A Long-Belated Introduction

A few weeks ago I walked into Our Saviour Church on 38th and Park, which is quite frankly the most beautiful church I know. Whilst I prayed I (conspicuously) took a gaping stare at the faithful around me, hoping for some implicit cues. Perhaps the most important thing I noticed was their devout silence, which is surprisingly quite lacking in Catholic churches nowadays. Now as a lifelong practicing Catholic, I had never had this particular experience of unexpectedness prior to a Mass; I both dreaded the beginning and longed for it. Better to get going with it, enough waiting.

This Mass was unlike any other I had previously experienced; it was the Tridentine Mass, the Usus Antiquior, the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. And this was the first time I had actually attended it. Friends of mine had raved about it, recommended it to me, and extolled everything about this older usage. And though I took a liking to it as well as other traditional elements of the Faith, I had never had the gumption or the courage to plunge in and start attending the Tridentine Mass. When I learned that Fr. Rutler would be celebrating a Tridentine Mass, I saw the Hand of Providence directing me to go.

I followed. And thank goodness. As an habitue of Renaissance polyphony, I could not have picked a better mass to attend, as the music selected was Palestrina's Missa O Rex Gloriae, sung by the Schola Cantorum of St. Mary Church in Norwalk, CT, and the Sleepy Hollow Schola Canorum from Sleepy Hollow, NY. I remember wiping my eyes during the Kyrie, and as the sublime libations poured down on me, the splash sent my soul soaring up to the heavens, a truly inimitable experience of transcendence.

What regal splendour, what music and circumstance and dignity befitting a king, and not just any king, but the King of Heaven and Earth Himself. It was this prayer that had been the inspiration for centuries of art and architecture, music and poetry, literature and cathedrals, the prayer for which faithful and Catholics and atheists alike fought side-by-side to save in the aftermath of Vatican II. No one truly understands the usus antiquior, but even a taste is a good start. I have tasted it and have begun to imbibe its sweet savour, now as a server at St. Agnes at 43rd Street. And not a moment too soon; it's always nice to have a clearer glimpse of Heaven.

Different Languages at the Harvard Club

On 17 September the acclaimed Catholic author Michael Novak joined Heather MacDonald and about 100 others at the Harvard Club to discuss his new book entitled No One Sees God. The two participated in a dialogue for about 30 minutes, which was then opened to the audience for questioning. The audience consisted of students and professors, as well as some writers, religious, and others. While theists held the majority, a fair amount of atheists attended, an aspect which in my mind strongly influenced the dynamic of the conversation.

Dr. Novak pointed out the two main themes of his new work, one each for believers and non-believers. He said that for the those who believe in God, doubt is a normal part of the religious growth. As for atheists, he exhorted them to "get past the bigotry of the Enlightenment." He describes God as a "loving friend," who cares for us on our life journey. An interesting implication of this idea, which Dr. MacDonald pointed out, is that friendship assumes reciprocity. God condescends to do His work through imperfect human agents. So while man leans on God, so God leans on man as well.

The debate between believers and the so-called "new atheists" has, according to Dr. Novak, been quite virulent, but he differentiated between those atheists who ingenuously seek the truth, while others excoriate anything seen as vaguely religious. Indeed, there can be no conversation, when the dialogue starts out along the lines of "religion is evil."

The conversation as a whole was quite insightful and stimulating, with few departures into trite arguments from the problem of evil on the one hand or design on the other. However, as the time went on, it became increasingly apparent that these two brilliant individuals were really not having a conversation at all, because one cannot have a conversation when each speaks a different language.

Dr. MacDonald seems to expect God to be empirically verifiable, while Dr. Novak has his sights set on a transcendent God. Furthermore, the two disagreed on the notion of absurdity, as well as the philosophical implications thereof. For Dr. MacDonald, an absurd universe is one with God, who also turns a blind eye to the good that religion is done, only focusing on the evils of the past and how to her religion is the cause of all human ills. The standard she uses to determine right and wrong is still a mystery to me.

Dr. Alice Ramos, a professor at St. John's University and a fellow audience member, agreed. She said that it seemed more like they were talking at each other. Some others I spoke with seemed to think likewise; while both speakers brought up interesting points, neither seemed to want to give the other credit. This incipient debate between theists and the new atheists will only become more combative as long as both sides fail to speak the same language.

Welcome to The King's Good Servant

Welcome to the incipient "The King's Good Servant," a blog dedicated to aesthetes, anglophiles, and Catholic intellectuals, and an oasis for fellow conservatives living in a postmodern world. TKGS is dedicated to championing the cause of Orthodoxy, advancing the renascent usus antiquior, providing a noble defence of monarchy, and sundry gentlemanly avocations, including promoting sartorial excellence, so that all of us may be, as St. Thomas More was, Christ the King's good servant.