Well, I do have some time so here is the final update of the Tertio Millennio Seminar.
It is, at the moment, 1:30am and it has been quite the day.
The morning began with George Weigel's talk on Europe and the Crisis of Cultures. It was a good talk and largely a lot of what he says in the Cube and the Cathedral. However, it was very fascinating to hear again as I was quite enthralled with the book when I read it and so to hear to arguments that Europe's high culture has been infected with Atheistic Humanism was quite nice to hear.
After that we had the Question and Answer period with Fr. Maciej, Fr. Neuhaus, and George Weigel. It was quite nice. Most of the questions revolved around the course itself and the how they expect it to impact the students and so on and so forth. It was a nice, refreshing, and relaxing way to end the lectures. At the end we gave them a standing ovation for the excellent work they all had done, and it was well deserved indeed.
A group of us then went to Orient Express for one last meal. A side note; Orient Express is where they have a very addictive Wiener Schnitzel. We invited George to have lunch with us and it was quite nice. Fr. Neuhaus also made an appearance and it was a good and relaxing lunch. One interesting thing did happen, and it is a trend in Europe. This interesting thing was the lack of willingness on the part of the waitresses to make change. They see it as an annoyance rather then as part of their job. It was really quite funny to witness it at its extreme this afternoon.
I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing. Had some ironing to do, did a bit of reading, and just sat around for a while and it was quite nice.
We then headed off for the final Mass as a group, all decked out for our final dinner. It was hot and crowded, but it was centered on Christ in the Eucharist in the same Chapel where we began 18 days ago. Fr. Maciej made a note about how intensive this all has been, and indeed it has been. It is hard to believe it has all gone by so quickly.
After Mass we went for the final dinner which was delicious. Many great conversations were ensuing and many pictures (and toasts at individual tables) were happening. After the main course, it was "graduation" time. George had a bit of an anecdote about me and my being Canadian and made a wise crack about green martinis. We received his book "The Cube and the Cathedral", a certificate affirming we have done this course, as well as a nice print of our group photo and a rosary that was blessed by JP II. It was very awesome. After the professors had left, 4 of us had been asked to do impressions and so, before we left, we were getting them ready and it was a lot of fun.
We then got back to the priory for the closing party! There is a lot of beer, vodka, wine, pop, juice, and snacks and it was quite an awesome atmosphere. We began the night with what is a Tertio tradition, impressions of the faculty. I was privileged to do the impression of George Weigel, which I did get on tape, though I will hold that for myself for his sake :). There were also 2 great impressions of Fr. Neuhaus and a great impression of Steve White, who is George's assistant. There was great conversations, some dancing, and just a relaxing way to finish off the course.
The next post will be my reflections on the seminar in general. But for the daily updates, this is it. I do hope, however, that those who have discovered this blog will continue to check it out over time. I will be taking a couple days off to re-coup from it.
God bless!
-Harrison
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Wednesday, July 18
Today was, sadly, the last full day of lectures.
It began with a discussion on Eccumenism by Fr. Neuhaus. He had some interesting things to say about the history of eccumenism and it is very evident that this is an issue dear to his heart, and it is a great thing to have a desire for, and this was evident in his talk today.
The second talk was on Human Dignity by Fr. Williams. It was an excellent lecture, probably, in my opinion, his best. What I really enjoyed about it was the ideas that love is a requirement and prerequisite of justice and that justice can only be fulfilled with a proper understanding of love. This was all built out of JP II's anthropological personalism that was just outstanding. Essentially, without love, justice turns against itself and becomes injustice. I don't want to say too much simply because I would spend WAY too much time on this. Needless to say, it was a fabulous lecture.
After that a group of us went for lunch with Fr. Neuhaus. It was great, we discussed, largely, the idea of the Catholic University and Catholic Higher Education. He didn't stay too long, but there were great discussions before and after he left as well.
After that George Weigel offered an optional lecture on Catholic International Relations Theory which was great. The stuff he had to say about just war I think most people there had heard before. What was really great was the discussion that ensued from his lecture in which it ended up being a class discussion on Just War and the Capital Punishment for an hour and it got heated in a good way and, I think, was quite productive.
After that we had Mass and Fr. Neuhaus gave an excellent homily. He talked about our roles once this course is over, that you know you have authentically learned something when it makes you realize how little you know. He discussed the necessity of keeping in touch with each other, praying for each other, and working to act as leaders and future intellectuals and it was a very motivating homily, expressing, I think, what they hope to be the fruit of the course.
We then went for dinner where there were further discussions on the Just War and the Death Penalty and then some of us went for a drink on top of a hotel that gives a great view of the square and got to say by to Fr. Williams.
Now it's time for bed so that I can be prepared for the upcoming day. Tomorrow begins with a lecture by George Weigel on, I think, the future of Europe, followed by a Q&A period for the professors. After that some of us are going for lunch with George Weigel and then it's the closing dinner and party until the wee hours of the morning. I may or may not do an update tomorrow, depending on how much free time I have, if I don't, I'll do one on Friday evening (Pacific Time) or Saturday.
God bless!
-Harrison
It began with a discussion on Eccumenism by Fr. Neuhaus. He had some interesting things to say about the history of eccumenism and it is very evident that this is an issue dear to his heart, and it is a great thing to have a desire for, and this was evident in his talk today.
The second talk was on Human Dignity by Fr. Williams. It was an excellent lecture, probably, in my opinion, his best. What I really enjoyed about it was the ideas that love is a requirement and prerequisite of justice and that justice can only be fulfilled with a proper understanding of love. This was all built out of JP II's anthropological personalism that was just outstanding. Essentially, without love, justice turns against itself and becomes injustice. I don't want to say too much simply because I would spend WAY too much time on this. Needless to say, it was a fabulous lecture.
After that a group of us went for lunch with Fr. Neuhaus. It was great, we discussed, largely, the idea of the Catholic University and Catholic Higher Education. He didn't stay too long, but there were great discussions before and after he left as well.
After that George Weigel offered an optional lecture on Catholic International Relations Theory which was great. The stuff he had to say about just war I think most people there had heard before. What was really great was the discussion that ensued from his lecture in which it ended up being a class discussion on Just War and the Capital Punishment for an hour and it got heated in a good way and, I think, was quite productive.
After that we had Mass and Fr. Neuhaus gave an excellent homily. He talked about our roles once this course is over, that you know you have authentically learned something when it makes you realize how little you know. He discussed the necessity of keeping in touch with each other, praying for each other, and working to act as leaders and future intellectuals and it was a very motivating homily, expressing, I think, what they hope to be the fruit of the course.
We then went for dinner where there were further discussions on the Just War and the Death Penalty and then some of us went for a drink on top of a hotel that gives a great view of the square and got to say by to Fr. Williams.
Now it's time for bed so that I can be prepared for the upcoming day. Tomorrow begins with a lecture by George Weigel on, I think, the future of Europe, followed by a Q&A period for the professors. After that some of us are going for lunch with George Weigel and then it's the closing dinner and party until the wee hours of the morning. I may or may not do an update tomorrow, depending on how much free time I have, if I don't, I'll do one on Friday evening (Pacific Time) or Saturday.
God bless!
-Harrison
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Jesus of Nazereth and First Things
While I was here I was discussing First Things with Fr. Williams, LC, and he brought to my attention a review of Benedict's book "Jesus of Nazereth". He warned me that it was not a good review, but decided to give it a read anyways.
For those of you who have a subscription to First Things, you can find the review here:
http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=6006
If you do not have a subscription, then usually you can access the journal through your local public library.
Anyways, I found this review to be particularly dissapointing because he missed the entire point of the book. I am still not finished it, but have read enough of it to get a good understanding of what Benedict is hoping to do with it, affirm the position that Christ is the focal point of history and that we look through the lense of Chrsit to have an understanding of what the Gospels and History have to say.
Anyways, below you will find the letter I wrote to the Editor of First Things.
--------------------------------
In Benedict and the Biblical Jesus, Richard B. Hays attempts to give a critical review of the Pope's book. Besides, did not the Pope say that he wanted the book to be published outside of his magisterial authority to engage in discussion?
While I am in agreement that this is a good and worthy thing to do, I believe that Richard B. Hays misses the point of the book in a grave manner.
At one point, Mr. Hays states by quoting Benedict in his desire to take his convictions of faith as the starting point for reading the texts with the aid of historical methodology. The problem, however, is what follows. Mr. Hays states that the problem with this is that this is contrary to the historical-critical method, that taking the position of faith seeking understanding is fundamentally opposed to the historical-critical method.
And it is here that Mr. Hays misses the point entirely. It appears that Mr. Hays was wanting to book to be something it was never intended to be, an engagement by a prominent Catholic theologian with modern issues in the historical-critical school, using the same principles and methods that this school uses.
Over and over he expresses his displeasure with the fact that Benedict does not address this modern issue and that modern issue in the historical-critical school. Instead, he says that Benedict is too old fashioned, dealing with problems that are out dated and have nothing to do with the modern debate.
I would like to challenge that position of Mr. Hays. I believe that Benedict does indeed address the issue of the historical-critical method, but not at the modern position. It seems, instead, that Benedict takes the same position of the neo-patristic exegete, Msgr. John McCarthy. This position is that the problem with the historical critical method is based in its roots, for it builds on presumptions and false axioms that are contrary to a proper theological approach to the Bible. This does not negate understanding the historical situation, but that is not what the historical-critical method is all about.
Instead, Benedict deals with the problem head on, but in a subtle manner, as per his style. When one reads any of his writings, it is important to see what he does not say, for it is there that his view is expressed at its fullest. He never expresses it full out, but he actually confronts the historical-critical method at its very root. The historical-critical method, in the end, states that the reason such saying or event is in the Bible is because that event or saying or action is historically determined by the circumstances said person, event, or action was in. Secondly, it denies completely that God has any role in history, as expressed even by Mr. Hays. The idea of taking the position of faith first is fundamentally contradictory to the historical-critical method. What Benedict is addressing here is the backward position of the historical critical method. This is why (to Mr. Hays' dismay), Benedict adopts a high-Johanine Christology; because Christ is the author, source, and summit of all history, and it is through the lense of faith in Christ that we are to view history, we are not to view Christ through the lense of history.
Fundamentally, the Pope does deny the validity of the historical-critical method based on the understanding that Christ is the historical event through which we view all of time and reality. This is the point that Mr. Hays missed, and this is why the book was not what he expected it to be.
For those of you who have a subscription to First Things, you can find the review here:
http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=6006
If you do not have a subscription, then usually you can access the journal through your local public library.
Anyways, I found this review to be particularly dissapointing because he missed the entire point of the book. I am still not finished it, but have read enough of it to get a good understanding of what Benedict is hoping to do with it, affirm the position that Christ is the focal point of history and that we look through the lense of Chrsit to have an understanding of what the Gospels and History have to say.
Anyways, below you will find the letter I wrote to the Editor of First Things.
--------------------------------
In Benedict and the Biblical Jesus, Richard B. Hays attempts to give a critical review of the Pope's book. Besides, did not the Pope say that he wanted the book to be published outside of his magisterial authority to engage in discussion?
While I am in agreement that this is a good and worthy thing to do, I believe that Richard B. Hays misses the point of the book in a grave manner.
At one point, Mr. Hays states by quoting Benedict in his desire to take his convictions of faith as the starting point for reading the texts with the aid of historical methodology. The problem, however, is what follows. Mr. Hays states that the problem with this is that this is contrary to the historical-critical method, that taking the position of faith seeking understanding is fundamentally opposed to the historical-critical method.
And it is here that Mr. Hays misses the point entirely. It appears that Mr. Hays was wanting to book to be something it was never intended to be, an engagement by a prominent Catholic theologian with modern issues in the historical-critical school, using the same principles and methods that this school uses.
Over and over he expresses his displeasure with the fact that Benedict does not address this modern issue and that modern issue in the historical-critical school. Instead, he says that Benedict is too old fashioned, dealing with problems that are out dated and have nothing to do with the modern debate.
I would like to challenge that position of Mr. Hays. I believe that Benedict does indeed address the issue of the historical-critical method, but not at the modern position. It seems, instead, that Benedict takes the same position of the neo-patristic exegete, Msgr. John McCarthy. This position is that the problem with the historical critical method is based in its roots, for it builds on presumptions and false axioms that are contrary to a proper theological approach to the Bible. This does not negate understanding the historical situation, but that is not what the historical-critical method is all about.
Instead, Benedict deals with the problem head on, but in a subtle manner, as per his style. When one reads any of his writings, it is important to see what he does not say, for it is there that his view is expressed at its fullest. He never expresses it full out, but he actually confronts the historical-critical method at its very root. The historical-critical method, in the end, states that the reason such saying or event is in the Bible is because that event or saying or action is historically determined by the circumstances said person, event, or action was in. Secondly, it denies completely that God has any role in history, as expressed even by Mr. Hays. The idea of taking the position of faith first is fundamentally contradictory to the historical-critical method. What Benedict is addressing here is the backward position of the historical critical method. This is why (to Mr. Hays' dismay), Benedict adopts a high-Johanine Christology; because Christ is the author, source, and summit of all history, and it is through the lense of faith in Christ that we are to view history, we are not to view Christ through the lense of history.
Fundamentally, the Pope does deny the validity of the historical-critical method based on the understanding that Christ is the historical event through which we view all of time and reality. This is the point that Mr. Hays missed, and this is why the book was not what he expected it to be.
Tuesday, July 17
Hello Everyone yet again.
Only 3 days left of reflections on the day.
I would also like to welcome the sudden surge of Ontario readers. I heard from Anna, the fellow Canadian in the course, that there have been some of her family reading the blog, welcome.
I also know that there are other new readers who are coming constantly and I have no clue who they are, but welcome too!
A brief sidenote, I will say that this is a blog that I usually use for social commentary, as well as philosophical and theological writings. I do wish to continue this once the course is over (so those who come here for those things, that will continue after I return). All the newcomers are more then welcome to continue to read this after the seminar is over.
This morning begain with a talk by Fr. Neuhaus on Jewish-Christian relations. He gave a historical overview of the relations and the Church's theological positions of Jews. Essentially what he said was that Christians are "grafted into" Israel and that the Church is the fulfillment of Isreal and where the fullness of God's promise is revealed, but that Jews are a part of this.
After that we had Fr. Williams on the nature of the Dignity of the Human Person. I found this discussion particularly interesting. What I appreciated most was the distinctions he made, particularly in the nature of dignity. What he said was that some ideas of dignity are received from various sorts of societies and relationships, what he called "moral dignity". There is, however, a deeper sort of dignity, what he calls "ontological dignity", that is, dignity that is inharent in man's very nature, in his very being (for those who don't know, ontology is the study of being). I found this interesting as it sparked a discussion in class as well as on the bus later today about Retributive Justice and Just War. To me, it seems that if the Church takes the position of Ontological Dignity, then the only time the death penalty is justified is in the nature of defense, based on a good grounding in philosophical anthropology. Anyways, this started off a discussion in class between Fr. Williams and George Weigel; and George, as many know, takes a position of retributive justice in that some times it is justifiable in the nature of the death penalty to satisfy justice, which I disagree with in regards to Fr. Williams' position of Ontological Dignity. Mr. Weigel thinks that by commiting certain acts man "removes his dignity", but I think this is in a moral sense and not an ontological sense. Anyways, Mr. Weigel will be discussing this tomorrow in an extra lecture about Just War and the Death Penalty (it is optional but I will definitely be there).
After that I went for lunch with some friends and Fr. Williams and we discussed a review of Pope Benedict's book in First Things. Both Fr. Williams and I are in complete agreement that this review misses the point. I know Fr. Williams is writing a response and I am going to attempt a response as well.
After lunch it was off to the Divine Mercy Shrine. It was a bit rushed again unfortunately so it was rather tough for the experience to be prayerful. Thankfully for me I had been there before, but it is another reason to go again. We had a Sister of Mercy give us a brief talk on Saint Faustina and Divine Mercy and it was quite good and, again, it was great to see the joy in her. Very inspiring.
After that we came back and we went to dinner and had a great dinner. I sat with a wonderful couple here at the seminar and Fr. Maciej and he is so approachable and great to have discussions with. It was a very enjoyable evening.
Now I am ending the evening with reading and am hoping to write my letter to the Editor for First Things later.
God bless you all!
Harrison
Only 3 days left of reflections on the day.
I would also like to welcome the sudden surge of Ontario readers. I heard from Anna, the fellow Canadian in the course, that there have been some of her family reading the blog, welcome.
I also know that there are other new readers who are coming constantly and I have no clue who they are, but welcome too!
A brief sidenote, I will say that this is a blog that I usually use for social commentary, as well as philosophical and theological writings. I do wish to continue this once the course is over (so those who come here for those things, that will continue after I return). All the newcomers are more then welcome to continue to read this after the seminar is over.
This morning begain with a talk by Fr. Neuhaus on Jewish-Christian relations. He gave a historical overview of the relations and the Church's theological positions of Jews. Essentially what he said was that Christians are "grafted into" Israel and that the Church is the fulfillment of Isreal and where the fullness of God's promise is revealed, but that Jews are a part of this.
After that we had Fr. Williams on the nature of the Dignity of the Human Person. I found this discussion particularly interesting. What I appreciated most was the distinctions he made, particularly in the nature of dignity. What he said was that some ideas of dignity are received from various sorts of societies and relationships, what he called "moral dignity". There is, however, a deeper sort of dignity, what he calls "ontological dignity", that is, dignity that is inharent in man's very nature, in his very being (for those who don't know, ontology is the study of being). I found this interesting as it sparked a discussion in class as well as on the bus later today about Retributive Justice and Just War. To me, it seems that if the Church takes the position of Ontological Dignity, then the only time the death penalty is justified is in the nature of defense, based on a good grounding in philosophical anthropology. Anyways, this started off a discussion in class between Fr. Williams and George Weigel; and George, as many know, takes a position of retributive justice in that some times it is justifiable in the nature of the death penalty to satisfy justice, which I disagree with in regards to Fr. Williams' position of Ontological Dignity. Mr. Weigel thinks that by commiting certain acts man "removes his dignity", but I think this is in a moral sense and not an ontological sense. Anyways, Mr. Weigel will be discussing this tomorrow in an extra lecture about Just War and the Death Penalty (it is optional but I will definitely be there).
After that I went for lunch with some friends and Fr. Williams and we discussed a review of Pope Benedict's book in First Things. Both Fr. Williams and I are in complete agreement that this review misses the point. I know Fr. Williams is writing a response and I am going to attempt a response as well.
After lunch it was off to the Divine Mercy Shrine. It was a bit rushed again unfortunately so it was rather tough for the experience to be prayerful. Thankfully for me I had been there before, but it is another reason to go again. We had a Sister of Mercy give us a brief talk on Saint Faustina and Divine Mercy and it was quite good and, again, it was great to see the joy in her. Very inspiring.
After that we came back and we went to dinner and had a great dinner. I sat with a wonderful couple here at the seminar and Fr. Maciej and he is so approachable and great to have discussions with. It was a very enjoyable evening.
Now I am ending the evening with reading and am hoping to write my letter to the Editor for First Things later.
God bless you all!
Harrison
Monday, July 16, 2007
Monday, July 16th
This morning started with my not wanting to get out of bed. I was home late last night as I am sure many read, but still managed to get up in time for the lectures and what not this morning.
Anyways, the first lecture this morning was by Fr. Williams on the nature of Human Rights. It was a good talk giving us many distinctions as to the nature of rights and which rights are fundamental, secondary, instrumental but not necessary, and so forth. I look forward to tomorrow's lecture on the Dignity of the Human Person by him.
The second lecture was by Fr. Maciej on the history of the Church and it's encounter with politics and its view of Democracy. It was much better then his other ones I found.
After that a bunch of us went for lunch at a cafeteria style restaurant. The food was ok, but it was cheap! Chicken, potatoes, a coke, and a bottle of water for abour $5 Canadian!
After that I came back and read for a while and took a nap.
We then left for the Archbishop's Residence to have Mass in the chapel there. Unfortunately Cardinal Dsiwicz is on holidays, but we were given permission to use the chapel for Mass. It is the very same chapel where JP II was ordained a priest and where he wrote so many of his writings as Archbishop and where he would pray and say Mass as Archbishop. It was quite the moving experience. People didn't want to leave to say the least.
After that was dinner at a very good restaurant and got the opportunity to sit with Fr. Neuhaus and discuss various things with him about many different issues. It was nice.
Now I just sit back and relax for the rest of the evening.
I should say too that it was EXTREMELY hot today. The high was 38 degrees Celsius, and it is supposed to be like this the rest of the week. Thankfully the Priory is made out of stone and cement, so it keeps heat out quite well and is really quite cool.
I'm going to go read for the rest of the night and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow I will be going the the Divine Mercy Shrine which I am quite looking forward too, I very much enjoyed my time there last time I was here.
It is hard to believe I will be home on Friday. It has gone by so fast! But I do look forward to seeing everyone, I just hope I'll be able to recover from jet lag really quickly.
-Harrison
Anyways, the first lecture this morning was by Fr. Williams on the nature of Human Rights. It was a good talk giving us many distinctions as to the nature of rights and which rights are fundamental, secondary, instrumental but not necessary, and so forth. I look forward to tomorrow's lecture on the Dignity of the Human Person by him.
The second lecture was by Fr. Maciej on the history of the Church and it's encounter with politics and its view of Democracy. It was much better then his other ones I found.
After that a bunch of us went for lunch at a cafeteria style restaurant. The food was ok, but it was cheap! Chicken, potatoes, a coke, and a bottle of water for abour $5 Canadian!
After that I came back and read for a while and took a nap.
We then left for the Archbishop's Residence to have Mass in the chapel there. Unfortunately Cardinal Dsiwicz is on holidays, but we were given permission to use the chapel for Mass. It is the very same chapel where JP II was ordained a priest and where he wrote so many of his writings as Archbishop and where he would pray and say Mass as Archbishop. It was quite the moving experience. People didn't want to leave to say the least.
After that was dinner at a very good restaurant and got the opportunity to sit with Fr. Neuhaus and discuss various things with him about many different issues. It was nice.
Now I just sit back and relax for the rest of the evening.
I should say too that it was EXTREMELY hot today. The high was 38 degrees Celsius, and it is supposed to be like this the rest of the week. Thankfully the Priory is made out of stone and cement, so it keeps heat out quite well and is really quite cool.
I'm going to go read for the rest of the night and get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow I will be going the the Divine Mercy Shrine which I am quite looking forward too, I very much enjoyed my time there last time I was here.
It is hard to believe I will be home on Friday. It has gone by so fast! But I do look forward to seeing everyone, I just hope I'll be able to recover from jet lag really quickly.
-Harrison
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Sunday, July 15th
So today was an incredibely relaxing day.
I started the day off with Mass at the English Parish which is only a 5 minute walk from the Priory. Fr. Williams, LC, gave an excellent homily about the need for simplicity in love in how we deal with our neighbours. After Mass I came back, changed, and went for lunch with Nick, who is a Seminarian at the North American College in Rome. It was a very nice lunch at a great Italian place here. The funny thing from lunch was that a bird pooped on my head (we were sitting outside in the square).
I came back, washed my hair, and subsequently read articles and books for about 5 hours straight, with a 20 minute nap in there. It was VERY nice. I read a review of BXVI's book Jesus of Nazereth from First Things that Fr. Williams wanted my opinion on, and, to say the least, it was a horrible review and the reviewer totally missed the point of the book.
At 7:30 I went for a glass of wine with a couple of the students and then went for dinner with Steve, Bracey, and Nick at a great restaurant here in Krakwo. Nick, Steve, and myself were out until 2am this morning discussing things and enjoying Polish beer. It was a good time.
The weather today was also really awesome, though incredibely hot, but such is life. I am now going to run to bed because I have to be up in less then 6 hours.
God bless
Harrison
I started the day off with Mass at the English Parish which is only a 5 minute walk from the Priory. Fr. Williams, LC, gave an excellent homily about the need for simplicity in love in how we deal with our neighbours. After Mass I came back, changed, and went for lunch with Nick, who is a Seminarian at the North American College in Rome. It was a very nice lunch at a great Italian place here. The funny thing from lunch was that a bird pooped on my head (we were sitting outside in the square).
I came back, washed my hair, and subsequently read articles and books for about 5 hours straight, with a 20 minute nap in there. It was VERY nice. I read a review of BXVI's book Jesus of Nazereth from First Things that Fr. Williams wanted my opinion on, and, to say the least, it was a horrible review and the reviewer totally missed the point of the book.
At 7:30 I went for a glass of wine with a couple of the students and then went for dinner with Steve, Bracey, and Nick at a great restaurant here in Krakwo. Nick, Steve, and myself were out until 2am this morning discussing things and enjoying Polish beer. It was a good time.
The weather today was also really awesome, though incredibely hot, but such is life. I am now going to run to bed because I have to be up in less then 6 hours.
God bless
Harrison
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Friday and Saturday
I was out way too late on Friday night, so I didn't get a chance to update yesterday, so I'm going to do 2 days in one post.
Friday started off with Fr. Richard John Neuhaus discussing Centissimus Annus. He had some GREAT insights into the nature of economics. His greatest thing that really stuck out to me was his idea that economists look at economy as a pie in which the rich have most of the pie. This, however, is not the Catholic position. The Catholic position is that there is an unlimited amount of wealth to be created, and that poverty, at least in first world countries, is not a result of the rich suppressing the poor, but of lack of access to the ability to be creative in an economic context. It was very insightful.
Then we had Fr. Maciej Zieba do another talk. Again, the language barrier was a bit of an issue and it made for the lecture to seem a bit...long. However, he had again some great insights into free economy. It was amazing how this man is so very against Social-Democratic ideals. Talking to a lot of Polish people, actually (who have universal health care) are against it because they see the problems it causes and the top heavy system it creates. They wish that, at least, there could be a 2 tier system like in the UK.
Anyways, after that I took the afternoon off. There was an optional tour with the theme of "Medieval Krakow" and, though I am a hardcore Medievalist, I decided against it as I needed some time to rest. So I sat back, checked my e-mail, did a bunch of reading, and took a nap. After that we had Mass and then went out for dinner. After dinner a bunch of us went with Fr. Williams to play some pool and it was a LOT of fun. I didn't get home till almost 2am. Again, the beauty of being with a Professor is that it is ok to be out past curfew :).
This morning we left for Czestahowa at 9:15. We got there at about 12pm and had a quick lunch. I got a chance to see the Black Madonna. We had a tour guide, but it was only for about 1 hour and then we had about one hour to do our own thing. Needless to say, we didn't get very much time there which is REALLY unfortunate as I would have appreciated the opportunity to pray more there. I also needed a bit of time to run around and get some souvenirs as I had planned for that place to be a place to get some souvenirs and, well, I spent a lot of money on Religious Articles today.
After that we went to a cloistered Dominican Sisters convent for Mass in which Fr. Williams gave a great homily about trusting in God's plan and not always having to search for a reason but to just trust in God's will because He only wills what is good. After that we had dinner at the convent which was delicious and had an opportunity to talk to the Sisters through the grill (since they're cloistered). It was a great joy to see the pure joy (pure as in they really live a purity of heart that is outstading) and it is something I have never really seen before. They were laughing and making jokes all the time and it was great.
On the way back I talked with people on the bus, read something that Fr. Williams gave me to read, and just enjoyed the ride. Upon our return a group of us went to to the square to have ice cream and beer. We came back early tonight because we are all tired and were out late last night.
Tomorrow a bunch of people are going hiking to the Tetra Mountains. I have decided against this as I need to start resting up since I get back to work on the 23rd! Tomorrow I've got 2 plans; go to Mass at 10:30am and do a bit more souvenir shopping. Reading will also be included in the day, but the plan is to simply just relax and take it easy. I have a feeling that the last week is going to include a lot of nights out and so I need to prepare my body for the late nights.
Thanks for the notes everyone! I do hope to hear from you all still. It'll be nice to see you all when I get back! I can't believe I get back into Vancouver on Friday already! It has been going by way too fast. This has been very spiritually relaxing and nourishing, though it has been physically exhausting at times!
Harrison
Friday started off with Fr. Richard John Neuhaus discussing Centissimus Annus. He had some GREAT insights into the nature of economics. His greatest thing that really stuck out to me was his idea that economists look at economy as a pie in which the rich have most of the pie. This, however, is not the Catholic position. The Catholic position is that there is an unlimited amount of wealth to be created, and that poverty, at least in first world countries, is not a result of the rich suppressing the poor, but of lack of access to the ability to be creative in an economic context. It was very insightful.
Then we had Fr. Maciej Zieba do another talk. Again, the language barrier was a bit of an issue and it made for the lecture to seem a bit...long. However, he had again some great insights into free economy. It was amazing how this man is so very against Social-Democratic ideals. Talking to a lot of Polish people, actually (who have universal health care) are against it because they see the problems it causes and the top heavy system it creates. They wish that, at least, there could be a 2 tier system like in the UK.
Anyways, after that I took the afternoon off. There was an optional tour with the theme of "Medieval Krakow" and, though I am a hardcore Medievalist, I decided against it as I needed some time to rest. So I sat back, checked my e-mail, did a bunch of reading, and took a nap. After that we had Mass and then went out for dinner. After dinner a bunch of us went with Fr. Williams to play some pool and it was a LOT of fun. I didn't get home till almost 2am. Again, the beauty of being with a Professor is that it is ok to be out past curfew :).
This morning we left for Czestahowa at 9:15. We got there at about 12pm and had a quick lunch. I got a chance to see the Black Madonna. We had a tour guide, but it was only for about 1 hour and then we had about one hour to do our own thing. Needless to say, we didn't get very much time there which is REALLY unfortunate as I would have appreciated the opportunity to pray more there. I also needed a bit of time to run around and get some souvenirs as I had planned for that place to be a place to get some souvenirs and, well, I spent a lot of money on Religious Articles today.
After that we went to a cloistered Dominican Sisters convent for Mass in which Fr. Williams gave a great homily about trusting in God's plan and not always having to search for a reason but to just trust in God's will because He only wills what is good. After that we had dinner at the convent which was delicious and had an opportunity to talk to the Sisters through the grill (since they're cloistered). It was a great joy to see the pure joy (pure as in they really live a purity of heart that is outstading) and it is something I have never really seen before. They were laughing and making jokes all the time and it was great.
On the way back I talked with people on the bus, read something that Fr. Williams gave me to read, and just enjoyed the ride. Upon our return a group of us went to to the square to have ice cream and beer. We came back early tonight because we are all tired and were out late last night.
Tomorrow a bunch of people are going hiking to the Tetra Mountains. I have decided against this as I need to start resting up since I get back to work on the 23rd! Tomorrow I've got 2 plans; go to Mass at 10:30am and do a bit more souvenir shopping. Reading will also be included in the day, but the plan is to simply just relax and take it easy. I have a feeling that the last week is going to include a lot of nights out and so I need to prepare my body for the late nights.
Thanks for the notes everyone! I do hope to hear from you all still. It'll be nice to see you all when I get back! I can't believe I get back into Vancouver on Friday already! It has been going by way too fast. This has been very spiritually relaxing and nourishing, though it has been physically exhausting at times!
Harrison
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Thursday, July 12
Hello again.
This morning started off with the first of the lectures from Fr. Richard John Neuhaus. For those who don't know who he is, he is the Editor and founder of First Things as well as a major voice in engaging the world of ideas in the public square. Anyways, today he talked about "Evangelium Vitae". I was expecting an exegesis on the encyclical, but it was more like a homily on the culture of life. It was good though, and it gave me the opportunity to listen more then to have to take notes which was really nice for a change.
In the second lecture Fr. Maciej gave a lecture on the Church's view of economy and the history of it. Again, he was a bit tough to understand, but his content was good, whatever was on the slides. I asked him about the section in Centissimus Annus with regards to Capitalism. He stated that there is a necessary reading of it as "especially" (JP II is talking to new Democracies). Especially, however, does not mean only, but that it is presumed that capitalism, in the positive sense that JP II defines it as, is a proper way of going about achieving economic ends. There was much more, but that was an interesting point I found.
After that was lunch which had to be quick so I grabbed a slice of pizza. We then went for the JP II "Death March" by George Weigel. It is the death march because it is a lot of walking all over the place. It was a nice walk and got to see some of the places that JP II was at through out his life.
After that I went back to the priory and read some more of "Theology and History" by Von Balthasaar. Then there was Mass and dinner. Dinner tonight was DELICIOUS, there was a great cheese sauce on the chicken which was just out of this world. There were a lot of great discussions about the nature of war and the role of economics in helping create greater access to health care.
After that I went and made some phone calls to people and then headed to the chapel for adoration which was wonderful. We followed that with Compline from the old breviary and was all in Latin, and we sung it all, and it was in the stalls where the brothers pray, so it was all in all great actually.
After that we went for a drink and stayed out until 1:30am (we can stay out past curfew when we're with George's assistant I think...:) ). We had many great discussions there as well.
All in all another great day, what can be expected though? And now begins the home stretch as there is now but one week left in the course...*sigh*.
Hope all is well with everyone and I would love to hear from you all!
God bless!
Harrison
This morning started off with the first of the lectures from Fr. Richard John Neuhaus. For those who don't know who he is, he is the Editor and founder of First Things as well as a major voice in engaging the world of ideas in the public square. Anyways, today he talked about "Evangelium Vitae". I was expecting an exegesis on the encyclical, but it was more like a homily on the culture of life. It was good though, and it gave me the opportunity to listen more then to have to take notes which was really nice for a change.
In the second lecture Fr. Maciej gave a lecture on the Church's view of economy and the history of it. Again, he was a bit tough to understand, but his content was good, whatever was on the slides. I asked him about the section in Centissimus Annus with regards to Capitalism. He stated that there is a necessary reading of it as "especially" (JP II is talking to new Democracies). Especially, however, does not mean only, but that it is presumed that capitalism, in the positive sense that JP II defines it as, is a proper way of going about achieving economic ends. There was much more, but that was an interesting point I found.
After that was lunch which had to be quick so I grabbed a slice of pizza. We then went for the JP II "Death March" by George Weigel. It is the death march because it is a lot of walking all over the place. It was a nice walk and got to see some of the places that JP II was at through out his life.
After that I went back to the priory and read some more of "Theology and History" by Von Balthasaar. Then there was Mass and dinner. Dinner tonight was DELICIOUS, there was a great cheese sauce on the chicken which was just out of this world. There were a lot of great discussions about the nature of war and the role of economics in helping create greater access to health care.
After that I went and made some phone calls to people and then headed to the chapel for adoration which was wonderful. We followed that with Compline from the old breviary and was all in Latin, and we sung it all, and it was in the stalls where the brothers pray, so it was all in all great actually.
After that we went for a drink and stayed out until 1:30am (we can stay out past curfew when we're with George's assistant I think...:) ). We had many great discussions there as well.
All in all another great day, what can be expected though? And now begins the home stretch as there is now but one week left in the course...*sigh*.
Hope all is well with everyone and I would love to hear from you all!
God bless!
Harrison
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
I almost forgot
As time goes on, I am getting more and more ideas of books to buy. The problem of coming to a seminar like this is that you are surrounded by many book lovers. You talk about a subject and you give people ideas and they give you ideas and, well, it's going to get expensive for the pocket book, but I will appreciate the insights for sure. Every new instructor we get, they have books that are published and one wants to get their hands on all of them!
Also, as I said, I will have lots of notes when I return. One thing I have been very happy about is the language that I will need to engage the public square in the future. For example, George Weigel gave yesterday a distinction between "plurality" and "pluralism" and even defined pluralism according to a true understanding of how a society with pluralities ought to interact. Anyways, it is of a great value to have and will be going over my notes over and over again I am sure. I think I mentioned it yesterday, but I am seeing why this course is brought about, to encourage the next generation to engage the public square, to have the tools necessary so that one can see how the square can be engaged in one's own country. I have ideas of how to do this for Canada, and, Annette, it has to do with what we discussed before I left. Stay tuned everyone...:)
I do think, actually, that we REALLY need think tanks and that we need to create a culture that wants think tanks around to propose ideas and engage ones we see as false. Ideas have consequences, this is why JP II was a Pope of ideas, he saw the effects of ideas on his country, and so proposed new ideas to free his people, and look what happened. So now it is just a point of figuring out how to create a desire for such think tanks...
Harrison
Also, as I said, I will have lots of notes when I return. One thing I have been very happy about is the language that I will need to engage the public square in the future. For example, George Weigel gave yesterday a distinction between "plurality" and "pluralism" and even defined pluralism according to a true understanding of how a society with pluralities ought to interact. Anyways, it is of a great value to have and will be going over my notes over and over again I am sure. I think I mentioned it yesterday, but I am seeing why this course is brought about, to encourage the next generation to engage the public square, to have the tools necessary so that one can see how the square can be engaged in one's own country. I have ideas of how to do this for Canada, and, Annette, it has to do with what we discussed before I left. Stay tuned everyone...:)
I do think, actually, that we REALLY need think tanks and that we need to create a culture that wants think tanks around to propose ideas and engage ones we see as false. Ideas have consequences, this is why JP II was a Pope of ideas, he saw the effects of ideas on his country, and so proposed new ideas to free his people, and look what happened. So now it is just a point of figuring out how to create a desire for such think tanks...
Harrison
Wednesday, July 11th
Hey everyone.
So this morning started off with Mass which meant having to wake up a bit earlier then usual. We usual have Mass at 6pm, but had to have it at the start of the day because of our trip to the Salt Mines later on in the day. The priest was talking about work and prayer (being the feast of St Benedict today) and he ended his homily with a phrase on a plaque of a friend of his "God's coming, look busy". I thought that was pretty funny.
Anyways, after that we started our first lecture with Fr. Thomas Williams. He is the Dean of Theology at the Legionnaries of Christ University (name is skipping my mind at the moment) in Rome. He is an awesome guy. VERY personable and very smart and just very fun, we had some great conversations today. Anyways, his area of specialization is human rights. He began what he had to say about them in the first lecture today and they were pretty insightful. I know, too, that he will continue to build, that it takes a bit of time. Anyways, the more I hear Latin distinctions, it makes me realize how much I need to learn the language in its fulness. The idea that the word that is lating for "duty" is the same word for "debt" is really cool. Anyways, it will be very interesting to see what he has to say in regards to human rights.
The second lecture was alright. Fr. Maciej is a very smart man (was listed by the Communists as the 8th most dangerous intellectual in Poland). However, though I know he fully understands English, when he speaks it, it is a bit broken and so it is tough to get some serious stuff out of it. Thankfully most of the info is on the power point slides he uses so that helped. Today he talked about the nature of "ideology" and how the Church is not an ideology. It sparked a discussion among us about how much morality the State is allowed to legislate which many of us continued over lunch. Some of us then talked about the idea of the nature of beauty and a Theology of Aesthetics and how they are both essential to the nature and mission of the Church and how we have gotten away from that. My brain is getting filled with good conversations and lectures to say the least!
After that we headed to the Salt Mines. It was pretty much the same as before, but was neat to see. We then went for dinner and we had perhaps the greatest pork I have ever had. There were great conversations at the table and Fr. Williams and I were cutting down Notre Dame a lot (Meredith, one of the students, went there). It was a lot of fun.
One other thing I did today was spout off my idea about the relation between the Incarnation and God's creative act. It received a relatively great reception from the people I proposed it to and they said it was an interesting idea, so it is something I am hopefully going to continue to pursue over the next couple of years (it will take a lot of research!).
That's it for now, I am going to relax for the last small bit of the evening and read and then hit the sack. Tomorrow Fr. Neuhaus gives his first lecture and I am extremely excited for it. By the way, by Friday, I should have gone through both notepads and for the last week will probably have to resort to my spare paper that I brought with me (thanks be to God for that!).
Hope all is well with you all!
Harrison
So this morning started off with Mass which meant having to wake up a bit earlier then usual. We usual have Mass at 6pm, but had to have it at the start of the day because of our trip to the Salt Mines later on in the day. The priest was talking about work and prayer (being the feast of St Benedict today) and he ended his homily with a phrase on a plaque of a friend of his "God's coming, look busy". I thought that was pretty funny.
Anyways, after that we started our first lecture with Fr. Thomas Williams. He is the Dean of Theology at the Legionnaries of Christ University (name is skipping my mind at the moment) in Rome. He is an awesome guy. VERY personable and very smart and just very fun, we had some great conversations today. Anyways, his area of specialization is human rights. He began what he had to say about them in the first lecture today and they were pretty insightful. I know, too, that he will continue to build, that it takes a bit of time. Anyways, the more I hear Latin distinctions, it makes me realize how much I need to learn the language in its fulness. The idea that the word that is lating for "duty" is the same word for "debt" is really cool. Anyways, it will be very interesting to see what he has to say in regards to human rights.
The second lecture was alright. Fr. Maciej is a very smart man (was listed by the Communists as the 8th most dangerous intellectual in Poland). However, though I know he fully understands English, when he speaks it, it is a bit broken and so it is tough to get some serious stuff out of it. Thankfully most of the info is on the power point slides he uses so that helped. Today he talked about the nature of "ideology" and how the Church is not an ideology. It sparked a discussion among us about how much morality the State is allowed to legislate which many of us continued over lunch. Some of us then talked about the idea of the nature of beauty and a Theology of Aesthetics and how they are both essential to the nature and mission of the Church and how we have gotten away from that. My brain is getting filled with good conversations and lectures to say the least!
After that we headed to the Salt Mines. It was pretty much the same as before, but was neat to see. We then went for dinner and we had perhaps the greatest pork I have ever had. There were great conversations at the table and Fr. Williams and I were cutting down Notre Dame a lot (Meredith, one of the students, went there). It was a lot of fun.
One other thing I did today was spout off my idea about the relation between the Incarnation and God's creative act. It received a relatively great reception from the people I proposed it to and they said it was an interesting idea, so it is something I am hopefully going to continue to pursue over the next couple of years (it will take a lot of research!).
That's it for now, I am going to relax for the last small bit of the evening and read and then hit the sack. Tomorrow Fr. Neuhaus gives his first lecture and I am extremely excited for it. By the way, by Friday, I should have gone through both notepads and for the last week will probably have to resort to my spare paper that I brought with me (thanks be to God for that!).
Hope all is well with you all!
Harrison
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