student sayings... [installment #1]

So far, our students have read and discussed the following works:

• Fifty Questions on the Natural Law, by Prof. Charles Rice (a selection on human nature and "personhood")
• Apostolic Fathers (selections such as St. Ignatius of Antioch)
• The Didache
• The Rule of St. Benedict
• The Confessions of St. Augustine
• St. Anselm's "Proslogion" or The Ontological Proofs of God's Existence
• "How the Monks Saved Civilization", by Thomas Woods (from How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization)
• "Address to Ministers of Culture", Pope Benedict XVI (on why the men and women went to the monasteries)
• The Compact History of the Catholic Church, by Prof. Alan Schreck (to give contextual background to the readings)

Below are some excerpts from the students' weekly papers; I believe they are a testament to the value of engaging such rich texts.

Reflecting on the importance and emphasis of the abbot by St. Benedict in the "Regula", Zach writes:

"The abbot is important; there is no doubt about it.  Without him, the monasteries would have never been successes, and thus would never have saved civilization and nothing would exist today as it does."

In our discussions, we noted that St. Benedict's Rule seemed almost "obvious" or common sense.  We wondered why the book had such an impact on the development of western culture.  Marianna reflects:

"[The Rule of St. Benedict] is about things that we already know.  But then I started thinking that in the past, these rules might not have been obvious as they are to us today." 

She also writes,

"...St. Benedict's fourth step of humility: 'He only that persevereth to the end shall be saved, let thy heart be comforted and expect the Lord.'  The phrase connected with me.  [...] It reminds us readers that we need to trust in the Lord no matter what."

We encouraged our students to attend the All Souls' Day Mass at the Church of Saint Agnes, in which is played Mozart's famous "Requiem" liturgy accompanied by full choir and string quartet; on this, Rose wrote:

"... I noticed right away the black vestments the priests were wearing; I liked the color black for it reminded me of the judgment all souls must endure.  Finally, the music registered in my head, and I was blown away.  [...] What truly moved me was the Dies Irae.  The English translation itself is something to marvel at, yet when Latin and the music are added, it is simply stunning.  [...]  The verses that really stood out to me were the ones that read, "The evil-doers have been silenced / Doomed to the bitter flames / Call me with the Blessed".  That struck me as something powerful, and it was even more so when the choir belted out "Confutatis Maledictis" over and over again."

Finally, reflecting upon St. Augustine's Confessions where in Books X-XII the great Doctor of the Church muses upon time, eternity, memory and the Triune God, Rebekah wrote on the mystery of God's being:

"God alone is eternal.  So where then did God begin?  He did not, because nothing was before Him.  [...]  Time is the means by which humans live their day to day lives.  So then is it a safe assumption to say that God, our Eternal Creator, runs by the same concept of time as humans do?  [...]  One cannot understand the fullness of God's eternal being.  It is impossible, and it is almost equally impossible to think of how time does not exist with God.  [...]  But this unsolvable mystery is a stepping stone to finding a relationship with the Lord."

These are mere snapshots of what our students are reading, writing and thinking about.  It is rewarding to see you, dear students, developing your own Catholic mind.