Teenage Archetype: Lady

In my previous post, Teenage Archetype: Hero, I began my exploration of teenage archetypes to illustrate the geniuses of the genders as developed through the theology of the body. By untwisting the adolescent archetypal make-up of the “Hero,” I illustrated the masculine genius. Man’s genius is virtuously exercising valor, integrity and passion during the quest of giving the gift of himself out of love to his lady.

Now I intend to illustrate the feminine genius, receptivity, through an analysis of the adolescent archetype of Woman—that being the “Lady.” Again because of the emotional volatility of adolescence, extreme stereotypes are typically recognizable by society as normative behavior (exemplified by too many movies to mention). Each of the stereotypes, when “untwisted,” reveal a genuine quality of the archetype for each gender, in this case the feminine genius. These qualities give description to the genius of woman. Furthermore the stereotypes often “mature” into a particular profession that requires the dominance of certain genius qualities.

Lady—teenage archetype of the feminine genius

3 Stereotypes of the Lady = (1) Princess (2) Maid (3) Vixen
3 Qualities of the Lady = (1) Purity (2) Service (3) Passion
3 Professions of the Lady = (1) Actress (2) Teacher (3) Nurse
3 Goals of the Lady = (1) Beauty (2) Truth (3) Goodness

So when the archetypal teenage girl exercises the heroic qualities of purity and service, the girl is virtuously pursuing truth. This teenage girl is often on the edge of being both a “princess” and a “maid.” And this teenage girl might do well as a teacher. In other words, this kind of teenage girl would best display her feminine genius in the discipline of the sciences via education. However when there is an “excess” of qualities, or a “distortion” in this girl’s self-image—the virtuous teacher idolizes truth, in which her purity becomes vanity and her service is twisted into mandated accolades. Because of her receptivity becoming distorted, the teacher is no longer able to mentor through her natural capacity of nurturing. She often turns into some overbearing general who imagines she is serving her troops with excessive praises. Yet her praises for them are actually for herself.

So when the archetypal teenage girl exercises the heroic qualities of purity and passion, the girl is virtuously pursuing beauty. This teenage girl is often on the edge of being both a “princess” and a “vixen” who is struggling to relate beauty to her self-image. If she can keep her purity and passion in balance, then she can accept her inner beauty and in healthy ways care for the beauty of her body. This kind of teenage girl would best display her feminine genius in the fine arts, especially as an actress. If she can receive beauty authentically, then her pursuit of acting will be fulfilling but not overwhelming. On the other hand, if vanity begins to take over and her passion turns to over-indulgences, then her diva status will be quickly established but her happiness will be lost.

And so when the archetypal teenage girl exercises the heroic qualities of passion and service, the girl is virtuously pursuing goodness. This teenage girl is often pulled into extremes, one as a “maid” and the other as a “vixen.” If however she is capable of drawing strength from both her passion and her service, she might do well in displaying her genius through the profession of being a nurse. Her service to others in a physical nurturing way can often aid in keeping her passion directed outwards. When her actions are thus directed towards others, she can safely and genuinely receive the attention she needs. If however her vixen dominates, then her need for attention will override her ability to care outwardly for others. The good of her sexuality is easily distorted because of her natural tendency toward the physical and she will fall prey to the sexual advances of others, especially aggressive men.

This leads to the key element to the geniuses of both genders. How the Hero and the Lady engage in a relationship is often determined by their ability to virtuously exercise the qualities of their archetype. For example, if the Lady can receive the beckoning of her Hero with purity, service and passion, then she will experience happiness in the risk and exposure of receiving his love. And if the Hero offers the gift of himself out of love with valor, integrity and passion, then he will experience happiness in the risk and exposure of initiating love with her. In order for the Hero and Lady to love one another, they must mature beyond their teenage archetypes and become a communion of persons who seek to love forever.

As Pope John Paul II once said, “The person who does not decide to love forever will find it very difficult to really love for even one day.”

May we mature in our love from one day to eternity.

BuzzNet Tags: theology of the body,feminine genius,masculine genius,archetypes,teenage,love,Pope John Paul II

Teenage Archetype: Hero

This entry is the first exploration of teenage archetypes to illustrate the geniuses of the genders as developed through the theology of the body. I intend to use the teenage experience to identify the archetypal characters of both Man as “Hero” and Woman as “Lady.” In other words I propose to use the adolescent experience to illustrate the masculine genius and the feminine genius. Because of the emotional volatility of adolescence, extreme stereotypes are typically recognizable by society as normative behavior (exemplified by too many movies to mention). So these stereotypes will help me to quickly illustrate the point. Each of the stereotypes, when “untwisted,” reveal a genuine quality of the archetype for each gender. These qualities give description to the genius of the particular gender. Furthermore the stereotypes often “mature” into a particular profession that requires the dominance of certain genius qualities. 

Hero—teenage archetype of the masculine genius

3 Stereotypes of the Hero = (1) Jock (2) Nerd (3) Rebel
3 Qualities of the Hero = (1) Valor (2) Integrity (3) Passion
3 Professions of the Hero = (1) CEO (2) Doctor (3) Artist
3 Goals of the Hero = (1) Truth (2) Beauty (3) Goodness

So when the archetypal teenage boy exercises the heroic qualities of valor and integrity, the boy is virtuously pursuing truth. This teenage boy is often on the edge of being both a “jock” and a “nerd.” And this teenage boy might do well as a doctor. In other words, this kind of teenage boy would best display his masculine genius in the discipline of the sciences. However when there is an “excess” of qualities, or a “distortion” in this boy’s self-image—the virtuous doctor idolizes truth and turns into a dictator—so consumed that valor turns against itself and into self-righteousness and arrogance replaces integrity. The tendencies toward experimentation in the sciences when in excess illustrates the lack of maturity. The distorted valor leads to a twisted hero that we label as a “jock” while the distorted integrity leads to a twisted hero that we label as a “nerd.” This anti-hero dominates others by imposing his truth upon others.

So when the archetypal teenage boy exercises the heroic qualities of integrity and passion, the boy is virtuously pursuing beauty. This teenage boy is often on the edge of being both a “nerd” and a “rebel." And this teenage boy would best display his masculine genius in the discipline of the fine arts. Yet as previously stated, if there is an “imbalance” of qualities or a “distortion” in this boy’s self-image—the distorted passion displays the “rebel” without a cause and the distorted integrity push out the “nerd” within. This once virtuous artist idolizes beauty to such a point that his imagination twists him into a hermit because of the objectification of beauty. The life of the teenage hermit is the hedonistic pursuit of self-indulgence, and eventual self-destruction.

So when the archetypal teenage boy exercises the heroic qualities of passion and valor, the boy is virtuously pursuing goodness. This teenage boy is often on the edge of being both a “rebel” and a “jock.” And this teenage boy is likely to be a corporate executive officer. The corporate business track makes sense because the rebel within is willing to take the risks while the jock always on display has the confidence to lead. However our CEO-Hero is easily twisted not unlike the doctor. The once virtuous CEO falls into the role of tyrant quiet frequently.  The immature CEO lives to work resulting in placing profits before people. His life is analyzed by his tyrannical transactions which are as volatile as a teenager’s hormones. His rebellious passions cause bi-polar outbursts and his jock-kingdom is ruled by a heavy micro-manager hand.

Though these stereotypes of jock, nerd and rebel in the teenage world seem sophomoric, the results of the male professions gone immature have serious consequences. Doctors, artists and CEOs are vital to the success of society; however, when these men become boys and come out to play as dictators, hermits or tyrants, lives are at stake.

The way in which the teenage boy can consistently pursue his hero within is by virtuously offering the gift of himself out of love to his lady.  The hero has the qualities of valor, integrity and passion in which to exercise during this offering quest. For every hero needs a quest, and every boy’s quest is to beckon his lady. A hero beckons his lady with valor, integrity and passion—this is the genius of his masculinity. She is essential to keeping her man a hero. Without her being his lady, he cannot be a hero. But how might his lady receive her hero? That’s the next entry called Teenage Archetype: Lady.

BuzzNet Tags: theology of the body,masculine genius,feminine genius,archetypes,teenage,hero

Lost in Ordinary Time

As a result of being a Catholic educator, I have the privilege of discovering “lost treasures” of the Church. Sometimes finding these treasures is a result of a significant change promulgated by the Magisterium, of which the pope is the primary teacher.

Once such instance was discovering what the liturgical calendar was like before 1969. Prior to Pope Paul VI changing the Roman Missal, and consequently the entire liturgical calendar, the Roman Catholic Church celebrated six liturgical seasons: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. Today we have four seasons: Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter; while Ordinary Time is not a proper liturgical season, but by definition simply the numbering of weeks between seasons.

Now while today it may be easier to think of four seasons (Advent-Fall; Christmas-Winter; Lent-Spring; Easter-Summer; though the timeframes do not really line up nicely), there has been something lost by incorporating Ordinary Time. We have lost the season of Epiphany and the season of Pentecost, as well as much more—do you know what Ember Days or Rogation Days are?

Being lost in Ordinary Time has caused perhaps a break from our connection with the cosmological nature of the liturgical year. In other words, the rhythm in which we worship is no longer flowing from the cosmological movement that God has ordered in creation. And with today’s resurgence of an ecological awareness and sensibilities, I think the Church might want to re-embrace the rhythm of God’s ordered creation within her year. There is something to be gained by being caught up in God’s cosmos as opposed to being lost in our own ordinary time.

The New Proselytization

The Church using the new media is a good thing and a breath of fresh air. However just using the new media is not good enough, especially when the media is used to promulgate personal opinions by those who are supposed to represent the institutional Church. When segments of the Catholic Church in the United States use new media to evangelize and or catechize, there is a higher obligation to be clear and accurate not only in what is being written but what is being communicated. When connecting new media to the new evangelization, I do not think Pope John Paul II had in mind a “new proselytization.”

Case in point: the USCCB’s Media Blog. And my first submission of evidence is Sr. Mary Ann Walsh’s recent post, “Death Penalty: Political Sport at Its Most Barbarous.”

Since I am not officially representing the hierarchy of the Church, I am not under the same obligations as Sr. Walsh. However I still strive for accuracy and clarity in my posts, regardless of topic. So here is my response to Sr. Walsh’s personal editorial opinion piece posted on USCCB’s Media Blog:

Clarity in discussing serious topics such as capital punishment/death penalty is crucial. So Sr. Mary Ann Walsh’s loose writing surprised me. Obviously, this is an emotional topic.

However to unequivocally say that “[t]he death penalty is vengeance and a penalty to be reserved to the One who doesn’t make mistakes” is either overly emotional or carelessly written. Though one can argue that modern use of the death penalty is often a form of vengeance, to attribute the act of penalizing a person with death to God who is love is inarguable.

Furthermore I was disappointed in her attempt to make an argument against the death penalty predominantly based on the imperfections of humanity, namely we are capable of making mistakes. According to Sr. Walsh’s “number one reason,” we should not even prosecute crimes for fear of incarcerating an innocent person. How barbarous is it to lock away an innocent person for life? Of all the “political games” for the USCCB to post about, I would have expected more. I would have expected a more sound argument against the heinousness of such acts or a more honest approach to a very complex justice system in which the State does have a right to protect and defend life, even to use capital punishment. The step the State should take should be one for a culture of life—a step rarely taken too far.

Despite Sr. Walsh’s assumption that there is “contemporary Catholic teaching” that contradicts authentic Catholic teaching, there is a clear continuity in the Church teachings, even on the topic of capital punishment. Unfortunately her use of the USCCB’s Media Blog seems to have opened wide the doors to personalized proselytizing to her brand of “contemporary” Catholicism. Is this really what Pope John Paul II advocated for in his call for a “new evangelization”?

Saintly Athletes

If you are interested in better understanding the Church’s formal process of naming a saint, called canonization, then consider saints to be like “superstar” athletes. In this analogy, though limited it may be, the recognition of athletic achievement is comparable to achievement in holy intervention. The first two titles of the canonization process give recognition for having lived a holy earthly life, while the top two titles are for heavenly intervention in our earthly existence.

The person honored with the title of “Servant of God” is like the State Champion. He or she is recognized in a very specific area, most often from their native residence. And the person honored with the title of “Venerable” is like the “All-American” athlete, recognized in their division or age-group. Such titles are definitely honorable and respectable yet they are limited in their recognition for achievement at the local levels and in the here and now, that is while they lived on Earth.

The person honored with the title of “Blessed” is like the professional athlete who has earned a Championship ring (e.g. Super Bowl ring). The person is regionally recognized as one of the “best in class.” Some may see him or her as a “World Champion” yet the athlete has truly only competed in a single sport against other professional athletes who are not from all over the world. So consider the one miracle necessary for this recognition as that “once in a lifetime bling.” Such a title would be definitely “out of this world" given the heavenly intervention necessary for a miraculous event. This kind of saint must be living it up on “cloud 9.”

The person honored with the title of “Saint” is like an Olympic World Record Gold Medalist. This person is universally recognized as one of the “best in the world” because he or she “competed against” others from around the world and was found “healthiest victor.” So consider the two miracles necessary for this recognition as “double gold.” Just when you thought one miracle couldn’t be topped, these “real saints” reign down from above with a second miracle after having demonstrated their first heavenly touch. These best of the bests have more than a golden ticket, they shown their two tickets to paradise!

Throughout this process, always keep in mind that the faithful fans are the ones promoting these holy people as saints. The Church is simply recognizing what is already a reality: the holy person is experiencing eternal life with God in Heaven. The sense of faith from the everyday members of the Church propel the “popularity” of these holy men and women to be officially recognized by the hierarchy of the Church. We believe this to be true because of what God has revealed through this person in their life of imitating Christ. And we can look to these “saintly athletes” with admiration and inspiration because in them we can see Christ. And this is why the Church in her wisdom, guided by grace, dispenses out such titles.

BuzzNet Tags: blessed,canonization,olympic,saint,super bowl

Exercise Your Soul

In his commentary on the First Letter of Saint John, Saint Augustine once wrote that we are to exercise the soul. Because our hearts long for God, we ache to exercise our souls.

If the activity of an athlete is to exercise the body, then the activity of a saint is to exercise the soul. For just as exercising the body helps keeps the person physically healthy, so too then exercising the soul helps keep the person spiritually healthy. We call spiritual health, holiness. And God calls each of us to a life of holiness. That means we are called to be saints—to be healthy and holy—and this is possible because God created each of us in his image and likeness.

This notion of keeping oneself healthy and holy seems to beg the question: Can a person be considered a saint if he or she is physically unhealthy?

The simple answer is yes. A saintly person could be physically unhealthy by no fault of their own. For example, a physical deficiency such as being susceptible to heart disease might be consider an unhealthy physical trait. However a person with such physical susceptibility has a moral obligation to care for his or her body, especially in regards to counterbalancing or counteracting the physical deficiency. This is where exercising the soul becomes vital.

Should then the Church’s formalized process of recognizing a person as a saint, called canonization, include consideration of the person’s physical health? I would think so in regards to how well that person cared for his or her body. Furthermore since God created each person with a body and a soul, the Church should consider the whole person. Sacramentally if one is exercising the soul, shouldn’t there be evidence of physical health as well, or at least evidence of no intentional self-inflicted physical harm? For example how could someone who is abusing or torturing his or her body ever be considered holy, such as in the mortification practice of self-flagellation? Yet just because a person has stayed in good physical shape doesn’t necessarily guarantee any condition of holiness either.

So if I am conditioning my soul for holiness, then I would imagine that this would be reflected to some degree in the conditioning of my body for healthiness. Of course those holy men and women whom the Church recognizes as “Saint” and “Blessed” are confidently known to be in Heaven because of their miraculous interventions here on Earth. The Church’s canonization process is to benefit those of us who are still striving for that healthy and holy life here and now.

Their miracles give me evidence that I must continue to exercise my soul so that my desire for Heaven never wanes and my heart continues to long for God. Perhaps then there is truth to understanding that the heart and soul are intimately related.

BuzzNet Tags: canonization,flagellation,heart,Heaven,mortification,saint,Augustine,soul

Seeing Beauty

The following is an excerpt from the CNA weekly column, “The Way of Beauty”by Sr. Joan L. Roccasaivo, CSJ. This was posted July 20, 2011 and can be found in its entirety at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/column.php?n=1686

How to see beauty

Seeing and hearing are the senses most often used to experience beauty; the others, less so.  How is beauty to be seen?  Receiving a thing of beauty involves an understanding and an attitude but it is also a matter of repetition. The following steps can serve as a guide for perceiving a thing of beauty:

1.The beholder should take a step back from the form. Putting up barriers by way of bias and curiosity should be relinquished in order to allow the being to be itself.

2.One steps back from self-centeredness and stops looking at the form solely from its relation to self. One must intentionally be a self-forgetting person, looking at it for its own value, that is, objectively. This is the love of benevolence.

3.One should avoid looking at the accidental things but go deeper into the interiority of the being by looking well.  To grasp the totality of the form, one must develop a set of eyes that see reality with a different vision.

4.One should try seeing the form as a subject and not as an object.

5.The beholder should repeat the practice, stopping to look at the beauty of a simple thing, allowing the beauty to shine through it, contemplating it, grasping it and being grasped by it.  One should see well.

6.Loving the good allows its beauty to shine forth.  The thing of beauty is designed to let its magic work in the beholder.

Saints and young children are open-minded people, the former, having trained themselves to see all things in the context of the divine, and the latter, who have not as yet learned bias.

Walking with Your Father

The Catholic Church defines grace as “the free and underserved gift that God gives us to respond to our vocation to become his adopted children” (CCC Glossary). The Church often identifies four different kinds of grace: sanctifying grace, sacramental grace, actual grace, and special graces. To better understand these kinds of grace, consider this:

Imagine grace is like walking with your father when you were a child. Grace in general involves activity with another, like walking alongside your father. Being with God causes us to be animated—that’s the gift of God’s presence being with us. The fact that you are consciously walking with your father means that you choose to be with him.

If you were in the habit of walking with your father because you knew you needed his presence with you to help you find your way, then that is like sanctifying grace. As a child you realized that you could not make your way through the path or to the destination unless you were with your father. He knew how to guide you because he knew the way. You trusted that he would lead you in the right direction and on the right path. You formed a particular disposition to be with your father while on this journey.

If while on this journey you and your father were holding hands, then this is like sacramental grace. Through that touch, you felt his walk. Maybe the holding hands lead to an arm over the shoulder or even a side embrace. The closer you walked together, the more body contact was made. Maybe you tripped and he had to bend down to pick you up. Maybe he was proud of you, so he gave you a pat on the shoulder and rubbed your hair. Maybe as you spent more time together, he wanted to give you a hug and you realized you needed his embrace.

And then at very particular moments during the walk while holding hands, he drew you closer to him by moving your hand toward him. He directed your body to mimic his body, so you could walk in the same place where he walked. This is like actual grace. And because you had already trusted to walk with him, and were comforted by his touch, you didn’t blindly follow him but rather conformed yourself to be like him, on this journey.

Perhaps while on this wonderful walk with your father, he started to whistle and you too started to whistle. Then your father started to ask you where you wanted to walk. You began to think about your own path, but you knew you didn’t want to walk alone. So you considered where you wanted to walk with him. You took in consideration what he taught you, how he showed you certain moves, and so you began to take your own step in imitation of him. This is like special graces. Yes you may be walking on your own, but you are definitely walking like him, hopefully never letting go of his touch.

Now imagine that your walking has turned into dancing! And in the dancing you and your father are moving to a whole new rhythm and you enter into a whole new way of moving your body. The touch means a lot more, and there is no final end to the walk because you’ve reached your destination—it’s to dance with your father. This is what Heaven is like. Just as walking prepares us to dance, so too grace prepares us for Heaven.

Defining the Priesthood

Imagine that we live in a world that is dominated by a religion that worships a god who became female to bring forth new human life. Imagine this fictitious world religion worships this god through rituals that incorporate images of a pregnant woman. And like any religion, every ritual must be lead by an authorized individual who mediates between the worshiping faithful and their god. Such an individual would be ordained in the priesthood of this religion. Now imagine even further that some of the faithful are demanding that they be allowed to be ordained into this priesthood of this religion, which worships a god using images of a pregnant woman. The people in this group have caused a scandal. Those demanding to be part of the ordained priesthood are all men. Why would this be scandalous?

Well because this fictitious world religion has an order of priesthood that exclusively includes only women. And I would argue rightfully so. In this fictitious world religion that worships a god who became female to bring forth new human life, the ordained priesthood should only be made up of women, and men in the priesthood simply does not make sense. In this religion, a female-only priesthood is the only kind of ordained priesthood it could have. The tenets of its religion and the nature of being ordained into its priesthood simply could only allow priestesses.

This should shock few people if they clearly understood what priesthood truly is. So return to reality:

The priesthood is defined either by the faith of the religion or by the influence of the culture surrounding the faith lived. Culture defining religion is self-destructive for any religion, and makes the religion contradictory. Unfortunately today, culture defining religion is becoming too prevalent.

So we are left logically with the priesthood being properly defined by its religion only, not its surrounding culture. This is essential for not only the religion to survive, but for the ordination in its priesthood to be valid. Simply put priesthood is defined as the office, dignity, or character of the priest. A priest (or priestess) is the one authorized (through ordination within its religion) to perform the sacred rites (which are the ways in which the religion worships its specific god) of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans (who are doing the worship) and God (who by nature influences the form and means of the faithful’s worship).

If the religion is polytheistic with gods imagined in both genders, then (male) priests and (female) priestesses would make complete sense, as long as the priests lead in the sacred rites of worshiping a male god and the priestesses lead in the sacred rites of worshiping a female god. A male priest meditating during the sacred rites of worshiping a female god should be cause for concern. Likewise a female priestess meditating during the sacred rites of worshiping a male god would just not be proper.

If the god is imagined without regards to gender, then the gender of the priest (or priestess) is irrelevant. In fact, religions that believe in such a god believe not in a deity per se, but a “higher power, influence or force” which humanity seeks to become consumed in or one with. And in these religions, the sacred rites are truly not acts of worship, but spiritual consummations with the universe. This historical reality is a fascinating anthropological phenomenon as well as intriguing theological insight.

So now consider a religion which professes in believing that God became Man. And this male person with human and divine natures was at the heart of worship. This incarnate God in truth actually makes the worship possible. In this religion, a male-only priesthood is the only kind of priesthood possible, by definition of what constitutes priesthood and according to the self-defining creedal construct of such a religion. Therefore any Christian religion that properly incorporates ritual worship by necessity should require an ordained priesthood. And any Christian priesthood should only include men, who of course are called by God to mediate between God and the worshipping faithful.

Thus in the Catholic Church the male-only ordained priesthood makes complete sense.

Being John Malkovich vs. Being Catholic

The psychological impact of authentic Catholic teaching should lead one to out-right reject any character formation based on improving a person’s self-esteem. Any self-esteem character formation will only lead people to narcissism  or nihilism. Either way you’re forming a god-complex amongst a pantheon of defeatists.

As a proud, educated Catholic, I abhor the whole notion of having a “healthy self-esteem.” And I am one who has been accused as having quite the healthy self-esteem. Of course, I retort, “How could this be, I surely do not abhor myself?”

Faith is very influential in a person’s perception on reality. And a person who holds dearly the teachings of the Catholic Church as fundamental to their faith understands that we are to align our subjective reality with that of objective reality. In other words, what I see as real, better in fact be real. If I honestly believe the sky is down and not up, then others will find me rightly “not right in the head.”

Same goes for the whole notion of self-esteem. If I honestly believe that I find myself in high regards, but in fact I am a lying, cheating, stealing, murdering, self-promoting evil-doer then honestly what good is “self-esteem?” The greatest imagery for the logical end result of a self-esteem character formation program can be found in the movie, Being John Malkovich. By the end of the movie, everyone is Malkovich, saying only one word, “Malkovich.”

If on the other hand, I “look myself in the mirror” and realize that I am a lying, cheating, stealing, murdering, self-promoting evil-doer then I am left facing reality—an objective reality in the person standing before the mirror and a subjective reality in the image of the person in the mirror.

So I argue that self-esteem leads one to never see the “True Self” but only the “Self-perpetuating Person.” Yet if I focus on a character formation that takes self-image seriously, then I am compelled to confront reality. The person in the mirror I see needs to be a person who sees beyond oneself to a higher authority.

Therefore when focusing on self-image, I must ask myself which image am I to be like? Being Catholic, I believe that I am created in the image and likeness of God. So I am in my self-image to be an image of God. What does God look like? Not John Malkovich.

BuzzNet Tags: Catholic,self-esteem,self-image,character formation,John Malkovich

Solution to the World’s Problems

Peace on Earth is impossible. Let this be known as the beginning of the solution to the world’s problems. Peace understood as “absence of hostility” or even “everlasting happiness” is simply not a reality of our human nature. Christianity has understood this from the beginning, or the Church would like to think so.

Modern Christianity has been split into two camps on this essential understanding and teaching of the Church. Both camps have good intentions; however, only one camp is properly aligned with Christ’s teaching. One would think that simply reading Matthew 13 would be sufficient, but not today.

One camp insists on the realization of one’s faith journey now. Let’s call this camp “The Builders.” The other camp relies on the hope of our eternal destination to heaven. Let’s call this camp “The Pavers.” Both camps focus on the faith journey, yet only The Pavers realize that the journey is not the destination. Because The Builders believe one’s journey is their destination, this camp is wrought with constant frustration.

Imagine that you are one of The Builders: just when you thought you’d finally arrived to your final destination, you realize there are still more stops to make. You had eagerly awaited your final stop, only to be tricked by life’s cruel joke: “Next Stop…” You invested so much energy into this one last stop, since you were certain that this was going to be that final great stop. Of course this camp would cause insanity, for one would likely feel caught in a vicious loop…a never-ending false stop.

The Builders intend to make peace on Earth. This illustrates how peace on Earth is impossible.  The Pavers hope to attain peace in Heaven. Peace is only possible in Heaven. Everlasting justice, happiness and love is a reality called eternal life with God. On Earth, we are on our faith journey, but we are paving our way to Heaven. We do not build the Kingdom of heaven. We eagerly anticipate our heavenly destination with God if we stay on the Christian path of righteousness and charity. To be a part of the Kingdom, we must accept God in our lives and Heaven as our promised destination.

So the solution to the world’s problems is not to build peace on Earth. The solution to the worlds problem simply put is God’s reign, which will be in Heaven, not on Earth. So let us not build the City of God. Instead let us pave the way to Heaven.

BuzzNet Tags: Catholic,Kingdom,Heaven,City of God,Peace,God's reign

Sister in Christ

To my Sister in Christ,

From the depths of my heart, sadness and anger have overtaken me for how my brothers have mistreated you. I am caught with Christ between his mourning over the death of Lazarus (see John 11:35) and his just anger over turning the Temple into a den of thieves (see Matthew 21:12-13). How appropriate this is where I find myself. Man should weep over the death of life that has occurred due his sacrilegious actions toward the sanctuary of your womb! On behalf of my brothers, I am deeply sorry for how we have offended you. I pray that the rays of His Divine Mercy penetrate our bodies so our souls may be cleansed with grace. So as Christ trusted in the glory of God the Father, I place my trust in him who is the resurrection and the life.

Mercy is truly present between us because you smile at me. All sorrow and hate is destroyed because of your life-bearing smile. What a blessing your smile is! Truly you, my Sister in Christ, are the crown of God’s creation. Because you smile at me, my heart swells with joy. For my sake, please never cease smiling. Your smile is a sign of prayer. A prayer that begets veneration:

Oh how her smile embraced me!
That truth be born for He,
She opened her mouth
Yet no word need be.
Oh how her smile embraced me!
Kissed by beauty’s breath
From lips that caress.
Oh how her smile embraced me!

Truly God created man and woman in his image and likeness. Consider if the image of God is the masculine, so much the better that God’s likeness be the feminine. Only if my brothers see as I see with eyes of faith. Then my Sister, Man could see the divine when viewing you. Gazing upon such heavens, Man might finally genuflect before God’s vessel of life.

Yet do not take my words as ones of worship. Such would be unjust to place upon you, my Sister, and wrong for me. Man’s adulterous tendencies should not be replaced by ones of idolatry. My devotion to your feminine genius is necessary for our salvation. Honoring Woman helps Man to realize what being human means. Knowing the truth, beauty and goodness of Woman, reveals to Man the genius of his own masculinity. He without She is nothing, likewise you without me.

So I wish to remain in you, and you in me so we two can be one in Christ. I need you as much as you need me. We must believe this to be true for Christ proclaims, “Where two or more are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst” (Matthew 18:20). And in God’s presence we should feel no shame, especially when we see us as one body (read Genesis 2:24-25). Yet I first must take your hand in holiness, if two are to become one. I must first see God in you so you may see God in you. In doing so, I can be God to you. And if we can see God in one another, then truly we can bring life into this world.

This is my prayer to you my Sister in Christ,
your loving Brother in Christ

The Church is She

There is a reason that the feminine pronoun is used to reference the Church, and much has to do with Mary, the mother of Jesus, the Mother of God. This does not mean that the Church is a woman, but the feminine genius does belong to the Church. That unique genius of the feminine is the active receptivity toward God, or being able to pray “Totus Tuus” to God. The following prayer, “Totally Yours,” written by Saint Maximilian Kolbe (and recited by Pope John Paul II) might help illuminate some reasons:

Immaculate Conception, Mary, my Mother.
Live in me. Act in me. Speak in and through me.
Think your thoughts in my mind. Love, through my heart.
Give me your dispositions and feelings.
Teach, lead and guide me to Jesus.
Correct, enlighten and expand my thoughts and behavior.
Possess my soul. Take over my entire personality and life.
Replace it with yourself.
Incline me to constant adoration and thanksgiving.
Pray in me and through me.
Let me live in you and keep me in this union always.

The Church is the one to “teach, lead and guide me to Jesus” just as Mary is the perfect model who does this for all of us. In part this is why we refer to Mary as Mother of the Church. If the Church is understood as the Body of Christ, then Mary giving birth to the Church would make sense from a mystical perspective. Furthermore to help me in my relationship with God, I imagine the Church with feminine qualities—the one who makes possible my own re-birth in Christ.

When a person mystically experiences belonging to the Body of Christ, the Church, that person undergoes a transformation, called metanoia. This means that the person experiences a conversion of mind and heart. In other words, the whole person is born anew, never to return to that previous way (This is due in part to the indelible sacramental mark of Baptism and Confirmation). The late, great Pope John Paul II beautifully knew of the radical impact this conversion has on a person. The Pope reflects deeply in his prayer to Mary (see prayer above as just one example). JPII’s fondness for our Blessed Mother is well documented, yet perhaps underappreciated for what his relationship with her meant for the rest of us.

Much of my personal understanding comes from the reality that I not only see with eyes of faith, but I listen for God throughout all aspects of my life. Though all the music I hear is not explicitly “religious,” if the music evoke beauty, then God is most certainly singing to me. One particular song that I heard God sing to me was through this song, “Never Going Back Again” by Lindsey Buckingham:

She broke down and let me in
Made me see where I've been
Been down one time
Been down two times
I'm never going back again
You don't know what it means to win

Come down and see me again
Been down one time
Been down two times
I'm never going back again

God is singing to me about my relationship with the Church. When I mystically perceive the Church, I see the feminine genius at work. So I connect our Blessed Mother, Mary Ever-Virgin, to the Church, and my relationship with the Church and thus God becomes clear.

She pitied me and loved me
Helped me see where I’ve been.
I’ve been down one time.
I’ve been down two times.
I’m never going back again.

Having experienced the loving embrace of Mother Church, I am never going back to a life without her. She has possessed my soul, taken over my personality and my life. Because she let me in, she lives in me and I in her. She acts in me and I act in her. My thoughts are to be her thoughts, and I pray that she loves through my heart.