Denver Catholic

4 I OPINION DECEMBER 11, 2013 I DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER 2. What landmark historical event took place on Christmas Day 800 A.D.? A. The opening of the Louvre showcasing barbarian art including Attila the Hun's self-portrait. B. The preaching of the First Crusade by Pope Urban II. C. The establishment of the French Academy of Sciences by King Louis XIV. GEORGE WEIGEL Books for Christmas The flurry of instabooks published shortly after the election of Pope Francis didn't shed much light on the formation, character and interests of Jorge Mario Bergoglio or the likely trajectory of his pontificate. Now comes something serious and useful: "Pope Francis: Our Brother, Our Friend—Personal Recollections About the Man Who Became Pope," edited by Alejandro Bermúdez and published by Ignatius Press. In 20 interviews, longtime friends and associates of the pope "from the ends of the earth" give readers real insight into the radical Christian disciple who is leading the Church "into the deep" of the new evangelization, following the call of John Paul II in 2001. This coming July, the world will mark the centenary of the First World War, the seismic calamity that began the 20th century as an epoch and that, in another hundred years, may well be regarded as the sanguinary first act in the end of Europe as "Europe" had been known for over a millennium. Three new books try to explain how this civilizational disaster happened. Sean McMeekin's "July 1914: Countdown to War" (Basic Books) lays primary blame on Austria-Hungary; Christopher Clarke's "The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914" (Harper) and Max Hastings' "Catastrophe 1914: Europe Goes to War" (Knopf) spread the responsibility around, with both Clarke and Hastings assigning Wilhelmine Germany the decisive role amidst a desperately inept performance by the Great Powers. All three books are helpful antidotes to the confusions created by Barbara Tuchman's eminently readable, but dubiously argued, 1960s bestseller "The Guns of August." Evelyn Waugh was one of the supreme English prose stylists of the 20th century. Many of his novels are profoundly Catholic without being pious, cloying, or sentimental—literary gems shaped by a Catholic sacramental imagination that is both unyielding and redemptive. Waugh fans have long indulged friendly arguments about the master's greatest work; a recent re-reading of "The Sword of Honour Trilogy" (Everyman's Library) persuaded me (again) that these three books easily stand with "A Handful of Dust" and "Brideshead Revisited" at the summit of Waugh's achievement, even as they brilliantly lay bare the European cultural crisis that was vastly accelerated by World War I. The finest piece of biblical exposition I've read recently is C. Kavin Rowe's "World Upside Down: Reading Acts in the Graeco-Roman Age" (Oxford University Press). This is theological exegesis at its finest: informed by historical-critical scholarship, but going far beyond the biblical dissecting room to show how the experience of the Risen Christ both formed the Church and impelled it into mission. Rowe, a Duke Divinity School professor of New Testament who is not a Catholic, thus makes an important contribution to the evangelical Catholicism of the future by reinforcing the biblical foundations of the new evangelization. On several previous occasions I've noted that my friend Rémi Brague, who teaches at the Sorbonne and at the University of Munich, is one of the smartest (and funniest) Catholics in the world—his brilliance being recently recognized by the award of the Ratzinger Prize. In his most recently translated book, "On the God of the Christians (and on one or two others)," published by St. Augustine Press, Brague explores the God who is Father but not male, the God whose way of being One is to be Trinity, the God who doesn't bestow goodness but who is the Good, the God who respects human freedom while inviting humanity into the tangled journey of a salvation history in which God himself is an actor. Francis Rooney's "The Global Vatican" (Rowman & Littlefield) is a timely reminder of the Holy See's important roles in world politics And perhaps I may be permitted to note two recent books of my own: "Roman Pilgrimage: The Stations Churches" (Basic Books), co-authored with Elizabeth Lev and my son Stephen, and "Practicing Catholic: Essays Historical, Literary, Sporting, and Elegiac" (Crossroad). I've never recommended an eBook before, but I'll happily note that the glorious color in the eBook edition of "Roman Pilgrimage" may yet convert me to reading-(at-least-some-books)-on-a-tablet, a confession this veteran paper guy never expected to make. BY PETER WESTHOFF French history from the Franks to Napoleon A quiz on Catholic things under the patronage of the "Doctor of Prayer," St. Teresa of Avila. For each question there is one right answer, but the answer for one question is "None of the Above." 1. The cathedral in Reims in the fifth century was the place in which the first Christian king of the Franks was crowned. Who was this Frankish king? A. Clovis B. Charles Martel C. Pepin the Short 3. What heresy in southern France did Spanish-born St. 6. Who were the French farmers Dominic fight by urging the pray- who fought armed sometimes ing of the rosary? only with pitchforks against the A. Iconoclasm, which rejected forces of the French Revo"I the use of statues, incense lution? would rathand even candles in A. The Vendeeans er die than do a Christian worship. B. The Thermidorians B. Monothelitism, which thing I know to be C. The Toulousians a sin or against the taught that Christ had will of God."— St. 7. During the time only a divine will and no Joan of Arc of Napoleon, who was human will. it that was imprisoned C. Albigensianism, which in a church in Valence while taught that flesh is evil, so that paralyzed, and after he died the starvation was practiced among official in charge declared that its members to free the soul from he would be the last of his kind? the body. A. King Louis XVI 4. Whose voices did St. Joan of B. Pope Pius VI Arc hear urging her to lead the C. Holy Roman Emperor Francis II Dauphin to Reims? A. St. Michael, St. Nicholas and St. Gerard B. Archangel Raphael, St. Elizabeth and St. Andrew C. Archangel Gabriel, St. Margaret and St. Catherine 1. A, 2. None of the Above - The crowning of Charlemagne by the Pope Leo III as the first Holy Roman Emperor took place on this day. 3. C, 4. C, 5. B, 6. A , 7. B THE CATHOLIC DIFFERENCE 5. Who was the French-born leader of the Protestant Revolt whose followers in France were known as the Hugenots, and who committed many atrocities including dragging the incorrupt body of St. Francis of Paola through the streets and burning it? A. Martin Luther B. John Calvin C. John Wesley Procession honors Our Lady of Guadalupe ON DEC. 8, the second Sunday of Advent, Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila presided at a Mass and procession to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose feast is Dec. 12. The celebration was held at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in north Denver. The frigid 9-degree temperature didn't deter the prelate and some 300 faithful from processing with the parish pastor, Theatine Father Benito Hernandez, and other priests, around the neighborhood. With the group were Matachines (dancers) who performed, and men on horseback. "Despite the inclement weather, PHOTO BY MARCO BRIONES/EL PUEBLO CATOLICO our archbishop was with his people," said parishioner Teresa Rios. "This reminds me of the words of our Holy Father when he said that the shepherd needs to be with his sheep—when he urged pastors to smell like sheep. Our archbishop is giving us that witness today." Native Italian John Gasbarro said the procession reminded him of those in Italy. "I really loved it; it was very impressive, and I'm planning to come back next year." Stefanick From Page 3 modern world. Local Churches should grapple with the strategies the pope lays out as we discern what will work in each diocese and region. His intention in "Evangelii Gaudium" isn't to offer an exhaustive and detailed plan, but to start the conversation on many important issues within the life of the Church (EG 32 and 226). But while the implementation of his pastoral direction will vary from place to place, and disagreements will occur over the specifics (stay tuned), the overall direction he's steering the Barque of Peter is definitive and clear. He's turning the Church's energies and focus "outward" to the task of the new evangelization. Pope Francis is steamrolling through all the barbed wire we've established between ourselves in the Church, disregarding all of our internal factions. The only "side" he is choosing is the Great Commission. He's leading the charge into "no man's land," where the Gospel meets the rest of humanity, and he's inviting the entire Church to follow him there. But follow or not, like the Jesuit Francis of the 16th century, he's making it clear that he's going there, even if he goes there alone. Visit speaker and author Christopher Stefanick at www. RealLifeCatholic.com. Stefanick's column is distributed by the Denver Catholic Register, the official newspaper of the Denver Archdiocese. ARCHBISHOP AQUILA'S SCHEDULE Dec. 12: Mass and installation of new rector, Father Scott Traynor, St. John Vianney Theological Seminary, JPII Center (5 p.m.) Dec. 15: Mass and dedication of altar, St. Joseph Church, Denver (9 a.m.)

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