Dr. Scott Hahn in Toronto



Dear Theophilus,

This past Saturday I was lucky enough, along with my wife and a group of friends, to spend the day listening to 3 separate lectures by Dr. Scott Hahn. The event, The New Evangelization: Equipping Yourself to Engage the Culture was put on by David Gilbert of Catholic ChapterHouse. The day also featured Damian Goddard as the Master of Ceremonies, along with Kathleen Dunn as a musical guest.

The day began with the more than 1,000 attendees reciting the Rosary. It’s hard enough to get that many people to sit silent and attentive, to have that many people praying the Rosary together was simply powerful. The last time I had my spine tingle with that many people lifting their hearts up to the Lord in unison was attending High Mass in front of the cathedral in Fatima as thousands waved goodbye to Our Lady with white handkerchiefs. With it starting out this way, I knew the day was going to be special.

We were then treated to the music of Kathleen Dunn. Although contemporary Christian music really isn’t to my taste, Kathleen’s music was just the thing to add to the prayerful setting. On top of it all, anyone who can make such an acoustically unfriendly setting as the Canadian Christian College in Toronto sound that good, must have talent. You can listen for yourself by visiting Kathleen’s website.

Then it was the moment I had been anticipating since I had heard of Dr. Hahn’s visit last July.

Dr. Hahn’s first session was called The Lamb’s Supper after his book of the same title. The talk he gave, however, was more of a blend between The Lamb’s Supper and Rome Sweet Home, something a friend who has heard both talks through Lighthouse Ministry cd’s confirmed for me. Although I had read both of Dr. Hahn’s books, what he did on Saturday was make them come alive. Between his intonation and facial expression, Dr. Hahn opened up his works on a whole new level. Since his recognition of the Mass in the Book of Revelations was key to his own conversion story, the two go naturally together. In his talk, Dr. Hahn is able to reveal how both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Liturgy are intertwined, each dependant on the other and each giving life to the other.

During the lunch break Dr. Hahn was gracious enough to meet with everyone who wanted to meet with him, shake his hand, have their books signed and their photo taken. Those who weren’t lining up to meet Dr. Hahn were all excitedly buzzing about the morning’s talk. Even though most of us knew what we were coming to hear, it was like we had all uncovered a hidden gem at the same time. In many ways we had – the hidden gem was the fire of faith being rekindled in our hearts.

The afternoon started with Dr. Hahn tackling the subject of The Bible, The Eucharist and The New Evangelization. Here Dr. Hahn delved deeper into the mystery of Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross and its institution in the Last Supper. Dr. Hahn traced the roots of the Eucharist in the Old Testament and showed us how we need to understand the Eucharist in its entirety, from the Passover meal of the Last Supper, through the sacrifice on the Cross, through the fulfilling grace of the Resurrection. As Dr. Hahn put it, if you look only at the Cross, you see nothing but a bloody and violent Roman execution, but once you put it into the context of the Passover meal and see its fulfillment in the Resurrection, then you can begin to truly grasp the significance of what Christ did for us.

After another brief performance by Kathleen Dunn and a quick break, Dr. Hahn returned to the stage for his final talk of the day, Why Scripture Matters. This theme continued along much the same lines as the earlier two, taking an even deeper look into the role of Sacred Scripture in our Catholic faith. Dr. Hahn began this session by telling the story of crossing paths with an old high school acquaintance who, upon learning that Dr. Hahn had converted to Catholicism, offered the same challenge that he himself used to bandy about: Where is the Mass in the Bible? Dr. Hahn’s answer was to show that the Eucharist permeates through the entire Bible, from Old Testament through the New – although there was nowhere near enough time to delve completely into this question, Dr. Hahn left the audience with the conviction that the New Testament exists because of the Eucharist and that the Eucharist can exist because of the New Testament. A symbiotic relationship very similar to the one discussed above regarding Sacred Scripture and Sacred Liturgy.

Here I have to make a confession. Throughout this blog my fingers have continually wanted to type Dr. Haha instead of Dr. Hahn, but in many ways, this could be a very apt name for Dr. Hahn. His sense of humour and ability to laugh at himself kept his talks flowing with a certain panache, transforming what could be a somewhat dry subject and turning it into an entertaining and thought provoking day. My head is still spinning from everything I learned, but here are a few of my favourite Dr. Scott Hahn sayings (paraphrased, of course):

Turn down Pride and you’ll find Mercy.

I need to remember I am merely the donkey that carries Christ.

All those who reject God are nothing but Ashes. (Quoting Peter Kreeft)

Another amazing aspect of the day was the amount of people I knew or knew of in the room. There were friends I had once worked with, friends who had moved out of our parish and other parishioners I didn’t know were going to be there. My wife and I had fun at lunch comparing notes on who we had bumped into in the line for the elevator to the washrooms. One major highlight in this regard was meeting up with fellow blogger and pro-life advocate, Joe Sales. If you haven’t read his blog Being Joseph Michael before, I suggest you do (as well as following him on Twitter).

 

 

With Joe Sales

The day drew to a close with the announcement that Catholic Chapter House will be bringing Peter Kreeft to Toronto on May 25, 2013. We’re already making plans in my parish to organize a group. We can’t wait to go back.

Thank you Catholic Chapter House for making this possible and for rekindling the fire of faith in so many hearts.

Year of Faith Resolutions



Dear Theophilus,

With much anticipation, but with seemingly little fanfare, tomorrow, October 11, 2012 will mark the beginning of the Year of Faith. Pope Benedict XVI declared the Year of Faith (Oct. 11, 2012 through Nov. 24, 2013) with his Apostolic Letter Porta Fidei a year ago. In his letter, Pope Benedict XVI calls on Catholics “To rediscover the content of the Faith that is professed, celebrated, lived and prayed, and to reflect on the act of faith, (as) a task that every believer must make his own, especially in the course of this Year.” (Porta Fideai, 9)

The Year of Faith was called to coincide with two important anniversaries in the Roman Catholic Church. Firstly, it is the 50^th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. Secondly, October 11, 2012 marks the 20^th anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Two events that have left a profound impact on the shape of the Catholic Church as we know it today. With this in mind, in Porta Fidei Pope Benedict XVI challenges believers to get to know the documents of Vatican II and the Catechism better as “They need to be read correctly, to be widely known and taken to heart as important and normative texts of the Magisterium, within the Church’s Tradition…” (Porta Fidei, 5)

Throughout Porta Fidei, His Holiness calls on the Year of Faith to be a time of renewal, rediscovery and a strengthening of faith:

“The renewal of the Church is also achieved through the witness offered by the lives of believers: …” (Porta Fidei, 6)

“The Year of Faith, from this perspective, is a summons to an authentic and renewed conversion to the Lord, the one Saviour of the World.” (Porta Fidei, 6)

“We want this Year to arouse in every believer the aspiration to profess the faith in fullness and with renewed conviction, with confidence and hope,.” (Porta Fidei, 9)

“The Year of Faith will also be a good opportunity to intensify the witness of charity.” (Porta Fidei, 14)

Like every New Year, this Year of Faith offers a sense of renewal and hope for the year to come. In much the same way as I approach the last week of December every year, I’d like to try to chart out a spiritual Plan of Faith for the Year of Faith ahead. A sort of list of Year of Faith Resolutions, if you will.

My Year of Faith Resolutions include:

Becoming a more Catholic teacher, making a conscious effort to include faithful teachings and doctrines in my history and geography classes;

Increasing my own knowledge and understanding of Catholic doctrines through personal reading, attending lectures and furthering my studies;

Getting to know the documents of Vatican II and the Catechism in greater depth;

Attending Eucharistic Adoration at least once a month;

Intensifying my prayer life;

and

Inviting others to deepen their understanding of our shared Catholic faith by offering them a safe environment to explore their faith journey.

I know this list seems pretty hefty, if not daunting at best, but there is an entire Year of Faith laid out before us. If I keep in mind that I don’t need to accomplish them by October 18^th, then I think I can make it. Pray for me, and I know with the help of your prayers, I can. In the same way, I encourage you to share your own Year of Faith Resolutions, this way we can pray for each other as we rediscover, renew and strengthen our faith.