The Friars – Photo by Trista Cridler
By John Petty, Catholic Editor
Following Sunday Mass March 23, Campus Ministry held an after-Mass social at the Moose, where Fr. Jordan DeGuire, O.P. and Fr. Robert Keller, O.P. answered questions from the audience pertaining to personal endeavors and theological topics.
Some of the questions addressed vocations to the priesthood and religious life, particularly the life of a friar in the Franciscan and Dominican Orders. Keller noted that Franciscans can be thought of as having a living emphasis on the corporal works of mercy, whereas Dominicans can be thought of as focusing on the spiritual works of mercy. DeGuire noted that the Dominican vocation deals with a single vow of obedience, which encompasses the other vows of chastity and poverty. They also noted that Campus Ministry will soon visit the Franciscan-run Father Solanus Casey Center in Detroit, Michigan for those who are interested.
Other questions related to spiritual life, addressing spiritual warfare and scrupulosity. Spiritual warfare was discussed at length by DeGuire, noting the reality of evil in the world and the struggle of virtuous living. DeGuire noted that it may be spiritually dangerous to overemphasize the demonic, as sin is usually quite boring. Nevertheless, DeGuire noted that the Church has the tools necessary to deal with such problems. Keller spoke of the issue of scrupulosity at length, emphasizing viewing God as a loving God who seeks the salvation of his children. DeGuire noted the importance of scrupulous penitents consistently working with the same confessor, with a designated confession time.
One question related to the role of the anti-Christ and Jesus’ appearance at the end of time. According to DeGuire, St. John in the New Testament uses the term “anti-Christ” to refer to different people. DeGuire continued in relation to Jesus’ appearance that Jesus is a Divine Person with a human nature, and as such, he will come back in the same form in which he ascended.
Another question related to good introductory literature of the faith. Keller noted his love for The Day the Revolution Began by N.T. Wright, and how in his view, it was one of the best articulations of Christianity he has ever read. DeGuire also recommended Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton, as well as the writings of C.S. Lewis.
Students attending the event – Photo by John Petty
“I enjoyed how the Fathers went to resources other than just Catholic writing to support their stances. It was great to hear Fr. Jordan recommending C. S. Lewis especially,” freshman Benjamin Bauer said.
In response to a question about excommunication in the Catholic Church, DeGuire noted that historically, there were many formerly excommunicable offenses in the Church, though there are not so many anymore.
Another question compared DeGuire and John Petty to be look-alikes on campus. DeGuire noted that this was likely due to the fact that both him and Petty have brown hair and a beard and joked that it likely was not the white habit.
The Saint 