Thursday, July 14, 2005
So, about Vocation Camp.
It was the most amazing experience. I'm still savoring it. I had the opportunity to meet some amazing orders of sisters, including one order I had never heard of (but boy are they terrific!). My favorites, were of course, from Nashville. As said by a friend "they are just so naturally beautiful, because they are exactly who God is calling them to be. There's something about them that just radiates...". Exactly. They're tremendous. They are fun, they are silly, they joke around, they play sports with the best of them - and they are terribly orthodox, holy, good, and constantly in pursuit of the Truth. I LOVE it. It's beyond words for me - no word, phrase, epic novel-length statement could ever describe the effect they have on people when they are around - they call you to be YOU. Genuinely you. The you God calls you to be. The you you neglect to be because you get caught up in worldly concerns, fascinations and desires. And the you that you desire to be deep down. I am so genuinely me with them, and I feel at home. I love it. I will post the picture of us on here once I get my hands on it (I'm not the one with the digital camera...). Anyway, the camp was tremendous. The sisters explained the beauty of the habit, of their vows, of being the Brides of Christ, of understanding Church teaching and of knowing the Truth, and of being attentive to the will of God in everyday life. They inspired each girl at that camp to desire God's will, to seek God's plan for their lives, and to know, love and serve Him more and more each day. I am confident in this, and I rejoice in this confidence. They were absolutely radiant, and I am still soaking in everything they were to me. I will probably continue to share random insights throughout the next week or so. :) Ah, it was beautiful.
And now on to Harry Potter.
I cannot find a credible source stating the Pope's comments about the Harry Potter books (I am still in search of them...)
However, I did find a statement by a Vatican official:
"It's just a setting for an adventure between good and evil to take place. And she has an amazing talent of writing books that you don't want to put down, that's all there is going on there."
Agreed.
You know, I Googled Pope Benedict XVI and Harry Potter and came up with everything from "the Pope is a fun-hater" to "the Pope is right, Harry is evil" to "the Pope never said that and Harry isn't evil"...so I don't trust anything I'm reading, and I'm going with my own conscience. And here's what it tells me.
Harry Potter is great. The books are good books for children to read WHEN and ONLY WHEN someone of competent intelligence and knowledge of Catholicism can explain it to them in light of the Truth. In the books, Harry is good. He is the standard protagonist fighting for good to prevail over evil. But instead of being humdrum, he is exciting, with silly spells (like the one that made Ron spit slugs) and daring adventures (like when he's saving innocent lives). In my opinion, he represents something that can teach children a lesson about standing up in the face of opposition and holding onto what is good and right and true. And if you want to get philosophical, the elements of friendship according to the Nicomachean Ethics are plain, from the relationship between Harry, Hermione and Ron to the relationship between Draco, Crabbe and Goyle. You can examine the reality of friendship between the good characters and the bad characters and see which more closely exhibits that of a Christian relationship. The 'good' characters strenghten each other, encourage each other, risk their lives for what they believe is the ultimate good. It is truly beautiful. And the example of virtue within the book is very evident in the characters also. Harry shows what virtue is, with the right amount of temperance in most things. The other characters exhibit either too much greed, anger, revenge, or a whole lot of other vices which can lead to the destruction of the person. The character of Harry teaches children to look at what is balanced - to be courageous, honest, and self-sacrificing, willing to do whatever it is to honor the good in the world. And all of this is done using the medium of the imagination. What beauty, teaching children to think for themselves, to envision what they are READING, instead of the ridiculous cartoons they watch on the television. Children read, children imagine, children learn, and with the proper instruction, children see the Christian themes in the book and learn to be virtuous and good as Harry strives to be. To me, Harry is a hero - we just need to look at him for what he really is, and not get caught up on the fact that he's a wizard...because in my opinion, the wizard is just a vehicle for getting into the imaginations of children. Children are not about to pick up a book entitled, "Little Johnny, the Good Boy Who Did Everything He Was Supposed To Do" to learn about virtue; however, through Harry Potter, they get essentially the same message.
And yes, I will be at the midnight release party tomorrow night. Woooooohooooo! :)
And now I must retire for the evening.
Caritas et veritas.
I heart Beauty.
It was the most amazing experience. I'm still savoring it. I had the opportunity to meet some amazing orders of sisters, including one order I had never heard of (but boy are they terrific!). My favorites, were of course, from Nashville. As said by a friend "they are just so naturally beautiful, because they are exactly who God is calling them to be. There's something about them that just radiates...". Exactly. They're tremendous. They are fun, they are silly, they joke around, they play sports with the best of them - and they are terribly orthodox, holy, good, and constantly in pursuit of the Truth. I LOVE it. It's beyond words for me - no word, phrase, epic novel-length statement could ever describe the effect they have on people when they are around - they call you to be YOU. Genuinely you. The you God calls you to be. The you you neglect to be because you get caught up in worldly concerns, fascinations and desires. And the you that you desire to be deep down. I am so genuinely me with them, and I feel at home. I love it. I will post the picture of us on here once I get my hands on it (I'm not the one with the digital camera...). Anyway, the camp was tremendous. The sisters explained the beauty of the habit, of their vows, of being the Brides of Christ, of understanding Church teaching and of knowing the Truth, and of being attentive to the will of God in everyday life. They inspired each girl at that camp to desire God's will, to seek God's plan for their lives, and to know, love and serve Him more and more each day. I am confident in this, and I rejoice in this confidence. They were absolutely radiant, and I am still soaking in everything they were to me. I will probably continue to share random insights throughout the next week or so. :) Ah, it was beautiful.
And now on to Harry Potter.
I cannot find a credible source stating the Pope's comments about the Harry Potter books (I am still in search of them...)
However, I did find a statement by a Vatican official:
"It's just a setting for an adventure between good and evil to take place. And she has an amazing talent of writing books that you don't want to put down, that's all there is going on there."
Agreed.
You know, I Googled Pope Benedict XVI and Harry Potter and came up with everything from "the Pope is a fun-hater" to "the Pope is right, Harry is evil" to "the Pope never said that and Harry isn't evil"...so I don't trust anything I'm reading, and I'm going with my own conscience. And here's what it tells me.
Harry Potter is great. The books are good books for children to read WHEN and ONLY WHEN someone of competent intelligence and knowledge of Catholicism can explain it to them in light of the Truth. In the books, Harry is good. He is the standard protagonist fighting for good to prevail over evil. But instead of being humdrum, he is exciting, with silly spells (like the one that made Ron spit slugs) and daring adventures (like when he's saving innocent lives). In my opinion, he represents something that can teach children a lesson about standing up in the face of opposition and holding onto what is good and right and true. And if you want to get philosophical, the elements of friendship according to the Nicomachean Ethics are plain, from the relationship between Harry, Hermione and Ron to the relationship between Draco, Crabbe and Goyle. You can examine the reality of friendship between the good characters and the bad characters and see which more closely exhibits that of a Christian relationship. The 'good' characters strenghten each other, encourage each other, risk their lives for what they believe is the ultimate good. It is truly beautiful. And the example of virtue within the book is very evident in the characters also. Harry shows what virtue is, with the right amount of temperance in most things. The other characters exhibit either too much greed, anger, revenge, or a whole lot of other vices which can lead to the destruction of the person. The character of Harry teaches children to look at what is balanced - to be courageous, honest, and self-sacrificing, willing to do whatever it is to honor the good in the world. And all of this is done using the medium of the imagination. What beauty, teaching children to think for themselves, to envision what they are READING, instead of the ridiculous cartoons they watch on the television. Children read, children imagine, children learn, and with the proper instruction, children see the Christian themes in the book and learn to be virtuous and good as Harry strives to be. To me, Harry is a hero - we just need to look at him for what he really is, and not get caught up on the fact that he's a wizard...because in my opinion, the wizard is just a vehicle for getting into the imaginations of children. Children are not about to pick up a book entitled, "Little Johnny, the Good Boy Who Did Everything He Was Supposed To Do" to learn about virtue; however, through Harry Potter, they get essentially the same message.
And yes, I will be at the midnight release party tomorrow night. Woooooohooooo! :)
And now I must retire for the evening.
Caritas et veritas.
I heart Beauty.