Question For Protestants

If the Holy Spirit interprets scripture for us personally, why am I considered wrong for following the Holy Spirit into the Catholic Church?

You Can't Get There From Here....

It started at a railway station outside London when we were recently traveling abroad. We had this amazing train pass that was supposed to let us travel all over for one low price. We wanted to go to Stonehenge (or something like that) and the man in the ticket booth looked up at us and said with a thick accent, "ya cahn't get theh from heyah..." Arthur and I looked at each other dumbfounded. What did that mean? We can't get to this hugely important historical monument from this city? It is impossible to achieve our transportation goals from this spot? What on earth? (We can hear so many of you remark."Yep, the give-up mentality of all those European socialists.")

From Britain to France to Austria to Italy we would occasionally get that reply. The phrase refused to register in our brains even after this concept was translated to American. It only meant that within the boundaries of that particular railway system, there is no direct route. You either have to change to a different rail system, make transfers on theirs or you would have to add walking, a bus, or auto to the plans.

I have been tempted to use that phrase when speaking to my Protestant friends when they accuse the Catholics of being idolators or rejecting scripture. I usually pause with my mouth gaping open and can't think of anyway of answering it in a short timeframe. And the fact is you really can't get there from here... because we do not use the same "rail system." Our basic understandings and ways of getting to the same place differ quite a bit and if we try as Catholics to use the Protestant systems of understanding Christianity, we find it extremely difficult to connect.

As Catholics we have to lay out some groundwork in order for our Protestant brothers to understand where we are. We cannot start out by answering their questions about Mary or the Inquisition or celibacy of the priesthood. We should just reply "you can't get there from here." There is no direct way of reaching understanding when you start in the middle of the story. You will never get to the fullness of truth when you debate or discuss theology on faulty premises. You have to begin with the premise of Catholicism and then go out from there.

So, what premises should we make clear before engaging? Unfortunately there are several and each take a tremendous amount of explanation. Catholicism, being 2000 years old, isn't good at soundbites. I think of Treebeard's quote in Lord of the Rings, "You must understand, young Hobbit, it takes a long time to say anything in Old Entish. And we never say anything unless it is worth taking a long time to say." That is pretty much Catholicism.

Because it is so complex to explain, often Protestants give up and say,"Shouldn't this be simple? Isn't the gospel simple?" To them I reply, if Japanese is your native tongue it seems simple to you, but when you try and teach it to someone speaking English, it can't be learned in a few minutes. Catholic to Protestant isn't quite that difficult, but at times it seems like it.

If a person, especially a Fundamentalist, really wants to understand Catholicism you will have to prove a few premises first before getting into specific theology.



SIDE NOTE: There is also another problem. Lots of Protestants will say they are interested in what you believe but really just want to open up discussion so they can correct you and bring you to their understanding of the gospel. When a Protestant asks questions, before saying a thing, ask them if they believe Catholicism was/ is/ or will be the Whore of Babylon. If they start carefully chiseling their words and break eye contact or admit they do, don't even waste your time getting into a discussion. If they honestly believe that the Catholic church is the Whore, then in their minds, the Catholic Church is unredeemable. Whatever logic, scriptures, history you bring up will be passed over. You and your church are untrustworthy and on the Devil's side. If you believe God wants you to try and convince them it isn't, that Catholicism is the Bride of Christ, bless your heart and peace be with you. Let me know if it works.

If however, you believe the person is truly desires and understanding of Catholicism start with these premises:

Authority

Catholics reject Sola Scriptura.

Catholics do not believe in an invisible Kingdom.

Our source of authority is not a book. For Catholics, our source of authority for salvation and living as a Christian is the Word of God. The Word of God is what proceedeth from the mouth of God and it is manifested threefold. The Word of God is breathed in oral form and when it is breathed it became:

One: Flesh--Christ, the Word. When salvation was accomplished on the Cross, Christ returned to heaven and left his New Covenant body on earth. We, Christians are His visible body, His visible kingdom on earth. The church, as His Body, has His authority to pass down, protect, and interpret what He taught them. The two means by which His Church protects what He told them is:


Two: Oral tradition and Three: Written tradition. The oral form came first, it is God-breathed and infallible, inerrant. Some of that was later recorded with small symbols on papyrus or vellum and became the written form of God's word. Both are equally important. God uses the same miracle to protect His truths in oral form as in written. There is no magic in those squiggly lines on paper. They are the Word written. The source is the miracle, not the book itself. God is inerrant and that inerrancy is recorded in scripture.

What God spoke is authoritative. Catholics do not pit the Apostles' written words against the words they spoke and never wrote down. They are both God's word. The Catholic church obeys all God's words. Catholics reject Sola Scriptura because Jesus never taught it, nor did His Apostles, disciples or their successors. The inerrant, infallible, God-breathed scriptures support Catholic teaching and they prove Catholic teaching.

God's Word was given to an organized, visible church.
The visible church preaches orally and having written down a portion of what they preached in gospels and letters, later compiled those writings, translated them into 120 different tongues in the first few centuries and continues to protect and disseminate them.

God bestowed this visible, organized church with the titles: The Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ and the Kingdom of Heaven. A major theme of the written word is the story of God's visible, organized people. Indeed, His New Covenant Kingdom is an intrinsic part of the gospel. For John came preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven!

And actually, there is no such thing as an invisible church. For if the church was invisible, there would be no Bible. Scripture was birthed from the New Covenant visible, organized church begun by the Messiah.

Jesus Christ commissioned His disciples and endowed them with His authority to bind and loose and preach the gospel. This God-authorized body of shepherds interpret scripture in unity with the Holy Spirit. Christ taught against private, individualistic interpretations of faith and morals.

The Catholic Premise is that we answer to God--all God's words. Because we are His Bride we would never contradict those we wrote in the Bible. Never.

Your Protestant friend will at this time want you to prove this to them in scripture. Explain to them that their insistence that it be in scripture would be comparable to telling Michelle Obama that she must prove all she knows of the president by pointing to the page and line written in his memoirs. That will sound ridiculous to a Catholic.

This clearly shows the problem with debating Catholicism. We don't use the same system and you can't get there from here. We cannot agree on the premise of Sola Scriptura or the premise of an invisible church or that God gave us the right to a private interpretation of faith and morals. Their only final source of all truth is what they personally believe the Holy Spirit is showing them in scripture. We teach what God taught us-- through tradition, which later was partially written down.

So it is futile to discuss or debate Catholicism with someone who doesn't believe your premise and it is wrong for us to argue upon their false premise. In general, the fullness of truth cannot be established upon a faulty premise. (Although, God can do miracles--so I won't say it can never happen!) Let the Protestant know gently that you are not trying to convince them, you are simply opening up a window into Catholic understanding, so there can be mutual respect.

If they are willing, for the sake of understanding their Catholic brothers and sisters (and God bless them if they are) to take our railway system to truth, then you can begin other important premises:

Covenantal Unity

The Kingdom of Heaven

After they understand the premise of our authority, we can show how the Bible does indeed point to the Catholic Church as the Kingdom of Heaven. Then you can begin taking them through scriptures showing how, when you see it through Catholic interpretation, it does indeed support Catholic teaching. Show them how God came to fulfill the Kingdom of Heaven through His promise to David and establish an actual kingdom--organized with leadership: apostles, teachers, etc. It is a unified visible body. It began as a seed with the Apostles and will continue forever. Then you can point to the story of how God gave the keys of this kingdom to Peter and how it was foretold by Isaiah in chapter 22. Get to know the story of your church so you can then explain it using scripture to a Protestant.

During all Catholic explanation of our interpretation, the Protestants will, naturally upon their premise, believe the Holy Spirit brought them to their particular understanding and they will think we are twisting scripture. All we can do at that point is agree to disagree. But if they are willing to listen (understanding the Catholic worldview that we receive truth via God through His Apostles and the Bible records that infallibly) then continue with other vital Catholic premises that differ from Protestants.

Covenantal Salvation

The model of salvation is family covenant, not simply a legal exchange. You are born again at baptism, you enter the family of God and you are indelibly marked as a child of God. You can chose to disregard your inheritance. When you run from the kingdom, you become like the prodigal son who is in need of returning to the father’s house. Catholics see the process of salvation as a family.

There is not a moment when you are saved just as there is not a moment you were perfect to your parents. You were seen as perfect when you were born, then as a three-year-old, you became more perfect when you came home and showed your parents your first crayola picture. You are perfect, becoming perfect and will be perfect as you grown and mature and make mistakes and see the mistakes and feel sorry for them and repent. You never loose your status as children under any circumstance. But if you leave your family forever, you will not get your inheritance. God will not disinherit you, you choose to be disinherited. That is your choice.

The Body of Christ

Catholics see no difference between the church and Christ, they are one! What Christ does, His church does. They are one body therefore what Christ did, the Church did. The Catholic Church makes no distinction between Him and itself. When Christ said He is the way, the truth and the light, the Catholic Church believes that because they are His physical body on earth, one with Him, that they are the way, the truth and the light. If no one can come to the Father but through Him, the church teaches that no one can come to the Father but through His Body! We are one and God's true body on earth. Discover all the Biblical texts that support this and know them. They are dozens of Catholic apologetic websites that can help you.


(Side Note: Now I know I opened a can of worms here, because the Catholic Church does pass on the Apostolic teaching that one can be saved who never belonged to the Catholic Church.... we'll deal with that another time.)

Because we are God's body on earth, we have been given the responsibility of spreading to the world the means of salvation. The Catholic church believes God gave them the keys to heaven. But not to hell. Because we believe God is sovereign, we never pronounce someone soul is in hell, no matter who they are. God judges mercifully. Though Christ gives us a sure way to spend eternity with Him and the church tells the world what that is, God is never bound to any laws He creates for man. God saves. It is not formulaic.

The church is not individualistic but communal. As the Trinity is communal, so every thing from marriage, family, community, church, heaven and earth are communal in nature--not isolating. The structure of salvation is communal. We are saved with the help of others. And no sin is personal and no good deed is personal. All we do affects the church. We are all intertwined. It is extremely difficult for Americans to understand this....

Matter is Good

The World is good. Never did God reverse that pronouncement even when He cursed the ground. God’s creation is and always has been good! And it was even made better when Christ took upon Himself the curse and lifted it through His suffering, death and resurrection. Therefore all the material world is good. Go hug a tree... take a picture of a sunset and put it on your wall. Catholics worship the Creator using His creation. After all, God used His creation by becoming matter in order to save us. So it is naturally that we would use matter to worship Him. Rites, rituals, relics--these all use the material to teach us of God and to help us reach perfection.

The Bride of Christ

The Enlightenment worldview dictates that we be the measure of all things. This right-to-judge theology employs a personal conscience-based interpretation of scripture. Catholics premise differs in that it teaches the fullness of truth is not placed directly into man via the Bible and the Holy Spirit. The Catholic church teaches that we humans must be taught. The fullness of truth is given to His Holy Bride to disseminate.

God's Sufficiency, not Biblical Sufficiency

The Holy Spirit (promised to the church) enlightens the mind and heart of the hearer--through the Bible, through His Bride and through nature. The Holy Spirit is sufficient to use anything to reach a person for Christ. The Bible alone isn't sufficient, neither is the church, neither is nature. But all is sufficient when used by the Holy Spirit for our salvation! And the Holy Spirit has chosen the Bride to bring the fullness of truth to the world.

Mysteries of Faith

The mysteries of God are so deep that often a person must receive the Eucharist for years before his mind can comprehend some doctrines. There is no room for judging others. The mysteries of God are revealed by the Holy Spirit and prideful ideas such as "an understanding of Christian history will automatically make you a Catholic" or Protestants who claim their interpretation is "the plain reading of scripture" is not being charitable. No matter how brilliant your education, nor how high your IQ, nor the numerous times you have read the Bible, you cannot understand scripture unless you are taught by the Holy Spirit. God uses nature, the Holy Written Word, Tradition, people, numerous ways of teaching us. Be careful of judging others who do not understand. And if someone isn't getting "it" as quickly as you think they should...humble yourself and remember that understanding is a gift of grace.... not intelligence.

For the Catholics, the primary and greater reality combines both the physical and the spiritual. The realities of the Trinity are mirrored in marriage, the real is the Trinity and the symbol in flesh is marriage. Marriage isn’t an afterthought that God decided "this looks a lot like what I am trying to express, I think I will use the marriage relationship to explain to humans about the Trinity." No, marriage was foreordained and created for the very purpose of understanding the Trinity and the relationship between God and man. Again, food was not created merely for sustenance but we were made to be hungry and thirsty, filled and satisfied, to point to the better reality found in hungering and thirsting after righteousness and satisfaction in Christ. Our bodies were created for the Eucharist.

The world will look at Catholicism and think it is contradictory: How can you claim to be based upon reason and fully embrace the world of science and also accept the supernatural? How can you claim your salvation to be totally based in God's sovereignty and grace, and still accept free will and the merits of our works.... Ahh!! God is very clever and does indeed do these things and more.

(One of the most amazing things about being Catholic is that you always have the saints to follow! Pride cannot enter into your mind--you cannot think you know anything at all when you study the giants of the Catholic church. It humbles even the most scholarly of Catholics. When one can bi-locate then they can claim to be spiritual! Read St. Augustine, St. John of the Cross, St. Anselm, go live like Mother Teresa. Yeah, we have a lot to learn!)

That is more than enough to keep you busy for months just explaining the premises of Catholic thought. But once they understand, explaining more specific dogmas, doctrines and discipline will more easily flow. For example we can tie the Marian dogmas to the Queen Mother of the Davidic Kingdom. Communal faith, indulgences, penance all flow from the idea of the unity of the kingdom.

Most Protestants will draw their theological sword and expect you prove each point to them from scripture alone even after you explain that God did not require everything to be written. But be very patient and let them know each time that they are arguing upon a different system of thought than Catholics and we don't look to the Bible to provide all the answers.

Truly, have courage when you speak as a Catholic. In the end, even though it is not our sole authority, the Bible comes to life and reaches down deeply into the heart and soul when you understand it from a Catholic perspective. After all, it should, it is her own story. And once you understand these premises all the rest will become understandable--you will be able to "get there from here!"

The Crucified Rabbi

Musings on our Rome Pilgrimage, 2011

I am going to sound like an old person.... Reflecting and sounding as if I have some worldly wisdom to impart here... Sorry if this comes across that way, but it is just my personal reflecting upon the last three months and I have learned and grown in wisdom.

Arthur (my husband) and I lived for almost two years in Seattle, we've lived near DC and in many different places in the US because for the last ten years I have traveled with him in his work. Therefore we have gotten to know the large cities of the US. These last three months we have hit several of the main cities of western Europe: London, Edinburg, Paris, Lyon, Geneva, Prague, Vienna, Venice, Rome, Barcelona, as well as little towns also.

What I have discovered is that the entire world isn't happy. There is just a black cloud of trouble, of discontent, a beneath-the-surface boiling of restlessness and resentment. The world isn't smiling--there isn't even the pretense of a smile to please tourists anymore. People are openly unhappy.

And I talked about it... I talked to every cab driver, every cleaning lady, every hotel clerk, sales clerk, pastor, priest and casual conversation with other tourists who could understand even the most modest amount of English words. I wanted to take the vital signs of the world (nurse lingo for my husband) and see how it was doing.

The western world is depressed.

We all know it in our hearts. We all have such troubles in our lives and I can tell you first hand that everyone else seems to be having big problems too.

Symptoms:

Everyone thinks this is a money problem. Con artist beggars have flooded the west from the east. From Paris south, you are continually and aggressively harassed by fake beggars--who are hardly even attempting to hide their deceit as they will occasionally let fake crippled feet fall out from under their blankets exposing their real legs tucked under. One girl (rather plump) was playing video games on her iPod as she lay prostrate on the ground in tattered clothing pleading the mercy of the passersby for money to eat on.

Then there are the merchant salesmen who stand around every single famous monument trying to sell you cheap children's toys and scarves and trinkets and roses. They line the side walks so you have to say "NO!" as they follow you trying to get you to purchase something over and over and over until you are just exhausted from the constant bombardment. No one seems to care if their cities are being littered by garbage or by fake beggars (although for some they truly ARE beggars. They don't have jobs but are professional beggars. So they would indeed go hungry if people didn't give them money.)

There are some young pathetic girls who carry around babies and small children who they drug and ask for hand outs for their children. (Local say they actually rent the children or borrow them from other family members to look pathetic.) This fake begging is ruining it for those who truly need our help.

Everyone seems to think it is a money problem, or ethnic problem or cultural problem or religious problem and they look to their local and federal leaders for political answers. We met the Wall Street zombie demonstrators in many of the cities we went to. We thought they were following us for a while. On November 12, we were literally hedged in by the green beret and camoflauge wearing, machine gun toting soldiers  in front of palace in Rome during a street protest to oust Prime Minister Berlusconi. "Buffuno! Buffuno!" I will always remember the scene as we tiptoed upon some huge cement pots containing bushes trying to see the Prime Minster's car as it drove to Parliament.

We live in a world that is puppeted by the Father of lies. Every commercial slogan, world views, political and cultural systems are seeped in confused propaganda. We are swimming in the refuse of misinformation and twisting of the facts. There is no one to turn to who we can trust... no even ourselves. Not our church leaders. Not our politicians, not our parents, not our employers, not our television commentators or journalists. No one is trustworthy.

The problem isn't money.

The problem isn't politics.

The root of the problem and the cure is where nobody wants to look, for it makes us very uncomfortable. We can't blame anyone, and we can't look to anyone to solve it for us. For the problem is sin.

Not general sins--like poverty, social injustice, intolerance.
Not general sins even in our own lives such as the gray cloudy tendency towards sinning because of our fallen natures.

The problem is more direct. It is our personal day to day ignoring of little lies, of excusing moral demands. It is our laughing at dirty jokes. It is our divorces, our abortions, our sexual immorality, our pride, our selfishness, our self-centeredness, our impatience, our demanding of rights, our critical thinking of others, our laziness, our greed, our love of money, our disrespect of others or giving of our time to pleasures that corrupt, music that corrupts, entertainment that corrupts, friends that corrupt....

Sin doesn't point just outward. We live in a world that is blinded to its own sins and therefore cannot repent and be healed. This is a sin problem that will not go away until we each repent be forgiven and begin anew in Christ.

We will not be healed as individuals, as families, communities and countries until we are holy.

Did Jesus Teach Sola Fide (Faith Alone?)

Note: Since the majority of my readers are Protestant and do not accept any higher authority than the Bible, I will confine documentation to that source. Thence,  I will discuss the problems of Sola Fide with Sola Scriptura....(smile.)

Read the differing views on justification by faith alone has swept me up in countless hours of researching these positions. Everything turns to white noise, though, when scholars debate over nuances in ancient Biblical grammar--like verbal binyanim non-infinite, reflexivity conjugations and tenses and the modal, jussive form.  (whew...)

Some claim that justification happens only once simultaneous to sanctification, others claim it happens immediately before sanctification and others claim it is a process. And all assert that their understanding is vital to salvation, indeed, the true gospel rests upon Sola Fide and a proper understanding of when and how it happens.

Is this the simple gospel of the Fundamentalists? If their claim is correct that the Bible is straightforward, what do we do with the exegetical map which looks like the jumbled wires of a 1970 computer board that these theological trailblazers of the Sola Fide doctrine have created?

This layperson must admit she is in way over her head. 

When analyzing these debates I compare it to people deciding whether it is moral to abort an unborn based upon when a fertilized egg becomes a  blastocyst. It is an unnecessary technical point when we see the results of a child being born. 

In the end, what is important? The moment when we are justified or when we stand before our maker in judgement--that moment you are born into an eternal kingdom of seeing God face to face? You aren’t going to be arguing with the Almighty over exegesis. 

So, as fascinating as it is to discuss the segregating theological positions on Justification, why not unify in what is going to happen at the end of our earthy lives? 

What did Jesus teach about judgement? Did Christ teach that when we stand at the throne of His Father that faith alone will be the criteria for our eternal salvation? 

To make the question as clear as possible: if Jesus said there was anything necessary at our judgement other than faith, then we must admit Sola Fide isn’t a good theological working model. Because if faith isn’t the only thing God is expecting from His children, then we aren’t giving the full gospel. 

Diving into the gospels, we find that in His first recorded sermon Jesus gives a litany of those who will inherit eternal life--the poor in spirit, the meek, pure in heart, the peacemakers and those who are persecuted because of righteousness. Nothing about those who have faith in Him. This list is about our characters or our deeds.

Later Jesus commanded His followers to love God, our neighbors and even our enemies! (Matt. 5: 44, 46; 19: 19, 22, 29; 22: 37, John 8: 42)

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13: 35

Love is a commandment, not a suggestion.  And before Jesus breathes a word about faith He calls us to perfection. 

Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matt. 5: 48

Jesus tells us to seek righteousness first and that, rather than being judged by faith we will be judged by how we judge others! 

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matt. 6:33... 

For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again . Matt. 7: 2

Read one of Jesus’ first parables: 

Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it. Matt. 7: 24.

Where is this idea that our deeds will  not be judged?  And our actions do receive a reward:

He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. Matt. 10:41 

Sts Matthew and John record the words of Jesus which show that our righteous actions, our deeds are a very important part of being God’s children and will be weighed in deciding our eternal destination

The Gospel of St. Matthew

For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. 16: 27

Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 19:21

When the Son of man shall come in his glory... before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:  For I was an hungred , and ye gave me meat : I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in : Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick , and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. ...And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.  Matt. 25: 31-37, 46 [Note: they were separated by their DEEDS!]

The Gospel of St. John

This is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. 3:19-21
 
And when he is come , he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 16: 8, 10.

All mainstream Christians agree on the point that we are Justified by faith and that it is through the merits of Christ’s death that we are saved.  Having said that, we have quite a few biblical texts that talk about the importance of Christian behavior, deeds, actions or righteousness. I didn’t begin to list the scores of texts written by the Apostles and St. Paul.

Rather than separate upon the technicality of merits or non-merits, (imputed or imparted, sanctified or justified) of Christian works   ... Should we not, for unity sake, admit that the obedience of faith, which brings fruits of righteousness ARE important to the Christian? Should we not admit that Jesus warned us that when we stand before the Father in heaven, that our deed will be reviewed and judged.

If nothing else, the words of Christ should cause us to wonder about the use of the doctrine of Justification by faith alone. While these arguments are fine for the erudite, what are we teaching the Christian about God’s earthly and heavenly expectations and his final judgement?

The Joys of Catholic Forgiveness

I have spent my entire life excusing sins, imagining that I was being kind and forgiving. 

When someone was hateful to me, I would calm myself and by sheer willpower control my desire for retribution. I would begin self-talk such as “Oh, this person had a bad day” and try and shake off the injustice or behavior towards me. If someone truly wronged me, I would call upon a mantra of excuses in order to sooth the feelings of resentment building in me.

“They are immature, they didn’t mean it.” 

“They are ignorant of how to behave correctly. They weren’t raised as well as I was.” 

“We’re all sinners in need of a Savior, this person just doesn’t know Jesus.”

As nice as it is to give someone the benefit of the doubt, in essence, I wasn’t truly forgiving them, I was just excusing sin. I have been under the impression that forgiveness was a cessation of bad feelings towards someone--that it was an emotional response to a sin against me. But I have been very wrong, as all I have been doing is deflecting the sin--not forgiving it. The forgiveness wasn’t about doing anything for them, but for me. I needed to feel better and when I felt better I thought I had forgiven them.

Over the course of one’s life, excusing sin shoves resentment to a subconscious level and a righteous injustice turns into an unseen raging furnace, like an underground fire. 

Nice feelings towards a person who has sinned against you isn’t forgiveness. We need to undo their sin.

I asked God, “Now how on earth can I, who cannot control anything hardly in myself, going to undo a sin? Didn’t Christ do that on the Cross?” 

Of course Christ did, but He also commands that He will forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us! Christ didn’t just forgive us by extinguishing His emotional wrath and turning it to a good warm fuzzy feeling for us. He took upon Himself the eternal--the spiritual--punishment for our sins. Forgiving sin is more than feelings, it is undoing the effects of the sin. And sin hurts much deeper than our emotions.

Sin, no matter how big or small, causes a wave that emanates out effecting all those in its path. It not only hurts the sinner, but God, the Body of Christ (Christian believers) and anyone it is directed at. There is simply no such thing as a private sin. Sin’s destructive path ripples in concentric circles.

While Christ has paid the eternal consequences, there is always a residue of sin here in this temporal abode that must be cleaned up. Sin is a contagious poison. True forgiveness is the antidote.

To truly forgive, we must not excuse, deflect nor minimize the wrongful act, but have the courage to see the depth of the offense. Then consciously, freely and with the grace of God--intentionally bear the temporal consequences of the sin. Without too literal a comparison, it is like offering the sinner a personal indulgence. 

We become little Christs, living sacrifices for that person, by bearing the hurtful effects of the person’s trespasses. We willingly, lovingly accept the suffering of the sin. Though it was involuntarily forced upon us, for love of God and our neighbor, we take the punch of the sin and stand against the crashing wave of pain and injustice. Thus, at least allowing the suffering to go no father in your direction.

When someone has harmed you, fall to your knees and lift the sin up to Christ. Offer up the pain you feel as a sacrifice of love for the one who sinned against you. You may even feel called to perform an act of penance in behalf of the person’s sin, such as fast a meal, give a monetary gift to charity... say a rosary for them. Prayers and charitable actions will avail much, for you are acting as a righteous person.

Don’t misunderstand. I am certainly not suggesting you go to jail for another person’s crime or pay any civil penalty or take the blame for someone else. What I am talking about is accepting the offense against you, personally as a Christian and acting in love in return. It is about acting in behalf of the sinner, not simply calming the emotions as if that wipes away the sin.

 And, we cannot bear another’s sin without doing as Christ did. 

With the obedience of faith and love for His Father, Christ offered up the sin. And we must do that too. With Christ, we offer the sin up to the Father in behalf of the sinner. We take the offense and lift it high in prayer to God. It is only then that the fires of love can consume the sin and its effects can be destroyed. It must be offered to the Father, through the sacrifice of the Son. That is forgiveness. 

Don’t worry too much about reoccurring emotions against the sinner. Reacting in love by a peaceful offerings to God will eventually subdue the feelings and they will be replaced by a holiness and not just a controlled anger. Keep focused on the crucified Christ and remember it is what He has done for you. We break ourselves for others, just as Christ has broken Himself for us. If it is just too much for you to do it for the sinner, do it for love of God. Focus on your love of Christ, rather than the offense and it makes it so much easier. 

We extinguish the raging fire of sin, not by excuse, nor deflection, not by reducing the offense in our minds, but accepting the offense with a full understanding and taking the effects upon us as a sacrifice to God. 

What about abuse and grave sin? I am certainly not offering advice about how to deal with the abusive person or suggesting you continue to allow someone to abuse you. This is only about how to forgive them. 

What about someone who sexually abuses children? What about someone who is unfaithful to a spouse? Or a thief or murderer? 

With such diabolical, momentous sins, forgiveness is only a gift of the abundant grace of God. Only on our knees we can receive such power to forgive. But forgive we must. Yes, it is a shocking injustice we are asked to bear. 

But true forgiveness rights the wrongs through Christ. The person you are interceding for will one day fully see what you did for them. Do not think I am minimizing the inferno of pain. God’s grace must overwhelm you to sustain you in such moments. For we cannot fully comprehend the deep horror of sin until we battle it spiritually.Yet, as we act in faith as little Christs, our fervent prayers will heal us as we are forgiving those who have destroyed, deserted and betrayed us. 

The impossibility of this becomes miraculously possible in Christ. And it creates within us a divine love and mercy that can only come through the suffering of forgiveness. 

The Rich Man and Lazarus

When at the St. Sebastian Catacombs in Rome, I placed a veil over my head and knelt in prayer before the altar in the chapel where the body of St. Sebastian lie. After rising, I noticed we were alone except for an American couple. They had glanced at me when I removed the veil.

I felt impressed to started a conversation.

They were nice and Protestant, so naturally--for me anyway--I began a discussion about religion. They, of course, were quite dumbfounded as to why we, who had been Fundamentalist-Protestant-Born-Again-Believers (and claim to have a vibrant relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ), would ever become.... (gulp) C... C... Catholic (wheeze!). The response is both typical and expected, after all, Protestants believe Catholics stubbornly ignore the plain teaching of the Bible--right?

They were knowledgable about scripture, so they graciously took some time from their vacation to “reason together” with us about Christianity and faith and scripture.

Most likely in response to my praying in front of the tomb of St. Sebastian, the woman gently pointed out that Jesus’ parable of Lazarus proves there is no communication between earthly Christians and saints who have died. She referred to this verse:

"And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot ; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence."

There was no time for a full Catholic response to them at that moment, so I thought I would explain it briefly here (and link this to their email address):

In fact, the parable solidly supports four basic Catholic doctrines--including the doctrine of the communion of saints repeated since the fourth century by Christians in the Apostle's Creed. But first let's read the parable in Luke 16:

There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

Please note: I am not saying Protestants will agree with the Catholic interpretation of Jesus’ parable, but at least Protestants should admit that Catholics (rightly or wrongly) use the Bible to support these doctrines.

Point 1 Addressing Church Leaders as “Father”

Jesus addresses Abraham as “Father.” Why would Christ address him thus in light of His command:

“And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.” Matthew 23: 9 KJV?

Since Christ clearly calls Abraham "father" in His parable, is He contradicting Himself? Do a Bible search for how many times Christ and scripture uses the word "father" to describe our male parent. If it was wrong to do, why would He do it? See Rom. 4:1, 11-18, 9:10; Phil. 2:22; Thess. 2:11; I Tim. 5:1.

Without a lengthy explanation as to exactly what Jesus meant, suffice it to say it was not a command about technically calling someone "father" as Catholics refer to their pastors. It was more meaning that Israel should not claim the "fathers" (the Patriarchs) as their proof for God automatic favor anymore than a Catholic can point to Father Peter as proving their automatic favor with God. So this text cannot be used by Protestants to claim it is wrong to call a priest "father" for Christ entitled Israel's leader Abraham "Father."

Point 2 Purgatory

Neither Abraham nor Lazarus in this parable are understood to be in heaven, yet they are clearly not in hell. This parable speaks of another place, called by the Jews “Abraham’s Bosom” and later by the Catholics “Purgatory.” It is a place of purification we go to for sins we were not repentant for, sins we clung to in this life. That is where both Father Abraham and Lazarus were awaiting heaven.

This statement by Father Abraham, “between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot ; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence,” is used to support the Protestant idea that petitioning the saints in heaven to pray for us is not possible because of this fixed gulf.

In fact, this passage does not address communication, as there is proof by the rich man speaking to Father Abraham that communication is possible past the fixed gulf. Father Abraham’s response is not about communication but about Lazarus, in Abraham’s Bosom before the cross and the New Covenant, who cannot physically returning to the earth to warn the rich man’s brothers.

Point 3 Oral Tradition

Nowhere in the Old Testament is the doctrine of “Abraham’s Bosom.” It is not found in written scripture before Christ refers to it as if it is well-known. Abraham’s Bosom is part of the Hebrew’s oral tradition. Jesus several times in His earthly ministry refers to the oral tradition, citing it as truth.

Point 4 Praying to Saints in Heaven

Protestant argument:

Even if a dead saint is up in heaven – he or she has no power to answer a prayer. Maybe, at best, they could pray for you but... come on...? Why waste your time praying to a dead saint when you can go straight to God? Jesus directed His prayers to God and told us to pray "our Father." Nowhere in scripture does it say we can pray to a saint or they can listen to us.

Catholic Biblical response:

Notice in this parable that Lazarus is praying (petitioning) someone who is supposedly dead (Abraham)! And the dead rich man is asking something of Father Abraham which is assumed that Abraham can actually do for him!

"Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house."

Why would Christ use such a parable if it taught such an abominable practice such as praying to the dead? Of course He wouldn’t use a devilish practice to make a heavenly point! It is because those who die in Christ or in the favor of God do NOT go to hell. They are not technically dead but asleep as Christ said about Abraham in Matthew 22: 32:

“I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob' ? He is not the God of the dead but of the living."

Catholics petition those saints in heaven who are there interceding to God in our behalf. That is their heavenly “job” until Christ comes again. They are actively participating in the salvation of mankind in the same way we are on earth today! They pray for us in the same way that our brothers and sisters in Christ pray for us. Why would Christ tell us to pray for each other, intercede for each other, if it were a “waste of time” as Protestants suggest?

The NT is full of Christians and non-Christians asking for the believers’ prayers, even as a direct command from Christ! And please note that it is not just an empty ritual, prayer by Christians is assumed to have great power!

Pray for me to the Lord... Acts 8: 24

 ...pray for them which despitefully use you...Matt. 5:44

Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him... James 5: 14
...we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 2 Cor. 5: 20
Pray for me. Pray strenuously with and for me. Rom. 15: 30

... pray for me that when I speak... Eph. 6:19
Pray for me...this will all turn out for my deliverance. Phil. 1:19

...pray for me... Col. 4: 18

Brethren, pray for us. I Thess. 5: 25

Pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified. 2 Thess. 3:1
Pray for us.... Heb. 13:18

When Catholics petition saints in heaven for things, Jesus Himself gives credence to this practice in His parable of Lazarus. It is assumed that the patriarch Abraham can and will be able to perform a task asked by someone in torment.

None of these four doctrines have anything to do with the point of Christ’s parable, which is prophecy of Israel remaining in disbelief even after Christ raises Lazarus from the dead later in His ministry. Yet, the parable does have doctrinal issues that are assumed and these need to be pointed out as backing up Catholic doctrines.

Pilgrimage of Miracles 2011

It is impossible to return in any way but physically...

It feels like a drowning. But no, even more...

We have been baptized in angelic wonders--transformed and our world no longer fits.  Home ceases to refers to any earthly abode. We feel distant and lonely, like we shall be forever falling till we have been given wings. Time is no longer constant, but expanding.

Songs fall still and prayers give way to wordless adoration. The universe is filled with an overpowering, reverent and terrifying silence. The darkest and the lightest become a white hot furnace of pure love.

Senses struck senseless with new eyes to see the horrifying struggle between the cancerous meaninglessness of sin against the beauty and holiness of a Sovereign God.

                                                                ********



Miracles are not comfortable.

Miracles make demands upon you.

Do NOT pray for a miracle unless you are prepared to give up this world and live a new life. Miracles sweep away your identity, your worldview, your comfort and leave your existence fundamentally changed.

Miracles are not given for our spiritual entertainment, nor are they necessarily given to strengthen our faith, for most happen when Christ says, "Your faith has healed you." Miracles are given to stretch us, sear us and bring us into the holiness of saints. 

Miracles either burn, heal, and make you a saint or make you an atheist. That must be why God doesn't give them often. You either embrace the supernatural and give glory to God or you analyze them, your heart rejects such powerful grace and belief diminishes and dulls.

There are many many who claim Christ as their best friend out there who are atheists.

Photos of our Pilgrimage of Miracles 2011. More to come... (All photos-- copyright held by Arthur Beem, 2011)

 From the Queen Mary 2 transatlantic voyage from NYC to Southampton, England

                                                             Westminster Abbey

                                                            Westminster Cathedral

                                  Scene from my window in Langley Castle, Hexham, England