Bob Rice: "How the Catechism Made Me Catholic"

Here is a witness from Bob Rice about how his life was changed by reading and praying through the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

"I remember looking down and seeing blood on my hands. My head was still spinning from the line of cocaine that I snorted in the bathroom. The prostitute I just had sex with was face down on the bed, murdered. Did I do it? I couldn’t remember. I heard sirens outside and footsteps running up the stairs to my apartment. That was the moment that I realized I needed a Savior. I needed Jesus.

Okay, none of that is true."

"Truth be told, I have a very boring conversion story: I always loved Jesus. And then I loved Him more.

I was the good kid. Never drank. Never did drugs. Knew to save sex for marriage. In fact, I lived in fear of letting others down: my parents, my teachers, or even God. I was a straight A student and prayed every night.

So it might not be a surprise when I tell you that one of the most exciting moments in my conversion is when I did something that many consider boring:

I read the Catechism."

-->Read the rest of the article here, and then go read the Catechism.<--

Two practical takeaways from his post:

+     If the Catechism seems overwhelming, try committing to reading one "In Brief" summary at the end of each section in the Catechism every day.

+     If you need an easy place to start, the fourth pillar of the Catechism on prayer is a good place.

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Bob was my professor for many many classes while I attended Franciscan University, and I have to thank him for forming me as a Catholic, catechist, and youth minister, (and actually as a father too) through his deep love for Jesus, his witness as a father, and his love for the Catholic Church.  Maybe one day I will write a post about all the ways he has so tremendously impacted me, but it would be too sappy.

Thanks Bob.

The Mass: A Model for Personal Prayer

St. John of the Cross Statue by Magdeleine Weerts

What should the rhythm of our personal prayer look like?  Is prayer just one action, or a movement toward God with a beginning, middle, and end?  The Church gives us an answer in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  This rhythm is akin to the Mass and can help us enter into prayer more easily and develop a habit of prayer that moves us towards God.

Personal Prayer and the Mass

If we look in the fourth pillar of the Catechism on prayer (remember, the Catechism is split into four pillars - Creed, Sacraments, Morality, and Prayer) especially the section on contemplative prayer, the Catechism makes the connection between contemplative prayer and the Mass:

"Entering into contemplative prayer is like entering into the Eucharistic liturgy" (paragraph 2711).

Remember, contemplative prayer is not something only reserved for Nuns or levitating Saints, contemplative prayer is nothing more than "a close sharing between friends" and "a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus" meant for every Christian.

As we'll see in the Catechism, there are four movements to this rhythm of prayer: GATHER, RECOLLECT, ABIDE, ENTER.

Let's unpack the rest of paragraph 2711 to find a rhythm of personal prayer and its connections to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

GATHER

"Entering into contemplative prayer is like entering into the Eucharistic liturgy: we "gather up" the heart, recollect our whole being under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, abide in the dwelling place of the Lord which we are, awaken our faith in order to enter into the presence of him who awaits us." CCC 2711 __________________________________________________________________________

At the beginning of Mass, we begin with the sign of the Cross and with an opening prayer, called the Collect.  Thus the beginning of Mass is a call to gather ourselves up from the world and reorientate ourselves in relation to Christ.

When I first walk into Mass, there are a thousand thoughts and distractions going through my head, as when I first begin to pray.  At the beginning of prayer and the Mass, the first step is gathering our attention and thoughts and disengaging from the world around us (like Kevin Costner in that baseball movie...) so that we can place ourselves in the presence of God.  Making the Sign of the Cross is a good way to begin prayer because it reminds us why we pray and to whom we pray.

St. Francis de Sales offers four ways of disengaging from the world and placing ourselves in the presence of God in the Introduction to the Devout Life:

1) Realizing God is omnipresent; that God is in everything and everywhere 2) Realizing God is in a very special manner in your heart and the depth of your spirit 3) Realizing God looks down on us from heaven, especially those in prayer 4) Imagining Jesus Christ in his humanity as though he were near us or next to us

RECOLLECT

"Entering into contemplative prayer is like entering into the Eucharistic liturgy: we "gather up" the heart, recollect our whole being under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, abide in the dwelling place of the Lord which we are, awaken our faith in order to enter into the presence of him who awaits us." CCC 2711 _________________________________________________________________________

At the beginning of Mass after the opening prayer is the Penitential Rite, where we acknowledge our sins and repent of them, followed by the Gloria praising God for his mercy and love.

Likewise the next phase of prayer means being honest with ourselves and with God about the state of our our soul and our heart.   "We do not know how to pray as we ought" (Romans 8:26), but if we ask, the Holy Spirit teaches and guides us in prayer to acknowledge and relate to God truthfully who we are, where we have been, our thoughts, desires, baggage, and even our recent sins and shortcomings.

A few paragraphs back, the Catechism explains contemplative prayer in the words of St. Teresa: "Conteplative prayer in my opinion is nothing else than a close sharing between friends" (Catechism 2709).  It's like answering the question "How ya' doing?" from a friend you haven't seen in awhile.

ABIDE

"Entering into contemplative prayer is like entering into the Eucharistic liturgy: we "gather up" the heart, recollect our whole being under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, abide in the dwelling place of the Lord which we are, awaken our faith in order to enter into the presence of him who awaits us." CCC 2711 __________________________________________________________________________

During Mass, we abide in the presence of God and listen to Him.  We hear His voice in the Old Testament, His glory in the Psalms, and encounter Him in the flesh in the Gospels, all during the Liturgy of the Word.

After coming to God in prayer and talking to Him about what is honestly going on in our heart and in our lives, the conversation begins to turn over to God.  Just like on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), after we unload what is on our hearts we give God the opportunity to respond to us.  This is when true contemplative prayer can begin.

In the following paragraphs of the Catechism, it explains that "contemplative prayer is hearing the Word of God." (Catechism 2716)  In order for us to hear the Lord, we need to be patient and wait on Him (Psalm 27:14).  I can't stress enough how important interior silence is for prayer.  How can we hear God speak to us if we never shut up?  Don't be afraid that you are doing nothing by sitting in silence this way.  "Contemplation is a gaze of faith, fixed on Jesus." (Catechism 2715).  As long as you are focused on God, you are praying.  Sometimes God speaks words to your heart, sometimes He sends you peace, sometimes He may just be present with you in that moment, pouring out His love on you.

ENTER

"Entering into contemplative prayer is like entering into the Eucharistic liturgy: we "gather up" the heart, recollect our whole being under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, abide in the dwelling place of the Lord which we are, awaken our faith in order to enter into the presence of him who awaits us." CCC 2711 __________________________________________________________________________

The most intimate moment of Mass happens when we receive our Lord in the Eucharist and come into communion with our God.

Contemplative prayer is a gift beyond words.  Initiated by God, we become caught up in the life of the Trinity and are led to share in the love between the Father and the Son.  There is no way to make this happen, we must abide in God's presence and wait for Him to bring us into communion with Him.  But when this gift does occur, when God allows us to enter into His mystery and experience a foretaste of heaven, it is like an blaze of faith, hope, and love being ignited in your chest!

It's That Easy! (Sort of)

Prayer is hard work, especially contemplative prayer.  Remember, God is the one who initiates contemplative prayer, it is a gift and we can only patiently wait with a loving gaze fixed on Him.  Realize that it will be hard at the beginning, but if we put in even the smallest effort to reach out to God in love, God graciously reward us.  Set up a time to regularly practice praying in this way everyday and you will begin to experience the deep love, joy, and peace of a life in intimate relationship with God.

A Rhythm of Prayer from Catechism 2711 "Entering into contemplative prayer is like entering into the Eucharistic liturgy: we "GATHER up" the heart, RECOLLECT our whole being under the prompting of the Holy Spirit, ABIDE in the dwelling place of the Lord which we are, awaken our faith in order to ENTER into the presence of him who awaits us. We let our masks fall and turn our hearts back to the Lord who loves us, so as to hand ourselves over to him as an offering to be purified and transformed."

+JMJ

###What do you think? Was this helpful?  Let me know in the comment box.  God Bless!

“Say What?” Monday Catechism Series #7 - Exorcisms

A new series on this blog. Each Monday I’ll be posting a gem from our Catechism of the Catholic Church that is interesting or remarkable.

This week's interesting catechism is about exorcisms.  Does the Church still practice exorcisms?  (At every Baptism!) Does the Church really believe that people can be possessed by a demon?

1673  When the Church asks publicly and authoritatively in the name of Jesus Christ that a person or object be protected against the power of the Evil One and withdrawn from his dominion, it is called exorcism.   Jesus performed exorcisms and from him the Church has received the power and office of exorcizing.  In a simple form, exorcism is performed at the celebration of Baptism.  The solemn exorcism, called "a major exorcism," can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop. The priest must proceed with prudence, strictly observing the rules established by the Church.  Exorcism is directed at the expulsion of demons or to the liberation from demonic possession through the spiritual authority which Jesus entrusted to his Church.   Illness, especially psychological illness, is a very different matter; treating this is the concern of medical science. Therefore, before an exorcism is performed, it is important to ascertain that one is dealing with the presence of the Evil One, and not an illness.

+JMJ

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"Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist" - Review

Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist Brant Pitre

Douobleday 240 pages

Once or twice a year I read a book that rocks my world.  This was one of them.  This is a super review of sorts; a bunch of resources, videos, and links are included.

How would the Jews at the time of Jesus viewed his actions at the Last Supper and His words about the Eucharist?

It's hard for a twenty-first century Christian to hear the words and actions of Christ with the ears of the Jews who heard and saw them firsthand.  Dr. Brant Pitre attempts to accomplish just that in "Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist".  He gives you the eyes and ears of a first century Jew using the Bible and ancient Jewish tradition.  Seeing the Eucharist from this perspective is like suddenly seeing 3D after living your entire life in two dimensions - mind blown.

Dr. Pitre looks at the Eucharist through the Old Testament and various sources of Jewish tradition; the Targums, Babylonian Talmud, and Mishna are various collections of ancient commentary, oral traditions, and Bible commentaries from Jewish rabbis between 600 BC and 220 AD.

The book focuses chiefly on the New Exodus, the New Passover, the Manna, and the Bread of the Presence.  Dr. Pitre unpacks each of these perspectives on the Eucharist by first looking to the Old Testament and then drawing from the extra-biblical traditions of ancient Rabbis.

Bread of the Face

By far the two biggest takeaways for me are the sections on the Manna and the Bread of the Presence.  The Bread of the Presence is remarkably hard to miss in its connections and implications with the Eucharist.  An accurate translation of the Bread of the Presence is literally the "Bread of the Face" and was kept in the tabernacle the Jews had in the wilderness during the exodus (Leviticus 24:1-9) along with the Ark of the Covenant and the golden lamp stand, known as the Menorah.

The Bread of the Face was kept on a golden table, or altar, and veiled when brought out of the tabernacle (Numbers 4:1-15).  It was kept with flagons of wine (Exodus 25:29) and the bread and wine were eaten by the Levitical priests every Sabbath day (!).  The Bread of the Presence was a "perpetual due" that would be continually "before the Lord" as a "covenant forever".

According to Rabbinic tradition, the bread changed once it was brought into tabernacle, as Dr. Pitre explains:

"...certain rabbis believed that something special happened to the Bread of the Presence when it was offered by the priests as a sacrifice to God.  Before the bread was brought into the Holy Place to be offered in sacrifice, it could be laid on a marble table.  But after the bread had been consecrated to God by the priests, it had to be laid on a golden table..." (pg. 128)

Also, when the Temple in Jerusalem was built and pilgrims would travel for miles to celebrate Passover, Pentecost, or the feast known as Tabernacles, the Bread of the Face would be removed from the Temple so pilgrims could see it:

"They [the priests] used to lift it [the Golden Table] up and exhibit the Bread of the Presence on it to those who came up for the festivals, saying on them, 'Behold, God's love for you!' (Babylonian Talmud, Menahoth 29A)" (pg. 130-131)

The connections here to the Eucharist, as we know it now in our experience as Catholics, are just ridiculous.  What more love does God have for us than giving us His body on the cross and in the Eucharist?  Doesn't it make sense that this sign of the "covenant forever" would continue after Christ, to be eaten on the Sabbath?  Isn't it a sign of God's "presence" here on earth with His people and in His "temples"?

There were at least two chapters in the book when I felt the sections drawing from the writings of the rabbi's were redundant and hard to trudge through.  Sometimes there wasn't much incentive to read those parts except to see that the rabbis agreed with how Dr. Pitre interprets the Eucharist through the Old Testament.  Despite those couple instances, the book is very easy to read and hard to put down.

READ THIS BOOK!

Like a Scott Hahn book, Dr. Brant Pitre uses the Old Testament to explain the Catholic faith in ways that leave you screaming "Why have I never heard this before?".  Dr. Pitre answers the question "why did early Christians so easily believe in the Real Presence?" in a very convincing and unique way.

This book would be a time-bomb to give to a protestant and great for those who think Mass is boring or don't understand the Real Presence of the Jesus in the Eucharist.  This book is a must read and I highly recommend buying multiple copies to give away.

Resource Goodness

You can read the first chapter of this book here.  Also check out Dr. Brant Pitre's website with links to talks and other books by him.

You can get an outline of Dr. Brant Pitre's talk on Jesus and the Jewish roots of the Eucharist here.  Download and save the pdf by right clicking and clicking "save as".  This outline gives you a bird's eye view of the book and would be great for presenting this content to an RCIA class or other study group at your church.

You can also listen to an hour long talk by Dr. Pitre on this topic (and most of the content of the book) here.

Video Goodness

[youtube=http://youtu.be/eiZMyqGLw5Q]

[youtube=http://youtu.be/97SvFoW-hS4]

[youtube=http://youtu.be/TtdrOcoEPSs]

### I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review, through the Blogging for Books program.  I was not required to write a positive review and I receive no other compensation for this review other than the book.

Buy Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist here!

Dr. Brant Pitre Talk on the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYDSPcEoC74]

How would ancient Jews have understood the Eucharist?

This mind blowing talk by Dr. Brant Pitre on the Jewish roots of the Eucharist answers that question.  Prepare to have your little Catholic brain explode - you'll never look at the Eucharist the same again.

Just a little teaser for you as I read and write a super-review of his book "Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist".

“Say What?” Monday Catechism Series #6 - What is Art?

A new series on this blog. Each Monday I’ll be posting a gem from our Catechism of the Catholic Church that is interesting or remarkable.

This week's interesting catechism is about art.  The catechism defines art as "to give form to the truth of reality in a language accessible to sight or hearing."  Art is a distinctly human activity similar to God's activity in creating.  We need more good artists!

2501  Created "in the image of God," man also expresses the truth of his relationship with God the Creator by the beauty of his artistic works. Indeed, art is a distinctively human form of expression; beyond the search for the necessities of life which is common to all living creatures, art is a freely given superabundance of the human being's inner riches. Arising from talent given by the Creator and from man's own effort, art is a form of practical wisdom, uniting knowledge and skill, to give form to the truth of reality in a language accessible to sight or hearing. To the extent that it is inspired by truth and love of beings, art bears a certain likeness to God's activity in what he has created. Like any other human activity, art is not an absolute end in itself, but is ordered to and ennobled by the ultimate end of man.

+JMJ

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Creation of the Universe and You

[youtube=http://youtu.be/N_ZjaZmjImE] Hat tip to Brandon for linking to this well produced and simple video put out by the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston as part of their new VCAT project. The film series walks you  through the Catechism using engaging youtube videos released every month during the Year of Faith.

I love this video.  It captures your attention with the retro and cheesy tv production of the 1970's and is super smooth and simple, driving home a big message: "This world is not an accident. You are not an accident. You were made by God. You were made FOR God. Not because of luck, but because of love."

I would love to see more videos in the same style and genre: "Mr. Smith's Catechism Class" from the 60's.  But, you know...minus all the poor catechesis of the 60's...

“Say What?” Monday Catechism Series #5 - Mass Media Zombies

A new series on this blog. Each Monday I’ll be posting a gem from our Catechism of the Catholic Church that is interesting or remarkable.

This week's interesting catechism deals with social communication and our responsibility as users and consumers of mass media to form our conscience so we can filter out unwholesome influences and not turn into mindless media zombies.

2496  The means of social communication (especially the mass media) can give rise to a certain passivity among users, making them less than vigilant consumers of what is said or shown. Users should practice moderation and discipline in their approach to the mass media. They will want to form enlightened and correct consciences the more easily to resist unwholesome influences.

+JMJ

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Dual Wielding the Bible and the Catechism

If you want to be a good Catholic, you gotta read your Bible.  But the Church advises us: "sacred tradition, Sacred Scripture and the teaching authority of the Church... are so linked and joined together that one cannot stand without the others" (Dei Verbum Par. 10).

Combining Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition is a deeply Catholic way to read the Bible, and a powerful way to dive deep into our Faith.  If Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition are so intimately linked, reading them in light of one another is drinking deeply from the wells of faith the Church has to offer.  (What a great idea for the Year of Faith!!!)

But how can we do this easily and effectively?

The following is a method of doing just that. I'll be walking you through how to break open Scripture with the eyes of the Church using the catechism and its index of citations (mentioned in the post how to use the catechism).  So grab The Word and a catechism and let the dual wielding begin...

The Bible

The Gospel reading a few days ago is taken from Luke 19:1-10 (read it online here) and recounts the story of the meeting of Jesus and Zacchaeus, the tax collector.  Zacchaeus hears Jesus is coming to Jericho and "was seeking to see who Jesus was".  Being a short fellow (for some reason I picture him as Danny Davito) Zacchaeus climbs a tree to get a glimpse of Jesus.  As Jesus passes by he calls out to the man in the tree, announcing he will stay at Zacchaeus' house.  Zacchaeus comes "down quickly and received him with joy".  The now repentant tax collector vows to give half his possessions to the poor and to repay those he has wronged four times over.  Jesus concludes "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham.  For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”

Reading this passage, there are a few questions that come to mind.  What does it mean for Zacchaeus that Jesus wants to stay at his house?  And why does Zacchaeus have such a strong reaction to Jesus?  It seems there are some things going on here that might not be obvious to us.

The Catechism

Using the index of citations at the back of the catechism we can look up where in the sections of the catechism this episode with Jesus and Zecchaeus is cited.

If you can't find the index of citations, look for the last paragraph of the catechism, 2865.  It is right after it.

There are four citations of this passage throughout the catechism.  One references the entire passage of Luke 19:1-10, and the other three reference two lines from this passage.  The catechism cites all of Luke 19:1-10 in paragraph 2712, so let's start there to see how the Catechism uses this passage to explain the faith to us.

Catechism #2712 "Contemplative prayer is the prayer of the child of God, of the forgiven sinner who agrees to welcome the love by which he is loved and who wants to respond to it by loving even more. (Luke 19:1-10) But he knows that the love he is returning is poured out by the Spirit in his heart, for everything is grace from God. Contemplative prayer is the poor and humble surrender to the loving will of the Father in ever deeper union with his beloved Son."

Contemplative prayer? What is going on here? At first glance I was thoroughly confused too.  But confusion is a good thing.  Confusion means we don't understand, which means we could be staring at an opportunity to learn.  If you only ever read what you understand you may gain information, but you will never gain understanding.

Sweet Symphony

So how does the catechism help us understand the story of Zacchaeus better?  Let's look at three of the catechism paragraphs that cite this passage and see if we can make some better sense of what is going on.

If we read through paragraph 2712 it is clear that Zacchaeus is "the forgiven sinner who agrees to welcome the love by which he is loved".  The love by which Zacchaeus is loved is Jesus, who desires to stay with Zacchaeus.

We can look to catechism paragraph 1443 which explains that Jesus "not only forgave sins, but also made plain the effect of this forgiveness: he reintegrated forgiven sinners into the community of the People of God from which sin has alienated or even excluded them."

So Zacchaeus, the tax collector, was a man probably alienated from the community of the People of God because of his sins.  But how is staying at someone's house a great act of love on Jesus' part?

If we continue reading we find the answer.  Jesus is offering Zacchaeus an act of reconcilliation by offering to not just stay with him, but to dine with him: "Jesus receives sinners at his table, a gesture that expresses in an astonishing way both God's forgiveness and the return to the bosom of the People of God."

We can even see that Zacchaeus' strong reaction is a just action.  In paragraph 2412 the catechism explains: "Jesus blesses Zacchaeus for his pledge: 'If I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." Those who, directly or indirectly, have taken possession of the goods of another, are obliged to make restitution of them, or to return the equivalent in kind or in money...".

Wrapping It Up

These three paragraphs from the catechism shed some light on the story of Zacchaeus and Jesus.

By offering to dine at the table of Zacchaeus (Catechism 1443), Jesus gives Zacchaeus an opportunity to be reconciled with God and brought back into the community of the People of God.

Zacchaeus is not just showboating when he vows to give to the poor and repay those he has wronged.  He is being offered love by Jesus and is so overwhelmed by what is being offered to him that he desires to respond to it by loving even more (Catechism 2712).  This is an model of the dynamics of prayer.

Not only does Zacchaeus reconcile with those he has wronged, he goes above and beyond the demands of justice (Catechism 2412) and pledges to repay his debtors fourfold and to give half of his possessions to the poor.

Prayer

After reading this passage in Scripture and the paragraphs in the catechism, some things about prayer really started to click.  Prayer is a response of love to God.  In prayer we begin by realizing how much love the Father has for us, to take notice of us and offer us reconciliation like Jesus offered Zacchaeus.  And we respond "quickly and [receive] him with joy", being given a child-like desire from the Holy Spirit.  We begin to desire the impossible - to love God even more than He loves us.

And not only do we enjoy the love of God, and enjoy giving love back to him but, like Zacchaeus, it then spills over into our life with our neighbors.  After experiencing such a deep and forgiving love, I am compelled to reconcile with my neighbors.

Reading Scripture with the catechism gave me a profound insight into the life of prayer and relationship with God.  I am sure this image of Zacchaeus' impossible thankfulness and surge of the heart will be in my mind every time I pray for the next few months.

CHALLENGE

I want you to try praying with Scripture and the catechism this way.  All you need is twenty minutes, a Bible, and a catechism for an intense prayer time dual wielding Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition.

Step 1) Go somewhere you can pray. Bring a Bible and a Catechism.

Step 2) Take a passage from Scripture, or even just one line from Scripture, and look it up in the index of citations in the catechism.

Step 3) Prayerfully read through all the referenced passages.  If there are too many, then either narrow down the Scripture or focus on any references in the catechism to the passage that don't make sense right away.  Prayerfully reread them and ask God to teach you.

Step 4) Let me know in the comment box (or on your own blog!) your experience or  what God revealed to you by praying Scripture with the catechism this way.

Some Passages to Try

I haven't tried these passages, but I would love to in the future.  If you can't think of a place to start, start with these.

John 6:54 Luke 1:37 Jeremiah 31:31-34 Genesis 3:15 Luke 3:21 Isaiah 43:1-7

#### I challenge you to try praying with Scripture and the catechism this way.  Follow the steps and leave a comment telling me how it went.  If you have any hang ups, let me know and I'll try to help.

+JMJ

“Say What?” Monday Catechism Series #4 - Newspaper Fame

A new series on this blog. Each Monday I’ll be posting a gem from our Catechism of the Catholic Church that is interesting or remarkable. (I missed Monday this week, so here is the belated Monday post.)

This week’s Interesting Catechism talks about forsaking everything in the world that does not give true happiness, for we find happiness in God alone, "the source of every good and of all love".  It includes a great quote from John Henry Cardinal Newman addressing the lures of the world that include even "newspaper fame".  Challenging words for a blogger like me who can get caught up in chasing after page views.

1723 The beatitude we are promised confronts us with decisive moral choices. It invites us to purify our hearts of bad instincts and to seek the love of God above all else. It teaches us that true happiness is not found in riches or well-being, in human fame or power, or in any human achievement - however beneficial it may be - such as science, technology, and art, or indeed in any creature, but in God alone, the source of every good and of all love:

All bow down before wealth. Wealth is that to which the multitude of men pay an instinctive homage. They measure happiness by wealth; and by wealth they measure respectability. . . . It is a homage resulting from a profound faith . . . that with wealth he may do all things. Wealth is one idol of the day and notoriety is a second. . . . Notoriety, or the making of a noise in the world - it may be called "newspaper fame" - has come to be considered a great good in itself, and a ground of veneration.

(John Henry Cardinal Newman, "Saintliness the Standard of Christian Principle," in Discourses to Mixed Congregations (London: Longmans, Green and Co., 1906) V, 89-90.)

+JMJ

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