[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_image=”http:\/\/blogs.shu.edu\/integratio\/files\/2022\/08\/integratio-Logo-2.png” background_enable_mask_style=”on” background_mask_style=”arch” background_mask_color=”#E0D2B5″ background_mask_transform=”flip_vertical|invert|flip_horizontal” background_mask_aspect_ratio=”portrait” background_mask_size=”custom” background_mask_width=”100%” background_mask_height=”100%” background_mask_blend_mode=”screen” min_height=”445.2px” custom_margin=”1px|||||” hover_enabled=”0″ background_last_edited=”on|phone” background_enable_mask_style_phone=”on” background_mask_style_phone=”caret” background_mask_transform_phone=”flip_vertical|invert|flip_horizontal” background_mask_aspect_ratio_phone=”square” background_mask_position_phone=”center_right” global_colors_info=”{}” background__hover_enabled=”off|desktop” sticky_enabled=”0″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_accordion _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Volume III – 2024 – Gracious Catastrophes” open=”on” open_toggle_background_color=”#2990B3″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” text_orientation=”center” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
About the Faculty Summer Seminar<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Facilitator: Dr. Michael Murphy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n In its most basic scholarly form, the \u201cCatholic imagination\u201d refers to the holistic faculty endowed to creatures for critical, contemplative, and creative engagement with the living God. To be sure, this three-day workshop will engage the Catholic imagination in this needed (albeit) academic way, but we will also explore the term in other, more personal and experiential ways as well. Some questions, topics, and points to be considered:<\/span><\/p>\n And so: we turn to the arts of the imagination. If, as David Tracy observes, religion\u2019s \u201cclosest cousin is not rigid logic, but art,\u201d what might art\u2014and conversations about the imagination\u2014be trying to communicate to its \u201ccousin\u201d (and to us all) as we travel along the first decades of the 21st century? This workshop will not only reflect on the nature of a \u201cCatholic Imagination\u201d (as a theoretical\/creative lens, an exercise in cultural production, and so on), but as a theological way of knowing with a very long (and living) tradition.<\/span><\/p>\n \n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”The Images of Motherhood as Reflected in Catholic Writings and Art by Josephine Devito” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” open=”off”]<\/p>\n The image of motherhood in Christianity shows not only faith, but compassion, love, and a belonging between a mother and child which is displayed in art, poetry, and scriptures. The image of the \u201cPieta\u201d illustrates maternal attachment that the mother of Jesus Christ has for her son. The sculpture captures the moment when Jesus, taken down from the cross, is given to his mother, Mary. It is noted that Mary looks younger than Jesus and some art historians believe Michelangelo was inspired by a passage in Dante Alighieri\u2019s Divine Comedy<\/em>: \u201cO Virgin Mother, daughter of your Son, your merit so ennobled human nature that its divine Creator did not hesitate to become your creation.1<\/sup><\/a> The \u201cPieta\u201d represents the body of Jesus on the lap of his mother, Mary. Pieta means \u201cPity or Compassion\u201d and represents Mary\u2019s sorrowfully contemplating the dead body of her son. The \u201cPieta\u201d is not mentioned in the Bible but in the Middle Ages was cited as one of the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary.2<\/sup><\/a> The devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary, helps us to meditate on the events in Our Lady\u2019s life when she lovingly and willingly united herself to her Son\u2019s sacrifice on the Cross and shared in His redemption.3<\/a><\/p>\n The Blessed Virgin Mary always had a prenatal connection to her unborn son, even though she did not understand it but felt an undeniable love since she accepted this without question. According to contemporary maternal child theorists, Mercer4<\/sup><\/a> and Rubin5<\/sup><\/a> prenatal attachment enhances postnatal attachment behavior. The role of becoming a mother is a part of a woman\u2019s psychological inner self, as she progresses through her pregnancy as the newborn becomes viable. With the acknowledgment of pregnancy, a mother develops an initial and intense relationship with the child that is the foundation of a special relationship between them. At the annunciation, Mary never doubted this but asked, \u201cHow can this be? I do not know man\u201d When the angel Gabriel explained, Mary accepted the beautiful gift of the Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit.6<\/sup><\/a> When she visits her cousin Elizabeth who was pregnant with John the Baptist, Elizabeth felt the baby \u201cleap\u201d in her womb, declaring \u201cblessed is the fruit of your womb.\u201d7<\/sup><\/a> Elizabeth had been barren for many years before she was able to conceive. Both women, acknowledged the beauty of life in their unborn sons. Motherhood is a miracle for both Mary and Elizabeth that gives meaning to the most important part of being a woman.<\/p>\n According to contemporary maternal newborn theories, this is evident in Mary, the mother of Jesus, since as a mother attains the role of motherhood, she envisions her newborn and the role they will have in life.8<\/sup><\/a> The Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon, who was a righteous and devoted man that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord\u2019s Messiah. Simeon took Jesus in his arms when his parents were going into the temple and praised God, saying, \u201cMaster, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.\u201d9<\/sup><\/a> Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.10<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n Throughout Christianity, a woman was the foundation for the continuation of the family. A woman\u2019s role in the patriarchal family as a supportive spouse and mother was paramount. Since motherhood was held in high esteem, a women risked physical pain and possible death to have children.11<\/sup><\/a> Sarah loved her husband Abraham, but she felt she was letting him down because she was unable to give him a son, despite God telling her this would happen.12<\/sup><\/a> She felt it was her most vital role to provide an heir and continue the family of Abraham. Because of this, Sarah insisted Hagar lay with Abraham to have a son, which was Ismael. It was God who proclaimed that Isaac would be the promised son, but what Sarah did not understand was, the time would be when God wanted this to happen. Sarah as a mother wanted to protect her son Isaac. She grew jealous of Hagar and Ismael\u2019s relationship with Isaac. Sarah made Abraham send Hagar and Ismael away. Hagar was made aware that God had a plan for Ismael, and he would lead the tribes of Israel. Both Sarah and Hagar were good woman and mothers who loved their sons and God.13<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n In Exodus we also see how the role of midwives assisted in helping mothers giving birth. The Pharoah of Egypt told the Hebrew midwives if a Hebrew woman gives birth to a son, kill them. Midwives had a dedication to their role in assisting a woman during birth. Even though males were valued more that female births, all newborn life was precious to the midwives.14<\/sup><\/a> The midwives feared God more than the Pharoah and did not obey this order. A Hebrew mother, Jochebed gave birth to a son, but would not turn him over to be killed. She kept him hidden for as long as she could and sent him in a basket down the river. Miriam, the baby\u2019s sister watched as Pharoah\u2019s daughter rescued him. Pharoah allowed his daughter to raise the baby and named him Moses, meaning he was drawn from the water. Miriam told Pharoah\u2019s daughter she knew a woman who could breast feed the baby and suggested Jochebed. Unknown to them, Moses\u2019s birth mother breast fed him. Jochebed\u2019s love and attachment survived, and she was united briefly to provide for her son.15<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n We can also see an example of motherhood in the martyrs St. Perpetua and St. Felicity. Perpetua wrote her own martyrdom until the time it occurred. Both Perpetua and Felicity, her slave had recently converted to Christianity. It was a crime for Roman citizens to convert to Christianity as they would be sentenced to be thrown to the beasts. The courts showed them no mercy. Perpetua was nursing her baby and Felicity had just given birth before they entered the arena to be tortured by the wild beasts. They were told to reject their conversion to Christianity so they would not be tortured, but they refused. The day before her martyrdom Perpetua had a dream, where she is turned into a man. The symbolism reveals that in martyrdom, a Christian woman is no longer a woman since she is not defined by her \u201cweakness\u201d and \u201cdependence.\u201d Instead, she takes on the role the world thinks is reserved for men, the role of conquering hero.16<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n While awaiting her persecution, she was very distressed concerning her infant son who needed to nurse. When she was placed in the dungeon, she was glad to be with her son and nurse him. She loved her son and arranged for her mother to take care of her baby, which shows the love of a mother. Felicity also left her newborn to someone to raise the baby. Both Perpetua and Felicity were stripped naked and tortured by the beasts. Their love of Jesus Christ and vision of ascending the ladder to Paradise made them able to endure this horrifying experience.17<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n The image of motherhood can be seen in early Christianity as a very important role for women of faith. It was a challenge since conception and birth came with great risk for both a mother and child. What made women desire motherhood was that life was precious and the foundation of love for the family that Jesus promised. God the father, sent his son to be born to Mary, a virgin and to a man who was would be his foster father, Joseph. The sacred heart of Jesus holds for all who believe in God infinite love and everlasting life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1<\/sup> Paolucci, A. Michelangelo, la Pieta, <\/em>(Dante Alighieri\u2019s Divine Comedy<\/em>, Paradiso, Canto XXXIII, 1997), p. 40<\/p>\n 2<\/sup> O\u2019Neil, K., The Seven Sorrows of Mary, <\/em>(Liguori Publications: New York, 2008), p. 21<\/p>\n 3<\/sup> Jameson, A., Legends of the Madonna: A representation in the fine arts (Omnigraphics Inc., 1990) <\/em>(ISBN 13: 978- 1558882775) https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Legends-Madonna-Represented-FineArts\/dp\/1558882774,<\/a> p. 1<\/p>\n 4<\/sup> Mercer, R.T., Becoming a Mother versus maternal Role Attainment, <\/em>(Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 2004), p. 24<\/p>\n 5<\/sup> Rubin, R. Maternal, Identity and the Maternal Experience, <\/em>(Springer: New York, 1984), p. 42.<\/p>\n 6<\/sup>Coogan, M.D., The New Oxford Annotated Bible: The Gospel of Luke 1:30, <\/em>(Oxford University Press: New York, 2018), p. 1868<\/p>\n 7<\/sup> Ibid<\/em>., p. 1868<\/p>\n 8<\/sup> Mercer, p. 24<\/p>\n 9<\/sup> Coogan, Luke 2:25-32<\/em>, p. 1871<\/p>\n 10<\/sup> Ibid<\/em>., Luke 2:19<\/em>, p. 1870<\/p>\n 11<\/sup> Campbell, J., The Stories of the Old Testament: A Catholic\u2019s Guide, <\/em>(Loyola Press, A Jesuit Ministry: Chicago, 2007), p. 35<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 12<\/sup> Ibid<\/em>., pp. 31-33<\/p>\n 13<\/sup> Coogan, Genesis 21:15-19<\/em>, p. 40<\/p>\n 14<\/sup> Coogan, Exodus 1:15-22<\/em>, p. 84<\/p>\n 15<\/sup> Campbell, pp. 56-57<\/p>\n 16<\/sup> Aquilina, M., The Witness of Early Christian Women: Mothers of the Church, <\/em>(Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division: Indiana, 2014), pp.60-61<\/p>\n 17<\/sup> Aquilina, M., The Fathers of the Church: An Introduction to the First Christian Teachers, <\/em>(Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division: Indiana, 2014), pp.254-255<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”Love of Things Invisible: A Theological Look at the Catholic Imagination by Matthew Higgins” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” open=”off”]<\/p>\n For in the mystery of the Word made \ufb02esh<\/em> Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n The text above comes from the preface to the Eucharistic prayer recited during the Mass of our Lord\u2019s Nativity at Christmas. Within this prayer, the faithful are called to re\ufb02ect upon the power of the Incarnation as the way in which God chose to reveal himself to humanity, namely by entering into it, but also its e\ufb00ects and deeper meaning regarding God\u2019s revelation to humanity. There is a common phrase in the Catholic Studies movement, attributed to the original Center for Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas, \u201cThe Incarnation changes everything.\u201d The Incarnation, the \u201cmystery of the Word made \ufb02esh,\u201d as noted above, changes how we view God, ourselves, and the world. If there is a God who created all things out of nothing, and that same all-powerful God who needs nothing still chose to take on human form out of love for His creation, then everything in His creation has the potential to point our hearts and minds to Him. In fact, from the earliest pages of Scripture, we read that God created man and woman \u201cin His image,\u201d meaning that humanity bears the image of God. It is therefore possible that through these image bearers, we can begin to see the One whose image we bear.<\/p>\n The Catholic imagination assists us in doing just that. It helps us view the world and creation through an incarnational and sacramental lens, meaning that through human faculties, senses, and creativity we can begin to know, love, and serve God. This topic was explored over the course of two days at the 26th annual Faculty Summer Seminar at Seton Hall University. Visiting Seton Hall University for the two-day seminar, Dr. Michael Murphy from Loyola University in Chicago o\ufb00ered insight into the Catholic imagination, particularly through literature and works of art. Participants explored how through these created works of beauty, we behold Beauty Himself.<\/p>\n Imagination\u2014the eyes of our mind<\/strong><\/p>\n When we hear the word, \u201cimagination,\u201d our imaginations are automatically engaged. We start to visualize with our mind’s eye. Perhaps we think of our childhood and the games we once played, performances we put on for our parents, or how we conceived of our lives in the future. When asked to de\ufb01ne imagination, there is a general consensus that the imagination is something within the human person, more pointedly the mind, which enables us to formulate and create a visual idea of something that is otherwise invisible. For St. John Henry Newman, the imagination is a faculty of the mind that combines our personal experience and memory with an abstraction.2 For example, we do not need to have ever set foot on a tropical island for us to imagine what it looks like. The same can be said of certain spiritual realities. One does not need to have witnessed the Incarnation or the events of Jesus\u2019 Passion to imagine their deeper truths.<\/p>\n If we look at the words in the preface to the Eucharistic Prayer above, this notion rings true. We also get a glimpse of the beauty of studying theology, spirituality, and Catholic \u201cstu\ufb00.\u201d One of the many reasons I chose to study theology in graduate school was the wonder and awe caused by the fact that we can never truly understand God and His purposes\u2014especially not in human terms; these are but images. Even the greatest minds in the Church\u2019s history have striven to de\ufb01ne and describe theological truths and supernatural realities only to fall short. As the famous story of St. Thomas Aquinas at the end of his life shows us, all human attempts to describe the works of God are \u201call straw.\u201d As Newman stated in Grammar of Assent: \u201cNo human words indeed are worthy of the Supreme Being, none are adequate; but we have no other words to use but human…\u201d3<\/p>\n Because of this, Newman often spoke of the imagination, the illative sense, and their rootedness in the search for Truth.4<\/p>\n The mystery transcends all our experience; we have no experiences in our memory which we can put together, compare, contrast, unite, and thereby transmute into an image of the Ine\ufb00able Verity;\u2014certainly; but what is in some degree a matter of experience, what is presented for the imagination, the a\ufb00ections, the devotion, the spiritual life of the Christian to repose upon with a real assent, what stands for things, not for notions only, is each of those propositions taken one by one, and that, not in the case of intellectual and thoughtful minds only, but of all religious minds whatever, in the case of a child or a peasant, as well as of a philosopher.5<\/p>\n Knowing this and the limitations of our humanity, God in His goodness desiring all to be one with Him, chose to become one like us so that we may come to see, know, and love Him. We are much more apt to relate to and understand things on a human level and therefore, it is through our imagination and the eyes of our mind and heart that we can begin to see God\u2019s glory revealed. It is through the visible, that is those which we can perceive through the human senses, that we can see re\ufb02ections of the invisible.<\/p>\n This particular seminar explored works of art as examples of visible things. Seminar participants discussed literary works, poetry, music, and \ufb01lm. Works of art assist us in our search for Truth. The journey of faith via the Catholic imagination includes works of art as an outward or visible sign that points to the invisible, the metaphysical, and the Divine. In Reading for the Love of God, Jessica Hooten Wilson describes reading, both Biblical and non-spiritual texts, as a spiritual practice that awakens our imagination among other things.<\/p>\n The way we read books will foster a certain imagination, a particular way of reading the world, in which we ascend toward contemplating God and all his graces or descend into utilitarianism and reduced vision. 6 Reading has long been associated with fostering imagination, but reading through a sacramental lens o\ufb00ers us a deeper look into our relationship with God as His beloved creation. It opens us to our whole self.<\/p>\n The Catholic Imagination and Sacramentality\u2014the eyes of our whole self<\/strong><\/p>\n The most commonly used etymology of the word catholic is \u201cuniversal.\u201d However, as Dr. Murphy shared during the seminar, the Greek roots of the word Catholic mean \u201caccording to (kata-) the whole (holos).\u201d Much like Newman argued how the imagination is not exclusively for the intellectual, the imagination can be used by all and is multifaceted, using the whole of our experience. Works of art include images, \ufb01lm, music, sculptures, and more. All of which can speak to the imagination of any individual. Furthermore, imagination is more than just an intellectual gift, but as Newman stated, a faculty. It is a process that utilizes many facets of our experience including memory, emotions, desires, hopes, and senses.<\/p>\n Catholic theology emphasizes the human being as a unity of both body and soul.7 The two are not separate entities wherein our biological body is a suit worn by our souls. We are more than just a mind and therefore the Catholic imagination includes our whole self, all of the human senses, as well as our spirit. As created beings, we see and relate to our Creator through these faculties. It is upon this notion that the sacramental principle is built. Monica Hellwig explains the basis for the notion of a \u201csacramental principle\u201d when she states,<\/p>\n What is behind all this is simple: the realization that in a confused and sin-laden history our access to God is in double need of mediation. As creatures, corporeal beings in space, time, and cultural context, we relate to God through created things\u2014speech, analogies, images, expression in gesture and song, and so forth.8<\/p>\n Created things, expanding upon what Hellwig states, include sacramental symbols, statues, icons, stained glass, mosaics, music, stories, parables, and the like, all point to a deeper reality. Viewing the world through this Catholic lens not only helps us see things di\ufb00erently but helps us see things we have only ever felt as something beyond our human senses. Moreover, mysteries can be revealed to us, and deep theological truths can begin to make sense.<\/p>\n Some argue that through this, \u201cwe discover the central principle of Christian existence \u2013 the presence of a sacramental imagination.\u201d9 By exercising the Catholic imagination through exploring works of art, we are not entering into an imaginary or make-believe world like Narnia or Oz, but we experience the deeper reality of God\u2019s omnipresence, His metaphysical action in a physical world. As Hooten Wilson explains, \u201cNovels introduce us to ways of imagining God already at work in our hearts, present in the world, transforming and sanctifying His creation all the time\u201d10 Wilson speaks particularly about novels and books, but the same rings true with other created works. All of which can lead us from the visible to the invisible. However, when considering the Catholic imagination, being mindful of its purpose is important lest we \ufb01nd ourselves missing the point, which is to be \u201ccaught up in love of things invisible.\u201d<\/p>\n Caught up in things invisible: A balancing act<\/strong><\/p>\n Imagination and learning to appreciate beauty through the arts, literature, and the natural world in a Catholic context is a delicate balance. Art is beautiful. It entices and awakens our senses. Such pleasures can cause us to fall in love with the creation while losing sight of the Creator. This, some might argue, is the cause of opposition between a Catholic imagination and a Protestant imagination. Or, at the very least, the root of misunderstandings about the sacramentality of created things versus idols.11 This point is echoed by Br. John Mark Falkenhain, O.S.B. as part of a compilation of priestly formation documents on the Catholic Imagination in the priesthood. In his chapter on the Catholic Imagination, he states,<\/p>\n What if \u2018make believe\u2019 leads to a permanent belief in something that is simply wrong, unorthodox or dangerous? The di\ufb00erence between a mystic and a heretic, of course, is accountability and discipline, which often comes in the forms of study, the acceptance of limits, and relationship with an ultimate authority who can provide a reality check, feedback and an occasionally necessary redirection \u2013 in other words, accountability to a magisterium.12<\/p>\n While this particular selection is intended for the formation of priests, it speaks to all the faithful, and reminds us to exercise awareness in the journey into the Catholic imagination. Falkenhain\u2019s call to hold oneself accountable in the Catholic imagination reminds us of the ultimate purpose in our journey of faith, namely a relationship with God and an ever-deepening unity with Him. As Fr. Andrew Greeley points out, \u201cReligion begins in the imagination and in stories, but it cannot remain there.\u201d13 Experiencing God in the imagination through created works calls us to act, to conversion, and to a deeper understanding of the call we have received. Otherwise, we miss the point. As Hooten Wilson states, \u201cOur imagination becomes the realm where God meets us \ufb01rst and shows us more than tells us who he is and to what life we have been called.\u201d14 Furthermore, we \ufb01nd this in C.S. Lewis\u2019s Surprised by Joy, as he recounts his conversion but after dedicating a majority of the book focused on his imagination. He explains,<\/p>\n I do not think the resemblance between the Christian and the merely imaginative experience is accidental. I think that all things, in their way, re\ufb02ect heavenly truth, the imagination not least.15<\/p>\n Lewis and others have been led to a deeper life of faith by recognizing God\u2019s presence and His truth through what we might call the Catholic imagination.<\/p>\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n As with all things, Catholics must constantly orient themselves towards Christ. The means by which people \ufb01nd themselves converting to or fully embracing their Catholic faith vary, yet the source and summit remain the same. The Catholic imagination, like sacramentals or devotions, should be viewed as a vehicle used in our journey of faith and not the destination, lest they fall into the idolatry others accuse them of. In short, a Catholic imagination must be Christocentric and practiced with a heart of faith. Faith, as we read in the book of Hebrews, is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.16 A Christocentric faith, rooted in the mystery of the Incarnation, is of its very nature imaginative because it leads us to understand there is more than what meets the eye. Both the Incarnation and the cross illustrate this point. They are not merely historical events, but mysteries beyond what the eyes of the mind can comprehend. It is only through the eyes of faith, and for many with the help of the Catholic imagination, that we see beyond what is visible in order to be caught up in love of things invisible.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, The Roman Missal, 2011, p. 538 [\/et_pb_accordion_item][et_pb_accordion_item title=”A Catastrophe of Faith: A Close Reading of %22The Expert on God%22 by John L. Heureux by Mary Grace Mangano” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” open=”off”]<\/p>\n In Chapter 8 of the Gospel of Matthew, the disciples experience a minor catastrophe: a violent storm has begun. Yet Jesus sleeps. \u201cLord, save us! We are perishing!\u201d they exclaim. Jesus responds, \u201cWhy are you terri\ufb01ed, O you of little faith?\u201d1<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0I would guess that most of us are inclined to side with the disciples here, and we remain indignant. They could have died! But perhaps we can also begin to see from Jesus\u2019 perspective. As it is told in Matthew\u2019s account of events, the disciples have just seen Jesus heal a leper, the centurion\u2019s servant, Peter\u2019s mother-in-law, and a man possessed by demons, so they should have a good sense of the miracles He\u2019s capable of performing. By this logic, they don\u2019t doubt what <\/em>He can do, but who <\/em>He is. This is a greater betrayal, and this is what bothers Jesus. Surely, they must know Him by now? How can they think He would be the kind of person to let His friends die? If He was not worried about the storm, they should trust Him. Men of little faith: they believe the actions when they see them, but they still do not believe in <\/em>Him. Had their interactions with Him changed nothing about their faith?<\/p>\n The short story \u201cThe Expert on God\u201d2<\/sup><\/a> by John L\u2019Heureux (October 26, 1934 \u2013 April 22, 2019) begins with the statement \u201cFrom the start faith had been a problem for him, and his most recent ordination had changed nothing.\u201d Just as with the disciples, who we expect to have faith, one would expect that a priest \u2013someone who has devoted himself to following and serving God, as the disciples did \u2013 has faith. Yet L\u2019Heureux\u2019s story starts by telling the reader that this has always been a problem for the priest who is the main character in the story.<\/p>\n Throughout his own life, L\u2019Heureux asked questions about faith, both personally and in his writing. After attending Holy Cross College for two years, he was ordained a Jesuit. Despite \ufb01nding religious life di\ufb03cult, he was a priest for 17 years before requesting and receiving laicization in 1971. L\u2019Heureux then married and began teaching at Tufts and Harvard. His longest tenure was at Stanford, where he directed the highly regarded Creative Writing Program and the Wallace Stegner Creative Writing Fellowship program. A proli\ufb01c writer himself, he was also a tremendous teacher, with students such as Ron Hansen, Tobias Wol\ufb00, Je\ufb00rey Eugenides, and ZZ Packer, among others. So constant were the themes of belief in his writing that his New York Times <\/em>obituary was titled \u201cJohn L\u2019Heureux, Whose Novels Wrestled With Faith, Dies at 84.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Expert on God\u201d has an ironic title, as its main character, the unnamed \u201ceveryman\u201d priest actually does not <\/em>know who God is, much like the disciples in the boat do not truly understand who <\/em>Jesus is. The story involves a car accident, but this is not the ultimate catastrophe, just as the storm is not the true catastrophe in the Gospel. In Greek, \u201ccatastrophe\u201d means \u201creversal.\u201d For the disciples, the reversal that needs to happen is that their fear be turned into faith, and that they learn not to be afraid of the storm, but to trust Jesus. Similarly, the priest in L\u2019Heureux\u2019s story requires a reversal of doubt turning into faith, and it just so happens that this is brought about by a car accident. In this way, it is a \u201cgracious\u201d catastrophe because something good might come from it. In our fallen world, God does not will su\ufb00ering to come to us, like a car accident or a storm, but He can use these things for our ultimate good.<\/p>\n Throughout the story, the priest begins to learn what faith truly is. By the end, hopefully \u2013 like the disciples \u2013 he comes to see that the Christian faith must be grounded in belief in the person of Jesus Christ, God Incarnate, though whether this \u201creversal\u201d takes place is left somewhat open-ended. Even the story\u2019s opening line shows the priest\u2019s initial lack of understanding about the nature of faith. He thinks his ordination has changed nothing. And while it perhaps has not removed his doubts, it does <\/em>change something since Holy Orders is a sacrament \u2013 a visible sign of an invisible grace. But from this \ufb01rst statement, the priest then indexes the history of his doubts, which began in childhood. His \ufb01rst doubt was about the unity of the Trinity. He \ufb01nds brief comfort when he tells himself that one God being three Persons is a mystery. He learns to hide his doubts, though, and feel shame about them. The priest, even as a boy, is more worried about others knowing he doubts than the doubts themselves. As he grows older, he doubts Christ\u2019s presence in the Eucharist, the virginity of Mary, the divinity of Christ, and the humanity of Christ.<\/p>\n Eventually, the priest realizes how di\ufb03cult true faith is, as he says, \u201cFaith demanded a response to each mystery, he discovered, but doubt remained the same.\u201d Slowly, he starts to understand the challenge of faith and what it requires of a person. Change is required. Sometimes, that change must happen through somewhat violent means \u2013 a storm, perhaps, to wake up the complacent. This calls to mind an oft-quoted passage from Fyodor Dostoyevsky\u2019s The Brothers Karamazov<\/em>; the monastic elder Father Zosima says, \u201cLove in action is a harsh and dreadful thing compared with love in dreams. Love in dreams is greedy for immediate action, rapidly performed and in the sight of all. Men will even give their lives if only the ordeal does not last long but is soon over, with all looking on and applauding as though on stage. But active love is labor and fortitude.\u201d3<\/sup><\/a> Active love is a lot like active faith, it would seem. Faith demands a response; it demands action. In an idealistic vision of faith, it is a one-time cure-all that means living a life of joy and peace once a person has accepted Jesus as her true Savior. But, like Flannery O\u2019Connor said, \u201cWhat people don\u2019t realize is how much religion costs. They think faith is a big electric blanket, when of course it is the cross. It is much harder to believe than not to believe.\u201d4<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n After listing the speci\ufb01c parts of the catechism that the priest struggled with at various times, he then discloses that he doubted the love of God and \u201cthat doubt did not pass.\u201d Out of all the doubts he has had, this is the main one, the one that persists. In some ways, it is the same one the disciples struggled with as well. If God truly loved them, why would He let the disciples perish in the storm? The priest has accepted faith in the \u201cwhat\u201d of Christianity, but still not the \u201cwho,\u201d much like the disciples who have seen what <\/em>Jesus can do, but still doubt who <\/em>He is.<\/p>\n Part of what makes faith di\ufb03cult for the priest is that he has cut himself o\ufb00 from God\u2019s love in several ways. He\u2019s described as a popular priest, but he has no friends. Therefore, he has no experience of God in a community, as the Body of Christ in the Church. He kept others at a distance. This is how things were \u2013 staying the same \u2013 \u201con the day of the accident,\u201d the gracious catastrophe. L\u2019Heureux writes that when the accident happened \u201cIt was Christmas day, not because Christmas is symbolic, but because that is when it happened.\u201d Although the priest does not seem to realize the truth of his own statement here, what he says is quite true: Christmas is not symbolic. God entered reality through the mystery of the Incarnation. The fact that this gracious catastrophe takes place on Christmas prepares readers to see how God does <\/em>enter the world through His Son, and this is how we can know His love.<\/p>\n The priest, though, is still blind to this reality and mystery. On Christmas day in the story, \u201cThe air was clear and the day was bright after all that snow, and as he drove through the vast open countryside, he marveled again at the absence of God.\u201d Once again, the priest misses God\u2019s presence in his life, this time in God\u2019s creation of nature. He does, however, see a little red car crumpled in two on the side of the road.<\/p>\n At this point in the story, the true catastrophe \u2013 the reversal \u2013 begins. The priest \u201cstooped and looked through the shattered window.\u201d This signi\ufb01es that he must lower himself, or humble himself, as Christ does. He inspects the crashed car and sees that \u201cThe door hung on a single hinge, open a few inches but not wide enough for the priest to get in.\u201d Again, he says, \u201cThere was no way in.\u201d This is a metaphor for the priest himself, and possibly for us as readers. The way he has been living \u2013 at a distance from others, disconnected even from nature \u2013 has o\ufb00ered God no way into his heart.<\/p>\n From here on, we can read the priest\u2019s actions and observations as God\u2019s actions and observations. Examining the broken car again, the priest observes, \u201cSomebody was inside, dying perhaps, and though he was only a few inches away, he could not reach him.\u201d This can be read as God trying to reach the priest. He is so close \u2013 inches away \u2013 in community, in nature \u2013 and yet He can\u2019t get in. Next, the priest must break the passenger seat to get behind the person stuck inside, who is described as a body. Again, this is how the priest has been living \u2013 as a body going through the motions of life. And yet, God breaks through in order to restore his life.<\/p>\n Earnestly, the priest tries to help the boy in the car, and once more we can read his actions as a metaphor for the way God tries to reach him. The priest is \u201cCrushed himself, [but] he nonetheless managed to get the oils from his pocket and to wet his thumb\u201d and to absolve the boy of his sins. God also forgives the priest for his sins, for his doubts; Jesus is \u201ccrushed\u201d on the cross for his sins. After the absolution, the priest is frustrated that nothing happens, and that the world seems silent. Faith demands a response; he \ufb01nally changes how he would typically react. The priest begins \u201cto pray, aloud, which struck him as foolish.\u201d He is angry that heaven still seems silent. It seems that Jesus is still in the boat, sleeping, and like the disciples crying out, \u201cLord, we are perishing!\u201d the priest cries out.<\/p>\n Despite all his doubts, the mystery is that the priest does <\/em>have faith after all. In this moment of crisis, or tragedy and catastrophe, he realizes it. Frustrated that there is seemingly no response from God, the priest\u2019s \u201cdoubts became certainty and he said, \u2018It doesn\u2019t matter,\u2019 but it did matter and he knew it. What could anyone say to this crushed, dying thing, he wondered. What would God say if he cared as much as I?\u201d This, though, is how God feels towards the priest; He seems to be saying What can I say to you to make you see how much I care?<\/em><\/p>\n One of the greatest mysteries of faith is this: God comes to us, to dwell in <\/em>us. Sometimes it is in recognizing this reality that we see how great God is. How is it that the God of the universe could choose to live in me? His love must be great for this to be true. As L\u2019Heureux\u2019s story draws to a close, \ufb01nally the boy \u201ctilted in the priest\u2019s arms, trusting, like a lover. And at once the priest, faithless, unrepentant, gave up his prayers and bent to him and whispered, \ufb01erce and burning, \u2018I love you,\u2019 and continued till there was no breath, \u2018I love you, I love you, I love you.\u2019\u201d This is Jesus on the cross, giving up his breath to show His love. This is God, sending His only Son into the world so we might have life. Finally, do we know who He is? Do we still doubt His love?<\/p>\n L\u2019Heureux\u2019s story leaves these questions open-ended in the case of the priest. Will there be a true reversal in his life? Will he still doubt? In my reading, though, he has found faith because he has found the cross. He let himself be crushed to try and save another person. Loving this stranger in the broken car required action and there was no one there to applaud him for it. Having read L\u2019Heureux\u2019s story, we as readers have to ask ourselves these questions as well. Finally, now \u2013 do we have faith?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
\n
a new light of your glory has shone upon the eyes of our mind, so that, as we recognize in him God made visible,<\/em>
we may be caught up through him in love of things invisible.<\/em>1<\/p>\n
2 St. John Henry Newman, Grammar of Assent, pp. 23-30
3 Ibid., p. 127
4 Robinson, Very Rev. Denis,, O.S.B., \u201cThe Priesthood in the Illative Sense: Newman, Knowledge and Imagination in the Practice of the Priesthood,\u201d in Catholic Imagination (2012), retrieved from https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/catholicimagination\/chapter\/the-priesthood-in-the-illative-sense\/
5 Newman, pp. 130-131
6 Hooten Wilson, Jessica, Reading for the Love of God, (Brazos Press: Grand Rapids, 2023), p. 126
7 United States Catholic Conference, Catechism of the Catholic Church, (1994), nos. 362-368
8 Hellwig, Monika K., What Can the Roman Catholic Tradition Contribute to Christian Higher Education, in Models for Christian Higher Education: Strategies for Survival and Success in the Twenty-First Century, eds. Richard T. Hughes and William B. Adrien, (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.: Grand Rapids, MI, 1997), pp.17
9 Robinson, ibid.
10 Hooten Wilson, Jessica, The Scandal of Holiness: Renewing Your Imagination in the Company of Literary Saints,
(Brazos Press: Grand Rapids, MI, 2022), p. 208
11 Greeley, Andrew, \u201cIntroduction: The Sacraments of Sensibility,\u201d in The Catholic Imagination, (1st ed., University of California Press, 2000), pp. 1\u201321
12 Falkenhain, Br. John Mark, O.S.B., “Introducing the Question: Catholic Imagination,” Catholic Imagination (2012). Retrieved from: https:\/\/pressbooks.palni.org\/catholicimagination\/chapter\/introducing-the-question-catholic- imagination\/
13 Greeley, p. 4
14 Hooten Wilson, The Scandal of Holiness, p. 5
15 Lewis, C.S., Surprised by Joy, (Harvest: New York, NY, 1955) p. 167
16 cf. Hebrews 11:1<\/p>\n