How White Was My Savior?

(Exhibit One to the right...)
A non-story in Newsweek:

The mainstreaming of a white Jesus began in earnest during the early Middle Ages in Europe, a time and place where darkness had a powerfully negative connotation. Eighth and ninth century European theologians, obsessed with the symbolism of the Passion, began ascribing blame to the Jews. As such, Judas and King Herod and eventually Pontius Pilate came to be represented in dark, sinister hues while Jesus became increasingly white. “The oldest basis of all Christian art is the clash of good versus evil, light versus dark,” said Colum Hourihane, director of the Index of Christian Art at Princeton University. “This was particularly the case in the ninth and tenth centuries, when basically the Jews assumed a dark coloration [in art] while Christ became radiantly white, illuminated.” This whiteness naturally extended to such secondary characters as Mary and Joseph and the disciples.

A Christmas Favorite

Quoted in Other Places

It is always strange to see myself quoted, and in this case the quote relates to the thought of Father Alexander Schmemann of whom I have great admiration for...he pointed out that when humanity was in paradise it was the devil who began posing problems to the first man and woman. Thus in the redemption of humanity--we are to live in praise and thanksgiving and hence this quote from How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist found on She's A Crafty Pumpkin:

If we want to adore God with praise and thanksgiving we are going to have to learn to stop seeing everything as a "problem" or "interruption" and begin to be open to seeing God's goodness and interventions even in the most unlikely of places.
- from How To Get The Most Out Of The Eucharist, by Michael Dubruiel

To read the master, himself: The Journals of Father Alexander Schmemann, 1973-1983

Bring Christ to the Public Realm

Pope Benedict, from Fox News:

Pope Benedict XVI on Saturday encouraged the display of religious symbols in public buildings including schools, courthouses, hospitals and prisons, saying that God needs to be present in community life.

The pontiff, in a speech to participants of a national convention organized by the Union of Italian Catholic Jurists, said that at its origin, "lay status" referred merely to a person of Christian faith who was not a member of the clergy or a part of the religious state.

However, in modern times it has come to mean the opposite, Benedict said.

Nowadays, "a lay status entails the exclusion of religious symbols from public places," Benedict said. "The basis of such a concept is an a-religious vision of life, of thought and of morality; that is a vision where there is no room for God, for a mystery that transcends pure reason, for a moral law that has an absolute value."

"It is the job then, of all believers ... to help elaborate a concept of laicism that on the one hand gives God and His moral laws, Christ and His church the place it deserves in life ... and on the other affirms and respects the legitimate autonomy of terrestrial realities," the pope said

Fr. Groeschel's Latest Book

A few questions asked in the bleg below are actually answered in Father Groeschel's latest book that was just published a few months ago The Virtue Driven Life...a great read--obviously about the virtues, but likely unlike any book about the virtues you've ever read before. Very entertaining read, Father has a way of approaching the virtues that is refreshing. It would make a great Christmas gift!

Questons About the Spiritual LIfe

I'm working on a new book that will be written by Father Benedict Groeschel--where he will answer questions about the Spiritual life, covering such topics as:

• What is the spiritual life?
• You mean the spiritual life isn't just something monks and nuns worry about?
• You mean the Mass and Sacraments are supposed to help me grow in the spiritual life?
• Is there a patern of growth in the spiritual life similar to the patern of growth we find in the physical life, i.e. infancy, childhood, adolesence, adulthood,etc.?
• How should I live out my life if I'm growing spiritually?

I'd like to develop a good series of questions that people have out there (and this means you, whoever you are reading this). Please either send me your questions about the spiritual life or leave them in the comments here. Also leave your name and where you live (general...city, state) and if I use your question, we'll put you in the acknowledgements at the end of the book.

Update: 12/10: Keep the questions coming, they are good and very helpful--they'll make the book really, really useful to thousands of people... here is another area that I'd like to add based on the questions I've received already:

• Obstacles to growing in the Spiritual Life

"God was attracted to Mary's humility"

Pope Benedict's Angelus for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, summarized by Asia News Italy:

The pope said: “Not only did Mary not commit any sin, she was also protected from the common legacy of mankind that is original sin. And this because of the mission for which she was always destined by God: to be the Mother of the Redeemer. All this is contained in the truth of faith of the ‘Immaculate Conception’. The biblical foundation of this dogma is found in the words that the Angel spoke to the maiden of Nazareth: ‘Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.’ (Lk 1:28). ‘Full of grace’ – in the original Greek kecharitoméne – is the most beautiful name of Mary, the one that God Himself gave her, to indicate that she has always been and will always be the beloved, elected, the one chosen to welcome the most precious gift, Jesus, ‘love incarnate of God’ (Enc. Deus Caritas East, 12).”

The privilege of Mary, of being protected from evil, has always prompted discussion among theologians and made the secularized world smile. Benedict XVI asked: “Why did God choose Mary of Nazareth of all women?” The answer of the pope goes back to the Bible, but also to poetry, citing Dante Alighieri who in his “Paradise” dedicated to the Virgin one of the most beautiful hymns of world literature: “The answer is hidden in the unfathomable mystery of divine will. However there is the reason highlighted by the Gospel: her humility. Dante Alighieri put it well in the last canto of Paradise: ‘Thou Virgin Mother, daughter of thy Son/ Humble and high beyond all other creature/The limit fixed of eternal counsel’ (Par. XXXIII, 1-3). The Virgin herself, in the ‘Magnificat’, her canticle of praise, says: ‘My soul magnifies the Lord... for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.’ (Lk 1:46,48). Yes, God was attracted by the humility of Mary, who found favour in his eyes (cfr Lk 1:30). And thus she became the Mother of God, image and model of the Church, elected from among all peoples to receive the blessing of the Lord and to spread it across the entire human family. This ‘blessing’ is none other than Jesus Christ himself. He is the Source of grace, with which Mary was filled right from the first moment of her existence. She welcomed Jesus with faith and with love she gave him to the world. This is also our vocation and our mission, the vocation and mission of the Church: welcoming Christ in our life and giving him to the world, ‘that the world might be saved through him’ (Jn 3:17).”

The pope recalled that Mary is a model for all Christians who in Advent await Christ with the same humility and dedication as the Mother of God did: “Dear brothers and sisters, today’s feast of the Immaculate Conception illuminates the period of Advent like a lighthouse, a time of vigilant and faithful anticipation of the Saviour. As we prepare to greet God who is coming, we look to Mary who ‘shines as a sign of sure hope and solace to the people of God during its sojourn on earth’ (Lumen gentium, 68). With this knowledge, I invite you to join me when, this afternoon, I will renew the traditional act of homage in Piazza di Spagna [Spanish steps] to this sweet Mother for grace and of grace.”

Pat Summerall Visits His Hometown

Of Lake City, Florida...nice piece about his liver transplant

From the Gainesville Sun:

Pat walks on an artificial knee. A recovering alcoholic, he's into a 15th year without a drink. Pat's liver became diseased, so in 2004 one of the best-liked sportscasters ever needed a transplant. With those unmistakable pipes, Summerall speaks of the experience with high humility and deep appreciation.

"My new liver came from a 13-year-old African-American boy," Pat said. "A young man from Pine Bluff, Ark., who suffered an aneurism in phys ed class. I later met his mother and it was hugely emotional for both of us.

"She hugged me real tight, saying 'I feel as though I am holding part of my child,' What a powerful, heart-tugging feeling; knowing somebody had to die far too young for an old guy to keep on breathing."""

Nelson Tightens Editorial Standards for Authors

From Publisher's Weekly Religion Bookline:

While the company will honor all existing contracts with previously
acquired authors, future contracts will require authors—even those writing in
non-religion categories like business—to signal their agreement with both the
Nicene Creed (recognized by most Protestant and Catholic, and some Orthodox,
Christians) and Philippians 4:8 from the New Testament.

Rationale...

Nelson's decision is not just about belief, but about the bottom line. Hyatt noted that as part of the company's preparation for this decision, it evaluated the marketplace success of recent Nelson titles that would have either passed or failed the new editorial standards. "In that study, we discovered that projects that didn't meet up to our new standards accounted for only 2% of our total 12-month revenue," he said. "Worse, titles that would not have met our standards sold, on average, 47% fewer copies than titles that met our standards."

Hyatt asserts that even with the heightened theological filter, no topic will be unpublishable for Nelson's authors. "We want to encourage them to write across a broad spectrum of categories," he said. "Some books will be explicitly Christian; some implicitly Christian. But all will be written from a broad Christian perspective. That's the unique contribution we feel called to make."

Pope: In mosque I prayed to the one God for all mankind

From Asia News Italy:

The prayer in Istanbul’s Blue Mosque was “not initially planned but it
turned out to be very meaningful”. It was a prayer to the “one Lord of heaven
and earth, merciful father of all mankind”. Addressing today’s general audience,
this was how Benedict XVI described his silent prayer on 30 November in
Istanbul.
The Pope “thanked divine Providence for this” and said: “May all believers identify themselves with the one God and bear witness to true brotherhood.”
The Pontiff augured that Turkey “will be a bridge of friendship and collaboration between East and West” and he thanked the Turkish people “for the cordiality and sympathy” they showed him throughout his stay, when “he felt loved and understood”.
For Benedict XVI, in secular Turkey, “the distinction between civil and religious spheres constitutes a principle and the State should guarantee effective religious freedom.” At the same time, he continued, “Christians and Muslims should collaborate together on issues like justice, peace and life.”
The Pope then prayed to God, so that He may “help the Turkish people, their rulers and representatives of different religions to build a future of peace together” and so that He may “make this apostolic journey fruitful and animate across the world the Church’s mission to announce to all nations the Gospel of truth, peace and love.”
The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, dwelt on the same subject during a speech delivered after last Sunday’s function. He said: “We are sure that the voyage of the Holy Father to the Ecumenical Patriarchate will bear fruits for dialogue between Christian churches, especially between the Catholic and Orthodox
Churches, and more generally to inter-religious dialogue. This real improvement
in our ties will contribute to peace on our planet.”
The Ecumenical Patriarchate, he added, “has long been an initiator and promoter of dialogue between religions and civilizations: it sees with great satisfaction the desire for improvement in interpersonal relations worldwide.”

The Real St. Nick

The Real Saint Nick Fought Prostitution

and the beautiful site

Saint Nicholas: The Truth About Santa Clause

The Culture Wars and Christmas

From Father Benedict Groeschel:

As most of you know, on my recent program on EWTN, I made an appeal along with Bill Donohue of The Catholic League to get people to identify stores and other merchants and agencies that refuse to acknowledge Christmas. I have to say we’ve been extremely successful. One lady who attends our conferences in Manhattan got a hundred of her friends to cut up their credit cards to Macy’s and send them back, so Macy’s, I understand, is even playing Christmas carols when you call in on the phone. As they said in the Second World War, “sub sighted, sank same”. I understand also that various other big companies are changing the anti-Christmas policy.

If you happen to know any companies or merchants that are telling you that their employees can’t say “Merry Christmas” or not carrying Christmas items, or others that are outlawing Christmas, be sure to report them to the Catholic League website. We are preparing to identify people as “Grinches of the Year”.

This is really not a light-hearted attempt. Ninety-seven percent of the people in the United States think that the celebration of Christmas is appropriate; eighty-five percent consider themselves Christian in some way or another. Why can’t we have some recognition of our holiday?

If anybody says to you “Happy Holidays”, say back “Merry Christmas”. If the person is not a Christian, you can say “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Holidays”, but don’t leave Christmas out. A kind of funny detail came through: one of the big chains of stores now has their phone message on, and in a slightly different voice, which has obviously been tacked on, and they say “Merry Christmas.” Keep plugging and who knows, we may even keep this a basically Christian country. God bless.

Othodox Priest and Family Perish in Russian Fire

That looks to be a case of arson...

From The Raw Story:

The religious website Orthodoxy and Peace reported arsonists blocked the
door to the family's home with a steel pipe to prevent the family from escaping.
The home's windows had been barred by Nikolayev himself after a recent arson
attempt.

Russia's Interior Ministry on Monday said it had formed and deployed an
investigative squad to the village.

What Book is Endorsed by...

Tom Monaghan, Gerry Faust and Dick Vitale?

Find out here

Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor Against "Christophopia"

I like the term and plan to start using it...Fulton Sheen called it Staurophobia "Fear of the Cross"...but the reality is that it really is Christophobia "Fear of a Savior"

From Diocese of Westminster:

I am becoming tired of the mockery of those who seem to regard faith communities, especially Christian ones, as intrusive and contrary to the common good. I label them Christophobic. They wish to close off every voice and contribution other than their own. Their inability to see the Christian seed in what is noble and good in Western culture chills the possibility of a true pluralism. Sometimes it spills over into the kind of anti-Christian bigotry that has appeared on some university campuses.

The great majority of people in our country do not want the erosion of a culture that is ultimately rooted in Christianity and its values. The presence in Britain of Muslims and other faith communities is leading to a renewed interest in Christian identity, boiled down if you like to the simple proposition that if a Muslim woman may wear a headscarf, a Christian woman should be able to wear a cross.

What is lacking in the new secular aggressiveness is the very Christian virtue of doubt. Only secularists such as Professor Dawkins seem to have no doubt when it comes to faith. We cannot build a truly human society on such narrow and rigid foundations.

Religion is not safe or easy. The new presence in Britainof an angry expression of Islam is a challenge; but the right response is not an angry dismissal of faith. We will not bring about a society at greater ease with itself by attempting to declare faith-free zones. British society is not a secular fortress needing to repel boarders, but a society permeated by belief as well as non-belief. The public space must be broad and permeable if it is to be truly public.

On my entry into seminary 56 years ago, my parish priest advised me to “Pray for perseverance”. I thought it rather unimaginative counsel at the time; now it seems to me quite inspired. For believers, the real task is to witness to God’s presence by lives of love and service, patiently persisting with those we disagree with.

Don't Think Gators Have a Chance?

On November 4th I was walking on 2nd Avenue in Nashville, TN. Why was I there? I had watched Florida play Vanderbilt earlier in that day in a game where Florida built a big lead (scored 25 points...the same amount of points that Michigan scored against Vanderbilt by the way) and then held on as Vanderbilt made a game of it. I stopped in front of an establishment where there was a crowd gathered. What were they doing? They were watching Illinois mount a charge, a last ditch effort to tie the mighty Ohio State Buckeyes. They failed, but the final score 17-10 should give everyone pause...if lowly and much maligned Ron Zook could almost do it...there is hope that Urban Meyer can watch that tape and come away with something.

I hate the BCS, by the way. It has ruined college football. Let's turn all these bowl games into playoff games (at the same sights) and make it all worth watching and caring about and in the end as in college basketball the rankings will mean nothing.

Interesting Experience of Turkish Journalist with the Pope

From The Journal of Turkish Weekly by Selma SEVKLI:

In time of Islamophobia, “clash of civilizations” and urgent need for dialogue after all, Pope’s visit to Turkey was critical both for Turkey and the rest of the world. Although I rose quite prejudice against Pope Benedict XVI after his speech at Regensburg University in Germany, I still wanted to see him and think about my opinions one more time.

As I worked for intercultural dialogue activities last year, I got to know many officials from religious minority communities. Therefore, I had the chance to attend the ceremony at Greek Orthodox Patriarchate on 29 November 2006. From beginning to the end, it was a lifetime experience for me.

We left Harbiye around 5.30 pm to go to the Patriarchate and realized that all the roads were closed. The police officers suggested us to take a different route which would make us delay even more. First their explanation was that the roads were closed for the Pope, we explained: “We are going to attend his ceremony” Surprisingly, showing our invitation letter was more than enough to open all the closed roads. We could have easily got the answer “Who cares, everybody is going somewhere important” All police officers I saw that night were extra careful and polite. Let me offer my thanks one more time as they completed their duty just perfectly.

The security was very tight around the patriarchate, we had to park 400 meters away, wait in lines, got searched. All these procedure got some of the people frustrated, for me just made the whole event more exciting. When we arrived in the yard, I saw 20 priests in line, with a long red carpet in front of them. There was a big screen monitor screening inside the church, welcoming signs on the walls and many people from different parts of the world. After waiting about 30 minutes Patriarch Bartholomew came in, welcomed everybody and soon after the Pope walked in. Bells ringed, cameras started shooting and the couple went into the church. Some rituals took place such as kissing the Testament, greeting the priests and the unique mass started. I walked in different levels of the church and looked at excited people, took pictures and videos. When the ceremony ended, most of the people left the patriarchate, but some started waiting in front of another building in the yard. I was told that there was another ceremony upstairs for priests only, closed to press and public. We chatted and waited outside the building, then famous Turkish journalist Leyla Umar and Patriarch Bartholomew’s lawyer Kezban Hatemi insisted to the officials about going in and meeting the Pope. As they are known for their close relationship to the Patriarch, their request was accepted and eight of us got the chance to get in.

The scene in the room was quite interesting. Priests were kissing the Pope and getting some holy gifts that I couldn’t exactly understand what. During that time, I was recording and just standing in front of the famous couple of the night. Then they started walking and the Pope got closer to me. I got confused about what to do, just looked at him and he gave his hand to me. I thought it would be disrespectful just to shake his hand as everybody was kissing, so I did the same with only one tiny different detail: After kissing his hand, I put it on my forehead as practiced in Turkish tradition. He smiled and I couldn’t say anything, but took my camera out and took another shot from a close distance. Then I had this weird feeling to describe as he left the room. I don’t know if he blessed or cursed, but it was a lifetime experience.

I left the Patriarchate in peace. I don’t know if the Pope is sincere about dialogue but to me it was de facto apologize about his statements while considered his whole trip. People were afraid about him praying in St. Sophia, he didn’t. Instead, he prayed towards Kaba in Blue Mosque. He tried to talk in Turkish, met many Turkish officials (even though his primary reason to visit Patriarch Bartholomoew), and in the end he said that he left his heart in turkey.

I believe that it is hard to change mentalities but reasonable to switch strategies. But it would be unfair to judge the Pope at the moment. We will see and learn through time what has changed in Vatican and if sincere dialogue is possible.

More Praise for Pope's Trip to Turkey

In a world starving for intelligent leadership--it sure is nice (and has been over the past 27 years) to have someone at the top of the Church who is both intelligent and a leader--not a follower.

From the Chicago Tribune:

"He came here with a lot of baggage, and I didn't know whether he would be able to overcome that," said Binnaz Toprak, a political scientist at Istanbul's Bogazici University.

"But in the end the pope presented himself not only as a religious leader but also a diplomat," Toprak said. "The Turkish public will be pleased that we made a nice show of Islamic tolerance and Turkish hospitality, and [the pope] gave an image to the world that he is in favor of dialogue."

The pope's effort to repair relations with the Islamic world was the focus of most of the media interest, but the trip to Turkey was originally conceived as an instrument for re-energizing the dialogue with Eastern Orthodox churches. Begun during the papacy of Pope Paul VI in the 1960s, this is seen by the Vatican as a long-term project to resolve a very old problem.

The split between the two ancient branches of Christianity, the Great Schism, occurred in 1054 after years of disputes. Over the centuries, culture and geography have widened the rift.

Not about theology'

"The divide between Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy is not about theology. The differences are coming from historical memories, and you can't overcome those by sitting down at a table and talking," Wauck said. "You have to build a different set of historical memories, and this has to be done over a long period of time."

Pope Benedict, in one of last week's meetings with Patriarch Bartholomew, called the divisions among Christians a "scandal to the world"--the Vatican's strongest words yet on the subject--and pledged to work toward full reconciliation.

The pope and the patriarch were together for at least a few hours on three of the four days the pope spent in Turkey. They embraced, they celebrated the liturgy together and they embraced some more, all part of the process of building a new set of historical memories.

And in the process, a different side of a shy and sometimes stern German pontiff was revealed.

Noting Pope Benedict's prolific literary output, his love of language and his "carefully crafted Teutonic paragraphs," John Allen, the Vatican specialist for the National Catholic Reporter, wrote that the Turkey pilgrimage could "mark the moment the wordsmith pope learned to talk in pictures."

Pope Returns to Rome

The defining moment? In the Blue Mosque at prayer...

Pope's Plea: Freedom for the Church in Turkey

From Asia News Italy:

Another call for freedom for the Church which accompanies Muslims and an exhortation to Turkey’s small Christian communities to live together in love. This was the final message of the Pope’s visit, delivered this morning to around 2,000 people who participated in mass celebrated by Benedict XVI in Istanbul, his last engagement before leaving for Rome.

Young people stood in the small courtyard of the nineteenth-century church of the Holy Spirit, the Latin cathedral of Istanbul, cheering at the arrival of the Pope and Patriarch Bartholomew, chanting their names. On one wall, there was a poster with their images. There, upon his arrival, the Pope freed three white doves and then blessed a statue of John XXIII, the “Turkish Pope”, as Pope Roncalli was described when he was elected, in memory of the 10 years he spent in this country where he is still remembered with respect and affection. The statue, intended for the Church of St Anthony, stood not far from that of Benedict XV, erected by the Turks in 1919 in memory of his appeals against the World War, with the inscription: “To the great pontiff of the global tragedy, benefactor of all peoples, regardless of nation or creed, as a sign of gratitude, the East.”

The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the Armenian Patriarch Mesrob II, and the Syro-Orthodox Metropolitan Fuluksinos Yusuf Cetin, attended the religious rite; all met Benedict XVI yesterday. The meeting with Bartholomew, who entered the church by the Pope’s side – and who participated in three celebrations with Benedict XVI in two days – was the main reason for the voyage. This, however, did not stop public opinion from focusing above all on ties with Islam.

Benedict XVI dwelt upon these ties in the packed church. He said: “Your communities walk the humble path of daily companionship with those who do not share our faith, but who declare ‘to hold the faith of Abraham, along with us adore the one and merciful God’ (Lumen Gentium, n.16). You know well that the church wishes to impose nothing on anyone, and that she merely asks to live in freedom to reveal He who she cannot hide.”

The celebration had an inter-ritual character, in that Catholic communities of different languages and rites took part. Monks with cowls and Metropolitans in their great mantles stood by the altar. For all of them, there was a papal exhortation to fraternity, which rounded up the homily: “Always be open to the spirit of Christ and hence be attentive to those who thirst for justice, peace, dignity, for consideration for themselves and for their brothers. Live among yourselves according to the word of the Lord: ‘by these they will know you are my disciples, if you love one another’.”