All That's Left Is Sex

There are tons of causes for the loss of hope in contemporary culture. Maybe I'll hazard to dive into that messy soup some time to show how many contemporary spiritualities contribute to the loss of hope. For now, however, I'll simply state the case. We are a people who have lost hope. For years I've told people that the saddest spiritual disaster among the people I meet is not that they've ceased believing in hell, the devil, and sin. No. Sadly, the real tragedy is that people have lost their belief in heaven.

An old philosophy professor of mine made an astute observation in class one day. He declared to the class that most contemporary people in western society were atheists. He said that's if you include all those Christians who live as if they were atheists, even the devout. I was stunned by his assertion. Experience has taught me that he was right on the money.

If there's no God, there's no heaven. If you live as if there's no God, then you live as if there's no heaven. The net result is the same. Either way is a life doomed to be bereft of hope for the future glory promised to those who repent and believe in the Gospel. One without this hope is bound to seek happiness only in transitory goods. In other words, one is relegated to live a life seeking those things which delight only the senses. Man's spirit is neglected; it atrophies and dies.

At least in ye olde days the vast majority of people lived in a world filled with mystery. The trees had sprites. An elf was around every corner. The gods reigned on Mt. Olympus and the Valkyrie welcomed the noble souls into Valhallah. The rationalism of our time has murdered mystery with the microscope and the pocket calculator. It seems, that on a practical level, Christianity has been similarly wounded. Christ was just one more boogie man to fall victim to the focused analysis of myopic empiricists.

Sadly, believers haven't helped the situation. There has been too much anti-rationalism among believers. Faith has been set in opposition to reason in spite of the heroic efforts of John Paul II and Benedict XVI. The result is that these two valid sources of truth have been set as odds against each other. Everybody, as a result, suffers from this intellectual civil war. Hope, it seems, has been one of the conspicuous casualties.

A simulacrum of hope has become a weak replacement in the lives of so many people. Since there is nothing to look forward to after this life, or if we live as if there is nothing to look forward to after this life, then we end up simply seeking those goods we find laying about us. The great good of fulfillment has been replaced by the limited goods of satiety and pleasure. The great good of immortality has been replaced by propagation. The communion of persons has been replaced by casual encounters. In short, heavenly bliss has been replaced by sexual promiscuity.

This isn't simply a case of falling prey to our baser human inclinations. No, the pagans did paganism with far more panache than we could ever muster. We've fallen into a far worse state than our former pagan ways. We've reordered the heavenly and the infinite to the earthly and the finite. We've aborted our hope. We've placed our salvation in our sexuality.

Recent Interview on Pulling the String

I was recently interviewed on a new podcast. I'm happy to include a link to the interview.

The Wrong Question

The words we use betray us. They betray what’s on our mind and what’s in our heart. Listen closely to the words a person uses, the phrases he employs, and you’ll learn more about the speaker than he intends. This listening skill is essential for those of us who participate in the ministry of the “care of souls”. It’s not just the words that matter. It’s what’s lurking behind the words that’s often far more important. The words people choose often hint at a more fundamental disposition. It sounds cliche but it’s almost always true.

This is simply a preamble to what I really want to talk about. I feel this preamble is necessary because what I want to say touches on a core issue of the human spirit. I want to talk about the perceived relationship that we, as individuals, have with God. I say “perceived” on purpose. Sometimes we can think our relationship with God is strong when the reality is actually the opposite. A friend of mine asked me a question one time that illustrates the problem. He said, “when I’m praying, sometimes I wonder if I am actually talking to God or just talking to myself.”

Now that’s one heckuva statement!

He wasn’t questioning the existence of God. No, he was questioning himself. He was questioning whether he, in fact, had the sort of relationship with God that he believed he had. Essentially, my friend was wondering if he was actually a spiritual narcissist. This is a great question to ask ourselves regularly. Just being able to ask this question is evidence of spiritual maturity. Becoming spiritually mature often requires this sort of a shake up. Essentially, my friend wasn’t satisfied with simply relying on his own judgment about the things he discerned in prayer. He wanted external confirmation. He needed something tangible, something objective. He needed something to keep him grounded in reality so he didn’t fall into the trap of creating God in his own image. And, man, is it an easy trap to fall into. Parenthetically, this is exactly why Christ established his Church. She is the guardian and storehouse of the Deposit of Faith. She is a sure guide for living a good and holy life. This is why Blessed Pope John XXIII named the Church both Mother and Teacher.¹

This memory popped into my mind because something keeps popping up in my conversations. I hear it online and offline. It’s almost a catch phrase at this point. When I’m having a conversation with someone about some moral failing (no matter what that failing may be) at some point my conversation partner will say: “I know that God loves me just the way I am.” At this point you’re probably scratching your head wondering, “What's the problem, Br. Gabriel?” Well, let me tell you. I mean, it’s usually a wonderful thing for someone to realize that they’re embraced by the all-encompassing love of God. Not everyone realizes this. The problem is that it’s the right answer to the wrong question.

I’m always surprised when this phrase is used. I shouldn’t be, but I am. It shows just how far our culture has fallen away from a basic understanding of God. Whenever I hear it I have an urge to grab the person by the shoulders and shake some sense into him saying, “Look, yes, you’re right! But that’s not the question. Of course God loves you. That’s a given!” What, then, is the question? The question we ask ourselves needs to be, “Do I love God?” But, see, this is the harder question. This is the question that many people don’t want to ask. They don’t want to ask it because they don’t like the consequences that follow from the answer.

If the answer to this question is “no,” the consequences are pretty terrifying. But, if the answer to the question is “yes,” the consequences are still pretty terrifying. The former is terrifying for, hopefully, obvious reasons. The latter is terrifying because it requires change. And, change, serious change, is always scary.

The moment I profess love for God I’m beholden to the words of Christ in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” I call this Christ’s Eliza Doolittle moment. Christ is effectively saying, “if you love me, show me!” So we can’t just say, “God loves me” and then be satisfied with the manner of our life. On the contrary, once we know that God’s love is both intimate and personal we have an obligation to repent of the imperfections, faults, and sins in our life and believe in the transformative power of the Gospel.

This isn’t the “health and wellness” gospel. This is the true gospel message. This is the message that requires courage to follow. Christianity isn’t the easy path that some make it out to be. It’s a daily struggle to live up to the name ‘Christian.’

So, does your love for God make you want to be a better person? Does your love for God make you want to please him above everyone else? Does your love for God make you want to follow his commandments with diligence regardless of how you feel about those commands? I hope so. If not, it might be time to reflect on the nature of your relationship with God. Do you really and truly love God with your whole mind, your whole heart, and your whole soul? Or, are you holding something back?

This is simply a choice that we get to make. Love is, after all, a choice. So, if we choose to love God, then we need to live out that love with intensity and reckless abandon. Don’t be satisfied with simply knowing that God loves you. That’s lazy. Root out of your life those things that displease God. I know, it isn’t easy. We have a tendency to rut and wallow in our sins. We hold onto them like a miser griping his last coin. But, if we love someone we generally desire to please that person. And, we generally don’t get to decide the terms and conditions for pleasing that person. We have to please them on their own terms. God is no different. But, if we’re spiritual narcissists we’ll never discover how beautiful an authentic love relationship with God can actually be. We will always be dictating our terms to God like petulant children.

Don’t fool yourself.

Don’t be afraid to conform yourself to his will.

It’s hard work, but, there’s true happiness, joy, and peace waiting for those who truly love him.

---

1. Everyone should read his Encyclical Mater et Magistra.  ↩

What I Do

I was recently in San Francisco during WWDC.¹ And, no I wasn’t there as a developer. I’ve considered making a few iOS apps. But, I’ve yet to execute on my ideas. Anyway, that discussion is for another blog post. But I was there to learn some cool stuff and meet some cool people who I only know by their online personality or Twitter handle.² One such fellow was Lex Friedman. Lex is an interesting guy with an interesting background. He’s also hilarious. But, I was deeply touched by an article he wrote for The Magazine a few issues back.³

After reading his touching article I was determined to meet this man in person. Well, my opportunity arrived at AltWWDC this year.⁴ He was giving a talk that I thought would easily apply to matters beyond development. So, I rode the BART into The City. I got throughly lost trying to find the Venue (until the good hearted Moisés Chiullan pointed me in the right direction). I sat down for a couple conferences until Lex got up to speak. He was funny and engaging. It was a good talk. I’m happy I made the time to hear it.

After his talk I introduced myself and thanked him for the aforementioned article. He was gracious. Thankfully he didn’t point out my obvious nervousness and inability to form coherent sentences.⁵ However, he did ask me something I didn’t expect.

It’s not as if he asked me something controversial. He didn’t ask me about one of the profound mysteries of the universe or some obscure philosophical idea. No! Instead he had the audacity to ask, “So, what do you do?” I was stumped. I was stumped! And, I’m still obsessing about it. Why didn’t I know how to answer that question? I’ve been a Dominican long enough to know what I do, who I am. Why did I give him the answer I did? Why did I think of an answer that was really a dodge?

Welcome to the mind of an obsessive personality.

My first response was, “Well I get paid to talk.” And, that’s true as far as it goes. And, it’s an important part of what I do. We are mendicants. My Order survives mostly on the donations. Yeah, there are salaried positions that a few brothers have as Pastors, Professors, and the like. But, donations are primary. In my case, most donations come from free will offerings I collect at speaking venues. Okay, so, the description wasn’t false. However, it’s shallow. It doesn’t, at all, capture what I do as a Dominican Friar.⁶

But what’s a better response? What is an easy way to explain what I do without some protracted explanation. You know, the sort of explanation that cause people to repeatedly glance at their watches. Explaining what one does should be informative and exciting, not eyeball glaze! What would you say? What could you say that would capture who you are as a person in a short but potent response. See, that’s what I’m trying to do. I don’t have a job, properly speaking. I live a peculiar manner of life. I’m consecrated to the Lord. This is what shapes who I am.

My pride wants something witty. I want to articulate what I do in a way that’s inspiring and invites people to ask more questions. But, really my response should be far more simple. Why? My life is no longer my own. My life belongs to Christ and his Church. In short, it’s not about me. It’s about Him.

Next time I get this question I think I’ll simply say: “I try really hard to be an imitator of Christ.”

That should be more than enough. That should be enough for any Christian.

---

1. Apple’s major developer conference. If you are a nerd you probably know this. If you are not a nerd you probably don’t care.  ↩

2. It was great meeting all you guys!  ↩

3. Actually, Issue #3. You can read the article here.  ↩

4. This is an alternative developer conference that is held at the same time as WWDC for all those dedicated Mac and iOS developers who didn’t get a ticket to WWDC.  ↩

5. Those who know me will find this fact a little odd and hard to believe. I’m not usually one to be caught flat-footed in a conversation with anyone. But, for some reason this happened to me twice while meeting people during WWDC.  ↩

6. I was tempted to tell him that I was a professional LARPer.  ↩

Death Comes for Google Reader

If you use RSS for anything then you probably know that Google terminated Google Reader yesterday. They tend to do this to services they no longer value (regardless of how much we value them). Google Reader dominated the RSS reader services for a number of years. Their service was so good that they crushed the competition. Heck, it's the only Google service that still use. But, the demise of Google Reader seems like it's both a good thing and a bad thing. It's good because it will allow for competition in this technology space. It's bad because all of us who were dependent on it for gathering news from around the internet must make some decisions. We either abandon the use of RSS altogether (which I'm sure some people will do), or we find an alternative. I've been looking for an alternative.

The reason why I'm not willing to abandon a good RSS service is because of what Google Reader provided me. I'm not keen on allowing any medium or technology consume too much of my time. I've seen the result and I don't like it. Forms of media like newspapers, radio, and television already consume too much time as it is. If you add the internet to your daily routine then it's easy to simply become a consumer of information with no time for actual meaningful work or contemplation. You can easily become a drain drinking in raw data that spirals down into the emptiness of a cluttered soul. Google Reader has always helped me avoid this relationship damaging phenomenon. Instead of spending time seeking out information on the web the information from sites I find important are served to me as they are posted. I can then enjoy them according to my own time schedule. I have a simple workflow to help manage the information I receive:

1. I subscribe to a site's RSS feed thought Google Reader.
2. Google Reader syncs these feeds to all my devices.
3. I curate these feeds using Reeder passing interesting items to Instapaper.
4. I then read them at a convenient time in Instapaper or with ReadQuick.

This simple workflow has allowed me to consume a lot of important information without spending a lot of time online. Instead of going out to the internet, I make the internet come to me. This method of consuming information from online sources has been very efficient. It allows me to spend very little time scanning websites. There's no getting lost down dark rabbit holes constructed of hyperlinks. In real world terms, I spend less time consuming information with this workflow than the average newspaper reader and the information I'm able to consume is broader and more up to date. This allows me more time for study, prayer, and actual human relationships. In fact, this manner of consuming information contributes to the richness of each of these more primary human activities. I can contemplate current events, bring them and the needs of those involved before God in prayers, and share this information and its significance with others. Not having this process would actually impoverish my contemplative life at this point.

However, the foundation of this process has been Google Reader.

I've spent the last month investigating alternatives to Google Reader's service. Fortunately, an acquaintance of mine, Josh Centers has written an exhaustive article at TidBITS on the different options currently available. If you've been wondering what to do now that Google Reader is dead this article is a great place to start.

The alternative to Google Reader that I've chose to use is Feed Wrangler. I think that it will best serve my purposes in the long run. I'm currently unsatisfied with the iOS applications. However, I know that they are in their infancy. Also, if they don't get better my favorite RSS reader Reeder has promised to soon add it as a supported service.

This transition from one RSS syncing service to another has caused me to think a lot about my own use of technology and the internet. I continue to be convinced that the life of holiness can be attained in the midst of technological immersion. However, it is essential that we take the time to discover applications and workflows that allow us to govern the internet instead of being governed by it. It's so easy to let this happen! Yet, through trail and error I feel that I've found a good balance in my online life.

Now, if there was only an app or workflow to get my offline life in order ...

A Family Needs Your Help

Hello again! Sorry I've been away from my keyboard for so long. All my efforts needed to be directed toward my school work. Thank you for your patience with me. But, the school year is complete. I'll soon have more time on my hands to reflect on life, the universe, and everything.

However, before we return to our regular schedule, a great need has been brought to my attention thorugh my Knights of Columbus Council. There is a family in dire need of financial support because of a serious health crisis. I offered to publicize the need on their behalf. I'm including the petition below. Please support this family in any way you are able. It's a very sad and desperate situation.

---

“It is with a heavy heart that I write this for financial help for a dear childhood friend of mine, Jennifer. After many, many unfortunate events in my friends life such as a fiancee who was killed in a car accident after an argument while in their 20’s, her brother passing away from Lou Gehrig’s disease last year after a 14 year battle. She was unable to take in her brother’s son because her own husband had been diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma - a rare, incurable blood cancer which affects the plasma cells located in the bone marrow 7 years ago, she is now facing her biggest challenge.

Her husband Kev is now at the end of his battle with his disease. Kev has been receiving all kinds of treatments since he was diagnosed 7 years ago but has quickly deteriorated over the last 2 weeks. Jennifer has had to go on Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and since she is 100% commission there is NO money coming in.

Kev does not have life insurance. They have 3 boys. One 10 and twin 8 year olds. The 10 year old and one of the 8 year olds are considered to be on the Autism spectrum although very high functioning.

A group of close friends have established a fund in Kev’s name to help eliminate some of the financial burden associated with an extended illness. I have attached a copy of the letter that was sent out to their neighbors apprising them of Kev’s condition and the fund for your review. If you are so inclined to make a donation, the fund information is also listed below:
Donations can be made to:

“The Kev Tev Fund” at the Central One Federal Credit Union. Checks can be mailed to:
Central One Federal Credit Union
714 Main S
Shrewsbury, Mass 01545

Thank you for you consideration - it is greatly appreciated.”

I don't have the letter that is referenced in this request. However, if you need any further information send me an email using the contact from here I'm sure I can get it from the folks who established the fund.

Being Pastoral

On occasion I experience a physical reaction to certain words. Usually it's a reaction of disgust. Does this ever happen to you? Am I the only one? I'm not talking about stupid, overused terms like, "game changer." Nor am I talking about terms that are mere annoyances. I'm talking about terms that cause wailing and gnashing of teeth. Maybe I'm being a little melodramatic? Maybe. Maybe I'm just hypersensitive to words. Maybe. But regardless, there are some terms that, when carelessly tossed about, make me so very, very angry.

This only happens to me when a good term is taken on a Spring Break road-trip to South Padre Island and goes all sorts of bad. It's the abuse of good terms that I find to be crazy-making. I'm guessing there's something like this in any profession. I don't know. In my experience, however, there are a lot of these poor abused terms. But, in my corner of human affairs the saddest of these abused terms is: pastoral.

Normally it's a great word. And, even though Jony Ive hates skeuomorphic design it seems that Jesus loves it. You see, this is the analogy that our Lord chose to describe the way sacred ministers would care for his people. It's no mistake that the image of the Good Shepherd is what most people envision when the term pastoral is used. Those responsible for governance in the Church are supposed to be like shepherds over a flock. Christ himself reemphasizes this image during the three–fold repentance of Peter in John 21:15-19.

The abuse of this term happens when people don't respect the analogy. They import things that don't fit or remove things that do. For instance, one trendy way of doing ministry is based on client-centered therapy. In this model, the minister isn't seen as a resource or expert that the client is consulting. Rather, the client is the expert and the minister "walks"with the client on his journey. The popular scriptural example abused for this model is the story of the disciples on the Road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-35. But, I very much doubt that there are any successful shepherds who simply "walk" with their sheep. Heck, even in this example Christ instructs the troubled disciples.

Instead, if we want to know what being pastoral is all about we need to look at what a shepherd actually does. Yes, he walks with his sheep. But, he doesn't simply walk beside them. He guides them. Sometimes he guides them gently. He calls to them and they come. But, sometimes the sheep are obstinate and he must use a little force. The force isn't to hurt the sheep, it's to save them. If a sheep gets lost it not only puts itself in jeopardy but it puts the whole flock in jeopardy. If the sheep want to eat the wrong things, the shepherd must abruptly and definitively stop them. Also, a shepherd may need to defend his sheep against the wolves. A shepherd leads his flock from point A to point B. He is not led by the flock. Being pastoral necessarily involves being both compassionate and understanding while still being able to correct and discipline.

This is the crux of the matter. People use the term pastoral to express an agenda. The agenda is the repudiation of the role of those who participate in Holy Orders for the purpose of governing the Church. It's an imposition of modern (and definitely American) notions of freedom and equality on the Church. But, this leadership role is intrinsic to the cleric's place in the Church. Clergy govern, the rest of us (me included) are governed.

I think the breakdown between the proper relationship between clergy and laity finds is root in the vice of pride. On the part of those laymen who rebel against being governed the vice is obvious. But, it may not be so clear how pride is at the root of the clerical side of this breakdown. Let me briefly explain.

Pride is the vice of not knowing one's place before God and among men. Hopefully, we all know that we're as nothing before the infinite majesty of God. The problem, however, may be that we sometimes lose sight of our place in the human community. So, to know that you are smart isn't prideful. It's prideful to think that you are smarter than you are or to pretend that you are not as smart as you are. To not recognize ones station, achievements, or talents is a subtile form of pride. I believe this is what's at work when clergy don't properly act according to their obligation to govern the flock of Jesus Christ.

Added to the vice of pride may be a lack of courage. We all want to be accepted. It's natural. But, who do we want to be accepted by? What must we compromise in order to be accepted by those we value? Who do we value? If our order of loves is out of wack we can easily lose sight of what (truth) and who (God) is most important. If we're afraid that making tough decisions will drive people away or cause them to not invite us to fancy parties, we really should reassess our order of loves. If I'm a cleric and I don't want to protect Christ's sheep from external hazards and even the sheep themselves, then I'm a poor shepherd.

* * *

None of what I'm saying is permission for a cleric to be a jerk. On the contrary, a shepherd who truly loves his sheep will only be concerned with their proper care. A mean shepherd is also a bad shepherd. But, making tough decisions like enforcing canon 915 or enforcing proper liturgical rubrics, for example, aren't mean. They truly are acts of love. If a good pastor didn't love his flock he would let them do whatever they pleased. It isn't clericalism for a cleric to fully manifest his role of governance in the Church. On the contrary, it's simply following the will of the God who established that Church. How could a cleric act otherwise.

It's a tough balance. Anyone can let their ego get in the way of their work. It happens to everyone. But, like everything else in life, we ought not make decisions out of fear. Fear of one's ego getting in the way of governing the flock ought not cause a cleric to avoid his responsibilities. He should seek the Lord, the Good Shepherd, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, to discover how best to assign both praise and blame. He must learn to use both the carrot and the stick with a steady yet loving hand.

It's rough being the enforcer. It's why those who are charged with this sacred duty must be rooted in prayer. They have an intimate relationship with the Lord so they can model him in their own role of governance. Also, we who are governed should pray ardently for our ecclesiastical superiors. We should desire good leaders who are strong when we are unruly and stiff-necked. We should desire leaders who are stalwart defenders of the faith in every way. They should be models of Christ in every aspect, not simply those aspects which we find convenient.

So, please, let's stop using the word pastoral to mean a weak approach to difficult issues. Let's start using the word as it was meant to be used. Let's recognize that being pastoral means governing according to the truth of divine and natural revelation as interpreted by the Magisterium and safeguarded by Holy Mother Church. Let's recognize that being pastoral is not always nice, but that it's always kind. Most importantly, we should never forget that being authentically pastoral requires a great amount of courage and humility in the face of spiritual dangers. Pray, then, for our pastors that the Lord will fortify their hearts so they can lead us all, by the sure path, into the Kingdom of Heaven.

Event: Porn kills Love

Sorry for the late notice.

Tomorrow night I'll be speaking to the Theology on Tap group up in Vallejo, CA about the evils of pornography and how we can begin the process of escaping it's grip.

6pm is the time to arrive and the talk begins at about 7pm. If you're in the area, drop by.

As always, you can find more details on the Events Page.

Event: Vatican II Much?

If you are in the Sacramento area on The evening of 11 April I'll be giving at talk at the Kilt Pub for the Veritas Catholic Young Adult Group. For more information you can visit their website.

Please check the Events Page for other upcoming events.

New Video: Why We Study

Br. Brad has finished a new video titled Why We Study. I think it is his best work so far. Click on the Videos link to view it along with other great videos about the Dominican life.