World Mental Health Day

As someone who has suffered from depression and anxiety for all of his adult life, I thought today,which has been designated World Mental Health Day, might be a good day to break my blogging hiatus.

When I was young, I looked forward to having a family. Aside from the very positive influence of my own family and the regard with which the institution is held by The Catholic Church, I liked the idea of working hard to support people I loved. I always remember wanting a huge family; plenty of rascals enjoying themselves in a farm house with lots of land and animals for adventures. At no point did I consider such a life could be difficult.

As an adult, once I had realised that my depression and anxiety were not going to magically disappear one day, I convinced myself that I would never be able to cope with the demands of marriage and family life. I was terrified that the burden and responsibility would be unbearable and that I would buckle under the pressure.

Today, I am a married man with a beautiful wife who is carrying our unborn son who we cannot wait to meet! What has changed?

The ostensible answer to that question is nothing; I still suffer from depression and anxiety. The reality however is wonderfully different. I believe I can cope. I have days when I'm on my knees but I have faith that I will soon get back up. Where I once believed I would be a burden to a wife and family, I see a woman who loves me, with all my faults, failing and difficulties. Together with my family, she supports and inspires me to better things. I have a little person on the way who I'm looking forward to introducing to this fascinating world in which we live. My faith in the promise that "God is faithful: He will not let you be tried beyond what you are able to bear" [1] has been renewed. I see my marriage and fatherhood as my vocation; it is the way I hope to get to heaven.

Prayer to St. Dymphna

Lord, our God, you graciously chose St. Dymphna as patroness of those afflicted with mental and nervous disorders. She is thus an inspiration and a symbol of charity to the thousands who ask her intercession.

Please grant, Lord, through the prayers of this pure youthful martyr, relief and consolation to all suffering such trials, and especially those for whom we pray. (Here mention those for whom you wish to pray).

We beg you, Lord, to hear the prayers of St. Dymphna on our behalf. Grant all those for whom we pray patience in their sufferings and resignation to your divine will. Please fill them with hope, and grant them the relief and cure they so much desire.

We ask this through Christ our Lord who suffered agony in the garden. Amen.


[1] 1 Cor 10:13

A new commandment I give unto you...

It was because of Jesus' hardness of heart that he did not allow you to divorce your wives but we say unto you that whoever divorces his wife and marries another does not commit adultery...

http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2017/03/09/cardinal-nichols-praises-maltese-bishops-guidelines-on-amoris/

Dubious

In a recent Twitter exchange regarding Stephen Bullivant's article [1] on the dubia of Cardinals Caffarra, Burke, Brandmüller and Meisner, Austen Iveriegh suggested the document which was written in order to clear up "grave disorientation and great confusion" was "dissent / theological protest masquerading as a dubium." [2] Indeed, as Amoris Laetitia is, according to Mr Ivereigh "the mind of the Church discerned in 2 synods and expressed in magisterial document" [3], the Cardinals have had their answer, "They just don’t like it." [2]

I cannot accept Mr Ivereigh's contention that the matter is closed because it appears to me that he, and like minded bishops, clergy and commentators are suggesting that it is possible that some divorced and re-married Catholics should and will be allowed to receive communion. If this is true, then it flies in the face of everything I understand regarding the Bible, Sacred Tradition, the deposit of Faith, the authority of the Church, the power of Grace and the nature of the Sacraments. If I am to accept such a teaching, I will need far more persuasion than is being proffered by footnotes, off the cuff remarks and the current murky state of affairs. Answering the dubia, if only out of courtesy, would be a start.

[1] http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/commentandblogs/2016/11/24/submitting-dubia-is-a-standard-part-of-church-life-its-not-unreasonable-to-expect-a-clear-answer

[2] https://twitter.com/austeni/status/802131388153663488

[3] https://twitter.com/austeni/status/802191636449071105

The crushing depths of feminism

In a recent blog post [1] @ccfather suggests that "the reality is that sex is about bonding and babies; that is an empirically verifiable fact. So in order to justify other uses of sex, and the ways in which the natural consequences of sex can be thwarted, elaborate theories have to be developed, to flee that reality."

One of the most insipid of these theories is a form of feminism which appears to denigrate every unique aspect of femininity in favour of a vision for women which takes it's inspiration from the worst behaviour in man. Sexual licence is at the core of this ideology which eulogies the errant belief that men are capable of indulging in sexual activity without consequences. To mimic the behaviour of the "men" which they idolise, women must frustrate the natural function of their own bodies, pumping it full of hormones to frustrate their reproductive potential. When this fails, the ideology encourages them to go a step further, leading them to reject motherhood; the scourge of abortion is the cornerstone of this insipid form of feminism. Thus women are betrayed into the hands of men who welcome them into this mutually destructive ideology which sees fellow human human beings as ends to be used and abused.

The degree to which abortion is a mainstay of this movement can be evidenced in this picture which was posted on Instagram:

Words failed me when it was first brought to my attention by a friend; I was equally disgusted, sad and angry. I then had the misfortune to read some of the comments underneath it which truly reveal the depraved depths to which this ideology has pulled our society and culture. Here's a sample of the callousness which encompasses this world view:

• "Let's get matching ones"
• "Awesome. I love her work"
• "Abort Meee!" (Followed by a number of heart emojis)
• "Does it come in men's?"
• "Need this for work"
• "My birthday is coming up..."
• "There's a knitting needle joke in here somewhere"
• "All women need that dress"
• "Found my future wedding dress"

In contrast to this aberration, the Catechism of the Catholic Church offers us a vision of a mutually beneficial complementarity which challenges men to be men and women to be women:

"Everyone, man and woman, should acknowledge and accept his sexual identity. Physical, moral, and spiritual difference and complementarity are oriented toward the goods of marriage and the flourishing of family life. The harmony of the couple and of society depends in part on the way in which the complementarity, needs, and mutual support between the sexes are lived out. In creating men 'male and female,' God gives man and woman an equal personal dignity. Man is a person, man and woman equally so, since both were created in the image and likeness of the personal God. Each of the two sexes is an image of the power and tenderness of God, with equal dignity though in a different way. The union of man and woman in marriage is a way of imitating in the flesh the Creator's generosity and fecundity". [2]

[1] http://ccfather.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/the-flight-from-reality.html

[2] Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2333 - 2335

The Force is strong with this one... (No spoilers)

After a year of tense anticipation during which we have been tantalised by cleverly crafted trailers and TV spots which gave very little away, today was the day I finally got to see Star Wars: Episode VII: The Force Awakens.

Since the news broke that George Lucas had sold Lucasfilm to Disney and that Episode VII would begin production, I had caught between between contrasting emotions: giddy with excitement at the prospect of a new Star Wars film, haunted by the spectre of the immense disappointment that was Prometheus (the last film I anticipated with such great expectations), worried that the mistakes of the prequels would be repeated in the sequels. The trailers were a resounding success, the character and look of the originals leapt of the screen, so I dared to dream; I am happy to report that Star Wars: The Force awakens is a resounding success.

The real triumph of Episode VII is that it manages to maintain the spirit and tone of the original movies as it integrates the new characters into the legacy created by the old. When I realised that the film was coming to it's climax, I found myself thinking that I could quite happily have continued watching the film for another four hours. The pace is enthralling, the action sequences are a visual feast, the dialogue is light years away from clunkiness of the prequels and a perfect balance is achieved between answering questions raised by the 30 year gap from Return of the Jedi and raising new ones to be addressed in Episode VIII.

Being hyper critical, one could argue that Episode VII is a little too deferential to the original films; many of the plot devices (and one could argue some of the minor characters) are recycled and tweaked ever so slightly. An attack on a First Order base which should be a gargantuan undertaking is actually accomplished with relative ease, perhaps because it is simply a stage on which to set the emotional finale.

Star Wars: The Force awakens is a welcome addition to the Star Wars cinematic universe and I look forward to seeing it again, and again, and again and again. In case you're wondering, yes, I did cry during the film. I'll wait for you to watch it and see if you can guess where and why!

Little lights

The candle is one of the most enduring images of Advent and those which adorn the Advent wreath remind us that we wait in anticipation for the coming of Jesus, the light of the world. This year, I've ordered a wreath for our home and in doing so, I was reminded of the song "All the little lights" by Passenger.

The span of human life is often likened to that of a burning candle which will inevitably go out but "All the little lights" has a slight twist on this theme as the singer suggests that "we're born with million of lights shinning in our hearts" which "die along the way" till "we're old and we're cold and lying in the dark" because "they'll all burn out one day". In the course of the song, the source of these lights is revealed to be love, the loss of which also leads to their death, and the singer takes us through few life events which resulted in the extinguishing of his own "little lights". These include lying to his mother about smoking, the occasion his uncle's cancer and unnamed occurrences in the backstreets of Manchester, a bus stop in Edinburgh and an English park.

In many respects, despite the sweet accompaniment by the xylophone, this is a rather sad exploration of the human condition. To be sure, sin and the difficulties of life can extinguish our "little lights" leaving us in darkness and despair but, thankfully, two essential elements are missing from the song's narrative; hope and grace. We are certainly capable of extinguishing the effects of Grace within our souls but, thanks to the sacrifice of Christ on Calvary which demonstrates God's great love for us, this need not be the end. By seeking forgiveness and reconciliation, God is willing to expose us once more to the light of His Grace. Confession is the "little light" lighter par excellence. Likewise, Jesus is the personification of Hope; this is not a hope to cling to despite the odds but rather a relationship of Love capable of healing any wound.

Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

A path in the wilderness

Today is the first day of Advent, the beginning of the new liturgical year and the time during which the Church reminds us of the historical reality of Christ's birth into our space and time. In commemorating the Nativity, we come to understand that the incarnation is an invitation to all to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus, sent that we might be freed from our sins, finally to realise our true dignity as sons and daughters of the Father. At the first Christmas, Jesus entered into history and, each year, the liturgy of Advent helps us to renew our resolve to accept and make a place for Christ in our own lives.

Advent is not merely a time of joyous anticipation of Christmas day; properly observed, it is a time of spiritual preparation which will necessarily include penitential observances. The penitential character of Advent is perhaps more imperative than ever given that Christmas is increasingly subsumed beneath layer upon layer of secular largess and sentimentality.

This Advent, I have decided to give up social media and I hope that I will have the discipline to use the time I would otherwise spend trawling through my Twitter feed on prayer and spiritual reading. As a theme, I have decided to reflect upon Isaiah 40:30, "The voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the wilderness the paths of our God". Though this passage is usually used to allude to the role John the Baptist played in preparing the people of Israel for the coming of the Messiah, I have chosen to focus on the requirement to "make straight" the "paths in the wilderness". I perceive that within myself, I posses (and perhaps have cultivated) spiritual deserts which are not a fitting places to receive Jesus, God made man. I hope that this Advent will help me to identify those aspects of my life which are responsible for these wastelands so that I might pray for the graces to water their arid soils.