Saturday Morning Poetry: "Angling"

"Angling"

His skin like parchment
Stretches, stretches, stretches
Over bones hallowed by salt sea
In the dim, red light of morning

And in the pulsing flame of warnings
Issuing from white towers,
Unheard but not unheeded by
Eyes weary but unblinking,
Aware of the fragility of each wave
That rises, then breaks,
Forgotten on cold stone.

His lines fly silently on unrelenting winds,
Angle wordlessly over sparkling gray and green,
Cold depths concealing
A scaly world of slimy life--

Life!
The place of origins
That feeds the multitudes
Ever and still,
Still.

He has no need for angling,
Not that kind, anyway.
Angling has taught
What anglers never learn:

Time will take care of most things.
Salt wounds fade, while
Tides rise and recede,
Rise and recede--
And days dawn and die,
Dawn and die.

Creation, Evolution, and Faith, Part 3: The Problem With Integration

In Part 1, I looked at models for understanding the interaction of science and religion. In Part 2, I argued that there's not a debate between science and religion, because there's no reason why the two should be considered to be in conflict at all. If you haven't checked those out yet, I'd recommend giving them a quick read before you continue.

Here in Part 3, I'll look at the possibility of the "integration" of science and religion. Integration puts the data of science and the data of faith in a harmonious one-to-one relationship. Because there's only one set of data, science and religion ultimately fit one another hand in glove. Phenomena like evolution might turn out to be revelation of God's "design" and the play of law and chance might turn out to be the "place" where God works.

For Integration, the Book of Nature and the Book of Scripture don't just have one author.  They're the same book.

8 Tricks to Stay Awake During Mass

We've all been there.  

After a late night out, you drag yourself out of bed to join your compadres in faith for Sunday morning Mass. Unfortunately, this time of prayer is all-too-often more sedative than celebration, making the simple act of staying awake for these 58-62 minutes no small feat. What's a good Catholic to do?

Here are eight tricks for keeping the eyelids open and the brain alert during even the most soporific celebrations of the Eucharist. Use them, and use them well.

1.  Go to the Bathroom. Twice.

As children, Catholics don't just learn about Jesus, Mary, Joseph, saints, rosaries, angels, and tasteless wafers. In their most formative years, Catholics also learn that trips to the bathroom are the easiest way to pass time during a dull homily or blandly-delivered Eucharistic Prayer. But why make one trip when you can go twice? Carefully plot your escape, once during the Liturgy of the World and once during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. That should be enough to carry you through.

Maybe you'll actually pee one of the two times!

2.  Play "Name That Saint"

Statues, statues everywhere! But can you name that saint? Pass a few minutes studying the statues around you, looking for clues to the identities of the immobile men and women that surround us during Mass. St. Jude might have fire above his head, and St. Teresa might be holding a flower. See if you can figure out who's who. This game is even better with a partner.

But be careful not to talk too loud:  God (and the old lady behind you) are watching!

3.  Plan Your Own "Catholic Greatest Hits" Album (or the music for your wedding or funeral!)

Hymnals are more than good paperweights and toys for the kids (watch the crayons!). They're a compendium of music that we know and love - and hate (Here I Am, Lord? Classic. On Eagle's Wings? Ugh. So overplayed.). So, spend some time perusing the hymnal. Pick out your top ten songs, or pick the music for your wedding or funeral. Or design your own wallpaper.

Marry 'em and bury 'em.  That's what the Church does best!

4.  Volunteer to Cary Up the Gifts

This one is easy and contributes to the Mass! What a win-win! Worrying about falling asleep will keep you awake through the first half of Mass. The halftime exercise of walking to the altar and bowing (oh, the bowing!) will get the blood flowing well enough to carry you through to Communion, when you'll get to move around again.

Maybe you can even snag a snack on the way. Those hosts really hit the spot.

Music Monday: Open Doors: A Story of Beginnings

"Let's call it 'Open Doors,' because that's what I do."

When I asked Sebastian "Seb" Bonaiuto, my college composition and conducting mentor, to choose the title for the second piece I'd premiere and guest conduct with the Boston College Concert Band (the first was "Ave Maria" and the third "Hollywood Lament"), that's what he said.  

And he was right.  Composing and premiering "Open Doors" opened tons of new doors for me. Although looking back, the piece lacks a lot of the finish of my more recent work and the performance isn't flawless, it has its moments - like the saxophone solo that I wrote for one of my closest friends, Becca "Bawlz" Brooke (don't ask).  

Seb and I in 2014

Most of all, I can still hear my compositional imagination at work.  I didn't intend for it to be the case, since I finished the piece before it had a title, but the different soundscapes that arise over the course of "Open Doors" are a lot like peeks in through different doors, into different dimensions of sight, sound, and experience (not to sound too much like Rod Serling of The Twlight Zone fame).

Beyond that, this was the piece that made me realize I could never stop composing, not even after beginning a PhD in Theology!  So, I hope "Open Doors" opens doors for you, dear listeners.  Enjoy!

And Seb, I can never thank you enough for all the doors you opened for me.

Creation, Evolution, and Faith, Part 2: Is There Conflict? Is there a Debate?

In yesterday's Part 1 post, I defined some basic terms and outlined Ian Barbour's four ways of understanding the interaction of science and religion. In this post, I'll argue that despite the public obsession with conflict, there's actually no conflict between religion and science - or, at least, between religion and science thought of in a certain way.

And if there's no conflict, there's no debate.

But how can that be?

When Creationism and Hard Materialism say that the other is wrong - when they say there's a conflict between science and religion - they're assuming that the "data" of science and religion are data of the same kind. In other words, they're saying religion and science are doing the same thing in the same way.  But are they?

The Bible, the inspired Word of God, is a written account of the encounter between people of faith and the God in whom they believe. Although it's God's Word, it's God's Word recorded by particular people in a particular place, time, and culture.

Its truth may be timeless, but its creation is time-bound.

The authors of the Bible had no resources to talk about particle physics or evolution or waves or even gravity or a round earth or cars or simple machines. Ideas like these would be totally unintelligible, incomprehensible! The Bible contains their worldview, not ours. And it can't contain ours, because the terms of our worldview are completely different from theirs.

It's the same world and a different world all at once.