Our Church, Our Family, Our Fathers

First, the good news about the Catholic Church is: it's like a big family.

Second, the bad news about the Catholic Church is: it's like a big family.

Mark Shea

Ain't that the truth. Nothing has brought that home more recently than a couple of things I read.

First was a blogger who has had it up to here with all the shenanigans in her church. It is driving her nuts and I sincerely feel for her. I had no really good answer for her problem except that she was very much on my mind yesterday. One thing was for certain. I surely feel blessed to be in a parish that holds to the practice of the liturgy as ours does (having a canon lawyer for a priest sure helps that with both hands).

Then I received a mystery package in the mail. Hmm, from Our Sunday Visitor. "I swear," I told Tom, who was holding the box out to me, "I haven't ordered any books lately. None."

Oh frabjous day! It turned out to be a review copy of The Fathers of the Church (expanded edition) by Mike Aquilina. Anyone who has visited his blog (and y'all all ought to be doing so daily) knows he can make the fathers very real and fascinating in their humanity as well as their wisdom.

I dove right in and the introduction brought up the Church as family in a way that made me remember Mark Shea's quote (above).

Many books tell the story of the first Christian centuries as a succession of creeds, councils, persecutions, and heresies. But it was far more than that, and far more interesting. It was the story of a family, and of how the Fathers of that family strove to keep their household together, to preserve the family's patrimony, to teach and discipline their children, and to protect the family from danger. Only when we understand them as fathers can we truly understand the Church Fathers.

That really is the essence of the thing, isn't it? No one can push our buttons quite like family. They know just what is going to drive us the craziest and don't back down.

It is that perspective that helps me keep a bit of an even keel when I am faced with someone who is as opposite as can be from me in their understanding of how to practice their faith.

Something else that helped me to gain some perspective quite a lot was reading All the Pope's Men (reviewed here). One of the most important lessons I took from that book was that whether so-called "conservative" or "liberal," most Catholics were motivated by love for God and trying to do their very best. That is not to say that we encourage anyone from either point of view in acting on wrong attitudes ... and both sides can easily fall. We are all human, after all. However, it does help a little in keeping my cool in potentially touchy situations.

That also took me back to the whole "family" concept. You can't choose your family, after all. You simply have to get along the best you can whether you all agree or not. There is no one answer and sometimes that "getting along" is a severe test for family members ... on both sides. Certainly I don't have any answer, wise or otherwise. Just thinking out loud and pushing some good books while I'm at it.

In her own thoughts on this same blogger's frustration, Angela Messenger points out that the much vaunted good, old days often were anything but good.

A Bit More About the Books
The Fathers of the Church
The situation with The Fathers of the Church is precisely why I have so many books that I am halfway through. I get that far along and then some other delight shows up and grabs my attention.

Seriously, though, I cannot wait to dig further into this book. Most of the book consists of information about each Church Father, followed by translations of some of his writing. I was especially excited when I came across Origen and saw that he was not, repeat not a heretic. A strange thing to get excited about to be sure, however, I did a talk some time back and used some of his quotes which I really liked. When I looked into his life further I was saddened to see that he was considered heretical by the time he died. Evidently, however, according to The Fathers of the Church, Origen actually scrapes by without being considered a heretic because he sincerely believed what he was saying was true. Whew! Was I relieved! (Pittsburgh Catholic's review.)

The Pope Pack
All the Pope's Men by John Allen
The Rise of Benedict XVI by John Allen
Let God's Light Shine Forth by Robert Moynihan

These all showed up a few weeks ago and, true to form, I dove in. I already had read All the Pope's Men as mentioned above so that was more a matter of looking through it to see if it had been updated. Pope Benedict XVI was now mentioned instead of Pope John Paul II. It is possible that other names have been revised as well since there are new appointments to various offices. Regardless, this book is a real gem in having a better understanding of The Vatican and how the Vatican does not understand Americans ... as well, of course, as in understanding the internal workings of the system. (The Anchoress' review , The Curt Jester's review, Steven's review.)

I was not nearly as interested in The Rise of Benedict XVI but looked at the introduction anyway. When I looked up from my reading I was already a third of the way through the book. I had no idea how I was going to be swept back to the last days of John Paul II and through the intensity of the papal conclave. I haven't gotten any further but merely for those elements can recommend the book. (The Curt Jester's review.)

Let God's Light Shine Forth is another that I approached dubiously. This is nothing to do with the author but attributable to the fact that I struggle with Pope Benedict's writing style. Unlike practically everyone I know, except for Steven Riddle, I find Benedict's style plodding and stiff. However, dipping into these short excerpts I found that Monihan has chosen wisely and wound up spending much more time than I would have credited absorbed in the wisdom contained therein. (Check out Steven's review, The Curt Jester's review, The Anchoress' review.)

More on these as I go on reading them.

Tags: Catholicism, Christianity