CC#30--Quo Vadis, Domine?

The events this past year in Rome have caused great heartburn and heartbreak for the Catholic faithful around the world. What should we make of it? What should we do? Let's talk about it on this Catholic Corner.

Welcome to the Theory to Action podcast, where we examine the timeless treasures of wisdom from the great books in less time, to help you take action immediately and ultimately to create and lead a flourishing life. Now here's your host, david Kaiser.

Hello, I am David and welcome back to this Catholic Corner, the first Catholic Corner of 2024. And indeed, as we talk about everything that happened in this last year, 2023, it seems that since the stalwarts of orthodoxy, that of the great theologian Pope Benedict the 16th and the giant of a man, physically and spiritually, the great Australian cardinal George Pell when both of these giants left the world stage to enter their heavenly reward at the beginning of 2023, it was as if all the devils in the world had been released, because we saw some theologically crazy things happen in 2023. 100 pronouncements, confusing explanations, and then, ultimately, we had the synod of synonality that still, to this day, no one can explain what is happening there, and we still have another year to go. They're going to reconvene it for the second year here in 2024. So, with all that backdrop and content, I thought it best that we present our first Catholic Corner of 2024 to reset everything and to provide us a very good baseline, a firm, solid foundation of a baseline, a Catholic baseline. So, with all that, let's go to our first pull quote from our book. About dawn on the following day, two dark figures were moving along the Appian way toward the Cappania. One of them was Nazarius, the other the Apostle Peter, who was leaving Rome, and his martyred co-religionist. The sky in the east was assuming in the light tinge of green, bordered gradually and more distinctly on the lower edge with a saffron color. Silver leaf trees, the white marbles of villas and the arches of the aqueducts stretching through the plain toward the city were emerging from the shade. The greenness of the sky was clearing gradually and becoming permeated with gold. Then the east began to grow rosy and illuminate the Albion Hills, which seemed marvelously beautiful, lily-colored, as if formed of rays of light alone. The light was reflected in trembling leaves of trees and the dwell drops. The haze grew thinner, opening wider and wider views of the plain, on the houses dotting it, on the cemeteries, on the towns, on the group of trees among which stood white columns of temples. The road was empty. The villagers took vegetables to the city, had not succeeded yet, evidently, in the harnessing beast to their vehicles. From the stone blocks with which the road was paved as far as the mountains, there came a low sound from the bark of shoes on the feet of the two travelers. Let's stop here. This is the opening of chapter 69 in the Henry Sincowicz classic novel Quovatis. Now, if you don't know who Henry Sincowicz was, well, let me help you there. Henry Sincowicz was an epic Polish writer, born in 1846. He grew up in a Poland that was ruled by the Russian-installed Congress in his home country and then, by the late 1870s, he had traveled to the United States, where he had sent back travel essays that gained him popularity with his Polish readers. Eventually, he would begin writing novels that made him one of the most popular Polish writers in the 19th and 20th centuries. It was in 1905 that he won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Of his books in Poland he was best known for his trilogy series, a series of historical novels set in the 17th century, polish Lithuania and Commonwealth. Those titles were with Fired and Sword, the Deleuge and Sir Michael. These three works stirred up a Polish nationalism and patriotism that was pushing the envelope in that time and context. Written between 1884 and 1888, these novels would we fact in fiction and put in help the Poles know that their patriotism and their history was important. Sigwitz later said that one of the goals of his writing of the trilogy was to encourage and strengthen Polish national confidence against those occupying powers of Russia. Then comes our book that we're covering today, quo Vadis, written in 1896. The story is set in early Christianity, rome under the emperor Nero's reign. As with all great novels, there is a love story, and why not? It tells of a young Christian woman, legia, and Marcus Veniceus, who was a Roman patrician. It's a captivating story. It's very well written, with plenty of twists and turns, and if you like love stories, this is a classic. It's a classic otherwise too, but especially so if you're a Christian, as you would love the details of how life was lived under the persecution of a Roman emperor, in the infancy of the religion that was just getting its sea legs, so to speak. Obviously, it's a historical novel, so you can't take everything as fact, but it's a good portrayal and many historians have pointed to it as a good portrayal of what life could have been like for any early Christian. But let's go back to the book to hear more of this great writing. Then the sun appeared over the line of hills, but at once a wonderful vision struck the apostles eyes. It seemed to him that the golden circle, instead of rising in the sky, moved down from the heights and was advancing on the road. Peter stopped and asked See us, thou, that brightness approaching us. I see nothing, replied Nazarius. But Peter shaded his eyes with his hand and said after a while, some, some figure is coming in the gleam of the sun. But not the slightest sound of steps reached their ears. It was perfectly still all around them. Nazarius saw only that the trees were quivering in the distance, as if someone were shaking them, and the light was spreading more broadly over the plain. He looked with wonder at the apostle. Rabbi, what ails thee, cried he with alarm. The pilgrim's staff fell from Peter's hands to the earth. His eyes were looking forward motionless, his mouth open. His face was depicted in astonishment, delight and rapture. He threw himself on his knees, his arms stretched forward, and this cry left his lips O Christ, o Christ. He fell with his face to the earth, as if kissing someone's feet. The silence continued long. Then were heard the words of the aged man, broken by sobs Quo Vadis Domini, where are you going, lord". Nazarius did not hear the answer, but to Peter's ears came a sad and sweet voice which said "'If thou desert my people, I am going to Rome to be crucified a second time'". The apostle lay on the ground, his face in the dust, without motion or speech. It seemed to Nazarius that he had fainted or was dead. But he rose at last, seized the staff with his trembling hands and turned without a word toward the seven hills of the city. The boy, seeing this, repeated as an echo covatus domini To Rome, said the apostle in a low voice, and he returned. Paul John Linus and all the faithful received him with amazement. And the alarm was the greater since at daybreak, just after his departure, patroians had surrounded Miriam's house and searched for the apostle. But to every question he answered only with delight and peace. I have seen the Lord. And that same evening he went to the Ostian cemetery to teach and baptize those who wished to bathe in the water of life. And thenceforth he went there daily, and after him went increasing numbers. It seemed that out of every tear of a martyr new confessors were born and that every grown on the arena found an echo and a thousand of beast. Caesar was swimming in blood. Rome and the whole pagan world was mad. But those who had enough of the transgression and the madness, those who were trampled upon, those whose lives were misery and oppression all the way down, all the sad, all the unfortunate, came to hear the wonderful tidings of God who, out of love for men, had given himself to be crucified and redeemed their sins when they had found a God whom they could love. They had found that with which society of the time could not give anyone Happiness and love. And Peter understood that neither Caesar nor his legions could overcome the living truth, that they could not overwhelm it with tears or blood, and that now its victory was beginning. He understood with equal force why the Lord had turned him back on that road. That city of pride, of crime, of wickedness and power was beginning to be his city, the double capital from which would flow out upon the world government of souls and bodies. Oh, such great writing. I hoped you liked it as much as I did. Reading it again for you. There's nothing better than good historical writing. And obviously we don't know if this actual event took place. There's much speculation. It's come down through oral history and oral tradition that it did happen, but it's not recorded in the Bible. And we do have, by tradition, we do have a church along the Appian Way. That, it is said, marks the spot where Peter encountered our Lord and this event took place. But again, we don't know if that's fact or fiction. I think it provides for a wonderful historical writing and again, I hope you liked it as much as I did reading it again for you. I read this book way, way back at the at my brother's recommendation. Didn't know who Henry Sinkiewicz was. My brother had read it and recommended it to me and it was a fascinating tale. I was intrigued, loved every minute of it. It is a classic. So I wanted to share that with you. And as we transition, let us ask some relevant questions, especially to ourselves. What does this say about our own time period? Now many believe, with the recent document coming from the Holy Father and his Dicastry, the doctrine of the faith that allows for the blessing of same-sex couples, and now that there's a further clarification document that has been released, there's a great deal of confusion about this. All of this and frankly there's been a great deal of confusion that has been piled on top of more and more confusion for the last 10 years of this pontificate. I thought the US Catholic Conference of Bishops missed a golden opportunity to seek clarity and to help out the US Catholic. Faithful but even good bishops like my own here in Columbus, ohio were led astray to say that this document doesn't say what it clearly does say. I'd urge you to read the document. I'll put a link in the show notes. But other bishops throughout the world have come to a different decision. They seem to have more clarity or seek clearly what this document actually does say. Many of these are especially the African bishops. As a unity, the African bishops are probably the most persecuted Christians in the world who have saved China since the Holy Father abandoned Chinese Catholics with his secret agreement with the current administration of China, the Communist administration. But the Africans have seen clearly what this Holy Father is doing in the double speak that's happening and where he is taking the church in as a unity, as a conference. They have said no. So this all begs the question what are we to do? What can we do when the church is going in a wrong direction that we think it should go? Well? If we are Christian, and most especially if we are Catholic, we have a long tradition of what to do. Certainly from our Catholic theology and from the Bible, we know from our baptism that we are named children of God, as Saint or as 2 Peter 1, 4 tells us, for through baptism we are partakers of the divine nature. The baptized members are of a quote chosen race, god's own people. You can see 1 Peter 2, 9 and 1 Corinthians 12, 12 for that, as well as Romans 12, 4 and 5. Now if we were to pull back in a much wider view, going all the way back to the book of Genesis, we know that God made each and every human being in his image and likeness see Genesis 127 and 128. And he pronounced all of that as not only good but very good. It's a key word. He said it was not only good but very good. In fact, let's grab that quote, pulling out my Didache Bible, my Ignatius Bible edition from the Midwest Theological Forum and from Ignatius Press, which I believe is a very good translation. We're turning to Genesis 1.26. Here we go. When God said let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in his own image and in the image of God. He created them, male and female. He created them and God blessed them. And God said to them be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth. And God said behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed and its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the air and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food. And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day. So human creation is the pinnacle of God's creation. So, as the pinnacle of God's creation, and with the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, his son, to redeem us and essentially create us to be children of the Father is completely different than any other religion. So other religion makes this bold of a promise to be children of God. So we can't fall into the blind spot of religious indifferentism, where every religion is the same as the other. They all just have their own way of getting to God. That's problematic, so we have to be on guard to that. But as human persons can say that they are children of God for having been created by God, that takes some humility and that's a good thing. But then for Christians, through the sacrament of baptism, we are further marked, indelibly marked ourselves as children of God, infused with his grace, and upon receiving those graces, as we live our lives continually as long as we don't sin against God, our Father. So, as children of God, you see his physical church on earth and its leadership going a different direction in the way it should be going. What are we to do? It's the perennial question. God, our Lord, gave us some great advice in this area. He said deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me. In fact, let's go to our dedicated Bible again to pull that quote From Matthew 1621,. Here we go. From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him and began to rebuke him saying God forbid, lord, this shall never happen to you. But he turned and said to Peter Get behind me. Satan, you are a hindrance to me, for you are not on the side of God but of men. And Jesus told his disciples if any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me, for whoever would save his life would lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will a prophet, a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? For the son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the son of man coming in his kingdom. And so we know to follow Christ is to deny ourselves. Take up our cross and follow him. So we know what's in store for us, which is suffering. Suffering is going to come, and, just like when our earthly father does some knucklehead moves and makes dumb decisions, you certainly can't abandon your earthly father because you love him. He helped to bring you into the world. But for your sake, you suffer and you pray that our Lord will give him the guidance and grace to change directions, to change his heart and to make better decisions. So we too, catholics and Christians, when we see the leadership in Rome making dumb decisions and judgments that don't align with the church's mission of saving souls while here on earth, and by not following the commandments of Christ and his teachings, then we have to suffer and keep denying ourselves and keep taking up our cross with faith and offering these things up for our Lord and for the leadership in Rome. So in today's Catholic Corner, as more and more confusion and bad decisions are sure to come out of Rome with certain decisions, especially with the synod of synonality, let us follow the example of so many saints who, down through the ages, continued to hear the words of Christ deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me. And with this great modern classic written by Henry Synchowicz, we will remember those famous lines written in all of human literature. He threw himself on his knees, his arms stretched forward and this cry left his lips O Christ, o Christ. He fell with his face to the earth, as if kissing someone's feet. The silence continued long and there were heard the words of the aged man, broken by sobs Quo Vadis Domini, where are you going, lord? And we will know the answer If thou desert my people, I'm going to Rome to be crucified a second time To our leadership in Rome. The Christian faithful all over the world is asking the same question now Quo Vadis Domini?

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