On Virility

My new job is an incredible source of stress and I'm finding that I'm not as patient of a person as I thought.  Sure, I can be nice when things are easy.  When I'm an overwhelmed ball of anxiety?  Not so much.  Hence maybe some of the bluntness of this post.  (apologies)

Between a book and a movie, I've been really impressed at what masculinity can bring to the practice of faith.  That might sound like a weird thing to say... but in the age of cafeteria Catholicism (believe what you want and discard what you don't want), it's striking at how absent it's been in the Church.  During my seminary years, there was great emphasis on being pastoral and sensitive.  Speak carefully and in couched terms, lest you seem clericalist.  Being pastoral is a very good thing, of course, but I think it was overemphasized.  There is a power and virility to masculinity, and it enriches our faith!  It contributes something unique that femininity can't; just as authentic femininity contributes something to our faith that masculinity never could.

The book was Henri Daniel-Rops' "Paul: Apostle of Nations."  He took the Acts of the Apostles and clues from St. Paul's letters and traced his entire Christian life.  HDR takes the details and uses history and speculation (not in a bad way, I believe) to fill in St. Paul's life.  Fascinating!  What struck me most about St. Paul was his boldness.  Here was a man tough as nails who could speak so eloquently about love (see 1 Cor 13); here was a man who had the guts to preach the Gospel in a public square and the personal touch to connect with families (Acts 16) and individuals (see both letters to Timothy).

The movie was 1963's "The Cardinal."  It was based on a book by Henry Morton Robinson, covering the life of a fictional American priest from WWI to WWII.  I'd read the book previously; although I didn't remember it all that well, I can promise that it was better than the movie.  Fr. Stephen Fermoyle was a priest who was confident in his identity, unwavering in his commitment to the faith, and willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good of those around him.  The actor that played him in the movie had this great deep voice; everything he said exuded strength, whether it was a kind word or a harsh rebuke.

With the examples of St. Paul and the fictitious Fr. Fermoyle, here is a list of the good kind of virility (distinguished from the egotistical, macho kind of virility).  If I had any say in the formation of priests (which I do not), here is what I would ask of them:

1) Be bold in proclaiming the Gospel
2) Love what you do and whom you serve
3) Commit your whole mind, heart, and soul to the faith.  Anything less is not enough.  If you don't believe what you preach, your people won't, either.
4) Carry yourself so that you command respect.  Not demand.  You are a leader and people expect you to lead!  No amount of committees can compensate for a vacuum of leadership.
5) Your words should be worthy of being listened to
6) You are a Father.  Sometimes you need to discipline those in your charge.
7) Be strong and comfortable in your masculinity.

7 Quick Takes - Pentecost!

For more quick takes that were actually submitted on time, see Jennifer Fulwiler's excellent blog at www.conversiondiary.com.

After Mass last week, I realized how little I was in touch with the Holy Spirit.  I've been confirmed, and I do things that involve the Holy Spirit (sacraments, praying in general, etc.) but how much do I really involve the Spirit in my life?  Directly, actively?  A good question to seek... a few related answers (some in the form of more questions) below.

1) I'm reading Henri Daniel-Rops' Saint Paul: Apostle of Nations.  HDR takes the book of Acts and reformats it, so to speak, into a biography of St. Paul.  Little details are filled in, including portraits of the ancient cities Paul visited.  An interesting fact?  Nowhere in Acts does Jesus change Saul's name to Paul.  Saul was his Jewish name, and apparently as was customary in those times, some Jews had Greek names.  Anyway, it's impressive to read the story of the early Church.  The almost reckless abandon with which they dedicated their lives to preaching... the boldness and vitality of the Apostles is inspiring.

2) One point I remember from classes is that the same Holy Spirit that is the Third Person of the Trinity is the same Spirit that opened the eyes of the blind and raised the dead, is the same Spirit promised by Jesus to the Apostles, is the same Spirit that drove the Apostles to the ends of the earth... is the same Spirit that we received in the sacrament of Confirmation.  Say it with me, Keanu:

3)  One of the answers to my beginning question (how do I involve the Holy Spirit more directly in my life?) had a partial answer in a devotional booklet.  Presentation Ministries has a great devotional booklet called "One Bread, One Body."  You can access it here.  What really struck me the other day is this post, which says to dive into the Scriptures to know the Holy Spirit.  One of those obvious points that I often forget.

4) "Veni Creator Spiritus" is a beautiful chant.

5) Another illumination regarding the Holy Spirit was from this morning's Gospel reading.  John 14:26 reads "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."  Part of the Holy Spirit's function within the Church is to teach.  The learning that we need as Catholics covers a lot of area and isn't confined to theology.  We need to know our faith (see 1 Peter 3:15); we need to learn how to love others; we need to learn to love ourselves and fight the interior battles in developing sanctity and virtue; we need to learn how to be a light to others.  Come, Holy Spirit, and instruct us!

6) & 7) Having a tough time finishing the last two quick takes.  Let's pray for the Church!

Willa Cather's "Shadows on the Rock"

My spiritual director of happy memory, Fr. Jerome Young, loved Cather's Shadows on the Rock.  One of his confreres, Br. Claude the King of the Icon Way, reported that Fr. Jerome read his copy of Shadows so many times that the book fell apart.  He never mentioned it to me in the years that I knew him; I only heard about the book after he passed away.  My wife gave me a copy of the book for my birthday in January, and I finished it a few weeks ago.  What a charming story!

The central characters are Cecile Auclair and her father, Euclide, who live in Quebec at the turn of the 18th Century.  Cecile is a 12 year old girl who helps her father with his apothecary shop and keeps the home.  The book follows Cecile over the course of the year.  The book is thoroughly Catholic but not all the characters are.

Even though those are some details about the story, it seemed like there was something deeper.  What was it really about?  This took some thought and I don't think I've come up with the right answer.  One more remark before I lay out my grand conclusion...

Cecile was the most delightful girl, and she had the ability to make everyone feel special.  She was kind to every townsperson, from the prostitutes to the local Bishop.  She had an incredible personality that radiated out from the pages.  What I realized after reading it was that Fr. Jerome shared that very gift with Cecile.  I had this feeling whenever we met; he made me feel special, like I was his favorite.  He loved me as a friend and a spiritual father.  After he passed away, I talked to many people who encountered him at the Abbey.  Many more people left comments on Facebook.   I found out that I wasn't the only one!  So many people talked as if they were his favorite, too.  I wasn't jealous in the least; if anything, it made me respect him more.  That's a unique gift of loving that he possessed.  Praise the Lord for wonderful people like Fr. Jerome, who are among His most amazing gifts!

Back to the book.  I was sorely tempted to look up Wikipedia or something to find out more on what the book was truly about.  (my procrastination and forgetfulness won the battle there)  Was it simply a story about life on the Canadian frontier?  My best guess was that Cecile represented the Church.  There she was, taking care of an orphan.  There she was, bestowing nothing but love and kindness upon her troubled next-door neighbor.  No matter who it was, she welcomed them.

Perhaps it's a stretch, and Wikipedia may call me nuts.  Thanks to Willa Cather for writing such a wonderful book!