I'd love a hug from Our Blessed Mother in heaven to hear her say "welcome" would be just fantastic without her intercession i wouldn't have a hope of making it if i do.
Fr. Brendan everything you say is so true to the point. We need Ptiests like you calling it as it is. May God bless you in your Holy Priesthood. Your remarkable gift of communication enriches the lives of many. Thank you, keep up your mission.
Fr Brendan thank you as always for your talks. I've lost you here. Is it not virtue that'll get you to Heaven, and is Christ not there, that is why we want to go there in the first place. Apologies I'm just a down to earth Catholic who was brought up to live the virtues, as a Christ loving person. I want to go to Heaven to Christ and His Blessed Mother, all the angels and saints and with everyone else. God bless you.
Heaven is not Heaven without Christ! There is no Heaven without the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. No Heaven without the Company of the Redeemed. Yes, no Heaven without of Christ, for Heaven is the enjoyment of Christ and his company. Oh to be part of that company. This is my hope and my joy on Earth, it leads me on, it gives me energy, it keeps me going, it puts a song of praise in my heart. .Heaven is sharing the Joy that is hinted at in Luke 15:25 "When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing." And then to sit in the corner, foot tapping to the music, sharing in the joy of others, delighted and a little surprised to be there, for Mercy is the greatest wonder, surprised but having the time of my Eternal Life.
I think St Thomas Aquinas wanted philosophy as a means for those who didn't immediately believe in the Person of Christ to think about Him in an abstract sense. He never meant that to be the end of the discussion regarding the Person of the Christ. It was the steps leading to the house, not the house itself.
Another very good presentation Fr.Brendan. I think you highlight exactly the dichotomy between philosophy and action. I get exactly what you say about engaging those willing to listen. What may be easily understood concepts for some, could well be too esoteric concepts for others to try to grasp. "The Devil is whatever works" is a good way of putting it, as you say. I do think that there is a fundamental issue here. You can be converted intellectually but not be converted in ones heart. And vice versa. The struggle to control and overcome one's will is at the heart of all of this. And that's the difficult part. Convert/reform the will, and surely both head (intellect) and heart should follow. Excellent presentation
Thank you for this -- it's an important conversation, and based on my experience in a wide range of situations and experiences, learning from and with a wide range of peoople in person and thanks to the Internet, and 'figuring out' when fixed rules don't give workable answers... I think that rigid conceptions of virtue or 'what to do' are at least as dangerous as stepping into the fire, so to speak, and figuring out how to make better sense of things than the many 'false dichotomies' and polarities that are common in a lot of philosophy, theology and modern culture. I think Aquinas' approach to Prudence and Charity is a helpful reference point that bridges Catholicism, Jesus both as a real person and in the terms of mystery / liminality aspects of life, and emerging secular approaches to epistemology that embrace making sense of complexity, and decision-making in situations that involve larger 'story-worlds' than one person navigating one scene in one culture, and the reality of liminal, uncertain situations where there isn't necessarily an easily recognizable best answer for what to do, both in specific life situations and in terms of humanity more broadly, and for finding paths forward when there's no clear 'what to do' based on common ways of figuring it out. These approaches have in common applying one's knowledge of the world, of one's self and life experience and of particular kinds of situations -- which can expand over time and may also get lost and need resurfacing -- including practices like reflection, anticipation and taking counsel when appropriate, recognizing the value of making quick decisions when appropriate as well as the value of deliberation, and generally incorporate understanding that there's more to know, and value of meaningful struggle like applying curiosity and a sense of wonder to confusion and distressing experiences -- as opposed to, for example, the narrow approach to reason based on absorbed assumptions and ways of reasoning, disconnected from sensory/physical world reality, feelings, intuition, memory, and seeking to understand a range of people. In my experience, there's nothing like learning from and with people who are navigating life and death circumstances as more and more people are, with an appreciaton of Charity like St. Thomas describes as opposed to the modern concept of charity that seems based on tragic triaging of leftovers rather than wondering what more is possible and knowing there's gotta be more than the limits and assumptions of the 20th century, for example. In terms of ethics or 'what to do', the common modern ethics of applying strict rules without thinking of consequences ('just doing my job' etc), or acting based on 'the ends justify the means' without really reflecting on ends and at least trying to understand how one's own life and actions relate to other people and their 'worlds', for example. This often leads to being stuck doing not much or going through motions, or acting totally chaotically, or following what other people say or groupthink without thinking it through or considering what happened erlier in the story (the whole story, as well.) There's a lot to be learned reflecting on what happened after one has taken actions with curiosity and a sense of wonder rather than shame or pride over particular conceptions of virtue -- and realizng life isn't meant to be permanet dystopia or simply coping with how things are. So, what more is there? I've found so many interconnected 'epistemic puzzle pieces' that concur with what I think this video is getting at. I'll share a few. - "Leading in Liminal Places" Emily Perlow TEDx talk (UA-cam) - Philosopher Jose Medina describing Maria Lugones (2006) on 'complex communication' among people from different social/situational 'worlds' who are looking beyond fixed norms -- “an openness to the interlocutor as real”, “an openness to learn each other’s meanings,” “meanings that did not precede the encounter, ways of life that transcend nationalisms, root identities, and other simplifications of our imaginations” -- Lugones emphasizes that the recognition of “liminality in others and in ourselves” and the recognition of “a need for company and for coalition” among liminal subjects are the grounds on which “we can decide to enter into a conversation with other liminals" that is not reductive and monological; “we know that liminal lives are led and created against the grain,” - Medicine for the People (Eric Reinhardt, MD) “Genuine redress of structural oppression requires us to commit to living alongside marginalized individuals and accompanying them, insofar as is possible, in the negotiation of everyday struggles.” - From article [Living the Story: Implicit Epistemology in Paul's Letters", edited for simplicity, "Paul... assumes in his letters that human reason, with the aid of the Spirit, can achieve genuine religious knowledge. The specific kind... has a distinctly narrative shape… structured as a story within which he and his [audience] interpret their own lives. Ethical reasoning is a matter of "emplotting" oneself within [the causal effect flow of human history] and asking what fate lies ahead in the story for one who acts in certain ways… Paul… understands new events as further episodes in the one over-arching story... just as later chapters in a book can surprise readers and force them to re-consider what they read early on, so new experiences can open up interpretive "gaps" in [familiar] story and [inspire story participants] to construe the traditional narrative in new ways. This kind of narrative, hermeneutical logic in Paul's argument... may also offer a useful epistemological model for..." making sense of things 'beyond the known.' - And, more formally --"Epistemic Fluency and Professional Education, Ch. 16: Rethinking the material, the social and the embodied for professional education, which can be extended to theological considerations as well and this is also compatible with developing one's agency and ability to choose from among more options than may initially be apparent -- “Evidence from cognitive sciences, psychology, neurosciences, anthropology, cultural studies and many other domains shows quite plainly - human cognition and behaviour exhibit extensive sensitivity to context… This includes the internal context created by other processes within the human body and brain (e.g., movement, mood, pain, feeling), and the external physical things and surroundings, the immediate social environment and culture. In contrast, when it comes to [conventionall] education, it seems that abstract and decontextualized theoretical knowledge and disembodied ways of thinking are often favoured… [As a result] people, including scientists, become victims of “the essentialism error”... they tend to look for, and focus on, certain universal mechanisms [including character flaws and bad attitudes in 'Others'], but fail to see and appreciate how these mechanisms are influenced by context. Extensive evidence shows that many phenomena encountered in the world and in professional work - from genes and diseases, to daily social life and culture - are context sensitive and dynamic processes, [so] developing sensitivity to social and material contexts, and awareness of one’s own body and mind, are emerging as important educational tasks." - Dr. Robert Hollande's talk "The Scandal of Dante's Catholicism for Contemporary Readers Part 1" and Part 2 (youtube) I'm still making my way through this "13:20 Virgil who's supposed to know the truth doesn't know the entire truth and so Virgil makes mistakes... it violates the traditional sense that Virgil is reason, he's an allegorical figure -- that's nonsense in my impolite opinion -- Virgil is not reason he's Virgil and he's full of flaws which Virgil knows and that's why he gets so angry, when Virgil loses his temper and he does lose his temper several times in his poem he loses it because somebody has called him out" - Moving from Blame to Accountability (The Systems Thinker) - this article seems applicable to so many situations that call for making sense of things when there aren't readily-available answers -- "Remind yourself that judgment and criticism make it very difficult to see clearly. Judgments are mental models that limit the ability to take in new data. They tend to increase the likelihood of anger and make it difficult to learn." / "Work constructively with your anger. Sustained anger may point to personal issues that have been triggered by the current situation. Broken agreements, mistakes, and blame all have difficult associations for most people. However, in a learning environment, constructive resolution of conflict can also lead to significant personal growth. The guiding questions here are: What am I learning about myself in this situation? What does this remind me of? What new behaviors or thoughts does this situation call for that may be a stretch for me?" Thank you again for this video and many others. I think it matters to figure out how to value people in thse times where there's so much disconnection and also so much more is possible looking beyond the known and seeing there's more to the story.
Some fantastic concrete images there Father. Sitting out in an Irish field, in the nip, on a cold November's day - there is no virtue in that - but some boldness perhaps. I agree wholeheartedly we need solidness, we need to taste it, Catholicism is Passion. "Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine, There’s always laughter and good red wine. At least I’ve always found it so. Benedicamus Domino!" H.B. Many thanks for your encouraging words and God bless.
God bless you Father, as always wonderful gift of intellect combined with usual earthiness- In ways we were blessed growing up years ago with a perhaps a simpler yet simple can imply profound faith.
Huge amount to be said for a simple faith Arthur. I see myself. Many people who have never read a papal encyclical for example, living demonstrably Catholic lives and who lives are conformed fully to Jesus Christ and His mother. I notice this a lot that their devotion to Our Lady is very strong. Their lives and their behaviour put the likes of me to shame.
I heard a speaker saying that those that know their passions find their way back easier. Just as in the prodigal son he went to the pit for his passions and realized he was not fulfilled. This ultimately brought him back to the Father. The older son, like the pharisees did his duty, followed the rules but lost his passion and zeal. Interesting!
I love this. I also kind of feel like with evangelization, if we start with anything other than Christ, even if it's something good like growing in virtue it becomes moot. We could very well be leading them to making idols out of virtue instead of having a relationship with Jesus Christ. If we start with Christ then He will know how best to lead them to virtue.
‘If anyone could prove to me that Christ is outside the truth, and if the truth really did exclude Christ, I should prefer to stay with Christ and not with truth’ - Fyodor Dostoyevksy
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but acting only when the feeling of passion stirs is sounding very protestant. To know Christ with no discipline or growth in virtue sounds like the wheat that fell by the rocks, shot up and were burnt by the sun. The way I see it the theological virtues of faith, hope and love come after the human virtues of temperance, fortitude, prudence and justice is because they keep you humble enough to follow God even when you don't want to
Fr Brendan thank you for your treasure trove of wisdom from a Catholic perspective. You're a breath of fresh air...
Thank you for wonderful talks ...saying it as it is .....we need to listen and listen well ...God bless you and your work .🙏🙏
Love your talk Father Brendan ,I believe it ,I want Christ ❤
I'd love a hug from Our Blessed Mother in heaven to hear her say "welcome" would be just fantastic without her intercession i wouldn't have a hope of making it if i do.
Fr. Brendan everything you say is so true to the point. We need Ptiests like you calling it as it is. May God bless you in your Holy Priesthood. Your remarkable gift of communication enriches the lives of many. Thank you, keep up your mission.
Looking forward to meeting you as am relocating back to your new Parish from London
Fr Brendan thank you as always for your talks.
I've lost you here. Is it not virtue that'll get you to Heaven, and is Christ not there, that is why we want to go there in the first place.
Apologies I'm just a down to earth Catholic who was brought up to live the virtues, as a Christ loving person. I want to go to Heaven to Christ and His Blessed Mother, all the angels and saints and with everyone else. God bless you.
Heaven is not Heaven without Christ!
There is no Heaven without the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
No Heaven without the Company of the Redeemed.
Yes, no Heaven without of Christ, for Heaven is the enjoyment of Christ and his company. Oh to be part of that company.
This is my hope and my joy on Earth, it leads me on, it gives me energy, it keeps me going, it puts a song of praise in my heart.
.Heaven is sharing the Joy that is hinted at in Luke 15:25
"When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing."
And then to sit in the corner, foot tapping to the music, sharing in the joy of others, delighted and a little surprised to be there, for Mercy is the greatest wonder, surprised but having the time of my Eternal Life.
I love when I see you've uploaded a video. I look forward to listening.
Agree with your well choosen words Fr Brendan....Walking with Jesus is the inly way forward.
I think St Thomas Aquinas wanted philosophy as a means for those who didn't immediately believe in the Person of Christ to think about Him in an abstract sense. He never meant that to be the end of the discussion regarding the Person of the Christ. It was the steps leading to the house, not the house itself.
Another very good presentation Fr.Brendan. I think you highlight exactly the dichotomy between philosophy and action. I get exactly what you say about engaging those willing to listen. What may be easily understood concepts for some, could well be too esoteric concepts for others to try to grasp. "The Devil is whatever works" is a good way of putting it, as you say. I do think that there is a fundamental issue here. You can be converted intellectually but not be converted in ones heart. And vice versa. The struggle to control and overcome one's will is at the heart of all of this. And that's the difficult part. Convert/reform the will, and surely both head (intellect) and heart should follow. Excellent presentation
Thank you for this -- it's an important conversation, and based on my experience in a wide range of situations and experiences, learning from and with a wide range of peoople in person and thanks to the Internet, and 'figuring out' when fixed rules don't give workable answers... I think that rigid conceptions of virtue or 'what to do' are at least as dangerous as stepping into the fire, so to speak, and figuring out how to make better sense of things than the many 'false dichotomies' and polarities that are common in a lot of philosophy, theology and modern culture.
I think Aquinas' approach to Prudence and Charity is a helpful reference point that bridges Catholicism, Jesus both as a real person and in the terms of mystery / liminality aspects of life, and emerging secular approaches to epistemology that embrace making sense of complexity, and decision-making in situations that involve larger 'story-worlds' than one person navigating one scene in one culture, and the reality of liminal, uncertain situations where there isn't necessarily an easily recognizable best answer for what to do, both in specific life situations and in terms of humanity more broadly, and for finding paths forward when there's no clear 'what to do' based on common ways of figuring it out.
These approaches have in common applying one's knowledge of the world, of one's self and life experience and of particular kinds of situations -- which can expand over time and may also get lost and need resurfacing -- including practices like reflection, anticipation and taking counsel when appropriate, recognizing the value of making quick decisions when appropriate as well as the value of deliberation, and generally incorporate understanding that there's more to know, and value of meaningful struggle like applying curiosity and a sense of wonder to confusion and distressing experiences -- as opposed to, for example, the narrow approach to reason based on absorbed assumptions and ways of reasoning, disconnected from sensory/physical world reality, feelings, intuition, memory, and seeking to understand a range of people.
In my experience, there's nothing like learning from and with people who are navigating life and death circumstances as more and more people are, with an appreciaton of Charity like St. Thomas describes as opposed to the modern concept of charity that seems based on tragic triaging of leftovers rather than wondering what more is possible and knowing there's gotta be more than the limits and assumptions of the 20th century, for example.
In terms of ethics or 'what to do', the common modern ethics of applying strict rules without thinking of consequences ('just doing my job' etc), or acting based on 'the ends justify the means' without really reflecting on ends and at least trying to understand how one's own life and actions relate to other people and their 'worlds', for example. This often leads to being stuck doing not much or going through motions, or acting totally chaotically, or following what other people say or groupthink without thinking it through or considering what happened erlier in the story (the whole story, as well.) There's a lot to be learned reflecting on what happened after one has taken actions with curiosity and a sense of wonder rather than shame or pride over particular conceptions of virtue -- and realizng life isn't meant to be permanet dystopia or simply coping with how things are.
So, what more is there? I've found so many interconnected 'epistemic puzzle pieces' that concur with what I think this video is getting at. I'll share a few.
- "Leading in Liminal Places" Emily Perlow TEDx talk (UA-cam)
- Philosopher Jose Medina describing Maria Lugones (2006) on 'complex communication' among people from different social/situational 'worlds' who are looking beyond fixed norms -- “an openness to the interlocutor as real”, “an openness to learn each other’s meanings,” “meanings that did not precede the encounter, ways of life that transcend nationalisms, root identities, and other simplifications of our imaginations” -- Lugones emphasizes that the recognition of “liminality in others and in ourselves” and the recognition of “a need for company and for coalition” among liminal subjects are the grounds on which “we can decide to enter into a conversation with other liminals" that is not reductive and monological; “we know that liminal lives are led and created against the grain,”
- Medicine for the People (Eric Reinhardt, MD) “Genuine redress of structural oppression requires us to commit to living alongside marginalized individuals and accompanying them, insofar as is possible, in the negotiation of everyday struggles.”
- From article [Living the Story: Implicit Epistemology in Paul's Letters", edited for simplicity, "Paul... assumes in his letters that human reason, with the aid of the Spirit, can achieve genuine religious knowledge. The specific kind... has a distinctly narrative shape… structured as a story within which he and his [audience] interpret their own lives. Ethical reasoning is a matter of "emplotting" oneself within [the causal effect flow of human history] and asking what fate lies ahead in the story for one who acts in certain ways…
Paul… understands new events as further episodes in the one over-arching story... just as later chapters in a book can surprise readers and force them to re-consider what they read early on, so new experiences can open up interpretive "gaps" in [familiar] story and [inspire story participants] to construe the traditional narrative in new ways.
This kind of narrative, hermeneutical logic in Paul's argument... may also offer a useful epistemological model for..." making sense of things 'beyond the known.'
- And, more formally --"Epistemic Fluency and Professional Education, Ch. 16: Rethinking the material, the social and the embodied for professional education, which can be extended to theological considerations as well and this is also compatible with developing one's agency and ability to choose from among more options than may initially be apparent --
“Evidence from cognitive sciences, psychology, neurosciences, anthropology, cultural studies and many other domains shows quite plainly - human cognition and behaviour exhibit extensive sensitivity to context… This includes the internal context created by other processes within the human body and brain (e.g., movement, mood, pain, feeling), and the external physical things and surroundings, the immediate social environment and culture.
In contrast, when it comes to [conventionall] education, it seems that abstract and decontextualized theoretical knowledge and disembodied ways of thinking are often favoured… [As a result] people, including scientists, become victims of “the essentialism error”... they tend to look for, and focus on, certain universal mechanisms [including character flaws and bad attitudes in 'Others'], but fail to see and appreciate how these mechanisms are influenced by context.
Extensive evidence shows that many phenomena encountered in the world and in professional work - from genes and diseases, to daily social life and culture - are context sensitive and dynamic processes, [so] developing sensitivity to social and material contexts, and awareness of one’s own body and mind, are emerging as important educational tasks."
- Dr. Robert Hollande's talk "The Scandal of Dante's Catholicism for Contemporary Readers Part 1" and Part 2 (youtube) I'm still making my way through this
"13:20 Virgil who's supposed to know the truth doesn't know the entire truth and so Virgil makes mistakes... it violates the traditional sense that Virgil is reason, he's an allegorical figure -- that's nonsense in my impolite opinion -- Virgil is not reason he's Virgil and he's full of flaws which Virgil knows and that's why he gets so angry, when Virgil loses his temper and he does lose his temper several times in his poem he loses it because somebody has called him out"
- Moving from Blame to Accountability (The Systems Thinker) - this article seems applicable to so many situations that call for making sense of things when there aren't readily-available answers -- "Remind yourself that judgment and criticism make it very difficult to see clearly. Judgments are mental models that limit the ability to take in new data. They tend to increase the likelihood of anger and make it difficult to learn." / "Work constructively with your anger. Sustained anger may point to personal issues that have been triggered by the current situation. Broken agreements, mistakes, and blame all have difficult associations for most people. However, in a learning environment, constructive resolution of conflict can also lead to significant personal growth. The guiding questions here are: What am I learning about myself in this situation?
What does this remind me of? What new behaviors or thoughts does this situation call for that may be a stretch for me?"
Thank you again for this video and many others. I think it matters to figure out how to value people in thse times where there's so much disconnection and also so much more is possible looking beyond the known and seeing there's more to the story.
Eh?
Some fantastic concrete images there Father. Sitting out in an Irish field, in the nip, on a cold November's day - there is no virtue in that - but some boldness perhaps. I agree wholeheartedly we need solidness, we need to taste it, Catholicism is Passion. "Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine, There’s always laughter and good red wine. At least I’ve always found it so. Benedicamus Domino!" H.B. Many thanks for your encouraging words and God bless.
Let us restore the Traditional Catholic Church together in preparation for the second coming
God bless you Father, as always wonderful gift of intellect combined with usual earthiness- In ways we were blessed growing up years ago with a perhaps a simpler yet simple can imply profound faith.
Huge amount to be said for a simple faith Arthur. I see myself. Many people who have never read a papal encyclical for example, living demonstrably Catholic lives and who lives are conformed fully to Jesus Christ and His mother. I notice this a lot that their devotion to Our Lady is very strong. Their lives and their behaviour put the likes of me to shame.
I heard a speaker saying that those that know their passions find their way back easier. Just as in the prodigal son he went to the pit for his passions and realized he was not fulfilled. This ultimately brought him back to the Father.
The older son, like the pharisees did his duty, followed the rules but lost his passion and zeal.
Interesting!
Amazing...thank you...
Spot on.
I love this. I also kind of feel like with evangelization, if we start with anything other than Christ, even if it's something good like growing in virtue it becomes moot. We could very well be leading them to making idols out of virtue instead of having a relationship with Jesus Christ. If we start with Christ then He will know how best to lead them to virtue.
‘If anyone could prove to me that Christ is outside the truth, and if the truth really did exclude Christ, I should prefer to stay with Christ and not with truth’ - Fyodor Dostoyevksy
I think I'd like further explanation father.
' "The Devil's whatever "works." That's a great line, Fr. Brendan! I just might use it as a a lyric in a future tune. . .
More Christ less phycology.
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but acting only when the feeling of passion stirs is sounding very protestant. To know Christ with no discipline or growth in virtue sounds like the wheat that fell by the rocks, shot up and were burnt by the sun. The way I see it the theological virtues of faith, hope and love come after the human virtues of temperance, fortitude, prudence and justice is because they keep you humble enough to follow God even when you don't want to
We talk too much about the Church and the teaching of the Church, we do not talk enough about Christ and the teaching of Christ.
☕🚬
So what did you do to the HOLY GHOST. you Bassets and who this Spirit Guy eh eh