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Home > Blog > A Day in the Life > Categories

6/2/2010

Guest Speakers
As part of our academic and priestly formation this semester, one opportunity that the seminarians at the North American College have had available to take advantage of is a scholar-in-residence.
 
Fr. Robert Barron
 
This semester, Fr. Robert Barron, a priest of the archdiocese of Chicago, is our scholar in residence and has given a number of very interesting lectures on numerous topics - including an interesting presentation on Christology and the shortcomings of modern and post-modern philosophies in this field, for our Christology seminar.

Fr. Barron has also given a number of lectures on the life and writings of Servant of God John Henry Cardinal Newman. Cardinal Newman will be beautified in September during Pope Benedict XVI's Apostolic Visit to the United Kingdom.
 
Cardinal Newman is famous for many things, including his conversion from the Anglicanism during the Oxford Movement of the 1800s. A patristics scholar, he is famous in theology for his explanation of the understanding of the development of Christian doctrine, which he said needed an living voice to interpret biblical teachings. In philosophy, Cardinal Newman was famous for his notion of a 'real assent' to God, which he said is made through one's conscience.He recognized the fact that all men have a conscience, an inner voice which speaks to them, and that our consciences are relational, directed to another person. That other person, he said, is God. This is his argument for the existence of God from conscience.

Fr. Barron also gave a few lectures on the moral theology of St. Thomas Aquinas - demonstrating how the end of moral theology is not simply how to make an instantaneous moral choice, a process of deliberation, but rather the moral life is much broader. He taught us that the fundamental question of the moral life is, 'Who is God'. Once we know who God is, we can come to more fully understand ourselves, and what it means to be in relation with him. Only then we can ask, with the rich young man, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" This is the ultimate moral question.

Once we understand who God is, then we can live in the freedom that he wants to give us - not a system of archaic rules but rather freedom for excellence, freedom to choose the good and live it out in our lives. This is very different from how the world defines freedom. (The idea that I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, with whomever I want). That is not freedom but license, and that kind of attitude ignores the consequences of our actions and turns inwards on ourselves instead of outwards towards the other. An analogy I like to use for freedom is the image of a playground. When children in a schoolyard have a fence, they are free to use the entire space. In fact, one study showed that is just what they did, as compared to children who had no fence. Those children all stayed close to the school building, and never ventured out to run around and explore. The freedom that comes with living a moral life allows us to more free, truly free, it allows us to run around play the whole way up to the fence, because beyond the fence is dangerous. That is the freedom that God has created us to have.

With this kind of freedom, we are able to live a life of virtue - which is the most fulfilling kind of life to lead -both in this life and especially in the next!
Fr. Barron's Apostolate
 
You may have heard of Fr. Barron, because of his internet apostolate, www.wordonfire.org. Fr. Barron offers homilies, lectures, and commentary on all kinds of topics from church teaching to the latest movie reviews.  It really is a tremendous resource and tool in the New Evangelization, using the media technology of today to spread the Gospel. I'd recommend him to anyone.
 
 
 
Catholics Come Home and the New Evangelization
Another recent opportunity here at the NAC was a presentation by Mr. Tom Peterson. Mr. Peterson, who was in Rome for a conference on Catholics and Communication in the Media Today at one of the Roman Universities, is the founder of www.CatholicsComeHome.org.
 
If you haven't seen the website, I urge you to check it out - it most certainly will move you.
 
CatholicsComeHome.org makes TV commercials for the Catholic Church. It sounds tacky, but they are extremely well done and very inspiring. The first time I saw the 'Epic' a few years ago, it moved me to tears. They also have helpful resources for Catholics, Protestants, and others, as well as those who may have been away from the church for many reasons - divorce and marriage issues, people who just stopped going. The website includes helpful testimonies from real people, and is very user-friendly.

Mr. Peterson also had some interesting insight in his efforts of evangelization and outreach to welcome back Catholics who may have been away from home. Following months of preparation, catechesis, and prayer these adds air on primetime TV in selected regions for a a number of weeks. On average, his campaign sees a significant increase in Mass attendance after the ads are aired on local TV. More importantly, these souls are being welcomed home to the the family of God the Church, and with open arms. It is so encouraging to hear about such the good things going on in the Catholic world, especially when the media is usually so biased against the Church and the Truth.

Mr. Peterson told us that the #1 response given when asked why people came back was simply "because you asked me!" It is really that simple. That simple message of loving others and inviting them to know Christ as I have is certainly something I'll be thinking about for a while, and indeed it is part of our obligation as baptized Christians, to tell other people about the saving Good News that we have received!

Perhaps this is our chance even to dare to invite a friend, coworker, or family member back home, with all gentleness and love, and then be ready to welcome them with open arms, just like the father in the parable of the prodigal son. Often times people just don't know what they've been missing - it doesn't get better than the God of the universe coming down from heaven on the altar every Sunday!
Posted at 9:47 AM by Daniel Ulishney | Category: On The Web | Permalink | Email this Post

11/8/2009

Until We Can Photograph Everything Here ... Visit Rome Virtually
When I was reading one of my favorite blogs this morning, I saw an interesting article that explains how to use Google Maps to do a "virtual walking tour" of famous cites.

From the New Liturgical Movement:
Those of you who have never visited Rome, or who simply wish to revisit it, may be interested to know that Google Maps has a rather interesting feature that will allow you to do it "virtually" in a rather unique way that is actually somewhat proximate to being there, walking those streets.
...
If you go to Google Maps and double click on the maps, zooming in, eventually you will be taken to views such as these:
Typing in the name of the landmark is enough to get you there if it's anything remotely famous. (I'd suggest to start, try it with St. Peter's Basilica or the Pantheon, which Dan and I pass every day on the way to classes).

This "Street View" also works for most cities and large roads in the States; before we came over, I found it particularly useful for recognizing landmarks when I was driving someplace new.

Happy travels!

(Hat tip to Shawn at NLM for the original post, which can be found here.)
Posted at 5:55 AM by Matthew Morelli | Category: On The Web | Permalink | Email this Post

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