Chateau du Meau

A Brand New Painting: Adding to Christopher West

2009-10-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

Christopher West and I both went to the John Paul II Institute and it has been a long time since I have seen him. I knew that he was doing a lot of great work in speaking and writing about the Theology of the Body, but last spring he caused a bit of a stir by appearing on Nightline and comparing Pope John Paul II to Hugh Hefner. Many people were scandalized that the two were even mentioned in the same sentence. Other people quickly came to Chris’ defense by pointing out that he was badly taken out of context. So when I heard that Chris was going to speak at Holy Trinity Parish in Gainesville, I was excited for the opportunity to reconnect with an old friend and hear Chris West in person.

When Chris began his talk I quickly remembered what a dynamic speaker he is. Chris was extremely engaging as he began to introduce the Theology of the Body and explain God’s beautiful plan for man and woman. The union between man and woman in marriage was meant from the beginning to be a small window into God’s infinite love for us. Chris is great at using images, stories and even song lyrics to illustrate his points. In one of his points he had us think about a painting of the creation of man and woman. He said that this painting might be the most beautiful painting in the world because it depicts one the original truths about man and woman. Before original sin, Adam and Eve were naked and yet maintained a purity of heart. They were able to form a nuptial union by giving themselves freely to each other in the way God intended.

Original sin causes a great disruption to the original unity of Adam and Eve. Lust enters the human heart and it becomes very difficult to understand the real purpose of sexuality let alone fulfill it. The beautiful painting of man and woman becomes distorted and twisted. Because there is so much confusion about God’s plan for man and woman, there has been a strong temptation throughout history to completely repress sex and sexuality. Chris calls this reaction Puritanism and says it’s like throwing the beautiful painting (albeit marred by original sin) into the trash basket.

Yet all men and women are hungry for the truth about God’s plan for sex and sexuality. Here is where Chris started to explain his comparison of Hugh Hefner and John Paul II that he used on Nightline. Hugh Hefner realized that there was an immense appetite for the truth, but people will gladly feed on the perverted truth. So Hefner pulled the twisted and marred painting from the trash and presented it for mass consumption. And for almost fifty years the feeding frenzy on the pornography has generated billions of dollars and has caused the destruction of countless lives.

Pope John Paul II also recognized that there was a burning desire for truth, but instead of recovering the distorted painting, he has been trying to draw our attention to the beauty of its original state. At this point, Chris did not continue the analogy and I became a little disappointed. By the end of his talk, I felt that the analogy of the painting was still incomplete. I realize that Chris’ presentation that night was just his introductory talk and it is impossible to do justice to Theology of the Body in one night. But Chris left out something crucial for the rest of Theology of the Body and how we talk about it.

If I had the chance I would have ask Chris if the redemption of the body brings about a restoration of the painting or a completely new painting. It is certainly true that in recovering the theological history of man and woman, John Paul II draws our attention to their original state of nakedness and purity. But instead of a restored painting, the redemption of the body brings about a completely new painting for the Cross of Christ makes us new creations (cf. Gal 6:15). In this painting man and woman are clothed, not in figs leaves trembling with fear, but they are covered in royal clothing like the famous painting of the betrothal. John Paul II spends the bulk of his Catechesis on Human Love drawing our attention to this new painting, which is more beautiful and greater than the original.

The fact that man and woman are clothed is an extremely pivotal point in the new painting. The clothed man and woman become the new paradigm in the Theology of the Body. Before original sin, man and woman not only see each other without lust, but they are also able to grasp the glorious mystery of sex and sexuality with purity. After the Fall, it becomes necessary to the guard the mystery from lust and exploitation. Christ makes it possible to glimpse the mystery of man and woman again thorough grace and virtue, but guarding the mystery is still a necessity.

Here it is important to understand that in the tradition of the Church, mystery is not something baffling and unknowable. Rather, the mysteries of the Church are great secrets that are gradually understood when they are lived. The mysteries are like precious pearls and Christ warned us to be cautious about throwing the pearls before swine (cf. Mt 7:6).

Modesty guarding mystery becomes the crucial paradigm for the rest of the Theology of the Body. In fact, John Paul II refers to it as the new “mode of communication” for man and woman after the Fall. This new mode of communication is even important for couples within marriage for lust and perversion easily enters married life. The significance of mystery and modesty is so important, it should even temper of how we discuss and promote Theology of the Body. Let me give an example.

During his presentation, Chris asked to see a show of hands of the people who grew up in a household where God’s glorious plan for man and woman was never talked about openly. Virtually everyone raised their hand. Chris characterized this as starvation. When people are starved there is a great tendency to gluttony when any kind of food finally comes along whether it be beauty or perversion. Chris said that the starvation diet is the primary reason for the perversion feeding frenzy. Rather than starvation or gluttony, Chris proposed that we should be feasting on God’s glorious plan for sex and sexuality.

I would offer that the alternative between starvation and gluttony is not necessarily feasting, but fasting. In this analogy, fasting is more in keeping with modesty; it is more along the lines on the new painting of man and woman clothed with dignity. Fasting is not the same as starvation; it cultivates self-mastery and steers us away from gluttony, which better prepares us for the feast. Not every household that doesn’t openly talk about the glorious mysteries of sex and sexuality is a case of starvation. They could be fasting; they could be guarding the mystery. It all depends on how the mystery is lived out by the parents and the family and sometimes non-verbal means are the most powerful ways of conveying mystery.

It is obvious that this current culture of death is saturated with the perverted notion of sex and sexuality. Building a Culture of Life does not necessarily mean we should saturate the world with an open presentation of the truth of sex and sexuality. In order to effectively build a Culture of Life, we have the much more difficult task of recovering a proper understanding of mystery and restoring modesty in all things.

Awesome Critiques of Chris West

2009-06-12T04:56:00.000-07:00

Chris West is a friend. In fact, we jammed together at the Cowboy Cafe some 10 years ago. But I have had disagreements with his interpretation and presentation of John Paul II's Theology of the Body for a long time.

One of the problems in general is that it really shouldn't even be called Theology of the Body. The official Italian publication of the Pope's Wednesday Audiences from 1979 to 1984 is titled Uomo e donna lo creo: Catechesi sull'amore umano.

It would be better if everyone knew it as the Catechesis on Human Love. Waldstein's new translation, which was much needed, does use the title Man and Women He created Them, but still retains Theology of the Body as subtitle.

Having John Paul II's teaching known as Theology of the Body seems to overstress the role of the body and shifts emphasis of the teaching to sex and sexuality, which was not the Pope's intent. While the body and sexuality are an essential, they are to be understood with in the context of the whole person still effected by original sin and the person's invitation to participate in the Divine Mystery.

David Schindler, Dean of the John Paul II Institute, has written two insightful critiques of Christ West that I think are much needed. With the rapid rise in the popularity of Theology of the Body, largely from Christ West presentations, there needs to be further discussion which takes into account other views on the Pope's teaching outside of the United States.

Schindler's Critiques One & Two

Hog Fathers

2008-07-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

If you are ever going though Washington, PA, you have to stop at Hog Fathers.

Great BBQ, hand-cut fries and homemade battered onion rings and they put onion rings on the pulled pork sandwich--AWWWESOME!

Hannah Coulter

2008-07-10T17:24:00.000-07:00

I just finished Hannah Coulter and it has impressed me enough to want to read more of Wendell Berry's Port William series. As far as contemporary writers, Wendell might be the most talented out there right now. His descriptions of relationships and personal dealings is superb.

His depiction of courtship between Hannah and Virgil is very cool even for guys.

His concept of Membership is intriguing. It's an obvious response to the personal alienation common in today's society. It is obviously not a Catholic answer though. Berry is obviously a religious man, but it seems to be a more privatized protestant religion that is pervasive in America. Life in the Membership does

include depictions of Religious activities or church attendance. In contrast, we just watched John Ford's (a Catholic) How Green is My Valley (one of his best) and religion (albeit Protestantism) is intertwined with life in the Welsh valley town.

I found Jayber Crow in the library. I'm told I need read Place on Earth, which is told from Virgil's dad 's perspective. I guess I'll have to look around on Amazon for a used copy.

Back in Full Force

2008-07-10T17:20:00.001-07:00

The FCC tried to block this signal, but there's no way they can keep this force down.

Review of Apocalypto

2007-03-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

I liked Apocalypto. Its depiction of true masculinity in the all-out, do or die imperative to protect wife and children was very obvious. Plus righteous violence is exhilarating.

Chris West has a good review of the movie along these same lines.

Go Long: My Journey Beyond the Game and the Fame

2007-02-27T12:16:00.000-08:00

I just read Go Long: My Journey Beyond the Game and the Fame by Jerry Rice. It was a fast read and a little cliche, but he did say the Favre is a jerk and that the Patriots are the only football team that really cares about teamwork and old school football. I think he might be right.

Now I'm reading Children of Men by PD James. Tell'ya about that later.

Interesting Article on Jeb

2007-02-06T06:58:00.000-08:00

What Would Jeb Do?

My Friend KK Gives Her Oscar Predictions

2007-02-05T09:02:00.000-08:00

The 78th Annual Academy Awards are upon us. Tune in Sunday, February 25th at 8pm ET to see if my following predictions are on the money.

Best picture nominees: Babel ; The Departed; Letters From Iwo Jima; Little Miss Sunshine; The QueenI have seen all but "Letters from Iwo Jima " (and while it might be a good film, it is 75% in Japanese and I cannot see it winning for that reason alone). The Departed was a great film that kept you on the edge of your seat and was very well written and performed, so I predict this as the winner because ever since "Goodfellas" lost to "Dance with Wolves", the Academy owes us! "Little Miss Susnshine" should get an honorable mention here though.

Best director nominees: Clint Eastwood, Letters From Iwo Jima; Stephen Frears, The Queen; Paul Greengrass, United 93; Alejandro; Gonzales Inarritu, Babel ; Martin Scorsese, The DepartedScorsese really deserves it as he continues to get snubbed by The Academy all the time.

Best actor nominees:Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond; Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson; Peter O'Toole, Venus; Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness; Forest Whitaker, The Last King of ScotlandThis one is extremely hard for me, as I thought Will Smith did an incredible job in the film and played such an upstanding character. I do not think The Academy will choose him though. Forest Whitaker did an exceptional job portraying brutal Ugandan dictator Idi Amin. It is hard to find an actor that can portray someone that was both loved and feared and Whitaker carries this off and at times just makes you want to laugh, while also wanting him dead.

Best actress nominees:Penelope Cruz, Volver; Judi Dench, Notes on a Scandal; Helen Mirren, The Queen; Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada; Kate Winslet, Little Children; Meryl Streep is one of the greatest actresses of our time and while she played a fierce Miranda Priestl,y I do not think the Academy will choose her this time as she has gotten her share of Oscars in the past. I believe Helen Mirren will walk away with The Oscar this year for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II. She is able to hold true to the elegance and royal demeanor of her role as Queen while being set in a more modern day "Blairish" England.

Best supporting actress nominees:Adriana Barraza, Babel ; Cate Blanchett, Notes on a Scandal; Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine; Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls; Rinko Kikucki, Babel ;I would LOVE to see Abigail Breslin win this award as she is such a young hard working actress and her relationship with Alan Arkin in this movie was one of the best childhood relationships we have seen since Harold and Maude. However, I think Jennifer Hudson will win this one as not only her vocal performance but her acting performance was superior. I cannot even believe what Jennifer has accomplished in her last couple of years since auditioning for American Idol.

Best supporting actor nominees: Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine; Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children; Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond; Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls; Mark Wahlberg, The Departed After Djimon Hounsou was overlooked by the Academy in 2002 for his role of Mateo in "In America"; I thought he should stop acting altogether. By much to my surprise he forged on and came back even stronger in "Blood Diamond". I would love to see him win this award, but I believe that Eddie Murphy will walk away with it because "Dreamgirls" was such a different movie for him and he played a rare role for a guy that is accustomed being Dr. Doolittle. It will be well deserved for either of these actors.

Best animated feature film nominees: Cars; Happy Feet; Monster HouseI hate the selection of nominees in this category. "Cars" deserves this, but Happy Feet will win because of the "politically correct" story it tells. ARGH!

Personally I thought the ending of the Departed was pathetic and so poorly written that it shouldn't get nominated for anything. Except DiCapprio was great and should get best actor.

Back!

2007-01-29T11:52:00.000-08:00

After a bit of a hiatus, I'm back and bloggin with Monster Truck Force!

Walker Texas Ranger

2007-02-05T08:51:00.000-08:00

Chuck Norris is so Cool...

Martial Arts and Film Legend Chuck Norris Now Fights Abortion
“Walker Texas Ranger” Star Now Gives a Roundhouse Kick to the Face of Abortion

Something Has To Go

2005-09-04T03:47:00.000-07:00

With a new baby coming, seven class preps, selling a house, building a house, and fantasy football there's no time to update the blog. Oh did I mention that I'm supposed to be writing a thesis too.

Chateau du Meau will be suspended indefinitely.

The Damaging Culture of Silence

2005-08-22T18:27:00.000-07:00

Fr. Jerry Pokorsky just wrote an outstanding article in the recent Catholic World Report. I wish I could get the whole article up, but here are a few choice quotes.

The priesthood has been made a suspect class, in need of criminal background checks and fingerprinting. As Martin Luther did in the 16th century, some activists today also use the undoubted presence of scandal as an opportunity to attack the Church herself: at argue that we must allow married priests, ordain women, promote gay rights, and so forth. The most predictable response has been from the bureaucracy of the American bishops, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. If Martin Luther taught "salvation by faith alone," it might be said that the bishops' approach is "salvation by policies, procedures, and protocols alone."

In the rush to receive gold stars from the auditors, many bishops introduced new bureaucratic procedures that filtered down into parishes: diocesan offices were established; sex education ("Good Touch, Bad Touch," "Talking about Touching") curricula disguised as "child safety" programs were devised; priests, employees and volunteers were fingerprinted; criminal background checks were demanded, thereby making not only priests but all Church employees a suspect class.

Irene

2005-08-10T03:29:00.000-07:00

Susan Torres' Husband and Parents Reveal Strange Happening on Night of Susan's Tragic Collapse

2005-08-08T04:15:00.000-07:00

"You and others will tell the world of a fight to save a precious life, not to change hardened hearts, but to give hope to those who believe, so that they know that there is more than what they see and hear. Let them come and see for themselves.”

Report

Good Mini-Series

2005-07-27T04:01:00.000-07:00

I liked this mini-series. It's over now, but I'm sure it will be out on DVD soon.

Sarah Scantlin's Miracle

2005-07-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

This could have happened to Terri... if someone hadn't killed her.

----

Sarah, lying in this bed nearly 20 years, brain-damaged, blank, speechless, immobile, staring out the same window. Couldn't talk to the people who came to talk to her. Couldn't say change the channel. Couldn't say shut up. Couldn't say scratch that itch . . .

Sarah, who 20 years ago was run down by a drunk driver, the impact throwing her into the path of a second car that slammed her forehead and left her so damaged nobody understood how her body survived, let alone her mind.

Sarah. They didn't know that as she lay in that bed, with her mouth gaping, face wretched in a silent agony, body atrophying, feet gnarling, fists clenched across her chest, tight, as if she were afraid, big, blue eyes staring out like she was trapped . . . They didn't know that as she lay there, something in her brain was mending.

People came and people went. Some grew up and some grew old. Some gave up and went away, guiltily diving into their own lives as Sarah Scantlin lay in that bed. Never believing she would do anything more than lie there and stare into oblivion, or wherever it is that brain-damaged people go, hovering between now and then, nowhere and somewhere, just out of reach.

Then six months ago, Sarah came back.

Sarah spoke.

Article

Church Cannot Baptize Babies of Same-Sex Couples Says Quebec Cardinal

2005-07-17T04:42:00.000-07:00

"If I take the example of the ceremony of baptism, according to our Canon law," said the Cardinal during his testimony at the Committee on Wednesday, "we cannot accept the signatures of two fathers or two mothers as parents of an infant. With a law that makes these unions official, situations of this will multiply and this threatens to disturb not just the use of our territory, but also our archives and other aspects of the life of our communities."

Ouelett's statement to the committee partially reflect the fact that there is little well-founded hope that a baby brought into a homosexual home, which homosexual 'parents' have no intention of altering their lifestyle, will be brought up in the Catholic religion, since homosexuality is so fundamentally contrary to Catholic teaching. The couple is demonstrating a public, persistent contempt for fundamental Catholic teaching by their relationship.

Article

Federal Money to Planned Parenthood Increases Again

2005-07-14T04:35:00.000-07:00

Feel good about paying your taxes?

Read about Title X funding

Fr. Brainerd Gets the Shaft

2005-07-14T04:32:00.000-07:00

Wash Times

Brainerd is a great priest and knows Latin like nobodys business. Some college is going to get a great Latinist/Chaplain.

An Intelligent Slogan for an Intelligent Campaign

2005-07-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

The only logic behind such gross stupidity has to be the unabated desire to profit from sexually transmitted diseases and abortions.

Look at the campaign.

Openly Gay Deacon

2005-07-10T19:27:00.000-07:00

Article

Bush Tells Consevatives to Shut It

2005-07-06T05:10:00.000-07:00

I guess this is the sign that Bush is going to screw us over.

Article

Supreme Court Battle Written by a Friend of Mine

2005-07-05T04:18:00.000-07:00

Article

A Lot of Gay Companies Out There

2005-07-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

Article