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CajunRick
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5457 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Fri Mar 30th, 2007 11:23 am |
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Benedict XVI's "Curriculum"
Seminarians, students and other eager listeners gathered recently at the University of the Holy Cross in Rome listen to American professor Scott Hahn expound the theological vision of Benedict XVI.
The weeklong mini course was just one of several meetings, formal and informal, during which Hahn, a professor at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio and St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, spoke with laity and religious on a range of topics.
Foremost on Hahn's agenda was the Holy Father's "curriculum" for Catholics, which Hahn believes will also lead many Protestant theologians to discover the answers they have been searching in the Catholic liturgy.
But even more, Hahn said that Benedict XVI's "clarity and classic style of theologizing" make his teaching accessible to the average lay person.
"One of the remarkable things about Benedict XVI," said Hahn, "is that he is almost too straightforward. With a little bit of effort, those who are not schooled in theology will grasp treasures of biblical wisdom in the context of liturgy and the sacraments."
The Pope's writing, Hahn said, has been significant in his own faith journey.
"I started reading Joseph Ratzinger before I realized he was Catholic, let alone a cardinal, now Benedict XVI," he said. "That was 25 years ago; I've only been Catholic for 20."
At a casual reception at the home of a former student now working in Rome, Hahn encouraged old and new students to take advantage of their proximity to the Holy Father as a time of preparation for their own service to the Church.
He said: "This is the hour of the laity. It is a tremendous privilege to be so near Benedict XVI who is a teacher par excellence.
"Those of you who have the privilege of learning from him so directly will be called upon to serve others."
During a visit to the North American College, Hahn encouraged seminarians to remain rooted in prayer and Scripture.
American seminarian Johnny Burns was enthusiastic about Hahn's talk: "He spoke about the priesthood in a biblical context and then talked about priestly fatherhood by building on lessons he's learned from being a father.
"His personal stories were quite moving. And when he shared with us what he truly thought of the priesthood, that was also moving, indeed unforgettable."
Scott Hahn was joined by his wife, Kimberly Hahn, who spoke informally with groups of students. She is an author, speaker and home schooling mother of their six children.
Kimberly Hahn, also a convert to Catholicism, is her husband's partner in producing materials for a parish-based Bible study program, as well as helping would-be converts to navigate their entry into Catholicism.
But in addition, she is often a keynote speaker on family issues.
On one occasion during her visit to Rome, Kimberly Hahn held an informal discussion about challenges to Christian marriage, which, she said, is suffering from a divorce rate in the United States that is nearly equivalent to non-sacramental marriages.
"A major culprit in failed marriages is cohabitation," she said. "People fail to recognize that living together prior to marriage is absolutely a recipe for failure. You can't 'try on' a marriage because without sacramental grace, it really is impossible."
Kimberly Hahn said that another challenge is pornography: "Without question, pornography is a major culprit in many failed marriages in the United States.
"It's really a type of infidelity. When a man has been unfaithful to his wife through pornography, it is very hard to recover a foundation of trust. Women are often at a loss to express the sense of betrayal."
She said she sees signs for hope, especially among the many lay students pursuing degrees in theology, and marriage and family studies.
The above article is reposted from Zenit.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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