approach; so rather than the above spiritual exercises, she would recommend singing, finding ‘soul friends’, moving prayer which includes walking a labyrinth or even dancing—she even suggests ‘spiritual photography,’ something I had no idea even existed. Reeves argues that we need to think outside the box when it comes to Extrovert spiritual practice; “Prayer forms are meant to be instrumental, ways to be in communion with God. When they help us achieve our desire, we should not let them capture our attention. As an ancient Chinese proverb states, ‘Only the fool stares at the finger when it is pointing at the moon.’ ”

Here I caught myself saying, ‘Well, if everything is prayer, then nothing is prayer…’ But Reeves pulls through this ‘anything goes’ section on spiritual practice with the eventual acknowledgement that healthy Extroverts must develop spiritually not by struggling against their nature, but within it—and I think this is the most honest and helpful section of the book. The idea is that Extroverts share many broad characteristics; however the trick is that they must be manifested positively for spiritual growth to occur. The Extrovert must move along the personality continuum from impulsive to spontaneous; from chatter to focused discussion; from stimulation junkie to diverse spiritual practice; from wandering in space to befriending silence. The goal of all of this is to prevent Extroverts from becoming slaves to their own desire for outward stimulation. To maximize their potential for spiritual growth and psychological integrity, Reeves argues that Extroverts must temper their instinctive desires by moving towards a more balanced approach to spirituality.

As this book is written by an Extrovert and mainly for them, it is helpful that it is written in a lively style, punctuated by spiritual biographies, and with short lively chapters. It is also highly interactive, as each chapter concludes with discussion questions and tips for using the book in groups. Spirituality for Extroverts is a little gem for Extroverts struggling to find a fruitful spiritual path, and for those who minister to them (especially spiritual directors). However because of its brevity, more work needs to be done on this important topic. Reeves deserves much praise for getting the conversation started.

Quote of the Day

"God has mercifully made our fantasies - the pursuit of power, of sensual satisfaction, of money, of celebrity, of happiness - so preposterously unrewarding that we are forced to turn to him for reality, for help, and for mercy." -Malcolm Muggeridge

On Love and Idolatry

THE STATE OF THE (ROMANTIC) UNION

I recently caught up with an old friend, and we had an interesting conversation about romantic relationships.

Allow me to summarize the essence of her view:

“Your partner must ideally complete you in a profound way, making you challenge your fears and inner darkness, and help you ultimately realize your deepest potential…”

I actually feel that on the surface, this is a noble and romantic ideal. How could one not see the beauty in it?

Furthermore, I believe that for all of its high-sounding idealism, that it is actually quite a common view. I would argue that most people today would agree with this as the definition of the ideal relationship.

So if our culture takes such a beautiful and inspirational view of relationships, why are they so notoriously unsuccessful? Why, for example, do divorce rates continue to soar?



SECULARIZATION AND DISPLACEMENT

Here’s a thought experiment that gets to the heart of my point: Take the above quote, and substitute the word “God” for “partner”. Here’s how it would read:

“Your partner [God] must ideally complete you in a profound way, making you challenge your fears and inner darkness, and help you ultimately realize your deepest potential…”

How did the words “partner” and “God” become interchangeable, so that they both seem to fit into the paragraph?

It’s stunning if you really think about it.

But I think it can be understood through the lens of history and sociology: As our culture becomes gradually secularized and religion loses its formal place in the fabric of our lives, those spiritual needs are displaced into other areas.

With the erosion of formal religion, we have compensated through an ‘over-spiritualization’ of romantic relationships.

So what is the problem with this? Simply that it puts extremely unrealistic expectations on romantic relationships—which can ultimately be corrosive. When our partner fails to meet our emotional, intellectual, sexual, and now spiritual needs, we feel that our relationship is somehow inadequate.

It is astonishing to think how within just a few generations, humans went from a purely utilitarian view of relationships (have kids, keep the farm going), to one so ethereal that it borders on transcendental.


AN ALTERNATE VIEW: CHRISTIAN INTEGRATION

So if relationships today suffer from confusing the vertical (transcendent) and horizontal (human) dimensions of human existence, what are we to do?

Surely I am not saying that we shouldn’t seek a spiritual dimension in our romantic relationships. I am definitely not saying ‘save the spiritual stuff for church and prayer…’

But what I am saying is that we cannot depend on our partner for being the source of these profound inner transformations; which is not to say that the romantic relationship cannot be their conduit.

By sharing our faith life with our partner—a life of prayer, worship, and charity—our romantic relationship can deepen our relationship with God: but it can never function as a substitute for that relationship.

To depend exclusively on our partner for facilitating these profound spiritual transformations is nothing short of a modern form of idolatry, the worship of false gods.

In his day, Moses had to compete with the Golden Calf; perhaps today he would have had to compete with this distorted notion of romantic love.

METAPHORS OF MINISTRY

People are bothered by certain concepts of ministry.

For instance, I have spoken to many people who would never darken a church door because they imagine that it is full of brainwashed parishioners falling over each other to kiss the hand of the priest, as though he himself were a minor deity.

This distorted notion is the philosophical hangover from the ‘hermeneutics of suspicion’ (Marx, Freud, Nietzsche—with a dash of Voltiarian anti-clericalism), and popularized in such novels asThe Da Vinci Code. The charge is based upon the premise that religion is merely an instrument of social control, rather than a living embodiment of spiritual truth.

And so as not sound as though I am blaming some vast anti-Catholic conspiracy, Catholics must also acknowledge the grave harm that the sexual abuse scandal has done to the perception of ministry. It is hard to imagine an automatic submission to authority after this travesty.

But the point is that all of this turmoil has created a fruitful launching point for rethinking our understanding of ministry.

So allow me to suggest an alternative metaphor of ministry that I believe can help move us forward in our present climate (and I want to stress that I am convinced that this metaphor is spiritually authentic, rather than a knee-jerk concession to our current crisis).

So without further ado, here’s the metaphor:

Imagine a Christian minister as a guide navigating a path through the forests of darkness, confusion and deception of this world. And how do ministers know the path? Because they themselves are guided by the stars—the stars of the sacraments, the revealed Word, the Christian tradition, all of which sustained by the power of the Holy Spirit.

And this path leads to a clearing from which a vantage point emerges—and the view is nothing less than the infinite horizon of God.

But at the heart of this metaphor is that in the end both stand in awe facing God, shoulder-to-shoulder, rather than the minister standing over and above the one being ministered to.

The metaphor then is rooted not in authority, but in the humility that just as we all stand beneath the same sun, we shall all be called to judgment before the same merciful and loving Creator.