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book reviews
The battle against liberalism
3-MINUTE READINGS IN CHRISTIAN CULTURAL WARFARE. By Albert C. Walsh (Help of Christians Publications, P.O. Box 205, David City, Nebr. 68632, 1994), 109 pp. PB $5.00 plus $1.50 for P&H.
This is a gem of a little book, whose publication could not be more timely for any participant in the Culture Wars now raging in America. Shortly after the late Malcolm Muggeridge was received into the Catholic Church in 1983, he was interviewed and gave this view of what these wars are all about:
Liberalism will be seen historically as the great destructive force of our time, much more so than Communism, Nazism or any other of the lunatic creeds which make such immediate havoc . . . a much more vicious and destructive attitude than Communism . . . because it masquerades as being humane . . . with abortion, euthanasia and all these things that are going on, you've got a sort of "humane" holocaust taking place which is infinitely more dreadful than Hitler's, and nobody can see the connection between the two.
Judge Walsh has seen the connection and given us a short, timely nuts and bolts treatise on how to fight the insidious liberal establishment that has blighted our culture. He shows us how to reclaim it for Christianity. The book is full of surprising, helpful hints gleaned from practical experience. The author's own role in the Culture Wars has not been without its share of successes, failures and disappointments but he has profited from these and in this book shares them with us. Actually, it is a collection of his columns written over the years and published in Pro Ecclesia and elsewhere. Some are interesting anecdotes, and one delightful piece, "Saturday Night Supper," qualifies for inclusion in future anthologies of classics of American literature.
One of the problems in implementing Catholic Action is the presence of the ubiquitous gainsayer. The author has heard all of the excuses, and then some, of those within the household of the faith who do not wish to contribute time, money or effort to stand up for Jesus Christ in the naked public square and build the new Christendom. His advice on countering them is sage. He recounts how brave men of the past considered themselves a majority of one and did not let the odds deter them.
He cites the accomplishments of Don Pelayo, Daniel O'Connell, U.S. Grant, and Mahatma Gandhi. His mention of Eamonn de Valera brings to mind the establishment of independent Ireland as a state founded on Catholic principles-presently being dismantled by a "Catholic" elite there representing the Irish secular establishment. This book could also serve well as a manual for those brave Irish Catholics who wish to restore and retain what's left of the de Valera legacy.
The best part of this book is the advice on the importance of personal spirituality based on the premise of Christ, "without Me you can do nothing." If we are to overcome our adversaries in Christian Cultural Warfare, it is well to realize that we are not contending with gremlins or flesh and blood but with Powers and Principalities, with whom we must be, "as wise as serpents and innocent as doves." The author points out that we can expect things to go wrong for no apparent reason. By staying close to the Sacraments, we can overcome evil by letting our light shine before men.
Judge Walsh warns that the lot of anyone who accomplishes good in this struggle will be opposition and controversy. This is perfectly normal for attempts to restore Christianity to our culture. On the plane to America prior to his 1987 visit, Pope John Paul II was asked by a secular reporter, "Do you plan to bring up anything controversial in America, like abortion?" The Pontiff answered, "Yes, I do, Jesus Christ was controversial. That's why He was put to death."
In summary, this book is indispensable for all those on God's side in the intellectual Culture Wars now taking place. Send for it and keep turning to it for advice. Its value far exceeds the modest price.
Gerald T. Griffin
Falmouth, Maine
The undivided heart
WHEN GOD ASKS FOR AN UNDIVIDED HEART: CHOOSING CELIBACY IN LOVE AND FREEDOM. By Andrew Apostoli, C.F.R. (St. Paul Books and Media, 50 St. Paul's Ave., Boston, Mass. 02130, 1995), 200 pp. PB $7.95.
In a time and country when celibacy within religious life and especially celibacy tied to the call to priesthood is receiving a negative press, Fr. Andrew Apostoli has chosen to reaffirm that a celibate life for the sake of the kingdom can be a happy and productive one.
Fr. Andrew reads within the media that a married clergy would eliminate the potential for sexual misconduct within the priesthood. As the author logically states, if celibacy were the primary cause of sexual misconduct within the priesthood, what is the cause among married persons? If one argues that celibacy should be done away with in priesthood, the argument would likewise follow that marriage should be done away with as a significant number of marriages do not make it, ending up in separation and divorce.
Fr. Andrew provides rich examples from both the Old and New Testament in regard to this evangelical counsel. One need only witness the reluctant Jeremiah and the even more reluctant daughter of Jephthah to realize that permanent celibacy was almost unheard of in the Old Testament. The gospels portray Mary as one who did not know man, implying that she had already given her life to the Lord prior to her betrothal. The gift of the example of Christ's celibacy as well as the teachings of Paul on celibacy are probed by this author.
The celibate consecrates his or her singleness to God in an act of generous love. The vow expresses clearly the intent to remain permanently unmarried for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. It further frees one from hindrances in the spiritual life in that the individual approaches the Lord with an undivided heart.
The author's approach to consecrated celibacy is a very realistic one in that he notes the spiritual means necessary for the practice of that virtue: Eucharist, frequent confession, spiritual counsel, devotion to Mary as well as the very practical dimensions: support of the Christian community, self-discipline, discretion in the use of media, overcoming pride and hardness of heart.
A celibate life lived with these safeguards in mind will bring forth a fruit-filled life and ministry. The undivided heart brings forth a union with Christ and his Church. A celibate love lived with that dependency on the Lord recognizes one's own weakness and therefore is sensitive to the weaknesses of others. A celibate love frees one to be of service to Christ and the Church.
There is no doubt that a celibate commitment must constantly be fostered through the spiritual and practical safeguards the author includes in this book. Fr. Andrew brings forth a refreshing treatment of a way of life that is receiving a tremendous amount of "bashing" by the media. When do the media ever portray a fruitful celibate person?
This message is therefore very timely for young adults in the Church today, especially for those who have ever thought of a consecrated ministry in the Church. Vocation directors and campus ministers would find their ministry aided by its message. Catholic university librarians would provide a valuable service in making this easy to read paperback volume available to the student body. The message of a fruit-filled celibacy for the sake of a kingdom is a much needed message for our society as a whole. It is hoped that the readers of this volume would become advocates, even promoters of this specific calling.
Sr. Madeleine Grace, C.V.I.
Houston, Tex.
Mary in the Scriptures
MARY OF GALILEE. By Bertrand Buby, S.M. Vol. I, Mary in the New Testament (Alba House, 2187 Victory Blvd., Staten Island, N.Y. 10314, 1994), 193 pp. PB $11.95. Vol. II, Woman of Israel-Daughter of Zion, A Biblical, Liturgical, and Catechetical Celebration of the Mother of Jesus (Alba House 1995), 338 pp. PB $17.95. Vol. III, The Marian Heritage of the Early Church (Alba House 1996), 330 pp. PB $17.95.
This trilogy of Scriptural and patristic studies centers on the Mother of Jesus, Mary of Nazareth. She is identified as Mary of Galilee to indicate her belonging to Jewish origins and to the larger region of the Land of Israel in which Jesus began his active ministry.
The three volumes aim to fulfil the direction, spirit, and vision of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) given in the guidelines provided in chapter eight of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) and in the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum). A more recent instruction from the Congregation for Catholic Education, The Virgin Mary in Intellectual and Spiritual Formation (March 25, 1988) re-emphasizes Vatican II's approach by stating, "The study of Sacred Scriptures, therefore, must be the soul of Mariology."
The first volume is a presentation of the texts in the New Testament that mention Mary either explicitly or implicitly. The texts are examined within the context of the evangelists' purpose and theology; or, if they are from other writings such as Acts or the Pauline literature, within their historical and ecclesial context. The commentary is more of a synthesis than an analysis, since the latter has been offered in the ecumenical and exegetical work, Mary in the New Testament (R.E. Brown et al., Fortress, 1978).
The primary sources for a study of Mary are the references to her in the New Testament. However, the Scriptures of the Evangelists and Paul were the Hebrew texts upon which they reflected and re-read the meaning of Jesus of Nazareth. Their focus was on Jesus, with a mention of those who were related to him or associated with him. Through citations from these Hebrew Scriptures they enabled the later Church teachers and theologians to think of Mary in relationship to her Son (Christology), and to re-read the Prophets and to use certain symbols such as "Daughter of Zion" to explain who Mary is within their churches (ecclesiology).
The texts of the New Testament are centered in the Christ-Event and therefore are almost exclusively Christological. Mary is involved both in the events of the life of Jesus as presented by the Evangelists and also in the words about these events. For this reason her relationship to Jesus Christ has been the subject of study and devotion since the dawn of Christendom. For Christians this Christ-Event is seen as a fulfilling complement to the Hebrew Scriptures as they were remembered and re-read by the writers of the New Testament. This tandem relationship between the First and Second Covenants, the Old and New Testaments, permits the study of Jesus in the light of the Hebrew Scriptures, which provide the wellspring for much of the New Testament. Such a faith perception of the relationship between the text and the event enables Christian believers to develop further reflection on both the person of Jesus and of his Mother.
Volume II treats the Jewishness of Mary. It reflects the experience of the author with the Jewish-Christian Dialogue. The focus is the texts cited in Lumen Gentium, chapter eight; Gen. 3:15; Isa. 7:14; Mic. 5:2, as understood from an ecclesial tradition contrasted with the historical critical method which reads and interprets these texts differently.
The title "Daughter of Zion" is explored and explained. A full chapter is devoted to studying the great women of the Hebrew Scriptures and the heritage Mary received from them. Care is taken not to separate each woman from her biblical context while offering reasons to show Mary's link to them in Catholic tradition. The author notes that this study was influenced by his observing Jewish scholars reflecting on these great women when asked to comment on Mary, Mother of Jesus.
Another chapter gives a more detailed critique of how Vatican II used the Hebrew Scriptures in reference to Mary.
Two chapters examine the special themes in the new Collection of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary (1992).
The concluding chapter deals with how the new Catechism of the Catholic Church presents Mary, with additional information in two appendices.
The final volume of this comprehensive trilogy explores the Marian doctrine and devotion of the first half-millennium of Christianity. The foundations are rediscovered through what the author terms a "reader-response" to the theologians and teachers of the period who were also both preachers and writers. The spotlight is placed on the key Marian teachings and reflections developed from the Scriptures and spread within the early churches.
As in the first two volumes, particular attention is given to the Scriptural readings from which these early Christian writers develop their Marian images. Contextual and geographical differences aided the integration of the enlarging panorama of these creative theologians who concentrated their attention on the birth-giver of Jesus. They "solved" some of their burning Christological issues by bringing Mary of Galilee into their developing doctrinal syntheses thereby framing the bigger picture of their theologies. This period was definitely one of the most exciting and productive in Christian thought and theology.
The leaders of early Christianity had strong, dynamic, and often judgmental personalities. They had their stories to tell, and they sculpted them both in narrative discourse as well as in Scriptural and festive sermons. Each possessed a unique style colored by the vocabulary and nuances of a specific language-Syriac, Greek, or Latin. Each relied heavily, if not exclusively, on biblical narrative. In fact they were reluctant to develop a vocabulary which went beyond that of the Bible to explain their theological concepts. Controversy over new philosophical expressions was rampant. Their stories were even put into slogans which were sung or chanted. Liturgical celebrations were the gardens and vineyards where these ideas were cultivated with the faithful.
Slowly, almost imperceptibly, a new term for Mary developed. This new expression took the vibrant young woman of the earth to an elevated plane of faith-imaging based on philosophical ideas which spawned a new intellectual mode. In their theological reasoning Jesus was linked with political titles like Pantocrator, an extended meaning of Kyrios. So Mary was now more than the virgin mother of Luke's and Matthew's gospels. She was extolled as Theotokos, the God-bearer or forth-bringer of God, and in Latin as Mater Dei, Mother of God. The author found tracing the origins of this title as fascinating as a search for the lost Ark of the Covenant, or for the exact place of Moses' burial on Mount Nebo.
This final volume recalls the Marin stories and reader-responses of the Christian faithful of the golden age of patrology. A selective sampling of more than twenty vignettes entice the reader to respond to the period's storytelling about Mary of Galilee. The narrators represented in his samplings are Ignatius of Antioch, Justin of Samaria, Irenaeus of Lyons, the writer of the Proto-Gospel of James (with a new translation), Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen, Athanasius, Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, Cyril of Jerusalem, Hesychius, Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus, Amphilochius, Theodore of Mopsuestia, John Chrysostom, Ephrem, and Cyril of Alexandria.
The extensive appendices of the first two volumes offer rich and helpful resources.
While no publication will ever be the final word on any theological or Scriptural topic, this trilogy does cover Mary in the Scriptures rather completely for the general reader. The text reads smoothly, and has a pastoral dimension.
Br. John M. Samaha, S.M.
Cupertino, Calif.
Light with substance
BUILDING ON SOLID GROUND: AUTHENTIC VALUES AND HOW TO ATTAIN THEM. By Thomas Williams, L.C. (Alba House, 2187 Victory Blvd., Staten Island, N.Y. 10314, 1995), 193 pp. PB $5.95.
This is one book that is overdue. During the sixties Sydney Simon was on the educational trail with his presentation of "Values Clarification." He was invited to speak in Catholic schools where his "program" was acclaimed even by those who "had philosophy" but failed to detect the heretical substratum totally alien to the truth of the Catholic Church. Perhaps some faculty members had insights but assumed errors to be remediable through religion courses. Whether that was the case or not is hardly discernable by subsequent evidence. Perhaps college and peer group influences negated what Catholic students had been taught, if it were!
By the seventies Simon's "innocuous" book on the subject had initiated a "social experiment whose effects are still being felt today," according to our author. Crime, delinquency and moral decay resulted from two assumptions, viz. children (1) were innately good and able to make their own decisions and (2) adult values should not be "imposed" on them. Values were "up for grabs" and discipline, virtue, maturation went awry on the winds of narcissism. One glaring error looms large and ubiquitous: sin is irrelevant and/or subjective. Inclinations are natural and values personal.
The vehicle of this error was sociological, which included the manipulation, distortion and ambiguity of language so prevalent in our time: v.g., "liturgies" and "services." Many are the clichés heard in every situation. "Feelings" replace ideas, truth is "opinion," variety and pluralism are "good" so that uniformity and "true good" are bad. Vapid religion is anemic and conscience is personal, individual and accommodating the individual's lifestyle. Objective moral norms are rejected as infringing on one's privacy and freedom and rights are synonymous with desires and on to consumerism and impulsive buying.
The ramifications of such narcissism are vast and pervasive even at the cost of the intrinsic value of the person only too easily reduced to a "thing" and consequently to the cataclysmic annihilation of civilization. Every Thomist will readily discern the basis of the error as deriving from an inadequate ontology and epistemology.
Fr. Williams's style is easy reading, engaging, down-to-earth, practical, with a clarity and wide application to the moral, intellectual and cultural condition of today.
I recommend it highly for pastors, parents, teachers and other professionals as the exposé of the mentality of modern man. It is light with plenty of substance-a book not to be overlooked but digested for the mental and personal adjustment of the young. It deserves wide circulation.
Rev. Peter T. MacCarthy
Leeds, Ala.
The trouble is inside us
CREED OR CHAOS? By Dorothy L. Sayers (Sophia Institute Press, Box 5284, Manchester, N.H. 03108, 1995), 116 pp. HB $14.95.
Dorothy Sayers is a more familiar name to the fans of detective stories (Lord Peter Wimsey) than theological literature. Creed or Chaos? offers refreshing insights into the beliefs of a woman who never became a Catholic (for she could never accept the rejection of the validity of Anglican Orders by the Church or its assertion of papal supremacy) but holds great respect for the Catholic faith.
Sayers writes at the height of World War II from her own homeland of England. As the editors of the text reveal, when the author writes of the Church, she is referring to that body of believers who profess the official Creeds of Christianity: Apostles, Nicene, etc. rather than Roman Catholicism specifically. Likewise, when she criticizes the Church, she is referring to the pastors of her day who failed to preach the doctrine found in the Creeds.
Sayers's thesis which she reiterates repeatedly is that the most exciting drama of religion is the dogma contained. It is this which draws and maintains membership. She describes this dogma as "hard, tough, exacting, and complex, . . . steeped in a drastic and uncompromising realism." In her opinion, not one person in a hundred in a Christian nation knows what "the Church teaches about God or man or society or the person of Jesus Christ." Thus, if one wants a Christian society, one must teach Christianity which necessarily includes dogma.
The author asserts that several points from the Creed must be given emphasis. Christ and the Cross must be preached. In a world besieged by war, Sayers asserts that Christianity must teach of the reality of evil and the value of suffering. The realism of Christianity is brought home when she emphasizes that the Kingdom of heaven cannot be attained except by "unceasing toil and struggle and vigilance." At the same time she asserts that "there are certain eternal achievements that make even happiness look like trash." The most heartening message for this author is that "the trouble is not outside us but inside us." It is the grace of God that can put it right. The putting it right is actually her way of dealing with sin. The author describes sin as "the inevitable consequence of man's attempt to regulate life and society on a system that runs counter to the facts of his own nature."
The Church upholds the sacredness of matter and body as she celebrates Eucharist and Matrimony. Sayers urges the Church on in preaching that the material universe is an expression of the creative energy of God. She states that the Church then needed to express itself in a Christian doctrine of work. Certainly today, one may look no further than The Catechism of the Catholic Church which speaks of the redemptive quality of work, that work honors God's gifts and the talents received from him (2427). Closely allied to this doctrine of work is Sayers's belief that the Church recognize the sacredness of the secular vocation. Today, that response may be found in the Vatican II documents and the Catechism for they proclaim the mission of the laity in the Church and in the world: they participate in the priestly, prophetic and kingly office of Christ (Catechism, 897).
Sayers closes her text by reviewing how readily one may fall into each of the seven capital sins. It is through God's grace that one pulls away from such temptations.
Sayers's volume, now fifty years plus in age, offers very worthwhile insights today for a society which has many searchers of truth but not too many who wish to commit themselves to it. For this author, a commitment to an understanding and living of the truths of Christ is the way to eternal happiness.
Sr. Madeleine Grace, C.V.I.
Houston, Tex.
A warped picture of the Church
SEXUALITY AND CATHOLICISM. By Thomas C. Fox (George Braziller Inc. 60 Madison Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010, 1995), 381 pp. HB $27.50
This book is not about sexuality as such but about related topics, for example, abortion. It is certainly not about Catholicism. However, there are statements of Catholic principles and some well-written sections on Catholic beliefs which serve mainly to provide targets for contrary arguments and dissent. The beginning of each chapter gives a few pages of information with a rather traditional viewpoint, while the major portion of the chapter brings up in an emotional way the modernistic and humanistic outlook of heretics and avant-garde theologians.
The book was sent to me on an agreement I have to buy one book a month and when I received it I was disgusted by the list of persons in the author's Acknowledgments. Can you imagine citing Charles Curran, Rosemary Ruether, Joan Chittister and others of similar ilk? Then, in the course of the book he quotes Hans Küng and Peter Hebblethwaite. Anyone who relies on the authority of such discredited Catholic writers cannot have much to say on his own account.
The author divides his work by subject matter. He starts with a chapter on Christian Tradition where the topics are treated by selective presentation so that we have a warped picture of the Church's approach during past centuries. He says: "Catholic teachings on human sexuality and marriage played a role in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation." Then he proceeds to speak mildly of Henry VIII leading England out of the Church, mainly because of Catholic teachings on sexuality. In his examples, if he doesn't take the side against the Church, he at least implies that the Church is wrong.
In his chapter on homosexuality, Fox begins with the infamous raid on the Stonewall Inn, showing how the poor gays and lesbians suffered. It is obviously charged emotionally to elicit sympathy for the homosexual and sorrow that Rome is not more understanding.
A good part of the section on celibacy is about clergy sex abuse. Horrible as the subject is, it is unfair to accuse the Church, directly or indirectly, of causing such disorders by its vow of celibacy. There are many pedophiles or incest-prone men in today's demoralized world and these offenders are often married. At least, they are free to marry. If anything, the true celibate who practices Christian virtue does not place himself in the occasion of sin and is, therefore, much less likely to fall than those who relish pornography or frequent dangerous places.
Thomas Fox even takes the ludicrous position of sympathizing with Bishop Jacques Gaillot for his eviction from the Diocese of Evreux. When one reads a list of Gaillot's misdemeanors one cannot imagine leaving him on his episcopal throne. His dethronement was part of the good news coming out of 1995. At any rate I do not see how Fox could relate Gaillot's case to sexuality in general.
The book continues looking at sexuality and the Church with the better part of the argument given to the views of the modern world. While giving lip service to a few truths, the author soon rounds up opposing them with his more conspicuously detailed propaganda. Towards the end of the book, he throws off the other voices he has quoted to carry his thesis and says in his own words: "However, Pope John Paul II, in his growing insistence on uniformity in sexual morality and in his willingness, even eagerness, to press his moral vision as singularly truthful, has increased divisiveness within Catholicism. Hope for change among many Catholics now comes with an eye on a future pope and a move toward a more healing atmosphere within the Church" (p. 321).
I think hope for change will come with an eye on future writers on Catholicism.
Patricia O'Brien
Clandonald, Alberta, Canada
Catechism digest
LIVING THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. By Christoph Schönborn, O.P. Vol. I (Ignatius Press, 33 Oakland Ave., Harrison, N.Y. 10528, 1995), 162 pp. PB $9.95.
This publication is a gem reflective of the monumental Catechism of the Catholic Church. Coming from the pen of the editor of the Catechism, it is in harmony with it. It is a welcome contrast to some of the synopses of the original. Bishop Schönborn is eminently a teacher and engaging exponent not only of the Catechism but also of its Spirit.
This pocket size volume must surely become a cherished vademecum of the Catechism and of the teaching of the Church. It arouses one's appetite for the Truth through its brevity, simplicity and the lucidity of the author's presentation of the topics. This is a digest of the Masterpiece. As its title proclaims, it is designed to stimulate "living the Catechism." Based on the original, its sequence is identical and topical as Volume I on the Creed. Thus it correlates the Creed with the Catechism. It is clearly an echo of "the pup" of dogma texts so popular in our seminary years. It is different in its brevity (two pages to each topic) but its spirituality and faith outshine the aridity and brevity of those "other days."
This Volume I suggests the likelihood of successive books on the various sections of the Catechism. It is "a brief commentary for every week of the year," i.e., 52 "chapters" in the volume. That requires mastery and skill in presenting a digest of such profundity as the original text. Unique and important-or significant?-is the spiritual tone of the text throughout all 52 "chapters." Each requires a mere few minutes of reading but much more for reflection. The priest who must "preach the Catechism" will find this an aid to both meditation and conditioning for his homilies, not to mention his own enrichment. It is not a textbook to be read aloud to a congregation but a stimulus to essential Faith for preaching. A year of meditation and proclamation must surely be rewarding. Although a translation, the style is simple and charming, facile and lucid.
According to the author, the purpose is to "bring into relief and clarity an important element of the faith" as a help for personal study or group study of faith, the heart of which is Jesus Christ. Most of us realize the need of emphasis on the Christ of Faith.
Rev. Peter T. MacCarthy
Leeds, Ala.