Day #95: Holy Saturday, Preparation for Easter with Dr. Bergsma

I am supposed to be studying Ethics right now. I'm going through my notes though, and I'm currently taking a break to share some notes from a lecture I went to last year back on main campus. The lecture was given by Dr. Bergsma, a biblical scholar and one of the greatest theological professors here on campus - Dr. Sirilla is only slightly higher on my list. This lecture focuses on the Gospel of John and the Passion of the Christ and the imagery found within the text illustrating the spousal relationship between Christ and His Church. Bergsma's words are so insightful and profound - my notes do not do them justice - but I hope that they will assist you in preparing for the beauty of Easter and help you draw ever nearer to Our Lord in His unending love for His children.

Preparation For The Easter Triduum By Dr. John S. Bergsma, a professor at Franciscan University of Steubenville, given on March 31, the Eve of the Easter Triduum 2010.

The Entombment by Caravaggio

The theme of this preparation is The Passion of the Christ. 

In English, the Passion of Christ refers to Christ’s sufferings and death. The word is of Latin origin which means “to suffer/endure.” But the word “passion” has other meanings as well. For example there is “passion as in the phrase “one is passionately in love.” 

Both of these are found in the Gospel of John: passion as in suffering and passion as in love.

John paints his Gospel with the imagery of marriage, of Christ giving His life for His bride. 

This imagery begins in John Chapter 2.

“On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee...” John 2:1

The third day is a new creation week when “Adam and Eve” come forth. Eve comes to Adam on the 7th day of Creation in the Book of Genesis. Similarly, on the 7th day accounted in the Book of John there is a wedding. Jesus is the new Adam. Mary is there. Jesus calls Mary “woman.” Why? Christ is invoking the concept of her as the woman, the new Eve. 

He tells her, “My hour has not come.” According to the Jewish tradition, the bridegroom is supposed to provide the wine. Jesus is not the bridegroom at this wedding. He says this because HIS wedding has not come... yet. Mary tells the servants, “Do whatever He tells you,” which is wisdom itself. After the steward tastes the wine, he calls the bridegroom because it was his responsibility to get the wine. The steward gets on the bridegroom’s case, because THIS wine is high quality stuff. 180 gallons of expensive wine!!! John is indicating here the magnificence of Christ the bridegroom. When He performs the duty of the bridegroom, He does it excessively. He does it tremendously. he is the quintessential , the best Bridegroom.

“This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” John 2:11

The Apostle John speaks of seven signs. The first is the miracle at the marriage at Cana. The last is the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ. THe first sign is linked to the seventh. These are the only two signs were Mary appears. Her presence and the image of wine link the two events. The hour of His wedding is used in reference to His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. He tells her that His hour has not yet come, yet He still performs the duty of the bridegroom. 

John the Baptist calls Christ the Bridegroom: “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice; therefore this joy of mine is now full.” 

John the Baptist says he is the groomsman: he makes way for Him.

The Descent from the Cross by Rogier van der Weyden, Northern Renaissance Period

(Details of Weyden's painting set to Victoria's music. Please watch!)

John Chapter 4: Jesus Meets the Woman Of Samaria

Christ meets a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. This is the third time in Scripture where this happens, and each time it has ended in a marriage. 

John Chapter 4 is the Spiritual Betrothal Scene.

Christ speaks of living water, Baptism. Jesus is spiritually wooing the descendants of Israel - through this Samaritan woman - back to Himself.

John Chapter 12: Mary Of Bethany Anoints Jesus

Mary pores oil on Jesus’ feet and wipes them with her hair. The oil is called nard, and is spoken of again in Scripture only in the Song of Songs. It is a nuptial perfume that covers the bride and the bridegroom Solomon in the Song of Songs. Judas complains. It is very expensive, the equivalent of $2100, according to Dr. Bergsma.

Jesus is the Bridegroom worth every penny. He pours out His love for us. The Law came from Moses, but Love and Truth come from Christ. He gives an abundance of grace, grace upon grace. 

“Jesus said, ‘Let her alone, let her keep it for the day of my burial. The poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me.” John 12:7

In the case of this nuptial perfume, Jesus makes the same reference He did at Cana: His hour had not yet come. The perfume is to be saved for His burial.

John Chapter 18: The Arrest Of Jesus

In ancient Jewish marriages, it was customary for the bridegroom to have an entourage, a procession with torches and lanterns. If the Bridegroom was of elevated rank, the procession might carry weapons as well. In the Gospel of John, as Christ approaches His hour, He is accompanied by such an entourage: Judas and the soldier come to retrieve Christ from Gesthemane with swords and torches.

John Chapter 19: Jesus Is Crowned With Thorns

After the Scourging, the soldiers crown Christ with thorns, clothe Him in a purple robe, and hail Him the “King Of The Jews.” 

The Son of David wore a special crown. In the Jewish marriage ceremony, the bride and the bridegroom are crowned. Jesus’ crown is a crown of thorns. Thorns are a result of the Fall (Genesis Chapter 3) and are strongly related to the result of sin. Jesus is our Bridegroom, and all we have to offer Him are our sins and the curse thereof. We crown Him with our sins.

“Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover; it was about the sixth hour.” 

John 19:14

Christ was condemned at the same time in the ancient Jewish liturgy that the lambs were slain for the Passover meal.

“When the soldiers had crucified Jesus they took his garments and made four parts, one for each soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom.” -John 19:23

Only one garment was without seam. Is referenced in (????), and refers to the garment worn by the high priest. (Brian, you’re going to have to help me with this one.)

A nuptial and priestly act. Is both priest and sacrifice.

Jesus went to His cross completely naked, as the bridegroom would go to the bridal chamber to meet his bride.

“When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’” John 19:26,27

When do we say these things? when a baby is born. This is the language of birth. A spiritual birth where the love of Christ and His bride gives spiritual birth on the Cross, and the first child is the Apostle John.

“After this Jesus, knowing that all was now finished said (to fulfill the Scripture), ‘I thirst.’"

John 19:28

In the story of Isaac and Rebecca, Isaac’s servant knows his master’s bride by asking for a drink from the anticipated bride. This is a Scriptural theme. Jesus is longing for the return of love from His Bride. He has poured out so much for His bride, the Church, and  He wants this love returned to Him.

“When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, ‘It is finished’; and He bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” John 19:30

This is the completion of the marriage, its consummation. Even the original Latin text expresses this with the words, “Consummatum est.”

Jesus falls into the sleep of death. Adam had to fall asleep for his bride to come forth. Similarly, Jesus has to fall asleep so that the Church, His bride, could come forth.

“But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water. He who saw it has borne witness-his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth-that you also may believe.” John 19:34-35

John calls out: I SAW THIS. He freeze frames this image because of its many sided meaning.

Blood and water is present at the birth of a child, so it is first of all, birth imagery. The second Eve is born from the side of Christ on the Cross.

Blood and water are also present in the consummation of a marriage, 

in the first marital embrace.

Jesus says that He is the new temple. They used to pour wine at the base of the altar (where there would have been blood from the sacrifices), and so the wine and water would flow from the temple into the stream.

When His hour DID come, He would provide wine-the wine of His blood. Water=Baptism. Blood=Eucharist. This is how we experience Christ.

In Ezekiel Chapter 47, the prophet tells how on the last day, the new temple would come, giving new life. He is referring to the Holy Spirit. When Christ dies, He gives up His Spirit. He is giving up the Holy Spirit. The river of life is the Holy Spirit, who comes to us through the sacraments to give us new life.

“Nicode’mus also, who had at first come to him by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds’ weight. They took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.”

 John 19:39, 40

Myrrh and aloes coat the bodies of the bride and bridegroom. They are also mentioned here in Jesus’ burial. They are associated with marriage. They are also very expensive, and about a hundred pounds are used to adorn Christ’s body. This once again demonstrates the greatness of the Bridegroom who gave up His life and poured out His love for His Bride.

The High Priest, priests were clothed in linen-Jesus is also wrapped in linen. Priests also were perfumed with myrrh when they went in to sacrifice. 

Jesus is laid in a virgin grave. The earth is spoken of as a woman’s womb: “formed me in the depths of the earth, in my mother’s womb.” This is also found in Job. In Hebrew these two concepts are brought together. Christ entered into a virgin womb, into a virgin tomb, a symbol of the Church.

John Chapter 20: Jesus Appears To Mary Magdalene

This account should be read alongside Song of Songs Chapter 3, where Solomon describes a woman seeking her beloved at night, but she doesn’t find him. Mary comes when it is still dark (night) to find “Him whom my soul loves,” (Song of Songs 3:1) but she doesn’t find Him. She sees two angels: watchers. “The watchmen found me.” (Song of Songs 3:3) “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?” (3:5) Mary was trying to do what the woman does in verse 5 of Song of Songs. But Jesus says, “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” (John 20:17)

Jesus gives His Body for His bride, He donated it for love of her. In the marital act, the bridegroom gives himself to his bride, but he also receives physical and spiritual joy in the act. But Jesus receives only pain. Thus, there is no self-interest. This is extreme, pure love.

A reminder: John also speaks of other things in his Gospel. Jesus speaks in John also of spiritual, sacramental matters. People can misunderstand the Passion and Death of Christ and leave it on a crude, physical level. We are speaking of the spiritual, sacramental level. We are all, the entire Church, called to be His Bride, espoused to Him. We talk of spiritual realities through analogy. Christ and His Church are united, and this union gives life, for at the Easter Vigil when people enter the Church, Christ & the Church are giving birth to new children clad in white robes.

Day #94: Good Friday of the Easter Triduum

A Gaming sunset

Yesterday afternoon Colin, Nathan, Samantha, and I went on a hike to see the waterfall. There's a beautiful waterfall streaming down a cliff face deep within the mountains around Gaming. The hike wasn't too difficult, and the waterfall was "sublime"- referring to the example in the grammar book C.S. Lewis criticizes in The Abolition of Man. Take that, grammarians! ;-) Sadly, I didn't get photos of it, but I did a little sketch while I was there, which I hope to post on here eventually. But I have posted some photos from previous adventures around Gaming so that you might have a glimpse of what a lovely home we have here in Austria!

Hiking to the caves in Gaming

The Holy Thursday liturgy went smoothly and beautifully. Thanks to all for the prayers! I will cherish the memory of directing music for my first Holy Thursday Mass here in Gaming, Austria. I will also be directing the music today for the Good Friday liturgy. I'm particularly glad I was given this liturgy because back on main campus our schola does the music for this liturgy as well - so even though I'm not together with my fellow music majors today, I will be singing with them in spirit! We are singing O Sacred Head Surrounded, Sing We Now The Savior's Glory, the Stabat Mater, and I will be chanting part of the chant hymn O Faithful Cross, which schola did on Good Friday last year. It's a beautiful hymn, both in text and in melody - I'm so glad I found it on musicasacra.com. My fellow music major here in Austria, Elizabeth, and I tried to find it one night on the interwebs several weeks ago without any luck!
I've been in a mood to watch Ben Hur all week, so I might try to fit it in sometime this weekend, if I get the opportunity. I've been neglecting homework though, as well, so we'll see if the opportunity should arise. If not, I shall wait until I return to the States. I leave you with an excerpt from the chant hymn Crux Fidelis and an excerpt from the Stations of the Cross with meditations written by the recently beatified Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman. We adore you, oh Christ, and we bless you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world!

Faithful Cross, above all other,
One and only noble tree:
None in foliage, none in blossom
None in fruit thy peer may be;
Sweetest wood and sweetest iron, 
Sweetest weight is hung on thee.

The St. Francis of Assisi water fountain outside
the St. Francis House

The Fifth Station: Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus to Carry the Cross.

Jesus could bear His Cross alone, did He so will; but He permits Simon to help HIm, in order to remind us that we must take part in His sufferings, and have a fellowship in His work. His merit is infinite, yet He condescends to let His people add their merit to it. The sanctity of the Blessed Virgin, the blood of the Martyrs, the prayers and penances of the Saints, the good deeds of all the faithful, take part in that work which, nevertheless, is perfect without them. He saves us by His blood, but it is through and with ourselves that He saves us. Dear Lord, teach us to suffer with Thee, make it pleasant to us to suffer for Thy sake, and sanctify all our sufferings by the merits of Thy own.

Day #93: Holy Triduum in Gaming, Holy Thursday

The Holy Triduum began this morning with Tenebrae, a Catholic liturgical prayer service consisting of psalms, canticles, and the Lamentations of Jeremiah, all of which focus on the suffering Christ. It is meant to be sung on Holy Thursday morning. Back on main campus the Schola Cantorum Franciscana sings Tenebrae on Wednesday night because we have class on Holy Thursday morning. It's a beautiful way to begin the Triduum. We chanted it in the Sacred Heart Chapel and Colin was the server, snuffing out the candles on the candelabra as we sang each psalm or canticle. 

I was able to practice in the chapel this morning! I'm learning the manuals parts for Kommst Du Nun, Jesu, BWV 650 by J.S. Bach. It's one of my favorite Bach chorale preludes. One of my fellow organ students played it at our recital last fall. Hopefully it won't be terribly difficult to add in the pedal parts once I return to the States.

I'm leading the music for the liturgies of Holy Thursday and Good Friday here on campus, so prayers would be much appreciated, especially that everything goes smoothly! We are singing a beautiful Byzantine chant set to polyphony for the Washing of the Feet - I found it on musicasacra.com (Can I just say that they are a fantastic resource for all church musicians? So much beautiful music!) The setting is sublime, and the text is so moving:

"The wisdom of God that restrains the untamed fury of the waters that are above the firmament, that sets a bridle on the deep and keeps back the seas, now pours water into a basin and washes the feet of his disciples. The Master shows to his disciples an example of humility. He wraps the heavens in the clouds girds himself with a towel. And he in whose hands is the life of all things kneels down to wash the feet of his servants." 

You can't get much better than Byzantine liturgy, let me tell you! I wish you all a blessed Triduum. May you unite yourself ever more fully to Christ in His suffering, His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. I leave you with the chant of the Divine Reproaches, meant to be sung in the liturgy of Good Friday for the Roman Rite. Sadly, most Catholics won't hear this tomorrow at the liturgy, but you can at least listen to it here and allow it elevate you to contemplation of the sacred mysteries. The chant is in both Latin and Greek, so I will enclose the translation of the text below.

THE DIVINE REPROACHES

My people, My people what have I done to you, how have I offended you answer me!

I led you out of Egypt from slavery to freedom, but you have led your Savior, and nailed Him to a cross.

Agios o Theos, Agios ischyros,
Agios athanatos eleison imas.
Holy is God, Holy and Strong,
Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us.

For forty years in safety, I led you through the desert, I fed you with my manna, I gave you your own land, but you have led your Savior, and nailed Him to a Cross.

O what more would you ask from me? I planted you, my vineyard, but sour grapes you gave me, and vinegar to drink, and you have pierced your Savior and pierced Him with a spear.

For you scourged your captors, their first born sons were taken, but you have
taken scourges and brought them down on Me.

My people, My people what have I done to you, how have I offended you? Answer me!

From slavery to freedom I led you, drowned your captors. But I am taken captive and handed to your priests.

Your path lay through the waters, I opened them before you, my side you have laid open and bared it with a spear.

I led you, held securely, My fire and cloud before you, but you have led your
Savior, hands bound to Pilate's court.

I bore you up with manna, you bore me down and scourged me. I gave you saving
water, but you gave me soured wine.

The kings who reigned in Canaan, I struck way before you. But you have struck my
crowned head, and struck it with a reed.

I gave you a royal scepter but you gave me a thorn crown. I raised you up in
power, but you raised me on the Cross.

Agios o Theos, Agios ischyros,
Agios athanatos eleison imas.
Holy is God, Holy and Strong,
Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us.

Day #91: More Adventures in Gaming

Hello all! This weekend wasn't terribly exciting, but we did have some adventures of our own around Austria. We were supposed to go hiking to the most famous Marian shrine in Austria this Saturday, but because of the cold weather we have been experiencing, the mountain paths were blocked with snow so the school provided bus transportation to the shrine. The shrine is titled Mariazell. It began as a small Marian shrine where a Benedictine monk, after carrying this statue to Austria, received the miracle of a giant boulder cracking in two that had been blocking his path after he prayed for Mary's aid. In her honor, he erected a small cell to her - which is what the name Mariazell means in German : Mary's cell. As time went on the shrine and pilgrims to the shrine received more special graces so that it eventually was developed into a basilica, which is what stands there today. It is located in the highest region in Austria. The drive was very beautiful - Sister Joan Paul and Meghan Devine saw a couple harts on the drive. Josh saw them too - he was the one that knew they were harts. They are like small deer with faces like caribou, at least that's how Sister described them. Joey Walsh and I explored the basilica and then the town, since we were bus buddies. We wandered through the cemetery, then we went through a couple shops where it was warmer. That night we finished watching The Fellowship of the Ring, which we had started on Thursday when Nathan Mauer and Joey were teaching me how to play the Settlers of Khatan (sp?), a board game. During the movie we decided that the Kartause here in Gaming is like Rivendell, and that Dr. Asci is like Lord Elrond - they're both gentle but serious people, and Dr. Asci is the head of the academics here. There is one instance during the movie where, during the Council of Elrond, Gimli tries to destroy the ring with his axe and I couldn't help imagining Dr. Asci saying, "No no, doesn't work like that..." in his somber, deep tone.
Sunday afternoon we hiked Book Mountain - a mountain popularly titled such by the Franciscan students. Students from previous semesters placed a book at the top of the mountain and those who make it to the top write their names in it. It's a lovely view, and a glorious hike - not terribly difficult, although it has its strenuous moments. Joey, Tim Santos, Helen, myself, and a few others went up together. I found the place where I would want to build my house if I lived here in Austria. It would be perfect, and I would have a little Connemara pony from Ireland which I could ride down to get groceries at Spar! It took about an hour and a half to get up, and about an hour to get down. When we reached Gaming, Tim Santos treated a couple of us to ice cream. It was a good way to end the hike, and the glorious conclusion to Palm Sunday afternoon. I was also able to make some spiced sweet tea later!
Sunday evening we started watching The Two Towers - I don't know if we'll make it through the entire trilogy before the semester is over, but Joey, Helen, and I are certainly going to try! I think we are all simply excited about the latest news on The Hobbit and Peter Jackson's blog post recently posted on facebook. I have not been excited about a movie in a long time, so it's nice to return to some of the enthusiasm I had for the movies when they were first coming out. And they still manage to be such good films, getting better every time I watch them. I guess it goes to show their beauty and their excellence in regards to the story and the quality.
This afternoon I did my first creek jump of the semester! There is a creek that runs through Gaming that students have a tradition of jumping in at least once during the semester - some do it everyday. I did my first one today with my household sister Annie and two other girls, although they had done it multiple times. It was freezing cold, and when I first touched the water, my body froze up from the shock, but your body gets used to it and your able to swim to the shore. It felt good after you were out of the water though! Yay Austrian semester traditions! Book mountain and the creek jump accomplished!

Day #88: The Calling of St. Matthew

The Calling of St. Matthew by Caravaggio

It has been a rather quiet week aside from the usual school work. I have an ethics paper due on Tuesday, but it's coming along rather well -at least I think it is. But I thought in the meantime that I would post a little about a significant piece of art I had the opportunity to experience during my travels around Rome. 

This is one of my favorite pieces of art from the semester. It is from the Baroque period as part of the reaction in the Catholic culture to the Protestant Reformation. It portrays the scene from the Gospel where Our Lord sees Matthew with his fellow tax collectors and tells Matthew, "Come, follow me." It is located in a beautiful side chapel in a church of St. Louis of France in Rome, alongside two other paintings from the life of St. Matthew by the Baroque painter Caravaggio. 

First, let me tell you a little bit about the painter, Caravaggio. Caravaggio was a controversial artist from Milan. He was born wealthy, but he was orphaned at age ten. Towards the end of the 1500s, he arrived in Rome as the typical starving artist. With his painting of The Calling of St. Matthew, however, he was catapulted into success. His style was ignobility in art, for which he was a contentious figure. He had a violent temper, but he was also a follower of St. Philip Neri, a great preacher and a contemporary of his. St. Philip Neri had just founded his oratory, so it is possible that Caravaggio may have come to hear him preach.

Caravaggio introduced into his paintings the use of heavy contrast between light and dark to bring drama to the painting. He would set up lanterns as spot-lights on his work to help exaggerate the shadows and the light in his work. This technique may be contrasted with the style of Michelangelo's use of light and shadows. The use of light and shadow is what shows pre- and post- Caravaggio. The style of Caravaggio is also in the same spirit of the Italian artist Giotto, who painted the beautiful frescos of the life of St. Francis for the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Giotto used modeling and gestures to help tell the story of the painting.

Now, to discuss the painting itself. The light is not coming from the window. It is not from the natural world. The hand of Christ is modeled after the hand of Michelangelo's The Creation of Man, one of the most  famous fresco which adorns the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Which hand Caravaggio is imitating (God the Father's or Adam's) is debatable. St. Peter is in front of Christ, and is portrayed often in Baroque religious art because this art is proclaiming the primacy of Peter and Catholicism as the true faith. Christ and St. Peter are clad in their traditional garb, while Matthew and his fellow tax collectors are wearing the garb of the day, thus relating the viewer to the scene in the painting. One tax collector is using his fingers to stack the coins, while another is adjusting his spectacles. Each has a different reaction  to Christ. Matthew has heard and is pointing to himself as if to say, "Me, Lord?" The light is cast on his face, drawing the viewer's eye to him as the focal point. The two figures on the left are unaware of Christ's call. As for the two figures on the right: one is unsure and is ready to draw his sword. The other, looking askance, appears curious and casual as he leans on St. Matthew. One gets the impression that he may do whatever Matthew does. Caravaggio brings you into the scene, and forces us to ask the questions, Where is Jesus calling me, and what is my response? 

I think part of the reason why this painting is so meaningful to me is because of the different reactions of the men in the scene, and its reference to the poem on the right side of my blog, how "Only those who see take off their shoes - the rest sit around and pluck blackberries." St. Matthew was willing to see in this scene, and has been given the grace to see. The other tax collectors are partially or completely oblivious to the call of Christ. St. Matthew has seen and is about to take off his shoes. So as this Lent draws to a close, how aware are we of Christ's presence in our lives? How aware are we of His presence in our souls at every given moment? His presence in nature, in the people around us, the churches, beautiful artwork and music? He is all around us - it is up to us to awaken ourselves to His presence. To paraphrase G.K. Chesterton, The world will never suffer for lack of wonders, but for lack of wonder.

Day #86: Objective Beauty? Does it Exist?

Hello all! So, I think I'll post a couple photos along with a couple thoughts. I'm procrastinating/working-out an essay for my ethics class, so bear with me as I jot down and organize an idea or three. So... we are currently reading C.S. Lewis' book titled The Abolition of Man, where he claims that a certain book on grammar has the capacity to a radical destruction of society as we know it. The problem begins with an example that the two grammarians give, a scenario where two tourists are looking at a waterfall. One of the tourists calls the waterfall "pretty," while the other calls it "sublime." The two grammarians say that when the tourists are saying these things, they are actually talking about their feelings towards the waterfall, not the waterfall itself. They are saying, "I have sublime/pretty feelings." These two grammarians are capturing the heart of a new ethical modern theory that has changed our world radically. C.S. Lew says that this grammar book will bring about the weakening and emasculating of mankind, and eventually bring about its complete destruction. A rather hefty claim, right? Can C.S. Lewis back this up? Actually, yes he can, and he does.
How is it possible that a grammar book could lead to the destruction of society? First of all, one must understand that there is a huge connection between language, thought, and reality. C.S. Lewis and Aristotle both saw this connection, as have many other philosophers, politicians, and world leaders. Let's begin with Aristotle. Aristotle wrote a book on grammar called, "The Categories." This was the very first book on the philosophy of being a.k.a. metaphysics. Although the book begins as a grammar book, its conclusion is metaphysical, making claims on being. You see, language reveals being. Every time we learn a new word, it adds a new dimension to our perception of the world. When you learn the word, "mother," you learn to associate that with a certain person, a certain kind of person, a reality that you may not have known before. The word expresses the being. Aristotle says that there are ten categories of language which match up to ten categories of being. He states that when we look at a word we need to look at its etymology and its common use - its origin, its meaning, and how it is usually used in society.
However, just as language can reveal being, it can also obscure being. It can reveal reality or it can obscure it. For example, if your language is stunted, your grasp on being will also be stunted - your perception of reality will be muddled, gray. For example, during the Second World War, Hitler used the term "social cleansing" vs. "extermination" or "murder" to obscure people's perception of reality. I am tempted to say here, in a play off of Cuzco's words from The Emperor's New Groove, "Well, anything sounds good when you say it with that attitude!" It's all in how you say it - language matters. Politicians know this all too well - the first thing they attack is language, because if you mess with the language, you can blind people to reality. You can screw up their thinking. Language is the key that unlocks the door to reality.
If language is so deeply connected to reality, then there is a deep connection between language and morality, between grammar and ethics. Now, let's look at this grammar book in light of these connections. The grammarians say that when the tourists were talking about the waterfall, in reality, they were only talking about their feelings. There are two problems with this statement. First of all, they are teaching bad grammar. We do not associate the attributes of "pretty" and "sublime" with our feelings. We don't have "pretty" or "sublime" feelings. The supposed experts are teaching bad grammar! Secondly, the grammars use the word "only." "They are only talking about their feelings." So not only are the tourists not saying something about the waterfall, but also the feelings of the tourists are belittled. Feelings are not important.
These guys are teaching more than grammar. They are instilling an idea that will have huge implications for the world. One of the major propagators of this idea was a man by the name of David Hume (1711-1776). David Hume said that something was bad only if you felt it was bad, that the value of an object was the result of your feelings towards it. This same idea is propagated in the grammar book. The waterfall is sublime to the one tourist because he feels it is sublime. The waterfall is pretty to the other tourist because he feels it is pretty. We are the source of value, we determine its worth. Man is the measure of reality. This is David Hume's idea of the world.
The other possibility is that of Aristotle and Plato. According to these Greek philosophers, values are independent of us and merit or deserve a certain response from us, from our heart, will, thought. Being is the tree, and value is the fruit that comes from the tree, from being. So how do you know when what you think, say, feel, or do are good and right? When you do justice to the world. When the way you think matches up with the world. Your thought is measured by being. Michelangelo's David  merits a certain response from us. Its value, its worth does not come from our opinion or our feelings toward it, but originates in the sculpture itself, outside of ourselves.
So we have two options: either we determine the value of objects and of actions or their value is determined by something outside of ourselves - in short, either we determine the good or the good determines us. It's the question of whether or not there is an objective good. Where does the good come from? Is murder always wrong? Is the evil of rape only a matter of feeling? Or is the good determined by something, someone beyond man? We are talking about God here. Either I am God, and I determine the good, or I am not God, and there is a God or at least a source of all goodness.
Now, you are probably wondering why this title is about objective beauty when I am talking about objective goodness. Well, first of all, when the grammarians gave the example of the waterfall, not only were they talking about grammar and philosophy, they were also talking about beauty. They use a very particular example - namely, the beauty of a waterfall. Secondly, according to Aristotle and C.S. Lewis, there is a connection between the two. David Hume also noted this connection. Remember him? He said that something was bad or evil only if you felt it was bad - for example, rape is only bad because you feel it is bad, it's not actually objectively evil. Well, David Hume also said, "All sentiment is right because sentiment has no reference beyond itself." In other words, every feeling is correct because there is no value outside of feeling. A feeling towards something can never be inappropriate. Hume continues, "Beauty is no quality in things themselves. It exists merely in the mind which contemplates them and each mind perceives beauty differently." In short, he is saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
So first Hume is saying that morality is up to my feelings, and now he says that beauty is up to me. What is the connection here? There was another great thinker by the name of Mackie who had a key insight into what Hume is doing here: "When I reject objective moral goodness, I am also rejecting nonmoral values, especially the aesthetic ones." What is aesthetics? The study of beauty! So when you reject moral goodness, you also reject beauty!
Did Aristotle have anything to say to this? Of course. According to Aristotle, the education of children depended heavily on beauty. He said that in order to train children to be moral from their early years, you expose them to beauty. You teach them taste, to like or dislike certain things. You teach them to have appropriate feelings towards appropriate things : for example, teaching the evils of theft, of murder, you teach them to feel dislike and abhorrence towards these evil acts.
But this is a lesson in morality, not beauty, right? Yes, but they are connected. An excellent example of this is found in the film trilogy The Lord of The Rings. In these films, there is a clear distinction between good and evil, morality and immorality. Evil is depicted vividly in the ugliness of the orcs and the uruk hai, whereas the good is portrayed as beautiful in the elves, the men, the hobbits, the dwarves. In these films, the soul takes visible form. Another great example is Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. In this book, a handsome young man wishes that he could live the way he chooses without feeling the effects of old age or the consequences of immorality, and magically, he gets his wish. However, a portrait that was painted of him begins to show the effects of his wicked lifestyle, becoming more and more decrepit as he falls deeper and deeper into sin. Although he himself does not grow old or ugly, the portrait does.
Now, do you think we can teach our children to be good while letting them watch and listen to garbage? What if people are numbed to beauty so that they can't see it? Or, it may be possible that they have developed a taste for ugly things? It's quite possible. So what do we do? EXPOSE THEM. Expose them. Expose them. To quote my ethics professor, "Of course we don't readily see beauty. We watch the Simpsons! We watch these awful cartoons - have you ever seen anything more base, more grotesque?" (I mentally cheered at this point - I'm glad someone else thinks that those guys running around on Disney Channel and Cartoon Network are hideous, like Phineas and Ferb? Gross! Maybe these shows do have some good lessons to teach kids, but morality and beauty don't always necessarily come together the way they ought. They're still ugly).
Well, that's all I can write on the subject right now. I need to go talk to my professor tomorrow about my ethics paper before I actually write it. But I did promise some photos, so I will put up a few so that you might appreciate some beauty after that long over-hall. Enjoy! God bless!

A park in London near Buckingham Palace

                                

St. Stephen's Green, Dublin

Connemara, Ireland

More Irish countryside

The Cliffs of Moher

Connemara sheep and lamb! ("killer sheep") ;-)

Day #82: Dublin

Today we had to begin our trek home to Vienna. But first we spent the day in Dublin! We had breakfast in Galway and trained back to Dublin. I threatened to jump out the window and force my travel companions to tell the world I fell off the Cliffs of Moher and they never found me, while I spent the rest of my years in the Irish countryside around Galway, practicing on the organ at the cathedral and living off of my talent and Irish hospitality. I did get to hear the organ at the Galway cathedral, by the way - we visited it yesterday and  there was an organ concert going on. So I got to hear the organ - the organist was very talented! He played a piece that was based on Psalm 33, which I plan to research a little more when I have more free time. It was one of those modern, dissonant but cool dissonant pieces. 

When we first arrived in Dublin we dropped our bags off at our hostel, then we attempted to find the tomb of the venerable Matt Talbot, a holy man who was a reformed alcoholic. But the church his tomb was supposedly in was locked, so we couldn't go inside. Our next stop was the Irish Writers Museum, where we learned about James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, and other Irish writers. They also had the chair that Handel sat in when they first performed his Messiah, which was first performed in Dublin at Christ Church. The museum also had an exhibit of several paintings by the artist Jonathan Barry, who has done several illustrations for some very famous books from The Chronicles of Narnia to The Lord of the Rings to the Sherlock Holmes novels. They were excellent. I loved his illustrations for Sherlock Holmes. 

We wanted to see if we could go to a vigil Mass at the cathedral rather than rushing back for Mass the next day, so we set out to find St. Mary's Pro-Cathedral. As we approached the cathedral we noted an advertisement for a concert of St. John's Passion by J.S. Bach being performed the next day - naturally, the day we were gone! :-P BUT, when we asked about Mass, which was at 6 pm, the gentleman told us that they were rehearsing the Passion in the cathedral right then. So we snuck into the church, took a back pew, and I got to listen to about an hour and a half of the rehearsal, which was fabulous! The musicians and the singers were very talented! I really hope I can see the St. John's Passion performed some day! Perhaps in Vienna... The music for the Vigil Mass was interesting. I've heard that that the Catholic Church in Ireland is going through a situation similar to that in the U.S. right now, which was noticeable. They did the Kyrie in Gaelic, though, which was interesting. And then some of their hymns I could have sworn I was listening to Celtic Women - hopefully not... But it was neat to have had the opportunity to go to Mass there, and at the end of Mass the organist played Bach's Prelude and Fugue in a minor, which was AWESOME!!!!