The Problem of Evil

September 11th, 2006

Genesis 50:

16 And they sent a message to him, saying: Thy father commanded us before he died, 17 That we should say thus much to thee from him: I beseech thee to forget the wickedness of thy brethren, and the sin and malice they practiced against thee: we also pray thee, to forgive the servants of the God of thy father this wickedness. And when Joseph heard this, he wept. 18 And his brethren came to him: and worshipping prostrate on the ground they said: We are thy servants. 19 And he answered them: Fear not: can we resist the will of God? 20 You thought evil against me: but God turned it into good, that he might exalt me, as at present you see, and might save many people.

Psalm 1, Beatus vir

1 Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence. 2 But his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day and night. 3 And he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running waters, which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season. And his leaf shall not fall off: and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper. 4 Not so the wicked, not so: but like the dust, which the wind driveth from the face of the earth. 5 Therefore the wicked shall not rise again in judgment: nor sinners in the council of the just.

6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the just: and the way of the wicked shall perish.

Job:

Then the LORD addressed Job out of the storm and said:

Who is this that obscures divine plans with words of ignorance? Gird up your loins now, like a man; I will question you, and you tell me the answers! Where were you when I founded the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.... [Ch. 40] Will we have arguing with the Almighty by the critic? Let him who would correct God give answer! Gird up your loins now, like a man. I will question you, and you tell me the answers! Would you refuse to acknowledge my right? Would you condemn me that you may be justified? Have you an arm like that of God, or can you thunder with a voice like his? Adorn yourself with grandeur and majesty, and array yourself with glory and splendor. Let loose the fury of your wrath; tear down the wicked and shatter them. Bring down the haughty with a glance; bury them in the dust together; in the hidden world imprison them. Then will I too acknowledge that your own right hand can save you....

[Ch. 42] Then Job answered the LORD and said:

I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be hindered. I have dealt with great things that I do not understand; things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know. I had heard of you by word of mouth, but now my eye has seen you. Therefore I disown what I have said, and repent in dust and ashes.

John 9:

1 And Jesus passing by, saw a man, who was blind from his birth: 2 And his disciples asked him: Rabbi, who hath sinned, this man, or his parents, that he should be born blind? 3 Jesus answered: Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents; but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

Romans 8:

28 And we know that to them that love God, all things work together unto good, to such as, according to his purpose, are called to be saints... 31 ...If God be for us, who is against us? 32 He that spared not even his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how hath he not also, with him, given us all things? ... 35 Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation? or distress? or famine? or nakedness? or danger? or persecution? or the sword?

2 Corinthians 6:

6 In chastity, in knowledge, in longsuffering, in sweetness, in the Holy Ghost, in charity unfeigned, 7 In the word of truth, in the power of God; by the armour of justice on the right hand and on the left; 8 By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet known; 9 As dying, and behold we live; as chastised, and not killed; 10 As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as needy, yet enriching many; as having nothing, and possessing all things.

"this was his suggestion"

See the article: UK group helped secure Wiig's release

More details are emerging about the behind the scenes negotiations that secured the release of New Zealand freelance cameraman Olaf Wiig and his American colleague Steve Centanni.

It turns out that an Anglican group was involved, headed by Canon Andrew White. Here is what happened:

Before the pair were released, a video was shown in which they converted to Islam.

White says this was his suggestion.

Thomas Gordon Smith named Chief Architect of U.S.

From the Society of St. Barbara, quoting the Wall Street Journal (subscription required):

The federal agency that builds courthouses, border stations and other federal buildings is set to name a new chief architect, a move that could usher in a return to a more traditional type of architecture in the government's $10 billion construction program.

The General Services Administration has selected Thomas Gordon Smith, an architect based in South Bend, Ind., according to several people who have been informed of the decision.

Mr. Smith is best known as a practitioner and promoter of traditional architecture that finds inspiration in Roman temples and palaces. His portfolio includes religious buildings in the Midwest, homes and the renovation of a building at the University of Notre Dame, where he served as chairman of the architecture school from 1989 to 1998. Mr. Smith said he is "delighted" about the appointment, but declined to comment further until the GSA makes an official announcement. A GSA spokeswoman declined to confirm the appointment.

The chief architect office is considered one of the most prestigious positions in the field of building design. It will oversee $1.6 billion of construction this fiscal year and has a long-range plan that includes around $10 billion of projects. Federal buildings are often the most prominent in town.

The previous chief architect, Edward A. Feiner, retired in January 2005, and the position has remained unfilled since. Through his "design excellence" program, Mr. Feiner recruited prominent as well as cutting-edge architects, including Richard Meier, Thom Mayne and Robert A.M. Stern. Mr. Feiner, now with architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, declined to comment.

Many, though not all, of the projects under Mr. Feiner eschewed the classical tradition of white marble and columns common in pre-World War II federal architecture. In its place are buildings such as Mr. Mayne's futuristic San Francisco Federal Building, a metal-clad rectangular structure.

Mr. Stern, dean of the Yale School of Architecture and well known for embracing classical architectural traditions while tolerating modern ones, called Mr. Smith "a wonderful choice," though one that will "probably get a lot of people crazy." He says Mr. Smith has "a strong point of view, and that's great." Mr. Stern adds, "But he has the capacity to shift and manage his position without closing the door to others."

Others are worried federal architecture will lose its cutting-edge focus. Henry Smith-Miller, of Smith-Miller + Hawkinson, a New York firm, which designed a border station under construction in Champlain, N.Y., said he finds Mr. Smith's appointment "deeply troubling." He called Mr. Smith's traditional views "anti-progressive." It "picks up the imperial nature of Roman architecture, which was in service to the empire rather than service to democracy," says Mr. Smith-Miller.

This criticism is false, however. According to Veritas et Venustas:

[Architect and American President Thomas] Jefferson thought that Classical architecture was the perfect model for democratic architecture and the American Republic. His design for the Virginia statehouse was based on a Roman temple in Nîmes, a building he was thrilled to see when he was our Ambassador to France. His design for the University of Virginia was based on Classical pavilions which used different Classical orders as models for the students at Virginia. Jefferson thought that Classicism promoted virtue.

This indeed is the architecture of democratic Athens and the old Roman Republic, as well as the humanism of the Renaissance. Modernism, however, is the archtecture of Socialism, amoral social control, and of centralized concentration of power.

Thomas Gordon Smith is a professor at the School of Architecture at the University of Nortre Dame, a school which pioneered the return to architectural tradition. Smith is a practicing Catholic and has several noted church designs.

Saint Louis Art Fair

The Saint Louis Art Fair is being held this weekend in downtown Clayton, Missouri. This juried art fair is one of the best in the nation, and it is very difficult for an artist to get accepted; consequently, most of the exhibitors are from out-of-state.

"Painting, photography, sculpture, prints and drawing will be available, as well as traditional - and not so traditional - craft objects, including ceramics, glass, fiber, jewelry, and wood and metal work, along with mixed media.

"Cynthia Prost, the fair's producer, estimates that 150,000 people will attend this year's event - and that they will buy more than $2 million worth of arts and crafts."

In previous years, I've noticed that the Fair features Modernist art almost exclusively; that is, art lacking distinct form, sign value, or adherence to tradition. I wonder what sales would be if they would restore our cultural patrimony in art?

The Fair is very popular with the ladies, be they well-dressed women from the wealthy western suburbs, or young women with tattoos and piercings.

http://www.saintlouisartfair.com

Saint Francis de Sales DVD available

From the New Liturgical Movement:

Readers may be interested to know that a DVD has been made available of the Confirmations held by Archbishop Raymond Burke at the Institute of Christ the King's gorgeous St. Francis de Sales Oratory in St. Louis. An order form is available here.

Website: http://www.institute-christ-king.org/stlouishome.htm