Tag: christianity

Gaps in my knowledge/awareness

We all start out as children – infants, you know? Some of us remain that way for a variety of reasons, mostly not of our thoughtful choosing. I believe that the trajectory of my life would have been to remain an infant but I became motivated, also by a variety of things, people and events to grow, develop, evolve. I did make a thoughtful choice, at least as much of a thoughtful choice as a seven year old is capable of.

Without going into what at this point are needless details I had a revelation or an epiphany as a seven year old that I have come to believe has guided my life for seventy years now. Heavy business for a seven year old.

St. Joseph’s grade school, Butte, Montana is where this occurred. Second grade students were preparing for first communion but prior to that we had to prepare for first confession. Mostly we recognize that as a joke these days because what sins can a seven year old commit? Different times. Anyway Sr. Andrea was from Hawaii. She was young and pretty well educated even compared to some of the older sisters and she had had a good taste of current theology. Lucky for me because I was a kid who really thought that you had to obey all the rules and those who made the rules or you were in deep trouble.

At the end of the unit on the sacrament of confession (reconciliation, these days) Sr. Andrea said the words that changed my life. “If you do something that, your conscience tells you is right, not sinful; even if the Bishop or the Pope says it is sinful, it is not. Of course, you have to have an informed conscience” (the kicker.) Boy did that set me free – to inform my conscience but also to not worry about or even necessarily believe what the powers that be may convict me of.

Over the years, again for a variety of reason, I have been an autodidact at informing my conscience. I believe that this is part of a continuing epiphany that led to philosophy, psychology and then theology as a student and counselor and then chaplain. My studies, both formal and informal led me to a lot of ideas that seemed out of sync with Catholic/ christian ideas. But I have been reading Joseph Ratzinger’s book INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIANITY which starts at the beginning of Christian history and explains the ideas that we currently call dogma in a way that confirms the things I have come to believe. Gotta say: I am grateful for having been led to the book by my colleague, Jacob, and to Cardinal Ratzinger for his brilliant mind and explication of Christian beliefs and how we came to them and what it means to us..

Another long time – with new perspectives to old views

It’s been so long since I’ve posted anything that I no longer know how to use the tools… but here we go.

I’m a ranter. I do some of my best thinking by ranting about something. I also tend to think defensively – argumentatively. Both of those things are counterproductive, I think. However, at my age changing how my brain works is – HARD. I have learned a lot about myself and done a lot of work to make the world I experience a positive place – in my mind. In the world we live in: one that is falling apart, being positive is the only rational approach and the only approach that has a chance of making a positive difference for myself and others.

I’m finishing a book called Life After Doom by Brain D. McLaren. He is a former pastor who has been awakened to the dire state of the planet and everything on it. It’s one of those books that puts things you already know together – articulates it well and helps you to be more thoughtful in your own approach to – Life. If you’ve not thought about the state of the world it’s a very hard read. If you are aware of our dire straits then it’s only moderately disturbing but is is very helpful in planning how to respond the the coming collapse of – everything – with integrity, courage, compassion and mercy.

Last week Patty and I went to a series of talks on “spirituality in film in a secular age” at our alma mater. The talks were sponsored by the Faith and Reason Institute at the university. Boy were those guys (all guys, which tells you something) smart. But they were so stuck in an outdated, outmoded way of thinking about the world that they never said a word about how spirituality in these times is also undergoing massive change and that outdated, outmoded approaches no longer address the spirituality of humans on our planet.

They complained about how our culture has become a culture of victimhood. They talked, a lot, about the anti-Christian, Anti-Catholic cultural biases of Hollywood, never noticing that that complaint was making themselves (Catholics and Christian) victims. Their blindness to their own issues and to the issues that every person on the planet is facing irritated me. That’s when I began to think about returning to this blog – that I might have something to say. Obviously, I haven’t said anything yet.

Another confession: I find it hard to motivate myself and I have a lot of internal hangups that make it hard for me to commit to doing anything like this on a regular basis. But I hope to conjure up rants that I enjoy and post on a more or less regular basis. Join me here and I will try to make a Chatauqua out of this: Entertaining,Educational and Edifying.

PS: I am a Catholic Christian and I buy into it- just not in a traditional way but that very much informs my thinking. I encourage anyone who thinks that I have something to say to go to the Center for Action and Contemplation site and read the daily reflections there.

PEACE and LOVEYA,

Ron