St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians, part 3

This finishes my handful of posts on St. Paul's letter to the Galatians: picking up in ch. 4.

One helpful thing that I came across was via Catholic Radio.  Every so often, host Al Kresta (of Kresta in the Afternoon) has a Scripture professor as a guest, and they discuss a book of the Bible.  Somewhat recently, he had Peter Williamson (Sacred Heart Seminary scripture professor) on with the topic: "where do I start with Galatians?"

A number of things struck me with Ch. 4-6...

First, Paul's "thorn in the flesh," which he mentions specifically in 2 Cor 12:7 and alludes to it in Gal 4:14.  When I was in college, a priest was of the opinion that St. Paul struggled with masturbation, or at least that it was a plausible explanation.  I read somewhere else that the thorn was homosexual acts.  Sure, St. Paul was just as capable of sin as the rest of us, but neither of those things fit with other aspects of Paul's character.

William Barclay offered far more reasonable hypotheses than mortal sin, noting that it could likely have been epilepsy or migraines.  Paul says in 4:14 that "you did not scorn me"... and in the original Greek, it literally says "you did not spit at me."  It was a practice in the ancient world to spit when meeting an epileptic.  (yikes)  Also providing a clue is the location of the Christian community.  Galatia was farther inland and less populous than Pamphylia; Paul may have originally had the latter as the target, and was forced to go to the former.  Malaria was common in ancient Pamphylia, and one of the symptoms is migraines.  Either way, some sort of medical condition fits so, so much better than masturbation.

Justification is a big theological topic--it has divided Christians for 500 years.  I looked up the term in the Catechism and I was stunned at how short it was (#1987-2016).  In the 16th Century, Martin Luther, St. Thomas More, and scholar after scholar must've wrote volumes on the subject.

A verse to memorize: "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love." (Gal 5:6)  This verse was cited by the Council of Trent in the document about justification.  I haven't looked up the Protestant arguments against this yet, but I'd be interested to see them.

Barclay had a beautiful insight on the use of the word "Abba" (Gal 4:6): "It must have been often on Jesus' lips, and its sound was so sacred that men kept it in the original tongue." (pg. 35)

I often find that oft-repeated verses lose their weight in my mind.  Or, if a meaning is so obvious, then leave it alone and don't complicate it further.  In the case of the following passage...

Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.  For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.  And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart. (Gal 6:7-9)  

Pretty plain, right?  The Ignatius Study Bible had an analogy that I adapted.  If you plant kale, don't expect an orange tree to sprout.  As an exercise, replace the two plants with something that's repugnant (kale needs a lot of help from other foods to be edible) and something that you like (an orange tree will have to do, as there is no mint chocolate candy bar tree).  It helped the passage sink in a lot better for me.  If I take an honest look, just how much kale have I sown?  We cannot be so foolish as to take the mercy of God for granted!  The things we do have eternal consequences.

St. Josemaria Escriva had a striking thought about an empty cross: the body it's waiting for is yours.

One thing I hadn't considered--was St. Paul a stigmatist?  In 6:17 he says, "I bear on my body the marks of Jesus."  Was he speaking allegorically or literally, or both?  Or was Paul referencing his sharing in Our Lord's Passion from all the beatings he got?  Here's a forum answer from EWTN a while ago.

Thank the Lord for His Word given to us!

St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians, part 2

Moving through the letter to the Galatians has continued to be fruitful for me, and it helps to paint the picture of the Church in apostolic times. 

Dissent in the Catholic Church today is disheartening to me, and it's frustrating as well.  Growing up, I remember there being a big push to go back to the early days of the Church, since they had it figured out more than we did.  If we could just be like the early Christians, everything would be fine!  Well... reading Galatians, they had just as many problems as we do.  Different problems, but the apostolic Church wasn't necessarily the idyllic communion that some have made it out to be.  I don't think we appreciate just how difficult the issue of "judaizing" was back then. 

Jewish converts to Christianity left behind not just a faith or philosophy.  They left behind (or were supposed to) an entire way of life.  Let's not forget that following the Mosaic Law entailed observing feasts, dietary regulations, and ritual purity washings.  Those affected the daily lives of Jews.  Is it any wonder that many of the adult Jewish converts had trouble leaving behind tenets they practiced their entire life?  They couldn't even enter the house of a Gentile--as illustrated in the story of the centurion's servant in Matthew 8:5-13.  The centurion's response to Jesus was made out of respect for Our Lord and with knowledge that Jesus would become ritually impure if He entered the centurion's house.  I think.  I can't seem to find a citation for that but will update (and correct, if necessary) this post if I do find one. 

St. Paul starts ch. 3 with a bang, calling out the "foolish Galatians" (3:1).  He continues to address the attestations of the Judaizers, countering their arguments with his rabbinic training.  Paul doesn't let up from 3:1 to 4:7--and then shifts tone starting in 4:8.  The frustration exhausts him; I hear him pleading, in a weary voice, "how can you turn back again to the weak and beggardly elemental spirits, whose slaves you want to be once more?  ...I am afraid I have labored over you in vain" (4:9, 11).

Out of that whole section (3:1-4:7), I really needed the help of the commentaries.  Again, I'm using the Navarre Bible, the Ignatius Study Bible, and William Barclay's commentaries--Barclay being the only non-Catholic of the group.  I hit a snag especially with 3:22: "But the scripture consigned all things to sin, that what was promised to faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe."  The gist of it was that all people, whether Jew or Gentile, were prisoners of sin; whatever the power of the Law, it could not justify man.  And, that was a big setup to the saving work of Jesus, who ultimately redeemed all from sin.

Besides the commentaries, looking at different translations helped.  I predominantly read the RSV-CE; I dislike the NAB as being too fluffy on one of my favorite verses.  Here is how Gal 3:22 appeared in other translations:

New American Bible: "In fact, however, Scripture has locked all things in under the constraint of sin"

Douay-Rheims and King James Bible: "But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin"

Knox (English Catholic Msgr. who translated the Bible himself) (!!!): "But in fact Scripture represents us as all under the bondage of sin"

Jerusalem Bible and New Jerusalem Bible: "Scripture makes no exceptions when it says sin is master everywhere"

New Revised Standard Version: "but Scripture has imprisoned all things under the power of sin"

For those of us that don't speak Greek, having a lot of interpretations helps fill in the message that Paul tried to get across. 

More to come!

St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians, part 1

I've begun reading St. Paul's letter to the Galatians over the past week or so.  I first read it through, and I'm now consulting some trusted commentaries.  I'm thankful for the commentaries, as I found the epistle to be complex.  I had to laugh, this epistle kind of fits in one of the more surprising lines in the Bible: "So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, speaking from hthis as he does in all his letters.  There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction."  (2 Peter 3:15-16).  Ha!  I'm in good company if I find some of Paul's writings hard to understand.  May God keep me from the ignorant/unstable lot...

It's interesting to me that such an intense issue of the Judaizers is now a distant memory.  I'd think most western Catholics would need the help of a commentary to further understand the 1st century Jewish world.  Besides that, I think it's a great commentary on the truth of the Christian faith.  That which is the truth has a remarkable endurance; heresies and false teaching, perhaps taking from the truth but not being of  the truth, don't have deep enough roots to endure through the ages.  The Navarre Bible commentary cited St. Jerome on this:

"These people wanted to change the Gospel, to twist it; bout that is something they cannot succeed in doing, for this Gospel is suck that it cannot be true if it is tampered with."  (Pg. 171)

St. Paul's talk of the works of the law impacted me, first for the vehemence behind it.  His words are strong and pointed.  And it occurred to me: that tone is coming from a former Pharisee.  The Mosaic Law was his life!  He studied it, loved it, devoted himself to its practices, and celebrated its feasts.  He was present at the stoning of Stephen.   If we ever doubt God's ability to turn the hearts of man, look no further than Paul.

The reason for St. Paul's passion on this issue was the logical conclusion of the Judaizers' teaching.  The false teaching being that Gentiles entering the Church had to become Jews first before getting baptized as Christians.     If that were true, then justification (=getting right with God) depended on how well Christians kept the Mosaic Law.  And how is that any different than before Jesus came?  Why did Jesus bother with His Passion if it didn't change anything?

Things did change--drastically.  In St. John's vision of Revelation, Jesus tells him, "Behold, I make all things new." (Rev 21:5)  That was the second thing that impacted me about St. Paul's treatment of the works of the Law.  The sacraments are the fulfillment of the old practices!  God's chosen people is not limited to a ethic group; membership is offered to every nation and every people.  Grace was given before, but God now recklessly pours out His grace on humanity.

Those are a few points from Ch. 1-2 that struck me.  It's somewhat comforting to look at the internal conflict within the Church today, and to see the very same thing in the Bible.  Jesus transformed the Church, but human nature is still human nature.

Hidden Grains in Matthew 12:1-8

Thanks to a confirmation talk I'm working on, I picked up the Bible last night before going to bed.  One of the Scripture passages I looked up for this talk was Matthew 12:1-8.  Why not read it, I thought, and just reflect on it; maybe that would benefit me more than simply taking notes on the passage.  You'd think the Holy Spirit knows what He's doing or something... the Holy Spirit pointed something out in the reflections that I wanted to share.    

One of the things that stood out was the boldness of Jesus--and it made me curious about the reactions of the Pharisees.  Yes, they voice their displeasure upon seeing Jesus' disciples pick grain on the sabbath, but Matthew doesn't let them get a word in when Jesus compares Himself to David (v. 3-4).  King David!!!  One of the most revered figures in Jewish history!  Even further, Jesus says for the first of three times in the surrounding chapters, "something greater than the Temple is here." (v. 6)  The temple, the most sacred place on earth and the dwelling place of God among His chosen people.  What's greater than that?  As if those weren't audacious enough, Jesus finishes off by saying, "the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath." (v. 8)  The sabbath, instituted by God?  The sabbath, observed by Jews for millennia?  

Matthew grants the Pharisees an aside in v. 14, saying that "the Pharisees went out and took counsel against Him, how to destroy Him."

That shock that the Pharisees must've felt isn't just a historical commentary or a hermeneutical device, or other large words that make me sound smart.  They knew exactly what Jesus was saying.  One of the more concise treatments of this belongs to C.S. Lewis: Jesus was either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord.  A liar could make all the claims that Jesus did, and was killed for stupidly sticking to his lies.  A lunatic would be granted some leeway; if this were true, then we should pity a poor, delusional man who preached his way to torture and death.  The Pharisees of the time fell into a variation of one of these camps.  

Or, He Is the Lord; Who He said He Is.  Jesus spells out Who He Is in this short passage: 

King: Jesus makes a direct parallel between Himself and David, the latter being the epitome of kingship for the Jews at the time.  

Priest: that is, one who offers sacrifice to God.  By bringing up the Temple, Jesus alludes to the very place where sacrifices were offered.  

Prophet: The scripture that Jesus quotes to the Pharisees comes the prophet Hosea: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."  (6:6)

With these three references, Jesus is proclaiming that He Is the Messiah: priest, prophet, and king.  This is from Hosea 6:6, and the preceding verses are strikingly messianic:  

"Come, let us return to the LORD, for He has torn, that He may heal us; He has stricken, and He will bind us up.  After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live before Him.  Let us know, let us press on to know the LORD, His going forth is sure as the dawn; He will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth." (v. 1-4)

 In quoting Hosea, Jesus joins His mission to the prophet from of old: to bring the hearts of His wayward people back to the Lord.  

Jesus' final line in this passage provides a whisp of a hint that the Messiah's mission includes the sabbath, although He doesn't go into detail.  With the benefit of hindsight, we can draw a clearer picture: Jesus, the great high priest (Heb 4:14) and victim; the Lamb who offered Himself for our sins (Gen 22:8, John 1:29); whose flesh, like the paschal lamb (Ex 12:8), is true food and drink (John 6:55); which serves as a new foundation for the sabbath of the New Covenant (Matt 26:26-28).

Streams of Living Water

One of the subjects that captivated my imagination was the "water of life" theme from Jean Corbon's The Wellspring of Worship.  A really, really good book!  I attempted to write a serious article on it, and I may indeed try to get it published some day.  The idea of the water of life comes from a number of Scripture passages--from the Old Testament as well as the New Testament.  The first reading at Mass this morning (see the Sunday readings here) briefly mentions this theme, Is 35:4-7...

Thus says the LORD:Say to those whose hearts are frightened:Be strong, fear not!Here is your God,he comes with vindication;with divine recompensehe comes to save you.Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,the ears of the deaf be cleared;then will the lame leap like a stag,then the tongue of the mute will sing.Streams will burst forth in the desert,and rivers in the steppe.The burning sands will become pools, and the thirsty ground, springs of water.

I think one of the things I love the most about the "living water" motif (which is not the ability to sound pretentious, using words like 'motif') is the visual.  I imagine a parched desert... tumbleweed blowing across... the cry of a bird of prey echoes throughout the landscape... the ground is dry and cracked where there's dirt, and the sand is more arid than something really arid.  (NB: good vocabulary isn't always part of my imaginings) (is using NB: pretentious too?  I'm on a roll!)  Out of this will come streams?  A desert gets barely a hint of rainfall and is the utter antithesis of fertile ground.  Pools?  Rivers?  Springs of water?  The odds of that happening naturally are so infinitesimal that it would be impossible.  

Latch onto that image of the desert.  See how incredibly absurd it would be for the desert to all of a sudden burst forth with streams, rivers, and pools.  With this illustration, Isaiah's prophetic words are showing us: SUCH IS THE POWER OF GOD!  What's naturally impossible is no barrier to Him.  Even the tiniest amount of His grace is stronger than the greatest evil.  

And it's no less absurd when His grace acts in us.  Humans have free will, and thus the power to magnificently screw up our own lives.  Our souls can resemble that desert--dry, parched, and barren.  When we sin, we do so against God and our fellow man.  By all rights, we've earned every tumbleweed and every grain of arid sand in our souls.  For us to fix ourselves, on our own?  Make that barren soul a life-giving, fertile soil?  Impossible.  

Here is God, coming to save fallen humanity.  Here is Jesus, promising "living water" and salvation.  It's not just salvation for (=heaven), but it's also salvation from the barrenness of sin within us.  Come to Him, be healed!  Drink of His living water and never thirst again!

Fr. Barron's "Priest, Prophet, and King"

I somewhat recently watched Fr. Robert Barron's "Priest, Prophet, and King" series, and I loved it.  There are six episodes, and each runs about 20-30 minutes.  I think it's designed that way to make sure that Fr. Barron didn't overload his listeners with depth of content, as well as to fit nicely into an hour-long discussion group format.  I really enjoy Fr. Barron's material; I like his approach, delivery, and I appreciate how he can be profound and simple at the same time.  Here are some of the highlights of the series for me...

1. No competition between the baptismal and ministerial priesthood.  We share the same mission, and there is no misogyny, prejudice, or hate behind it.  Everyone can offer sacrifice, but not everyone can offer the Eucharistic sacrifice.  Does that devalue or erase the laity's sacrifices?  No!  We're co-laborers in the same vineyard.

2. The role of the priest is to reconcile God & humanity.  If someone had asked me to summarize what a priest does, I don't think I would've come up with something so simple as this.  Priests do lots of things, but what do they do?  They serve the people of God in the person of Christ, doing the same thing He did for us: healing us so that we can enter into right relationship with God.

3. How key the Temple was... and how the Mystical Body of Christ is the new temple.  The Jerusalem Temple was the literal place of reconciliation for the Jews.  By offering animal sacrifices, the Jewish faithful maintained their right relationship with God.  Had Jesus employed a PR firm, they they would have had an aneurism after hearing his saying, "something greater than the temple is here." (Matt 12:6)  The Temple was the meeting place of heaven and earth, and no place could be more sacred.  The transformation of the new covenant can be seen in St. John's marvelous vision:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away."  And he who sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new."  (Revelation 21:1-5)

4. False worship is not harmless.  The story of Elijah and the 400 prophets of Ba'al is an entertaining read and one that carries a lot of spiritual wisdom in it.  One of the highlights that Fr. Barron pointed out was that false worship always leads to some sort of spiritual harm.  The 400 prophets, when Ba'al didn't respond in a timely fashion, started cutting themselves, as if to cry louder to their god.  (1 Kings 18:28)  Although unseen, we do ourselves great spiritual harm when we worship something other than God.

5. Bad kingship starts with self-indulgence.  Although not all of us are ministerial priests, we are all still part of the baptismal priesthood; and thus we can offer sacrifice.  Similarly, although we do not possess kingdoms like David, Midas, or Henry, we are still to govern our own "kingdom": our body, home, and family.  King David fell into serious sin with Bathsheba; not only adultery, but murder.  Where he lost the spiritual battle?  He got lazy.

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go forth to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they ravaged the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.  It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking upon the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.  (2 Samuel 11:1-2)

First, he sent Joab to do his military campaigning for him.  Second, he either slept in until the afternoon or took a long nap in the middle of the day.  Vices often come in bunches--trouble with one leads to trouble with another, and even new vices may pop up as a result.  When David woke up that afternoon, he probably didn't intend to seek out another man's wife, defile her, and then kill her husband.  His sloth made him unable to fight the temptation.  A good lesson for all of us, though the details may (and hopefully do) vary.

6. The gates of hell not prevailing.  Fr. Barron ended the series with this, and it made me want to get up and go to battle.  We know the passage well:

"Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.  And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matt 16:17-19)

I'd only ever thought of this with the Church in the defensive posture.  The Church would be assailed, and Satan would send every last warrior to break through the walls.  Fr. Barron flipped the imagery, which I found AWESOME.  The Church and the Mystical Body of Christ is on the attack, sieging the gates of hell.  Through the power of Jesus Christ, the most fearsome warriors of hell stand no chance.  Hell cannot win against the power of His grace any more than a toothpick could overpower a flamethrower.

Fight the good fight of faith (1 Tim 6:12) and be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might (Eph 6:10) 

Ascension Thursday

Another article up at the Cora Evans blog!

http://www.coraevans.com/blog/article/he-ascended-into-heaven-a-reflection-on-ascension-thursday

Taking my own Advice

Last year, I volunteered to be a chaperone/small group leader on the Confirmation retreat.  Most of the kids were sophomores, with some scattered freshmen and juniors.  I remember talking to one kid who was going through a tough time.  Among the things I told him was that whatever he were doing in their spiritual life, they needed more.  Praying already?  Pray more.  Reading Scripture?  More.  And so on, and so on.  God has more to give, and Jesus promised rest to those who came to Him (Matt 11:28).  Whether that was helpful or not, or if he only needed someone to listen, who knows? 

So in my struggle to maintain my spiritual life as a new parent, I’ve done a couple things.  We already went to Sunday Mass regularly.  I drink a lot more coffee, and I snack a lot more.  The pretense is that they help keep my energy up—in reality, I just like to eat.  I write articles about once a month for the Cora Evans blog, which I always enjoy.   

And yeah, that’s all.  I’d much rather give advice than take my own.

In an effort to take my own advice, I’m going to write everyday on this for a week.  Writing helps me process things, and it will inject a little more spirituality into my day.  We’ll see if my will or my procrastination wins out on this one…

That’s a long introduction to my topic of the day: the importance of good teachers in the faith.  I’ve been plodding my way through Pope Benedict’s second Jesus of Nazareth book.  He has a mixture of spiritual reflection, deep theological considerations, and commentary on biblical scholarship.  Out of everything, I appreciate the commentary on biblical scholarship the most. 

When I took scripture classes in seminary, just about every teacher I had taught strictly according to the historical-critical method.  Marcan priority and Q were treated as de facto facts rather than theories, and many of the events of the New Testament didn’t occur.  One article by a Dominican “scholar” looked at the Transfiguration and determined that it was only an expression of the early Christian community’s belief in the divinity of Jesus.  There was also the popular, idiotic, unsubstantiated-in-the-text, utter nonsense that Jesus didn’t multiply the loaves & fishes—He shared what He had, and in turn, the whole crowd shared what they had.  I find it incredibly irritating, since I heard that in a homily one Sunday.  Take a look at Jimmy Akin’s beatdown of that moronic hypothesis here. I find it really, really, ridiculously irritating.  Have I emphasized that enough?  Why don’t Catholics believe in the Real Presence in the Eucharist anymore?  Hmmm….

All that to say: scholars of Sacred Scripture are hit and miss, and there’s a TON of garbage out there.  I’m very thankful for good teachers like Pope Benedict, who can sift through the crap.  He gives a fair shake to the tradition (small ‘t’) of the Church, which few scholars do, in my limited experience.  In the Nazareth books I see a valuable resource in getting a full take on biblical scholarship.  Not agenda-driven, and fair to all sides—especially fair to the deposit of faith. 

And consider the importance of the subject matter: this is the interpretation of the divine Word of God!  Interpreting it correctly or incorrectly has huge implications. 

Let us pray for good teachers!

PUBLISHED ARTICLE!!!

I wrote an article about public revelation for www.coraevans.com, one that I didn't think was going to get published.  I haven't had an article published since a small vignette for the local diocesan newspaper (while I was in college) and an article on baseball cards when I was in 3rd or 4th grade ("My Friend" magazine, which was published by the Daughters of St. Paul and doesn't exist anymore).

Here is the article: http://www.coraevans.com/blog/article/public-revelation-what-who-when-where-how

Our Lady of the Rosary, 10/7/14

Today is the great feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, and I had the opportunity to go to Mass on my lunch hour.  The readings felt out of place at first, but the Holy Spirit had some remarkable subtlety when those passages were chosen.

The first reading, from Galatians 1, had me confused.  Paul speaks of his "former way of life" as a Pharisee who persecuted the earliest Christians.  That's fine, but for a feast day of Our Lady?  Then came:

"But when he, who from my mother’s womb had set me apart
and called me through his grace,
was pleased to reveal his Son to me..."

The Immaculate Conception hit me right in the face.  Mary, too, was set apart from her mother's womb, destined to be the mother of the Redeemer.  The Lord accomplished it through His grace; in Mary's case, being full of grace.  Although their vocations differed, Paul, like Mary, was the bearer of Christ to the world.  

The Psalm for today was a selection from Psalm 139.  I could hear the Blessed Mother praying these words, with the tender heart of a handmaiden of the Lord.  Here again, I heard the Immaculate Conception: 

"Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works."

An important theological point that non-Catholics often miss is that the veneration we hold/display for Our Lady is dependent entirely upon Christ.  Her role is there because of Him; she was preserved from original sin because of Him; we call her Our Mother rather than His Mother because of His gesture on the cross.  This point could not have been lost on her, either.  These lines don't offer thanks to God for this or that thing.  The Psalmist prays a beautifully humble prayer: thanks to God goes back to the beginning, for our very being was sculpted by His hands.  If the Psalmist hadn't written this, I could picture Mary writing it.

Finally, the Gospel reading: the well-known story of Martha & Mary in Luke 10.  Just like its predecessors, this reading seems an unusual pick.  However, praying the rosary brings us into an encounter with Jesus.  After all, Mary knows it's not all about her; everything she does, every heavenly effort she makes on our behalf is to lead souls to Her Son.  (see John 2:5)  The lesson that the Gospel reading is trying to teach us is clear: sit at the feet of Christ, as Mary did; recognize the "one thing" that should be our first priority.  In the rosary, we have such a wonderful avenue to contemplate Christ.  

Mary, beloved Mother, pray for us who have recourse to Thee!

It's Everything

Have you ever read passages of the Scriptures and marveled, feeling like you're reading them for the first time?  I had that feeling reading Matthew 13.  I'd heard homilies on all the individual parables of the Kingdom, but I couldn't remember the last time I'd looked at them as a composite whole. And what profundity!  It was awe-inspiring to "cast my net into the deep.

Matthew 13 is essentially the third Luminous Mystery--the proclamation of the Kingdom.  Jesus tells seven parables, teaching about the Kingdom of God.  He explains two of them and the chapter closes with he famous phrase, "a prophet is not without honor except in his own country" (13:57).  The seven parables are:

1) The Sower (rocky ground, fertile ground, etc.)
2) The Wheat & the Weeds
3) The Mustard Seed
4) The Leaven
5) The Treasure in the Field
6) The Pearl of Great Price
7) The Fishing Net

Rather than go over these one by one, here are some thoughts about the stories as a whole...

-I'm still taken with Pope Benedict's idea that in preaching the Kingdom, Jesus was actually preaching Himself.  More specifically, His Mystical Body.  It was in the first of the Pope's three Jesus of Nazareth books.  Reading the parables in that light, Jesus is the sower, the farmer, the treasure, the pearl, and the fisherman.  It adds a rich layer of meaning.

-The Kingdom is incredibly valuable.  And in one of those Christian paradoxes, it has a price even though it's free.  The merchant and the man who bought the field sold everything to gain their respective prizes.  All too often, we think about giving up worldly things for the Kingdom as a straight loss.  That is, we believe the secular world: giving things up for the Kingdom is like throwing something away.  We go from having something to having nothing.  But the parables assure us that the secular world is mistaken!  The two figures gain something of inestimable value.  It's not an empty trade.

-I was somewhat surprised at how clearly Jesus includes an eschatalogical element in two of the parables: the wheat and the weeds, and the fishing net.  There's no getting around it!  At the final judgment there will be a separating of the wheat and the weeds, the good fish and the bad fish.  To me, Jesus is very blunt here.

-Evil has a strange relationship to the Kingdom, but it won't be sorted out until the end of time.  On one hand, it's not a constituting part.  How could it be?  On the other hand, it's inseparable, since it's a result of the fall of man.  We can no more completely escape evil than we could escape our shadow.  In the parable of the wheat and weeds, the farmer (=Jesus) tells the workers not to pull up the weeds... lest the wheat come up with them.

I remember doing a paper for one of my history classes, regarding a movement of a number of utopian societies in turn of the century America.  It was interesting, but I couldn't help but think it a misguided effort.  These two parables?  Utopian societies have never & will never work.  Period.

To wrap this all up...

When I finished reading Matthew 13, I asked myself a question: what is the Kingdom for?  After all, you can define something in multiple ways.  Reflecting on Matthew 13, there are a few functions of the Kingdom of God.  First, it's meant to grow in us.  Individually and collectively!  And by growth, don't miss the parable of the sower--the seed that landed on fertile ground produced a hundred fold.  We're offered an infinite gift!  Second, it's something of incredible value.  It's everything, pure and simple.  Third, the Kingdom is meant to usher us to/into/through the end times.  We can't lose the teleological focus of our faith.  Too often we focus on the end times in the negative sense, or as something that's an end unto itself.  It's rather another step in the journey to our ultimate destination: heaven (hopefully).  Fourth, the function of the Kingdom is to detach us from the world.  There is a cost to discipleship that we can't escape!  Not everything is compatible with Christianity; no amount of wishing on our part can reconcile Christianity and opposing morals.

Gospel of Matthew Ch. 5-9

Over the past (embarrassingly) few months, I've been making my way through the Gospel of Matthew.  I've made notes along the way, with my insights and those of a commentary I'm reading Fr. John Bartunek's The Better Part.  It was a gift from my mom, thank you very much!

Although the individual stories are a treasure trove of spiritual wealth, there's also a larger perspective of several chapters, 5-9.

Ch. 5 is notable for the Sermon on the Mount--there's so much in there!  The Beatitudes, "salt of the earth" and "light of the world", and all of Jesus' "you have heard it said... but I say to you..." teachings.  We probably can't fully appreciate how revolutionary those words were to 1st Century Jews.  Here Jesus set a new direction for the moral life.  The new standard isa daunting one: "You, therefore myst be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt 5:48).

Chapter 6 continues with the same speech, but the focus shifts.  Instead of the moral life, Jesus expounds on the spiritual life.  Yes yes, they're intricately related, but still distinct.  He teaches the disciples how to pray (the Our Father, 6:9-13).  He draws a figurative line in the sand, that we cannot serve both God and mammon (6:24).  But that is not cause for despair, since the generosity of The Lord is unbounded!  Consider the lilies of the field, simple in their splendor (6:28).  God provides for all!

There is no break in flow from Ch. 6 to Ch. 7.  Jesus warns against judging (7:1-5), exhorting us to ask, seek, and knock--slipping in another reference to how much God the Father loves and cares for us.  We should enter by the narrow gate, being aware of false prophets; because eternal salvation isn't a slam dunk ("Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of heaven," 7:21).  

(now a word from our theological sponsors) 
Revelation comes to us in a dual method: words and deeds.  Just like what Jesus instructed the crowds in 7:24: "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock."  Throughout the Old and New Testament, God revealed Himself to humanity with words (e.g. prophecies, promises) and deeds (e.g. the Exodus).  He tells us, then He shows us--talking the talk and walking the walk.

(back to our infrequently scheduled blog post)

For the DEEDS, look no further than Ch. 8.  To prove that He has the authority to preach so audaciously, Jesus goes on a healing spree.  A leper is healed (8:1-4), the centurion's servant is healed (8:5-13), and Peter's mother-in-law is healed (8:14-15).  No matter the disease, large or small, Jesus shows His power over it.  And, Fr. Bartunek pointed out a touching detail with Peter's mother-in-law. Jesus touched her hand, when a word from Him would've sufficed.  Just imagine how tender of a gesture it must've been!

Then, two larger things: Jesus calms a storm and casts out demons.  That must've knocked the sandals off the disciples.  And your take, Keanu?

Chapter 9 continues the gratuitous healing power of God on display.  He heals a paralytic, the daughter of a ruler, two blind men, and another demoniac.

CONCLUSION
So, to recap.  Ch. 5-7, Jesus lays down a new law and gives new direction in the spiritual life.  WORDS.  To prove He was who He said He was, DEEDS.  Lots of 'em, ch. 8-9.  Jesus displayed His power over nature on a small scale (diseases), nature on a large scale (calming the storm and raising the ruler's daughter from the dead), and the supernatural realm as well (the demoniacs).

God knows the human heart, He knows we need both aspects of revelation.  Once we come to belief in Him, then we follow what happens next in Matthew's Gospel.  The disciples are sent out to preach the kingdom of God.

We can also look at this liturgically.  Ch. 5-7/words: verbum Domini.  Ch. 8-9: Hoc est corpus meum. Ch. 10: Ite, missa est.  God is there in everything, coming to us in many ways, but especially in the Mass!

Spiritual Lessons from the Book of Revelation, Part 2

(For part 1, click here)

This is a bit delayed, although not quite as delayed as my posts on the Eucharistic-themed stained glass windows at St. Mary's in Mt. Angel.  heh heh...

5) The Book of Revelation chronicles disasters, wars,  and terrifying supernatural events.  Here on earth, we have only a limited perspective... we tend to get locked into fear when bad things happen. Regardless of what happens, we need to have the faith to have a long perspective.  That is: Jesus won.  Evil was conquered, death was destroyed.  The victory is ours!  The catch?  Faith such as that has to be developed.  We can't ignore the spiritual life and expect to waltz through life's difficult times.

6) God's judgment on us will be an assessment of how we've lived and the choices we've made.  From a certain point of view, we have a lot more to do with our judgment than we might think.

7) The imagery in Revelation is fantastical, to say the least.  You're not alone if you find it tough to picture a beast with seven heads and seven diadems... or should I ask if I'm alone?  :)  Still, we can't dismiss the contents of Revelation as a alternating good & bad dream.  Real truths are expressed through the symbolism.

8) Let us not forget that redemption isn't something that happens at the end of the world.  It's not something that's exclusively reserved to the distant future.  God has been and is giving us grace.  Jesus comes to us here and now.  Let us open our souls to Him!

Signs and Wonders, Where for Art Thou?

This morning's first reading, the healing of Naaman the Syrian, raised a question in my mind.  In this story, the prophet Elijah heals Naaman of leprosy; Naaman was understandably ecstatic and vowed to worship no other god than the Lord.  (readings here)

Healing/miracle/mighty deed of God = human conversion.

Where are the healings?  Mighty deeds?  Lord, You know how they can call people's attention to You.   In ages past, great saints did wonderful things; prophets proclaimed your Word and did great deeds through Your grace.  An entire city turned away from sin when You sent Jonah to Ninevah.  Jesus Himself worked miracles as evidence of the veracity of His words.  So many that can't be bothered to turn their eyes toward heaven are the ones that could use a good miracle!

That was my first reaction, at least.  As I pondered the question, a few thoughts came to mind...

1) Also in the readings for Mass today was the story of the ten lepers made clean, and only one returning thank Jesus (Luke 17).  That's a pretty poor rate of return, 10%.  It's a lesson, I think, that miracles don't carry a guarantee that a soul would turn to God.  Why did Jesus heal those lepers?  For their own salvation!  Any and all acts of God, from great to small, are still subject to the free will of mankind.  We can recognize God at work and believe, or we can ignore God.

2) I don't feel any guilt in asking the above question, or feeling that reaction.  I do need to be careful not to turn into a "what have you done for me lately" kind of believer.  Rather than appreciate the long history of God's marvelous works, there's the temptation to turn into a Veruca Salt.  I want a miracle and I want it now!!!

One of the interesting features of Judaism and Christianity is what theologians call the "event character" of the Word.  Remembering in the theological & liturgical sense takes on a greater meaning than the remembrance of a past birthday or a wedding day.  The stories of the Bible, because they come from He Who IS the Word of God, are made present when they're proclaimed in liturgical worship.  This also applies to the Jewish celebration of Passover.  It's not an event from the past; it stretches to the present and the future.  That is, God is constantly working to save His people, just as much now as He did in the days of Moses.

We can't be short-sighted with God.  It's a very human way to think, yes, but God's ways are not our ways  Thank goodness!

3) This sort of question boils down to a bigger picture question, in my mind: how do we fix the Church?  Seems like this comes up a lot, especially among those that want the Church to change Her teachings.

Applied to this matter of miracles, I have the thought that obviously the Church would be in awesome shape if we had more miracles.  That would take care of so many things!  If we just ____  .... if only ____  .... (etc.)

That's a dangerous way to think.  The only solid way to "fix" the Church is to start in our hearts.  This is straight from Fr. Z, not to mention the long tradition of the Church.  Go to confession.  Be holy.  Eradicate sin in your life.  Believe and obey the teachings of the Church.  In other words, the problem isn't out there; it's in here.  Goodness, what would the Church be like if...

4) But hey, there's no harm in asking for miracles if we pray for them in the correct way.  We can't pin our faith on a miracle happening; if we put our faith in anything other than God, we'll inevitably be disappointed.  If we're party to or a witness of any miracles, the two most important things are: giving praise where it's due (=to God) and for the salvation of ourselves and others.

Spiritual Lessons from the Book of Revelation, Part I

Somewhat recently I finished an .mp3 series on the Book of Revelation.  The seven-talk series, "Unveiling the Apocalype," was given by Fr. Alfred McBride, OPraem and one of the Catholic Courses.  The imagery in the final book of the Bible is foreign, to say the least.  Seven heads with seven crowns and four horsemen and the dragon?  Well, okay, the symbolism of the dragon is pretty obvious.  The rest of the imagery, however, can be less than obvious... hence my need for a survey of the book.

Rather than go into the decoding of Revelation, I'd rather write about the spiritual lessons that I gained from Fr. McBride's talk series.

1) One of the foundational paradoxes of Christianity is the cross and resurrection.  Suffering and the promise of heaven.  While the two concepts are opposed in human thinking, God has revealed and displayed them to be inseparable.  St. John repeatedly reminds the reader of this, exhorting them to be "faithful unto death," after which believers will be given "the crown of life" (Rev 2:10, letter to the church at Smyrna).  Suffering is a given in life, whether we face violent persecution or not.  Our response to it can lead to heaven!

2) That leads into the second point, something most often forgotten in suffering: Jesus is never absent from His Church, His people.  It's tempting to think that suffering is proof of God's absence; either He is indifferent, is otherwise busy, or does not care.  That's a very understandable human reaction... do any of us like suffering?  We wouldn't let our loved ones suffer if we could avoid it.  So why would God Who IS love (1 John 4:8) let us suffer?  This is something mysterious to us, but Jesus came to teach us and show us the way.  He revealed to us that the way to the Father (=to heaven) is through Him (John 14:6); and in following Jesus, we must take up our cross as He took up His (Luke 9:23).

In the beginning of the book, however, St. John takes this idea deeper: "I John, your brother, who share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance..." (1:9).  Jesus cannot be separated from His Church, His beloved Bride!  He has preceded us in suffering: "we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb 4:15-16).  If we ever get tempted into thinking that Jesus didn't experience the level of our suffering?  He felt the deep emotional pain of being abandoned and hated by the people he loved so dearly; he felt the physical pain of being tortured and killed in an agonizingly slow manner.  I'd think He could understand our sufferings after going through that...

3) We cannot be indifferent to spiritual warfare.  The war rages whether we act or not; indeed, our inaction is a weapon in the hand of the enemy.  he who has been cast down into the pit (whose name I won't type) is aggressive and seeks humanity's destruction.  St. Peter saw this, warning of a "roaring lion, looking for someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8).  Revelation 12 describes the evil one as coming "down to you in great wrath"; he is not a harmless, red, horned sprite.

4) There are great catastrophes depicted in Revelation, with the four horsemen (ch. 6), seven seals (ch. 6-8), and seven trumpets (ch. 8-10, 11:15ff).  This echoes back to #2 above, why would God let humanity suffer such a fate?  It's important to see these catastrophes as calls to conversion.  It's also important to note that the tribulations are not penned by a capricious God.  Much of these judgments were consequences of sin and of human free will.

Stay tuned for part 2...

7 Quick Takes the Second, 3/15/13

7 Quick Takes

For the other quick takes, go to Jennifer Fulwiler's www.conversiondiary.com. 

1) HABEMUS PAPAM!!!!!!!!!!!  I wanted to write about my interest in the conclave, but the time for that post has passed.  I even had a title ready: “I Got a Fevah!”  Next time... 

I had no clue that Cardinal Jorge Brogoglio was a serious candidate; actually, that was the first I heard of him.  So far, he looks like a simple, humble, holy man.  I’m excited for his pontificate, and I can’t wait to “get to know him” through his writings, etc.  His gesture of asking the prayers of the crowd at St. Peter’s Square—beautiful.  And from everything I’ve read?  Utterly genuine.  

2) Thank you to Catholic bloggers!  I realized the other day how much I enjoyed frequenting them.  Thank you to Rocco Palmo @ Whispers in the Loggia, Fr. Z @ What Does the Prayer Really Say, Robert Moynihan @ the Moynihan Letters, John Thavis @ Decoding the Vatican, John Allen Jr. @ the National Schismatic Reporter (shout out to Fr. Z), and anything that George Weigel writes.  Thanks also to FOCUS for doing the white smoke text alert—although my older sister beat them to the punch.  Good quality Catholicism from good quality writers.  Keep up the good work!

3) It’s an interesting time in western Oregon; we not only have a new pope but also a new archbishop.  What will the church look like in 5 years, when both have had time working in their respective positions?  

4) Hearing of the happenings in Rome reminds me of two trips there.  The first was in 2004, I think, when I went for two weeks and stayed at the Pontifical North American College (the NAC).  I was a seminarian at the time, treated wonderfully by my hosts, some of my then-diocesan brothers at the NAC.  The things I saw!  Being a history major deepened my appreciation, and I was lucky enough to have taken a history of art class the semester immediately prior to the trip.  

Walking into St. Peter’s Basilica was breathtaking (literally).  The Pietá truly is a masterpiece; I kept looking at it, thinking I’d catch Our Lady turning her head or caressing her Son’s hair.  The four major basilicas were awesome—and to think, these were the burial places of St. Peter!  St. Paul!  On my second trip to Rome, I was part of a World Youth Day group going to Cologne in 2005.  The tour began in Rome, and one of the big highlights was having Mass in one of the catacombs.  

The greatest gift from that whole trip was experiencing the universality of the Catholic Church—presently, with pilgrims from every corner of the world in Cologne; past and future, seeing the tombs of saints and martyrs, knowing they were in heaven praying for us.  And the capstone: seeing the pope and St. Peter’s, the touchstone of unity in the Church.  

5) I’ve been watching the History Channel’s Bible show.  I’ve enjoyed it!  Honestly, I didn’t think I would.  I felt obligated to watch it at first—how can you say ‘No’ to the Bible???  Once my wife and I started watching it, however, we didn’t want it to end.  I appreciate seeing the biblical figures as real people.  I’m always wary of a secular channel doing a project like this; effectively, they’re telling the story of the Bible with their own reflections.  Skip this, show this, make a connection there with this figure that wasn’t explicit in the text (but doesn’t contradict the text), etc.  I’m excited and nervous for the New Testament.  And I wonder... are they going Catholic or Protestant?  That is, those books that are the “apocryphal books” to Protestants and conversely part of the Old Testament canon to Catholics.  The Maccabees’ revolt would be a neat thing to see!  

6) Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Let's not forget amidst the beer drinking and music that St. Patrick was a devoted and zealous pastor.  He loved his people and loved the Lord even more. 

7) Go Dodgers! (author deflects responsibility for lazy quick take to braindeadedness)

To get to the Third Heaven, make a right at the second...

My main vehicle for Scripture study recently has been confronting problems and questions.  Case in point yesterday and today: I have never fully understood 2 Cor 12:2-4.

"I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.  And I know that this man was caught up into Paradise--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows--and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter." (RSV-CE)

If you start from the passage's face value from the eyes of a 21st century schlub like me, it's just... odd.  Shouldn't St. Paul know that there's only one heaven, not three?  Why is his phrasing less than direct?  And this revelation is private?  We can't know what it was?  

Complicating this verse in my mind was a Mormon coworker from years ago.  Together with 1 Cor 15:40-42, Mormons assert that there are three levels of heaven:

"There are celestial bodies and there are terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another.  There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory." (RSV-CE)

Rather than get into an apologetic discussion--for that, I'd refer you to Isaiah Bennett's books on Mormonism--this little endeavor illustrated a few important points to me.  

1) Context

If taken out of its proper place in the epistle, 2 Cor 12:2-4 can be confusing.  Reading the context of it, however, sheds much of the confusion.  Paul's indirect language 'I knew this guy...' is cleared up in 12:7, where he notes that "to keep me from being too elated by the abundance of revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh."  This guy that had revelations was HIM.  And, going back to chapter 10 in that letter, Paul is defending his ministry to the Corinthians.  Citing his visions is part of that defense.  

Similarly, 1 Cor 15:40-42 is a small part of a chapter that Paul devotes to the resurrection.  He covers the resurrection of Jesus, that we share in that resurrection, and that our bodies will gain a new form on the last day.  Paul used an allegory to compare the difference between earthly things and eternal things. No Christian believes that Paul was referring to three separate levels of heaven in that passage.  

2) Background

The commentaries I read regarding 2 Cor 12 were very helpful in providing background.  The Jewish mind at the time saw three levels of heaven, but not all meant the same thing.  The first heaven was the realm of the birds and clouds; the second was the sun, moon, and stars; the third was the dwelling of God.  Not being a 1st Century Jew, I never might've known this without the commentaries' help.  Also helpful was Isaiah Bennett, who gave examples of "heaven" being used in Scripture in all three levels/meanings.  

In my mind, St. Paul was using a phrase similar to "cloud nine" or "seventh heaven" today.  The phrases are used in an abstract sense--extreme happiness--rather than a literal, numeric value.  St. Paul used "third heaven" to refer to a specific place, not to say that there were three levels of the afterlife.  In the sentence immediately following, he says "this man was caught up into Paradise."  

All in all, commentaries can be a great tool for sifting through difficulties.  Seeking the wisdom of those wiser than us is very prudent.  The only catch is finding a good commentary... 

3) Marinating

Yeah, I don't know what else to call it.  Reflection, lectio, praying with the Scriptures... I can't say I spent a fortnight deep in contemplation.  I started reading on this last night and read more again this morning.  All I can really claim is that the more I read, the more I thought about it, the Holy Spirit provided new insights.  

St. Paul saying that "this man" heard things which cannot be told.  My instinctual response was one of indignance.  (classic American)  What, I can't know?  You're too holy to tell me, a sinner?  But I really want to know, I want to hear what it was like!  

Upon further marinating, two thoughts arrived.  First, St. Paul didn't exactly keep the message of his revelation to himself.  To suggest that he would deliberately withhold something essential from his preaching is ridiculous and not consistent with Paul's character.  Sure, the experience of the revelation was just for him, but it leads to the second thought.  I imagined 2 Cor 12 read in the following manner: 'I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful it was.  Things inexpressible; fulfillment beyond all telling.  How can I convey to you what I felt?  I can't... it was that amazing.'  

4) Accentuate the positive

I was also blessed with a reminder: don't let apologetic pursuits remain in the negative realm.  I'm not slamming apologetics, quite the contrary!  Every Catholic should know their faith and be able to defend it (1 Peter 3:15).  Apologetics aren't about me being right and them being wrong.  The Truth is the focus; it's something we affirm (positive), devote ourselves to (positive), believe in (positive), and draw our life from (positive).  

What a Relief

The daily Mass readings have been coming from the Letter to the Hebrews.  It's an epistle that I admittedly haven't read much... and I've been missing out!

The first reading at Mass last Friday was from Hebrews 10.  The feel of the chapter is exhorting and encouraging--the author is trying to remind the Christian community to hold on to their faith in Jesus.  Don't go back to your old ways; continue pursuing Him Who IS the Way, the Truth, and the Life!  That's a good reminder for Christians of any age.  Embracing the faith requires turning away from sin; no matter how much we devote ourselves to the faith, temptation to turn away from it will never cease.

As the first reading progressed, I heard what immediately became one of my favorite verses in Scripture:  "Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.  For you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised." (Heb 10:35-36)  Actually, it was relieving to hear.  We don't have to do it on our own, and we're not expected to!  We need (=can't get by, are unable on our own, etc.) endurance, we need grace.

On one hand, this shouldn't be a surprise.  It's a "first principle" of faith and belief in God.  Since the beginning of time, God is the one making the first move toward us.  On the other hand, if we get too wrapped up in the things of the world, our relationship with God and the faith can fall out of focus.  The author of Hebrews is trying to restore their focus on Jesus and the faith; may God grant us all the grace of focusing on living and doing His will!