Catholic books, Philosophy, and Culture...Oh my!

Catholic books, Philosophy, and Culture...Oh my!

Sunday, June 29, 2014

She Said No To Elvis!


The Ear of the Heart is the story of Mother Dolores Hart transition from Hollywood actress to Benedictine nun. This book, published by Ignatius Press, has about 400 pages and contains pictures of Mother Dolores before and after her entrance to the monastery. This holy woman does not give your typical pious account of her life but instead gives her readers a honest account of her life. Mother Dolores' story is inspiring and I believe will  especially touch many young readers, I know it did for me.

Mother Dolores did not have an easy life. Both her parents would divorce at a young age, which made her childhood very unstable. Her family was not Catholic but she was enrolled at a Catholic school and it was from there that she would first have that encounter with God. She describes a moment where she asks her teacher for bread but instead her teacher mistook that for her wanting to be Catholic. This event started her life in the Catholic faith. Now confirmed in her faith she decided to take up acting which was her passion. She would land leading roles in big time movies and co-star with people like Elvis. She shares an interesting story where Elvis wanted to ask her out to dinner but she declined because she wanted to focus on her work. Eventually the life of Hollywood was not fulfilling her and she felt God was calling her to be a Benedictine nun at the Abbey of Regina Laudis. There she shares her stories of adjusting to monastic life especially in a time before Vatican II when monastic observances were really harsh. Mother Dolores would prove to be an important member of her community who brought many fresh ideas to her community even when others were suspicious of her.

Why do I like Mother Dolores so much? I believe she is a good role model for young people out there trying to follow their dreams. She did not see her faith in God as an obstacle in acting. As an actress, Mother Dolores had a strong relationship with God and ask Him to guide her in her career. That to me is important to remember and that is that God does not get in the way of our plans but instead always trying to make us live life to the fullest. Eventually her time in Hollywood would come to an end due to her heart telling her that she should enter the monastery. She kept her faith strong in the monastery as she would face a strict old fashion observance of monastic life. Mother Dolores would adjust but at the same time her new and fresh ideas would change the environment of her monastery for the better. She knew her gifts and she did not want to suppress them inside the monastery. Instead she gave glory to God of being herself even in monastic life. Great book!

Thursday, June 26, 2014

What Do I Really Think of Aquinas?



Part of my formation for the priesthood requires that I study the work of St. Thomas Aquinas. So this past month I was enrolled in a class about the life and thought of Thomas Aquinas. I have had classes on Aquinas before but there is always something new that I can take home with me from this great thinker.

No other person in the history of the Church(with the exception of Jesus and evangelists of course) has done more to help us understand more about the way we think about God. Borrowing from the thinking of Aristotle, Aquinas believe that we can come to know God through our reason. Aquinas would famously give his five proofs for God existence later in his Summa. God is not one being in a universe full of other beings but God is being himself. In other words all creation points to its source which is God. Thomas will compile massive amount of writings about philosophy, theology, and yes even science. Aquinas was a brilliant man and the church owes a great debt to him.

However, as much as I like Thomas Aquinas I would not call myself a Thomist. Thomas is a brilliant thinker but at times his thinking can be a little dry just because it is so objective. Again Aquinas is brilliant and his thinking has shaped how I see the world in many ways but I look to other thinkers to get a subjective side of faith that begins with the self and then to God. This should not be a knock in Thomas' thinking but instead I see Aquinas as the most solid foundation a person can have in religious thinking. I believe a foundation in Aquinas will allow for a more fruitful experience with other great religious thinkers. Again this is just my humble opinion as I know many other people who feel all we need is Aquinas! There also those who feel that Thomas is no longer important and don't feel a need to study him. I disagree with these two extremes.

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Hello everyone!

This blog doesn't seem like much now but I hope that it will be filled with good material. I am close to finishing Dolores Hart's The Ear of the Heart and will post my thoughts on it soon.