A Catholic Citizen in America: God

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Sunday, June 5, 2016

Elijah and Pushing a Rock

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2016:

Third Sunday of Easter, 2016

by Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas June 5, 2016

I have chosen to speak to you today on our first reading, from 1st Kings. In part because I couldn't believe that a part of the story I hadn't read before, and if I have, I have forgotten it.

The story comes from the time of Elijah the prophet. It was a difficult time in Israel's history. The kingdom had fallen into idolatry. Baal worship had become the official state religion. And there was a terrible drought and famine in the land. Food was scarce, and Elijah the prophet was on the run from the King and his wicked wife, Queen Jezebel. The Lord led Elijah to a brook where he could drink, but soon it dried up. And thus the word of the Lord came to him: "go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there."

Zarephath was located on the Mediterranean coast between Sidon and Tyre in the heart of pagan territory. In fact, it was not far from where Queen Jezebel's home town is located. It was a most unlikely place for Elijah to hide from Ahab and his henchmen. Then God said something else to Elijah that was equally as unlikely: "I have directed a widow there to supply you with food."

This sounds counter-intuitive because nobody struggles more mightily during a time of drought and famine then do widows unless they have grown children to provide for them. The government certainly didn't do it. Their neighbors didn't do it either, as they were probably in as bad a shape as the widow. As Elijah made his journey to is Zarephath , he was certainly thinking that a pagan town and a widow and her young son with little resources could not be of very much help but he went where God told him to go.

This appears to be the first secret, of course, of a fulfilling life. If God tells you to do something or to go somewhere, then get a move on.

There's story about a weak and sickly man who was unable to afford a doctor. He lived in the deep backwoods in a log cabin. In front of his cabin was a huge boulder. One night he had a vision in which God told him to go out and push on the rock in front of his home, all day long, day after day, until God was to tell him to stop. The man got up early in the morning and did as he was told. He pushed on the rock as long as he could. After rest he pushed more. Each day pushed a little harder and a little longer. Day after day he pushed. Days rolled on to weeks, and weeks into months, as he faithfully pushed against this rock.

After several months of pushing this rock, however, the man was getting tired. He began to doubt that his vision came from God. He decided to measure how far he had been able to move the rock during those months, and he discovered that it had not budgeted all.

The man was disappointed and in despair. He sat on his porch and cried, because he had invested so much time and effort for nothing. This day the sun was setting, and Jesus came and sat down next to the man. Jesus asked, "son, why are you so sad?"

The man replied," Lord, you know how weak I am, and the vision you gave me built up false hope. I have pushed with all that was within me for many months and that old rock is right where it was when I started."

Jesus said to him, "I never told you to go move the rock, I told you to push against the rock." Then Jesus told him to step in front of the mirror and look at himself. The man did so and was amazed. He had been so sickly and weak, but now what he saw in the mirror was a strong muscular man. And it dawned on him that he had been feeling better the last two months and it was all because he had been pushing the rock. Suddenly the man understood that the plan of God was not to change the position of the rock, but to change him. That's how obedience to God works. Our task is not to understand what God is seeking to accomplish. Our task is simply to obey.

Later we will see the blessings that will flow due to our obedience.

Elijah then, heard the word of the Lord that he was to go to the town is Zarephath were God had instructed a widow to supply them with food. Elijah did as he was told even though the plan seemed to be misguided. When he come to the gate of the city, he encountered a widow who was gathering sticks. Since this was Baal territory, we may assume that this woman had been raised to worship idols. Yet she was a giving person, a kind person. Elijah called to the window and asked, "would you bring me a little water so that I may have a drink?" Amazingly she did as he asked, even though there was little water to go around. And, as basic as his request for water was, she was going to get it, Elijah called after her and said, "and bring me, please, a piece of bread."

She and her son were on the verge of starvation yet she honored the request of Elijah, as Elijah says to her, "don't be afraid."

I'm sure you all remember the story very well for the oil and flour that she used for baking just never seemed to run dry.

The part of the story that I have to admit I just did not remember and is the part of the story where her son becomes gravely ill and dies in her lap. She was concerned that she was being punished for her sin by having her son taken away from her.

How sad it is that we too sometimes have the same concern.

Yet Elijah picks the boy up from her lap and takes him in his arms carries him upstairs to his room and lays them on the bed. Then he cries out to the Lord, "Lord my God, have you brought tragedy on this poor widow that I'm staying with, by causing her son to die?" You think because Elijah is a prophet that he has life all figured out. But he has no idea how this widows son is dead or at least on the verge of death. After all, he had stopped breathing, so Elijah stretched himself on the boy three times cried out to the Lord, "Lord my God that this boy's life my returned to him!" And so it happened and Elijah picks up the boy and return him to his mother's arms alive.

Similarly is the story in the Gospel where Jesus restores the son of a widow lady on the way to his burial place. Jesus, "says, young man, I tell you, arise!"

How can we wrap ourselves around these stories unless we have the firm belief that when God speaks, it is. Plus!, When God speaks we are, not only to listen but to get busy and do.

One final comment: don't tell God He can't do that! Listen and believe!

You all be Good, be Holy, preached the Gospel always using Words and Holy Actions!.

'Thank you' to Deacon Kaas, for letting me post his reflection here.

More reflections:

"Reflections from Sauk Centre's Our Lady of Angels Church"

"Names and THE Name"
(February 28, 2016)
"Joy to the World!"
(December 27, 2015)
"Truth and the Big Picture"
(November 22, 2015)
" 'Blessed are You Who Believe' "
(December 20, 2015)
"Fire, Brimstone, and Lollipop Faith"
(March 15, 2015)

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Names and THE Name

(From USCCB, used w/o permission.)

Depending on whether or not folks are going through RCIA, we could be hearing either Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15; 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12; and Luke 13:1-9 — or Exodus 17:3-7; Romans 5:1-2, 5-8; and John 4:5-42 during Mass today.

The first set is the usual Year A readings for the third Sunday of Lent, the other are the set for today's Year A Scrutinies. Scrutinies are part of RCIA, the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, a reboot of ancient procedures for processing adults into the Church.

Today's RCIA goes back to 1972, "as part of the liturgical renewal mandated by Vatican II."¹ Before that we'd been using a Rite of Baptism introduced in 1614: which was just baptism.

I suppose some folks are upset that we changed something that'd been around since the year Pocahontas married John Rolfe and the Siege of Osaka began. Tokugawa Ieyasu became the next shogun, and yes: there are worse things than American presidential elections. My opinion.

By the way — if this post seems a bit more scattershot than usual, you're quite right.

I've been beset by a swarm of minor frustrations, or been unusually poor at managing my time — more likely a mix of both, plus getting downwind of the butterfly effect on steroids.

Butterflies on steroids?

That's a mental image that'll stick with me, and I'm not going to get distracted by gonane, cyclohexane rings, cyclopentane structures, bicycles, and entomology — etymology, yes, and I'll get back to that.

Still with me?

Okay — Make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full upright position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or in the overhead bins. Thank you, and I hope you enjoy your flight.

Councils

I'm not upset that we're not trying to revive the 'good old days' of 1972, 1962, or 1614.

But I realize that ecumenical councils like the Second Vatican Council, First Vatican Council, and Council of Trent, deal with global issues; and that we no longer live in the 20th, or 16th, century.

I'll grant that the First and Second Vatican Councils happened pretty close together: 1870 and 1962–1965.

Instead of wringing my hands how fast the world's changing, I'll point out that the First Council of Niceaea, First Council of Constantinople and Council of Ephesus, convened in 325, 381, and 431. The seventh ecumenical council happened in 787, back in Nicaea.

What's more remarkable, I think, are gaps when these councils didn't meet, like 870 to 1123 and 1563 to 1870.

This world keeps changing, so I see the Church making occasional adjustments in how we present the deposit of faith as routine. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1, 24, 84-87, 172-175, 302, 1511-1513, 1200-1206)

Where was I? Exodus, Niceaea, Pocahontas. Right.

"What am I to Tell Them?"

There's a lot going on in Exodus 3:1-15: sandals and holy ground, being afraid to look at God, and diffidence over getting orders directly from the top.²

It's also when we learned God's name, or title. One of them, that is:

"...'But,' said Moses to God, 'when I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' if they ask me, 'What is his name?' what am I to tell them?'

"⁶ God replied, 'I am who am.' Then he added, 'This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you.'

"God spoke further to Moses, 'Thus shall you say to the Israelites: The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. 'This is my name forever; this is my title for all generations...."
(Exodus 3:13-15)

I've talked about what happened centuries, maybe a millennium, later. (October 18, 2015; April 5, 2015)

"²⁴ Jesus said to them, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.'

"So they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area."
(John 8:58-59)

Getting back to that interview with I AM; also names, language, and culture.

John, Jesus, and Me

Names mean things, or did at some point. Some examples —

Brian, my given name, harks back to Irish and Breton languages. It may come from an Old Celtic word for "hill" or "high place," and by extension mean "high" or "noble." I'm named after Brian Boru, High King of Ireland about a millennium back.

That's not what we'd mean these days by 'king of Ireland,' and I'm not going to get distracted by the Battle of Clontarf. My surname, Gill, means gully or ravine; or, if it's the word incorporated in Gilchrist, servant or slave. "Noble Gully/Slave?" There are worse names, I suppose.

Some names, like the Latin-derived Victor, still mean something in my native language. Others, like Benjamin, don't: and predate Western civilization's current iteration.

David is my language's version of דָּוִד, "beloved." An Ethiopian version is Dawit, and that's another topic.

John/Giovanni/Juan/Johann/Jens/Ieuan/Seán/Ivan/Janez/ יוֹחָנָן (Yôḥānān)/יְהוֹחָנָן (Yəhôḥānān) — means "YHWH has been gracious." That explains Gabriel's message for Zachariah in Luke 1:13. I've talked about Gideon, Gabriel, Mary, and guts before. (December 21, 2014)

Several decades back, I heard "Jesus Loves Me" sung by a Chinese child: discovering that our Lord's name in her language is Yasu — which is closer, I think, to the original ישוע (Yeshua) than my Germanic language's "Jesus."

I like English, but will admit that it's not the most euphonious language on the planet.

Anyway, Yeshua was a common alternative to יְהוֹשֻׁעַ (Joshua) when Gabriel had that interview with Mary.

I've read that "YHWH Saves/[is] Salvation/[is] a Saving-Cry" are not-unreasonable translations: and am inclined to see 'all of the above' as accurate. The denotative distinctions aren't all that disparate — alliteration happens — I suspect "God Saves" isn't far from the mark.

So, what about Ehyeh Ašer Ehyeh and Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh, "I am who am" and "I AM" in my translation of Exodus 3:14?

"...Tell the Israelites..."

First off, my hat is most respectfully off to the millennia-old custom of avoiding uttering the Names of God. My own beliefs don't require it: and I'll find out soon enough if that's a problem.

I've talked about particular judgment, sin, and long-term planning, before. I hope that, at the end of all things, folks who wear tefillin get special commendation for following instructions to the letter, and that's yet another topic. (November 1, 2015; August 12, 2015; March 8, 2015)

Next, let's remember that Exodus 3:14 recalls something that happened — most likely after the Late Bronze Age Collapse and before Philip II of Macedon hired Aristotle as Alexander III of Macedon's tutor.

Back then, folks in Sumer and other Mesopotamian regions had an extensive roster of gods: like Anu/An, "Lord of the Constellations, Spirits and Demons;" and Ereshkigal, ruler of Irkalla, the underworld.

Today, several millennia later, we've gotten into the habit of using phonetic approximations of ancient names: and tend, I think, to forget that the names meant something, like "Victor" does today.

Someone who understood Sumerian, but hadn't heard of Anu, wouldn't have had trouble guessing what Anu's sphere of influence was. "An" means "sky" in Sumerian.

Ereshkigal,

, means "queen of the great earth:" which isn't far from "queen of the underworld."

I suspect Moses understood at least some implications of "I am who am" and "I AM:" even if he hadn't realized that God is God and everyone else isn't.

I think it's likely that Moses would realize that the God of Abraham ruled: not just the sky, or our world, or some other subset of reality. God, I AM, rules — existence, reality, everything.

We're still, I think, getting used to that idea.

"For the LORD, your God, is the God of gods, the LORD of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who has no favorites, accepts no bribes;

"who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and befriends the alien, feeding and clothing him.

"So you too must befriend the alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt."
(Deuteronomy 10:17-19)

"Great is the LORD and worthy of high praise; God's grandeur is beyond understanding.

"One generation praises your deeds to the next and proclaims your mighty works.

"They speak of the splendor of your majestic glory, tell of your wonderful deeds.

"They speak of your fearsome power and attest to your great deeds.

"They publish the renown of your abounding goodness and joyfully sing of your justice.

"The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love.

"The LORD is good to all, compassionate to every creature."
(Psalms 145:3-9)

"¹ In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our ancestors through the prophets;

"in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made heir of all things and through whom he created the universe,

"who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word. When he had accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

"as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs."
(Hebrews 1:1-4)

(From NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA); ESA/Hubble Collaboration; used w/o permission.)

There's more, lots more, including what our Lord said about tower at Siloam, and that's yet again another topic:

"Why Make a Universe?"
(July 26, 2015)
Particularly
- Perspective
- "As a Grain from a Balance"
"Scrutinies, Options, and 'a Great Multitude' "
(March 22, 2015)
Particularly
- The Great Commission, Two Millennia and Counting
- Faith, Works, and Very Bad Ideas
" 'Those Who are Just Must be Kind' "
(July 20, 2014)
Particularly
- The Beginning of Wisdom
- Fear of the Lord and Karaoke
"Response to an Ancient Offense"
(September 5, 2012)
Particularly
- A Name, a Mission
"Japan's Earthquake, Divine Retribution, and the Tower at Siloam"
(March 15, 2011)
Particularly
- In the Hands of an Angry - and Procrastinating - God?

¹ RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) background:

"...The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), retrieved from biblical and patristic sources and adapted for use by the Catholic Church in 1972, offers possibilities for an agreed expression of our theological understanding and practice. The RCIA was introduced into the Catholic Church as part of the liturgical renewal mandated by Vatican II. It resulted from a revision of the rite of baptism in light of studies of liturgical history drawn from scriptural and patristic texts, especially that of the early centuries. As its name implies, this rite is for the full initiation of a person into the church. The previously existing Rite of Baptism, that came into effect in 1614 as a rite of baptism only, was an abbreviated version of the ancient rite for the initiation of adults and had been used for the most part in the modified form suitable for the baptism of infants. The Rite of the Baptism of Infants, introduced in 1969 to answer the need of a rite suited to infants, follows the practice of the previous rite in being for baptism alone, rather than one of full initiation. The limited scope of this Rite brings into prominence, by way of contrast, the comprehensive nature of the RCIA...."

"...The renewed Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, drawn from the tradition of the ancient church, is intended to guide the person as 'a new creature, an adopted [child] of God, who has become a partaker of the divine nature, member of Christ and co-heir with him, and a temple of the Holy Spirit' (CCC 1265). Baptismal experience helps a person to grow in faith, hope and love towards God, to live under the prompting of the Holy Spirit and to mature in holiness. Adults also receive the sacrament of confirmation during their initiation, that is, 'the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost' (CCC 1302). This increases the grace of baptism such that their sense of divine filiation or adoption is deepened, their union with Christ is more firm, the gifts of the Holy Spirit increase, the bond with the church is more perfect, and by the special strength of the Holy Spirit they are enabled to witness to Christ by word and action (cf. CCC 1303). Reception of the eucharist in 'first communion' is a sharing in the sacrament of intimate union with Christ that 'preserves, increases, and renews the life of grace received at baptism". As "the bread for our pilgrimage until the moment of death' (CCC 1392), the eucharist grants the necessary nourishment for continued growth in Christian life."
("On Becoming a Christian: Insights from Scripture and the Patristic Writings with Some Contemporary Reflections," 48, 162, Report of the Fifth Phase of the International Dialogue Between Some Classical Pentecostal Churches and Leaders and the Catholic Church (1998-2006))

RCIA and scrutinies:

"...What are the 'scrutinies?' The RCIA describes them as 'rites for self - searching and repentance and above all a spiritual purpose. The scrutinies are meant to uncover, then heal all that is weak, defective, or sinful in the hearts of the elect; to bring out, then strengthen all that is upright, strong and good.For the scrutinies are celebrated in order to deliver the elect from the power of sin and Satan, to protect them against temptation, and to give them strength in Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life.' (#141)..."
(Bulletin Article 1 | The Season of Lent, USCCB (2012))

Sunday, December 27, 2015

Joy to the World!

(From Silar, Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
(Nativity scene at the Christ the King Church in Sanok, Poland, 2010.)

Shepherding is a comparatively new occupation, compared to hunting and knapping.

The earliest evidence we've found so far puts the first shepherds north of Sargon's Akkadian Empire, where the Hittite Kingdom was, a dozen or so centuries later. I've mentioned them before. (August 21, 2015; October 16, 2015)

That was about the time someone carved a bit of siltstone into the Narmer Palette, and folks started building Stonehenge; and that's another topic.

Around the time Emperor Ping died, leaving Wang Mang in charge — he was either a great reformer or conniving scoundrel, depending on who you read, and that's yet another topic — the Roman Emperor ordered an empire-wide census.

That obliged a nine-month-pregnant young woman and her fiance to visit Bethlehem. Or maybe her husband. Either way, Mary got pregnant before she and Joseph married. There's a reasonable explanation, and it's not what one might expect. (Matthew 1:19-24; Luke 1:26-38)

I'll get back to that.

An Official Birthday Celebration

The Christmas "Mass at Dawn" actually started at 10:30 in the Our Lady of Angels parish here in Sauk Centre, Minnesota.

It's part of a four-Mass marathon: the Vigil Mass, Mass at Midnight, Mass at Dawn, and Mass During the Day. By the time that's over, someone attending all four would have heard Matthew 1:1-25 — yeah, the whole first chapter — Luke 2:1-14; Luke 2:15-20; and John 1:1-18.

I was at the "Mass at Dawn," but not the others. We've got rules about Christmas Mass;¹ but as far as I know nothing says I must be at all four, and I'm wandering off-topic again.

So: why make such a big deal of Christmas? Short answer: it's when we celebrate out Lord's birthday. We don't know exactly which day and month Jesus was born, and that's okay.

The way I explained it to our kids is that it's an official birthday.

The British monarch's birthday celebration is celebrated in May or June, since Commonwealth countries are in Earth's northern hemisphere, and those months generally have nice weather. Sometimes the actual birthday is within a few days of the official one: but that's a coincidence.

My guess is that Christmas is just a few days from the northern hemisphere winter solstice because that's when folks here were celebrating daylight's return. My pagan forebears saw that part of Earth's seasonal cycle one way. I see it as a handy symbol for our Lord's arrival:

"¹ ² In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

"He was in the beginning with God.

"³ All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be

"through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race;

"⁴ the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
(John 1:1-5)

Human on His Mother's Side

Like I said, Mary became pregnant before she and Joseph got married. I talked about her decision to accept a high-risk mission last year. (December 21, 2014)

I've heard Jesus described as "a nice Jewish boy who obeyed his mother and went into his Father's business." It's not the most conventional way of expressing what we're told in Luke 1:26-38, John 2:1-5, and John 5:17-20; but it's basically accurate.

I can't explain how Jesus is human and God. Some things we can't fully understand, like exactly how the Trinity works. (May 31, 2015)

There's a pretty good discussion of Jesus, the Word become Flesh, true God and true man, in Catechism of the Catholic Church, 456-478.

Where was I? Shepherds, emperors, birthdays. Right.

Luke 2:1-14, that's the Gospel reading for Christmas Mass at Midnight, includes this:

"⁴ Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock.

"The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear.

"The angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

"⁵ For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.

"And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.' "
(Luke 2:8-12)

Shepherding wasn't a high-status job. Night watchmen and night shift convenience store clerks might be equivalent occupations these days.

Back to Luke's narrative:

"When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, 'Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.'

"So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.

"When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.

"All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds.

"And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.

"Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them."
(Luke 2:15-20)

Two millennia later, that birth is still a big deal. Jesus grew up, spending part of his childhood in Egypt — I'll be talking about the magi and Herod's execution of kids in Bethlehem in another post. That sad account is in Matthew 2:13-18.

"Goodness, Life and Truth"

Our Lord grew up; and said that we should love God, love our neighbors, and see everybody as our neighbor.² Then Jesus was tortured, executed, and buried:³ and stopped being dead. (Luke 24:15-33)

I've talked about that before. (December 20, 2015; August 30, 2015; April 5, 2015)

That's why Christmas is such a big deal: it's when we celebrate God's coming to live with us, as one of us. The Old Testament let us know that God takes a personal interest in human affairs. When Jesus arrived, we saw that God is personally involved.

"...let us take another step; what gives rise to this joy? I would say that it is born from the heart's wonder at seeing that God is close to us, that God thinks of us, that God acts in history; it is therefore a joy born from contemplating the face of that humble Child because we know that he is the Face of God present for ever in humanity, for us and with us. Christmas is joy because at last we see and are certain that God is the goodness, life, and truth of human beings and that he stoops down to them to lift them up to him...."
(Benedict XVI (January 4, 2012)⁴)

(From NASA/ISS, used w/o permission.)

Our joy isn't a fairytale 'and they lived happily ever after' thing. Tomorrow we'll be celebrating Herod's mass murder of the Holy Innocents. Yesterday was St. Stephen's feast day. (October 18, 2015)

Our joy is the best news humanity's ever had: God loves us, and wants to adopt us. All of us. (John 3:17; Romans 8:15; Ephesians 1:3-5; Catechism, 1-3, 52, 1825)

"For God so loved the world that he gave ⁷ his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn ⁸ the world, but that the world might be saved through him."
(John 3:16-17)

More reasons to celebrate:

"Advent and a Sense of Scale"
(December 20, 2015)
Particularly:
- Jesus of Nazareth
- Love
"Truth and the Big Picture"
(November 22, 2015)
Particularly:
" 'Have No Anxiety At All' "
(October 18, 2015)
Particularly:
- Why Take Jesus Seriously?
- Rejoice!
"Gideon, Gabriel, Mary, and Guts"
(December 21, 2014)
Particularly:
- Mary and 'Happy Days' America
- Submissive? Maybe
"Joy and Standing Orders"
(October 5, 2014)
Particularly:

¹ Regulations for laity are fairly straightforward, like the Sunday obligation detailed in Catechism of the Catholic Church -2183 and Code of Canon Law Book IV Part III Title II Chapter I 1248.

It's different for priests and bishops: Code of Canon Law Book II Part II Section II Title I Chapter II Article 2 3 and Book IV Part I Title III Chapter III 951, for example.

I'm okay with that. The way I see it, my position as a Catholic layman is a bit like a foot soldier's: and I'm quite content to let the officers deal with administrative details. (December 28, 2014; October 12, 2014)

² Matthew 5:43-44, 7:12, 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31 10:25-27, 29-37; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1789

³ Matthew 27:26-54; Mark 15:34-39; Luke 23:14-47; John 19:1-40.

⁴ More about joy and Christmas:

"Nativity of the Lord, Mystery of Joy and Light"
General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI (January 4, 2012)
(From w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/audiences/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_aud_20120104.html (December 26, 2015))
"Feast of Saint Stephen"
Angelus, Pope Francis: (December 26, 2013)
(From w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/angelus/2013/documents/papa-francesco_angelus_20131226.html (December 26, 2015))

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Why Make a Universe?

(From NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA); ESA/Hubble Collaboration; used w/o permission.)

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky proclaims its builder's craft."
(Psalms 19:2)

Genesis 1:1-31 says that God created the universe, and us, and found everything "very good."

Psalms 19:2 says that the celestial light show declares the glory of God.

Who is this message being directed at?

Us, apparently.

St. Bonaventure said that God's creation communicates the Almighty's glory, St. Thomas Aquinas said that God creates because the Almighty is good and loving, and I think they're right.¹ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 293)

God created the universe, and humanity, because God loves us and wants to adopt us. It's that simple. (John 3:17; Catechism, 27-30, 52, 1825)

Perspective

Of course, it's not simple, too.

For one thing, we're starting to realize that we may have neighbors: other creatures like us, with bodies and free will, but not from Earth.

Then again, maybe we don't. Either way — as Porky Pine said — "it's a mighty sobering thought." (November 7, 2014; June 27, 2014)

We've learned a bit since the Psalms were written, about two dozen centuries back, give or take a quarter-millennium.

Living in a universe that's immensely bigger and older than Ussher's tidy little version of a Mesopotamian model upsets some folks.

I figure part of my job is appreciating God's creation: not telling the Almighty how it should be made. (March 29, 2015)

Scientific discoveries are invitations to "...even greater admiration for the greatness of the Creator...." (Catechism, 283)

I've talked about faith, reason, science, and getting a grip, before. Often. (June 14, 2015; April 10, 2015; December 19, 2014)

"As a Grain from a Balance"

(From NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA); ESA/Hubble Collaboration; used w/o permission.)

"⁴ Indeed, before you the whole universe is as a grain from a balance, or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth.

"But you have mercy on all, because you can do all things; and you overlook the sins of men that they may repent.

"For you love all things that are and loathe nothing that you have made; for what you hated, you would not have fashioned.

"And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it; or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you?"
(Wisdom 11:22-25)

God isn't merely big and strong. God is "...infinite ... almighty and ineffable ... infinitely greater than all his works...." (Catechism, 202, 300)

What we're learning about the scale of this universe doesn't, I think, make God 'more infinite.' But I think it adds emphasis to verses like these:

"When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars that you set in place -

"⁴What are humans that you are mindful of them, mere mortals that you care for them?

"⁵Yet you have made them little less than a god, crowned them with glory and honor."
(Psalms 8:4-6)

I also think remembering who and what we are is important. And that's another topic.

More about faith and using my brain:

"Humility, Science, and Accepting Reality"
(March 29, 2015)
Particularly
"Spotting a Diamond (?) Planet, Searching for Life"
(December 19, 2014)
Particularly
- Poetry, Science, and Genesis
- Truth and Admiration
"Scientific Discoveries: an Invitation to 'Even Greater Admiration' "
(September 21, 2014)
Particularly
"Humility: Accepting Reality"
(August 10, 2014)
Particularly
"Science, Faith, and Leaving the 19th Century Behind"
(July 15, 2014)
Particularly

¹ From the Catechism, about God, creation, and love:

"Scripture and Tradition never cease to teach and celebrate this fundamental truth: 'The world was made for the glory of God.'¹³⁴ St. Bonaventure explains that God created all things 'not to increase his glory, but to show it forth and to communicate it',¹³⁵ for God has no other reason for creating than his love and goodness: 'Creatures came into existence when the key of love opened his hand.'¹³⁶ The First Vatican Council explains:

"This one, true God, of his own goodness and 'almighty power', not for increasing his own beatitude, nor for attaining his perfection, but in order to manifest this perfection through the benefits which he bestows on creatures, with absolute freedom of counsel 'and from the beginning of time, made out of nothing both orders of creatures, the spiritual and the corporeal. . .'¹³⁷
"The glory of God consists in the realization of this manifestation and communication of his goodness, for which the world was created. God made us 'to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace',¹³⁸ for 'the glory of God is man fully alive; moreover man's life is the vision of God: if God's revelation through creation has already obtained life for all the beings that dwell on earth, how much more will the Word's manifestation of the Father obtain life for those who see God.'¹³⁹ The ultimate purpose of creation is that God 'who is the creator of all things may at last become "all in all", thus simultaneously assuring his own glory and our beatitude.'¹⁴⁰ "
(Catechism, 293-294)

Sunday, May 31, 2015

The Trinity, Baptism, and Eternal Life

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, 2015:

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity, 2015

By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas
May 31, 2015

Today is Trinity Sunday, a Solemnity we celebrate throughout the Catholic world.

Our challenge is to try to put form to the idea of three persons in one God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We are taught that the Father is the Creator, and at the Word of the Father we have His only Son, with the Love of the Father and Son we have the Holy Spirit. We are also taught that the three persons of God are One. By the way, if you can figure this all out give me a call cause I want to know.

Quite a number of years ago even before I was ordained I either read or heard of a hypothesis that makes sense. And have meditated much on this idea since. It goes something like this.

God, who created all things and has given each of us a body, whether that body is human, an animal's or even plant's. That gives us a good start, at the bottom of the Trinitarian ladder. This idea goes on to claim that each of us whether human, animal or plant are gifted with a soul. Now we might shudder a little bit but hear me out. By this hypothesis the soul gives form and animates the body. Here is where there becomes a distinction between humans and the rest of God's creation. For in order for us to hold to the idea of eternal life there has to be an intimate relationship with the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, that is the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit that gives life to the soul.

To clarify: every living thing on earth that has been created by Almighty God will completely return to dust, except the soul of man that has been gifted of the Holy Spirit. The final gift of the Holy Spirit given to man then is the restoration of his body at the end of the world.

I'm sure some of you already thinking, there is something missing? And you are right! The missing factor here is Baptism. In order to give eternal life to the soul one must be Baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The Sacrament of Baptism fills out this hypothesis that could easily be summed up again as: the body created by God is animated by the soul which is given life by the Holy Spirit.

A point to be made about baptism: when we are baptized we are made sons and daughters of the Father with the same hereditary right of his firstborn Son. The point here is to understand that this is our right, given by the sacrament, the right to everything that belongs to the son now belongs to the new baptized. That is Eternal Life. And of course it's good to remind the adult that it is sin that destroys this beautiful gift granted at baptism and can be restored by a good confession.

To my way of seeing things this completes the Trinitarian comparison between God's creation of man and his own Trinitarian life.

I'm not trying to tell you that this is the only way to look at our relationship with the Trinity but I think it's certainly worth our meditation!

So you all be Good, be Holy, preached the Gospel using Words and Holy Actions.

'Thank you' to Deacon Kaas, for letting me post his reflection here.

More reflections:

"Reflections from Sauk Centre's Our Lady of Angels Church"

"The Trinity: Accepting When I Cannot Comprehend"
(May 31, 2015)
"The Trinity: a Divine Unity, and a Mystery"
(March 8, 2015)
"Guide, Friend, Counselor, Comforter: the Holy Spirit"
(May 25, 2014)
"Trinity Sunday: Our God is a Sharing God"
(May 26, 2013)
"The Man Who is Truth"
(May 26, 2012)

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Fire, Brimstone, and Lollipop Faith

Today's Gospel reading, John 3:14-21, includes one of my favorite bits from the Bible:

"For God so loved the world that he gave ⁷ his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.

"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn ⁸ the world, but that the world might be saved through him."
(John 3:16-17)

That's reassuring, and poles apart from the "Sinners it the Hands of an Angry God" flavor of faith popularized by Jonathan Edwards.

Since Edwards "is widely acknowledged to be America's most important and original philosophical theologian,"¹ I'd better explain a few things.

I'm a Christian, but not a Protestant — and certainly not a fundamentalist Protestant.

I'm a Catholic, one of those "superstitious and idolatrous" papists James Ussher wrote about. (February 5, 2014)

That means I can think the universe is billions, not thousands, of years old, play Bingo, or like rock 'n' roll — without abandoning my faith.

I'm also convinced that Earth isn't flat, Adam and Eve weren't German, poetry isn't science, and thinking is not a sin. And that's another topic. (February 27, 2015)

Getting back to God, the world, and long-term planning; as a Catholic, I must act as if I will live forever — which can be good news, or bad news.

Humanity, each of us, is basically good: like everything God creates. But each of us can make bad decisions, and we're living with consequences of a very bad decision made by our first parents. (Genesis 1:31; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 388-389, 988-1014)

My main job, just like everyone else, is loving and serving God. (Catechism, 1, 355-358, 1721)

Whether or not I do that job is up to me, every moment. Humans are rational creatures, able to decide what we do: or don't do. (Catechism, 1730-1738, 1762-1770)

Despite the claims of folks riding Edwards' coattails, God does not have anger management issues: and isn't waiting for an excuse to drop me into Hell.

On the other hand, nobody's dragged, kicking and screaming, into Heaven. If I decide that I'd rather not act like a rational creature, I can opt out of Heaven. It'd be my decision: a daft one, but mine. (Catechism, 1021-1037)

God Doesn't Hate You: But He's No Patsy

Then there are cheerful thoughts like these:

"...every unconverted Man properly belongs to Hell...."

"...The God that holds you over the Pit of Hell, much as one holds a Spider, or some loathsome Insect, over the Fire, abhors you...."

"...you will be wholly lost and thrown away of God...."
("Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," pp. 6, 9, 15, 18; Jonathan Edwards (July 8, 1741) (via Digital Commons@University of Nebraska-Lincoln))

Some folks, understandably, don't particularly like being told "you will be wholly lost and thrown away of God" if you don't agree with some enthusiastic disciple of Edwards.

I think, and hope, that Edwards meant well.

Good intentions only go so far, though. "I meant well" doesn't work as an excuse. Not in the long run, and that's almost another topic. (Catechism, 1750-1753, 1789)

God doesn't hate me: or you. God loves each of us. That was the point of our Lord's mission. (Catechism, 458)

But God isn't a senile old fool, rewarding folks for doing anything they like. There are rules, standards of behavior. They boil down to 'love God, love your neighbor, see everyone as your neighbor.' (Matthew 5:43-44; Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31 Luke 10:25-30)

I've got very serious face time with my Lord coming, a sort of final evaluation. Can't say I'm looking forward to that, but it's unavoidable. (Hebrews 9:27; Catechism, 1021-1022, 1051)

If you're expecting a rant about Jonathan Edwards, or anyone else, roasting in Hell — you'll have a long wait. I've got enough on my rap sheet as it is, without trying to muscle in on God's territory. (February 1, 2015)

"...judging others leads us to hypocrisy ... a person who judges gets it wrong...because he takes the place of God, who is the only judge: taking that place is taking the wrong place!..."
(Francis I)

"...although we can judge that an act is in itself a grave offense, we must entrust judgment of persons to the justice and mercy of God."
(Catechism, 1861)

"Stop judging, that you may not be judged."
(Jesus, in Matthew 7:1)

Hellfire and Lollipops

(From John Martin, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)

I grew up in a region where the Ussher and Edwards version of faith was endemic. On the 'up' side, radio preachers and their attitude about commies, music, and the 'Whore of Babylon' set me on a path that got me into my Lord's outfit; and that's yet another topic.

Reaction to fire and brimstone diatribes encourages — my opinion — some folks to assume that religion is a psychiatric disorder and/or con game. Can't say that I blame them. That stuff is toxic.

Cherry picking another set of Bible quotes, others apparently decided that following God is all about happy faces and good times. I've mentioned the prosperity gospel and syncretic religions before. (May 17, 2013; June 19, 2009; January 27, 2009)

"Love" isn't "approval," by the way.

Not letting a friend drive drunk is tacit disapproval of his decision to endanger his, and others', lives. But it is, arguably, a loving act. Labeling someone a useless drunkard, maybe not so much. (May 5, 2013; April 26, 2011)

Scaring folks silly with threats of hellfire, or handing out spiritual lollipops, may be effective at boosting church attendance — in the short run. But that sort of thing smacks of psychological manipulation: and isn't, I think, a good idea.

Wrenching myself back on-topic, God has standards of behavior. They're simple, but not easy: love God, love my neighbor, see everybody as my neighbor. No exceptions. (Matthew 5:43-44; Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Luke 10:25-27; Luke 10:29-37; Catechism, 1825)

Sin, Love, and Robots

We're not robots, programmed to do exactly what we're supposed to: so not loving someone is an option. (July 27, 2014; May 23, 2012)

Sin isn't liking the 'wrong' kind of music, or not following social mores of 'decent' middle-class Americans, ca. 1950.

It's deliberately acting against reason and truth. It's also a very bad idea. (Catechism, 1849, 1853, 1854)

Like it says in John 3:16, God loves the world so much that our Lord came to give us a way out of the mess we're in.

But what we do and where we go is up to us.

Loving folks who aren't lovable is hard. So is using our brains, instead of doing whatever feels good — or easy — at the moment. (December 14, 2014; July 11, 2012)

Hell is real, a permanent residence — with no exit — set up for folks who'd rather not associate with God. (Catechism, 1033-1037)

It's not where curiosity is punished, Heaven isn't a celestial country club for folks who live up — or down — to Holy Willie's standard, and I've been over this before. (August 1, 2014; January 4, 2012; August 8, 2010)

Living the Truth

"You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble."
(James 2:19)

Believing that I should love God, love my neighbor, and see everybody as my neighbor isn't enough.

I'm expected to act like what I believe matters.

"For the judgment is merciless to one who has not shown mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

"⁶ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

"If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day,

"and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,' but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?"
(James 2:13-16)

That gets me back to today's Gospel reading. After that reassuring start, there's a reality check.

"⁹ And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil.

"For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed.

"But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God."
(John 3:19-21)

Loving others doesn't sit well for some folks. I can decide that I'll look out for number one, no matter what. That's going to have consequences.

Responsibility and an Ancient Mandate

I could read what James 2:16 says about giving folks who need "the necessities of the body," and start fretting because I haven't ended world hunger.

Happily, I'm only responsible for what I can do as an individual, and as a member of my culture. (Catechism, 1928-1942)

The phrase "social justice" didn't show up until the 1840s, when folks like Luigi Taparelli said that ethics matter more than economic theory — but the mandate to care for those in need is ancient. (Deuteronomy 26:12-13; Matthew 25:34-40)

And that's yet again another topic.

More about faith and giving a rip:

"Victory and Standing Orders"
(November 23, 2014)
Particularly
"Talents, and the Best News Ever"
(November 16, 2014)
Particularly
- Doing Something
- "Faith Without Works is Dead"
"Neighbors, Love, and Upping the Ante"
(October 26, 2014)
Particularly
- Basic Principles - - -
- - - - and the Long Haul
"Reforming the World — We Must Try"
(September 28, 2014)
Particularly
" 'Arrogant Scoundrels,' 'People Who Care,' and Me"
(March 10, 2013)
Particularly
- "Which is the first of all the commandments?"
- Social Justice

¹ Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, quoted in Jonathan Edwards (theologian) (Wikipedia)

Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

Background:

• "Worthy of belief" Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin
• "Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy. Principles and Guidelines," 15; Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Vatican City (December 2001)
• "Basic Information on Apparitions, Diocese of Green Bay
- (Archived from (www.gbdioc.org/images/stories/Evangelization_Worship/Shrine/Documents/Basic-Information-on-Apparitions.pdf on December 8, 2010)
Catechism of the Catholic Church on:
- • Life as a pilgrimage, 1013
- • Pilgrimages and prayer, 2691

Posts in this blog:

• "Apparition of Mary, Champion, Wisconsin: A Pilgrimage? Not for Me" (April 10, 2011)
• "Wisconsin Apparitions Okay: Champion, Wisconsin: Not Necedah" (December 8, 2010)

In the news:

• "Wisconsin chapel approved as first US Marian apparition site" Benjamin Mann, CNA (Catholic News Agency) (December 9, 2010)

What's That Doing in a Nice Catholic Blog?

From time to time, a service that I use will display links to - odd - services and retailers.

I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.

For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.

Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.

Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.

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