Relativism; what kind of Truth is it?

Since my blog is partially called "Seeking Truth"  I am finding it very important to understand this term, relativism.

Ok, I will admit this a new word for me,  but seems to be coming up in the literature I've been reading lately and seems to be tied into the current debate of civil unions and gay marriage.  Relativism is the philosophy that there is no objective or absolute truths that everything is "relative." No longer does the culture seem to believe that marriage is between a woman and a man.  As I mentioned in a recent facebook post that I fear if we cross this line of same sex marriage, what will be next? We will constantly redefine marriage as we go into the future. Pope Emeritus Benedict called Relativism "as the greatest problem of our time and announced that our society is building a dictatorship of relativism." 

In the near future I will devote some time to this topic so stand by until after Easter. In the meantime, have a joyous Easter. I believe when Jesus died on the cross he certainly knew the absolute truth and tried to spread it. Let us use Easter to try and get back some of that truth that he carried with him. 

TOB in our musical culture...Let Jesus Fix You!

I've been listening to Cold Play lately and really liked this song "Fix you" The video is cool too and provided a link below. Take a look at the lyrics. It may mean different things to each of us...Here are a few that caught me...

"When you get what you want, but not what you need"

 ...for me this means desires fulfilled here on Earth but only God knows what we really need.

Remember from C.S. Lewis..."If you have a desire that can't seem to be fulfilled, chances are they were made for a different world"

"lights will guide you home and ignite your bones and I will try and fix you"...

Here this reminds me of the Resurrection at the end of time,  as our bodies are ignited and reuntied with our spirit. Jesus is always trying to fix us, we just need to let him. Below is the link to the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI-o25K6B-E

TOB and the Pachal Mystery

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Palm-Sunday-Reflection---TOB---the-Paschal-Mystery.html?soid=1101197222912&aid=8Y-MOWBQuS8

St Joseph, help us men in purity of heart and in modesty!

"As the Divine Praises remind us, St. Joseph is Mary's most chaste spouse. He is a master of purity and a master of modesty, even if he needs a little convincing on this point."...read on below by Father Boniface Hicks

http://www.tobinstitute.org/newsItem.asp?NewsID=77

TOB Head and Heart Immersion Course in PA!

Highly recommended for anyone who wants to learn more about TOB! Here is a video that describes the program. If you would like further information let me know. Scott

Lenten Reflections continue with Mercy....

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Fifth-Sunday-of-Lent-Reflection---Mercy-Writes-Indelible-Love-Upon-Our-Hearts.html?soid=1101197222912&aid=2irT1xxZjSk

Contraception and Celibacy

From our discussions with Celibacy last week this article will connect well as we move into Week 7 and 8

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/standingonmyhead/contraception-and-celibacy

Living out Theology of the Body

As we come to the last 2 weeks of our TOB class, the question which may be coming to mind and certainly has to me, is how to truly live out this teaching? Not an easy thing to do. In the past, I could read the material in my mind, but living it out was a different story and failed several times thinking I could do it myself with no ones help. 

Not until my week long TOB retreat in January could I put it all together with a combination of head and HEART. You can't live something out without putting your heart into it. So while learning, you have to use the sacraments to help you especially in dealing with sin. As Chrisopher West, puts it, you can not look at sin without holding the hand of Jesus in one, and Mary in the other hand.

For me it was a combination of prayer, reconciliation, communion and Eucharist that helped me to live this teaching of Theology of the Body. Below is a link to an article that Christopher West published on this topic. As we approach Easter, I challenge you all to try the following if you are struggling in any aspect of your life.

1. Adoration. For me, this was one of the most powerful experiences I have witnessed with the Lord.
2. Attend mass on one additional day, other than Sunday.  This has helped me through the entire week
3. Reconciliation.  Many times will be available for the next several weeks.

http://www.tobinstitute.org/newsItem.asp?NewsID=88

"You are not who they say you are"

I wrote this quote down in my journal from Damon Owens (TOB Institute Executive Dir.) from the Catholic conference in Denver last Friday. I looked it up and guest what, he was actually quoting Pope John Paul back in June of 1979 around the beginning to the end of Communism in Poland.  The article below was written by George Weigel and an excerpt for the article is below. The entire article can be accessed by the below link.

I think we can all keep this in mind in our own lives as our culture today thinks who we are. I implore you to find who YOU are as a person and not what someone else thinks you should be.

"Rather, he spoke over, around, and beyond the regime directly to the people of Poland, not about what the world usually understands as power, but about people power—the power of culture and spiritual identity. “You are not who ‘they’ say you are,” the Pope proposed, in a number of variations on the same theme; “let me remind you who you really are.”  George Weigel, quoting PJP2.

 http://catholicexchange.com/june-1979%E2%80%94the-nine-days-of-john-paul-ii/

More on Triptych

I just happened to find that Pope John Paul had actually written a collection of poetry called
"The Roman Triptych: Meditations"

I found a link with some selected passages which certainly fits into our theme of discussion with TOB.   I just started looking at this and will certainly take a while to unpack some of this. Interesting, at the time of release. then Cardinal Ratzinger (now former Pope Benedict) had presented some of the main themes in 2003.


http://www.ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP2POET.HTM

Theology of the Body "Triptych"

As a summary of Theology of the Body in our class so far,  the blessed Pope John Paul 11 compares the words of Jesus to a triptych. A trioptych is a 3 panel art piece which has a beginning, middle, and end. In the context for TOB,  it is meant to show a total vision of man by using the 3 panels. What are the three panels?

1. Christ appeals to the Beginning (our origin); Mt 19: 8 "...from the beginning it was not so"
2. Christ appeals to the Heart (our history): Mt 5:27-28 "..But I say to you that everyone who looks at a womam lustully in the heart has already committed adultery"
3. Christ appeals to the Resurrection (future and destiny). Mk 12:26-27... "He is not God of the dead but of the living.

Latest Lenten post from TOB Institute

"Lent is that privileged time in the gentle but firm hands of the Master Gardener.  It's a time of pruning, yes, but it's also a time of intimate, personal attention."   Father Bobby Krueger 

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Third-Sunday-of-Lent-Reflection---O-Happy-Fault.html?soid=1101197222912&aid=fX88salotcg