The Musical Priest

I stop by my old friend Joseph Fromm's blog - Good Jesuit, Bad Jesuit - from time to time to see what new nugget he has mined from the Internet. On my latest foray into the thicket, I came upon this little gem: Father John Hardon, S.J. On the Incompatibility of Yoga and Hinduism with Catholicism Joseph has taken this post from the website of Patrick Madrid . I have no idea who Patrick Madrid is, but he does seem to have a nice blog and I appreciate his focus on the topic of atheism and its proponents. That Mr. Fromm finds this an important nugget is not surprising. In an exchange with Joseph several years ago, he decried my practice of Yoga. Now, citing the backing of Father Hardon - a Jesuit of my own Detroit Province - he surely sees this as a ratification of his own position concerning the incompatibility of Yoga practice with the Catholic Faith.

There is a quote - attributed to James Joyce but whose citation I simply cannot find in any text - that "Catholic means 'here comes everybody.'" Whether Joyce said it this clearly or if it is sort of a hybrid phrase (the words "here comes everybody" occur several time in Joyce's Finnegan's Wake ) matters little: it is an apt phrase capturing well the plurality of voices that combine to give "Glory to God in the Highest" through the celebration of the Eucharist. To my mind, one of the better instances of a "Catholic" show is FOX's Glee . Set in Ohio, it is the story of "New Directions," a high school glee club. This may strike some as strange: back in December, TIME magazine writer Nancy Gibbs penned a nice piece entitled " The Gospel of Glee: Is it Anti-Christian ". Her article was written in response to a Christian youth minister who thought the show was, indeed, anti-Christian. Gibbs writes: ...

In general, I rather like Maureen Dowd 's columns in the New York Times. This morning, however, I was saddened to see Maureen column making the same sort of leap I decried in my previous post. Maureen's brother writes: Vatican II liberalized rules but left the most outdated one: celibacy. That vow was put in place originally because the church did not want heirs making claims on money and land. But it ended up shrinking the priest pool and producing the wrong kind of candidates — drawing men confused about their sexuality who put our children in harm’s way. There is the common, if not wholly accurate, belief that clerical celibacy was instituted solely in order to preserve the economic status of the Church. Maureen, by quoting her brotherappears to buy into this this. This is not to say that nepotism was not one area that reformers intended to address with the institution of clerical celibacy. Nevertheless, I don't believe that it is the entirety of the story. John O...

I read this morning an article entitled " Helpless in the Vatican: The Failed Papacy of Benedict XVI " published in Der Spiegel , the German weekly magazine. As I wrote on Holy Saturday, I have been terribly discouraged by the waves of sex abuse that continue to buffet the Catholic Church. I'm disappointed in the actions of bishops and the culture of secrecy that allowed horrendous abuse of the innocent to take place. I grieve that the Church has lost the trust of many and is now looked at with scorn and suspicion. I am angry at many bishops who, in my estimation, have too often been spectacular failures, preferring the role of "institutional administrator" rather than commission to follow Christ as shepherds of souls, stewards of grace, and heralds of faith. Yet, my frustration with the failures of the hierarchy of the institutional Church is only compounded by my frustration with the facile and sloppy reporting of the media. The authors of the Der Spiegel pie...

The fourth in the series, this one stars: Yours Truly!

I wanted to advert attention to the recently released book Vanity Faith authored by my good friend and professor, Father Terrance Klein. Father Klein is an excellent writer and in this work he explores how God can be found amidst and within pop culture. I have taken Terry for two courses and let me assure you: this book is excellent. If you've ever wrestled with trying to explain issues of faith to people, you know how helpful it is to have an image that they can grasp. I often use Harry Potter, Spiderman, and Star Wars. Father Klein has recourse to Eliza Doolittle, Brand and Jennifer, and "I Love Lucy." All told, he finds a way of using the images that often seem wholly secular to show how the images of our culture are imbued with the power of the sacred. The book is issued in paperback and retails for under $13.00 on Amazon. If you're looking for a book that will be as enjoyable as it is informative, I strongly urge you to purchase Vanity Faith - and journey along...

Every year, Ciszek Hall hosts a Candidates' Weekend for men discerning a vocation to the Society of Jesus . Each year, sort of the highlight of the weekend has been the Jesuit Coffee House, where desserts are prepared, coffee brewed, and various musical acts and comedy routines are performed. The heart of it, though, has always been the movie Drew Marquard, SJ produces for the occasion. This year, Drew videotaped a series of mock commercials. Burger King has "Your Way, Right Away" and Nike has "Just do It." So the Mock-Commercial has the tag-line: "The Society of Jesus: A Better Option." These videos are meant to be good-humored and fun. They're relatively short, followed by an interview with the main actor from the skit. Here is the first one, starring Michael Wegenka, SJ, entitled: The 25th Date

Please excuse its length, but I can't find a link to the latest Inside Fordham which is carrying a column I wrote. Several weeks ago I was invited to contribute to the Sapientia et Doctrina section and I put this piece together. Passing on the Tradition When I was a little boy, I learned early that the best answer to the question, “Ryan, what do you want to be when you grow up?” was the enthusiastic reply, “A PRIEST!” Such a response earned me a pat on the head, a beaming glance and a couple of quarters from my grandfather. Secretly, however, I harbored another desire: I wanted to be a professional Irish musician. Fast-forward about 20 years. I am now a Jesuit studying for the priesthood at Fordham. I continue to travel the world playing accordion for Irish dancing competitions known as feiseanna. I even teach a course titled “Introduction to the Irish Tin Whistle” in Fordham’s Irish Studies program. It seems that the innocent response of an eager-to-please little boy turned out to...

As many of you are aware, the Jesuits have of late been putting various vocation videos up on YouTube. Drew Marquard, SJ, shot many of the interviews over the Summer and they've now been edited and posted online. I think this represents a good and creative step in vocation promotion. Below is a video offering Vocation Advice: Perhaps by hearing - and now seeing - the ways that other men have discerned a vocation, those discerning how God is calling to them will find greater clarity.

I write this from the Rec Room where my Rector - Father Vincent Sullivan, SJ - is learning how to upload material to Blogger. In his honor, I include this video that Drew Marquard, SJ, has created as a contribution to ThinkJesuit.org

For my first book review, I'd like to recommend " Mother Angelica's Little Book of Life Lessons and Everyday Spirituality ." This book finds its place in the long and venerable line of spiritual direction as exhibited by the Desert Mothers and Fathers. These wisdom figures would often receive visitors who would hail them with the greeting, "Abba, give me word of salvation." The Abba or Amma would then tell a story or give a short saying to the person. Such sayings or stories were not spontaneous aphorisms or Chinese fortunes, but rather the result of many hours of prayer and reflection. Are you struggling with a long-held resentment over some slight you have suffered? Let us take this to Mother! Gruge-Holder: "Mother, Give me a word of salvation! I am beset with a long-held grudge" Mother Angelica: "Don't waste your time in life trying to get even with your enemies. The grave is a tremendous equalizer. Six weeks after you all are dead, you...

Before heading over to Jane's last night for a Mardi Gras party, I spent some time with a young friend who has been discerning a vocation to the Society of Jesus. Our conversation last night stayed with me such that, upon awakening, I had to take it to prayer (and to breakfast). My heart's sense is that the issue that faces him in his discernment faces many people every day. A little historical background: in the fifth century a British monk named Pelagius taught that humans could attain salvation through their own sustained efforts. The basic mindset was that if a person worked hard enough, she could overcome the bad example of Adam (sin) and follow the good example of Christ (grace). Pelagius was condemned not only by St. Augustine, but also by several councils. Part of the heresy was the belief that my relationship with God depends entirely on *ME*. It's the heresy of the self-made individual, the belief that "It's all about me" and that everything I hav...

Yeah, I'm pretty much that guy: I finished my papers and, since I feel pretty confident for the one final I have on Monday, I've decided to spend the next few days concerned with leisurely pursuits. So today I had a leisurely breakfast, read for a spell, then I went to the Metropolitan Museum where I saw "Glitter and Doom: German Portraits from the 192 o's " and "Louis Comfort Tiffany and Laurelton Hall - An Artist's Country Estate". I also learned a new word that I would like to share: Demimonde - a noun describing the class of women considered to be of doubtful morality and social upstanding. I encountered the word as associated with the "Glitter and Doom" exhibit (it was used, I think, three times) and as a lover of fun words, I wrote it down and looked it up in the dictionary. I don't know how I'd ever incorporate that into my quotidian lexicon (Read: day-to-day speech) but I thought it a fun sounding word nonetheless. Followi...