August 2, http://www.tribtimes.com
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William Zambrano MD
Aug 1, 2021, 4:48:27 PM8/1/21
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(Exo 14:13-14) And Moses said to the people: Fear not: stand, and see the great wonders of the Lord, which he will do this day; for the Egyptians, whom you see now, you shall see no more for ever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.
SIGNS & WONDERS: Fear Not! Stand Your Ground
CRISIS MAGAZINE: Alone Among Mine Enemies
EXCERPT BLOG: A Counter-Modern Intellectual Life
First appearing in 1921, The Intellectual Life, by the great French Dominican and thinker A.G. Sertillanges, has provided a sure guide for generations of scholars. It has done this not so much by providing research methods or even by proposing an intellectual system (though he highly favors Thomism), but rather, as his title suggests, by proposing a way of life.
Let us now turn to another important lesson for today’s readers. He warns frequently against the dangers of distraction and dissipation of attention. It is astounding that his admonitions were written before the rise of the internet, since much of what he says applies so well to our increasingly digital world of iPhones and social media. He writes, for instance: “The mind is dulled, not fed, by inordinate reading, it is made gradually incapable of reflection and concentration, and therefore of production; it grows inwardly extroverted, if one can so express oneself. . .” Although Sertillanges was referring to the dangers in his own day of obsessively following the news, his words ring even truer today with the advent of the internet: “The continual sight stimuli thus occasioned destroy mental energy, as constant vibration wears out steel.”
Reading these lines, one wonders whether Sertillanges was granted a form of prescience. His advice, more important today than ever, offers a sobering reminder of the dangers of losing oneself in endless scrolling and refreshing on internet sites. Of course it is necessary to be informed about the world; no one can or should live in a bubble today. But we must be careful not to lose ourselves in the endless sea of information that floods us every morning, afternoon, evening, and night. We must be willing to take ourselves away from the tumult of the world in order to cultivate interior silence. He writes: “When silence takes possession of you; when far from the racket of the human highway the sacred fire flames up in the stillness; when peace, which is the tranquility of order, puts order in your thoughts, feelings, and investigations, you are in the supreme disposition for learning . . .”
When considering Sertillanges’ advice against distractions, we must keep in mind the reason why he urges the reader to reject distraction. Sertillanges reiterates that the intellectual life is a calling, a vocation. And it is the deleterious results of distraction upon this calling, rather than a decrease in productivity, which prompt Sertillanges’ many warnings on the topic. This sets his work in stark contrast to modern self-help articles and books, whose advice about simplifying and shutting out distractions are reducible to a desire for what is termed “mindfulness.” Mindfulness generally is the attempt to become fully present to the moment, to oneself, and one’s current experience. This is not equivalent to what Sertillanges urges, which is to remove distractions not for one's own sake, but for the sake of pursuing something outside oneself: the Truth.
While his advice about avoiding distraction is by no means only valuable to intellectuals, we should keep in mind that Sertillanges is still writing specifically to those with an intellectual vocation. For Sertillanges, this category is not limited to those who earn their living by means of intellectual work. It is not, however, a universal calling. Everyone has a vocation, but not everyone has a vocation to be an intellectual. It is true that we should all act so as to flourish in the way of life to which we have been called, and hence in a broad sense we should all be concerned to avoid distractions that could divert us from that calling. But Sertillanges is at pains to warn the intellectual in particular from this precipice. This may be because he believes the intellectual is uniquely susceptible to this particular temptation of “distraction” in the form of the vice traditionally known as curiositas. Curiositas is most dangerous to the intellectual because it can divert him from the proper end of his work. Though he may specialize, the intellectual must be a servant of Truth. His or her goal is not the mere accumulation of facts, but the grasping of Truth. And all truths for Sertillanges—as a good Catholic and a good Thomist—find their ultimate grounding in Truth Itself: God.
Thus while Sertillanges’ warnings about distractions apply to everyone in our highly distracted contemporary society, he is speaking especially to those who wish to make the life of the mind their own life. He wishes them to join in this work and not to fear its challenges. As he puts it: “The life of study is austere and imposes grave obligations. It pays, it pays richly; but it exacts an initial outlay that few are capable of. The athletes of the mind, like those of the playing field, must be prepared for privations, long training, a sometimes superhuman tenacity. We must give ourselves from the heart, if truth is to give itself to us.”
Sertillanges’ exhortation is, to be sure, challenging. He places the bar high for anyone wishing to pursue the intellectual life. In his view, it demands commitment and sacrifice. At the same time, his call is simple: individuals called to the intellectual life must, above all, know and love the truth. If anything, Sertillanges’ call to seek the truth whole-heartedly is even more necessary today than when he first wrote his work. A hundred years later, we stand in need of thinkers, writers, and holy individuals to reset our priorities.
"Have ANY Catholic Question? Just ask Ron Smith at: hfmin...@roadrunner.com
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August 2, 2021(Exo 14:13-14) And Moses said to the people: Fear not: stand, and see the great wonders of the Lord, which he will do this day; for the Egyptians, whom you see now, you shall see no more for ever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.
SIGNS & WONDERS: Fear Not! Stand Your Ground
CRISIS MAGAZINE: Alone Among Mine Enemies
EXCERPT BLOG: A Counter-Modern Intellectual Life
First appearing in 1921, The Intellectual Life, by the great French Dominican and thinker A.G. Sertillanges, has provided a sure guide for generations of scholars. It has done this not so much by providing research methods or even by proposing an intellectual system (though he highly favors Thomism), but rather, as his title suggests, by proposing a way of life.
Let us now turn to another important lesson for today’s readers. He warns frequently against the dangers of distraction and dissipation of attention. It is astounding that his admonitions were written before the rise of the internet, since much of what he says applies so well to our increasingly digital world of iPhones and social media. He writes, for instance: “The mind is dulled, not fed, by inordinate reading, it is made gradually incapable of reflection and concentration, and therefore of production; it grows inwardly extroverted, if one can so express oneself. . .” Although Sertillanges was referring to the dangers in his own day of obsessively following the news, his words ring even truer today with the advent of the internet: “The continual sight stimuli thus occasioned destroy mental energy, as constant vibration wears out steel.”
Reading these lines, one wonders whether Sertillanges was granted a form of prescience. His advice, more important today than ever, offers a sobering reminder of the dangers of losing oneself in endless scrolling and refreshing on internet sites. Of course it is necessary to be informed about the world; no one can or should live in a bubble today. But we must be careful not to lose ourselves in the endless sea of information that floods us every morning, afternoon, evening, and night. We must be willing to take ourselves away from the tumult of the world in order to cultivate interior silence. He writes: “When silence takes possession of you; when far from the racket of the human highway the sacred fire flames up in the stillness; when peace, which is the tranquility of order, puts order in your thoughts, feelings, and investigations, you are in the supreme disposition for learning . . .”
When considering Sertillanges’ advice against distractions, we must keep in mind the reason why he urges the reader to reject distraction. Sertillanges reiterates that the intellectual life is a calling, a vocation. And it is the deleterious results of distraction upon this calling, rather than a decrease in productivity, which prompt Sertillanges’ many warnings on the topic. This sets his work in stark contrast to modern self-help articles and books, whose advice about simplifying and shutting out distractions are reducible to a desire for what is termed “mindfulness.” Mindfulness generally is the attempt to become fully present to the moment, to oneself, and one’s current experience. This is not equivalent to what Sertillanges urges, which is to remove distractions not for one's own sake, but for the sake of pursuing something outside oneself: the Truth.
While his advice about avoiding distraction is by no means only valuable to intellectuals, we should keep in mind that Sertillanges is still writing specifically to those with an intellectual vocation. For Sertillanges, this category is not limited to those who earn their living by means of intellectual work. It is not, however, a universal calling. Everyone has a vocation, but not everyone has a vocation to be an intellectual. It is true that we should all act so as to flourish in the way of life to which we have been called, and hence in a broad sense we should all be concerned to avoid distractions that could divert us from that calling. But Sertillanges is at pains to warn the intellectual in particular from this precipice. This may be because he believes the intellectual is uniquely susceptible to this particular temptation of “distraction” in the form of the vice traditionally known as curiositas. Curiositas is most dangerous to the intellectual because it can divert him from the proper end of his work. Though he may specialize, the intellectual must be a servant of Truth. His or her goal is not the mere accumulation of facts, but the grasping of Truth. And all truths for Sertillanges—as a good Catholic and a good Thomist—find their ultimate grounding in Truth Itself: God.
Thus while Sertillanges’ warnings about distractions apply to everyone in our highly distracted contemporary society, he is speaking especially to those who wish to make the life of the mind their own life. He wishes them to join in this work and not to fear its challenges. As he puts it: “The life of study is austere and imposes grave obligations. It pays, it pays richly; but it exacts an initial outlay that few are capable of. The athletes of the mind, like those of the playing field, must be prepared for privations, long training, a sometimes superhuman tenacity. We must give ourselves from the heart, if truth is to give itself to us.”
Sertillanges’ exhortation is, to be sure, challenging. He places the bar high for anyone wishing to pursue the intellectual life. In his view, it demands commitment and sacrifice. At the same time, his call is simple: individuals called to the intellectual life must, above all, know and love the truth. If anything, Sertillanges’ call to seek the truth whole-heartedly is even more necessary today than when he first wrote his work. A hundred years later, we stand in need of thinkers, writers, and holy individuals to reset our priorities.
Thoughts and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Peace- Trust- Abandonment
25. Cast yourself often into His arms or into His divine Heart, and abandon yourself to all His designs upon you.Prayer request? Send an email to: PrayerR...@aol.com
"Have ANY Catholic Question? Just ask Ron Smith at: hfmin...@roadrunner.com
This month's archive can be found at: http://www.catholicprophecy.info/news2.html.
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