11 November 2017
Upcoming Exhibit at the Met: "Fashion and the Catholic Imagination"
"Can the Catholic imagination dream up beautiful and compelling attire?
"That’s one of the questions behind an exhibit collection set to open next year through New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
"'The Roman Catholic Church has been producing and promoting beautiful works of art for centuries,' Greg Burke, director of the Holy See's press office, told The New York Times. 'Most people have experienced that through religious paintings and architecture. This is another way of sharing some of that beauty that rarely gets seen.'
"'Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,' is scheduled to run May 10-Oct. 8, 2018, was organized through the Met's Costume Institute. The exhibit brings together Church garments borrowed from the Vatican, religious art from the Met collection, and 150 designer fashion pieces that were intended to pay homage to Catholicism, taking inspiration from Catholic iconography, the liturgy, or other parts of the faith tradition."
A recent National Catholic Register article highlighted this upcoming exhibit.
To access the complete article, please visit:
National Catholic Register: Catholic-Inspired Fashion to Come to NY's Metropolitan Museum of Art (10 NOV 17)
Background information:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
"That’s one of the questions behind an exhibit collection set to open next year through New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
"'The Roman Catholic Church has been producing and promoting beautiful works of art for centuries,' Greg Burke, director of the Holy See's press office, told The New York Times. 'Most people have experienced that through religious paintings and architecture. This is another way of sharing some of that beauty that rarely gets seen.'
"'Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,' is scheduled to run May 10-Oct. 8, 2018, was organized through the Met's Costume Institute. The exhibit brings together Church garments borrowed from the Vatican, religious art from the Met collection, and 150 designer fashion pieces that were intended to pay homage to Catholicism, taking inspiration from Catholic iconography, the liturgy, or other parts of the faith tradition."
A recent National Catholic Register article highlighted this upcoming exhibit.
To access the complete article, please visit:
National Catholic Register: Catholic-Inspired Fashion to Come to NY's Metropolitan Museum of Art (10 NOV 17)
Background information:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Reflection Starter from Arthur Ashe
"True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost." - Arthur Ashe
10 November 2017
A Saint’s Medical Ministry
In a chapel in the cathedral of Benevento, an ancient city in southern Italy, a marble statue commemorates the birth of St. Giuseppe Moscati. He was born in Benevento in 1880, the seventh of nine children in a devout Catholic family of noble lineage. His father served on the altar in a chapel of the Poor Clares, and their family was friends with Caterina Volpicelli, foundress of the Maids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and someone who emerged as an important spiritual advisor to Giuseppe.
When he was a boy, his older brother fell from a horse and needed prolonged medical attention, which led to Giuseppe's interest in medicine. He eventually pursued that interest, receiving a doctorate from the University of Naples and then joining the staff of physicians at the Ospedale degli Incurabili (Hospital for the Incurables), where he took on duties as an administrator. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 1906, Giuseppe rushed to a facility in Torre del Greco just a few miles from the mouth of the volcano and evacuated every last patient as the building began to crumble. He was a leader in combating the cholera outbreak in Naples in 1911, and he was a pioneer in experimenting with insulin to treat diabetes.
The film St. Giuseppe Moscati: Doctor of the Poor dramatizes his life and provides insight into the principles that guided him to view the practice of medicine as a ministry of God. A poignant sequence in the film depicts Giuseppe's trying to come to terms with the death of Aniello, a street child in his care. In a state of grief, Giuseppe kneels before a statue of a shrouded and entombed Christ and repeatedly pleads, "Show yourself. Show yourself. Show yourself." There is silence in response to his pleas, yet Giuseppe's countenance evinces a realization. The next scene shows him standing over a patient who looks very much like the entombed Christ as he lies in bed with a bandage over his face. Giuseppe kneels before this man and removes his bandage almost as though to reveal the face of Christ.
In the following scene, Giuseppe tells a sister working at the hospital, "Today I realized something: Jesus lives in every sick person." And later, he says, "If I were only to treat the diseases, I would be destined for defeat. I would think of science's limitations and feel helpless. I realized that with Aniello's death. Being a doctor is a lot less and a lot more. I want to give my whole strength, my whole self."
Giuseppe refused to charge poor people for their treatment, sometimes actually giving them money along with prescriptions. He took a vow of chastity and never married, being known today as the patron saint of bachelors as well as those rejected from religious orders. A powerful intercessor, he was considered a miracle worker even in his lifetime, and he called on his patients to utilize their faith and the sacraments in seeking cures.
He was a daily communicant and received the Eucharist on the morning of the day he died at the age of 46. His life story is a testament to the powerful influence faith can have on the practice of medicine. Faith can imbue physicians with the fire to know that a profound encounter with Christ awaits them with each patient they treat; and this, in turn, can inspire those patients to have faith on their journey towards healing.
This essay is a recent week's "Light One Candle" column; it is one of a series of weekly columns that deal with a variety of topics and current events.
Background information:
The Christophers
When he was a boy, his older brother fell from a horse and needed prolonged medical attention, which led to Giuseppe's interest in medicine. He eventually pursued that interest, receiving a doctorate from the University of Naples and then joining the staff of physicians at the Ospedale degli Incurabili (Hospital for the Incurables), where he took on duties as an administrator. When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 1906, Giuseppe rushed to a facility in Torre del Greco just a few miles from the mouth of the volcano and evacuated every last patient as the building began to crumble. He was a leader in combating the cholera outbreak in Naples in 1911, and he was a pioneer in experimenting with insulin to treat diabetes.
The film St. Giuseppe Moscati: Doctor of the Poor dramatizes his life and provides insight into the principles that guided him to view the practice of medicine as a ministry of God. A poignant sequence in the film depicts Giuseppe's trying to come to terms with the death of Aniello, a street child in his care. In a state of grief, Giuseppe kneels before a statue of a shrouded and entombed Christ and repeatedly pleads, "Show yourself. Show yourself. Show yourself." There is silence in response to his pleas, yet Giuseppe's countenance evinces a realization. The next scene shows him standing over a patient who looks very much like the entombed Christ as he lies in bed with a bandage over his face. Giuseppe kneels before this man and removes his bandage almost as though to reveal the face of Christ.
In the following scene, Giuseppe tells a sister working at the hospital, "Today I realized something: Jesus lives in every sick person." And later, he says, "If I were only to treat the diseases, I would be destined for defeat. I would think of science's limitations and feel helpless. I realized that with Aniello's death. Being a doctor is a lot less and a lot more. I want to give my whole strength, my whole self."
Giuseppe refused to charge poor people for their treatment, sometimes actually giving them money along with prescriptions. He took a vow of chastity and never married, being known today as the patron saint of bachelors as well as those rejected from religious orders. A powerful intercessor, he was considered a miracle worker even in his lifetime, and he called on his patients to utilize their faith and the sacraments in seeking cures.
He was a daily communicant and received the Eucharist on the morning of the day he died at the age of 46. His life story is a testament to the powerful influence faith can have on the practice of medicine. Faith can imbue physicians with the fire to know that a profound encounter with Christ awaits them with each patient they treat; and this, in turn, can inspire those patients to have faith on their journey towards healing.
This essay is a recent week's "Light One Candle" column; it is one of a series of weekly columns that deal with a variety of topics and current events.
Background information:
The Christophers
Reflection Starter from Mark Twain
"God has put something noble and good into every heart which His hand created." - attributed to Mark Twain
07 November 2017
André Rieu: "Nearer, My God, to Thee"
As we continue to live this week, I offer this version of André Rieu, over 500 brass players, and the Johann Strauss Orchestra presenting "Nearer, My God, to Thee":
On Ways To Be A Better Evangelist
"Have you ever had a Mormon or Jehovah's Witness come to your door? Did
you feel like they were there to truly love you? Probably not. Most of
us feel like we are being used and that they are selling something more
than wanting to help us. This is because they don't know us, aren't
really looking to enter into our lives and befriend us; rather, they are
looking for a project they can complete. We are really just a part of a
checklist. They do their door-to-door evangelism and boom...they are
done with evangelizing others for the day, even if they make no
converts.
"I think there are some Catholics who approach evangelization the same way - as something to check off the list, in order to " be a good Catholic". It isn't something they really intentionally try to grow into, get better at, or eventually get skillful at doing. This is a shame. We are made to evangelize, in fact, this is the core mission of all Christians! So, we ought to be aiming at getting better at it!"
A recent Catholic Missionary Disciples post offered a few suggestions designed to help Catholics become better evangelists. The suggestions included a recommendation to stop treating others as evangelization projects and more as people we love, knowing the proper time and place for using apologetics, and asking more questions of others than they do ofus.
To access the complete Catholic Missionary Disciples post, please visit:
Catholic Missionary Disciples: 5 Ways To Be A Better Evangelist
"I think there are some Catholics who approach evangelization the same way - as something to check off the list, in order to " be a good Catholic". It isn't something they really intentionally try to grow into, get better at, or eventually get skillful at doing. This is a shame. We are made to evangelize, in fact, this is the core mission of all Christians! So, we ought to be aiming at getting better at it!"
A recent Catholic Missionary Disciples post offered a few suggestions designed to help Catholics become better evangelists. The suggestions included a recommendation to stop treating others as evangelization projects and more as people we love, knowing the proper time and place for using apologetics, and asking more questions of others than they do ofus.
To access the complete Catholic Missionary Disciples post, please visit:
Catholic Missionary Disciples: 5 Ways To Be A Better Evangelist
Reflection Starter from Today's First Reading
"Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit,
serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly." - Romans 12:9-16
serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly." - Romans 12:9-16
06 November 2017
Ft. Longenecker on the Scouring of the Shire
"The last time I read Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, it
became clear just how deeply the work, as Tolkien admitted, was deeply
Catholic. But those who are looking for a religious book will be
disappointed. The Catholicism is embedded in Tolkien's classic at a deep
level. It is in the depth of detail that Tolkien's Catholic imagination
shines through.
"In the chapter in The Return of the King on the houses of Healing, there was so much there that sounded like the sacrament of confession. There was also so much richness to be mined from the horror and inner conflict of Gollum - who is, of course, a shadow of Frodo and a picture of what he would become if he gave in to the power of the Ring.
"The Scouring of the Shire is the final chapter of the trilogy. The hobbits return home after their great quest and they find their beloved shire has been turned upside down by a kind of social revolution.
"The chapter illustrates Tolkien's assent to Catholic social teaching. The Shire, in its innocence, shows us the perfection of Catholic social teaching in which the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity are working perfectly. The hobbits care for one another and respect the property of one another. They take pride in their families, their crafts and their work. Each one to his own gifts and reaping the just rewards of a job well done for its own sake. In the simple agrarian community they brew beer, run inns, farm, raise animals, marry, enjoy the land and enjoy one another."
In a recent commentary, Father Dwight Longenecker (parish priest at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, Greenville, SC) reflected on the Shire's slipping into a "capitalistic and a socialistic nightmare," including its causes and effects, and ending with a warning to us.
To access Fr. Longenecker's complete post, please visit:
National Catholic Register: Blogs: Fr. Dwight Longenecker: The Scouring of the Shire (16 OCT 17)
Background information:
Dwight Longenecker - Catholic priest and author
"In the chapter in The Return of the King on the houses of Healing, there was so much there that sounded like the sacrament of confession. There was also so much richness to be mined from the horror and inner conflict of Gollum - who is, of course, a shadow of Frodo and a picture of what he would become if he gave in to the power of the Ring.
"The Scouring of the Shire is the final chapter of the trilogy. The hobbits return home after their great quest and they find their beloved shire has been turned upside down by a kind of social revolution.
"The chapter illustrates Tolkien's assent to Catholic social teaching. The Shire, in its innocence, shows us the perfection of Catholic social teaching in which the principles of solidarity and subsidiarity are working perfectly. The hobbits care for one another and respect the property of one another. They take pride in their families, their crafts and their work. Each one to his own gifts and reaping the just rewards of a job well done for its own sake. In the simple agrarian community they brew beer, run inns, farm, raise animals, marry, enjoy the land and enjoy one another."
In a recent commentary, Father Dwight Longenecker (parish priest at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, Greenville, SC) reflected on the Shire's slipping into a "capitalistic and a socialistic nightmare," including its causes and effects, and ending with a warning to us.
To access Fr. Longenecker's complete post, please visit:
National Catholic Register: Blogs: Fr. Dwight Longenecker: The Scouring of the Shire (16 OCT 17)
Background information:
Dwight Longenecker - Catholic priest and author
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