A Deo et Rege

The weatherman couldn’t have predicted a more perfect date for the arrival of summer weather in Northeast Ohio this year. Memorial day marks the start of summer in many ways, so why not summer weather too? Although I’m glad to not have my heater come on in May anymore, last night was so hot! How hot? At 1:40am I was so hot, I went out to my garage and put in my window air conditioner. As comical as it seems now, I wouldn’t have slept at all without it. So,
my Memorial Day started off nicely!

I’ve mainly spent my day so far outdoors, although I went to the YMCA this morning. Grilling has become somewhat of a new hobby and today was perfect for it. I grilled a few chicken breasts. Add to those a little bit of spicy BBQ sauce and they tasted excellent. In addition they are healthy, so I don’t have to feel guilty afterward (although thinking of the carcinogens from the charcoal may not be a good idea!)

I’m planning on going outside to tan and read in a new chair I bought yesterday. The sun and relaxation at least keep me from
throwing The DaVinci Code across the yard. The new chair is called a "Brazilian beach chair," whatever that means. However, it was cheap, is extremely colorful, and will allow me to get a little bit of sun while being comfortable. I normally tan pretty well, but haven’t been able to get outside enough to do it the last couple of summers. I
have a good spot in my yard with total privacy and now a nice new Brazilian beach chair. Woo hoo.

Finally, it wouldn’t be Memorial Day without expressing my gratitude to our soldiers and veterans. Thanks for the work you do and God bless! My landlord put up little flags along my driveway too and they are a nice touch.

Happy Memorial Day!

Photos of grill, beach chair, and flag taken by Jonathan Bennett

And
truly great and unspeakable was their cause for joy, when in the
sight of the holy multitude [i.e. at the Ascension], above the dignity of all heavenly
creatures, the Nature of mankind went up, to pass above the angels’
ranks and to rise beyond the archangels’ heights, and to have Its
uplifting limited by no elevation until, received to sit with the
Eternal Father, It should be associated on the throne with His
glory, to Whose Nature It was united in the Son.

Since then Christ’s
Ascension is our uplifting, and the hope of the Body is raised,
whither the glory of the Head has gone before, let us exult,
dearly-beloved, with worthy joy and delight in the loyal paying of
thanks. For today not only are we confirmed as possessors of
paradise, but have also in Christ penetrated the heights of heaven,
and have gained still greater things through Christ’s unspeakable
grace than we had lost through the devil’s malice. For us, whom our
virulent enemy had driven out from the bliss of our first abode, the
Son of God has made members of Himself and placed at the right hand
of the Father, with Whom He lives and reigns in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.

Pope St. Leo the Great, On the Lord’s Ascension I:IV (Sermon 73)

Photo from Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, Euclid, Ohio; taken by Jonathan Bennett

I decided to sit outside for awhile today since it’s been one of the first nice days here in ages. I think summer is finally starting to show itself, so I decided to get a tan and read outside. I’ve been reading the DaVinci Code. Uggggghhh. It takes everything I have to get through this book. When I’m not getting angry about Brown’s distortions and ignorance, I’m laughing at the silliness of the plot and writing. For example, after some absurd double entendre about "mounting," Brown writes, presumably with a straight face:

Symbologists often remarked that France– a country renowned for machismo, womanizing, and diminutive insecure leaders like Napoleon and Pepin the Short– could not have chosen a more apt national emblem than a thousand foot phallus [i.e. the Eiffel Tower].

Sadly, only the groundhogs were around to hear me laugh out loud at this silliness.

First, I’d like to say Happy Mother’s day to my mom and grandma (even though they don’t read this blog!). Second, I’d like to recognize Holy Mother, the Church, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God and Mother of Christians. I’ve included Catholic theology from the Second Vatican Council on the topics.

Church as Mother (from Lumen Gentium):

The Church, further, "that Jerusalem which is above" is also
called "our mother". It is described as the spotless spouse of the
spotless Lamb, whom Christ "loved and for whom He delivered Himself up
that He might sanctify her", whom He unites to Himself by an
unbreakable covenant, and whom He unceasingly "nourishes and cherishes",
and whom, once purified, He willed to be cleansed and joined to Himself, subject
to Him in love and fidelity, and whom, finally, He filled with heavenly
gifts for all eternity, in order that we may know the love of God and of Christ
for us, a love which surpasses all knowledge. The Church, while on earth it
journeys in a foreign land away from the Lord, is life an exile. It seeks
and experiences those things which are above, where Christ is seated at the
right-hand of God, where the life of the Church is hidden with Christ in God
until it appears in glory with its Spouse.

Mary as Mother of Christians (also from Lumen Gentium):

The Virgin Mary, who at the message of the angel received the Word of
God in her heart and in her body and gave Life to the world, is acknowledged and
honored as being truly the Mother of God and Mother of the Redeemer. Redeemed by
reason of the merits of her Son and united to Him by a close and indissoluble
tie, she is endowed with the high office and dignity of being the Mother of the
Son of God, by which account she is also the beloved daughter of the Father and
the temple of the Holy Spirit. Because of this gift of sublime grace she far
surpasses all creatures, both in heaven and on earth. At the same time, however,
because she belongs to the offspring of Adam she is one with all those who are
to be saved. She is "the mother of the members of Christ . . . having
cooperated by charity that faithful might be born in the Church, who are members
of that Head."(3*) Wherefore she is hailed as a pre-eminent and singular
member of the Church, and as its type and excellent exemplar in faith and
charity. The Catholic Church, taught by the Holy Spirit, honors her with filial
affection and piety as a most beloved mother.

Sadly, one of my favorite scholars, Jaroslav Pelikan, a man whom I had the pleasure of hearing in person several years ago, has departed to be with the Lord.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
And let light perpetual shine upon him,
May he rest in peace.
Amen.

For a variety of reasons, I may be taking courses from a (regular, brick and mortar) college online to supplement my Master’s degree. I am both intrigued and worried. I like the idea of doing things in my own time (which, since I work full-time, tend to not be during normal business hours). I also like the financial savings that are bound to occur. However, for me part of the college experience is the campus itself. Oh well, if I really get the urge, I can take my laptop here and be a big poser. I’d be interested in hearing about anyone’s experiences either teaching or learning online.

Yes, I’m finally going to read the DaVinci Code. I checked it out of the library so as not to feed the beast. It’s not that I suddenly feel the need to read it or am actually interested. Rather, I know with the movie coming out, it’s important to be aware of the content, especially being a religion teacher and considering kids tend to watch movies more than read books. I’m ordering some books that "debunk" the code as well. Now, some people would say this is a bit like ordering a book debunking the "Lord of the Rings" since the DaVinci Code is fiction, right? Well, yes. But there are some quasi-scholars and conspiracy theorists who try to point out the vague truthfulness of the work. And naturally Dan Brown is happy to play along or at least look the other way while the whole thing brings him wads of cash. My goal is simply to be able to answer the questions of students while hopefully using the book as a springboard to learn about real history and the genuine traditions of the Church. Big task indeed.

There is some debate about what we should do about the DaVinci code movie. Although I will not be seeing it, I recognize that a lot of people will. I think we will need to be ready to provide accurate accounts of our faith to those who don’t quite realize the work is fiction and not some long suppressed series of impossible conspiracies (or who may be led to explore Gnosticism or other heresies). Many wonder what the whole DaVinci Code phenomenon means. Spiritual hunger? Interest in religion? I would say that America has had these phenomena for ages and perhaps some of that comes into play. I’d rather say the book plays to people’s tendency towards conspiracy theories and distrust of institutions. However, most people are probably astute enough to recognize the story is, as my old Greek professor liked to say of the concept of the rapture, "hokum." Those who do believe the Code is true and the Vatican is caught up in some big conspiracy (I’m surprised it involves Opus Dei and not the Jesuits), probably have far bigger issues than I can deal with.