Dietrich von Hildebrand

Pope Pius XII called him the "Twentieth century doctor of the church."  German philosopher "Dietrich von Hildebrand was exceptional in many ways. His extensive writings on Christian philosophy, spiritual theology, and in defense of the Church's teaching, place him among the great thinkers of the twentieth century. His steadfast and determined opposition to totalitarianism, whether in the form of National Socialism or Marxist Leninism, a conviction that would cost him greatly during his life, illustrates the profound clarity of his moral vision and his willingness to suffer for what he knew was true" (Josef Cardinal Ratzinger in the foreward to Alice von Hildebrand's The Soul of a Lion)....

• "there is no greater mystery in the natural order of things than the fact that this closest of all unions procreates a human being with an immortal soul (although the soul, in each case, is a direct creation of God), and that this act brings a new being into existence destined to love God and to adore Him, a new being made after His image" (Dietrich von Hildebrand, Marriage, 1997 (first published in 1929), p. 26).
• "How terrible to think of man wanting to destroy this unity which God has established so mysteriously, deeming those united in the highest earthly union of love worthy to take part in His creative power" (Ibid, p. 28).  
• "He alone can understand the horror of the sin of promiscuity who has grasped the grandeur and sublimity of bodily union as the full realization of conjugal love, and who realizes that besides the primary end of procreation, the primary meaning of bodily union lies in the fulfillment of conjugal love" (Ibid, pp. 30, 31).
• "Jesus has invested marriage with a dignity which represents something quite new....He raised it to the rank of a Sacrament. He made of this sacred bond a specific source of grace. He transformed marriage - already sacred in itself - into something sanctifying" (Ibid, p.53).
•  "Although we hear that sex is overemphasized today, this is not correct. Rather, we live in a time in which sexuality is no longer understood in its true nature. People today are generally as blind to its true meaning as are persons who completely lack sensuality....Today's blatant sexuality conceals a pathetic sensual emptiness." (Dietrich von Hildebrand, Man and Woman: Love and the Meaning of Intimacy, 1992 (first published in 1966), p. 3)
• "It was said that Christians are to be recognized by the fact that they love one another. I would add: Christians should also be recognized by the fact that they who have received the festival clothes in Baptism shun any superficial, mediocre approach to the great goods of creation, that they understand more profoundly than others `how admirable are they works, O God'" (Ibid, p. 45).
• "As long as conception and birth are seen exclusively as mere physiological processes, we cannot understand the impact and seriousness of the making of a new human being" (Ibid, p. 61).
• "Every active intervention on the part of the spouses, which eliminates the possibility of conception through the conjugal act, is incompatible with the holy mystery of the superabundant relation in the incredible gift offered by God.... To make use of natural family planning is not to imply the slightest irreverence or rebellion against God's institution and the wonderful link between the love union and procreation" (Ibid, pp. 68, 69).

When bishops, priests, deacons, religious, and lay people fail to appreciate the exalted vocation of marriage - with its call to cooperate in God's very work of creation - we are sadly reminded that "clericalism" is alive and well.  

Each of us must proclaim the authentic truth that

• sexual acts are reserved for married couples, intended for uniting them and bringing forth new life;
• sexual acts must always be open to life; and
• marriage is indissolubile. 

Let us join our voices to those of Professor Robert George of Princeton, Matthew J. Franck of the Witherspoon Institute, Joshua W. Schulz of De Sales University, Colleen Sheehan of Villanova University, and Daniel Mark of Villanova University who are among those, who 

"call on all federal and state officeholders [i.e., mikefitzpatrickPa08@live.com; derek_miller@casey.senate.gov; Melissa_Ferdinand@toomey.senate.gov; cstaats@pahousegop.com; tdavis@pahouse.net; gdigirol@pahousegop.com; Ffarry@pahousegop.com; Jgalloway@pahouse.net; boneill@pahousegop.com; spetri@pahousegop.com; mquinn@pahousegop.com; Ssantarsiero@pahouse.net; kwatson@pahousegop.com; sgreenleaf@pasen.gov; cmcilhinney@pasen.gov; bmensch@pasen.gov; rtomlinson@pasen.gov]:

To refuse to accept Obergefell as binding precedent for all but the specific plaintiffs in that case.

To recognize the authority of states to define marriage, and the right of federal and state officeholders to act in accordance with those definitions.

To pledge full and mutual legal and political assistance to anyone who refuses to follow Obergefell for constitutionally protected reasons.

To open forthwith a broad and honest conversation on the means by which Americans may constitutionally resist and overturn the judicial usurpations evident in Obergefell."

 

Materials sadly absent from most parish bulletins, websites, and bulletin boards:

• The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference's "alerts"

• The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' "Alerts Central" 

(The USCCB notes that "Action alerts for pro-life issues can also be found through our partner organization, 

• the "National Committee for the Human Life Amendment" (NCHLA), and that 
• "Action alerts for issues related to immigration reform can be found through the USCCB-led Catholic coalition, "Justice for Immigrants.)

The following sites also deserve your consideration:

• Family Reseach Council Action Page

• National Organization for Marriage's Advocacy Center

• National Center on Sexual Exploitation (nee Morality in Media)

And in the news....

• Letter to Senator McConnell, Senator Reid, Speaker Boehner, and House Minority Leader Pelosi, in support of Representative Chis Smith's HR 1150 (Ken Starr, Archbishop Chaput, Alan Dershowitz, Matthew Franck, Maryann Glendon, Senator Joseph Lieberman, Bishop William Murphy, Pastor Rick Warren, Cardinal Wuerl and others, 7/14/15).
  "We write as a diverse group of religious leaders, public intellectuals and scholars to urge Congressional action on the issue of international religious persecution that threatens people of faith worldwide and our national security.... We are witnessing a tragic, global crisis in religious persecution, violence, and terrorism, with dire consequences for religious minorities and for the national security of the United States....H.R. 1150 would...give Ambassador Saperstein the status that other ambassadors at large at the Department of State enjoy, the authority to develop an interagency strategy to protect global religious freedom, and the resources he needs to implement that strategy. It would also mandate training for all foreign service officers, deputy chiefs of mission, and country ambassadors. This training would ensure that our diplomats fully understand and can effectively defend the free expression of religion worldwide, the enduring value of religious freedom and its relationship to national security, and how to advance the cause of religious liberty in our foreign policy...."

• "Principles to Aid in Preserving and Protecting the Catholic Faith in the Midst of an Increasingly Secular Culture" (Archbishop Myers, 9/22/15)

• "Into the Breach: An Apostolic Exhortation to Catholic Men, My Spiritual Sons in the Diocese of Phoenix" (Bishop Olmstead, 9/29/15)

• "Statement Calling for Constitutional Resistance to Obergefell v. Hodges"  (American Principles Project, 10/8/15) 

• "The Day the Sun Spun: The Miracle of Fatima, 98 Years Ago Today" (Aletia.org, 10/13/15)

• "Catholic nofault divorce: the elephant in the living room?" (Spero News, 10/16/15)

• WTC in the early morn (10/20/15)

• "the marriage act purged of impurities is the nearest thing to the beatific vision we can know....To offer the suffering of celibacy, temporary or permanent, to the Lord is to make use, in the best possible way, of man's greatest joy " (10/21/15)

• Daniel Murphy: a Christian on baseball's center stage (10/21/15)

• "Don’t be fooled!" (Fr. Shenan Boquet, 10/22/15)

• "When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,we were like men dreaming. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with rejoicing" (10/24/15)

•  From Arcanum to the October 2015 Synod (10/25/15)

• "Remembering Guy Fawkes Day or Pope's Day" (NY Times, 10/25/15)

• "Don't You Read the Newspaper?" (10/25/15)

• "‘It’s genocide’ - US Congress challenged over Christian victims of ISIS" (Mercator.net, 10/15/15)
  "Members of Congress introduced a resolution...to label the atrocities committed by the Islamic State against Christians and other religious minorities 'genocide'....Call it what it is, name it, and especially declare that it is genocide, says Princeton Professor Robert George, Chairman of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom....citizens in the US [need] to call on their Members of Congress...to support two pieces of urgent legislation in the House of Representatives" (As of 10/26/15, Representative Fitzpatrick is NOT among the  107 co-sponsors of H.R. 1150; Fitzpatrick is NOT among the 144 co-sponsors of  H Con Res 75.).