I have been delayed in posting this since I came down with a bad stomach bug that is going around Rome:
I just got back from a nice two week vacation in Germany and Poland. It wasn't all fun and games; I spent a good portion visiting my family and friends, including my sick Aunt, Veshia, for whom I ask prayers. Since I was traveling alone though I had a lot of time for rest and prayer and to think, and so I have a few thoughts that came to my mind over the past weeks that I want to share.
However, before I do that I want to announce that the Pontifical North American College has recommended that Bishop Coleman call me to Holy Orders!! Its almost surreal!
What Recompense can I give to the Lord?
Ordination to the Diaconate
Monday, February 25, 2008
Back from Vacation
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Das ist Berlin
The first few days of my trip were spent in Berlin. Berlin is a great city; it is very spread out, not too congested. Much to my liking there are lots of parks and green spaces throughout the city. This is possible because Berlin only really became a city 200 years ago with the rise of Prussian power in the Holy Roman Empire. After the fall of the Hapsburgs as Emperors of Germany, Germany reorganized itself under Prussian princes, creating the German Empire under Wilhelm I. It’s a quite interesting story which I didn't know much about. Anyway, Berlin is really a conglomerate of two dozen towns that where pieced together to form a city. Even today there are twenty or so town halls (or Rathauses) in Berlin. The effect is a quaint feeling of being in a very large town, rather than a city. A town with one of the best public transport systems I have seen! The various neighborhoods all have there own town hall, but also shops, churches and character. In the midst of these town centers a capital city was built, which like Washington DC, is obviously a city that was created to be a political capital, thus it is dominated by many government buildings and palaces.
Sadly, not happy with a good thing, Berlin seems quite pretentious, wanting badly to be what it is not: a cultural center of Europe akin to Vienna, Paris or Rome. Since the fall of the wall the German Republic and the city of Berlin have spent billions to make Berlin a metropolis. In fact, I understand that the city is almost bankrupt because of government efforts to build up the city. Sadly this is a bad time in history to build a cultural capital, if that is possible at all. It seems to me that culture is a living thing and grows where the hearts of people provide rich soil. Sadly our day and age is a time of banal low culture, and so Berlins attempt to make itself what it is not results in many post-modern glass and steel cathedrals of materialism, as well as many museums, but not much else. One sad note is the large number of Churches that have been converted into art galleries and concert halls. Of course the Prussian rulers of Berlin were protestant and so according to the grotesque dictum cius regnum eius religio many ancient Catholic Churches today stand in protestant hands.
One thing that Berlin has a lot of is museums. History being a longtime interest of mine, I visited the key historical sites and the Museum of German History, while in Berlin. I was saddened though by what I perceived to be a state of denial about the reality of the Second World War. This view was confirmed by my cousin, who lives in Berlin and is a professor of History. Much of the material I read at the various exhibits about the rise of Nazism seems an apologia pro vitae nostrae. I was quite concerned that the focus of every exhibit, without exception, seemed to be on how Germans were victims of the Nazis. This of course is certainly true, once in power the average German had to live in a climate of ever increasing oppression, constant war, food shortages, horrible bombings, and finally urban warfare and occupation. However, the fact of the matter is that Germany was a democracy before 1930, and the Nazis came to power through popular support and a general acceptance of ideological warfare--that in truth covered the entire political spectrum. Before Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, communists and Socialists on the far left, contended with Nazis in the center and Conservatives on the Right, and these power struggles were often violent. Germans tolerated this climate, and were willing to do anything to relieve there economic suffering. This is a reality that profoundly interests me and should interest the free world, least we be doomed to repeat this lesson of history. Yet in Berlin, the center of Hitler’s Germany the pain of the cold war and the Berlin wall, the pain of the occupation, any years of air raids, the pain of the destruction of Berlin, seems to overshadow the reality of the Nazism that took root there. Halters bunker, sits in ruins, with the German's unwilling to open it to the public, the ruins of the Gestapo HQ, form an outdoor historical exhibit called the Topography of Terror, but a permanent museum on this location, as well as the extant exhibit itself, are highly controversial. In the newly restore Reichstag one plaque proudly proclaims: Hitler never set foot in the Reichstag as chancellor, and another notes that the farce parliaments of the Nazi government never ruled from the Reichstag. While the Reichstag may have been burned by arsonists before Nazi ascendancy the fact of the matter is that the very act of arson that preserved the Reichstag’s "purity" from Nazi governments is highly symbolic of the political climate that Germans allowed to exist before the Nazi takeover. In a democracy, or democratic republic, it is easy to fall into an us versus them mindset, but if this happens we are just steps away from violence. Aristotle noted that Democracy was the least desirable form of government because it most quickly and covertly descends into mob rule. At the same time he concedes that most often its perversion is the mildest form of perverse government. This is born out by the fact that although Germans democratically turned to Nazism, its worst offenses occurred when all pretense of Democracy was cast aside. Democracy, in one of its several forms, for better or for worse is the predominant form of government in the Western world at the moment, and so it is very important to note how easily democracy changed to mob rule, which transformed into dictatorship. As free citizens of democratic states we are not just responsible for our own candidate, but for the level of divisiveness we tolerate. As citizens we are responsible for the common good and not just for our own agenda--and responsible for the defense of the rights of others possibly even before the assertion of our own rights. On this account, I think the American candidate for the presidency; Sen. Barrack Obama has it right. The level of divisiveness if Washington, and around the world, must change. Berlin seems an ideal place for a reflection on these themes, sadly honest reflection seems quite lacking.
Sadly, not happy with a good thing, Berlin seems quite pretentious, wanting badly to be what it is not: a cultural center of Europe akin to Vienna, Paris or Rome. Since the fall of the wall the German Republic and the city of Berlin have spent billions to make Berlin a metropolis. In fact, I understand that the city is almost bankrupt because of government efforts to build up the city. Sadly this is a bad time in history to build a cultural capital, if that is possible at all. It seems to me that culture is a living thing and grows where the hearts of people provide rich soil. Sadly our day and age is a time of banal low culture, and so Berlins attempt to make itself what it is not results in many post-modern glass and steel cathedrals of materialism, as well as many museums, but not much else. One sad note is the large number of Churches that have been converted into art galleries and concert halls. Of course the Prussian rulers of Berlin were protestant and so according to the grotesque dictum cius regnum eius religio many ancient Catholic Churches today stand in protestant hands.
One thing that Berlin has a lot of is museums. History being a longtime interest of mine, I visited the key historical sites and the Museum of German History, while in Berlin. I was saddened though by what I perceived to be a state of denial about the reality of the Second World War. This view was confirmed by my cousin, who lives in Berlin and is a professor of History. Much of the material I read at the various exhibits about the rise of Nazism seems an apologia pro vitae nostrae. I was quite concerned that the focus of every exhibit, without exception, seemed to be on how Germans were victims of the Nazis. This of course is certainly true, once in power the average German had to live in a climate of ever increasing oppression, constant war, food shortages, horrible bombings, and finally urban warfare and occupation. However, the fact of the matter is that Germany was a democracy before 1930, and the Nazis came to power through popular support and a general acceptance of ideological warfare--that in truth covered the entire political spectrum. Before Hitler became Chancellor of Germany, communists and Socialists on the far left, contended with Nazis in the center and Conservatives on the Right, and these power struggles were often violent. Germans tolerated this climate, and were willing to do anything to relieve there economic suffering. This is a reality that profoundly interests me and should interest the free world, least we be doomed to repeat this lesson of history. Yet in Berlin, the center of Hitler’s Germany the pain of the cold war and the Berlin wall, the pain of the occupation, any years of air raids, the pain of the destruction of Berlin, seems to overshadow the reality of the Nazism that took root there. Halters bunker, sits in ruins, with the German's unwilling to open it to the public, the ruins of the Gestapo HQ, form an outdoor historical exhibit called the Topography of Terror, but a permanent museum on this location, as well as the extant exhibit itself, are highly controversial. In the newly restore Reichstag one plaque proudly proclaims: Hitler never set foot in the Reichstag as chancellor, and another notes that the farce parliaments of the Nazi government never ruled from the Reichstag. While the Reichstag may have been burned by arsonists before Nazi ascendancy the fact of the matter is that the very act of arson that preserved the Reichstag’s "purity" from Nazi governments is highly symbolic of the political climate that Germans allowed to exist before the Nazi takeover. In a democracy, or democratic republic, it is easy to fall into an us versus them mindset, but if this happens we are just steps away from violence. Aristotle noted that Democracy was the least desirable form of government because it most quickly and covertly descends into mob rule. At the same time he concedes that most often its perversion is the mildest form of perverse government. This is born out by the fact that although Germans democratically turned to Nazism, its worst offenses occurred when all pretense of Democracy was cast aside. Democracy, in one of its several forms, for better or for worse is the predominant form of government in the Western world at the moment, and so it is very important to note how easily democracy changed to mob rule, which transformed into dictatorship. As free citizens of democratic states we are not just responsible for our own candidate, but for the level of divisiveness we tolerate. As citizens we are responsible for the common good and not just for our own agenda--and responsible for the defense of the rights of others possibly even before the assertion of our own rights. On this account, I think the American candidate for the presidency; Sen. Barrack Obama has it right. The level of divisiveness if Washington, and around the world, must change. Berlin seems an ideal place for a reflection on these themes, sadly honest reflection seems quite lacking.
Poland and the Faith
Next on my trip was Poland a land which I have visited so many times before. I truly love Poland, and in the words of GK Chesterton this means that I hate its evils all the more. Poland has transformed itself over the past 14 years since I first visited in 1993. Although street side Bazaars still abound, new shopping malls are beginning to compete with them, and with the Church for the hearts and minds of Poles. Materialism of Western proportions is quickly infecting Poles who are quickly gaining on Western Europeans in terms of wages and standards of living. One evidence of this is the fact that in the last few months alone the PLN Zloty has been constantly gaining not just against the weak dollar but also against the relatively strong Euro.
During my trip I was reading Joseph Piepers book on Faith, Hope, and Love--and the section on faith gave me a profound insight into the reality of the faith in Poland. True, the Church is still strong in Poland, but as Pieper suggest, this does not necessarily mean that the faith is strong. The Church in Poland is a cultural phenomenon. It is closely associated with Polish culture, that is Polishness, national identity, is highly linked to Catholicism. The Polish are quite proud of the fact that while the Church is in decline elsewhere it is still strong in Poland. This is clearly true--on the first Friday of Lent I attended a Lenten recollection, penance service, and Mass. I was astounded, it was a Friday morning at 9am, during winter break for Polish students, and the Church was packed with young people, mostly teenagers (13-19). The service lasted three hours, which I found out from my cousin afterwards was unexpected by most of the young people, but few if any of the young left the Church in frustration with the length of the service. This being said however, while all the young people new how to act in Church--I was touched by the profound silence at the Consecration--during most of the service, and Mass the young chatted quietly to themselves. And during the penance service many did not avail themselves of the sacrament, and latter chose not to receive communion. It seems to me that many Poles assent to the Faith, because culturally, politically, and socially they agree with what the Church is in secular terms; however I worry that too few accept the faith by means of the virtue of faith and the act of faith. Do most poles understand the Church to be Christ's mystical body and the only sure way to eternal salvation? Nominally surely so, but in re I am not quite so sure. It seems to me that the Polish church (institutional) rests too securely on its lauds and cultural ties to Poland--as we in Western Europe see quite clearly, in the face of materialism and tolerance such cultural ties will not long support the faith. Polish priests and bishops have a unique opportunity at this moment, to re-evangelize the culture while the Church is still strong and people’s hearts are still open to it. Sadly I am not sure they realize the opportunity they have. Speaking with some seminarian friends they note that many people think of the Church as a laudable institution, much like the fire department, however laudable institutions are not the foundations of community life, they are note schools of love, and hope, and faith. Rather they are just tools, which like the postal service can be displaced by new technologies and institutions. Polish people often do not come to priests with problems and polish parishes are often only cultic sites and not centers of community life--if this is the case, as many of my experiences in Poland suggest, the without the clear enemy the Poles had in Communism, the usefulness of the institutional Church one day in the future may be judged to be at an end. However, while the Church may not always be politically useful--it is always and everywhere the ordinary means of salvation, offered by Christ, to the whole world now and until the end of the world. And more than this triumphalistic view, it is a community of love where humans can maximize their human potential for love--and thus become truely happy. Unless the Church is promoted in this light, I fear for its future.
During my trip I was reading Joseph Piepers book on Faith, Hope, and Love--and the section on faith gave me a profound insight into the reality of the faith in Poland. True, the Church is still strong in Poland, but as Pieper suggest, this does not necessarily mean that the faith is strong. The Church in Poland is a cultural phenomenon. It is closely associated with Polish culture, that is Polishness, national identity, is highly linked to Catholicism. The Polish are quite proud of the fact that while the Church is in decline elsewhere it is still strong in Poland. This is clearly true--on the first Friday of Lent I attended a Lenten recollection, penance service, and Mass. I was astounded, it was a Friday morning at 9am, during winter break for Polish students, and the Church was packed with young people, mostly teenagers (13-19). The service lasted three hours, which I found out from my cousin afterwards was unexpected by most of the young people, but few if any of the young left the Church in frustration with the length of the service. This being said however, while all the young people new how to act in Church--I was touched by the profound silence at the Consecration--during most of the service, and Mass the young chatted quietly to themselves. And during the penance service many did not avail themselves of the sacrament, and latter chose not to receive communion. It seems to me that many Poles assent to the Faith, because culturally, politically, and socially they agree with what the Church is in secular terms; however I worry that too few accept the faith by means of the virtue of faith and the act of faith. Do most poles understand the Church to be Christ's mystical body and the only sure way to eternal salvation? Nominally surely so, but in re I am not quite so sure. It seems to me that the Polish church (institutional) rests too securely on its lauds and cultural ties to Poland--as we in Western Europe see quite clearly, in the face of materialism and tolerance such cultural ties will not long support the faith. Polish priests and bishops have a unique opportunity at this moment, to re-evangelize the culture while the Church is still strong and people’s hearts are still open to it. Sadly I am not sure they realize the opportunity they have. Speaking with some seminarian friends they note that many people think of the Church as a laudable institution, much like the fire department, however laudable institutions are not the foundations of community life, they are note schools of love, and hope, and faith. Rather they are just tools, which like the postal service can be displaced by new technologies and institutions. Polish people often do not come to priests with problems and polish parishes are often only cultic sites and not centers of community life--if this is the case, as many of my experiences in Poland suggest, the without the clear enemy the Poles had in Communism, the usefulness of the institutional Church one day in the future may be judged to be at an end. However, while the Church may not always be politically useful--it is always and everywhere the ordinary means of salvation, offered by Christ, to the whole world now and until the end of the world. And more than this triumphalistic view, it is a community of love where humans can maximize their human potential for love--and thus become truely happy. Unless the Church is promoted in this light, I fear for its future.
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