Through A Glass Darkly

…it is the cross which is the great revelation of the divine agape, because it is in the cross that we can clearly see that God’s love does not wait for us to merit it, but is a purely generous and creative love, that it does not need to find some good in us to love, but rather makes us good by loving us ans only God can love.

Louis Bouyer, Liturgical Piety

John Henry Newman, commenting on his own spiritual pilgramige in his Apologia Pro Vita Sua , relfects on a time when his thoughts on the nature of reality changed for him.  He is speaking specifically about the role of angels in the created order.  This is apocalyptic realism:

“Again, I ask what would be thoughts of a man who, ‘when examining a flower, or a herb, or a pebble, or a ray of light, which he treats as something so beneath him in the scale of existence, suddenly discovered that he was in the presence of some powerful being who was hidden behind the visible thigns he was inspecting, who, though concealing his wise hand, was giving them their beauty, grace, and perfection, as being God’s instrument for the purpose, nay, whose robe and ornaments those objects were, which he was so eager to analyze?’ and I therefore remark that ‘we may say with grateful and simple hearts with the Three Holy Children, ‘O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord, praise Him, and magnify Him for ever.””

Introducing Frederica Mathewes-Green. If you don’t know who she is, you can find out here. She is a wonderful gift to the Church with a wonderful story of faithfulness to Christ.

“The history of the Council of Nice has been so often written by so many brilliant historians, from the time of its sitting down to to-day, that any historical notice of the causes leading to its assembling, or account of its proceedings, seems quite unnecessary. The editor, however, ventures to call the attention of the reader to the fact that in this, as in every other of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, the question the Fathers considered was not what they supposed Holy Scripture might mean, nor what they, from à priori arguments, thought would be consistent with the mind of God, but something entirely different, to wit, what they had received. They understood their position to be that of witnesses, not that of exegetes. They recognized but one duty resting upon them in this respect—to hand down to other faithful men that good thing the Church had received according to the command of God. The first requirement was not learning, but honesty. The question they were called upon to answer was not, What do I think probable, or even certain, from Holy Scripture? but, What have I been taught, what has been intrusted to me to hand down to others?”

This quote is taken from Philip Schaff’s and Henry Wace’s historical introduction to the the First Eccumenical Council or the Council of Nicea (A.D. 325) which is found in the 34th volume of their series on the Church Fathers. It can be found here.

Regarding the quote, I have to say that this is a worthy theological method. The million dollar question that every “tradition” faces is, “to what are we going to be faithful?” “What has been handed down to us?” Again, I come to the same point I always come to when I contemplate these things, we must begin at the beginning, namely the apostles and those who followed them. To begin at any other point is to enter the story at the wrong point.

“I am most anxious that you should not throw away time in religious dissipation, or in gossiping and frivolous talk. Beware of running about from this meeting to that, listening to mere twaddle, and contributing your share to the general blowing up of windbags. A man great at tea-drinkings, evening parties, and Sunday-school excursions, is generally little everywhere else. Your pulpit preparations are your first business, and if you neglect these, you will bring no credit upon yourself or your office. Bees are making honey from morning till night, and we should be always gathering stores for our people. I have no belief in that ministry which ignores laborious preparation.” [taken from Lectures To My Students]