Fr. Gabriel T. Mosher, OP 2/21/14 Fr. Gabriel T. Mosher, OP 2/21/14

Neo-Corinthianism

I'm going to ruin your day. Why? Because I must.¹

There's a disturbing trend in contemporary Christian expression that needs to be squarely faced. We all experience it regularly. It's so ubiquitous at this point that many good people confuse it with authentic Christian expression. I'm referring to the superficial neo-spiritualism that has infected the contemporary understanding of the faith. This neo-spiritualism has some distinctive markers. So far, I've been able to identify the following:

It has the characteristics of Anti-intellectualism.
It has an obsession with redefining faith as an “encounter.”
It improperly divides and orders the parts of the human soul.
It tends toward Christo-monism.
It redefines Christ's mission to be radical affirmation.
It tends toward a de-emphasis of the Sacraments.
It priorities the personal over the ecclesial.
It lacks traditional sensibilities concerning piety.

One of my Dominican brothers is famous for remarking that all heresies are, at root, a problem with Christology. When we make mistakes about the person and nature of Christ we end up with far reaching errors.² As you may be able to see from my list, this current error is no different. The funny thing is that quite often, the practical implications for these errors are difficult to see when they aren't being subjected to the rigorous lens of theological investigation. When these errors are employed in active ministry, like a Persian Rug glanced at a distance, it's difficult to see the flaw.³ But, unlike a Persian Rug, flaws in theology do not contribute to the beauty of Christian living. Rather, what may appear to be harmless or even good ideas might lead to theological error when they are, themselves, the result of theological error.⁴

Let me break this down in simple terms. There are two aspects of this contemporary problem. On the one hand there is a flawed understanding of grace. On the other hand there is a flawed understanding of nature. On the level of nature there is an undue emphasis on subjective experience over and against concrete reality. Included in this is a tacit denial of the intrinsic intelligibility of the natural order and an over-emphasis on ontological goodness.⁵ On the level of grace there's a misunderstanding of the nature of Christ's mission, how this mission is ordered in the economy of salvation, and the nature of the relationship of grace to nature.⁶.

So, what's the big deal? When these errors collide with our society, which is increasingly deprived of authentic relationships, we end up with what I'm calling a neo-spiritualism. Unsurprisingly it closely approximates the sort of Christian life that St. Paul finds and corrects among the Corinthians. Elsewhere I've called it simply neo-Corinthianism.⁷ The tl;dr version is that these dispositions create a pseudo-mysticism that is divorced from rigorous asceticism, the perfection of the virtues, and obedience to the tradition.⁸ Religion becomes something primarily in one's own mind instead of primarily in reality. The faith one holds becomes virtually indistinguishable from one's own imagination. One becomes a voyeur to Christianity instead of an active participant in it. Or, one works really hard but at the wrong things, in the wrong order, at the wrong time. Or one simply privileges action over contemplation.⁹

So, what's at stake? Well, for those who desire fidelity and progress in the spiritual life, they are deprived of those things necessary to advance beyond the first stage of faith - the stage of initial conversion, i.e., one never ceases being a beginner. For those experiencing the birth of faith for the first time, they are immediately led off course. For the tepid, they are provided no substantive reason to advance in the faith. For the unbeliever, they are given no real reason to believe. In short, everyone eventually ends in despair because the hope that's offered by Christ is dulled. In hope's place is found activism, and self-help programs with religious seasoning.¹⁰

Lest I leave you in despair, there is hope. There is a simple solution. Here's my advice:

Remember that faith is an intellectual virtue. So, following the desire of the Second Vatican Council we all must educate ourselves, and be educated, in the sure doctrine of the Church. If you don't know the basics, you won't master the advanced course.¹¹
Never forget that theological study is ordered to attaining wisdom and not merely the accumulation of facts.
Meditate on the Word of God. What St. Jerome said all those years ago still applies today. “Ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ.”
Participate in the Sacraments as often as you are able. Cultivate a love for the Sacraments for their own sake, not for what they can do for you or to you.
Do corporeal works of mercy. Remember, faith without works is a dead faith.
Don't wait for those around you to get on board with the renewal of authentic Christian life. Take the initiative. You will suffer for it, but that's okay, our Lord was killed for renewing things and no student is above his master.
Don't hide your faith in your parish walls. Institutions can quickly become the proverbial bushel basket under which we comfortably cower.
Don't expect perfection out of yourself. We are all sinners. Each of us is at a different stage. When you fall short, try and aim your fall so that you land in a confessional.

This isn't a magic formula. These are simply the basics of Christian living. If you do these things the others will fall into place. You don't need plans, programs, goals, and assessments. Our Lord has already provided the program. Follow him.

Hopefully you will thank me in the end. However, I know this is going to disturbe people. But, we must not give in to fear. Likewise, we must not avoid discussion on controversial topics. ↩
'Errors' isn't even necessarily the correct word here. Sometimes these imprecisions simply lead to dangerous practices. ↩
This is partially because there's rarely rancor or malice among those who fall prey to these errors. Their “heart is in the right place” so to speak. ↩
I like to give the example of the Albigentians. They were mostly correct in their critiques and instincts. But, many of their practices that, on the surface, seemed good eventually led to their fall into formal heresy. ↩
This shouldn't be confused with moral goodness (which is precisely what happens amoung those who hold to the error I'm trying to articulate). Ontological goodness is simply the way we speak about 'being' as it's related to the will. Moral goodness is about right action. ↩
I immediately think of “Buddy Jesus” from the movie Dogma when I think of this error. People simply forget that Scripture recalls that Christ preached a single message which was “Repent and believe in the gospel.” Everything else was an articulation of how one is to repent and what precisely is the gospel. ↩
Who knows? Maybe the term will catch on. ↩
In fact, I'm pretty sure most people don't even know what any of these things actually are or why they are important anymore. ↩
This is the strangest result to me. It's counterintuative that this sort of pseudo-mysticism would lead to an activist religiousity. However, it seems that when the relationship between nature and grace is conflated the natural result is some form of Pelagianism. ↩
Notice, there is no notion of eschatological transcendence. Immanentism reigns. One sign, then, of an enfeebled Christian expression is a sort of Christian Utopianism. Dispair in a Christian is evident when the majority of his resources are spent on benevolent philanthropy or fighting the culture wars. ↩
Even though there's a pius tradition that the gate of heaven is manned by St. Peter and not Alex Trabeck it is untrue to say that our theological knowledge will not play a role in our admittance into beatitude. Theology is about coming to know God so that we can grow in our love for Him. The more we know God, the more we can love a God. ↩

Fr. Gabriel T. Mosher, OP 1/25/13 Fr. Gabriel T. Mosher, OP 1/25/13

Last Night

I gave a talk in Sacramento last night sponsored by the Veritas Club. It was a wonderful time. I was giving a talk on the Theological Virtue of Faith which they seemed to appreciate a lot. I was deeply grateful for the oportunity to join them for a fun night of faith and fellowship.

Catholic young adult groups are a beautiful leaven in society and in the Church. These young people take time out of their busy professional day to come together for fellowship and to learn more about the Faith. But it's not just young adult groups. There are so many types of Catholic clubs, orginazaations, groups, Third Orders, confraternities, etc., that provide this service for the Church.

This is one fruit of the Second Vatican Council. The Council Fathers desired that all Catholics take personal responsibility for learning about the Faith. They're doing it! They regularly bring in speakers to help them group in their faith. This is the sort of group that needs to be encouraged and supported by priests and religious. More than that. We need to promote them. These groups are a perfect staging ground for the New Evangelization.

I would encourage you to join a group like this in your area. If there isn't one (or a good one), start one. Don't be afraid, God will bless your work. It is His will that our faith is not individualistic. It is supposed to be lived in the context of communities.

We can't just be pew-sitters. We need to take an active part in the evangelical work of the Church. These groups are an easy and fun way to do just that.

Fr. Gabriel T. Mosher, OP 1/22/13 Fr. Gabriel T. Mosher, OP 1/22/13

Upcoming Talks

I'll be giving a couple talks about the necessity of Faith in the next few days. So, If you are in the Sacramento area on Thursday or Modesto on Saturday come by.

Please be aware that you need to R.S.V.P. for the Modesto event.

Thursday, 24 January 2013

Kilt Pub
4235 Arden Way
Sacramento, CA 95864

Sunday, 27 January 2013: 2pm to 3:30pm

John Paul II Lectures for the New Evangelization

St. Joseph's Catholic Church
John Paul II Center: Room 10
1813 Oakdale Rd.
Modesto, CA 95355

R.S.V.P.

Contacts:

Kathryn Casey
209.648.2539
kcasey@jp2lectures.org

or

Melanio Puzon III
209.380.4130
mpuzon3@jp2lectures.org

Fr. Gabriel T. Mosher, OP 11/17/12 Fr. Gabriel T. Mosher, OP 11/17/12

Depression

The funny thing about depression is that it isn't sad. At least, not in my experience.

The sources of my own depression are primarily two-fold. The first is the deep effect my parent's divorce had on me. I know my family reads this blog (hi mom!) so I want them to know that this is not an indictment. Life is what life is. However, truth is true. The trust, stability, and security that one is supposed to experience as a child is forever radically ruptured. Trust becomes difficult or even impossible. This in turn makes love all that more ungraspable. Also, it makes you a little crazy. You begin to think that it is essential for you to be perfect so that you are never abandoned. This is a big fat lie. It is a lie whispered in your ear by Satan and it is lie you constantly tell yourself.

As you get older you realize that perfection is always out of reach. In fact, as I get older it is becoming harder to be perfect. The body and the mind become betrayers. If this perfectionism takes over completely it can lead you into some pretty scary places. The anger that you feel over your imperfections can turn into a very sorry and unfruitful state of life. If you have experienced this sort of emotional self-mutilation you know what I mean. It makes you depressed. You look in the mirror and all you can see is failure. There is little to no consolation for this feeling. You start seeking consolation in the wrong places and usually in the wrong way. This can manifest in any number of compulsions be they sexual, emotional, or activity related compulsions. It is a deep dark rabbit hole that can be very hard to escape once entered.

The other source is from when I was an Undergrad at Texas A&M. My Sophomore year we had a tragedy on campus that forever changed many lives including my own. While our annual Bonfire was being built it collapsed eventually killing 13 people and injuring hundreds. I knew 4 of those who died. Three of them were friends and one, Chris, was one of the freshman in my Corps of Cadets outfit. The last time I saw Chris alive I was being less than kind to him.

Perspective. Death and destruction gives you perspective. You realize that some things can never be undone. On the flip-side you also realize just how precious human life really is. either way, the first time you encounter this it is extremely traumatizing. The first time you encounter mortality in all of its brutality it shakes the very ground upon which you stand. When this happened to me I was immobilized. I didn't eat, I couldn't sleep well. When I did sleep, I couldn't muster the will to get up for our morning activities or go to class. The fire that had been in my heart and been smothered.

This is the feeling of depression. It is the feeling of the inner fire of life being smothered. It isn't a sadness so much as it is a deadness, a numbness. Initially this feeling came upon me because of extreme events in my life. Now, like a chronic illness it is something that just arrises. I never know when it is going to happen. One day I'm on top of the world, the next I'm lower than the foundations of the world. The worst part of it all is that I never recognize what it is until it's almost past. While I'm being held tightly by this feeling it seems normal. It is like an old worn pair of jeans that fit perfectly and comfortably. But, the reality is that it is the opposite of normal. Where there should be feeling there is only numbness.

I think that some people will never fully understand or appreciate this. They interpret my dulled spirit erroneously. Or, maybe, I just think they do. This is part of the problem. The shame of depression. No matter how normal or how clinical depression is made, it is still shaming. The American in me wants to try to hike myself up by my bootstraps and carry on. But it's not that simple. When I'm in the grips of depression I have neither hands to lift with nor bootstraps to grasp. I'm stuck in a state I don't even realize I'm in. When I begin to realize I feel the shame set in. And, like a tortious, back into the shell I go.

This is why I'm eternally grateful for good company. My family is exceptional even in all their flaws. They love intensely as befits Latinos. I've never felt unloved by them. I am fortunate. I understand God's love because I've experienced true unconditional love from my family. They have never allowed their own faults and failings to get in the way of their love for me. This doesn't stave off depression but it does make it bearable. I'm eternally grateful for my 'Buddy' Matt. When I was at my lowest after the collapse of the Bonfire he lit a fire under me, moving me, by the force of his will, and care, out of the depths of depression. Good friends and good family – I'm lucky.

This, I think, has led me to where I am today. I just crawled out of one of these states. One pretty nasty occasion of it I might say. But, the goodness of my Dominican Brothers, their care and concern, their willingness to let me talk through my irrational emotional states has been my consolation. It's funny, they are a fusion of both friends and family. But, why? How? These guys are just a bunch of odd guys who dress funny and live a life inconceivable to most people. Why do they care? How can they care so much? I think it's because they love God. In loving God you can love anything that God loves. In loving God you can hate anything that God hates. As you live this Dominican life, this Christian life, and grow in the capacity to love God more and more you are empowered to love others more and more. I'm for the first time grateful for my depression. I hate it, but I'm grateful. God has willed me to become weak so that I can be an object of charity for others.

My weakness has become salvific.