It is a mystery!

               Recently, on an absolutely perfect May evening, I spent time in the courtyard of the Dominican House of Studies (DHS) in Washington D.C. enjoying libations and thoughtful conversation.  The occasion was the graduation of a friend of mine from the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the DHS. Two degrees were conferred on my friend, who is a brother in the Order of Preachers. This evening was a milestone on his journey to become a priest in the order founded by St. Dominic nearly 800 years ago. 

               In the courtyard, there were dozens of men dressed in the white habit of the Dominican’s, many of them, like my friend, who are in the process of discerning their vocation as a priest.  I turned to my friend and commented, “Why do you think so many men are joining the Dominicans?”  “It’s a mystery,” was his comment.  At first I wanted to shrug off his comment, thinking that it is something that someone in religious life might say.  He began to discuss cause and effect, and at this point I knew I was way over my head trying to follow a line of thought by a philosophy major.  But he was insistent, in today’s culture, why would so many intelligent, talented, men be drawn to a life of obedience, poverty and chastity?  “It is a mystery” he emphatically declared.  Who understands how the Holy Spirit works?

               Those words have followed me since that conversation.  It especially crossed my mind today as I think about the Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form for Corpus Christi that will be held at my church tonight.  It will be the first Latin mass that I have attended in two years. 

               I could make the case that attending a Latin mass four years ago is the reason I am a member of a Lay Dominican community today.  At that time in my life, I was exploring my Catholic faith, and interested in trying new experiences that could bring me closer to God.  My interest in learning more about the Latin mass led me to take a class offered in my parish to help lay members learn Latin for the mass.  The young man who taught the class was considering a vocation and introduced me to the Order of Preachers.  When my regular confessor left the DC area and I was seeking formation, I ran across information about Lay Dominican communities.  I would have not followed this journey without listening to and following the urgings of the Holy Spirit. What mystery is planned for me today?

What is the morality of the soda ban?

Each day (or at least most days), a little after 4:00pm, my phone lets me know that I have an email.  It is the Dominican Daily bringing me the most recent posts from the Dominican Friars of St. Joseph's Province.  Today's first message made me laugh at its simplicity and its truth.  

Typically, I don't re-quote other people in my blog, but today, I don't know how to say this better.  Thanks Brother Sebastian!  You can get other wisdom from the Order of Preachers or sign up for the Dominican Daily at http://www.ordopraedicatorum.org/TheologyoftheSodaBan

Posted in: Faith & Morals|By: Fr. Kevin Gabriel Gillen, O.P.|June 27, 2012

Student brother Sebastian White, O.P. is a summer fellow at First Things magazine, a publication of The Institute on Religion and Public Life, an interreligious, nonpartisan research and education institute whose purpose is to advance a religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society.  As part of his duties, Br. Sebastian publishes regularly at First Thoughts, the blog site for the journal.  Below is an excerpt of his recent blog post :

Theology of the Soda Ban

 It’s the combination of values that is puzzling: a quasi-religious zeal to eliminate soda, salt, and saturated fat on the one hand, and the toleration—nay, promotion—of grave offenses against human dignity and health on the other. When premarital sex, homosexuality, contraception, and abortion are encouraged in health class, isn’t Michael Bloomberg’s crusade against sugary drinks a bit odd? As the Church is backed into a corner because of its teaching on sexuality, and its institutions face increasing pressure to compromise and cooperate with abortion, gay marriage, and contraception, and after the city bans religious groups from using public property, lawmakers are getting moralistic about food. It’s a good thing if people eat less fat and sugar, to be sure, but let’s put first things first.