Showing posts with label salvation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label salvation. Show all posts

Sunday, March 27, 2016

Another Easter

There have been only three to six major events so far, depending on how you count them: the creation of this universe; humanity's creation and fall; and our Lord's arrival, execution, and resurrection.

There's another big one coming, eventually, and I'll get back to that.

Cosmic Scale


I'm a Catholic, so I take Sacred Scripture very seriously,1 including this:
"God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good. Evening came, and morning followed - the sixth day."
(Genesis 1:31)
We've known that God's creation was big and old, and been impressed, for a long time:
"1 Think! The heavens, even the highest heavens, belong to the LORD, your God, as well as the earth and everything on it."
(Deuteronomy 10:14)

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

"3 Raise your eyes to the heavens, and look at the earth below; Though the heavens grow thin like smoke, the earth wears out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies, My salvation shall remain forever and my justice shall never be dismayed."
(Isaiah 51:6)

"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."
(Wisdom 11:22-25)
I also believe that God is infinite and eternal, almighty and ineffable: beyond our power to describe or understand. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 202, 230)

I might not have created a universe as big and old as the one we're in: but God's God, I'm not, and that's a good thing.

As I see it, what we're learning about the cosmic scale of this creation is cause for greater admiration of God's work, and that's another topic. (July 26, 2015; March 29, 2015; September 21, 2014)

Wounded, but Basically Good


I've said this before: God doesn't make junk.

The universe is basically good. So are we — basically. (Genesis 1:26-27, 31; Catechism, 31, 299,)

The first of us — Adam and Eve aren't German — listened to Satan, ignoring what God had said. Then Adam tried blaming his wife, and God, which did not end well. (Genesis 3:5-13)

That was a very, very long time ago. We've been living with the disastrous consequences of their decision ever since. (Catechism, 396-412)

Humanity is still made "in the divine image." (Genesis 1:27)

But loving ourselves, others, and God is a struggle because the harmony we had with ourselves and with the universe is broken. Human nature is wounded: but not corrupted. (Catechism, 355-361, 374-379, 398, 400, 405, 1701-1707, 1949)

True God and True Man


About two thousand years ago, our Lord arrived:
"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)
Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Shepherds and Magi thought it was good news, Herod didn't, and that's yet another topic. (January 3, 2016)

The Word has become Flesh, true God and true man. (Catechism, 456-478)

Anguish, Betrayal, Blood, and Death


We reviewed Luke's account of our Lord's final Passover meal last week; and kept reading until Luke 23:55-56, where some women spotted the tomb his body was in.

The whole week has been like that. Friday's Gospel, John 18:1-19:42, was similarly uncheerful:
"1 2 When he had said this, Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to where there was a garden, into which he and his disciples entered."
...
"So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by."
(John 18:1,19:42)
There's been a lot of anguish, betrayal, torture, blood, and death, in this week's Sacred Scripture.

All four Gospels agree on what happened next, although the accounts don't quite match up: by American standards.2
"1 2 3 On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb."
(John 20:1)
It took time and effort, but our Lord finally convinced the surviving Apostles that they weren't seeing a ghost. Our Lord had stopped being dead. (November 22, 2015; October 18, 2015)

That's where it gets interesting.

The Eighth Day: Life, Death - - -




Two millennia later, we're still celebrating.

Pope St. John Paul II called the Resurrection of Jesus "the fundamental event upon which Christian faith rests ... the fulcrum of history."3

Death, physical death, happens: but it is not the end. (Catechism, 1007, 1010-1014, 1022, 1682)
"7 8 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

"9 For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being.

"For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,"
(1 Corinthians 15:20-22)
What happens next is up to each of us: whether we've decided to accept or reject God's grace, and what we've done with our life. (John 14:15; 2 Timothy 1:9-10; James 2:14-19; Catechism, 1021-1022, 1987-2016)

What our Lord expects is simple, but not easy.

I should love God, love my neighbor, see everyone as my neighbor, treat others as I want to be treated. (Matthew 7:12, Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Matthew 5:43-44; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 10:25-30; Catechism, 1825)

I try to love God and neighbor because I follow the Man who is God: who died in my place; descended to the abode of the dead; rose from the tomb; and lives today and forever. (Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-11; 1 Peter 4:6; Catechism, 631-635, 638-655)

We are living in the eighth day of creation, a day of life and hope: and have been for two millennia. (Catechism, 349, 1166, 2174)

- - - and Beyond


There's more to being a Christian than celebrating, and waiting for our Lord's return.4 We're expected to live as if loving our neighbors and loving God matter.

Truly respecting the "transcendent dignity" of humanity, and each person, isn't easy: but it's something we must do. Also building a better world for future generations. The job starts within each of us, with an ongoing "inner conversion." (Catechism, 1888, 1928-1942)

We've made some progress: and have a very great deal left to do.

As I said last year, my guess is that we'll still be waiting and working when the 8.2 kiloyear event, Y2K, and Y10K are seen as roughly contemporary. (December 28, 2014; November 23, 2014; October 26, 2014)


(From Jaime Jasso, via DeviantArt.com, used w/o permission.)

But — the war is over. We won. We're already in "the last hour," and have been for two thousand years. This world's renewal is in progress, and nothing can stop it. (Matthew 16:18; Mark 16:6; Catechism, 638, 670)

More of my take on the best news ever:
1 Reading the Bible is a very Catholic thing:
"The Church 'forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful. . . to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.112"
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 133)
It's literally 'Catholicism 101:'
2 As I keep saying, Sacred Scripture wasn't written from a contemporary Western viewpoint:
3 From Pope Saint John Paul II's "Dies Domini" (Day of the Lord):
"...The Resurrection of Jesus is the fundamental event upon which Christian faith rests (cf. 1 Cor 15:14). It is an astonishing reality, fully grasped in the light of faith, yet historically attested to by those who were privileged to see the Risen Lord. It is a wondrous event which is not only absolutely unique in human history, but which lies at the very heart of the mystery of time. In fact, 'all time belongs to [Christ] and all the ages', as the evocative liturgy of the Easter Vigil recalls in preparing the Paschal Candle. Therefore, in commemorating the day of Christ's Resurrection not just once a year but every Sunday, the Church seeks to indicate to every generation the true fulcrum of history, to which the mystery of the world's origin and its final destiny leads...."
("Dies Domini," Pope Saint John Paul II (Pentecost, May 31, 1998))
More about the Resurrection:
4 Our Lord's return, and the Final Judgment, will happen: and is the next major event. As for when it's coming — I have enough on my plate, without trying to outguess God.


(From Wily Miller's Non Sequitur, June 14, 2011 and May 3, 2010, used w/o permission.)

More of my take on Final Judgment and getting a grip:
Posted by 2 comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

Sunday, March 20, 2016

The Messiah We Need

Tiberius was Rome's absentee emperor around the time the Han Dynasty was getting back to business-as-usual, after Wang Mang's brief takeover. I mentioned him before: Wang Mang, I mean. (December 27, 2015)

Meanwhile, Phaedrus was retelling Aesop's Fables in Latin, and Pontius Pīlātus was prefect of the Roman Province of Judea.

That part of the world had been under Roman control since the Battle of Philippi, Armenia wasn't a Roman province yet, but it wasn't the force it had been during Tigranes' reign, and that's another topic.

Tigranes, Tiberius, and Wang Mang, were well-known folks in their day;1 at least in their homelands. Two millennia later, not so much.

Pontius Pīlātus is another matter. He's mentioned each year around this time, when something like 2,000,000,000 folks pay at least fleeting attention to a Nazarene's progress from top-of-the-polls celebrity to executed corpse.

"But who do you say that I am?"


That's because Jesus of Nazareth is one of three very important persons.

Abraham's descendants learned, eventually, that the Almighty was serious about this:
"1 'Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone!"
(Deuteronomy 6:4)
I think God is one, too.

However, I'm a Catholic: so I acknowledge God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

That's one God, three persons; a divine Unity; "...the Father who generates, the Son who is begotten, and the Holy Spirit who proceeds...." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 253-256, 456-478)

But I don't understand how the Trinity works. Not on an operational, nuts-and-bolts, level. All three were at our Lord's baptism — you can read about that in Matthew 3:13-17 — I talked about the Trinity, tefillin, and metaphor, last year. (March 8, 2015)

I also acknowledge that our Lord is the Son of God, human and divine, "true God and true man." (Catechism, 456-478)

Again, I don't understand how that works; but I agree with Peter.
"8 When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi 9 he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man is?'

"They replied, 'Some say John the Baptist, 10 others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.'

"He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?'

"11 Simon Peter said in reply, 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.' "
(Matthew 16:13-16)
Today is Palm Sunday, Holy Week's kickoff. We've been leading up to a really long Gospel reading with this sort of thing:
"5 Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.' "
(John 8:12)

"So Jesus said (to them), 'When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will realize that I AM, and that I do nothing on my own, but I say only what the Father taught me.
"The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to him.' "
(John 8:28-29)

"So the Jews said to him, 'You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?' 23
"24 Jesus said to them, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.' "
(John 8:57-58)

"If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me;
"but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize (and understand) that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.'"
(John 10:37-38)

Last Supper, Messy Death



(Palm Sunday in Mexico, East Timor, South Sudan, and Poland.)

Today's long Gospel reading, Luke 22:14-56 starts with the Last Supper and ends with the women who had come from Galilee with our Lord resting on the Sabbath — after spotting the tomb his body was in.

The short version, Luke 23:1-49, isn't particularly short. It runs from the council of elders accusing Jesus before Pilate to our Lord's death.

Either way, it's a far-from-cheerful account.

So why did our Lord go through all this?2 It's like God told Abraham: "...All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you." (Genesis 12:3)

Jesus may not have been the Messiah folks expected, but our Lord is the Messiah and Redeemer God promised after the first of us made that disastrous choice.3 (Genesis 3:19-15; Catechism, 397-410, 528)

Jesus is the Messiah we need. (Catechism, 430-435)

Our Lord's messy death, and what happened after that, opened Heaven's gates for you, me, and everyone. Whether we walk in is up to each of us, and that's yet another topic. (Catechism, 597-618, 631-635, 637, 1026, 1739-1742)

Still Celebrating


Our Lord wouldn't stay dead: which is why, two millennia later, we're still celebrating — and passing along wonderful news.

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)

And that's yet again another topic:
1 As a writer, Phaedrus wasn't important the way civic leaders are, but the poet Martial and writer Avianus mentioned him: and his stories lasted considerably longer than he did.

Phaedrus made an important contribution to the current iteration of Western civilization, although it wasn't until fairly recently that we worked out where at least some source material for "Anonymus Nilanti," a collection of Latin beast fables, came from.

2 More about Palm Sunday:
3 As I've said before, often, Adam and Eve aren't German. It's become increasingly obvious that we've passed down accounts of how we lost harmony within ourselves and with the universe for a very long time:
Posted by 1 comment:
Labels: , , , , ,

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:
Related posts:
Posted by No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,

Sunday, January 4, 2015

It Started With the Magi

Some folks, like the magi and shepherds, were happy about our Lord's birth. King Herod, not so much. Today's Gospel reading, Matthew 2:1-12, talks about this mixed reaction.

Two millennia later, I'm on the same page as the shepherds and wise men. I think our Lord's birth is cause for rejoicing. (Matthew 2:10; Luke 2:20)

"Only the Beginning of a Great Procession"

"For the Church which believes and prays, the Wise Men from the East who, guided by the star, made their way to the manger of Bethlehem, are only the beginning of a great procession which winds throughout history...."
("Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Homily of Benedict XVI," (January 6, 2013))
Today is Epiphany Sunday, when the wise men arrive at the nativity scene in our living room, and we remember Matthew's account of the magi. As usual, there's quite a bit going on.

Herod apparently saw our Lord as a feared rival: but told the magi he wanted to "do him homage." The magi, "warned in a dream not to return to Herod," bypassed Jerusalem on their way home. Then Herod had all male infants and toddlers in and around Bethlehem killed. (Matthew 2:8, 12, 16)

I'm not surprised that this particular set of killings ordered by King Herod weren't recorded.

By the time he died, Herod had arranged the deaths of one wife and three sons: plus quite a few other folks. Bethlehem was a small town, so reasonable estimates of the number of children killed range from a half-dozen to twenty. (Holy Innocents, Catholic Encyclopedia)

At the time, a handful of infants killed in some obscure town probably didn't seem important.

Joining the Great Procession


Meanwhile, Jesus was growing up in Egypt, and that's almost another topic.

Epiphany Sunday and the magi are very important to me, since the magi are "representatives of the neighboring pagan religions." They were the first of many gentiles who recognized Jesus as Son of God and Savior of the world. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 528)

As I've said before, I'm about as gentile as it gets, west of the Urals. When the magi arrived in Bethlehem, my ancestors were somewhere in the barbarian lands north of the western Roman Empire. (August 4, 2013)

We eventually started worshiping God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; stopped conducting human sacrifices; and joined the great procession. (January 19, 2010)

Epiphany is the end of the Christmas season. The next big set of holidays is the Easter season, when we remember and celebrate our Lord's life, death: and return to life.

I'm a little rushed this weekend, since there's a big family get-together that I don't want to miss: so I'll wrap this up with a few quotes.

"This Mission is Still Only Beginning"

"5 Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.' "
(John 8:12)
"He said to him, 22 'You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

"This is the greatest and the first commandment.

"The second is like it: 23 You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

"24 The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.' "
(Matthew 22:37-40)
"11 Then Jesus approached and said to them, 'All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

"Go, therefore, 12 and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,

"teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. 13 And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.' "
(Matthew 28:18-20)
"When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.

"While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.

"They said, 'Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.' "
(Acts 1:9-11)
"...Twenty centuries have passed since that mystery was revealed and brought about in Christ, but it has not yet reached fulfilment. My beloved Predecessor, John Paul II, began his Encyclical on the Church's mission by writing: 'As the second Millennium after Christ's Coming draws to an end, an overall view of the human race shows that this mission is still only beginning' (Redemptoris Missio, n. 1)...."
("Homily of Benedict XVI on the Solemnity of the Epiphany," (January 6, 2007))
More of my take on the great procession:
Posted by No comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Advent: Another Year of the Long Watch

Today's Gospel reading starts on the second verse of this excerpt:
" 'But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

"Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come.

"It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.

"Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning.

"May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.

"What I say to you, I say to all: "Watch!" ' "
(Mark 13:32-37)

Watching, Working


As I said last week, we've been on standby alert for about two millennia. (November 23, 2014)

There's plenty to keep us busy while we wait. One of our jobs is making "disciples of all nations," and passing along ethical standards our Lord gave us. (Matthew 28:18-20)

The basics are simple: love God, love our neighbors, see everyone as our neighbor, and treat others as we'd like to be treated. (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)

Consequences and Hope


I think one reason the job is taking so long is that we're expected to live as if "respecting the transcendent dignity of man" matters. That starts inside each of us, with an ongoing "inner conversion." (Catechism, 1888, 1928-1942)

It's not easy. Humans, like all creatures, are basically good. But our first parents decided to ignore God's will. We've been dealing with consequences of that choice ever since. (Catechism, 385, 388-390, 397-409)

God did not abandon us, though. After we lost harmony within ourselves and with the universe, God kept calling us back. (Genesis 3:15; Catechism, 410-412)

It's been a long wait: and that's another topic. (February 23, 2014)

Advent: Remembering and Looking Forward


"In the fullness of time," about two thousand years ago, the Word became one of us, grew up, and was executed. We're celebrating because our Lord didn't stay dead: and because God wants to adopt us. (John 1:1-5, 19:17-42, 20:17; Galatians 4:4-5)

During Advent, we remember when our Lord first came, and look forward to the Savior's return: whenever that will be. (Catechism, 524, 673, 1040, 2772)

In the meantime, like I said, we have work to do.

Somewhat-related posts:
Posted by 2 comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

Sunday, November 23, 2014

Victory and Standing Orders


(From John Martin, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
(Detail from John Martin's "The Last Judgement." (1853))

I've watched, and enjoyed, disaster movies like "Colossus: The Forbin Project" (1970) and "Deep Impact" (1998). It's been a few years since Harold Camping's high-profile predictions, and I'll get back to that.

Folks didn't have movies, disaster or otherwise, in the 19th century; but they did have paintings like John Martin's "The Last Judgment." Not everyone could afford original artwork, of course, but engravings and lithographs were making art available to an increasing fraction of the population: and that's another topic.

"2012" (2009) shares the epic scale of John Martin's paintings: and is 'Biblical' to the extent that it borrows names like Noah and Ark. I've discussed calendars, Chicken Little, and Y2K before. (December 21, 2012)

I like rip-roaring tales, when they're presented as fiction. Using a tale of terror and foreboding to convince folks that the world's end is imminent? That's something else.

Ragnarok - - -


These days, folks get their 'end times' stories from books and movies of the Left Behind variety, and the occasional chap like Harold Camping. (June 14, 2011)

'End of the world' predictions of one sort or another are nothing new. Some, like February's announcement of Ragnarok, aren't particularly serious. Others end in broken lives: and, occasionally, bodies:
Even non-lethal doomsday movements can hurt folks. Some of the damage is economic, since many believers sell what they have.

I think perennial 'end times prophecies' also encourage the notion that all 'religious' folks are obsessed with an imaginary cataclysm.

I'm Catholic, so I must believe that the Final Judgment is coming at the end of time. I also must accept what we're told about the event's timetable: we do not know. (Mark 13:32-37; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 675-682, 1040)

I can work with that.

For the sake of folks like Jim Jones, Marshall Applewhite, Luc Jouret, and Credonia Mwerinde, I hope that they sincerely believed their claims. Lying is an offense against truth, and a bad idea. Add suicide and murder to the mix, and it's a very serious situation. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2282, 2482-2487)

- - - and Mutant Squirrels


I think the recurring silliness of predicted apocalypses is related to conspiracy theories.

Both offer simple explanations for this world's endemic unpleasantness, and offer believers the perk of being in on secret knowledge that 'the masses' either don't have or won't believe.

On a lighter note, I offer this explanation for lost airline luggage and state lotteries. Mutant squirrels and corrupt pet store owners are plotting to enslave humanity in their nougat mines. And that's yet another topic.

On Standby Alert: Two Millennia and Counting


I'm a Christian, and a Catholic, so I take the Bible very seriously: including Mark 13:32-37.

My Lord didn't know when this creation will be wrapped up, but made it clear that we are on standby alert in the meantime. That was about two millennia back now, the orders haven't changed, and every few years someone pops up with another 'end times' prediction.

My guess is that the Final Judgment won't happen until the 8.2 kiloyear event, Y2K, and Y10K are seen as roughly contemporary. Given the scope of standing orders outlined at the end of Matthew, we'll probably need every millennium we get:
"11 Then Jesus approached and said to them, 'All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

"Go, therefore, 12 and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,

"teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. 13 And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.' "
(Matthew 28:18-20)

The Basics: Simple, Not Easy


'Making disciples of all nations' doesn't mean hard-sell 'evangelization.' Each of us chooses to believe, or not believe; and the choice must be made freely. (Catechism, 1730, 1782)

The basics of what our Lord taught are simple, but not easy: love God, love our neighbors, see everyone as our neighbor, and treat others as we'd like to be treated. The Nicene Creed is a pretty good summary of my faith. (Matthew 5:43-44, 7:12, 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31; Luke 6:31 10:25-27, 29-37; Catechism, 1789)

As I said last week, part of my job as a Christian is sharing the best news humanity's ever had: God love us, and wants to adopt each of us. (John 3:17; Catechism, 52, 1825)

I don't expect fast results. It was 19 centuries, for example, before a sizable fraction of folks in several countries decided that owning other people was wrong. Maybe after another 19 centuries, we'll have that many folks convinced that resolving conflicts without war is a good idea — and that's yet again another topic. (October 26, 2014; September 7, 2014)

Sheep, Goats, and Me

"14 'When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations 15 will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats."
(Matthew 25:31-32)
I hope that I'll be with the 'sheep' at this creation's closing ceremony. For now, I'm 'working out my salvation,' as Philippians 2:12 puts it. (October 26, 2011)

Today's Gospel reading makes it clear that where I'm standing after the Last Judgment depends on what I've done — or not done — now. (Catechism, 1038-1039)

I won't have to wait until then to find out where I'm spending eternity, though. Each of us gets serious face time with our Lord when we die.

It's called the Particular Judgment, when we either accept or reject the grace of Jesus. It's not just 'believing.' It's faith and works: we're expected to act as if what we believe matters. (Catechism, 1021-1022, 1051, 1814-1816)
"In the evening of our life we shall be judged on love"
("The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, Sayings of Light and Love," St. John of the Cross; via "Three Points in Time," Dani De George (2008) p. 21 / Google Books)
The good news, part of it, is that we're already in "the last hour," and have been for two thousand years. The war is over. We won. This world's renewal is in progress, and nothing can stop it. (Matthew 16:18; Mark 16:6; Catechism, 638, 670)

More about why I'm hopeful:
Posted by No comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Predestination — Free Will from God's Point of View

Samuel Clemens may have taken God seriously: but not his era's version of Christianity.

His "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" include Huck's reactions to well-intentioned religious instruction by the Widow Douglas — and "pretty ornery preaching."
"It was pretty ornery preaching—all about brotherly love, and such-like tiresomeness; but everybody said it was a good sermon, and they all talked it over going home, and had such a powerful lot to say about faith and good works and free grace and preforeordestination, and I don't know what all, that it did seem to me to be one of the roughest Sundays I had run across yet."
("Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," Chapter XVIII, Mark Twain/Samuel Clemens (1885))

Called by God


If I thought predestination meant that God had decided ahead of time whether I was heading for Heaven or Hell, I might feel hopeless or self-righteous. Robert Burns' Holy Willie dramatizes what can happen when someone thinks he's Heaven-bound, no matter what. (January 4, 2012)

I'm a Catholic, so I believe that free will exists: and predestination. It's not as crazy a combination as it might seem.

Here's what got me started on the topic:
"5 We know that all things work for good for those who love God, 6 who are called according to his purpose.

"7 For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.

"And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified."
(Romans 8:28-30)
I'm called to love and serve God, just like everyone else. God willing, I'll be in that "great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue" — but I'm getting ahead of myself. (Revelation 7:9; Catechism of the Catholic Church, 27, 788; "Lumen Gentium," Paul VI (November 21, 1964))

Free Will


I'm human, able to reason and decide what I do: or don't do. Ideally, my emotions would be in synch with my reason: but I don't have to 'feel good' about doing what's right. I'm supposed use my brain, not my glands, for decision-making. (Catechism, 1730-1738, 1762-1770)

In the end, I will be in Heaven, or Hell. I have free will, so the decision is mine: God does not drag anyone, kicking and screaming, into Heaven or Hell. (Catechism, 1021-1037)

In principle, I could decide that I would rather ignore God, and spend an eternity away from my Lord. That would be a daft decision: but free will makes it an option.

My hope and goal is to be where death, mourning, and pain, no longer exist: and that's another topic. (Revelation 21:4)

Predestination


God knows every decision I make: throughout my life, no matter where I am.
"Where can I hide from your spirit? From your presence, where can I flee?"
(Psalms 139:7)
God is present in all times, and all places, to every creature. God knows what I will do because God is there: and not limited by time and space, as I am. For God, "all moments of time are present in their immediacy." (Catechism, 600)

I choose freely at every point in my life: and God knows what I choose.

In that sense, I am "predestined" to be in either Heaven or Hell: but the choice is mine.

Acting as if God Matters


Deciding what I do about my faith is important, too. Believing that Jesus is the Son of God isn't enough: not by itself.
"So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

"Indeed someone might say, 'You have faith and I have works.' Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.

"You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble."
(James 2:17-19)
Faith, believing in God, is fine: but useless if I don't act as if God matters. (Catechism, 1814-1816)

And that's another topic.

More of my take on faith that makes sense:
Posted by 1 comment:
Labels: , , , , ,

Friday, April 18, 2014

Jesus: Tortured; Executed; Buried - - -


(From Tintoretto, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.)
(Detail from Tintorett's "Crucifixion.")

Nailed to a cross after a night and day of torture and humiliation, Jesus was "raised high and greatly and greatly exalted ... so marred was his look beyond that of man."
"3 See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted.

"Even as many were amazed at him - so marred was his look beyond that of man, and his appearance beyond that of mortals -

"So shall he startle many nations, because of him kings shall stand speechless; For those who have not been told shall see, those who have not heard shall ponder it."
(Isaiah 52:13-53:12)
Today's readings start with the prophet Isaiah's words, and end on a gloomy note:
"Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried.

"So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by."
(John 19:41-19:42)
We call today "Good Friday," which isn't as crazy as it might seem. That's because of what happened a few days later.

Today's readings:
Related posts:
Posted by No comments:
Labels: , , , , ,

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Called to Serve the Lord

Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Lent 2014:

Fourth Sunday of Lent 2014

By Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas
March 30, 2014

Many of us have experienced being left out because we are too small for the game, too young for something we want to do, to inexperienced for a job. I remember being told I was too old for the fire department, I think this was the first time I was told I was too old for something, I was maybe in my early 30s.

Sometimes, the best people for a task are those without a lot of letters behind their name. When Samuel comes to seek out the Lord's chosen one in order to anoint him as king, Jesse does not even include his youngest son, David, who was left out, for he was out in the fields tending the sheep. Nevertheless he is chosen by God, and anointed by Samuel, to be king of Israel.

Every disciple of Jesus has been given a place in the saving works of the Church. In every age of life, we are called to serve the Lord. The anointing of Baptism confirms the Grace of God in us, supporting us and our destiny as servants of the Gospel. Discipleship is expensive: we have to lay down our lives for Christ in order to bring life to others.

First, we need our eyes be opened. Christ, the Light of the world, opens the eyes of the man born blind, allowing him to experience life in a new and dramatic way with the restoration of his sight. There's another kind of blindness, blindness of the spiritual life, that plagues the Pharisees. Even those of us who think we are good Christians can be limited and our perception of God's presence.

We continually need to be opened to see where God is present in our daily experiences, and how we can Love Him while serving the needs of others. We need God to open our understanding of morality where we sometimes want to rationalize our actions, or pretend that the teachings of Christ does not applied to modern humanity. This takes humility and openness to change with the movement of God's Grace. When the Light of Christ penetrates our stubbornness and selfishness, it illumines our minds and hearts to see clearly the way to our best selves: by following God in intimate communion.

Jesus delivered humanity from the clutches of darkness by his death and rising. Through the Sacraments, we experience the power of this great mystery at work in our lives. In the Lord, and through our baptism, we are in the Light. We are called, as Paul says, to abandon the works of darkness, exposing them for the lies that they are.

Fellow Christians, live in Light always, do not succumb to the dark forces that are beneath our Christian dignity!

Once we experienced the Light of Christ by humbling ourselves under the power of his Word, that Light makes us a beacon of hope for others. The Light of Christ shines in the words and actions-- even the prayerful thoughts-of his disciples. People can see that we live differently because we have hope in Christ' Light and saving Love. Others may even ask us why we are hopeful in sorrow, why we have certain moral standards, why are we kind in the face of insult. Then, we can be prepared to tell them: we have found Christ, we live in the Light!

Open the eyes of our hearts to see the Lord more clearly, perceiving His will for us. Allow, His Light to penetrate and transform any traces of darkness that remains in us. Be prepared for that Light, to change you into a beacon of Light that gives glory to the Lord!

So, you all be Good, be Holy, preached the Gospel always and if necessary use words.

Related posts:
Posted by No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Like it? Pin it, Plus it, - - -

Pinterest: My Stuff, and More

Visit Brian H.'s profile on Pinterest.

Advertisement

Unique, innovative candles


Visit us online:
Spiral Light Candle  • Find a Retailer
• Spiral Light Candle Store

Popular Posts

  • A 'Saint Brian,' Sort of
    My name is Brian Gill. In keeping with the customs of my culture, the first name is one which my parents chose for me, the last is the name ...
  • Mass Murder in Orlando
    I'd be writing a longer, more detailed, post about this; but still haven't resolved some technical issues. ( May 6, 2016 ; updated M...
  • Blind Mice; Heroism During the 'Batman' Killings
    The London 2012 Olympics start today: but instead of analyzing the significance of a South Korean flag being displayed with a North Korean...
  • Elijah and Pushing a Rock
    10th Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2016: 1 Kings 17:17 - 24 Galatians 1:11 - 19 Luke 7:11 - 17 Third Sunday of Easter, 2016 by Deacon L...
  • A Catholic Citizen in America: New Location
    The good news is still that Blogger's changes haven't made images in my posts here unviewable. ( May 6-16, 2016 ) Instead of jumpi...

Label Cloud

1277 abortion ADD ADHD-Inattentive Adoration Chapel Advent Afghanistan Africa America Amoris Laetitia angels animals annulment Annunciation anti-catholicism Antichrist apocalyptic ideas apparitions archaeology architecture Arianism art Asperger syndrome assumptions asteroid astronomy Australia authority balance and moderation baptism being Catholic beliefs bias Bible Bible and Catechism bioethics biology blogs brain Brazil business Canada capital punishment Caritas in Veritate Catechism Catholic Church Catholic counter-culture Catholicism change happens charisms charity Chile China Christianity Christmas citizenship climate change climatology cloning comets common good common sense Communion community compassion confirmation conscience conversion Corpus Christi cosmology creation credibility crime crucifix Crucifixion Cuba culture dance dark night of the soul death depression designer babies despair detachment devotion discipline disease diversity divination Divine Mercy divorce Docetism domestic church dualism duty Easter economics education elections emotions England entertainment environmental issues Epiphany Establishment Clause ethics ethnicity Eucharist eugenics Europe evangelizing evolution exobiology exoplanets exorcism extremophiles faith faith and works family Father's Day Faust Faustus fear of the Lord fiction Final Judgment First Amendment forgiveness Fortnight For Freedom free will freedom fun genetics genocide geoengineering geology getting a grip global Gnosticism God God's will good judgment government gratitude great commission guest post guilt Haiti Halloween happiness hate health Heaven Hell HHS hierarchy history holidays Holy Family Holy See Holy Spirit holy water home schooling hope humility humor hypocrisy idolatry image of God images Immaculate Conception immigrants in the news Incarnation Independence Day India information technology Internet Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Japan Jesus John Paul II joy just war justice Kansas Kenya Knights of Columbus knowledge Korea language Last Judgment last things law learning Lent Lenten Chaplet life issues love magi magic Magisterium Manichaeism marriage martyrs Mary Mass materialism media medicine meditation Memorial Day mercy meteor meteorology Mexico Minnesota miracles Missouri moderation modesty Monophysitism Mother Teresa of Calcutta Mother's Day movies music Muslims myth natural law neighbor Nestorianism New Year's Eve New Zealand news Nietzsche obedience Oceania organization original sin paleontology parish Parousia penance penitence Pentecost Philippines physical disability physics pilgrimage politics Pope Pope in Germany 2011 population growth positive law poverty prayer predestination presumption pride priests prophets prostitution Providence Purgatory purpose quantum entanglement quotes reason redemption reflections relics religion religious freedom repentance Resurrection robots Roman Missal Third Edition rosaries rules sacramentals Sacraments Saints salvation schools science secondary causes SETI sex shrines sin slavery social justice solar planets soul South Sudan space aliens space exploration Spain spirituality stem cell research stereotypes stewardship stories storm Sudan suicide Sunday obligation superstition symbols technology temptation terraforming the establishment the human condition tolerance Tradition traffic Transfiguration Transubstantiation travel Trinity trust truth uncertainty United Kingdom universal destination of goods vacation Vatican Vatican II veneration vengeance Veterans Day videos virtue vlog vocations voting war warp drive theory wealth weather wisdom within reason work worship writing

Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

Background:Posts in this blog: In the news:

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.