The Trinity.
One of the most mysterious and frankly challenging beliefs in all Christianity. Three in one. Impossible, absurd. But it forms the basis of all of Catholic thinking. I am probably not going where you think I am going with this, so please stick with me for a moment.
Three in One. Multiples within the single. It is not the heresy of collectivism where the soul loses itself and melds into oblivion. Neither is it a worse heresy of radical individualism where the soul is isolated and in need of no one. No, the mystery of God is the Triune--not a single, not a unit, but a completeness, a unity. God's essence, His very nature is communal.
Every breath of Catholicism calls us to this same unity. The very definition of sin is that which breaks our oneness with God.
Sin is not a set of acts or deeds that the Lord sifted through, like examining objects at a garage sale, then labelled one "evil" and another "good" depending on His mood. The things that cause our souls, our minds to fracture, those things which tear us from the wholeness of being Christ's beloved--that is what sin is. What was the punishment for sin? Again, I do not believe it was a random, unrelated punishment. It was more of a prophecy of disintegration. When we pull against our original unity with God, our souls and flesh are torn apart, they decay into separateness. That is the definition of death, the separation of the soul from the body; the very fibers, sinews, bones, skin, organs separate from themselves and deteriorate.
When you examine the core of Catholic teaching, it is all meant to bring us back into unity--with ourselves, our fellow humans and God. God is our example--Trinity--the unity of three in one.
The unity of marriage was to serve as an example of what God's relationship to His bride looks like: "The Two shall be one flesh." The man and wife--but also the child and parent are actually part of each other's flesh.
The highest and holiest form of worship for a Catholic is the Sunday mass where the bride is called by her Beloved to come and share eternity with Him. Share His life, His sufferings, His resurrection, His very body with her. She is called to the the Marriage Supper and every shared song, amen, liturgical reading, even the shared cup reminds us that each one, each individual is vitally important to the completeness and wholeness of the Body. It is a mystery we partake in--God came down and partook of humanity, that we may, through His body and Blood, partake in Divinity.
We are called to lay aside our monomania, our rights, our very life to become part of that great incomprehensible wonder of Unity.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Does Christianity Fulfill Paganism or Is It Based On Paganism?
What did worship look like in ancient (non-Christian, polytheistic) cultures?
Faith: Polytheistic religions used the phrase, "the fates" to describe how one placed the the future in the hands of the gods, but it is essentially the same as belief in, trust in the power of one's god. Although scholars today tend to imagine that the more technologically advanced civilizations discarded a real "heart belief" and simply followed worship to one's gods ritualistically, that theory is not backed up archeologically. There are thousands and thousands of prayers from these periods that show a deep sincerity of faith to their gods.
Prayer: Pagan prayers took both communal and personal characteristics much like Christian prayers today. They saw prayer as a pathway to contact with the gods. Each prayer not only included praise towards the deity, but requests and petitions as well as promises to perform acts to honor the gods.
Mystery: The idea of clashing supernatural forces of good and evil and that man has a place in this ultimate fight is also an age-old idea.
Visions and Prophecies: Dating back thousands of years before Christianity, oracles and supernatural ecstasies, very similar to Pentecostalism, were part of religion. The ancient Shrine at Delphi is a place where pagan prophecies and visions took place.
Healing: All religious systems had rituals and prayers that the adherents believed would cause the gods to heal them. They even held "healing" services and ancient records describe the miraculous healings.
Virtue: Honest and ethical behavior was expected from most ancient religions, although they may differ from our standards somewhat. Misbehavior was expected to bring bad luck or punishment from the gods. Pythagoreans and Epicureans had traditions that taught certain ways of life brought reward.
Scriptures: Not all religions had written laws and stories given from their gods, some did such as Hindu, Buddhism--but all had oral proscriptions and legends about how the gods formed the world and how they expect us to behave. These were considered sacred very much like Christians consider the Bible.
Divine Calling: Polytheistic religions believed certain people had a "divine" calling to teach others about their gods.
Sacredness: Pagan religions had places (churches), people (pastors, evangelists), things and times (holy days) they set aside as sacred.
Sacrifices: Pagan religions included sacrifices of unblemished animals that were taken to the temple and immolated after being anointed with salt and flour by the person giving the sacrifice.
The similarities are endless-- Pagans and Christians both have:
Conversion stories
Pagan Messianic prophecies that resembled Christianity: Virgin birth of deity who becomes savior of man.
Born-again rituals
Heaven for the righteous
Hell for the sinner
Purgatory
Final--last day events--Armageddon
Creeds and doctrines
Certain cults in polytheism claimed they should be free to worship the gods as their conscience dictated
Predestination
Immortality of the soul (for certain people)
Soul sleep (for other persons)
Saints
Heretics
Holy wars
Inquisition
Marriage ceremonies with cake, lifting bride over threshold, wedding rings (many other similarities)
When King Solomon said millennia ago that there is nothing new under the sun, he was right. Being a Christian, I am certainly not saying that Christianity is the same. I am just saying Christian forms of worshipping and even some theology are very similar to paganism.
So, when we realize that Christianity brought very little unique to religious rites and beliefs, we have a clear choice. Is Christianity a mere culling from the past? Are the critics correct when they say because Christianity brings relatively nothing new to religion and that it is similar to polytheism, that Christian roots are pagan?
Christians must acknowledge that arguments that point out the similarities are logical and that one can look at the facts and surmise that Christianity is simply a new form of paganism. However, it is just as logical to look at the similarities and suggest that Christianity fulfills paganism. That the ubiquitousness of religion and its cycles of mysteries and beliefs---rather than invalidate and disprove religion--does quite the opposite. These repeated similar beliefs, known in all languages, all geographical areas of the world, all time periods, all phases of evolution and development of civilization rather prove something... There is A TRUTH they are pointing to....
We can look at these facts and logically, reasonably surmise that these all came from an original source. And Christianity claims that original source.
"In the fullness of time" Christ came and fulfilled it all. He was what these promises, recycled and corrupted as they were by different societies, were pointing to.
To my Protestant Friends:
Please, be mindful of suggesting that Catholicism is wrong and erroneous because their rites and rituals look similar to paganism. If you use the logic that, "if it is similar to paganism" and predates Catholicism therefore, it is then evil or sinful, you have just cut your own throat. You certainly can say that because Christmas trees began in Druid homes, therefore it is evil to have Christmas trees, but then you must logically say that if Druids prayed then it must be evil to pray.
To have a clear and coherent argument you must prove the intrinsic evilness of an action rather than a comparative argument such "since jailbird Billy grew up reading The Hardy Boys series, therefore the Hardy Boys series are evil and we should not allow our children to read them." That is a lose-lose argument for the Christian.
Look at the above list. All of these religious beliefs and practices predated Christianity and all were used in polytheistic worship. So if Catholicism is evil for similar worship, anyone else's worship that looks similar is also. That logic can be used to prove Protestantism is ALSO based in paganism.
Paganism was the mimic, the distorted mirror of an ancient truth.... a truth that came to its climax, its actualization in Christ.
We do not let go of the doctrine, the rites because they have been fulfilled. They were NEVER wrong--but were corrupted by the evil one so that the form would be deflected into false worship. Now our worship--of prayers, holy days, prophecies, etc. are fully realized and made perfect through the Savior.
Sourced from these classes I took:
The History of Ancient Rome by Dr. Garrett G. Fagan, Pennsylvania State University
Christian History by Michael Voris, St. Michael's Ministries
Early Christianity: The Experience of the Divine, Dr. Luke Timothy Johnson, Emory University
The Story of the Bible: Dr. Luke Timothy Johnson, Emory University
The Early Middle Ages: Dr. Philip Daileader, College of William and Mary
From Jesus to Constantine: A History of the Early Church, Dr. Bart Erman, UNC Chapel Hill
The History of the Bible: The Making of the New Testament Canon, Dr. Bart Erman, UNC Chapel Hill
Faith: Polytheistic religions used the phrase, "the fates" to describe how one placed the the future in the hands of the gods, but it is essentially the same as belief in, trust in the power of one's god. Although scholars today tend to imagine that the more technologically advanced civilizations discarded a real "heart belief" and simply followed worship to one's gods ritualistically, that theory is not backed up archeologically. There are thousands and thousands of prayers from these periods that show a deep sincerity of faith to their gods.
Prayer: Pagan prayers took both communal and personal characteristics much like Christian prayers today. They saw prayer as a pathway to contact with the gods. Each prayer not only included praise towards the deity, but requests and petitions as well as promises to perform acts to honor the gods.
Mystery: The idea of clashing supernatural forces of good and evil and that man has a place in this ultimate fight is also an age-old idea.
Visions and Prophecies: Dating back thousands of years before Christianity, oracles and supernatural ecstasies, very similar to Pentecostalism, were part of religion. The ancient Shrine at Delphi is a place where pagan prophecies and visions took place.
Healing: All religious systems had rituals and prayers that the adherents believed would cause the gods to heal them. They even held "healing" services and ancient records describe the miraculous healings.
Virtue: Honest and ethical behavior was expected from most ancient religions, although they may differ from our standards somewhat. Misbehavior was expected to bring bad luck or punishment from the gods. Pythagoreans and Epicureans had traditions that taught certain ways of life brought reward.
Scriptures: Not all religions had written laws and stories given from their gods, some did such as Hindu, Buddhism--but all had oral proscriptions and legends about how the gods formed the world and how they expect us to behave. These were considered sacred very much like Christians consider the Bible.
Divine Calling: Polytheistic religions believed certain people had a "divine" calling to teach others about their gods.
Sacredness: Pagan religions had places (churches), people (pastors, evangelists), things and times (holy days) they set aside as sacred.
Sacrifices: Pagan religions included sacrifices of unblemished animals that were taken to the temple and immolated after being anointed with salt and flour by the person giving the sacrifice.
The similarities are endless-- Pagans and Christians both have:
Conversion stories
Pagan Messianic prophecies that resembled Christianity: Virgin birth of deity who becomes savior of man.
Born-again rituals
Heaven for the righteous
Hell for the sinner
Purgatory
Final--last day events--Armageddon
Creeds and doctrines
Certain cults in polytheism claimed they should be free to worship the gods as their conscience dictated
Predestination
Immortality of the soul (for certain people)
Soul sleep (for other persons)
Saints
Heretics
Holy wars
Inquisition
Marriage ceremonies with cake, lifting bride over threshold, wedding rings (many other similarities)
When King Solomon said millennia ago that there is nothing new under the sun, he was right. Being a Christian, I am certainly not saying that Christianity is the same. I am just saying Christian forms of worshipping and even some theology are very similar to paganism.
So, when we realize that Christianity brought very little unique to religious rites and beliefs, we have a clear choice. Is Christianity a mere culling from the past? Are the critics correct when they say because Christianity brings relatively nothing new to religion and that it is similar to polytheism, that Christian roots are pagan?
Christians must acknowledge that arguments that point out the similarities are logical and that one can look at the facts and surmise that Christianity is simply a new form of paganism. However, it is just as logical to look at the similarities and suggest that Christianity fulfills paganism. That the ubiquitousness of religion and its cycles of mysteries and beliefs---rather than invalidate and disprove religion--does quite the opposite. These repeated similar beliefs, known in all languages, all geographical areas of the world, all time periods, all phases of evolution and development of civilization rather prove something... There is A TRUTH they are pointing to....
We can look at these facts and logically, reasonably surmise that these all came from an original source. And Christianity claims that original source.
"In the fullness of time" Christ came and fulfilled it all. He was what these promises, recycled and corrupted as they were by different societies, were pointing to.
To my Protestant Friends:
Please, be mindful of suggesting that Catholicism is wrong and erroneous because their rites and rituals look similar to paganism. If you use the logic that, "if it is similar to paganism" and predates Catholicism therefore, it is then evil or sinful, you have just cut your own throat. You certainly can say that because Christmas trees began in Druid homes, therefore it is evil to have Christmas trees, but then you must logically say that if Druids prayed then it must be evil to pray.
To have a clear and coherent argument you must prove the intrinsic evilness of an action rather than a comparative argument such "since jailbird Billy grew up reading The Hardy Boys series, therefore the Hardy Boys series are evil and we should not allow our children to read them." That is a lose-lose argument for the Christian.
Look at the above list. All of these religious beliefs and practices predated Christianity and all were used in polytheistic worship. So if Catholicism is evil for similar worship, anyone else's worship that looks similar is also. That logic can be used to prove Protestantism is ALSO based in paganism.
Paganism was the mimic, the distorted mirror of an ancient truth.... a truth that came to its climax, its actualization in Christ.
We do not let go of the doctrine, the rites because they have been fulfilled. They were NEVER wrong--but were corrupted by the evil one so that the form would be deflected into false worship. Now our worship--of prayers, holy days, prophecies, etc. are fully realized and made perfect through the Savior.
Sourced from these classes I took:
The History of Ancient Rome by Dr. Garrett G. Fagan, Pennsylvania State University
Christian History by Michael Voris, St. Michael's Ministries
Early Christianity: The Experience of the Divine, Dr. Luke Timothy Johnson, Emory University
The Story of the Bible: Dr. Luke Timothy Johnson, Emory University
The Early Middle Ages: Dr. Philip Daileader, College of William and Mary
From Jesus to Constantine: A History of the Early Church, Dr. Bart Erman, UNC Chapel Hill
The History of the Bible: The Making of the New Testament Canon, Dr. Bart Erman, UNC Chapel Hill
Sunday, May 16, 2010
The Joy of Catholic Media
The depth of Catholic understanding of both life and the scriptures is infinite. I thought as a Protestant I knew scriptures. And believe me I did. (Or so I thought in comparison to other Protestants.) My friends, who were always among the most highly educated--you know, with more letters after their names than in them--were always amazed at my knowledge of scripture. I could win ANY bible trivia game and did so on many occasions when I would play my university-student friends (who had WON their own College Bible Bowls.) I had read through the Bible so many times that I literally had worn several Bibles out. I was very proud of this fact--as you can see!
So, when I was studying Catholicism, I was a bit cocky. On my first visit to see a priest I mentioned the Nephilim of Genesis. ("Oh, Father Ernst--YOU DON'T know about the Nephilim---snicker, snicker--well, let ME a Protestant enlighten you about the mysteries in scripture....") Over the next year of RCIA I was given a big smack right in the pride department. Now don't get me wrong--it wasn't RCIA. They didn't even talk about the Bible at all--these were lay Catholics--hardly what I would call knowledgeable of scripture. Again when the Archbishop came to class and bet us all that no one could answer this question: What was another name in the OT for Mt. Sinai?" I rolled my eyes and whispered sardonically under my breath... "Sheesh, let me know when you have a hard one...." Like Leave it to Beaver's Judy, I stuck my hand in the air and casually through out, "Mt. Horeb" and gave a smug smile at the class.
During RCIA I started reading Catholic writings: St. Augustine, the Catechism, Chesterton, Muggeridge, the Catholic Encyclopedia.... dozens and dozens.
Yikes. Slap, slap.......my pride started to deflate......
In the end, I wept for joy! There is no humiliation so deeply soul-satisfying as knowing you don't know it all!! I found myself surrounded by saints and inspired writings that dwarfed my grandest spiritual thoughts. The Catholic knowledge of Christ and His great mysteries of faith stunned me and sent me reeling. There is something out there-- a mystery--a gorgeous epic of breathtaking glory that begins to unfold and it never ends. The Catholic church is an inexhaustible ocean of new heavenliness to explore.... You think you have reached the end of one thought, one tiny little doctrine or tradition, just to find that it opens a door to an unexplored universe of understanding. Catholic faith is ever expanding, a cosmos of truth that rather than inhibits, unlocks and displays love that literally overwhelms you. At times I have to pull back from the overstimulating phenomenon of it all and take a rest! Our bodies are simply not capable of holding such exquisite, almost painfully exquisite, thoughts for too long. But they are a taste of what we will fully experience when our bodies are perfect.
Would you like a taste of this glory?
Watch or listen to archived programs of Mother Angelica, Father Groschel "Sunday Night Live", The Journey Home, Threshold of Hope, EWTN live, The World Over....
Get a membership to www.realcatholictv.com and watch "The One True Faith" "Basic Training" or anything there--just keep in mind it is for Catholics who have left the church or are not living the faith so Michael Voris can sometimes come across a bit strident.
Listen to EWTN Catholic Radio online: www.EWTN.com
http://www.ewtn.com/audiovideo/index.asp
Read: The Privilege of Being Catholic
How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization
Triumph
Upon This Rock
Mary, Mother of the Son series
Keep watching and reading till you get it--it takes time --SIX years for me. At first it seems strange, weird, even against God. You will have to jettison any pride you have. These may offend you, hurt you, anger you--but in the end, you will bless me for suggesting them to you.
Catholicism is a taste of heaven, because it brings us to Christ and His kingdom.
"Lest you become as a little child you will in no wise enter the kingdom...." Pray that our Lord will show you the great and glorious mysteries of the Catholic faith. Once you get past the shock that you have been lied to about what Catholics believe and open your heart to humbly receiving the truth...... don't say I didn't warn you..... You are in for an experience you never expected...
So, when I was studying Catholicism, I was a bit cocky. On my first visit to see a priest I mentioned the Nephilim of Genesis. ("Oh, Father Ernst--YOU DON'T know about the Nephilim---snicker, snicker--well, let ME a Protestant enlighten you about the mysteries in scripture....") Over the next year of RCIA I was given a big smack right in the pride department. Now don't get me wrong--it wasn't RCIA. They didn't even talk about the Bible at all--these were lay Catholics--hardly what I would call knowledgeable of scripture. Again when the Archbishop came to class and bet us all that no one could answer this question: What was another name in the OT for Mt. Sinai?" I rolled my eyes and whispered sardonically under my breath... "Sheesh, let me know when you have a hard one...." Like Leave it to Beaver's Judy, I stuck my hand in the air and casually through out, "Mt. Horeb" and gave a smug smile at the class.
During RCIA I started reading Catholic writings: St. Augustine, the Catechism, Chesterton, Muggeridge, the Catholic Encyclopedia.... dozens and dozens.
Yikes. Slap, slap.......my pride started to deflate......
In the end, I wept for joy! There is no humiliation so deeply soul-satisfying as knowing you don't know it all!! I found myself surrounded by saints and inspired writings that dwarfed my grandest spiritual thoughts. The Catholic knowledge of Christ and His great mysteries of faith stunned me and sent me reeling. There is something out there-- a mystery--a gorgeous epic of breathtaking glory that begins to unfold and it never ends. The Catholic church is an inexhaustible ocean of new heavenliness to explore.... You think you have reached the end of one thought, one tiny little doctrine or tradition, just to find that it opens a door to an unexplored universe of understanding. Catholic faith is ever expanding, a cosmos of truth that rather than inhibits, unlocks and displays love that literally overwhelms you. At times I have to pull back from the overstimulating phenomenon of it all and take a rest! Our bodies are simply not capable of holding such exquisite, almost painfully exquisite, thoughts for too long. But they are a taste of what we will fully experience when our bodies are perfect.
Would you like a taste of this glory?
Watch or listen to archived programs of Mother Angelica, Father Groschel "Sunday Night Live", The Journey Home, Threshold of Hope, EWTN live, The World Over....
Get a membership to www.realcatholictv.com and watch "The One True Faith" "Basic Training" or anything there--just keep in mind it is for Catholics who have left the church or are not living the faith so Michael Voris can sometimes come across a bit strident.
Listen to EWTN Catholic Radio online: www.EWTN.com
http://www.ewtn.com/audiovideo/index.asp
Read: The Privilege of Being Catholic
How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization
Triumph
Upon This Rock
Mary, Mother of the Son series
Keep watching and reading till you get it--it takes time --SIX years for me. At first it seems strange, weird, even against God. You will have to jettison any pride you have. These may offend you, hurt you, anger you--but in the end, you will bless me for suggesting them to you.
Catholicism is a taste of heaven, because it brings us to Christ and His kingdom.
"Lest you become as a little child you will in no wise enter the kingdom...." Pray that our Lord will show you the great and glorious mysteries of the Catholic faith. Once you get past the shock that you have been lied to about what Catholics believe and open your heart to humbly receiving the truth...... don't say I didn't warn you..... You are in for an experience you never expected...
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Mother's Day at St. James Cathedral
Franz Biebl's Ave Maria
I haven't stopped crying since I became Catholic......
Blessed Mother Mary,
May I spend eternity calling you blessed,
Happy Mother's Day.
I haven't stopped crying since I became Catholic......
Blessed Mother Mary,
May I spend eternity calling you blessed,
Happy Mother's Day.
Friday, April 30, 2010
The Joys of the Communion of Saints
Jesus love me this I know.....
As I was talking to Mary and Peter this morning, they told me they loved me too.
You see, Jesus has lavished us with saints in heaven who, through Christ, love us as He loves us.
If you are ever feeling down or unloved or unlovable, just keep this in mind:
The Father loves you,
The Holy Spirit loves you,
The Blessed Lord, Jesus Christ loves you,
Our Blessed Mother, Mary loves you,
Our Blessed Joseph loves you,
St. Peter loves you,
St. Paul loves you,
St. James loves you,
St. Andrew loves you,
St. John loves you,
St. Matthew loves you,
St. Mary Magdelena loves you,
St. Stephen loves you,
The list goes on forever. Right now, besides a special guardian angel who is sent by God to love and protect you, to serve you and draw you to Him, you have a heavenly host, a saintly throng in heaven who do nothing but pray for you and love you and draw you to Him.
As a Catholic I now understand that I can talk to them, have relationship with them. They are not dead but more alive than I am--than YOU are!! They are in heaven and are closer to God. They are perfected and we can draw from their strength, their holiness, their faith and their love.
What a MIGHTY God we have to give us a endless fount of family who love us!
As I was talking to Mary and Peter this morning, they told me they loved me too.
You see, Jesus has lavished us with saints in heaven who, through Christ, love us as He loves us.
If you are ever feeling down or unloved or unlovable, just keep this in mind:
The Father loves you,
The Holy Spirit loves you,
The Blessed Lord, Jesus Christ loves you,
Our Blessed Mother, Mary loves you,
Our Blessed Joseph loves you,
St. Peter loves you,
St. Paul loves you,
St. James loves you,
St. Andrew loves you,
St. John loves you,
St. Matthew loves you,
St. Mary Magdelena loves you,
St. Stephen loves you,
The list goes on forever. Right now, besides a special guardian angel who is sent by God to love and protect you, to serve you and draw you to Him, you have a heavenly host, a saintly throng in heaven who do nothing but pray for you and love you and draw you to Him.
As a Catholic I now understand that I can talk to them, have relationship with them. They are not dead but more alive than I am--than YOU are!! They are in heaven and are closer to God. They are perfected and we can draw from their strength, their holiness, their faith and their love.
What a MIGHTY God we have to give us a endless fount of family who love us!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
The Joys of the Closed Eucharist
My daughters' outcry of injustice against the closed Catholic Eucharist was an echo of my own years ago. The arrogance, the elitist attitude--how DARE the Catholic Church tell me, a saved, baptized, mature Christian that I cannot partake in their Communion service. Why tattooed, lip-ringed, liberal, homosexuals were walking up there--big as you please--partaking in their Eucharist! NANCY PELOSI--the baby-killing, Jezebel of all Catholicism, bats her demonic eyes with her plastic-surgeon enhanced smile, and walks up the aisle to receive the Eucharist from the hands of a priest. And they refuse to allow me! Why I have been more Catholic than Nancy Pelosi as a Protestant than she ever was....
It is hard to understand the Church’s decision to be exclusive in the Lord’s Supper.
Only..... it never was the church’s decision not to allow anyone to partake in the Eucharist. Yes, yes, I read the Didache (an assembly of church rituals that supposedly was written during the Apostolic age) that said only those baptized could come to the “breaking of the bread” and that it had to be an anointed bishop that presided, all others who had a similar Eucharist were outside of the church. But again, I just thought that was a man-made imposition on the faithful.
What I didn’t realize was the Jesus himself instigated a closed Lord’s Supper. The Catholic Church was not innovative, it was not their command but Jesus’. The Protestants will cry foul! To which the Catholics will say they have the complete teachings of Christ--those passed down orally as well as written and they will claim Jesus commanded a Eucharist that was presided by an ordained apostle to only those who have been baptized into the valid kingdom of heaven and not some unorthodox break off sect lead by a false shepherd.
I have heard this debate back and forth, ad nauseum. There is no answer to satisfy the hurt Protestant who feels excluded.
Then something dawned on me as I was praying yesterday.
Wait.
There IS Biblical proof of a closed Lord’s Supper. Remember that Jesus had many followers, many disciples. He also had seventy that he chose to go out and spread the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven. He even gave these seventy the power to heal and cast out demons!
Were any of these invited to the Last Supper, the Supper in which Christ shared his body through the breaking of the bread and His blood through the cup which he shared?
No! The only ones who were invited to this communion--this sacred closed communion were the Twelve Apostles. And even one of these--Judas the Betrayer--left before the Eucharist was instituted.
Jesus Christ did not specifically exclude his other followers because they weren’t good enough, weren’t Christian enough. He had a very specific reason, Jesus was inaugurating His Kingdom on earth, His literal church which would be His Beloved Bride. This one and only love, would become united with Him and be part of His very body, she in Him and He in her.
There could be no mistaking the Bride, for false shepherds would try and sneak in and deceive the flock. The sheep had to KNOW their true shepherd and they could know because He would make plain who they were. Only the TRUE shepherds were to lead and feed the flock.
Jesus made that plain at the Last Supper. He chose only His Apostles as clear representatives of His Shepherds. They alone would have the authority to continue the Eucharist. Remember, Jesus had not given the bread and fish directly to the multitude, but gave it to the Apostles to distribute. Jesus was setting up an authority for his kingdom that could not be mistaken or usurped---be fed spiritually through the hands of the chosen Apostles. The Eucharist is through the hands of the Apostles. They alone have God’s blessing to distribute His body and blood, soul and divinity to His beloved Church.
When we go up to receive the Catholic Eucharist, we are acknowledging the Priest’s God-given authority to distribute to us His body and blood. We are submitting and pledging our soul, spirit, body, loyalty and love to His Catholic church. The Catholics simply ask that those who receive this understand thoroughly what they are doing, for if they don’t, they will be liable for the very body and blood of Christ. They will be hurting both His body and His Bride's body. And in fact, Paul says, that is why many are sick and die.
The closed Communion is distributed by God’s chosen because it is not a symbol, but the real presence of God. It is the most sacred moment of Christianity and Jesus---NOT the Catholic church commanded it to be for those who have pledged a lifetime of service to His Kingdom, led by the pope. To open this up for anyone--- to encourage them go through the motions of the deepest pledge, the most intimate commitment and oath to the Catholic church without their realizing it, that would be a treacherous trick.
Our honor and fidelity to God’s anointed in the Catholic church must come from a full understanding of what pledge we are making.
The Catholic closed Eucharist was instituted by Christ at the Last Supper so we can know just exactly who we are to go to and submit to and be fed by. It was not an open--all followers invited---communion. Jesus made it exclusive, not the Catholic Church. I am thankful for that, and hope that one day my beloved daughter can understand this as I have.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Celibacy and Priest Sexual Misconduct
When I was becoming Catholic, it seemed to me that celibacy was weird... why would you insist that your leaders remain unmarried? There was just something fishy about it. After all, God commanded us to be fruitful and multiply. The Israelite priests were married. Paul gives the rules of a married clergy in II Timothy and Titus.
Yeah... those suspicious Catholics, always sneaking in extra rules, they are just like those Pharisees that Jesus called out and railed into them as hypocrites, snakes and white-washed tombs....yeah! Come on! read your Bible Catholics!! I had very little compunctions towards diplomacy at that time in my life. I was, after all, a Biblical scholar and I knew.....
And look what happened, just what I would suspect... Priests gone sexually rogue.
So, there are a couple of things I want to throw into the discussion. These are not to excuse sexual misbehavior, nor to ignore victims or to exculpate priests who were found guilty of abusing people under their authority. Of course, anyone who deliberately abuses a child need to be prosecuted. Anyone who rapes a child needs to be given a chance to repent, signed with the cross and then stoned. God have mercy on their souls for my belief is they should come before God’s judgment swiftly so they cannot destroy anymore little ones. Or we could just do what Christ suggested and put a millstone around their necks and throw them into the sea. So please do not suggest that I am being soft on crime.
We need to understand what type of person does such crimes and why, so we can stop them by pro-active prevention. So looking at statistics can be helpful.
The first question: Does celibacy have any relational cause to child abuse? (Please refer back to the post before this for statistics.)
My first reaction was yes! Of course, it is obvious.... these men are sexually repressed and eventually the stress manifests itself by abusing the children they have contact with.
I am not totally rejecting that instinct as completely erroneous, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed I was making too broad of assumptions. If we begin seeing people who are sexually abstinent as potential sexual time-bombs, we then have to put a lot of people into that category: military, widows and widowers who choose not to remarry, all old maids and bachelors. It doesn’t seem just to place under suspicion all unmarried people.
We must be very careful how we categorize.
A high percentage of people who are convicted of child abuse have clinical depression. Are we to be suspicious of all those who admit depression? A number of people who are convicted of child molestation were using illegal drugs? Should those who take drugs be under suspicion as child molesters?
71% of all priests accused of molestation were born between 1930 and 1949..... what conclusions can we draw from this statistic?
But doesn’t it just make sense that a grown man, vowed to perpetual sexual repression would finally crack? Yes, it makes sense.... but how would that crack happen?
What I have heard is that normal men who explode from sexual repression usually pick a consenting grown up, not a child-- the sin results in fornication, not pedophilia. Are there any reports of heterosexual military men bursting with sexual tensions resorting to little boys instead of women (especially when there are women available and willing?) And I know there are many women who have Thornbird fantasies and would be willing to help out a sexually repressed priest.
Sexual temptation rarely takes a normal, healthy attraction to the opposite sex and twists it to an attraction to a child/teenager of the same sex. Yet, look what is happening in the Catholic Church. Priests are sexually abusing boys.
Look at these stats for sexual victims under 18:
Heterosexual male perpetrator abuse rates (distributed by gender) are 80% females, 20% males.
This is completely reversed when it comes to the priests’ victims. They are 80% males. That statistic is more in line with homosexual predators. This would suggest that the problem in Catholicism is homosexual priests. So, if we insist that these same priests were married to females, we would run into a different set of problems, because they would still be homosexuals.
The difficulty is that the rate of molestation in priests is less than or equivalent to married men.
If we could successfully screen out all potential homosexual priests and allow only heterosexual married clergy, the statistics would then reverse and those who were abused would simply switch genders and little girls would be the victims instead of little boys.
The problem is not celibacy or married clergy. The problems lie with why a person would sexually abuse a child and how can you predetermine who would do these things and then prevent it. This is a formidable task, and to date there has been no satisfactory way to deal with prevention.
If Catholic priests are not abusing at a higher rate than other groups, why the spotlight on the Catholic Church?
There are many suggestions, but all I can say it thank God!! Please, dear Lord, shine the spotlight on our sins so we can see and repent and make amends. Think of all the little children who will not be victims because this was brought into the public eye. So, even though many innocent priests will be implicated by association from this and that is yet another tragedy of the abuse, the Catholic Church will recover and continue just to find another boil coming to the surface to be found and lanced ad infinitum until we are all saints standing before Christ at His Second Coming. Where sin abounds, grace abound even more.
Having said that, I do think there is one explanation about: Why Catholicism--why pick on the Catholic church?
Alleged US victims have received $475,674,835. Lawyers who represented them and the church have made almost $38.5 million. In many instances the lawyers walked away with 62% of the settlement.
What conclusions can we draw from these figures? There have been investigative reports suggesting that lawyers will only take suits against Catholic clergy because Protestant denominations simply do not have the ability to pay out large sums, if any. The Catholic Church is backed by insurance and assets that have the capacity to pay out millions to alleged victims. This sounds cold-hearted, but it is a charge that should at least be considered.
Why would the church require their clergy to be celibate--if there is even the slightest causal relationship, shouldn’t the requirement be dropped?
Yes! If they ever find there is any connection, I would say the church must reconsider celibate priests. The great thing is that at any time the Catholic Church can change the requirements. Priestly celibacy is not a dogma, only a discipline which can be overturned at any time.
The first Catholic church requirement for a celibate clergy was a local council that only was in force for Spain in AD 306. Attempts were made to spread the practice to the whole church but were unsuccessful. The eastern churches adopted a celibate clergy in the 5th century. There was no uniformity in church law until the First Lateran Council in 1123---Why then? In the hopes of reforming the clergy. That is interesting to note. I could find no information about why celibacy was considered the antidote to the problem, but I can imagine what the problems might be. So, the irony is that the demand of a celibate priesthood came from the reforming priests themselves to combat some type of abuse.
Why make a rule that is not Biblical?
Someone told me that the Catholic pedophile scandal is due to the church disobeying scripture. Well, just like so many Christian doctrines, the scriptures have proof-texts for both sides of this issue. While I agree that scripture does not demand that clergy remain celibate, a priesthood that does choose to remain unmarried have a biblical basis.
Old Testament priests could marry and Paul does command that bishops have only one wife, but certainly marriage is not mandatory because Paul himself was unmarried.
When the disciples were questioning Jesus about marriage (Matthew 16), he laid down some pretty rigorous demands: “Who ever divorces his wife, except for “porenia” (Greek for illicit sexual intercourse) and shall marry another, commits adultery: and he that marries her when she is put away commits adultery.” The disciples threw up their hands and said something like, “well then who would want to get married under those circumstances?”
Jesus replied,
For there are eunuchs that were so born from their mother's womb: and there are eunuchs that were made eunuchs by men: and there are eunuchs that made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven's sake. He that is able to receive it, let him receive it.
Jesus said there would be those who gave up marriage with its sexual intimacy for God’s Kingdom. Not only that but He said those who could do it, should do it--those that are able, let him receive it! Sounds almost like a command.
Jesus himself chose the path of celibacy and surely those who follow in His footsteps do not deserve our condemnation. Priests feel they are offering up the highest sacrifice they can make for God, that of having their own family, to completely give themselves over to serve the Body of Christ in His church--to be father to the fatherless, father to the child of divorce and those children who simply slip through the cracks of society. That commitment and sacrifice deserves much praise, not scorn.
Look at Paul and his views of celibacy in I Corinthians 7:
It is good for a man not to touch a woman. But, because of fornications, let each man have his own wife... Yet I would that all men were even as I myself. ...Howbeit each man hath his own gift from God, one after this manner, and another after that. But I say to the unmarried and to widows, It is good for them if they abide even as I... I think therefore that this is good by reason of the distress that is upon us, [namely,] that it is good for a man to be as he is. Art thou bound unto a wife? Seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? Seek not a wife. But shouldest thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned. Yet such shall have tribulation in the flesh: and I would spare you. But this I say, brethren, the time is shortened, that henceforth both those that have wives may be as though they had none... But I would have you to be free from cares. He that is unmarried is careful for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord: but he that is married is careful for the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and is divided. [So] also the woman that is unmarried and the virgin is careful for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married is careful for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. And this I say for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is seemly, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction. ...But he that standeth stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power as touching in his own heart, to keep his own virgin [daughter], shall do well. So then both he that giveth his own virgin [daughter] in marriage doeth well; and he that giveth her not in marriage shall do better.
It is hard for me to accept that Paul really only meant that advice for a short period. Especially because when he wrote this letter (around AD 55 when he was in Ephesus) the church wasn’t under severe persecution as they would be around AD 64. To Paul, remaining unmarried was a better choice for a Christian than that of being married.
The Bible does allow for celibacy. It is not a deviant way to live, nor is it unbiblical. It is almost impossible for us in the decadence of our culture and those of us who are called to marriage and children to understand anyone who would voluntarily choose to be celibate for Christ. But they have been doing it since the time of Jesus.
Let us now unify in praying for the healing of the victims, the scandal that envelopes our Christian brothers and sisters in the Catholic church and Her priests, and that the perpetrators publicly repent, be prosecuted and that truth will be made manifest.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)