Catholic Cafe Book Club

Show Notes for Episode 4: https://catholiccafebookclub.com/

Today is part 2 of the 4-part series we are doing on the book review of: Who Am I to Judge? Responding to Relativism with Logic and Love by Edward Sri.

I apologize to you listeners for getting this episode out so late, I’ve been sick this past week. I also had to care for my daughter, she’s a toddler and it’s not easy taking care of sick toddler. Fortunately, we are both better now and I’m ready to get on with this week’s book club.

Today, we are discussing chapters 1 and 2 of the book.

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Chapter one is titled, “A New Kind of Intolerance.”

It’s starts up by setting up a character named, Kara, who is in college. She goes through her first experience with relativism and doesn’t know how to deal with being called intolerant and a bigot. Ultimately, she becomes a relativist herself and begins making moral compromises despite knowing right from wrong herself.

Honestly, I know that Kara is a fictional, hypothetical character but she describes me so well, it felt as if Dr. Sri was talking about me personally.

There are two short quotes that stood out to me from Chapter 1:

“if I stand up for what I believe, I would suffer a lot for it,"

The second quote that stood out to me was:

“Over time, Kara found herself making compromises in her own moral life, doing things she never imagined herself doing. She started skipping Mass on Sunday, and, by the end of her freshman year, she had stopped practicing her faith altogether and had fully espoused moral relativism.”

I’m at a loss for words here. Honestly, if my parents are listening, let me say that this is 100% true. Parents of young adults, please pay close attention to this chapter. If it’s the only chapter you read, please take it to heart. This is an accurate representation of what’s going on in colleges and universities in the United States.

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Here is how chapter 1 defined relativism and I quote:

“the idea that there is no truth, that each individual decides for himself what is true and what Is right or wrong. A relativist would say that all truth claims are subjective, merely reflecting one’s personal feelings, opinions, or desires. You can have your truth, and I can have my truth, but there is no the truth to which we are all accountable.”

Pope Benedict, formerly Cardinal Ratzinger was referenced in this chapter, and I quote:

“As Ratzinger noted, relativism is emerging as a new king of totalitarianism - one which seeks to push the Christian belief in truth further out of the mainstream. In his words, ""We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one's own ego and desires.""

I pulled up an article from NPR discussing what Pope Benedict said about relativism. It’s titled, “Pope Benedict Warns Against Moral Relativism,” and states, “The new leader of the Roman Catholic Church has denounced moral relativism, the idea that moral principles have no objective standards. Pope Benedict XVI has characterized it as the major evil facing the church. Some observers believe he is taking a stance in the tense cultural wars in the United States.”

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Chapter 2

Goes on to emphasize the clash between Christian worldview vs. Relativism. Stating that, “merely debating a relativist does not work.”

Relativism is not a consistent argument. It’s a has a big hole or flaw in its logic. By stating that there is no truth as well as claiming that its statement is true, it’s an inconsistent argument. Nothing can claim to be true and claim it’s truth.

Edward Sri claims that debating a relativist and pointing out the flaw in their worldview isn’t going to work. Instead, he recommends offering an alternative worldview that is consistent and true – a classical morality. He says, “as Homer, Aristotle, and Plato understood the good life, and it is shaped by what Jesus, the Bible, and the Church have taught throughout the centuries.”

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Now, I want to point out that there is a significant but subtle theme between chapters 1 and 2 that could easily be overlooked. And that is the connection between the mind and the heart.

In chapter 1, Sri states, “Kara started becoming a relativist – at least in her heart.

And in chapter 2, he states, “inner coherence... when all the pieces - virtue, friendship, freedom, happiness, love - come together... they resonate with people." “"appeals not only to their minds, but also to their hearts - to their felt need for love"

So, I’d like to share my thoughts so far, in the last episode of this podcast, I shared that I have delt with relative worldviews that conflict with my own. Especially in college but also in high school and middle school. It had a big negative impact on my faith, and it’s even weakened my morality, conscience, or perspective of right and wrong. I know that this is common among my peers, my age group, friends, relatives and even the entire culture itself.

There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t hear someone say things like,

"You do you"
"There's my truth and there's your truth"
"Live your truth"
"But I'm not hurting anybody"
"That's the way he/she is"
"I accept myself as I am"

I am intrigued by this book, and I hope that Dr. Sri will help equip me with knowledge I need to overcome these struggles with relativism.

As a quick recap of our reading schedule:

Last week, week 1, we discussed this book as a quick overview and discussed who Edward Sri is. If you haven’t listened to last week’s episode, I recommend you check it out.

In this podcast, week 2, we discussed chapters 1 and 2.

Next week, week 3, we’ll discuss chapters 3-7.

And finally, on week 4, we’ll complete the book.

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Who Am I to Judge? Show Notes Part I

Welcome to this month’s book club. All this month of November we’ll be reading:

Who Am I to Judge? Responding to Relativism with Logic and Love by Edward Sri

If you have ever heard people say:

"Don't be so judgmental!"
"Why are Christians so intolerant?"
Or "Why can't we just coexist?"

Then you’ll find a lot of value in reading this book. Today, morality has been switched out for personal preference and taste. All decisions in life have been obscured to mean nothing more than picking a dish out from a menu. It’s all about the self, these days and if you have anything to say about it, you’re judgmental, intolerant and you’ll be publicly and socially ostracized for it.

This was my own personal experience in high school and in college. Being someone who had religious, Catholic beliefs I knew how to live out my beliefs but not how to stand up for my beliefs without being called intolerant. That is why I picked up this book and decided to read it along with the Catholic Café Book Club.

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Before coming across this book, I came across the 8-part series of Who Am I to Judge? On Formed.org. If you have a subscription to Formed, you also have access to the 8-part video series as well as the printable study companion for this book. The lecture series is taught by Dr. Edward Sri in a university setting and it’s very engaging. I hadn’t finished the series when I found this book at my local parish, and I decided it was time to pick this book and take the argument against relativism more seriously.

So, about the author:

Edward Sri has a doctorate from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He founded the program called FOCUS which stands for Fellowship of Catholic University Students. And now he is professor of theology at the Augustine Institute.

_____________________________________________To give you a basic overview of this book,

Part I is titled “The Challenge” as in the challenge of dealing with relativism in our modern day lives. It consists of chapters 1 & 2

Part II is titled, “A New Vision” and consists of chapters 3 - 7

And finally, part three is broken into 7 small chapters also called 7 keys for responding to relativism as well as a conclusion.

So, what is Relativism?

Well, the book describes relativism as, “the idea that there is no truth, that each individual decides for himself what is true and what Is right or wrong. A relativist would say that all truth claims are subjective, merely reflecting one’s personal feelings, opinions, or desires. You can have your truth, and I can have my truth, but there is no the truth to which we are all accountable.”

To compare this with the google definition of relativism, google search defines it as, “the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute.”

Another thing I would like to point out what Pope Benedict has to say about relativism in our modern culture and society. Quoting a journal entry in Duke Press, “In the last homily he gave before becoming Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger described modern life as ruled by a “dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely” of satisfying “the desires of one's own ego.””

Relating to the Catholic churches fight against relativism, I wanted to share with you this article from 2005 regarding the Catholic Church and Relativism. It reads, “The new leader of the Roman Catholic Church has denounced moral relativism, the idea that moral principles have no objective standards. Pope Benedict XVI has characterized it as the major evil facing the church. Some observers believe he is taking a stance in the tense cultural wars in the United States.”

I pointed out the article from NPR and the quote from Pope Benedict because I feel that they relate to my own personal battle with relativism in my own life. I’m 29 years old. I went to university to study English and psychology and my husband studied computer science in 2015. We both know firsthand what it’s like to deal with relativists in the classroom, in the workplace and among our friends and relatives.

For me, it’s not uncommon to hear sayings in everyday speech like:

"You do you"
"There's my truth and there's your truth"
"Live your truth"
"But I'm not hurting anybody"
"That's the way he/she is"
"I accept myself as I am"

And for me, it’s been increasingly difficult to exist among my peers with my Catholic beliefs without keeping my beliefs to myself. I am hoping this book will teach me how to live out my faith without being a closeting Catholic among my relativist friends and family.

_____________________________________________So, to recap the schedule for this month’s book club:

Week 1: Basic Overview of the Book & Author (this podcast)

Week 2: Part I (Chapters 1 & 2)

Week 3: Part II (Chapters (3 - 7)

Week 4: 7 Keys & Completing the book

I really hope to see you back here again next Friday morning. We’ll be discussing Part I of the book, Who Am I to Judge?

You can access the show notes for this episode and other episodes on CatholicCafeBookClub.com.

Cheers!

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Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary Book Club Pt. 2 of 2

Show Notes:

Part one is available here: CatholicCafeBookClub.com

Introduction:

Today is part II of reading Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, Unveiling the Mother of the Messiah by Dr. Brant Pitre. Last week we went over chapters, one through three. This week I’ll be discussing chapters 4-8. Let’s get started with our review and summary of the book.

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Recap of Part 1 – Chapters 1 - 3

If you haven’t watched part one of this month’s book series. Be sure to check that out first and then come back here to this video.

For everyone else who did watch last week’s video, welcome back! I’m happy to have you be a part of the weekly book club. As quick recap, I’ll discuss one major theme or subject per chapter to help refresh your memory.

So, chapter one was about Dr. Pitre’s own experience with Mary, Apologetics for Marian Dogmas, and how he started his journey learning about the Jewish traditions and scripture around Mary.

Chapter two was a comparison and contrast of Mary against Eve in the Old Testament.

And finally, Chapter three, was about Mary’s comparison and contrast to the Ark of the Covenant.

The biggest take away from the first three chapters is that Mary is better understood when you take the Old Testament scripture into consideration.

Now let’s move on to the next chapter, chapter 4 and see what Dr. Pitre has to tell us about Mary.

Chapter 4

Looking at chapters two and three, you’ll notice that Dr. Pitre uses Old Testament typology to compare and contrast Mary to specific instances in the Old Testament scripture. In chapter two, it was about comparing Mary to Eve. In chapter 3, he compares Mary and the Ark of the Covenant. In chapter four, he continues this pattern, of comparing Mary to the Queen Mother of Solomon. Who has a royal title and is the great intercessor.

The specific scripture we’ll explore in chapter four is from the first book of Kings, verses 19 & 20, reading, “So Bathsheba went to King Solomon, to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her and bowed down to her; then he sat on his throne, and had a throne brought for the king’s mother; and she sat on his right.”

Before this point, Dr. Pitre does mention that in the first book of Kings in the genealogy, it’s important to note when a new king is introduced it is his mother that is also mentioned and not his wife.

Here’s a quote from chapter 4 regarding the passage from the first book of Kings, “It is hard to overestimate the significance of this passage for understanding the dignity possessed by the mother of king. Although some English translations say that King Solomon has a “seat” brought for his mother, the actual word is… (Greek “thronos [or throne])… The obvious implication of seating his mother beside him on a throne is that she – and not his wife – is queen.”

Chapter 5 – Mary’s Perpetual Virginity

Chapter five is probably the most controversial chapter in the whole book. Not for Catholics but for people who are not Catholic and are not required to believe in Mary’s perpetual virginity.

In the world of apologetics, Dr. Pitre, does a great job of supporting this belief we have as Catholics. I know that from now on, I’ll be referencing this chapter whenever someone wants to argue against the perpetual virginity of Mary.

If you’re a listener who wants to know what this book is about but haven’t read this book. I would encourage you to at least read this chapter.

I’ll summarize three points from this chapter:

Point 1: Is a verse from Matthew 19 verse 12 that states, “Some are incapable of marriage because they were born so; some, because they were made so by others; some, because they have renounced marriage* for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Whoever can accept this ought to accept it.” According to the USCCB there are three classes mentioned, the last class is the one who has quote, “those who have voluntarily renounced marriage… or the sake of the kingdom… to devote themselves entirely to its service.”

Point 2:

Is that in final resurrection we will be a new creation and we will all be celibate. This is according to the Gospel of Luke 20 verse 34 – 35, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; but those who are accounted worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.” And to quote Dr. Pitre on that point, “…virginity points us to the world to come, in which death will be no more.”

Point 3:

In the book of Numbers 30 verses 6-8 and 13-16, there are the vows of virginity for married women. Dr. Pitre holds up this Jewish law to what Mary says to the Angel Gabriel, “How shall this be, since I do not know man?” Luke 1:20-34.

Pitre compares it to some who states, “I do not smoke” it implies that they do not smoke now, nor do they intend to ever smoke – present and future. Since Mary is already married to Joseph at this point it would only make sense that she would have assumed she would get pregnant by Joseph. But if she had taken an ancient Jewish vow of virginity, then of course she would need to raise the question of how she was to get pregnant to the angel, since she does not know man.

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Chapter 6 The birth pangs

Dr. Pitre compares two instances in the bible, the hour of sorrow for Mary, “And from that hour the disciple took her to his home” Gospel of John 19:27, to the woman in the book of Revelation, “…a woman with the sun under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery.” Dr. Pitre quotes Pope John Paul II who wrote, “The woman clothed with the sun in is a certain sense identified with Mary,” for the imagery of “her pangs of birth” (Revelation 12:2) “refers to the Mother of Jesus at the Cross.”

This illustrates what the Prophet Isaiah said,

“Before she was in labor, she gave birth.

Before her paint came upon her she was delivered of a son…

Shall a nation be brought forth in a one moment?” Isaiah 66 verses 7-8.

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Chapter 7 – The New Rachel

In chapter seven, Dr. Pitre returns to the previous format comparing the Old Testament & New Testament to learn more about Mary. In this chapter, he compares Mary to Rachel in the Old Testament

Biblical scholars often point out that Jesus is the new Joseph from Genesis. In the same way that he is the new Adam and the new David, he is also the new Joseph. Therefore, who is the new mother of Joseph? It is Mary.

What really stood out to me in this chapter was how Dr. Pitre pointed out in the book of Jeremiah the prophet, “Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are not.”

To quote Dr. Pitre, “Rachel in Jewish Tradition [is the] most powerful intercessor.” She is also the Matriarch of her people.

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Chapter 8 Behold Your mother

I like this quote from Saint Ambrose from the 4th Century, “May the Christ from the height of the cross say also to each of you: ‘There is your mother.’ May he say also to the church: ‘There is your son.’

I’ll finish this chapter summary with two quotes from Dr. Pitre, “Jesus’ words to Mary and the Beloved Disciple are a kind of formal last will and testament.” “When a mother gives birth, she sees her child long before the child can even open its eyes to see her. Jesus speaks to Mary, ‘behold your son,’… And she is beholding you… will you respond to Jesus’ last words and take her to be your own: “Behold, your mother.”

My review of this book.

I thought it was great. Very well written, researched a structured. I think it’s everything an apologist seeking to defend their beliefs of Mary will find useful and insightful. I highly recommend for everyone not just Catholics. But anyone wanted to learn about who Mary is and her significance to us, Catholics.

Coming Up

Starting next Friday, we will be reading: Who Am I To Judge by Edward Sri

It will be a four-part series:

The first week will be an overview of the book and the author.

The second week will be review part one of the book.

The third week we’ll focus on part two.

And finally, the fourth week, we’ll complete the book and review it.

I hope you’ll join me again for next month’s book club.

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Book review of Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary by Dr. Brant Pitre

Chapters 1 - 3

My experience reading this book is great. Dr. Brant Pitre has really organized this book well. Its jam packed with historic context and historic citations. This book wasn’t an easy read in my opinion. I spent more time than I would usually spend reading a book. It was so jam packed with new information for me that I had to put the book down frequently and reflect on what I had read. This book took me a few weeks to read. On the book I highlighted many significant passages and wrote notes to help me better understand what I was reading. I love this book. I believe this may be one of the greatest Catholic apologetic books I will ever read on the Virgin Mary. As a Catholic I have struggled to understand Mary. My whole life, I could never understand why my family loved her so much and wanted to pray to her so much. This book has really helped to learn about her and it has helped to me to better understand Jesus. The whole time I was reading this book a quote kept ringing in my mind, “to Jesus, through Mary.” If you were looking for a review on this book, you don’t need to listen to the rest of this podcast. I’ll tell you right now, this book is a worth read and I highly recommend it to anyone – Catholic, convert, protestant, jew, Muslim or atheist. If you want to understand Mary, this is your book. Here is a quote from the introduction of this book, “whether you’re a Christian who has always wondered what the Bible actually teaches about Mary; whether you’re a Jew or Muslim who is curious to learn more about the mother of Jesus; whether you’re an agnostic or an atheist interested in the Jewish origins of Christianity-whatever your religious background or worldview-I invite you to come along with me on this journey and try to see the mother of Jesus through ancient Jewish eyes.” Introduction to Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary.

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