Too good not to share

While basking in the late night glow of my beloved Jazz beating the Nuggets decisively in Game 3 of their first round play-off series yesterday evening, I tuned into ESPN's SportsCenter to catch up on my Oakland A's, who are off to a surprisingly good start. During the program, I saw this great ad:

I think we face this situation a few times a day.

Happy first birthday to Quaerere Deum, where I am inspired, that is, filled with breath, daily. Ad multos annos!

Christos Anesti

Towards a politics of personal reconstruction

Like many I am becoming very frustrated with the opposition to President Obama because many people are simply going off the rails. Anger is not capable of producing reasoned arguments, let alone principled opposition. I see way too many people urging us all to set aside our Christian convictions because the situation is so dire. Don't get me wrong, opposition is essential to any healthy democracy, or, as is the case here in the U.S., representative democracy. For example, I am glad that the Republicans have steadfastly refused to get on-board with the health care reform that was passed, with the non-stimulating stimulus, and other expensive programs that expand the government and cost way too much, but I really have a low tolerance for personal attacks on the president.

While I disagree with many of his policy initiatives, nowhere more so than in foreign policy, which happens to be an area I know something about, I think he is a good man, a well-intentioned man. I am heart broken and dismayed, for instance, at his kicking Israel whenever the opportunity presents itself and, conversely, molly-coddling Iran and other despotic regimes in the Middle East. Taking all of this into consideration, I see how seriously he takes his responsibilities as a husband and father. This is all the more impressive given that he grew up without a father. I know how challenging this can be because my Dad largely grew up without a father. So, forget everything else, this alone speaks volumes about his character and integrity. I think it is important not to forget that he is a Christian, which makes him my brother.

Lest we forget, those on the left side of the political divide, which sadly widens by the day, attacked Pres. Bush in many of these same ways, calling him a Nazi, et. al. I feel the same way about him as I do about Pres. Obama; he is a good man, a devoted husband and father, who had a genuine conversion when he was about 40 years-old. All we wanted to discuss were his low points, who cares about the fact that Christ took pity on him and rescued him, changing him forever? Like Pres. Obama, he is a Christian, a brother. There are plenty of issues that I vehemently disagreed with Pres. Bush on as well. If anyone cares to look back in the archives of my blog, you will see this. I am a centrist. I am the kind of Democrat who no longer exists for the most part. I come by this legacy honestly because it was how I was raised in a working class household. I appreciate very much Pres. Clinton's remarks this week about our degraded public discourse, something about which he also expressed concern during George Bush's presidency. It was Bill Clinton who first called out those who practice the politics of personal destruction.

I take exception to people who demonize the government. I am a career civil servant. My friends, the government consists of your friends and neighbors, people in your parish, or congregation. I know many smart, well-educated, highly motivated and conscientious women and men who have dedicated their lives to the common good by working in civil service. Not a few of these could actually do better for themselves in the private sector, but stay because they like to serve. I am glad that Pres. Clinton pointed to the Murrah Federal building bombing in Oklahoma City as the logical result of mistaking rage for reasoned discourse, or seeing the situation as being beyond the corrections of a functioning democratic system of government.

In my house it was a given that the Republicans, by and large, looked out for the rich (this explains my reaction yesterday to Sen. Grassley's and Rep. Issa's shenanigans on behalf of Goldman Sachs) and that northeastern and California liberals were hellbent on undermining the foundations of society. People forget that as late as the 1970s Utah was a largely Democratic state, but these Democrats were strong on national defense, socially conservative, but looking out for the common man, types like Scoop Jackson, Frank Church, Harry S. Truman. Calvin Rampton was governor, succeeded by Scott Matheson, and Gunn McKay was the representative of our first congressional district, Ted Moss was one of our U.S. senators, and both houses of the legislature had Democratic majorities. In Ogden City proper back then, it was pretty rare for a Republican to be elected anything. Beyond that I grew up thinking highly of JFK and RFK, the latter of whom was certainly no liberal, at least as we employ the term today, and the former was quite clear-headed about what justice really meant and who was more than capable of making crucial distinctions, an ability which surviving members of the Kennedy clan seem to have lost, which I believe can be attributed to their practically wholesale abandonment of church teaching.

I am now a registered independent, which means I am excluded from Republican primaries, but, should I choose, I can vote in what are usually open Democratic primaries, though I normally do not. I am proud to say that I have never voted a straight party ticket. The father of a friend of mine growing up, who served in our state legislature and was a Democrat, called the box at the top of each party's ticket on the ballot, the one you check to vote straight party, "the idiot box."

My dear friend Tami incisively asked yesterday on Facebook in response to my joining the group Petition to remove facebook group praying for President Obama's death, What is wrong with peoples' hearts? Well, a lot, mine being no exception. Let's be mindful that as Christians we are obligated to pray for those in authority and, at least in my parish, we do so every Sunday: "First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way" (1 Tim. 2:1-2). As I have a Lord and Savior, I don't look to politicians to save me, to save the country, or even the world. Living in the light of this truth is what gives me enough detachment to be charitable, as St. Paul writes, without love- agape- "I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal" (1 Cor. 13:1). Especially in my right ear these days, there seems to be a lot of banging and clashing.

Being president of the United States is one leg of Barak Obama's path to destiny. It is a tough one, like that of the Holy Father. As brothers and sisters we love each another by loving the destiny of the other. To love another's destiny means, at least in part, to challenge those we love, just as the Lord challenges and provokes us. As long as we keep our challenges honest and loving we do something good, not only for the one we are challenging, but in the realm of political and civic discourse, we contribute to the common good. As the still very relevant book, Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, might advise, it is not always, perhaps not even usually, what I say, but how I say it that matters. As a Christian, how I say something is at least as important as what I say (re: banging gong, clashing cymbal). I think here of Archbishop Niederauer's frequent exhortation to disagree without being disagreeable. Admittedly, this is not always as easy as it sounds, kinda like loving God and loving my neighbor as I love myself.

For those who regularly read my blog, it should be clear that this is not a plea to politically disengage, to stand on the sidelines quietly, to not bring our faith onto the public square, quite the contrary. It is an exhortation to engage more constructively, more charitably, and to stop acting like politics is eschatology. As the Israelites learned through two exiles, God still reigns. As the early church learned, along with the churches of Russia, eastern, and central Europe, through persecution and brutal repression, that no matter what happens politically, Christ is still risen and at God's right hand, as well as present to us by means of their Holy Spirit. He is our hope first, last, and always. To live in any other way is to practice idolatry. The fact that church survives the rise and fall of great nations and empires, including the loss of the Papal States in the nineteenth century, which was a blessing, is a great testament to the truthfulness of living this way.

This brings me write about the things with which I agree with the president: immigration reform, which is basically the same bill Pres. Bush tried to pass during his second term; eliminating private lenders from the student loan program, given the track record of financial institutions, a reform that, I believe will save the government money and make the program better; and comprehensive reform of laws, regulations, and enforcement of the banking and finance industry. I liked the confrontational speech Pres. Obama gave in New York the other day, it was not lofty rhetoric, but tough and challenging words urging these large institutions, many of which are still engaging in practices that undermine, rather work toward, the common good, to get on-board, to play a constructive role in reform.

In addition to being dismayed by the on-going revelations about the bad national and international citizenship of Goldman Sachs, which I have hammered on relentlessly, a USA Today article this week (I know, USA Today doing solid reporting?- this is good news) pointed out that banks that received TARP money (Hammerin' Hank the Goldman Sachs enabler, one of the financial geniuses who publicly still claim not to know what happened, along with his Democratic counterpart Robert Rubin- my vehemence here shows that I have work to do in this regard) reduced lending and increased salaries, Banks receiving government aid cut loans.

Christos Anesti

Not much of a moral dilemma

Ed O'Keefe, who writes the Federal Eye blog for the Washington Post revealed today in a post, SEC porn investigation nets dozens, that Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa leaked to the press a Securities and Exchange Commission inspector general report that detailed several disturbing instances of SEC employees and senior staff using their government-provided computers to view and store internet pornography. Of course, there is nothing classified about this, but the timing of the leak, along with the failure to leak other like reports from other agencies, seems to be aimed at casting doubt on the integrity of the SEC, which filed a lawsuit against Goldman Sachs last week. I honestly don’t know which is more obscene, being obsessed with porn to the point you ogle it at work or with protecting a company that seeks to operate outside or on the fringes of the law to great detriment of the common good. Of course, neither one is morally acceptable, but I’d say the latter is at least as immoral as former, probably more so.

Shame on the SEC porn dogs and shame on Sen. Grassley for leaking this to the press in a ham-fisted attempt to protect a company that adds little or no value, but reaps huge profits anyway. The latter is more disturbing to me because the SEC inspector general was doing its job, the investigation was successful and no doubt consequences would have happened without Grassley's leak. Rep. Darrell Issa who, like Grassley, is a Republican, albeit one from California, is complicit, seemingly using this as an opportunity to bash the SEC not only in an effort to help Goldman Sachs, but to forestall much needed reform of the financial industry.

In School of Community, having finished the third volume of Giussani’s Is It Possible to Live This Way: An Unusual Approach to Christian Existence, which is on the theological virtue of charity, we are now reading Pope Benedict XVI’s Caritas in veritate, in which we find in the Introduction this: "Besides the good of the individual, there is a good that is linked to living in society: the common good. It is the good of ‘all of us’, made up of individuals, families and intermediate groups who together constitute society. It is a good that is sought not for its own sake, but for the people who belong to the social community and who can only really and effectively pursue their good within it. To desire the common good and strive towards it is a requirement of justice and charity… In an increasingly globalized society, the common good and the effort to obtain it cannot fail to assume the dimensions of the whole human family, that is to say, the community of peoples and nations, in such a way as to shape the earthly city in unity and peace, rendering it to some degree an anticipation and a prefiguration of the undivided city of God" (par. 7).

Further on the Holy Father addresses precisely what is at stake in the on-going saga of Goldman Sachs: "Once profit becomes the exclusive goal, if it is produced by improper means and without the common good as its ultimate end, it risks destroying wealth and creating poverty. The economic development that Paul VI hoped to see was meant to produce real growth, of benefit to everyone and genuinely sustainable. It is true that growth has taken place, and it continues to be a positive factor that has lifted billions of people out of misery — recently it has given many countries the possibility of becoming effective players in international politics. Yet it must be acknowledged that this same economic growth has been and continues to be weighed down by malfunctions and dramatic problems, highlighted even further by the current crisis" (par. 21).

God's work, indeed, Mr. Blankfein, but only if you serve mammon.

Christos Anesti

"But the heartache's in me till this day"

The Clash was a great band. I still find it incomprehensible that Joe is dead. I typed this at 5:30 AM this morning and erroroneously wrote that Mick Jones was dead. Everyone will be relieved to know that he is not. Thanks to Stephen for his gentle query about this. Train in Vain is our Friday traditio. It's a pretty mellow groove for these guys, but works on a rainy spring morning.

"Now I got a job
But it don't pay
I need new clothes
I need somewhere to stay
But without all of these things I can do
But without your love I won't make it through"

Random access memory brings to mind these lyrics: "Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come." Where's the connection? It is precisely here- because it is my path to destiny and I am grateful to have so many companions on my way. By companions I mean those who love me by loving my destiny, too, who, in the words of the traditio for this week, stand by me, especially the One who is always present to me.

Those who know me, especially those who know me well, understand that I live intensely and push a lot of envelopes. In some ways I have paid quite a high price, but it pales in comparison to the cost of my conscience and integrity, which is the due I owe to the One gave Himself for me, the same One who said: "I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matt. 10:16). Consequently, I have had many not stand by me. You know what? I'm glad you can't run from yourself, though it's tempting to try because I certainly make no claim to always get it right. In other words, I need to work on being both wise and innocent because sometimes I am neither, but I never need companions more than when I lose my footing. With Him I can stand in front of reality, not defiantly, but quite humbly, without averting my gaze, or even flinching. When I flinch, I'm still standing, even if it's only because He's holding me up. Passion is, indeed, a fashion. I know that it is not one suited to everybody.

I don't mind saying that I have packed about three months worth of stuff into these past two weeks. Once I am done preaching this weekend, I am going to chill, thesis-writing mode. Getting my steely-eyed, academic pedant on.

Christos Anesti

'The Turn to Transcendence'

Dr Glenn Olsen, a brilliant man whom I consider a friend and something of a mentor over many years, has written another book. His latest is entitled The Turn to the Transcendence: The Role of Religion in the Twenty-First Century. Catholic University Press is publishing this book, which will available in early June.

I spoke with Dr. Olsen last evening and Turn to Transcendence will be a Cathedral Book Club selection come this fall with Dr. Olsen leading the discussions. This is something not only to look forward to, but to be excited about.

Among his other published books is Beginning at Jerusalem: Five Reflections on Church History. Which consists of five very good essays, which began life as annual lectures he delivered in New York City. This collection was published in 2004 by Ignatius Press. It contains some fine lines about the angels in our lovely Cathedral of the Madeleine (link is to 3D viewer of the Cathedral). Referring to what St. Thomas Aquinas wrote about angels, Dr. Olsen observes:

"This is the best statement of why angels exist. God wishes to share his goodness and gifts. One may hope that others follow the lead of Msgr. Francis Mannion in preserving angels in the restoration of the Cathedral of the Madeleine in which I worship in Salt Lake City. The restored cathedral is full of angels. Especially striking... are eight great angels painted on the ceiling at the transcept crossing above the altar. It is difficult to worship in this church without being reminded of the company of the angels, that God has been much more prolific in his dealing with the universe than early modern science suggested...Every person who enters the cathedral in Salt Lake City is reminded of such a perspective, and this church stands as an alternative to our current impoverishment in matters liturgucal and architectural."

Dr. Olsen, who is an emeritus professor at the University of Utah, my alma mater. He is an internationally known and respected historian whose particular area of study is medieval intellectual history, but he has published in area of patristics, as well as the history of law, and history of sexuality. In addition to teaching at Utah, he has taught at Seattle University, and Fordham University. He has been a visiting professor at St. John's University, Collegeville, MN, the University of Notre Dame, Vilnius University (Lithuania) and Franciscan University in Austria.

I am always hesitant to mention people who have generously taken the time to help shape and form me for fear that it will somehow make them complicit in the on-going internet crime against human sense and sensibility that is this blog. Nonetheless, this post affords me the opportunity to mention how fortunate I was in the mid-90s to work at the Cathedral of the Madeleine and to associate with people like Drs. Olsen and Lindsay Adams, the latter of whom taught me ancient history at the U, particularly the history of Greece and of Rome. I can tell you from experience that it is a daunting thing to mount the ambo during Mass and commence preaching to two of your very distinguished professors! Msgr. M. Francis Mannion, who is largely responsible for me being a deacon, having made the mistake of telling me one day as we were processing into Mass (I was the Cathedral MC then) "I think you'd make a good deacon," was my boss and the one who facilitated my association with these fine men. Additionally, Deacon Owen Cummings and Gregory Glenn have been very indulgent towards me over quite a few years. Without exception, all these people have only ever encouraged me in the most positive ways. I consider it a great privilege to know each of them. This goes some distance towards explaining why I am so excited by Dr. Olsen's latest book.

Even if you're prone to judge a book by its cover, the cover of The Turn to Transcendence features El Greco's painting of St. John.

Christos Anesti

Hierarchy update

It was announced today that the Holy Father accepted the resignation of Archbishop John Favalora of Miami. It was also announced that Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando, Florida will replace him. Archbishop Favalora is 74, that is, about six months away from mandatory retirement. Apparently, he retired a bit early due to poor health. The fact that his replacement was named immediately means that his resignation had been in the offing for sometime.

Now-Archbishop Wenski is 59, originally a priest of the Archdiocese of Miami, he has been bishop of Orlando since 2004, having been named coadjutor of that same diocese in 2003.

The Holy See also announced today that Bishop Thomas Paprocki, 57, an auxiliary bishop in Chicago, was named as bishop of Springfield, Illinois, a see that has been vacant since its former bishop, George Lucas, became archbishop of Omaha, Nebraska last summer.

This leaves four Latin Rite dioceses vacant in the United States: Harrisburg; PA; LaCrosse, WI; San Antonio, TX; Orlando, FL. There are three Latin Rite ordinaries serving at or past 75, the age at which canon law requires bishops to submit their resignations to the pope: Bishops Higi and Skylstad of Layfayette, IN and Spokane, WA respectively, along with His Eminence, Justin Cardinal Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia.

Christos Anesti

Pope Benedict XVI- Five years on

Five years ago this very day, after the announcement Habemus papam, Pope Benedict XVI stepped onto the central loggia of St. Peter's Basilica. We are blessed to be led by a man as wise and humble as Joseph Alois Ratzinger. Ad multos annos! It is impossible to know how difficult walking in the shoes of the fisherman from Galilee is. So, we must pray for him daily. As I read the Gospel at Mass yesterday, these words, which come after the resurrected Jesus told Peter "Feed my sheep," words that Pope Paul VI quoted frequently in his personal journal: "Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go," struck me powerfully. Indeed, we can be quite sure that what has happened over these past weeks is not a path he would have chosen, but one he walks with confidence in the One who is leading him beyond where he does not want to go and which constitutes his path to destiny. I, for one, appreciate very much his personal witness, his humility, but above all his deep and abiding faith, from which the hope expressed in all his recent public statements is rooted. Let's not forget that it was the deep desire of then-Cardinal Ratzinger's heart to retire to his little house in Bavaria and write, pray, and reflect. File that one under if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.

Viva il Papa!

Christos Anesti