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Saturday, October 16, 2010

Bible and Catechism in a Year: Day 35

Exodus 5-6

The well known story of Moses continues as Moses goes to Pharaoh, but Pharaoh simply makes things worse for the Israelites by forcing them to gather their own straw for the bricks they were responsible for making.  I wonder if there is a special symbolism to the straw...

In any case, Moses goes back to God to ask him "What's up with that?", and God reiterates that he will deliver His people, and give them the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

"I will take you for my people, and I will be your God..."

Today, this applies to us all.

Psalm 34

I became aware as I read this psalm that I actually am familiar with more psalms than I thought I would be just from their use in the Catholic liturgy.  Yes, they are often only parts and sometimes in the past they have been greatly paraphrased, but much of the content is there.  In this Psalm there is a lot of wonderful language about the Lord hearing the cry of the poor and answering the seeking of David.  He is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.  There is also instruction for us:  Keep your thougt from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit.

There is also a beautiful ambiguity, though I am unsure if it is due to translational issues:

Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord delivers him out of them all.  He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.
It is unclear if it is the Lord who keeps all his bones with not a one being broken, or the righteous.  But if it is speaking of the Lord, that is, God, this is a lovely foretelling of the crucifixion (wherein none of Christ's bones were broken) as well as the resurrection and ascension (for he keeps all of his bones, as he keeps his body for eternity).  Even if it refers only to the righteous, it still applies, for we, too, shall share in the resurrection.  It is a beautiful bit hidden in the old and revealed in the new...

Matthew 19:16-30

I've never realized before just how jam-packed Matthew is...but I'm starting to see it now.

Here we have a well-to-do individual asking Jesus what he must do to have eternal life.  Jesus shocks him by suggesting that there is more to it than just keeping the commandments, and gives him a radical command to sell all he has, give to the poor, and follow Him.  When this individual goes away sad, Jesus turns it into a teaching moment, but clarifies when his analogy breaks down.  He also praises the disciples sacrifices (and, by extension, ours), saying that what we leave will be repaid a hundredfold in our eternal life with God.  It is important to note, with all due charity to my protestant brethren, that when asked what one must do to have eternal life, Jesus does not say "Accept me as your personal Lord and savior, and believe."  Rather, he requires action.  Of course, we understand that our actions are faith, in a way, in that they are a response to God's action.  The action itself, independent of the impetus (grace) given by God does not save.  But we can resist the grace God gives us.  This is why we ascribe our salvation to Faith working through Love. 

Catechism 282-289

There is some profound stuff on creation here, and man's fundamental questions which lead us to search for God, and how many different peoples have attempted to answer those questions.  It is reiterated that our intellect is capable of knowing of God's existence through his works.  But a response to Him requires more than just the intellect, but the engagement of the will as well.

We are taken back to Genesis and the first three chapters.  We don't have to view these chapters as being literal in a historical sense, but we need to look at what the author is trying to tell us...it isn't supposed to be a science lesson, after all, but a lesson regarding "the truths of creation - its origin and its end in God, its order and goodness, the vocation of man, and finally the drama of sin and the hope of salvation."

Atheistic materialists like to attack Genesis by pointing to scientific evidence that appears to contradict, say, the age of the earth, or the existence of animals which went extinct prior to man's appearance, or the lack of an earthly 'Garden of Eden.'  But when we understand these texts in their literary context as well as their purpose, we see that there is no contradiction or conflict between them and what science tells us about creation. 

Tomorrow's readings:

Exodus 7-8
Psalm 35
Matthew 20:1-16
Catechism 290-294

Friday, October 15, 2010

Bible and Catechism in a Year: Day 34

Exodus 3-4

Moses has his famous encounter with the burning bush.  I am rather amazed at the number of excuses Moses comes up with.  He really doesn't want to do this, but God is patient with him and gives him a number of signs before losing patience with Moses.  "Who has made man's mouth?  Who makes him dumb, or deaf or seeing, or blind?  Is it not I, the Lord?" 

God shares his "name" with Moses, which speaks of his nature as pure being.

So begins Moses' journey.  The end of chapter 4 is a bit perplexing, but after thinking about it (and reading some commentaries) it is starting to make more sense.  Moses apparently did not have his son circumcised, and this apparently was displeasing to God.  When his son is circumcised (and apparently Zipporah knew what was going on), Moses (apparently...there are a lot of pronouns floating around here which make the passage ambiguous) is released by God. 

The bottom line here seems to be that we need to walk the walk if we're going to talk the talk.

Psalm 33

We are urged to rejoice in the Lord, to sing to him a new song, to make melody to him with the harp of ten strings, and to play skilfully on the strings, with loud shouts. 

Then we have some wonderful words of praise for God.  His power, his wisdom, his steadfast love.

"He is our help and shield."  "Let thy steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in thee."

What more is there to say?

Matthew 19:1-15

Here Jesus reiterates the meaning of husband and wife becoming one, and Jesus explaining that divorce is not God's will...for "from the beginning it was not so."  Here he reinstates what God began with Adam and Eve - the one man, one woman, permanent union of marriage.  John Paul II expounds on this passage at length in the Theology of the Body in an eloquent and beautiful way. 

I think it is no mistake that following this discussion on marriage, children are brought to the Lord, and he tells his disciples "do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."  Children are the blessed fruit of marriage, after all, and the two topics go hand in hand.  Though Christ is saying different things about each, that they are spoken of together says a lot.

Catechism

Summing up on God as almighty, the Catechism asks this question:  "If we do not believe that God's love is almighty, how can we believe that the Father could create us, the Son redeem us, and the Holy Spirit sanctify us?

God is the creator of all, heaven and earth, seen and unseen, visible and invisible.  And for creation, God is able to create a history, and in that history, a plan of salvation.

Tomorrow's Readings:

Exodus 5-6
Psalm 34
Matthew 19:16-30
Catechism 282-289

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Bible and Catechism in a Year: Day 33

Exodus 1-2

We begin the story of Moses...everyone knows this one pretty much.  What jumps out at me is the end of Chapter 2, and how human language is often used to describe God's action.  Here it speaks of God remembering his covenant, as though He could have forgotten it.  Looking back as Christians, we understand that what we are reading about is the preparation of a people as a suitable base into which He could come to redeem the world.  This suffering by the ancient Israelites is one such way in which God is preparing them for what will come.  So it isn't so much that God "remembers" in the human sense (since he is outside of time anyhow and sees all of history in his eternity), but that in God's plan it was time to deliver the Israelites from Egypt.

I also find it to be a wonderful rehash of Genesis that it recalls the covenants with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

Psalm 32

This is a nice change of pace...a psalm about the importance of confession and forgiveness.  I especially like verses 3 and 4, talking of the effects unconfessed sins have on the body and strength of the sinner.  Confession to our Lord (very powerful in the sacrament of reconciliation) can be healing in both body and spirit.  When we confess and receive forgiveness, we can feel a change.  Yes, it is a psychological phenomenon, but also a spiritual and physical one, for we are creatures of mind, body, and spirit.  This would be a great Psalm to pray before and after confession.

Matthew 18:21-35

Speaking of forgiveness...how many times should we forgive our brother if he sins against us?  Jesus says seven times seventy...so four hundred and ninety times.  Does this mean 490 times and not the 491st time?  No...(though that would be one determined brother) Jesus is saying that we forgive as many times as necessary. 

Then we get the parable of the king who forgives his servant a great debt, but then finds out that the same servant refused to forgive his servant a lesser debt.  Thus the first servant loses the forgiveness that has been given to him.

This is important because it shows us the importance and necessity of forgiving (though not necessarily forgetting) those who wrong us in this world. 

It also shows us that just because we are forgiven does not mean that such forgiveness can not be taken from us if we fail to follow God's commands, that is, be righteous.  This seems like a pretty powerful argument against the "Once Saved, Always Saved" philosophy.

Catechism 268-274

We turn now from God's trinitarian nature and begin to look at His descriptors.  In particular, what it means that He is "Almighty."  Nothing is impossible with God, and yet we do not understand his ways.  He is Father to us all, and how many of us do not remember how we each felt our own earthly father (if we were fortunate enough to know him) was an invincible force, though we didn't understand him fully?  Certainly, God as Father is the fulfillment of this childhood fantasy on both accounts: almighty and mysterious.

To bring us full circle, the Catechism acknowledges that the problem of evil and suffering can test our faith.  Just as the suffering of the Israelites in Egypt might have tested their faith and made them think that God had forgotten them, we can fall into the same error.  But God is steadfast in his love, and ever-faithful, whether He appears to human sensibilities to be or not.  We, then, must grant consent to our will for a faith that "embraces the mysterious ways of God's almighty power."

Tomorrow's Readings:

Exodus 3-4
Psalm 33
Matthew 19:1-15
Catechism 275-281

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Bible and Catechism in a Year: Days 31 and 32

I opted to volunteer at our parish's Jr. High Youth Ministry program last night, and so didn't have time to blog about my readings for yesterday.  So, courtesy of St. Michael's Edge, here is another Double Whammy Wednesday for you!

Genesis 48-50

As the first book of the Pentateuch draws to a close, we read of the end of Jacob's life and the "blessings" he bestows upon his twelve sons, who become the twelve tribes of Israel.  Some of these are not blessings, but curses for past evils.  Some of them are almost comical, such as Benjamin's, which gives some insight as to why Joseph gave him a fivefold portion when he first came to Egypt. 

Joseph keeps his word to his father to bury him in the land of Canaan with his ancestors.  I find it interesting that he is embalmed - I suppose this makes transporting the dead body such distance much more pleasant than it would have been, however. 

I find that Joseph's brothers are a bit thick at times, now being concerned that Joseph only dealt with them kindly for his father's sake.  Joseph has to reiterate that God permitted the evil to be done to him so that good might come from it.  We would do well to remember this in times of trouble.  God is not the cause of evil...and yet he can "mean it for good," in this case "to bring it about that many people should be kept alive."  If we imagine the ramifications of Joseph not appearing in Egypt, not just for his family, but for the land of Egypt as well, we can figure that many would have starved to death.

The book draws to a close with Joseph's own death, before which he tells his brother's of God's promise that they should  be brought up out of this land and to the land which was promised to Abraham.  Thus, the stage is set for Exodus...

Psalms 30 and 31:

Both of these Psalms make reference to the Lord's saints.  That makes me curious to see what the Jewish definition of a saint is.  I assume it means one who has been gathered to the bosom of Abraham, but I'll have to research that.

In Psalm 30, I am grabbed by the line "Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning."  This is probably because I often sing "Trading my Sorrows", which has a similar line in it.  I didn't know that it had come from a Psalm, though.

More rock, refuge, and fortress in Psalm 31, as well as steadfast love.  "Into thy hand I commit my spirit; thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, Faithful God."  I love this line, not just because Jesus invokes it on the cross, but because of the redemption that is mentioned.  In light of the new testament, we know that redemption comes from Jesus committing his spirit to his Father at the end of His suffering.  There is a reflective quality in this writing that I could contemplate for hours.  Sadly, I don't have hours right now to do so...

Matthew 17-18:20

There is an awful lot of content here. 

First we have the transfiguration, where Peter makes another gaffe, since he still has a Jewish concept of Jesus as the Messiah.  He thinks that Jesus is ready to rule the earth in a material sense, and wants to erect tents to house Moses, Elijah, and Jesus.  But after the voice of God speaks and they fall on their faces, when they look up, they see only Jesus.  This is a very powerful moment...so often we get distracted or misunderstand what God wants.  If we can just look up and see "no one but Jesus only" then we won't go wrong.

Jesus seems almost frustrated when he comes down to find the other apostles distressed at not being able to cast out a demon.  He talks a bit about the power of faith, and how little they have. 

Then he tells them that he will be killed and raised on the third day...and they are greatly distressed.

And Peter then winds up fishing for money to pay a tax.  How is that for an act of faith?  I suppose it is easy to believe that casting one's hook will bring in a fish with money in its mouth, but hard to believe that the Son of God can be raised from the dead.

In chapter 18, we begin with Jesus' famous discourse on the place of children (and child like faith) in the Kingdom of Heaven, as well as the punishments for those who lead them astray. 

Then some judicious use of rabbinic hyperbole (if your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it from you) to illustrate how we should avoid those things which tempt us to do evil.

Lastly, we have another important passage for Catholics about what do to when our brother sins against us.  First take it to him, then bring a few witnesses, then take it to the church.  That's church, singular, which he just got done telling us he is going to build on Peter.  The church must be able to speak with one voice, if it is going to make a judgement. 

If we imagine someone having a dispute with his brother today, and taking it to the church, and not getting an answer that he had hoped for, he might go to another church and get a second opinion...and a third....and perhaps a fourth, until his view was affirmed.  Let's face it, there are churches which say they are Christian which teach almost anything!  As such, veiled within this is the idea that if we are "church-hopping," trying to find a church that affirms and validates our views or makes us feel good, we might be missing the point.  The church which Jesus is pointing to is authoritative and must have some level of certainty to it in order to teach.

Thus Jesus then affirms that the apostles have the authority to bind and loose, giving them a share in what he has given Peter.  He is speaking in the context of the church here, not just as a community of believers (which it certainly is), but also as an organization which can make definitive judgements.

Catechism 249-267

Today we finish up a section on the most Holy Trinity.  This mystery is given to us purely through revelation and careful study of that revelation allows us to make some imperfect definitions.  We will never fully be able to explain the Trinity using human language or even human thought, for the very nature of the Trinity is infinite in power, love, majesty, and truth, while our minds and language lack a true capacity for the infinite.  Still, what we can know and understand is enough to ponder for a lifetime, so it isn't as if we've been shortchanged here.

God is one, but through hypostasis His divine nature (or substance) is held by three distinct persons.  We say that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are consubstantial.  The divine nature is not shared, but wholly present in each, and yet, each is fully distinct from the other.  God is not modal...He doesn't put on His "Father hat" to do fatherly things (like create), and then his "Son hat" to do sonly things (like redeem), and then his "Spirit hat" to do spiritual things (like sanctify).  Rather all of these aspects of Himself are eternal and wholly God, yet the whole God is present in these three persons.  And, still, these persons are relative to one another.  The Father and the Son relate to each other, and each relates to the Holy Spirit as well.  Yeah...it's a tough concept.

Still, though, it is central to our faith, and the early church went through a lot of trouble to define to the limits of human language the nature of the Holy Trinity, mainly because so many errors regarding it were being preached. 

We have a sort of model of the Trinity in the domestic church (the family).  The Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father, and that love is so powerful and real (because God is Love) that it "spirates" from them in a third person having their same nature, that is, the Holy Spirit.  Likewise, in a family, A father and mother love each other and in their unity their love is made tangible in the creation of another member of the family.  Yes, the analogy breaks down since father, mother, and child are three distinct persons (but members of one family)...and, yet, as Steve Ray described it on a recent broadcast of Catholic Answers Live, Man has a duality in that man is created male and female in God's image.  As we read in Genesis, they become one flesh...similar to the one substance of the Trinity belonging to all three members.  Likewise, we have a duality in our existence as a body/soul composite.  So a being having more than one aspect is not entirely foreign to us, though introducing infinity can boggle the mind...

We don't confuse the persons of the Trinity, nor make the mistake of dividing the substance. 

The best hope we have of a better understanding is contemplation.  Even so, when we reach the limit of our own ability to comprehend, we must leave the rest to God:

I'll close with this beautiful prayer from Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity:

O my God, Trinity whom I adore, help me forget myself entirely so to establish myself in you, unmovable and peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity.  May nothing be able to trouble my peace or make me leave you, O my unchanging God, but may each minute bring me more deeply into your mystery!  Grant my soul peace.  Make it your heaven, your beloved dwelling and the place of your rest.  May I never abandon you there, but may I be there, whole and entire, completely vigilant in my faith, entirely adoring, and wholly given over to your creative action.

Tomorrow's readings

Exodus 1-2
Psalm 32
Matthew 18:21-35
Catechism 268-274

Monday, October 11, 2010

Bible and Catechism in a year: Days 29 and 30

Monday Madness gives us a double shot of scriptural goodness, courtesy of a very busy Sunday!

Genesis 44-47

The story of Joseph continues as he tests his brothers one last time before finally breaking down and explaining the whole thing to them.  They go back and get Jacob and the whole family and bring them to Egypt, where Pharaoh tells Joseph to give them the choicest lands and puts them in charge of his own flocks.

There are a couple of things that leaped out at me here.  One was the declaration of Jacob that he could now die since he has seen Joseph's face - this struck me as very similar to Simeon the Righteous' revelation that he should not see death until he had beheld the Christ. 

The other was the way that through Joseph, all of Egypt was gathered under the Pharaoh.  Just as Joseph gathered all the lands and peoples for his "king", the Pharaoh, Jesus will gather all nations for the heavenly Father.

As always, the analogies break down, but they are beautiful nonetheless.

Psalms 28 and 29:

Psalm 28 seems a lot like the other psalms, building up those who follow God's way and asking for deliverance from the wicked.  Lovely, but I've heard it...not that I mind hearing it again...

Psalm 29 is really neat, though.  This is great imagery describing the voice of the Lord.  What is spoken by the voice of the Lord?  The Word.  What is the Word?  Jesus.  And Jesus shakes us to our very core.

Matthew 15:21-39, 16

We are presented a second miracle of multiplication.  I'm not sure how the heck I missed in the past that Jesus performed this miracle twice, for different multitudes, but just in case you missed it the first time...Jesus does it again.

And then the elders come and ask for a sign.  He's done this TWICE now and they are asking for more...Jesus tells them off in grand fashion, and then explains to his disciples to beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  Of course, the disciples  don't get it immediately, and think he is speaking of bread.  We can almost see Jesus get frustrated here as he explains that he is talking about their teachings.

We need to be so very careful with the "leaven" that our culture puts out.  If you think about it, the teachings of our culture are so very against what we believe as Christians. 

The rest of Matthew 16 is very important for all Christians, and especially for we Catholics.  Important points:

  • Simon makes his profession of faith, and Jesus seems to say "aha!  You get it!" and tells him that he is "blessed", for "flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven."  Translation:  "God has chosen you for a very special job...get ready..."  God often reveals things to the men he has plans for...
  • Then Jesus gives Simon a new name:  "Peter."  In our old testament readings, we've already seen some renaming, and they've all been very significant.  We're talking Abram to Abraham (and Sarai to Sarah), Jacob to Israel...these are not insignificant.  It is important also to note that so far we have not seen God change anyone's name to degrade him.  Some protestants say that the "rock" in this passage is the profession of faith, and that Jesus is changing Simon's name to (greek) "Petros", meaning "little rock"  underscoring his lack of significance.  But we have to consider that 1.  (greek) Petra is a feminine noun, and so not suited for a man's name.  2.  Jesus was speaking Aramaic, and likely gave the name (aramaic) "Cephas" to Simon, which does NOT translate to small pebble, but a more foundational rock.
  • Jesus  then says that He's going to build his church (singular) on that rock, and that the gates of hell will not prevail against it.  In other words, it's not going anywhere; once it is established, it will endure until the end of time. 
  • Then he says "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Here he is talking about authority...setting up a prime minister of sorts for His kingdom.  Oddly enough, kind of like how Pharaoh set up Joseph as the steward of his kingdom..
  • Of course, two verses later, Peter is called "Satan."  He is taken down a peg for not thinking in God's terms, but in man's.  Certainly he is still a man, and still capable of errors in judgement.  This stands as a stern reminder to us all that God does not think as man thinks...
  • Then we get a description of how to be on God's side:  Take up our cross daily (men don't like doing this) and follow Jesus.  God's way often seems foreign to us:  "For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."  We have to be willing to look at things from God's perspective, and realize that eternity is a whole heckuva lot longer than the short time we have on earth, and therefore much more important...
Catechism 232-248

"I'll take words that don't appear in the bible but are central to our faith for $500, Alex."

"Father, Son and Holy Spirt, one God in three Persons"

"What is the Trinity?"

"Correct!"

Let's face it.  The Trinity is basic to Christianity, but impossible to fully understand with the human intellect.  I like how the Catechism here points out that we do things "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit", not "in the names of."  God is one.  But God's oneness is so epic (if you'll pardon the term) that it expresses itself as three distinct persons sharing in one divine nature.  The Father and Son are "consubstantial" (of the same substance) and the Holy Spirit proceeds from them both.  So many analogies have been used to try and teach of the Trinity, but they all fall short.  Still, it is an awesome mystery to contemplate.

Tomorrow's readings:

Genesis 48-49:27
Psalm 30
Matthew 17
Catechism 249-256