Gospel for Tuesday, 3rd Week of Lent

Matthew 18:21-35

Forgiveness of Injuries. The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant

[21] Then Peter came up and said to Him (Jesus), "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" [22] Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

[23] "Therefore the Kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. [24] When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; [25] and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. [26] So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' [27] And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. [28] But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, `Pay what you owe.' [29] So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, `Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' [30] He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay his debt. [31] When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. [32] Then his lord summoned him and said to him, `You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; [33] and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' [34] And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. [35] So also My Heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."
__________________

Commentary:

21-35. Peter's question and particularly Jesus' reply prescribe the spirit of understanding and mercy which should govern Christians' behavior.

In Hebrew the figure of seventy times seven means the same as "always" (cf. Genesis 4:24): "Therefore, our Lord did not limit forgiveness to a fixed number, but declared that it must be continuous and forever" (Chrysostom, "Hom. on St. Matthew", 6). Here also we can see the contrast between man's ungenerous, calculating approach to forgiveness, and God's infinite mercy. The parable also clearly shows that we are totally in God's debt. A talent was the equivalent of six thousand denarii, and a denarius a working man's daily wage. Ten thousand talents, an enormous sum, gives us an idea of the immense value attaching to the pardon we receive from God. Overall, the parable teaches that we must always forgive our brothers, and must do so wholeheartedly.

"Force yourself, if necessary, always to forgive those who offend you, from the very first moment. For the greatest injury or offense that you can suffer from them is nothing compared to what God has pardoned you" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 452).
___________________________
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland. Reprinted with permission from Four Courts Press and Scepter Publishers, the U.S. publisher.

Bishop Listecki's Letter regarding "The Golden Compass"

Previously discussed here, the full text of Bishop Jerome Listecki's Lettor to Pastors warning of the dangers of the movie, "The Golden Compass," is now available at the Diocese of La Crosse website. It is a PDF file and may be viewed in its entirety here.

US Bishops asked to Fire Chief Film Critic over Glowing Reviews for "Brokeback" and "Compass"

"Bishops horrified at what has been done in their name"
By John-Henry Westen

WASHINGTON, DC, December 3, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Bishops of the United States are being asked to fire the chief movie reviewer for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Harry Forbes, the Director of the USCCB Office for Film and Broadcasting, has reignited scandal by praising the film "The Golden Compass" which is based on an anti-Catholic novel.

Forbes caused similar controversy two years ago when he issued a glowing review in the name of the USCCB for the homosexual propaganda film "Brokeback Mountain"...

It's well past the time to tell Harry "Good-bye"....

More at LifeSite here

Halloween and Harry Potter

Fr. Tom Euteneuer's Spirit & Life for Halloween

Oct 27-Another Women-Led Prayer

Don't forget to mark your calendars for another 'exciting' event for local dissenters:

Women Led-Prayer...an opportunity for Catholic women (especially those called to ordination) to lead prayer

Our next liturgy will be Saturday, October 27th, at 6:00 pm at Stone Shelter in Tower Grove Park. Bring your cardigan, it might be chilly. After the liturgy we will have a potluck. All women and men are invited to join us.

The next Liturgy will be November 24th at 10:00 am at St. Cronan's Parish.

For October 27th - Celebrating Native American Spirituality
at 6:00 pm in Tower Grove Park at the Stone Shelter

A Flyer can be viewed here.


Link to more information concerning this group is here.

Nobel Prize for Al Gore - Praise for Paganism and Abortion?

From AsiaNews:

The former US president offers doomsday forecasts that scientists find “very improbable” but their purpose is to praise the Gaia Cult and the Earth whilst attacking Christianity. For him birth control, including abortion, is the solution to pollution.

Moira Noonan to speak on the New Age, battle for souls

A Catholic who left and later returned to the faith after having been a disciple of New Age practices for 25 years will speak this month at two archdiocesan parishes.

Author Moira Noonan will talk about her experiences from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 27, at All Saints Parish, 6403 Clemens Ave. in University City. The gathering will close with Mass at 5 p.m.

Noonan will repeat her presentation from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28, at St. Vincent de Paul Parish, 1000 Rosati Court in Perryville.

Both events are free, with a freewill offering to be taken at each...

For more information or to reserve a space at either workshop, call Theotokos House of Prayer at (314) 832-4764. Leave your name and telephone number and your call will be returned.

Source: St Louis Review.

Four Agreements...and Catholic Education

This is for the children, shall we say, so that they may be protected, if God so wills, from questionable teachings and influences. Some however claim that things such as this must be OK because it's being taught in a Catholic school, as we have been reminded over and over again! Though the school might be Catholic, some maintain that the religious curriculum is not.

Taking a look at lessons for Quarter 3, students will be 'exposed' to more gnostic writings.

From the 'Introduction' of the book The Four Agreements by don Miguel Ruiz, we read that:

The Four Agreements are a tool for transformation, leading you to stop judging, mainly yourself, and to start practicing another way of life. They lead you to stop the guilt, the shame, and the self-rejection; they help you break the agreements that limit the expression of your creativity, and replace them with new agreements that facilitate the expression of your love.

With The Four Agreements, my intention was to create a messenger that can enter the imagination of readers and change their point of view. If you have practiced these agreements, you already know what they can do. They have the capacity to go directly into your belief system, into those thousands of agreements you made with yourself, and create a doubt. And just like magic, because they are magic, the Four Agreements slowly free the faith that is trapped inside your belief system. Little by little, you recover your integrity, and the real you starts to awaken. [emphasis added]

Quite an amazing proposition for Catholic freshmen who are taking a religion class presumably to strengthen and learn more about their Faith. Surely something which is "magic" (even if it is gnostic and laced with ideas and practises opposed to the faith), helpful in starting a new way of life (the path of Christ apparently being insufficient for this), and "creates doubt" must certainly have the blessing of the Church, yes?

After all, we continue hear the incessant cries of "foul" or "this is an attack on the Archbishop" and other such nonsense. Yet where are the cries of concern about the high school freshmen who are to receive this "religious education"? Is anyone concerned with the spiritual well-being of the those teenagers who are to be exposed to this gnostic poison? Merely because tuition is free doesn't mean the curriculum is good. Nor does a religious curriculum assume magical properties or become a divinely inspired instrument because Archbishop Burke celebrated Mass at the school or because a few of the resource materials may not be problematic. Many would be surprised if a curriculum for freshmen, which included this, the enneagram and other problematic components, would receive the approval of Archbishop Burke who is always speaking to us about the new evangelization and the deepening of our faith.

Let's continue with what the "religious guide" has to say:

If you have a goal and you use the messenger as your guide, you are going to reach your goal. With The Four Agreements, you can learn how to heal your emotional body. You can use it to change your belief system and create a brand new belief system...

Isn't this why we send our children off to Catholic schools - to create
a 'new' belief system?

Thousands of years ago the Toltec created three masteries to guide us out of suffering and return us to our true nature: happiness, freedom, and love...

The first mastery, the Mastery of Awareness, is the first step toward personal freedom, because we cannot be free if we don’t know what we are, where we are, or what kind of freedom we are looking for. In this mastery, we become aware of the fog that is in our mind. We become aware that we are dreaming all the time, and that everybody else is dreaming. The Mastery of Awareness can also be called the Mastery of Truth.

If you thought Jesus was the Truth, then maybe it was a dream, a fog...

The second Toltec mastery, the Mastery of Transformation, shows us how to change the dream of our life. The goal of the second mastery is to put order into the chaos of the mitote – into all of the voices inside our mind – to face our fears, to transform our fears, and to get results. The result we want is the freedom to live our own life instead of the life of the Parasite or the belief system.

One needs freedom from his belief system since it's a "parasite". One wants to be free from the shackles of the oppressive "belief system"...

Students will, as they are told, strengthen interpersonal skills by incorporating the tenants of The Four Agreements. Is this is a religion class or a psychotherapy session?

A number have suggested that this matter be brought to the attention of the Archbishop. I fully support this suggestion.

Archbishop Burke said before that his first responsibility is to teach the faith.

To put it plainly, I depend upon our catechists to teach the faith with integrity and, therefore, I have the responsibility to provide for catechists the ongoing education and formation which will equip them to hand on the deposit of faith to those whom they catechize...

Joy and peace are the fruits of justice, of right relationships with God, with others and with our world...

If we are to honor the truth about ourselves, about God, about others and about our world, we must first know the truth. And how do we know the truth? From the Word of God — Father, Son and Holy Spirit — Who is the source of all being. And how do we know God’s Word? From His heralds, those whom He gives the grace to announce and teach His Word to others...Those who have not been taught the truth will never know lasting joy and peace in their lives. The fundamental importance of catechesis is, therefore, clear to us all...

Catechists work with parents in leading their children into all truth. Helping students to know and reflect upon the Word of God, faithfully transmitted to us in the Church’s teaching, is leading them to honor the truth in their thoughts and words and actions, and, therefore, to find abiding joy and peace in their lives, and to bring joy and peace to others...

Below are the phone/fax numbers for Archbishop Burke and Bishop Hermann who is a board member of the Association of the Christian Faithful (ACF), the canonical board which is supposed to "maintain and direct the charism, philosophy, and Catholicity" of the school.

Most Reverend Raymond Leo Burke
PH. 314-633-2222
FAX 314-633-2302

Most Rev. Robert J. Hermann, V.G.
PH. 314-633-2270
FAX 314-633-2305

Related Posts:
Barat Academy's Theology - Good for Students?
Speaking of Education...
Catholic Education - Then and now...
A Followup - Theology Curriculum
Can a Catholic Support the Enneagram?
Archdiocese of St Louis and Religion Curriculum
The Way, the Truth, the Life?

******* Update ******** as of 10/14/07
The Archdiocese was made aware of this issue and some people now realize that the proposed resources "were not fitting choices for the content matter of a Catholic high school religion curriculum."

In addition, it became clear that The 7 Habits, The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, and Living Buddha, Living Christ "have no place in a religion class."

It is certainly encouraging to note that that "solidly Catholic textbooks" will be used in the future.

The Way, the Truth, the Life?

Back in the 70's, while searching for the "Path," I became aquainted with a book by Carlos Castaneda called The Teachings of don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge.

So that one might understand where I am headed, here are brief excerpts from Wikipedia:

[Castaneda] wrote a series of books that describe his training in traditional Mesoamerican shamanism, which he referred to as "sorcery" while admitting that this term does not appropriately describe the experience...

He was identified by don Juan Matus to have the energetic configuration of a "nagual", who, if the spirit chose may become a leader of a party of seers. He also used the term "nagual" to signify that part of perception which is in the realm of the unknown yet still reachable by man, implying that, for his party of seers, don Juan was a connection in some way to that unknown...

Castaneda wrote twelve books and several academic articles detailing his experiences with a Yaqui Indian from Central Mexico. His first three books, The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, A Separate Reality and Journey to Ixtlan were written while Castaneda was an anthropology student at UCLA. Castaneda wrote these books as if they were his research log describing his apprenticeship with a traditional "Man of Knowledge" identified as don Juan Matus...

In Castaneda's first two books, he describes the Yaqui way of knowledge using for asistance the use of powerful indigenous plants, such as peyote and datura. In his third book, Journey to Ixtlan, he makes clear that the use of psychotropic plants 'power plants' or substances was not necessary to achieve heightened awareness although his teacher advised its use was beneficial in helping to free the stubborn mind of some persons. He states that Don Juan used them on Castaneda to demonstrate that experiences outside those known in day-to-day life are real and tangible...

His fourth book, Tales of Power, ended with Castaneda leaping from a cliff into an abyss, marking his graduation from disciple to man of knowledge.

Mesmerized by the first book, I went on to read others in the series. I suppose I quit because I was unable to achieve the results that Castaneda had aquired. But then, I did not have a nagual to teach and guide me in the Toltec path.

Even chewing peyote 'buttons' and washing the putrid, pasty substance down with swigs of tequila did not allow me to reach the pinnacle of knowledge and understanding I was seeking, although I felt that I was getting closer. At one point, in an apparent period of 'confusion', I even considered trekking to the Sonoran desert to seek out this nagual...Sad, but true.

So where is this leading, one might ask. I was, because of my early 'background' and limited understanding of naguals and the Toltec path, recently surprised to see that a Catholic school would be using a book by one of these "teachers" in a Religion class.

From "The Toltec Nagual," we read about "The Path":

The intent of this website is to offer guidance on the Toltec Path of Direct Knowledge. Carlos Castaneda first brought the Toltec knowledge of nagualism out of secrecy in the late 1960s and '70s. In the past few years, guides such as the nagual don Miguel Ruiz (author of The Four Agreements) and the nagual Theun Mares have brought it further into accessibility.

So accessible as to be a primary "resource" for Catholic freshman?

...as with any spiritual endeavor the only way to make movement on the path is through consistent application of the tools. Because of the prevalence of book learning verses application, there are considerable misperceptions as to what the path is.

I'll say there are! Perhaps students will become intrigued with this "spiritual endeavor"? If so, there are many more resources to point them on a path away from the Church. Let's have a look, shall we?

The website Spirit Dimension offers students and others the following "Directory of Spiritual Development and Art Resources":

Toltec Teachings. Warrior. Carlos Castaneda. Magical Passes. Theun Mares. Karlos Kastaneda. Nagual. Don Juan Matus. Magic. don Miguel Ruiz. Personal growth, consciousness, awareness, awakening, spiritual teachings, book store, music, dvd video store, spiritual gift shop

Apparently, Catholic freshmen must be bereft of truly Catholic materials on spirituality and therefore, must rely on pagan/gnostic spirituality resources. Perhaps we should be thankful that Catholic religion teachers are on top of these problems!

Some, however, will continue to emphasize Christ as our sole mediator between God and man, and expound on the Church's unique role as the Body of Christ.

Lest we forget, All catechesis should be Christocentric:

"At the heart of catechesis we find, in essence, a Person, the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, the only Son from the Father. . .who suffered and died for us and who now, after rising, is living with us forever." To catechize is "to reveal in the Person of Christ the whole of God's eternal design reaching fulfillment in that Person. It is to seek to understand the meaning of Christ's actions and words and of the signs worked by him."' Catechesis aims at putting "people . . . in communion . . . with Jesus Christ: only he can lead us to the love of the Father in the Spirit and make us share in the life of the Holy Trinity."

In catechesis "Christ, the Incarnate Word and Son of God,. . . is taught - everything else is taught with reference to him - and it is Christ alone who teaches - anyone else teaches to the extent that he is Christ's spokesman, enabling Christ to teach with his lips. . . Every catechist should be able to apply to himself the mysterious words of Jesus: 'My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.'" [CCC 426-427]

After all, He is "the Way, the Truth and the Life."

And I'm so thankful that during my period of being lost in the darkness, Mary, Most Holy, our Blessed Mother, protected me with her mantle of protection! To this day, I still have a holy card of Our Mother of Perpetual Help which was given to me by a good, holy Catholic woman and mother who saw that I was so lost!

May Mary, our Mother, protect those children who will be subjected to strange teachings

...for the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own liking, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths. [2 Timothy 4:3,4]

and may our Lord give grace and light to all so that His will may be done!

Can a Catholic Support the Enneagram?

*** Updated to include Pope John Paul II's, Address to the United States Bishops of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska on their “Ad Limina” visit, 28 May 1993.
___________

First, it should be understood that the claim that the enneagram can be used as an index for "self-realization" of one's personality is pure speculation, having no basis in fact as this Homiletic & Pastoral Review article from April, 2001, demonstrates.

The Enneagram and Catholic personalism
Unlike some personality-type indices the Enneagram remains untested by any scientific study
By Christopher Rees

This is a long and detailed article and provides more than the necessary documentation to refute proponents of the enneagram.

But let's not dwell on this when we can go directly to the Church to see what she says on the matter.

In February 2003, the Pontifical Council for Culture and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue released the document "Jesus Christ the Bearer of the Water of Life: A Christian reflection on the New Age."

This document warned Catholics that caution and discernment were necessary in dealing with the Enneagram and other New Age practices because these activities can be in conflict with Catholic doctrine.

1.4. The New Age and Catholic Faith

Even if it can be admitted that New Age religiosity in some way responds to the legitimate spiritual longing of human nature, it must be acknowledged that its attempts to do so run counter to Christian revelation...

An adequate Christian discernment of New Age thought and practice cannot fail to recognize that, like second and third century gnosticism, it represents something of a compendium of positions that the Church has identified as heterodox.

John Paul II warns with regard to the

“return of ancient gnostic ideas under the guise of the so-called New Age: We cannot delude ourselves that this will lead toward a renewal of religion. It is only a new way of practising gnosticism – that attitude of the spirit that, in the name of a profound knowledge of God, results in distorting His Word and replacing it with purely human words. Gnosticism never completely abandoned the realm of Christianity. Instead, it has always existed side by side with Christianity, sometimes taking the shape of a philosophical movement, but more often assuming the characteristics of a religion or a para-religion in distinct, if not declared, conflict with all that is essentially Christian”.

An example of this can be seen in the enneagram, the nine-type tool for character analysis, which when used as a means of spiritual growth introduces an ambiguity in the doctrine and the life of the Christian faith.[emphasis added]

Further, in Section 6.2, Practical Steps, we read in the same document:

It must unfortunately be admitted that there are too many cases where Catholic centres of spirituality are actively involved in diffusing New Age religiosity in the Church. This would of course have to be corrected, not only to stop the spread of confusion and error, but also so that they might be effective in promoting true Christian spirituality.

And Pope John Paul II, in his address to the United States Bishops of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska on their “Ad Limina” visit, 28 May 1993 has stated:

Many of you have written Pastoral Letters on the problems presented by pseudo–religious movements and sects, including the so–called "New Age Movement". New Age ideas sometimes find their way into preaching, catechesis, workshops and retreats, and thus influence even practising Catholics, who perhaps are unaware of the incompatibility of those ideas with the Church’s faith. In their syncretistic and immanent outlook, these parareligious movements pay little heed to Revelation, and instead try to come to God through knowledge and experience based on elements borrowed from Eastern spirituality or from psychological techniques. They tend to relativize religious doctrine, in favor of a vague world–view expressed as a system of myths and symbols dressed in religious language. Moreover, they often propose a pantheistic concept of God which is incompatible with Sacred Scripture and Christian Tradition. They replace personal responsibility to God for our actions with a sense of duty to the cosmos, thus overturning the true concept of sin and the need for redemption through Christ. [emphasis added]

Yet, in the midst of this spiritual confusion, the Church’s Pastors...should insist on the spiritual dimension of the faith, on the perennial freshness of the Gospel message and its capacity to transform and renew those who accept it...

To preach a version of Christianity which benignly ignores, when it does not explicitly deny, that our ultimate hope is the "resurrection of the body and life everlasting" ("Symbolum Apostolorum") runs counter to Revelation and the whole of Catholic tradition. More vigorous preaching and catechesis on eschatological themes is needed in order to eliminate confusion regarding the true nature of Christian life and of the Church’s unfailing hope in her Lord who is "the resurrection and the life" (Jn. 11: 25).

Moral theologian Msgr. William B. Smith has also cautioned Catholics about the dangers of the enneagram. Writing in the March, 1993 issue of Homiletic & Pastoral Review, Msgr. Smith said:

"The enneagram is a circular diagram on which nine personality types are systematically represented at nine equidistant points on the circumference. Lines connect various points to each other. It is this diagram itself which is the enneagram, and it is used as a psychological tool of self-discovery. Each of the nine personality types (numbered 1 through 9) is described negatively by some compulsion, fixation, or basic driving force to avoid something unpleasant. This compulsion is seen as one's basic psychological orientation. To discover your number, you have to realize what you seek to avoid, what your compulsion is....

"The basic premise of the enneagram is that there are nine and only nine personality types; this is simply given as true, it is nowhere demonstrated as proven. To my knowledge, there are no scientific studies to determine whether enneagram theory can be integrated with other typologies; but that would not really bother some advocates one way or the other.... The more you read about it, the more it begins to resemble a college-educated horoscope; and that is not compatible with Catholic doctrine or practice....

"As a tool for spiritual direction, it seems to me most deficient, even dangerous. The enneagram is really built on a theology (?)-perhaps ideology-of self-renewal and self- regeneration that is a far cry from (perhaps contradiction of) the Gospel teaching: 'Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit' (John 12:24)....

"Pope John Paul II said on Nov. 1st, 1982:

'Any method of prayer is valid insofar as it is inspired by Christ and leads to Christ who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6).'

The enneagram is not the Way, nor is it the Truth, and on those bases not truly compatible with-much less essential to-the Life in Christ."

The source for this excerpt is here.

And from Zenit, we read:

Why New Age Is a Challenge for Christianity
Father Alessandro Olivieri Pennesi Responds
VATICAN CITY, 30 JUNE 2004 (ZENIT)
The spread of New Age and its use and abuse of Christian elements make of the movement a challenge for the baptized, says a specialist at the Lateran University.

Father Alessandro Olivieri Pennesi, a professor at the Mater Ecclesiae Higher Institute of Religious Sciences of the Lateran, gave that warning in an interview with ZENIT.
. . .
The 1989 document of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a Letter to the bishops of the Catholic Church on certain aspects of Christian meditation, is a reference text on the attention that must be given to updating the ancient Gnosis, in which salvation takes place through the conscience, [and is] esoteric, for the few.

In regard to New Age — or Gnostic, which is to say more or less the same thing — practices, there are at the basic level, numerous examples.

To mention one: the last Vatican text on New Age refers to the use — expanding alarmingly — of the enneagram: a symbol originally of an initiation character developed in an esoteric context, syncretist, which has subsequently been transformed to a system of classification of the personality of nine psychological types, which serves for the search for self-fulfillment by an esoteric or magical way.

This is pure Gnosis.

Click here for the entire article: http://www.ewtn.com/library/ISSUES/ZNACHALL.HTM

Any yet another article reiterates what was contained in the Vatican document listed above:

Despite its vast popularity in certain sectors, a recent Vatican document on the new age noted the enneagram is a form of Gnosticism, a formally declared heresy, which says Pope John Paul II is in “distinct, if not declared, conflict with all that is essentially Christian."

So now, understanding that the enneagram is a New Age tool, having no scientific validity in helping one to discern his behavior patterns coupled with the fact that it's pure gnosis as stated by Father Alessandro Olivieri Pennesi and "is conflict with all that is essentially Christian" as the late Holy Father said, how is it possible for a faithful and devout Catholic to support its inclusion in a high school theology curriculum?

A Followup - Theology Curriculum

Perhaps, since some have requested it, it's time to list the remainder of the Theology outline for the 2007-2008 Freshman year at Barat Academy, which was given to students/parents. The previous post ended with the beginning of the first quarter of the curriculum. Continuing with Quarter 1:

2. The Spirituality of the Sacred Heart
a. What are the goals (and criteria) of Sacred Heart education?
b. How can I adapt the Learn Life philosophy into my everyday living?
c. The student will learn to view all facets of his/her education through a theological lens.
d. The student will study the lives of Madeleine Sophie Barat and Rose-Philippine Duchesne.
e. Working in groups, the students will create a project detailing one of the five goals of Sacred Heart education.
f. The student will be examined on his/her understanding of the lives of Madeleine Sophie Barat and Rose-Philippine Duchesne, and his/her comprehension of a spirituality that centers on devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Recall that the first quarter begins with a study of the "Wisdom" of the Enneagram as a personality tool (mistakenly understood as such as Fr Mitch Pacwa describes it).

Quarter 2
1. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens
a. How does an understanding of the seven habits help me in my journey of growth during my high school years?
b. The student will internalize each of the seven habits, and will decide which of the habits he/she needs and/or wants to improve upon.
c. Small groups will collaborate to determine which of the habits is most important for a developing teenager. Then the groups will produce a creative presentation that describes the selected habit.

2. Biblical Literacy
a. What do the terms hermeneutics and exegesis mean in theology?
b. The student will be able to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the most prominent forms of Scripture interpretation.
c. The student will become familiar with Scripture commentaries and appreciate their utility for Biblical interpretation.
d. Each student will select a pericope of his/her choice within the Bible and perform a presentation on that passage using one of the many forms of Scripture interpretation.

Quarter 3
1. The Four Agreements
a. How are the four agreements applicable to every faith background in the world?
b. The student will strengthen his/her interpersonal skills by incorporating the tenants of The Four Agreements.
c. The student will be assessed on his/her understanding of the four agreements and the universal themes contained in each.

2. The Power of Prayer
a. What are the benefits of an earnest prayer life?
b. How do I communicate my thoughts and feelings to God?
c. Each student will be given ample time to reflect on his/her personal relationship with God.
d. The student will contemplate his/her current attitude towards prayer and present his/her hopes for growth in prayer life.

3. Nonviolence and Social Justice
a. How can I help reduce violence in the world today?
b. In what ways has the world fallen to injustice in the past and present?
c. The student will gain background on the lives of people such as Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Dorothy Day, and other lay men and women who have made an impact in the arenas of nonviolence and social justice.
d.. This unit will entertain papal encyclicals, including Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum(1891), and others, whose primary message confronts injustice.
e. The students will work in groups to present an illustration from one of the four canonical gospels of Jesus' commitment to the principles [of] nonviolence.

Quarter 4
1. Buddhism and Other Indian Religions
a. What features of Buddhism and Hinduism foster an appreciation for environmental ethics?
b. What are the similarities and differences between Christianity and these two religions?
c. The sacred view of water for both religions will be stressed and compared with the ritual perception of water for Christianity.
d. An exam will be administered over the core beliefs of Buddhism and Hinduism, including the central stories of both traditions.

2. Sexual Ethics
a. What does the Church teach about human sexuality?
b. In what ways are sexual ethics appropriate for understanding one's role as a Christian?
c. The student will learn that an appropriate sexual ethic leads to healthy and loving relationships.
d. All students are expected to handle the topic of sexual ethics with the utmost maturity, and they are expected to uphold a non-intimidating atmosphere in the classroom.

3. Church History
a. What moments in the Church's history shed light on ecology and environmental ethics?
b. Documents from the Second Vatican Council and papal encyclicals are going to be the main focus tools for discussion.
c. Each student will produce a synthesis essay on one of the documents of Vatican II, highlighting the key points addressed in the document.
d. The student will also be examined on the major changes in the Church that were brought about by Vatican II.

Any typos mine...

Barat Academy's Theology - Good for Students?

Recent articles have been written about the newest Catholic High School in St. Charles County. Barat Academy is located in Dardenne Prairie, Mo. and started operation this year. While the school is a co-educational campus, it offers its college preparatory curriculum in a gender segregated class environment.

Barat Academy states that it is committed to the traditions and values of Sacred Heart education. Its core vision is "To create a learning community of citizens who are transformed in Christ and who will change the world." The goals of a Sacred Heart education, as explained on the Network of Sacred Hearts Schools' website (http://www.sofie.org/about-us.html) are:

1. a personal and active faith in God,
2. a deep respect for intellectual values,
3. a social awareness which impels to action,
4. the building of community as a Christian value, and
5. personal growth in an atmosphere of wise freedom.

In early March of 2007, an anonymous donor made a one-time contribution that provided all students in Barat Academy's first freshman class with a year of free tuition. The size of the founding class was anticipated to be about 150 students. The yearly tuition at Barat Academy is $11,000.00.

Students and parents received outlines for the classes which are to be taken for the upcoming year. The freshman class Theology outline provides an interesting perspective in how the new students are to be educated.

The outline lists five Essential Questions for the Course:

1. Am I developing a strong prayer life and a deep, personal relationship with God?
2. What does it mean to be a Christian?
3. How will I live out the goals of a Sacred Heart education?
4. Who am I today and who do I want to be?
5. Am I a responsible steward of the environment God has provided?

In order to assist the students in finding the answers to these "essential questions," they are provided with "central resources."

In addition to The Catholic Faith Handbook for Youth and the New Revised Standard Version-Catholic Edition bible (a translation which the Vatican has deemed unworthy for liturgical use, in part due to its extensive use of inclusive language), several other books are included in the "central resources" category. They are:

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens (Sean Covey)
• The Four Agreements (Don Miguel Ruiz)
• The Illustrated World's Religions: A Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions (Huston Smith)
• Living Buddha/ Living Christ (Thich Nhat Hanh)
• On Prayer: A Letter to My Godchild (Phyllis Zagano)

It should be noted that Don Miguel Ruiz

was born into a family of healers and raised in rural Mexico by a curandera (healer) mother and nagual (shaman) grandfather. The family anticipated don Miguel would embrace their centuries old legacy of healing and teaching and as a nagual, carry forward the esoteric Toltec knowledge...

The Toltec came together as masters (Naguals) and students at Teotihuacan, the ancient city of pyramids outside Mexico City known as the place where "Man becomes God". Teotihuacan remained the Toltec center of spiritual knowledge and transformation for many thousands of years and still endures as a living repository of silent knowledge.

...the esoteric Toltec knowledge was embodied and passed on through generations by different lineages of Naguals. Though it remained veiled in secrecy for hundreds of years, ancient prophecies foretold the coming of an age when it would be necessary to return the wisdom to the people. Now, don Miguel has been guided to share with us the powerful teachings of the Toltec.

...don Miguel reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. When we are ready to change these agreements, there are four deceptively simple, yet powerful agreements that we can adopt as guiding principles.

More on this is available at the miguelruiz.com website here.

Questions may arise as to the purpose of teaching freshmen about these heretofore "hidden" teachings of 'enlightenment'. It's unclear from the outline whether this is a class on world religions or an indoctrination of syncretism or pluralism. One may wonder if a new form gnosticism is now part of Catholic theology.

What is a parent to deduce from seeing that Living Buddha/ Living Christ is classified as a "theological" resource for beginning freshmen? Faithful Catholics would do well to read the article, "Are Jesus and Buddha Brothers?", by Carl E. Olson. It is available at Catholic Culture here.

"When you are a truly happy Christian, you are also a Buddhist. And vice versa." So concludes best-selling author and Buddhist monk Thich Hhat Hanh near the end of his popular book Living Buddha, Living Christ.

Some would find it quite interesting and problematic that books such as this are viewed as "central resources" for the study of theology in a freshman class. Carl's article is quite good and needs to be read in its entirety, but a couple of excerpts seem appropriate:

Despite many external similarities, Buddhist meditation and contemplation is quite different from orthodox Christianity. Buddhist meditation strives to "wake" a person from his existential delusions. "Therefore, despite similar aspects, there is a fundamental difference" between Christian and Buddhist mysticism, writes Pope John Paul II. "Christian mysticism . . . is not born of a purely negative 'enlightenment.' It is not born of an awareness of the evil that exists in man's attachment to the world through the senses, the intellect, and the spirit. Instead, Christian mysticism is born of the revelation of the living God" (Crossing the Threshold of Hope).
. . .
Because it offers a spirituality that is ostensibly free of doctrine and authority, it will attract hungry souls looking for fulfillment and meaning. "For this reason," the Holy Father states, "it is not inappropriate to caution those Christians who enthusiastically welcome certain ideas originating in the religious traditions of the Far East." [my emphasis]

And, in order to dispel any uncertainties, Carl offers this anecdotal conversation:

Shortly before the Holy Father's visit to St. Patrick's Cathedral in 1979, the Dalai Lama was greeted there. A monsignor in the receiving line recalls his encounter with the Buddhist patriarch: The Dalai Lama approached him, gazed into his eyes, and queried, "Father, do you know the difference between you and me?"

"No, Your Holiness," replied the monsignor.

"You believe in a personal God," the Dalai Lama observed, "and I do not."

This, above all, marks the difference between Christians and Buddhists. Beyond the rhetoric of "peace," "compatibility," and "the way," there remains one profound difference between Buddha and Jesus: Jesus is God; Buddha is not.

In looking at the last book by Phyllis Zagano, it should be noted that the author has previously called for the ordination of women to the diaconate as in this article, "Women Deacons - the fears of Rome" and this book, "Holy Saturday: An Argument for the Restoration of the Female Diaconate in the Catholic Church."

And if all of this is not enough to cause parents to worry about their children's spiritual welfare or suffer anxiety attacks, there is yet still more. First year high school students are treated, not to a refresher of fundamentals and the teachings of the Faith in a systematic way, but to a study of the alleged "wisdom" of the Enneagram. From the student handout we read:

Quarter 1
1. The Wisdom of the Enneagram

a. What does my Enneagram type teach me about myself?

b. The student will be able to identify the patterns of behavior most commonly associated with his/her personality type.

c. The student will learn to think critically about the strengths and weaknesses of personality categorizations.

d.The student will incorporate the knowledge of self-realization in order to strengthen his/her relationship with God and with others.

e.The student will produce an essay assessing the value of the Enneagram.

Based upon what is really known about the enneagram from people such as Fr. Mitch Pacwa (critique here), one might wonder why such a topic is proposed as one of the first things being taught to first year students, who may not have been previously blessed with a sufficiently firm foundational religious education.

Fr. Pacwa wrote, in 1999:

Today, there is not a single Jesuit in my province, or the next province over, teaching the Enneagram. There is not a single Jesuit left in the society teaching the Enneagram. Either they've stopped teaching the Enneagram, or they've left the Society. Not a single one is left.

Pat O'Leary drove our retreat centre in Cleveland into the red so far that it went bankrupt. He was giving 52 Enneagram seminars a year at this place — plus going out to other places to give Enneagram seminars, and he is still driving it into the ground. Same thing has happened at the retreat house in Western Massachusetts and another one on the coast run by the Dominicans — two Dominicans, a priest and a nun, on full time Enneagram work. It runs them out of business. It's something that people in your dioceses better pay attention to.
. . .
I have mentioned all this in terms of its roots, to de-mythologise the absolute nonsensical myth of it being a 2000-year-old Sufi system. That is untrue. It's less than 30 years old. I don't intend to say in any way that the Catholic teachers of the Enneagram are promoting pantheism; they don't know its pantheistic roots; they don't know about its occultic roots; they don't know that it came from spirit channelling; they don't know that it was originally a form of fortune-telling. They haven't got a clue of that. They all believe the old myth — or the not so old myth — the 30-year-old myth of it being an ancient system.

Is this a matter about which to be concerned? Many Catholics would emphatically say 'yes'.

An Interview with Exorcist Fr. Jose Antonio Fortea

In an exclusive interview, theologian and exorcist Father Jose Antonio Fortea speaks of the dangers of the occult arts but also the Harry Potter series of books. He is travelling to the US for a series of conferences in August 2007.

HT to Trish for passing along the link

Retired Bishop Quinn "Walks the Labyrinth"...

...after all, "walking the labyrinth" is much easier than following in Christ's footsteps...

Retired Sacramento bishop attends unusual retreat in Burlingame

Sacramento’s retired bishop, Francis Quinn, spoke at a June 7 contemplative retreat at Burlingame’s Mercy Center to mark its 25th anniversary, San Francisco’s archdiocesan newspaper, Catholic San Francisco, reports.

The Center, says its web site, is “sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy and rooted in the Catholic tradition.” It “welcomes women and men of diverse faiths and cultural backgrounds.”

One should understand that when one reads or hears that a group is "rooted in" the Catholic (or Jesuit, etc) tradition, it deserves a closer look for many times, it seems, something entirely different has been "grafted" onto that once "Catholic" stock...Such, it appears, is the case in this situation...

You can read about it here.

Stretching with Fr. Tom...

“The stuff of our spirituality”
Retreat on yoga as means of spiritual discernment held in Oakland diocese

The Diocese of Oakland announced a June 8-10 retreat at Vallombrosa Center in Menlo Park: “Prayer of Heart and Body: Mediation and Yoga as Christian Spiritual Practice.”
. . .
Leading the retreat was Paulist Father Tom Ryan, who, according to the Weekly, “lives in Washington, DC and works in ecumenical and interfaith relations.” Ryan has written books on yoga and Christian spiritual practice and has a DVD, Yoga Prayer. [An excerpt from this video, “Stretch with Fr. Tom,” features Ryan, in an orange t-shirt, brown trousers, and barefoot, doing stretching exercises. The set features candles and a Celtic cross. The musical accompaniment is “Rejoice and Be Glad (For Yours is the Kingdom of God.).”]

Apparently, what was good enough and sufficient for Christians who have preceded us, is lacking in these days...Divergent voices inform us that "this is good/this is bad" - at the same time. Is it any wonder that so many appear to suffer from confusion - a sort of schizophrenic belief system - a faith which borders on the absurd?

How did so many saints ever make it without the benefits and insights of such "spiritual direction" as that promoted by "Fr. Tom" and others like him?