The Strangeness of Truth E-Book

Damien Ference Ference

• Herausgeber: anna ruggieri
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

In an age of loneliness and distraction, it can be easy to forget God’s presence in our daily lives—until we are confronted with everyday miracles like birth, death, or marriage. In his new book, The Strangeness of Truth, Fr. Damian Ferrence meditates on the way that eternal mysteries such as the Incarnation, Resurrection, and the Eucharist make themselves felt in the everyday, using scenes from his own life to illustrate and animate doctrine.

Plenty of elaborate theological treatises have been written on the subjects that he addresses, but his tone is conversational and direct. His insights are designed to awaken and remind his readers of the radical truths that surround them- that God holds our world in existence, that He became a man, and that He sacrificed Himself for us. Fr. Ferrence’s writing is filled with wonder, reverence, and a keen observational sense, using concrete examples and crystal-clear observations to illuminate realities often spoken of as murky or abstract. The Strangeness of Truth will spark a renewed love and appreciation for the doctrines God has revealed, and help you see them with fresh eyes; not as they could be, but how they really are—beautiful, strange, and timeless.

Leseprobe

In Praise ofThe Strangeness of Truth

“Fr. Ference’s The Strangeness of Truth is a gift. With pathos and humor, he explores the wisdom and beauty of Catholicism—its faith in the noncompetitive God, its embodied character, its transformation of suffering and death through Christ’s cross and resurrection—in light of his own experience as brother, son, student, rock fan, and priest. I warmly recommend it, especially for young people searching for life’s deepest truths.”

—Bishop Robert Barron, founder of Word on FireCatholic Ministries, Auxiliary Bishop of theArchdiocese of Los Angeles

“Fr. Damian Ference is one of my favorite people. Like, ever. He’s humble, articulate, and winsome. All of that comes through in this excellent little book that gives the reader an overview of the Catholic faith in a fresh and compelling way. I wish I had it back in my agnostic days.”

—Matt Fradd, Pints With Aquinas

“Read this book and fall in love, or grow more in love, with Jesus and His Church!”

—Fr. Larry Richards, pastor of St. Joseph Churchand founder of The Reason for Our HopeFoundation, Erie, Pennsylvania

“The Strangeness of Truth is a stirring call to make our faith not just a place we visit, but rather the very air we breathe, the food we eat, and the home in which we live. I have long been convinced that Fr. Damian Ference will be remembered as one of the greatest spiritual thinkers of this generation, and this work more than bears that out.”

—Hallie Lord, SiriusXM radio host and author ofOn the Other Side of Fear: How I Found Peace

“Fr. Damian has long been one of my favorite writers, and this book only affirms that. Weaving together saints, stories, philosophy, and faith, he paints a picture of Catholicism that is both fresh and accessible. Anyone reading this book will see how Catholicism makes sense of life and makes it tangibly better. Give this book to anyone who doubts that.”

—Brandon Vogt, founder of ClaritasU andauthor of Why I Am Catholic

The Strangeness of Truth

The Strangeness of Truth

Vibrant Faith in a Dark World

Fr. Damian Ference

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Ference, Damian, author.

Title: The strangeness of truth : vibrant faith in a dark world / Damian Ference.

Description: Boston, MA : Pauline Books & Media, 2019.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018038239| ISBN 9780819891266 (pbk.) | ISBN 0819891266 (pbk.) | ISBN 9780819891273 (ePub.)

Subjects: LCSH: Catholic Church--Doctrines. | Theology, Doctrinal--Popular works.

Classification: LCC BX1754 .F47 2019 | DDC 230/.2--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018038239

Many manufacturers and sellers distinguish their products through the use of trademarks. Any trademarked designations that appear in this book are used in good faith but are not authorized by, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, Revised Edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970, Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C., and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America, copyright © 1994, United States Catholic Conference, Inc. — Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission.

Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.

Texts contained in this work derived whole or in part from liturgical texts copyrighted by the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) have been published here with the confirmation of the Committee on Divine Worship, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. No other texts in this work have been formally reviewed or approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Excerpts from Pope Francis’, Pope Paul VI’s, and Pope Benedict XVI’s magesterium texts © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Cittá del Vaticano. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Excerpts from “The Late, Great Stephen Colbert” by Joel Lovell, GQ August 17, 2015 edition © Conde Nast. All rights reserved. Used with permission.

Excerpts from The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O’Connor edited by Sally Fitzgerald. Copyright © 1979 by Regina O’Connor. Reprinted by permission of Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Excerpts from The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O’Connor © 1979 by Regina O’Connor; excerpts from Everything that Rises Must Converge © 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, Flannery O’Connor. Copyright renewed 1993 by Regina Cline O’Connor. Reprinted by permission of the Mary Flannery O’Connor Charitable Trust via Harold Matson Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

Excerpts from A Prayer Journal © 2013 by the Mary Flannery O’Connor Charitable Trust via Harold Matson Company, Inc. All rights reserved.

Cover design by Ryan McQuade

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

“P” and PAULINE are registered trademarks of the Daughters of St. Paul.

Copyright © 2019, Fr. Damian Ference

Published by Pauline Books & Media, 50 Saint Pauls Avenue, Boston, MA 02130-3491.

www.pauline.org

Pauline Books & Media is the publishing house of the Daughters of St. Paul, an international congregation of women religious serving the Church with the communications media.

For Helen, the one and the many.

“It is the business of the artist to uncover the strangeness of truth.”

— Flannery O’Connor

Contents

Foreword

Preface

Why This Book?

1God Is for Us, God Is with Us

Incarnation

2The Empty Tomb

Resurrection

3Matter Matters

Sacramentality

4Everybody Counts and Everyone Matters

The Human Person

5Show and Tell

Exemplarity

6Take Up and Read

The Beautiful and Intelligent Life

7A Vivid World

The Both/And Principle

8Loving the Bomb

An Answer to Suffering

Epilogue

Fiat

Acknowledgments

Appendix 1

The Funeral Homily for Edward M. Ference

Appendix 2

Questions for Discussion and Personal Reflection

Appendix 3

Further Reading

Notes

Foreword

IT IS WITH GREAT JOY that I write this foreword to this absolutely wonderful book, The Strangeness of Truth: Vibrant Faith in a Dark World, by Father Damian Ference, a dynamic priest of the Diocese of Cleveland, who is also a seminary professor, a philosopher, a loving son, brother, friend, and a spiritual guide for many. More than simply a book, it is a moving letter to those who search and yearn for meaning. It speaks to those who are restless, who are filled with questions and looking for answers to the many challenges and contradictions that we all find in the course of our journey. The Strangeness of Truth is a profound reflection on the treasures of the Catholic faith, seen and presented through the eyes and heart of the personal journey of the author. As a young man, Damian Ference encountered the Risen Christ in a powerful way. This encounter would eventually lead him to leave behind his youthful dream to be a “rock star” and to give his life to Jesus Christ and all of humanity as a priest in the Catholic Church. He is now a star of a different kind, much like the Star of Bethlehem. Today, Father Damian shows the way to others, the way to a life of faith in the person and vision of Jesus Christ who, after all, is the Way!

In this book, written as a moving letter to all of us who search, we can see the unfolding of our own lives. We follow Father Damian through life, with all its ups and downs, twists and turns, as he shares the stories of his own life and faith journey. Through it all, he discovers meaning and purpose in the treasure of the Catholic faith. In so many ways, this is a book about two of Pope Francis’ favorite words: encounter and accompaniment. In The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis invites all of us to a renewed personal encounter with Christ, or at least an openness to letting him encounter us. He reminds us that no one is excluded from this invitation and that the Lord does not disappoint.

The Strangeness of Truth. How can Truth be strange? Father Damian tells us how. Sandwiched in the narratives of his story, this book shares with us the surprising story of the intimate encounter of God with us, his people. It is the story of how he demonstrates the power of his love. God’s love is a love that accompanies us in creation, in the mystery of dying and rising, and even through the signs and symbols of our faith, which are always reminding us that “everyone counts and everyone matters.” Father Damian presents the beauty of the Catholic faith to us artfully and skillfully, in a language and through images that are understandable and relatable. He shows how faith enlightens and gives meaning to our lives and the many events that arise in them. Through it all, we are given the opportunity to discover the footprints of Christ, who is and has always been there, right by our side.

My prayer is that all who take the time to read this book from a young, faith-filled priest, will discover what he has discovered and be transformed by the love of Christ, who seeks to encounter us at every turn. Thank you, Father Damian, for taking the time to share your story, for presenting us the treasures of the Catholic faith, and for giving us this book as a gift to the world!

Most Reverend Nelson J. Perez, D. D.Bishop of Cleveland

Preface

Why This Book?

“Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.”

— Roman Missal

“I invite everyone to be bold and creative in this task of rethinking the goals, structures, style, and methods of evangelization in their respective communities.”

— Pope Francis

“When you can assume that your audience holds the same beliefs as you do, you can relax a little and use more normal means of talking to it; when you have to assume that it does not, then you have to make your vision apparent by shock, to the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost blind you draw large startling figures.”

— Flannery O’Connor

DEAR READER, THIS LITTLE book is my humble attempt to present the Catholic faith to you for the first time, or for the first time in a long time, or perhaps in a way that you haven’t heard it presented before. I am writing to you not only as a Catholic priest but also as a man who has come to find himself most fully alive in communion with the One who is Life itself, and in the Church that he founded almost two thousand years ago.

I was ordained one year after the clergy sex-abuse scandals rocked the Catholic Church in 2002, so I am not blind to the human weakness, hypocrisy, cowardice, greed, and arrogance that is at times on display in Catholic living. But I’ve also been an eyewitness to the kindness, courage, honesty, generosity, and humility of countless women and men who profess Jesus Christ as Lord and refer to the Catholic Church as their Mother and Teacher. I believe what the Catholic Church holds and teaches to be true, and this book is my attempt to present the beauty, the mystery, the challenge, the consolation, and the joy of Catholicism to you in an honest, human, intelligent, humorous, and incarnational manner.

Perhaps you were raised Catholic but haven’t been practicing your faith for a while. This book is for you. Perhaps you went to Catholic grade school and high school or even Catholic college but stopped practicing your faith a while back because it didn’t seem relevant to your life anymore. This book is for you. Perhaps you once had very strong faith and then life came at you with terrible suffering through the death of a loved one, sickness, a break in a most important relationship, or some existential crisis. This book is for you. Perhaps you are new parents who have decided that your son or daughter needs to be raised in a faith that has greater wisdom and values than the world has to offer. This book is for you. Perhaps you are a student and your teacher or professor wants you to read something that presents Catholicism in way that ties personal narrative and theology together. This book is for you. Maybe you are a seeker, a searcher, a man or woman who is on a journey looking for answers to questions about the meaning of life in general and Catholicism in particular. This book is for you. Perhaps someone who loves you very much gave this book to you as a gift and you are wondering if it’s for you. It is.

The structure of this book is simple; it’s like a sandwich. I begin each chapter with a narrative from my own life. That’s the bottom bun. Then I offer a systematic treatment of a particular topic: the incarnation, the resurrection, sacramentality, the human person, exemplarity, beauty and reason, the both/and principle, and suffering. That’s the protein, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and condiments. Finally, I close each chapter with another narrative, which relates to the narrative with which I began the chapter. That’s the top bun. If you don’t like carbs, skip the narratives, and if you’re a carb loader, you can simply read the buns. But the best diet is a balanced diet, and the buns are whole grain, so the best way to read this book is by reading the entire chapter. You could skip around if you want, but each chapter really does build on the next, so read this book the traditional way, from beginning to end, and then pass it on to a friend so that you’ll have someone with whom you can discuss the book over a cup of coffee or a pint of beer. (By its nature, Catholicism is communal, so it’s good to discuss these matters with others. You might even want to read this book aloud to another and work on the discussion questions in Appendix 2 together!)

Happy reading!

Fr. Damian Ference