Saints

Following is my September column that appears on this month’s book page of the print edition of The Catholic Post.

One of the most marvelous things about Catholicism is the interesting tension between, one on hand, the Church’s strong intellectual and scientific tradition, and, on the other hand, the frankly astonishing phenomena that are part of Catholic life even to the present day, from Eucharistic miracles, to incorruptible saints, and beyond.

But, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, “There can never be any real discrepancy between faith and reason. Since the same God who reveals mysteries and infuses faith has bestowed the light of reason on the human mind, God cannot deny himself, nor can truth ever contradict truth.” (CCC 159).

Award-winning writer and journalist John Thavis reports on these unusual Catholic happenings in his latest book, The Vatican Prophecies: Investigating Supernatural Signs, Apparitions, and Miracles in the Modern Age.

The Vatican Prophecies is a thoroughly researched, engagingly written volume on how the Church handles miracles and other mystical events, confirming or debunking their veracity when they are presented.

Thavis’s first book was the well-regarded The Vatican Diaries: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Power, Personalities, and Politics at the Heart of the Catholic Church. The Vatican Diaries was a “grand tour” of Rome, the Vatican, and how he covered great and controversial stories and personalities as Vatican bureau chief for Catholic News Service. 

Thavis brings this unique and privileged outlook to The Vatican Prophecies, using his wealth of sources and skills to explain how the Catholic Church approaches supernatural occurrences, from ancient times to the present day.

The “inside baseball” elements of these stories—how an exorcism works, how a saint is made, how the Shroud is scientifically examined, how Marian apparitions are approved or not by the Vatican, and how all that has changed with the modern 24-7 news cycle— is what makes the book so absorbing.

I especially appreciate how Thavis explains these incidents and practices through individual stories and narratives.  So, for instance, in the chapter, “The Miracle Trail,” Thavis explains how the Church decides how to canonize a person a saint through confirming miracles, and discusses a few officially canonized or on-their-way to canonization saints. He focuses on two alleged miracles that have been proposed for one of my favorite Catholic heroes, Fr. Emil Kapaun, a Kansas priest who died while serving with soldiers in the Korean War.

Even if I weren’t Catholic, I’d find The Vatican Prophecies both accessible and intriguing.  Miracles, otherworldly signs, and other inexplicable happenings are not at odds with the scientific tradition.  In fact, the Church uses rigorous scientific and other methods as part of the process to determine whether something is supernatural, or has a more natural explanation.

Thavis makes these arcane processes easy to understand, and helps one to see how the Church is cautious and thorough in each case.  Even though he is describing wondrous events, he has a sensible, investigative style that doesn’t exaggerate, especially with events and sights that need no dramatization.

In “Fides et Ratio,” the 1998 encyclical on how faith and reason are not only compatible, but essential together, St. John Paul II writes, “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth – in a word, to know himself – so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.”

The Vatican Prophecies helps readers to understand how these “two wings” work together, and also how our natural curiosity and yearning for “something more” is natural and normal, and can also be fulfilled.

Following is my June column that appears on this month’s book page of the print edition of The Catholic Post.

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“For the Son of God became man so that we might become God,” — St. Athanasius

Did that quote make you go “hmm,” even just a little?

It did to me, too, the first time that I heard it. Many years ago, my then boyfriend (now husband) quoted it in a friendly conversation about religion with a sincere evangelical Christian. She paused for a moment and said, “Isn’t that heresy?”

I partially agreed with her, to be honest, not having been introduced to “deification.”

It is the idea, prevalent and believed since the earliest days of Christianity, that we humans are meant to live now and eternally in communion with the Holy Trinity—to become gods.

Because it’s not often stressed or even discussed in our 21st century American Christian life, many people are unaware of it, and are concerned or puzzled when they do hear about it.

But it’s an ancient Christian belief, one that has been affirmed by everyone from those early Christian writers like St. Athanasius and St. Irenaeus, through to St. Thomas Aquinas, and even Protestant leaders and writers like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and C.S. Lewis. Some call it the “primary purpose of the Christian life.”

Why is deification, or “divinization,” or “divine filiation,” as it is can also be called, so overlooked in our modern world and religious life?

There are probably a hundred reasons why, but an intriguing and important new book looks at deification through the lens of both psychological health and integrated faith.

Broken Gods: Hope, Healing, and the Seven Longings of the Human Heart by Gregory Popcak, PhD., explores what deification is, how and why we fall short, and how the virtues can heal us.

Popcak is not only a psychologist and prolific writer, but he has hosted several very watchable and entertaining programs on EWTN on marriage, psychology, and faith. So this book is not a jargon-laden treatise, but a down-to-earth exploration of a potentially “heavy” topic.

Popcak calls the concept of deification “a foundational teaching… and a lost treasure.” In the book, he offers an approach to re-introducing Catholics to this “lost treasure” and uniquely integrating it with psychological concepts.

“The truth is, God really and truly intends to make you a god—a being who is perfect, whole, healed, and yes, even immortal,” Popcak writes.

But he also points out that we are “broken gods” because of original sin, in need of healing, and that healing can come through a combination of prayer, practicing the virtues, and sound psychological practices.

The virtues approach works very well in this context. For each of the seven deadly sins, Popcak proposes a “divine longing” that the vice tries but can’t satisfy; for instance, pride is a misguided attempt to satisfy the divine longing for abundance, and humility is the way to approach it. The diving longing for justice is fulfilled through patience, not wrath. The divine longing for trust is fulfilled through generosity, not greed. And so forth.

It’s not a new approach—St. Thomas Aquinas, after all, said that grace perfects nature— but how Popcak updates these themes in the context of our deification is both novel and constructive for personal and spiritual growth.

In Broken Gods, Popcak is reintroducing a theological anthropology—fully understanding what it means to be human—as opposed to a secular anthropology. He shows the true dignity of humanity—that we are meant to live now and always in community with the Trinity.

“When we turn our longings over to him, he sets us on the path to becoming the gods we were created to be—whole and healed, peaceful and perfect, faithful, fearless, and fulfilled.”

Each chapter concludes with an exercise, beginning with prayer, in which Popcak guides the reader through the acronym “COAL” to explore the virtue, the vice, and a path to improve. COAL, as Popcak explains, is “fuel for change”—a neuroscience-based approach to meaningful transformation. COAL stands for curiosity, openness, acceptance, and love toward life, and our failings. In this section, Popcak walks readers through a list of questions, thoughts, and practical ideas to put each virtue into practice.

Broken Gods is a distinctive read with a powerful message. It offers space for pondering the mysteries of divine filiation, and invites us to consider ways we can grow closer to our true destiny.

Following is my April column that appears in this weekend’s print edition of The Catholic Post.  

ICYMI is a common recent acronym which stands for “In case you missed it.” On social media, it’s often meant to share something especially newsworthy or must-see. Sometimes, ICYMI is intended to make people feel a sense of FOMO (“fear of missing out”), a by-product of our plugged-in always, social media culture.

I’ve noticed an increase in Catholic publishers reprinting books from either just a few decades, or many decades ago. It’s not because there isn’t a wealth of newer authors out there writing great books—there are so many! But consider it a form of ICYMI for the current generation, without the insinuation you’re out of the loop.

Yes, used copies of older books of Catholic classics are often available, but it’s good to have a fresh cover, modern formatting, and current forewords, that help introduce a book to a newer generation. And it’s truly helpful and edifying to revisit the wisdom of not-too-distant generations of Catholic writers, to help us understand and grow in faith.

Two publishers have re-released older titles of local son Venerable Fulton Sheen that are very worthwhile.
First is Ignatius Press’ Remade for Happiness: Achieving Life’s Purpose Through Spiritual Transformation.

Originally published in 1946 as Preface to Religion, Sheen spends much of the book exploring how the natural law—our very desires, search for happiness, and successes and failures in finding it, all point us towards the God who made us, loves us, and wants us to be happy.

Another Sheen re-release is one of his first books, The Mystical Body of Christ by Christian Classics, an imprint of Ave Maria Press. The Mystical Body of Christ, first published in 1935, is a defense of the Church as an extension of the Incarnation. But it is more than apologetics—Sheen spends time exploring how Christ formed the Church, is present in and guides the Church, with a particular focus on the Eucharist.

What is best about Sheen is that he’s the kind of author that one can read in both short doses or long stretches—he writes relatively short chapters that meander over popular culture, classic poetry, all infused with his general good sense and highly quotable style. It’s a great combination, in both books.

Finally, Fr. John Hardon’s The Faith: A Question-and-Answer Guide to the Catechism of the Catholic Church published by Servant Books. It’s a reprint of a 1995 book Fr. Hardon wrote in response to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC).

When the CCC first came out in 1992, it was recommended to be used as a resource by theologians and catechists who would write materials to help explain it to the wider population. Though I’m a non-theologian, I take pride in the fact that many years ago, I read the CCC cover to cover, and so I can find my way around it fairly easily. I’ve long thought that the CCC is itself well-written and accessible enough that it doesn’t need a “translator.”

While that may be true, there is a learning curve to understanding the structure and language of the CCC. In addition, it’s no doubt good to have multiple ways to experience the truths of our faith. Fr. Hardon’s book is one of the better ones, with a “user-friendly” Q&A format to explain different elements of church doctrine and teaching. Fr. Hardon has 1306 Q&As, to the CCC’s nearly 3,000 paragraphs, but his book doesn’t feel condensed or rushed in any way.

This is my first time reading a book by the prolific Fr. Hardon’s, though I have more than a few friends who had the good fortune to meet him while he was alive (he died in 2000), and consider him a saint. I’m glad to have discovered him as an author, and look forward to reading more of his sensible, helpful works.

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ICYMI:

JK (which means “just kidding”).  But really, here are some other links that you might find of interest.

“All Caught Up.” A humor column exploring the perils of trying to not experience FOMO.

A prayer for the Canonization of Fr. Hardon.  He’s currently a Servant of God.

I’ve written about Fulton Sheen many times here, including my very first column for The Catholic Post, five years ago this month.  Read it here.