Exodus 12
God outlines how the Passover is to be observed in order to preserve the firstborn of the Israelites from death. I find it interesting that this final plaque comes with very detailed instructions, while the others came with few, if any, instructions, for preventing loss among the Jews. But it is certainly fitting...this is the plague to end all plagues, to be sure, and serves not only to finally convince Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go, but also to set the stage for the messiah God promised back in Genesis. This sweeping death calls to mind the effects of sin on the lives of all, but those who eat the passover meal (which prefigures the Eucharist) have a means to escape the wages of that sin...to have death pass over them and share in a new freedom from bondage. Christ's sacrifice is so beautiful a fulfillment of the passover...truly this is the work of a divine author...
I am also struck by the Israelites' willingness to follow Moses' instructions...especially when we know that in a few short chapters they will become disobedient and unruly. Again, this speaks to us...we are so willing to listen and obey one day, and then we fall and break God's command the next. Fortunately His mercy and salvation are never far off.
Psalm 38
This psalm underscores how even the "righteous" who follow God are fallen and in need of His salvation. We all fall short, but those who are humble enough to acknowledge it before God can overcome sin with the help of His Grace. Hence "I confess my iniquity, I am sorry for my sin." With Advent approaching, it is a good time to start thinking about reconciling with God as we prepare the way for the Lord in our hearts.
Matthew 21: 23-46
No sooner does Jesus enter Jerusalem triumphantly than the trouble starts. Those in power are threatened by Him, and fear the loss of their position of power and stature. Of course, when they try and question Him, he expertly turns it back on them, and then explains in two parables that make it painfully clear to them that He opposes them in what they are doing. He also begins to unspool God's plan to bring all of humanity into the fold, no longer limiting His salvation to Israel.
Catechism 309-314
We get a brief treatment to the problem of evil here, summing up in a few brief paragraphs years of development in theology. Anyone who has ever asked "Where was God when..." or "How can a good God let ...happen?" should start with this series of paragraphs. One of the things that makes God...God...is that He can bring good out of evil. He is not the cause of the evil, but he permits it, sometimes mysteriously, and sometimes not so mysteriously, so that greater good may be brought from this by-product of the free will He has bestowed upon his children.
Tomorrow's readings:
Exodus 13-14
Psalm 39
Matthew 22:1-22
Catechism 315-324
Monday, November 22, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Bible and Catechism in a Year: Day 38
Exodus 10-11
Locusts and darkness fall upon Egypt, and Pharaoh tries to do some hard bargaining, but ultimately has his proposals shot down by Moses and Aaron...oh, and God. Pharaoh predictably goes back on his word even when he promises to release the Israelites from bondage.
Then the Lord reveals the final plaque to Moses...the death of all the first born of Egypt, both man and beast.
We've heard this story before, and in the next chapter we'll see it play out. But we keep in mind how all of this relates to Christ, and how it prepares God's chosen people to one day receive the Lamb of God.
Psalm 37
This is a great psalm to come back to. Again we are comparing the wicked to the righteous, and what the Lord has in store for both. Though the Psalmist makes a very clear demarcation between the two, we know that in our lives we often play both parts...we are sinful and sometimes wicked, and in need of repentance.
I am drawn to verses 27 and 28: Depart from evil, and do good; so shall you abide for ever. For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints.
So even the psalmist recognizes that we need to "depart from evil, and do good." We would do well to heed his instruction.
Matthew 21:1-22
Jesus enters Jerusalem triumphant, as was fortold (as Matthew astutely points out). He is recognized as the messiah, the Son of David, by the people. The same people who will soon deny him.
Jesus then cleanses the temple of the money changers and sellers of pigeons, accusing them of making the temple a "den of robbers." I wonder how often we do the same with our petty squabbles and politics which sometimes make life in any church ministry unpalateable.
Jesus heals the blind and the lame, and then children begin to cry out "Hosanna to the son of David!" So "out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast brought perfect praise. Considering that my youngest is presently very challenging in church, this is somewhat comforting.
We then find Jesus having an altercation with...a fig tree? The fig tree loses, and Jesus uses it to teach a lesson on faith. Certainly it is a warning to us as to what can happen to us if we do not bear fruit for Him. We, too, can wither in our spiritual life and find ourselves unable to do anything good.
And, if we have faith in Christ, then certainly we CAN do all things.
Catechism 302-308
God has a plan, and this plan is both a grand scheme which works for the good of all creation, as well as an individual scheme, which applies to each of us. I had a discussion with an aquaintance on a recent business trip where we discussed our tendancy not to worry about our day to day needs. I identified myself as a man of faith, and she identified herself as a woman of no faith. But even so, she had come to realize that her base needs are always met, even when she is unsure of how that will come to be. It goes to show that some of God's truths transcend faith and can be grasped by anyone who has lived in this world long enough to see "how things work."
God uses our cooperation, given in free will, to unfold his plan in history. This is awesome when we think about it. We can cooperate with God in our intelligence and will to do his work in his vineyard. We are most free when we are able to choose the good. Ironically, we are most captive when we find ourselves choosing things contrary to the good. We think we are free in that case, but we really aren't. After all, if we cut ourselves off from God, there is very little we can do.
Tomorrow's readings:
Exodus 12
Psalm 38
Matthew 21: 23-46
Catechism 309-314
Locusts and darkness fall upon Egypt, and Pharaoh tries to do some hard bargaining, but ultimately has his proposals shot down by Moses and Aaron...oh, and God. Pharaoh predictably goes back on his word even when he promises to release the Israelites from bondage.
Then the Lord reveals the final plaque to Moses...the death of all the first born of Egypt, both man and beast.
We've heard this story before, and in the next chapter we'll see it play out. But we keep in mind how all of this relates to Christ, and how it prepares God's chosen people to one day receive the Lamb of God.
Psalm 37
This is a great psalm to come back to. Again we are comparing the wicked to the righteous, and what the Lord has in store for both. Though the Psalmist makes a very clear demarcation between the two, we know that in our lives we often play both parts...we are sinful and sometimes wicked, and in need of repentance.
I am drawn to verses 27 and 28: Depart from evil, and do good; so shall you abide for ever. For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his saints.
So even the psalmist recognizes that we need to "depart from evil, and do good." We would do well to heed his instruction.
Matthew 21:1-22
Jesus enters Jerusalem triumphant, as was fortold (as Matthew astutely points out). He is recognized as the messiah, the Son of David, by the people. The same people who will soon deny him.
Jesus then cleanses the temple of the money changers and sellers of pigeons, accusing them of making the temple a "den of robbers." I wonder how often we do the same with our petty squabbles and politics which sometimes make life in any church ministry unpalateable.
Jesus heals the blind and the lame, and then children begin to cry out "Hosanna to the son of David!" So "out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast brought perfect praise. Considering that my youngest is presently very challenging in church, this is somewhat comforting.
We then find Jesus having an altercation with...a fig tree? The fig tree loses, and Jesus uses it to teach a lesson on faith. Certainly it is a warning to us as to what can happen to us if we do not bear fruit for Him. We, too, can wither in our spiritual life and find ourselves unable to do anything good.
And, if we have faith in Christ, then certainly we CAN do all things.
Catechism 302-308
God has a plan, and this plan is both a grand scheme which works for the good of all creation, as well as an individual scheme, which applies to each of us. I had a discussion with an aquaintance on a recent business trip where we discussed our tendancy not to worry about our day to day needs. I identified myself as a man of faith, and she identified herself as a woman of no faith. But even so, she had come to realize that her base needs are always met, even when she is unsure of how that will come to be. It goes to show that some of God's truths transcend faith and can be grasped by anyone who has lived in this world long enough to see "how things work."
God uses our cooperation, given in free will, to unfold his plan in history. This is awesome when we think about it. We can cooperate with God in our intelligence and will to do his work in his vineyard. We are most free when we are able to choose the good. Ironically, we are most captive when we find ourselves choosing things contrary to the good. We think we are free in that case, but we really aren't. After all, if we cut ourselves off from God, there is very little we can do.
Tomorrow's readings:
Exodus 12
Psalm 38
Matthew 21: 23-46
Catechism 309-314
Another Catholic Dude experiences single fatherhood...
You may be wondering where I went. Perhaps you assumed I ran out of steam with my Bible and Catechism in a year quest. Maybe you thought I was another one of those bloggers who goes strong for a month and then falls off the face of the earth. Or maybe you didn't even notice I'd gone. It's ok, whatever it was, I forgive you.
For the record, I was off blog for three reasons.
Firstly, during the time I usually use to blog, I was trying to get ahead of my work a little bit in anticipation of taking some time off from work, and by evening I was assisting my beautiful wife with the creation of some Halloween costumes for our children.
Secondly, that beautiful wife of mine was on a business trip out of the country for 8 days.
Thirdly, after she returned (and I returned to work), the time I usually use to blog was used to catch up on work. Hence, one full month away from the blogosphere...
"Wait a minute!" you ask. "Isn't your wife a stay at home mom?"
Yes. Yes she is. And for those of you who know what stay-at-home moms do, you know she has a very demanding job. I've always known that her job was just as demanding, if not more, than mine. And so, when she expressed some frustration one day over the frequency of business trips I had to take, and how doing so enabled me to get a break from the kids for a period of time, I suggested that she use some of my frequent flyer miles to take a business trip of her own.
So, after a good deal of planning, preperation, and some anxiety on all fronts, a car arrived in front of our house at 4:45 AM on a Monday morning to take her to the airport. The well rehearsed roles were reversed...I was watching her drive away into the darkness and facing a week at home with the kids without my helpmeet while she was heading into the unknown and starting to miss her family by the time she got to the airport.
I had no delusions as to the difficulty of the task I had undertaken. I had reviewed the kids' schedules multiple times, put together a "to do" list (which included construction of my eldest child's Halloween costume), and even planned a tentative menu for the week. I was really looking forward to having extra time with the kids, but I knew that this was going to be a busy and tiring week. I was pretty sure I was prepared for it.
Or was I?
Well, despite the fact that I knew what I was getting into, I still learned a few things. But this isn't a parenting blog, so I'm not going to go into a lot of detail there. Overall it was a very positive experience and it gave me an even deeper appreciation for what my wife does on a daily basis, especially when I have to travel for work (which I have to do twice this month...)
I look back on the entire experience now and see moments of triumph (finishing the epic costume on time, not missing any of the kids' activities, successfully navigating Halloween, getting my daughter's room completely cleaned, cooking meals most nights, etc.) as well as failures (Losing my temper and acting more like a child than my children on two occasions, not getting everything on my to do list done, not catching up on my blog, not getting adequete sleep, etc.). But one thing that really sticks out in my post mordem is not finding the time to pray outside of mealtime and just before bed.
Going into the week, I had planned to gather the kids and pray together every night. It never happened, though, because I was so focused on the tasks I wanted to complete while I was home from work. The kids got their homework done, and I got them to their activities to be sure, but once everything was done and we turned to the ritual of getting them to bed, I completely forgot about my resolution and simply looked forward to getting them into bed and out of the way so I could work on MY projects.
How often do we do this as Christians? How often do we let our own ambitions come between us and time with our Savior? I imagine it happens a lot. It was happening in my life before my wife's trip, and continued to happen after she returned. But looking back on it now shines a spotlight on it and makes me think more deeply about it. We NEED to set aside time with Jesus outside of Sunday Mass and prayer before meals. To paraphrase Archbishop Fulton Sheen: "If you don't have time to spend half an hour in adoration each day, you need to spend an hour..."
Still, it's much easier said than done. How do I bring family prayer into my house and make it meaningful for everyone? With a nearly 23 month old hellion running about? All things are possible in Christ...I'll be looking to Him to guide me...
Now it's time to get back to the scriptures.
For the record, I was off blog for three reasons.
Firstly, during the time I usually use to blog, I was trying to get ahead of my work a little bit in anticipation of taking some time off from work, and by evening I was assisting my beautiful wife with the creation of some Halloween costumes for our children.
Secondly, that beautiful wife of mine was on a business trip out of the country for 8 days.
Thirdly, after she returned (and I returned to work), the time I usually use to blog was used to catch up on work. Hence, one full month away from the blogosphere...
"Wait a minute!" you ask. "Isn't your wife a stay at home mom?"
Yes. Yes she is. And for those of you who know what stay-at-home moms do, you know she has a very demanding job. I've always known that her job was just as demanding, if not more, than mine. And so, when she expressed some frustration one day over the frequency of business trips I had to take, and how doing so enabled me to get a break from the kids for a period of time, I suggested that she use some of my frequent flyer miles to take a business trip of her own.
So, after a good deal of planning, preperation, and some anxiety on all fronts, a car arrived in front of our house at 4:45 AM on a Monday morning to take her to the airport. The well rehearsed roles were reversed...I was watching her drive away into the darkness and facing a week at home with the kids without my helpmeet while she was heading into the unknown and starting to miss her family by the time she got to the airport.
I had no delusions as to the difficulty of the task I had undertaken. I had reviewed the kids' schedules multiple times, put together a "to do" list (which included construction of my eldest child's Halloween costume), and even planned a tentative menu for the week. I was really looking forward to having extra time with the kids, but I knew that this was going to be a busy and tiring week. I was pretty sure I was prepared for it.
Or was I?
Well, despite the fact that I knew what I was getting into, I still learned a few things. But this isn't a parenting blog, so I'm not going to go into a lot of detail there. Overall it was a very positive experience and it gave me an even deeper appreciation for what my wife does on a daily basis, especially when I have to travel for work (which I have to do twice this month...)
I look back on the entire experience now and see moments of triumph (finishing the epic costume on time, not missing any of the kids' activities, successfully navigating Halloween, getting my daughter's room completely cleaned, cooking meals most nights, etc.) as well as failures (Losing my temper and acting more like a child than my children on two occasions, not getting everything on my to do list done, not catching up on my blog, not getting adequete sleep, etc.). But one thing that really sticks out in my post mordem is not finding the time to pray outside of mealtime and just before bed.
Going into the week, I had planned to gather the kids and pray together every night. It never happened, though, because I was so focused on the tasks I wanted to complete while I was home from work. The kids got their homework done, and I got them to their activities to be sure, but once everything was done and we turned to the ritual of getting them to bed, I completely forgot about my resolution and simply looked forward to getting them into bed and out of the way so I could work on MY projects.
How often do we do this as Christians? How often do we let our own ambitions come between us and time with our Savior? I imagine it happens a lot. It was happening in my life before my wife's trip, and continued to happen after she returned. But looking back on it now shines a spotlight on it and makes me think more deeply about it. We NEED to set aside time with Jesus outside of Sunday Mass and prayer before meals. To paraphrase Archbishop Fulton Sheen: "If you don't have time to spend half an hour in adoration each day, you need to spend an hour..."
Still, it's much easier said than done. How do I bring family prayer into my house and make it meaningful for everyone? With a nearly 23 month old hellion running about? All things are possible in Christ...I'll be looking to Him to guide me...
Now it's time to get back to the scriptures.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Bible and Catechism in a Year: Day 37
A few days behind...but I'm going to catch up. I've decided not to do the two-fers anymore, though, but to post each day separately.
Exodus 9:
More plagues...plague, boils, and fiery hail rain down.
Still, Pharaoh's heart is hardened. As I read this passage, it reaffirms what I wrote on day 36, because it says that Pharaoh "sinned yet again," which implies a choice. Pharaoh's free will is intact. He could, in fact, have chosen to let Moses and the Israelites go at any time, but did not. Now God could have given Pharaoh graces to make him more likely to choose the good of releasing the slaves, but ultimately Pharaoh has already rejected the grace of God, and so his heart is hardened and he chooses to do as he wishes.
I find not a little humor in the fact that the "magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils." Scripture makes a point of putting the magicians out here, as if to say "look what happens when you try to be like God..."
Also I think that the Lord's short discourse on why He doesn't just wipe out the Egyptians entirely is revealing.
Psalm 36:
A study of contrast here, the first part dealing with the wicked and the second part dealing with God's treatment of those who follow Him. What I really like here is the second to last verse, though, where the psalmist asks God to "Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away." In his humility, he recognizes that He needs God to keep from being like the folks in the first part of the psalm.
Matthew 20:17-34
Here, Jesus tells the twelve what is going to happen to him. They don't appear to protest this time around, so perhaps they have become used to hearing it, even though they clearly don't understand it.
They we get the mother of the sons of Zebedee asking that her son's be at Jesus' right and left hand in His kingdom. It is pretty clear that dear old mom is still thinking along the lines of an earthly kingdom, so it is a shock when Jesus indicates that it is not His place to grant this request. Jesus then goes on to speak about servitude, and of the importance of being humble. Very similar to the "first shall be last," this proclaims that the Son of man came to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
This chapter ends with the healing of two blind men. They are persistent and continue to call after Jesus even when they are told to quiet down by "the crowd." How often are we told to quiet down by "the crowd?" Sometimes following Jesus means being unpopular.
Catechism 295-301
More on creation - God creates by wisdom and love, out of nothing, an ordered and good world. As Catholics, we believe that the material world is a good thing, and often the Church has had to defend and put down as heresy teachings which said that matter is evil. It is through matter that we experience the world, and our God himself took on matter to come to us in the incarnation. Some time ago, I subscribed to the belief that matter was, at best neutral, following the Yoda-ism "Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter." But I've come to see that we indeed are matter just as much as we are spirit, and that matter is anything but crude.
So God upholds and sustains His creation. Has our world fallen? Certainly. But, to grab another star-wars-ism: There is still good in it. God does not abandon his creation...quite the opposite...He loves it.
"Tomorrow's" readings:
Exodus 10-11
Psalm 37
Matthew 21:1-22
Catechism 302-308
Exodus 9:
More plagues...plague, boils, and fiery hail rain down.
Still, Pharaoh's heart is hardened. As I read this passage, it reaffirms what I wrote on day 36, because it says that Pharaoh "sinned yet again," which implies a choice. Pharaoh's free will is intact. He could, in fact, have chosen to let Moses and the Israelites go at any time, but did not. Now God could have given Pharaoh graces to make him more likely to choose the good of releasing the slaves, but ultimately Pharaoh has already rejected the grace of God, and so his heart is hardened and he chooses to do as he wishes.
I find not a little humor in the fact that the "magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils." Scripture makes a point of putting the magicians out here, as if to say "look what happens when you try to be like God..."
Also I think that the Lord's short discourse on why He doesn't just wipe out the Egyptians entirely is revealing.
Psalm 36:
A study of contrast here, the first part dealing with the wicked and the second part dealing with God's treatment of those who follow Him. What I really like here is the second to last verse, though, where the psalmist asks God to "Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away." In his humility, he recognizes that He needs God to keep from being like the folks in the first part of the psalm.
Matthew 20:17-34
Here, Jesus tells the twelve what is going to happen to him. They don't appear to protest this time around, so perhaps they have become used to hearing it, even though they clearly don't understand it.
They we get the mother of the sons of Zebedee asking that her son's be at Jesus' right and left hand in His kingdom. It is pretty clear that dear old mom is still thinking along the lines of an earthly kingdom, so it is a shock when Jesus indicates that it is not His place to grant this request. Jesus then goes on to speak about servitude, and of the importance of being humble. Very similar to the "first shall be last," this proclaims that the Son of man came to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
This chapter ends with the healing of two blind men. They are persistent and continue to call after Jesus even when they are told to quiet down by "the crowd." How often are we told to quiet down by "the crowd?" Sometimes following Jesus means being unpopular.
Catechism 295-301
More on creation - God creates by wisdom and love, out of nothing, an ordered and good world. As Catholics, we believe that the material world is a good thing, and often the Church has had to defend and put down as heresy teachings which said that matter is evil. It is through matter that we experience the world, and our God himself took on matter to come to us in the incarnation. Some time ago, I subscribed to the belief that matter was, at best neutral, following the Yoda-ism "Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter." But I've come to see that we indeed are matter just as much as we are spirit, and that matter is anything but crude.
So God upholds and sustains His creation. Has our world fallen? Certainly. But, to grab another star-wars-ism: There is still good in it. God does not abandon his creation...quite the opposite...He loves it.
"Tomorrow's" readings:
Exodus 10-11
Psalm 37
Matthew 21:1-22
Catechism 302-308
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Bible and Catechism in a Year: Day 36
Exodus 7-8
Here come the plagues...blood, frogs, gnats, and flies in these two chapters...
Two things jump out at me. (No, not the frogs...)
The first is the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. Often folks ask how an all good God could harden Pharaoh's heart, apparently just so he could make him suffer? Is God robbing Pharaoh of his free will?
Remember that we need to look at the whole of scripture, especially when we try and figure the mind of God. We know that God is all good and does not do evil, and we know that free will is a gift we have. To take one's free will is indeed an evil, so God would not do this. But we do know that God allows evil, since it is a byproduct of our free will, though he often (and some might argue always) uses that evil to bring about a greater good.
It follows, therefore, that God does not take Pharaoh's free will. But if that is the case, how do we make sense of this?
We need to remember that to do the will of God, in our concupiscence, requires God's grace, which he freely gives us. God's grace is a gift...and gifts can be refused.
Have you ever refused a gift? I was in a situation once at work where I was offered a gift of substantial value by a client. Accepting the gift would have been a breech of our code of ethics, so I was forced to graciously decline it. Even after I declined it, though, the would-be giver offered it to me again. I had to decline it again, and ultimately a third time. But after the third time my client relented, and ceased offering me this gift.
God, likewise, in respect of the free will he gave us, will stop offering us His gifts if we refuse him constantly and make it clear that we don't want them. This would seem to be the case with the Pharaoh, who declares at one point "I do not know the Lord..." and in so doing so intimates that he does not wish to know the Lord. So perhaps it is that the hardening of Pharaoh's heart by God is a withdrawal of God's offer of grace. Certainly, Pharaoh acts in a very deceptive way moving forward.
The second item which I find curious is the "secret arts" of the Pharaoh's wise men or magicians. Are their replications of the miracles and plagues mere prestidigitation, or are they more sinister in nature? It is hard to say from the scripture...but I guess in the end it isn't important. We know what is from God and what is not. We also know that after the gnats, the Pharaoh's wise men couldn't keep up with God's works.
Psalm 35
This psalm is a plea to God to bring down one's foes. It's a pity party of sorts, but it is punctuated with heartfelt moments of praise between the call to God to smite those who grieve the psalmist.
Matthew 20:1-16
We ended chapter 19 on a "first will be last, and the last first," and now Jesus goes on to explain himself with (wait for it...) a parable.
So often we are jealous of others for what they receive as a benefit of generosity. We feel vindicated in doing so, because "They didn't earn that" or "They didn't deserve that, but got it anyway." Rather than be happy for those who benefit, we try and tear them down. The laborers hired early in the day here do just this, but the master explains that he is free to do with his money what he will, and if he wishes to pay those who came late the same as he agreed to pay those who came early as a sign of his generosity, he is free to do so. It all comes down to the agreement...if the terms of the agreement are met or exceeded, then what complaint is there to levy?
It seems to tie back to the reading from Exodus. God is free to do with his grace as he wills. He gives us each at least enough to hear him...but he can choose to give abundance or not as he wills and as he sees fit. I, for one, think he's probably got a better idea of where it is needed at any given moment in history than I do.
This time we end with a "last will be first, and the first last."
Catechism 290-294
The world exists for God's glory. That's pretty simple, and yet terribly profound. The work of the Trinity is to create, and yet He doesn't create out of necessity, but out of desire. It is in His nature to create, to be "creative," since he is pure being, his "words" manifest in an existence all their own, yet completely dependent upon Him. Existence of the universe does not increase God's glory, but proclaims it with every covalent bond that forms or electron that flows. From the tiny quark to the vast milky way, the glory of God rings out just as strong, for it was an infinite God that created all of this ex-nihlo.
Tomorrow's readings:
Exodus 9
Psalm 36
Matthew 20:17-34
Catechism 295-301
Here come the plagues...blood, frogs, gnats, and flies in these two chapters...
Two things jump out at me. (No, not the frogs...)
The first is the hardening of Pharaoh's heart. Often folks ask how an all good God could harden Pharaoh's heart, apparently just so he could make him suffer? Is God robbing Pharaoh of his free will?
Remember that we need to look at the whole of scripture, especially when we try and figure the mind of God. We know that God is all good and does not do evil, and we know that free will is a gift we have. To take one's free will is indeed an evil, so God would not do this. But we do know that God allows evil, since it is a byproduct of our free will, though he often (and some might argue always) uses that evil to bring about a greater good.
It follows, therefore, that God does not take Pharaoh's free will. But if that is the case, how do we make sense of this?
We need to remember that to do the will of God, in our concupiscence, requires God's grace, which he freely gives us. God's grace is a gift...and gifts can be refused.
Have you ever refused a gift? I was in a situation once at work where I was offered a gift of substantial value by a client. Accepting the gift would have been a breech of our code of ethics, so I was forced to graciously decline it. Even after I declined it, though, the would-be giver offered it to me again. I had to decline it again, and ultimately a third time. But after the third time my client relented, and ceased offering me this gift.
God, likewise, in respect of the free will he gave us, will stop offering us His gifts if we refuse him constantly and make it clear that we don't want them. This would seem to be the case with the Pharaoh, who declares at one point "I do not know the Lord..." and in so doing so intimates that he does not wish to know the Lord. So perhaps it is that the hardening of Pharaoh's heart by God is a withdrawal of God's offer of grace. Certainly, Pharaoh acts in a very deceptive way moving forward.
The second item which I find curious is the "secret arts" of the Pharaoh's wise men or magicians. Are their replications of the miracles and plagues mere prestidigitation, or are they more sinister in nature? It is hard to say from the scripture...but I guess in the end it isn't important. We know what is from God and what is not. We also know that after the gnats, the Pharaoh's wise men couldn't keep up with God's works.
Psalm 35
This psalm is a plea to God to bring down one's foes. It's a pity party of sorts, but it is punctuated with heartfelt moments of praise between the call to God to smite those who grieve the psalmist.
Matthew 20:1-16
We ended chapter 19 on a "first will be last, and the last first," and now Jesus goes on to explain himself with (wait for it...) a parable.
So often we are jealous of others for what they receive as a benefit of generosity. We feel vindicated in doing so, because "They didn't earn that" or "They didn't deserve that, but got it anyway." Rather than be happy for those who benefit, we try and tear them down. The laborers hired early in the day here do just this, but the master explains that he is free to do with his money what he will, and if he wishes to pay those who came late the same as he agreed to pay those who came early as a sign of his generosity, he is free to do so. It all comes down to the agreement...if the terms of the agreement are met or exceeded, then what complaint is there to levy?
It seems to tie back to the reading from Exodus. God is free to do with his grace as he wills. He gives us each at least enough to hear him...but he can choose to give abundance or not as he wills and as he sees fit. I, for one, think he's probably got a better idea of where it is needed at any given moment in history than I do.
This time we end with a "last will be first, and the first last."
Catechism 290-294
The world exists for God's glory. That's pretty simple, and yet terribly profound. The work of the Trinity is to create, and yet He doesn't create out of necessity, but out of desire. It is in His nature to create, to be "creative," since he is pure being, his "words" manifest in an existence all their own, yet completely dependent upon Him. Existence of the universe does not increase God's glory, but proclaims it with every covalent bond that forms or electron that flows. From the tiny quark to the vast milky way, the glory of God rings out just as strong, for it was an infinite God that created all of this ex-nihlo.
Tomorrow's readings:
Exodus 9
Psalm 36
Matthew 20:17-34
Catechism 295-301
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:
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
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
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
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:
Tomorrow's readings
Exodus 1-2
Psalm 32
Matthew 18:21-35
Catechism 268-274
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:
"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
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...
"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
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Bible and Catechism in a year: Day 28
Genesis 42-43:
We continue the narrative of Joseph, and see things beginning to come around full circle as his brothers are forced to head to Egypt to obtain food during the famine. Joseph recognizes them, but they do not recognize him.
There seems to be an interesting parallel here to the breaking of bread and the road to Emaus, as an aside. The analogy breaks down quickly, but for that moment, the commonalities of bread (grain) and not recognizing one whom was rejected and is saving them jumped out at me.
Anyhow, Joseph tells them that they must return with their youngest brother, and keeps Simeon prisoner. I also really like Reuben's "I told you so" moment where he tells off his brothers.
Anyhow, Joseph has clearly forgiven his brothers in a way, since he doesn't charge them for their grain (in a sneaky way that freaks them out...priceless). At the same time, his plan is a little cruel, especially to his father...but in the end it will all work out.
Joseph has a special place in his heart for Benjamin because he is his full brother, but probably also because he played no part in his enslavement. Hopefully Benjamin had a hearty appetite...
Psalm 27
I mentioned before that I do love the places where God is described as a protective force...here he is a stronghold and a shelter against evildoers. We also have a great hope laid before us...to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of our lives...to offer sacrifices with shouts of joy, to sing and make melody to the Lord...to behold the beauty of the Lord.
This psalm's call to God to embrace us and not send us away calls to my mind also how God calls to us...He does not want us to send him away, or for our love of Him to fail. It is a covenant, after all...which means both parties hold up their end of the bargain. How beautiful is the covenant our God has with us...
Matthew 15:1-20
Again, we have the Pharisees trying to trip up Jesus, and Jesus deftly turns it around into a teaching moment, calling out the Pharisees as hypocrites. It would seem that they were so legalistic that they would find loopholes, meeting the letter of the law while not meeting the spirit of the law.
We get a good reference back to Isaiah (This is Matthew, after all), and then a very important bit of teaching about what defiles a man. This is a great prefigurement of God lifting the prohibition against eating certain "unclean animals."
"Hear and understand: not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man”…”Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach, and so passes on? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a man.”
Today, as Christians, we don’t wash our hands as part of a ritual prior to eating (rather as a matter of health), nor do we pay heed to the dietary restrictions of old. But we could all do with watching what comes out of our mouths from our hearts, I think. We are so quick to throw out insults to people when they can’t hear us…but God hears us. We are so quick to spread gossip and say bad things about our neighbors…even things that are true, but hurtful…and God hears us. We are so quick to say things, even to loved ones, in heated moments that truly defile us if we are supposed to be godly people. I witness this from my children as the speak to one another in rude tones and disrespectful words…and even find myself saying things in a manner that is not befitting the dignity of a beloved child of God.
Truly, once something is said, it can not be unsaid. We can regret them, apologize for them, and be forgiven…but better would it be if we treated others with gentleness and reverence at all times!
Catechism 222-231
I love the fact that our Catechism utilizes poetic works to help convey truth. There is some lovely poetry here summing up the implications of faith in One God:
Let nothing trouble you
Let nothing frighten you
Everything passes
God never changes
Patience
Obtains all
Whoever has God
Wants for nothing
God alone is enough
- St. Teresa of Jesus
If we are truly faithful, we have an absolute trust in God in every circumstance. That’s hard to do sometimes, but oddly enough, whenever we put things in His hands completely, they seem to work out, don’t they?
I am also struck by paragraph 225, which states “It means knowing the unity and true dignity of all men: Everyone is made in the image and likeness of God.”
Readings for tomorrow:
Genesis 44-45
Psalm 28
Matthew 15:21-39
Catechism 232-237
Friday, October 8, 2010
Bible and Catechism in a year: Day 27
Genesis 40-41
We continue the narrative of Joseph, his interpretation of dreams, his release from incarceration and becoming the Pharaoh's right hand man.
Here we see the providence of God, and that his plan is perfect, even when we don't see it ourselves. He is able to bring good out of evil in ways that we can't possibly predict.
I also find Joseph's words to be very revealing: "Do not interpretations belong to God?" If God sent these dreams, God alone can interpret them and reveal them to us. The scriptures are much the same...He inspired them, and it is He who interprets them in the person of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 26
This Psalm goes back to a familiar formula, contrasting the righteous and wicked, and asking God to see the good of the righteous.
Matthew 14:22-36
After his miracle of the loaves and fish, now Jesus dismisses the crowds and goes up to pray on his own while the disciples get in the boat and begin to head out to the other side. And after he prays, he comes walking across the lake to get to them and freaks them out, big time.
Peter...on the edge of brilliance sometimes, makes a show of faith that foreshadows his profession to come later. He walks on the water with Jesus, but becomes afraid of the wind and waves, and begins to sink. Jesus, of course, saves him. It is powerful imagery - being saved from harsh waters by our stable and powerful God. We often feel we are sinking beneath the waves, and often such a feeling comes soon after we were so certain about something. We think we need to "sink or swim", but there is another option...trust in our God and ask Him to save us...and He certainly will.
"Those in the boat worshipped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God'"
There is still work to be done, though, and when they arrive at Gennesaret the sick come to him to be healed and to touch the fringe of his garment.
If only people flocked to Jesus this way with such faith. How fickle we are, like these, many of whom we can only assume later forgot all about the healing Jesus brought them.
Catechism 214-221
We have asserted part of God's nature, that He is pure being. But He is also Truth and Love.
He is Truth in that he cannot deceive, and is the author of life, the universe and everything (not to be confused with the book by Douglas Adams) Every truth we can possibly know can only be known because God created it.
He is Love in that "God Himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange." This is why His love is steadfast...it doesn't change...it can't, because God's innermost nature consists of Love. This is a pure love of which all other loves we know are mere shadows. Divine love will make our romantic love, brotherly love, familial love, and any other flavor of love pale in comparison.
Tomorrow's readings:
Genesis 42-43
Psalm 27
Matthew 15:1-20
Catechism 222-231
We continue the narrative of Joseph, his interpretation of dreams, his release from incarceration and becoming the Pharaoh's right hand man.
Here we see the providence of God, and that his plan is perfect, even when we don't see it ourselves. He is able to bring good out of evil in ways that we can't possibly predict.
I also find Joseph's words to be very revealing: "Do not interpretations belong to God?" If God sent these dreams, God alone can interpret them and reveal them to us. The scriptures are much the same...He inspired them, and it is He who interprets them in the person of the Holy Spirit.
Psalm 26
This Psalm goes back to a familiar formula, contrasting the righteous and wicked, and asking God to see the good of the righteous.
Matthew 14:22-36
After his miracle of the loaves and fish, now Jesus dismisses the crowds and goes up to pray on his own while the disciples get in the boat and begin to head out to the other side. And after he prays, he comes walking across the lake to get to them and freaks them out, big time.
Peter...on the edge of brilliance sometimes, makes a show of faith that foreshadows his profession to come later. He walks on the water with Jesus, but becomes afraid of the wind and waves, and begins to sink. Jesus, of course, saves him. It is powerful imagery - being saved from harsh waters by our stable and powerful God. We often feel we are sinking beneath the waves, and often such a feeling comes soon after we were so certain about something. We think we need to "sink or swim", but there is another option...trust in our God and ask Him to save us...and He certainly will.
"Those in the boat worshipped him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God'"
There is still work to be done, though, and when they arrive at Gennesaret the sick come to him to be healed and to touch the fringe of his garment.
If only people flocked to Jesus this way with such faith. How fickle we are, like these, many of whom we can only assume later forgot all about the healing Jesus brought them.
Catechism 214-221
We have asserted part of God's nature, that He is pure being. But He is also Truth and Love.
He is Truth in that he cannot deceive, and is the author of life, the universe and everything (not to be confused with the book by Douglas Adams) Every truth we can possibly know can only be known because God created it.
He is Love in that "God Himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange." This is why His love is steadfast...it doesn't change...it can't, because God's innermost nature consists of Love. This is a pure love of which all other loves we know are mere shadows. Divine love will make our romantic love, brotherly love, familial love, and any other flavor of love pale in comparison.
Tomorrow's readings:
Genesis 42-43
Psalm 27
Matthew 15:1-20
Catechism 222-231
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Bible and Catechism in a year: Day 26
Genesis 38-39
We take a break from the narrative of Joseph to follow the story of Judah and his sons, Er and Onan.
I'm going to go ahead and borrow from a discussion I had with my cousin on Facebook for this part:
To summarize, Judah has two sons, Er and Onan. Er marries Tamar, but Er is slain by God for his wickedness. Judah tells Onan to "Go in to your brother's wife, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother." "But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother's wife he spilled the semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother. And what he did was displeasing in the sight of the LORD, and he slew him also." (Gen 38:8-10)
There has been a lot of discussion on this passage, and what it really means. Some folks have said that the "crime" for which Onan is slain is that of not giving his brother an heir...but the penalty for such is documented in Deuteronomy as public humiliation. Therefore, it would seem that, had Onan simply refused to lie with Tamar, he would have been subject to humiliation, but certainly not death. Instead, Onan decided to enjoy the pleasure of relations with Tamar, but to render the act sterile (via coitus interruptus), and this appears to have been the impetus for God slaying him.
Obviously, there are very few Christian denominations remaining who agree with the Catholic interpretation. Though, it is important to note that less than one hundred years ago, nearly ALL Christians agreed on this.
(Here ends my borrowing)
Because his younger son is not yet ready to wed, Judah sends Tamar to dwell in her father's house until such time that Shelah is old enough to wed...but he does not go about setting up the union out of fear that Shelah will die as well. Tamar "plays the harlot" and ultimately gets Judah to sleep with her, and obtains proof of the parentage of the children conceived by that union.
It is interesting that Judah is ready to have her put to death for begetting children through "harlotry," until he realizes that she is carrying his own children. At that point, he confesses that she is "more righteous" than he is, because he went back on his promise to marry her to Shelah. Thus, he does not put her to death, and does not lie with her again.
We then return to Joseph's trials, where despite being sold as a slave, he flourishes under his new master. That is, until his master's wife takes a liking to him and accuses him falsely after he refuses to lie with her. For that he is thrown in jail, but even there it is recognized that the Lord is with him.
I recall the animated film "Joseph: King of Dreams" which has a beautiful montage displaying Joseph's time in prison to the song "You Know Better Than I":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzxpVGnWEWA
While this is a dramatization, and we don't have any biblical evidence of Joseph ever doubting or experiencing a spiritual growth in prison, I think it is good to reflect on the fact that even though so many terrible things have happened to Joseph to this point, he is still walking in the steadfast love of the Lord. This is a lesson worth remembering, especially when things aren't going our way.
Psalm 25
I'm going to stop saying that I like this psalm or thing that psalm is great. They are all great, and I like them all (yes, even the ones that are somewhat depressing). This is one we often pray at mass, at least partially, and is full of beautiful imagery. Again, the term steadfast love appears multiple times. It would seem that this is a characteristic of God's love we are not to miss.
Matthew 14:1-21
First we have the manner in which John the Baptist is put to death. As my wife puts it: "Proof that even in ancient times men would do stupid things to gain the affection of a beautiful woman." Certainly this serves as a warning to us not to make open ended promises.
But moreover, we see Jesus' reaction. Jesus withdraws to a "lonely place apart," presumably to mourn. Still, the crowds follow him. Jesus would have been well within his rights to ask them to depart, but even in his own suffering, he has compassion on them, and heals them. But it doesn't end there. His disciples tell him to send the crowd away to get food for themselves, but Jesus refuses, saying instead that "you give them something to eat." When he is informed (as though he needed to be informed) that there are only five loaves of bread and two fish, he works a miracle that feeds them all with twelve baskets left over.
Some folks try and pass this off as a natural occurrence in which the people all had some food with them and shared what they had, but this is a rather lame attempt to de-divinize what has occurred. The people would not have been carrying food for an outing such as this. This miracle which Jesus wrought also prefigures in a special way the way that the Eucharist will work in the future...how He is able to give His own body to us all over the world through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Five loaves. Two Fish. Five Thousand Men, plus women and children. Not to mention the healings...and all while Jesus is clearly saddened over John's death.
Truly this is steadfast love.
Catechism 210-213
I sort of went into this yesterday. God is pure being. He never changes. Even His name tells us this.
We must resist the temptation to try and anthropomorphize God. God lowered himself to take on the incarnation, but he didn't have to. He does it to show the nature of his steadfast love. That's all I have to say about that...
Tomorrow's Readings:
Genesis 40-41
Psalm 26
Matthew 14:22-36
Catechism 214-221
We take a break from the narrative of Joseph to follow the story of Judah and his sons, Er and Onan.
I'm going to go ahead and borrow from a discussion I had with my cousin on Facebook for this part:
To summarize, Judah has two sons, Er and Onan. Er marries Tamar, but Er is slain by God for his wickedness. Judah tells Onan to "Go in to your brother's wife, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law to her, and raise up offspring for your brother." "But Onan knew that the offspring would not be his; so when he went in to his brother's wife he spilled the semen on the ground, lest he should give offspring to his brother. And what he did was displeasing in the sight of the LORD, and he slew him also." (Gen 38:8-10)
There has been a lot of discussion on this passage, and what it really means. Some folks have said that the "crime" for which Onan is slain is that of not giving his brother an heir...but the penalty for such is documented in Deuteronomy as public humiliation. Therefore, it would seem that, had Onan simply refused to lie with Tamar, he would have been subject to humiliation, but certainly not death. Instead, Onan decided to enjoy the pleasure of relations with Tamar, but to render the act sterile (via coitus interruptus), and this appears to have been the impetus for God slaying him.
Obviously, there are very few Christian denominations remaining who agree with the Catholic interpretation. Though, it is important to note that less than one hundred years ago, nearly ALL Christians agreed on this.
(Here ends my borrowing)
Because his younger son is not yet ready to wed, Judah sends Tamar to dwell in her father's house until such time that Shelah is old enough to wed...but he does not go about setting up the union out of fear that Shelah will die as well. Tamar "plays the harlot" and ultimately gets Judah to sleep with her, and obtains proof of the parentage of the children conceived by that union.
It is interesting that Judah is ready to have her put to death for begetting children through "harlotry," until he realizes that she is carrying his own children. At that point, he confesses that she is "more righteous" than he is, because he went back on his promise to marry her to Shelah. Thus, he does not put her to death, and does not lie with her again.
We then return to Joseph's trials, where despite being sold as a slave, he flourishes under his new master. That is, until his master's wife takes a liking to him and accuses him falsely after he refuses to lie with her. For that he is thrown in jail, but even there it is recognized that the Lord is with him.
I recall the animated film "Joseph: King of Dreams" which has a beautiful montage displaying Joseph's time in prison to the song "You Know Better Than I":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzxpVGnWEWA
While this is a dramatization, and we don't have any biblical evidence of Joseph ever doubting or experiencing a spiritual growth in prison, I think it is good to reflect on the fact that even though so many terrible things have happened to Joseph to this point, he is still walking in the steadfast love of the Lord. This is a lesson worth remembering, especially when things aren't going our way.
Psalm 25
I'm going to stop saying that I like this psalm or thing that psalm is great. They are all great, and I like them all (yes, even the ones that are somewhat depressing). This is one we often pray at mass, at least partially, and is full of beautiful imagery. Again, the term steadfast love appears multiple times. It would seem that this is a characteristic of God's love we are not to miss.
Matthew 14:1-21
First we have the manner in which John the Baptist is put to death. As my wife puts it: "Proof that even in ancient times men would do stupid things to gain the affection of a beautiful woman." Certainly this serves as a warning to us not to make open ended promises.
But moreover, we see Jesus' reaction. Jesus withdraws to a "lonely place apart," presumably to mourn. Still, the crowds follow him. Jesus would have been well within his rights to ask them to depart, but even in his own suffering, he has compassion on them, and heals them. But it doesn't end there. His disciples tell him to send the crowd away to get food for themselves, but Jesus refuses, saying instead that "you give them something to eat." When he is informed (as though he needed to be informed) that there are only five loaves of bread and two fish, he works a miracle that feeds them all with twelve baskets left over.
Some folks try and pass this off as a natural occurrence in which the people all had some food with them and shared what they had, but this is a rather lame attempt to de-divinize what has occurred. The people would not have been carrying food for an outing such as this. This miracle which Jesus wrought also prefigures in a special way the way that the Eucharist will work in the future...how He is able to give His own body to us all over the world through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Five loaves. Two Fish. Five Thousand Men, plus women and children. Not to mention the healings...and all while Jesus is clearly saddened over John's death.
Truly this is steadfast love.
Catechism 210-213
I sort of went into this yesterday. God is pure being. He never changes. Even His name tells us this.
We must resist the temptation to try and anthropomorphize God. God lowered himself to take on the incarnation, but he didn't have to. He does it to show the nature of his steadfast love. That's all I have to say about that...
Tomorrow's Readings:
Genesis 40-41
Psalm 26
Matthew 14:22-36
Catechism 214-221
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Bible and Catechism in a year: Day 25
Genesis 36-37
Genesis 36 gives us the genealogy of Esau's descendants.
Then in chapter 37 we begin the story of Joseph. Joseph is initially hated by his older brothers because he is favored by his father, but makes matters worse by sharing his dreams. In fact, sharing one particular dream also draws criticism from his father.
In any case, Jacob sends Joseph to check up on his brothers. Although Jacob must know how his elder children feel about Joseph, he clearly doesn't think that they will engage in treachery to get rid of him. Yet, one questions this assessment considering what happened at Shechem before at the hands of Simeon and Levi...
A bright spot here is Reuben, who was prepared to rescue his brother.
In any case, the story unfolds as Joseph is sold into slavery and his death is reported to Jacob. The stage is set for the drama that is to come.
Psalm 24
This song of praise declares that the earth belongs to God, and so do we who dwell upon it. The imagery of gates and doors opening before our Lord to let him in reminds me of how we receive Him in communion...hearkening back to the phrase from Matthew "I am not worthy to receive you under my roof" One gets under the roof by going through the door. Each of us must be ready to lift our gates and open our doors to receive him, be they the gates to our minds or the doors to our hearts.
Surely, the Lord could break through these gates and doors, for He is mighty and strong. But is it not better for us to let Him in?
"Such is the generation of those who seek him,"
Matthew 13:44-58
Jesus continues with a series of parables about the kingdom of heaven. The first two suggest that it needs to be our first priority...that we be willing to trade all we have in order to gain it. The last warns that not all who are caught in the net will gain salvation, much like the parable of the weeds sown among the good seed.
Are we willing to put God's kingdom before our own little kingdoms? Are we prepared to sell all we have to gain that pearl of great price? Some days more than others, perhaps.
We finish this passage with Jesus heading home and declaring that "a prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." Often it is hardest to witness to those who know us best.
Catechism 203-209
God's name: "I AM WHO AM" God is, in essence, being. Existence isn't something He does, like we do, but something He is. Living isn't something He does, like we do, but something He is. Our existence is a mere reflection of His. Our capabilities for thought and action are a mere reflection of His.
Basically, the reality of God is mind blowing. We can't hope to fully understand it, yet we are able to embrace that which we can know about him through creation and revelation. What a beautiful mystery!
Tomorrow's readings:
Genesis 38-39
Psalm 25
Matthew 14:1-21
Catechism 210-213
Genesis 36 gives us the genealogy of Esau's descendants.
Then in chapter 37 we begin the story of Joseph. Joseph is initially hated by his older brothers because he is favored by his father, but makes matters worse by sharing his dreams. In fact, sharing one particular dream also draws criticism from his father.
In any case, Jacob sends Joseph to check up on his brothers. Although Jacob must know how his elder children feel about Joseph, he clearly doesn't think that they will engage in treachery to get rid of him. Yet, one questions this assessment considering what happened at Shechem before at the hands of Simeon and Levi...
A bright spot here is Reuben, who was prepared to rescue his brother.
In any case, the story unfolds as Joseph is sold into slavery and his death is reported to Jacob. The stage is set for the drama that is to come.
Psalm 24
This song of praise declares that the earth belongs to God, and so do we who dwell upon it. The imagery of gates and doors opening before our Lord to let him in reminds me of how we receive Him in communion...hearkening back to the phrase from Matthew "I am not worthy to receive you under my roof" One gets under the roof by going through the door. Each of us must be ready to lift our gates and open our doors to receive him, be they the gates to our minds or the doors to our hearts.
Surely, the Lord could break through these gates and doors, for He is mighty and strong. But is it not better for us to let Him in?
"Such is the generation of those who seek him,"
Matthew 13:44-58
Jesus continues with a series of parables about the kingdom of heaven. The first two suggest that it needs to be our first priority...that we be willing to trade all we have in order to gain it. The last warns that not all who are caught in the net will gain salvation, much like the parable of the weeds sown among the good seed.
Are we willing to put God's kingdom before our own little kingdoms? Are we prepared to sell all we have to gain that pearl of great price? Some days more than others, perhaps.
We finish this passage with Jesus heading home and declaring that "a prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house." Often it is hardest to witness to those who know us best.
Catechism 203-209
God's name: "I AM WHO AM" God is, in essence, being. Existence isn't something He does, like we do, but something He is. Living isn't something He does, like we do, but something He is. Our existence is a mere reflection of His. Our capabilities for thought and action are a mere reflection of His.
Basically, the reality of God is mind blowing. We can't hope to fully understand it, yet we are able to embrace that which we can know about him through creation and revelation. What a beautiful mystery!
Tomorrow's readings:
Genesis 38-39
Psalm 25
Matthew 14:1-21
Catechism 210-213
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Bible and Catechism in a year: Day 24
Genesis 34-35
The sordid tale of the rape of Dinah and the vengeance of her brothers. There is a lot going on here, though. Jacob, though he is favored by God, has certainly made some bad decisions leading up to this point. For one reason or another, he does not honor his words to his brother, going to Succoth instead of Se'ir and ultimately to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan. In addition, he doesn't go where God told him to go. Finally, he apparently allows his daughter, Dinah, to go out to "visit the women of the land" without a suitable escort.
So, Dinah is kidnapped and raped by Shechem, who then asks his father to arrange their marriage (bass-ackwards...) For whatever reason, Jacob doesn't go out to meet Hamor about this, but allows his sons to work things out.
Here we have an example of protective brothers "getting even." Certainly what they do through deception and violence can not be justified, as it is totally out of proportion with the offense, punishing folks who had nothing to do with the affair. In addition, they full on disrespect their faith by using circumcision as a weapon of warfare. Jacob himself condemns their actions, but we still have to ask where he was during the whole thing.
It would seem that there is a lesson in here about going where God wants you to go. Jacob's family suffers from him deciding that he knew best what to do and where to go, rather than trusting in God. His reputation suffers as well. The silver lining, though, is that God follows Jacob where he goes, and calls him back. Similarly, even when we don't listen to God's will in our lives, he is always there to gently call us back to him.
As Jacob follows God's instructions, going to Bethel and ultimately to Mamre to bury his father with his brother, Rachel dies birthing Benjamin. It is interesting that she dies and is buried in Bethlehem. I wonder if this is significant somehow.
Psalm 23
The famous Shepherd Psalm. My youngest son has a book which is a children's adaptation of this psalm which follows a sheep and its shepherd. He LOVES it. I think this one really speaks to our need to be comforted in times of need. It also speaks to the extravagant love of God, who sets a banquet for us in the sight of our foes. God always takes care of us, providing more than we need, even when we don't realize it. To trust God as the good shepherd is to place ourselves in the most capable care available.
Matthew 13:24-43
Jesus is in full-on parable mode. We get the parable of good seed and weeds sown by the enemy, the parable of the mustard seed, and the parable of leaven. Matthew again points out that this fulfills a prophecy, and then the disciples ask in private for an explanation.
Certainly the parable showing the good seed oversown with weeds by the enemy is important today. We don't live our faith in a vacuum amongst saintly people. Rather, we grow side by side with weeds, and so we have an opportunity to affect them for the better, and to develop patience in dealing with them. Of course, we also can becorrupted and choked by the weeds if we are not vigilant. I seem to remember reading a quote from a saint about this matter...but it escapes me at the moment.
Catechism 198-202
Here we begin to build the Creed. As such, we must begin at the beginning: "I believe in God." Without that premise, the rest of our faith has nothing to stand on. Without God, there is no creation...there is nothing. The idea that the universe spontaneously erupted into existence without any action goes against everything we know. The existence of our universe is the best evidence we have for God's existence, and truly is all we really need (though we can argue it from many other angles). In my opinion, beauty is God's greatest advocate. In every flower, in every blade of grass, in every leaf on every tree, in every perfectly made ant, and in every imperfect human being I see God's fingerprints, but perhaps only because I have eyes to see. And yet, the precision with which the universe works seems to contradict the idea that all that has come about is from random chance.
So we believe in God...one God...creator of heaven and earth.
Tomorrow's readings:
Genesis 36-37
Psalm 24
Matthew 13:44-58
Catechism 203-209
The sordid tale of the rape of Dinah and the vengeance of her brothers. There is a lot going on here, though. Jacob, though he is favored by God, has certainly made some bad decisions leading up to this point. For one reason or another, he does not honor his words to his brother, going to Succoth instead of Se'ir and ultimately to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan. In addition, he doesn't go where God told him to go. Finally, he apparently allows his daughter, Dinah, to go out to "visit the women of the land" without a suitable escort.
So, Dinah is kidnapped and raped by Shechem, who then asks his father to arrange their marriage (bass-ackwards...) For whatever reason, Jacob doesn't go out to meet Hamor about this, but allows his sons to work things out.
Here we have an example of protective brothers "getting even." Certainly what they do through deception and violence can not be justified, as it is totally out of proportion with the offense, punishing folks who had nothing to do with the affair. In addition, they full on disrespect their faith by using circumcision as a weapon of warfare. Jacob himself condemns their actions, but we still have to ask where he was during the whole thing.
It would seem that there is a lesson in here about going where God wants you to go. Jacob's family suffers from him deciding that he knew best what to do and where to go, rather than trusting in God. His reputation suffers as well. The silver lining, though, is that God follows Jacob where he goes, and calls him back. Similarly, even when we don't listen to God's will in our lives, he is always there to gently call us back to him.
As Jacob follows God's instructions, going to Bethel and ultimately to Mamre to bury his father with his brother, Rachel dies birthing Benjamin. It is interesting that she dies and is buried in Bethlehem. I wonder if this is significant somehow.
Psalm 23
The famous Shepherd Psalm. My youngest son has a book which is a children's adaptation of this psalm which follows a sheep and its shepherd. He LOVES it. I think this one really speaks to our need to be comforted in times of need. It also speaks to the extravagant love of God, who sets a banquet for us in the sight of our foes. God always takes care of us, providing more than we need, even when we don't realize it. To trust God as the good shepherd is to place ourselves in the most capable care available.
Matthew 13:24-43
Jesus is in full-on parable mode. We get the parable of good seed and weeds sown by the enemy, the parable of the mustard seed, and the parable of leaven. Matthew again points out that this fulfills a prophecy, and then the disciples ask in private for an explanation.
Certainly the parable showing the good seed oversown with weeds by the enemy is important today. We don't live our faith in a vacuum amongst saintly people. Rather, we grow side by side with weeds, and so we have an opportunity to affect them for the better, and to develop patience in dealing with them. Of course, we also can becorrupted and choked by the weeds if we are not vigilant. I seem to remember reading a quote from a saint about this matter...but it escapes me at the moment.
Catechism 198-202
Here we begin to build the Creed. As such, we must begin at the beginning: "I believe in God." Without that premise, the rest of our faith has nothing to stand on. Without God, there is no creation...there is nothing. The idea that the universe spontaneously erupted into existence without any action goes against everything we know. The existence of our universe is the best evidence we have for God's existence, and truly is all we really need (though we can argue it from many other angles). In my opinion, beauty is God's greatest advocate. In every flower, in every blade of grass, in every leaf on every tree, in every perfectly made ant, and in every imperfect human being I see God's fingerprints, but perhaps only because I have eyes to see. And yet, the precision with which the universe works seems to contradict the idea that all that has come about is from random chance.
So we believe in God...one God...creator of heaven and earth.
Tomorrow's readings:
Genesis 36-37
Psalm 24
Matthew 13:44-58
Catechism 203-209
Monday, October 4, 2010
Bible and Catechism in a year: Day 23
Genesis 32-33
So Jacob heads homeward, and learns that Esau is coming with 400 men to meet him. Naturally, Jacob fears the worst, remembering Esau's vow to kill him. After praying, Jacob decides to send gifts ahead to his brother, hoping to alleviate his anger.
Then Jacob wrestles with a man until the break of day, apparently an angel. Jacob is not defeated by this angel, but is given a serious limp. This messenger gives Jacob a new name: Israel.
It turns out that Esau is happy to see his brother, and not because of the gifts. Thus the two are reconciled in a tearful reunion, and all is right in the world.
Psalm 22:
One of the most famous of Psalms...the lamentation of the righteous man, which foretells some details of the Crucifixion, and is invoked by Christ on the cross.
Matthew 13:1-23
Here we have the parable of the sower - an important parable. In addition, Jesus explains to his disciples why he speaks in parables, and again Isaiah is invoked. He explains this parable in detail to ensure that it is understood.
I know that sometimes I feel like the ground among the thorns...trying to live my faith but being challenged by the thorny world. Fortunately, tomorrow's reading is very helpful in this regard.
Catechism 185-197
Here we begin to explore the ancient creeds of Christianity - The Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed. As Catholics, we profess the Nicene Creed each week before we celebrate the Eucharist, and the Apostles Creed each time we say a rosary. These are important prayers to remind us of the most important tenets of our faith - "They help us today to attain and deepen the faith of all times by means of the different summaries made of it."
Tomorrow's Readings:
Genesis 34-35
Psalm 23
Matthew 13:24-43
Catechism 198-202
So Jacob heads homeward, and learns that Esau is coming with 400 men to meet him. Naturally, Jacob fears the worst, remembering Esau's vow to kill him. After praying, Jacob decides to send gifts ahead to his brother, hoping to alleviate his anger.
Then Jacob wrestles with a man until the break of day, apparently an angel. Jacob is not defeated by this angel, but is given a serious limp. This messenger gives Jacob a new name: Israel.
It turns out that Esau is happy to see his brother, and not because of the gifts. Thus the two are reconciled in a tearful reunion, and all is right in the world.
Psalm 22:
One of the most famous of Psalms...the lamentation of the righteous man, which foretells some details of the Crucifixion, and is invoked by Christ on the cross.
Matthew 13:1-23
Here we have the parable of the sower - an important parable. In addition, Jesus explains to his disciples why he speaks in parables, and again Isaiah is invoked. He explains this parable in detail to ensure that it is understood.
I know that sometimes I feel like the ground among the thorns...trying to live my faith but being challenged by the thorny world. Fortunately, tomorrow's reading is very helpful in this regard.
Catechism 185-197
Here we begin to explore the ancient creeds of Christianity - The Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed. As Catholics, we profess the Nicene Creed each week before we celebrate the Eucharist, and the Apostles Creed each time we say a rosary. These are important prayers to remind us of the most important tenets of our faith - "They help us today to attain and deepen the faith of all times by means of the different summaries made of it."
Tomorrow's Readings:
Genesis 34-35
Psalm 23
Matthew 13:24-43
Catechism 198-202
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Bible and Catechism in a year: Day 22
Genesis 31
This story of Jacob and his entourage being overtaken by Laban, and the ensuing drama, is actually quite exciting. I'm not exactly sure what the purpose of Rachel stealing her father's idols was, but it certainly makes for a tense (or should I say 'tents') moment. Rachel proves again to be very clever in hiding her thievery from her father. Perhaps she was taking them to try and deliver her father from idolatry, or perhaps there is a different meaning hidden here in the symbolism of these "household gods."
In any case, both Jacob and Laban make good points in listing their grievances and responding to one another. It is no surprise that Jacob's case is stronger, though. We almost expect this meeting to end in bloodshed, but somehow the two come to an accord of peace. In some way this involves making a heap of stones which serves as a witness...I suppose this is like making a monument to remind them of their agreement.
It is clear that, despite Laban's less than savory dealings with Jacob, he does love his daughters and wants what is best for them.
Psalm 21
And now we're back to blessings on the righteous and fire and brimstone on the unrighteous. This one is particularly well put...it will be difficult to resist the temptation to wish some of these things on those who have wronged me...I pray that the knowledge that I could easily be put into this category of unrighteous at times will keep me humble enough not to wish things on others.
And yet, there is something satisfying in thinking of these things befalling evil itself...death itself...as Christ's victory over the grave certainly swallows up death and sin, aiming His bow at the face of evil.
Matthew 12:38-50
Finishing up chapter 12, we get Jesus foretelling his resurrection and calling it the sign of the prophet Jonah, and explaining that "something" greater than Jonah, and greater than Solomon, is here.
We end this chapter with a few verses which folks often try to say amounts to Jesus disrespecting his mother. These same folks often also try to use this passage to "prove" that Jesus had siblings by Mary, and therefore refute her perpetual virginity.
However, it does not say that Jesus refused to see his mother, or his "brethren," but certainly does show that he uses their appearance as a teachable moment, to show that the bonds of our faith are more important than the bonds of family...something he has already mentioned a few times in different ways. It is possible that after making his point he received them. I would argue that this makes sense, since it would certainly be remarkable if He had sent them away without seeing them, but not particularly remarkable if He did see them. So it would make more sense to include it in the writings if He had sent them away than it would to include it in the writings if He did not.
As to the "brethren" or "brothers" of Jesus, I would refer readers to this well laid out article: http://www.catholic.com/library/Brethren_of_the_Lord.asp
Catechism 172-184
A lot of St. Irenaeus in this passage regarding the fact that there is only one faith in Christ Jesus. We Catholics get a lot of flak for saying that there is no salvation outside the Church...but in saying this we are acknowledging that no one says "Christ is Lord" without the Holy Spirit, and that the Church is not confined to her perceptible boundaries. There is only one baptism, after all, and we practice what we preach in this regard. That is, when a non-Catholic Christian asks to enter the Catholic Church, his or her baptism is considered valid if the proper form, matter, and intention were present when the baptism was performed.
It is the same Christ which saves us, even those outside the perceptible boundaries of the Church. Certainly, we believe that the Catholic Church holds the fullness of the Christian faith, but we do not claim a monopoly on all truth. In so much as some of the truths we hold are shared with those of other Christian faiths, we consider them brethren in Christ. Separated brethren, perhaps, but brethren nonetheless.
Tomorrow's Readings:
Genesis 32-33
Psalm 22
Matthew 13:1-23
Catechism 185-197
This story of Jacob and his entourage being overtaken by Laban, and the ensuing drama, is actually quite exciting. I'm not exactly sure what the purpose of Rachel stealing her father's idols was, but it certainly makes for a tense (or should I say 'tents') moment. Rachel proves again to be very clever in hiding her thievery from her father. Perhaps she was taking them to try and deliver her father from idolatry, or perhaps there is a different meaning hidden here in the symbolism of these "household gods."
In any case, both Jacob and Laban make good points in listing their grievances and responding to one another. It is no surprise that Jacob's case is stronger, though. We almost expect this meeting to end in bloodshed, but somehow the two come to an accord of peace. In some way this involves making a heap of stones which serves as a witness...I suppose this is like making a monument to remind them of their agreement.
It is clear that, despite Laban's less than savory dealings with Jacob, he does love his daughters and wants what is best for them.
Psalm 21
And now we're back to blessings on the righteous and fire and brimstone on the unrighteous. This one is particularly well put...it will be difficult to resist the temptation to wish some of these things on those who have wronged me...I pray that the knowledge that I could easily be put into this category of unrighteous at times will keep me humble enough not to wish things on others.
And yet, there is something satisfying in thinking of these things befalling evil itself...death itself...as Christ's victory over the grave certainly swallows up death and sin, aiming His bow at the face of evil.
Be exalted, O Lord, in thy strength! We will sing and praise thy power!
Matthew 12:38-50
Finishing up chapter 12, we get Jesus foretelling his resurrection and calling it the sign of the prophet Jonah, and explaining that "something" greater than Jonah, and greater than Solomon, is here.
We end this chapter with a few verses which folks often try to say amounts to Jesus disrespecting his mother. These same folks often also try to use this passage to "prove" that Jesus had siblings by Mary, and therefore refute her perpetual virginity.
However, it does not say that Jesus refused to see his mother, or his "brethren," but certainly does show that he uses their appearance as a teachable moment, to show that the bonds of our faith are more important than the bonds of family...something he has already mentioned a few times in different ways. It is possible that after making his point he received them. I would argue that this makes sense, since it would certainly be remarkable if He had sent them away without seeing them, but not particularly remarkable if He did see them. So it would make more sense to include it in the writings if He had sent them away than it would to include it in the writings if He did not.
As to the "brethren" or "brothers" of Jesus, I would refer readers to this well laid out article: http://www.catholic.com/library/Brethren_of_the_Lord.asp
Catechism 172-184
A lot of St. Irenaeus in this passage regarding the fact that there is only one faith in Christ Jesus. We Catholics get a lot of flak for saying that there is no salvation outside the Church...but in saying this we are acknowledging that no one says "Christ is Lord" without the Holy Spirit, and that the Church is not confined to her perceptible boundaries. There is only one baptism, after all, and we practice what we preach in this regard. That is, when a non-Catholic Christian asks to enter the Catholic Church, his or her baptism is considered valid if the proper form, matter, and intention were present when the baptism was performed.
It is the same Christ which saves us, even those outside the perceptible boundaries of the Church. Certainly, we believe that the Catholic Church holds the fullness of the Christian faith, but we do not claim a monopoly on all truth. In so much as some of the truths we hold are shared with those of other Christian faiths, we consider them brethren in Christ. Separated brethren, perhaps, but brethren nonetheless.
Tomorrow's Readings:
Genesis 32-33
Psalm 22
Matthew 13:1-23
Catechism 185-197
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Bible and Catechism in a year: Day 21
Genesis 30
The first half of this chapter deals with Rachel and Leah vying to provide Jacob with children, each giving him their maid servants as wives, as well as bearing them children of their own. We also have an interesting exchange where Rachel asks Leah for some mandrakes which were found by Reuben (Leah's son). Leah agrees, in exchange for being able to spend the night with her husband. It gives some insight as to how this particular polygamous household works, if not others.
Then we have Jacob finally finishing his second seven year stint of work for Laban, and making a deal with Laban, and outsmarting him when Laban tries to "fix" the deal.
It would seem that there is a trend of cleverness in our old testament heroes so far...
Psalm 20
A psalm of petition...asking that all petitions be fulfilled. This one pretty much covers everything.
Matthew 12: 22-37
Jesus heals a blind and dumb demoniac, and again the Pharisees say that Jesus is in cahoots with the forces of darkness. Jesus responds with a well reasoned argument, the truth of which has been reiterated time and time again in sacred as well as secular circles: no city or house divided against itself can stand. He also tells us that blasphemy against Him will be forgiven, but blasphemy against the holy spirit will not. This is a bit cryptic, but the footnote suggests that this the Pharisees' accusation against the Spirit whom Jesus is working in implies a hardness of heart that precludes repentance. This is important to consider...a lot of folks interpret this to mean that if one blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, that person can not be redeemed. We know that this isn't true, though, for all things are possible for God, and if one blasphemes against the Spirit without truly appreciating what they are doing, certainly they can be forgiven if they repent.
Catechism 166-171
Though faith is an act, it is not something that one can do alone. Just as we can't give ourselves life...we can't give ourselves faith. It has to be transmitted to us by someone else. And, just as we can, in cooperation with God, transmit life to others, so, too, can we transmit faith. Our faith does not exist in a vacuum...revelation has ceased, and therefore it relies on each new generation to pass it on.
And so, we need shepherds to ensure that we pass on the right information, to keep unity. In this, the Church is our mother, our teacher in the faith. As an earthly mother teaches us to walk and talk in a physical sense, the Church teaches us to function as part of the mystical body of Christ. That is, she teaches us the basics of walking and talking in the life of faith.
Tomorrow's Readings:
Genesis 31
Psalm 21
Matthew 12:38-50
Catechism 172-184
Good night and God bless!
The first half of this chapter deals with Rachel and Leah vying to provide Jacob with children, each giving him their maid servants as wives, as well as bearing them children of their own. We also have an interesting exchange where Rachel asks Leah for some mandrakes which were found by Reuben (Leah's son). Leah agrees, in exchange for being able to spend the night with her husband. It gives some insight as to how this particular polygamous household works, if not others.
Then we have Jacob finally finishing his second seven year stint of work for Laban, and making a deal with Laban, and outsmarting him when Laban tries to "fix" the deal.
It would seem that there is a trend of cleverness in our old testament heroes so far...
Psalm 20
A psalm of petition...asking that all petitions be fulfilled. This one pretty much covers everything.
Matthew 12: 22-37
Jesus heals a blind and dumb demoniac, and again the Pharisees say that Jesus is in cahoots with the forces of darkness. Jesus responds with a well reasoned argument, the truth of which has been reiterated time and time again in sacred as well as secular circles: no city or house divided against itself can stand. He also tells us that blasphemy against Him will be forgiven, but blasphemy against the holy spirit will not. This is a bit cryptic, but the footnote suggests that this the Pharisees' accusation against the Spirit whom Jesus is working in implies a hardness of heart that precludes repentance. This is important to consider...a lot of folks interpret this to mean that if one blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, that person can not be redeemed. We know that this isn't true, though, for all things are possible for God, and if one blasphemes against the Spirit without truly appreciating what they are doing, certainly they can be forgiven if they repent.
Catechism 166-171
Though faith is an act, it is not something that one can do alone. Just as we can't give ourselves life...we can't give ourselves faith. It has to be transmitted to us by someone else. And, just as we can, in cooperation with God, transmit life to others, so, too, can we transmit faith. Our faith does not exist in a vacuum...revelation has ceased, and therefore it relies on each new generation to pass it on.
And so, we need shepherds to ensure that we pass on the right information, to keep unity. In this, the Church is our mother, our teacher in the faith. As an earthly mother teaches us to walk and talk in a physical sense, the Church teaches us to function as part of the mystical body of Christ. That is, she teaches us the basics of walking and talking in the life of faith.
Tomorrow's Readings:
Genesis 31
Psalm 21
Matthew 12:38-50
Catechism 172-184
Good night and God bless!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Bible and Catechism in a year: Day 20
Genesis 28-29
Isaac apparently listened to his wife, and told Jacob that he needed to marry in the family to avoid any more distress. So Jacob is sent to Haran to marry one of Laban's daughters. Esau, upon learning the news that his mom and dad are not a big fan of his Canaanite wives, goes and marries Ishmael's daughter, Mahalath.
On the way to Haran, Jacob has an encounter with God, where the promises made to his father and grandfather is renewed, and Jacob responds by setting up a pillar and anointing it, calling it God's house, and pledging to give his tithe to God.
In Haran, he meets his future wife, and is so taken by her that he up and offers to work seven years. His love for her is so strong, that we are told that the seven years seemed like only a few days to him. How poetically lovely. Of course, he gets gypped by Laban, who passes off his older daughter, Leah, on him. Seems Laban forgot to mention that he wouldn't marry off his younger daughter until the eldest was married. So Jacob winds up taking both of them as his wives, and serving Laban for another seven years. When I think about fourteen years of salary for a dowry (minus room and board, of course)...wow...that's love...
I feel badly for Leah, a little. It isn't her fault that her father married her off to Jacob. It is important to remember, though, that when it says "Leah was hated," it doesn't mean that she was hated in the sense of completely despised...rather it meant that she was loved less, or in comparison to Jacob's love for Rachel, she was hated. Obviously Jacob still cared for her, and must have continued relations with her (since she bore him four sons.) We see language like later in the new testament (hating mother and father etc.), and should bear this in mind.
Psalm 19
Here we have a Psalm without any doom and gloom or calling down destruction on foes...but just plain good-old praise and worship. It's a nice change of pace. The first part of this Psalm is often cited when starting an argument for the existence of God from design: "The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork..." We need only look to the world around us for evidence of an everlasting God, if we have eyes to see. I am baffled by people who can look at the world as I once did, saying that this is all brought about by random chance. Yes, that means I am baffled by my younger self...and yet, even at the height of my own atheism/agnosticism, I knew deep down what the truth was. I suspect many who make atheistic claims today do as well.
Matthew 12:1-21
Jesus continues to shake things up to prove a point - He can break the Sabbath because He made it. He starts out picking and eating grain, and finishes by healing a man's withered hand as well as healing other people. "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice," he says, invoking Hosea yet again, as he did back in Chapter 9.
Matthew again points out the fulfillment of Isaiah at the end of this passage. The bruised reed and smoldering wick are symbols of the weak, the poor, the lost. Jesus does not cast these out, but ministers to them. Incidentally, here is another use of the word "until" that does not imply something occurring afterward. Are we to think that after Jesus brings victory, he will then break the weak and put out their light? Rather, he strengthens the weak and enriches the poor, gathers the lost and makes them his own...
Catechism 160-165
Six very profound paragraphs. We are not forced into our faith...Jesus does not coerce, but invites. Yet faith is necessary...without it we can not please God and have no foundation to build upon. And our faith must persevere...we can certainly lose it (though certain protestants of the "once saved, always saved" school of thought would disagree with me) and "make a shipwreck of our faith" through a loss of conscience. We must always seek to grow in our faith.
Living our faith will always be a challenge, for we are called to be light in a darkened world. We experience "evil and suffering, injustice, and death," which "seem to contradict the Good News." Indeed, the best argument against God is the existence of these things. But when we turn toward our faith in spite of this adversity, we find our faith strengthened. This is no accident, and when we look to those who have witnessed to our faith in the last two thousand years and see how they have persevered, we know that we, too, can "run with perseverance the race that is set before us."
Tomorrow's readings:
Genesis 30
Psalm 20
Matthew 12:22-37
Catechism 166-171
And forgive me a little "Thank God it's Friday" prayer as I wish you all a wonderful weekend!
Isaac apparently listened to his wife, and told Jacob that he needed to marry in the family to avoid any more distress. So Jacob is sent to Haran to marry one of Laban's daughters. Esau, upon learning the news that his mom and dad are not a big fan of his Canaanite wives, goes and marries Ishmael's daughter, Mahalath.
On the way to Haran, Jacob has an encounter with God, where the promises made to his father and grandfather is renewed, and Jacob responds by setting up a pillar and anointing it, calling it God's house, and pledging to give his tithe to God.
In Haran, he meets his future wife, and is so taken by her that he up and offers to work seven years. His love for her is so strong, that we are told that the seven years seemed like only a few days to him. How poetically lovely. Of course, he gets gypped by Laban, who passes off his older daughter, Leah, on him. Seems Laban forgot to mention that he wouldn't marry off his younger daughter until the eldest was married. So Jacob winds up taking both of them as his wives, and serving Laban for another seven years. When I think about fourteen years of salary for a dowry (minus room and board, of course)...wow...that's love...
I feel badly for Leah, a little. It isn't her fault that her father married her off to Jacob. It is important to remember, though, that when it says "Leah was hated," it doesn't mean that she was hated in the sense of completely despised...rather it meant that she was loved less, or in comparison to Jacob's love for Rachel, she was hated. Obviously Jacob still cared for her, and must have continued relations with her (since she bore him four sons.) We see language like later in the new testament (hating mother and father etc.), and should bear this in mind.
Psalm 19
Here we have a Psalm without any doom and gloom or calling down destruction on foes...but just plain good-old praise and worship. It's a nice change of pace. The first part of this Psalm is often cited when starting an argument for the existence of God from design: "The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork..." We need only look to the world around us for evidence of an everlasting God, if we have eyes to see. I am baffled by people who can look at the world as I once did, saying that this is all brought about by random chance. Yes, that means I am baffled by my younger self...and yet, even at the height of my own atheism/agnosticism, I knew deep down what the truth was. I suspect many who make atheistic claims today do as well.
Matthew 12:1-21
Jesus continues to shake things up to prove a point - He can break the Sabbath because He made it. He starts out picking and eating grain, and finishes by healing a man's withered hand as well as healing other people. "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice," he says, invoking Hosea yet again, as he did back in Chapter 9.
Matthew again points out the fulfillment of Isaiah at the end of this passage. The bruised reed and smoldering wick are symbols of the weak, the poor, the lost. Jesus does not cast these out, but ministers to them. Incidentally, here is another use of the word "until" that does not imply something occurring afterward. Are we to think that after Jesus brings victory, he will then break the weak and put out their light? Rather, he strengthens the weak and enriches the poor, gathers the lost and makes them his own...
Catechism 160-165
Six very profound paragraphs. We are not forced into our faith...Jesus does not coerce, but invites. Yet faith is necessary...without it we can not please God and have no foundation to build upon. And our faith must persevere...we can certainly lose it (though certain protestants of the "once saved, always saved" school of thought would disagree with me) and "make a shipwreck of our faith" through a loss of conscience. We must always seek to grow in our faith.
Living our faith will always be a challenge, for we are called to be light in a darkened world. We experience "evil and suffering, injustice, and death," which "seem to contradict the Good News." Indeed, the best argument against God is the existence of these things. But when we turn toward our faith in spite of this adversity, we find our faith strengthened. This is no accident, and when we look to those who have witnessed to our faith in the last two thousand years and see how they have persevered, we know that we, too, can "run with perseverance the race that is set before us."
Tomorrow's readings:
Genesis 30
Psalm 20
Matthew 12:22-37
Catechism 166-171
And forgive me a little "Thank God it's Friday" prayer as I wish you all a wonderful weekend!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Bible and Catechism in a year: Day 19
Genesis 27
Well, yesterday we saw Esau trade his birthright for some stew and bread. Today we see the fulfilment of that occurrence, as Jacob, at the urging of his Mother, fools his father into giving him the blessing meant for Esau. On the surface this seems like a terrible deception...and yet, we have to look beyond the surface of the story to get the full meaning of what we are being taught. The Lord told Rebekah that this would happen, and so perhaps that is why her favor fell on Jacob, and why she encourages him to impersonate his brother. It doesn't say that she ever shared what God revealed to her with Isaac. In addition, it appears that God isn't keen on having a guy who would sell his birthright for earthly food be the man from whom his chosen nation flows. Therein lies the lesson...we should not sell our spiritual goods for material ones (even if the stew is really good!)
Naturally, Esau is pretty upset - he's lost his birthright and his blessing, and he's literally ready to kill Isaac. Being that Isaac isn't a fighter (he was a quiet man who dwelt in tents, after all), Isaac is told to flee to Haran by his Mother.
Apparently Esau's wives haven't gotten any better either...Rebekah complains that the Hittite women are making her "weary of [my] life." and basically tells Isaac that she doesn't want another Hittite daughter-in-law. We'll see where that goes tomorrow.
Psalm 18:31-51
As we continue this Psalm, we get a poetic listing of the things God has done for David. I love it when God is described as a rock or a fortress, for he is unmovable and unchanging. I also like the theme of God's "steadfast love." As an aside, this description of how God has prepared David makes me want to get my body into better shape for some reason...
Matthew 11:16-30
Jesus has some pretty harsh words for "this generation" and for some cities where He has done mighty works. Certainly, if these people saw what he did with their own eyes and did not follow him...wow.
What really blows me away in this reading, though, is Jesus' description of his relationship with the Father.
We end with an invitation by Christ to receive this revelation by taking his yoke upon ourselves and learning from Him. It can be hard to say 'yes' to taking on any yoke...but Jesus promises us that this yoke is easy and the burden is light. It may not seem like it looking from the outside in...but once we take it on, we find His words to be true.
Catechism 150-159
Lots of talk about faith and what it is and how we relate to it. We humans tend to think very two dimensionally. We can't think as God thinks...His grace is so powerful, and yet, we can resist it in our humanity. This is how He made it. He gives sufficient grace to all, though not in the same way to everybody.
I love this quote from Thomas Aquinas: "Believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace."
Faith is an act. An action. When we receive an invitation to a party, it doesn't mean we magically show up. We have to decide to go (and hopefully RSVP), then prepare for it, and ultimately get ourselves there. Same goes with this. God invites us, and ensures we have at least the bare minimum as far as what we need to get ourselves to the party...but we have to cooperate. Some of us he might send a chauffeured limo and make it easy...but ultimately we still have to get into the car. Others might have to ride their bicycles on half inflated tires over dirt roads, but if they choose to do so, they are able to do it. Again, Aquinas says "Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt." Just because the journey is hard doesn't make the destination less real.
Lastly, there is a blurb on Faith and Science. This is particularly important in our day and age, where so many feel that these two things are competing and incompatible. I loved science before I loved God...and science was partially responsible for my acceptance of God. Paragraph 159 sums it up nicely. I said it before, but it bears repeating: Truth can not contradict truth. We have nothing to fear from truth of any sort.
Tomorrow's readings:
Genesis 28-29
Psalm 19
Matthew 12:1-21
Catechism 160-165
God Bless and Good Night!
Well, yesterday we saw Esau trade his birthright for some stew and bread. Today we see the fulfilment of that occurrence, as Jacob, at the urging of his Mother, fools his father into giving him the blessing meant for Esau. On the surface this seems like a terrible deception...and yet, we have to look beyond the surface of the story to get the full meaning of what we are being taught. The Lord told Rebekah that this would happen, and so perhaps that is why her favor fell on Jacob, and why she encourages him to impersonate his brother. It doesn't say that she ever shared what God revealed to her with Isaac. In addition, it appears that God isn't keen on having a guy who would sell his birthright for earthly food be the man from whom his chosen nation flows. Therein lies the lesson...we should not sell our spiritual goods for material ones (even if the stew is really good!)
Naturally, Esau is pretty upset - he's lost his birthright and his blessing, and he's literally ready to kill Isaac. Being that Isaac isn't a fighter (he was a quiet man who dwelt in tents, after all), Isaac is told to flee to Haran by his Mother.
Apparently Esau's wives haven't gotten any better either...Rebekah complains that the Hittite women are making her "weary of [my] life." and basically tells Isaac that she doesn't want another Hittite daughter-in-law. We'll see where that goes tomorrow.
Psalm 18:31-51
As we continue this Psalm, we get a poetic listing of the things God has done for David. I love it when God is described as a rock or a fortress, for he is unmovable and unchanging. I also like the theme of God's "steadfast love." As an aside, this description of how God has prepared David makes me want to get my body into better shape for some reason...
Matthew 11:16-30
Jesus has some pretty harsh words for "this generation" and for some cities where He has done mighty works. Certainly, if these people saw what he did with their own eyes and did not follow him...wow.
What really blows me away in this reading, though, is Jesus' description of his relationship with the Father.
All things have been delivered to me by my father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.This is just so profound, and tells us so much about the intimate nature between Jesus and God the Father. Certainly there is nothing strange about no one knowing the Son except the Father, for God knows each of us more intimately than we know ourselves. But no one knowing the Father except the Son...let's face it...is any human being without a divine nature really able to "know" the Father like that? I don't think so. All we can know is what God himself reveals to us in his Word. And Jesus, the Son, is the Word! So it makes sense that the Son (The Word) can reveal the Father to us.
We end with an invitation by Christ to receive this revelation by taking his yoke upon ourselves and learning from Him. It can be hard to say 'yes' to taking on any yoke...but Jesus promises us that this yoke is easy and the burden is light. It may not seem like it looking from the outside in...but once we take it on, we find His words to be true.
Catechism 150-159
Lots of talk about faith and what it is and how we relate to it. We humans tend to think very two dimensionally. We can't think as God thinks...His grace is so powerful, and yet, we can resist it in our humanity. This is how He made it. He gives sufficient grace to all, though not in the same way to everybody.
I love this quote from Thomas Aquinas: "Believing is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through grace."
Faith is an act. An action. When we receive an invitation to a party, it doesn't mean we magically show up. We have to decide to go (and hopefully RSVP), then prepare for it, and ultimately get ourselves there. Same goes with this. God invites us, and ensures we have at least the bare minimum as far as what we need to get ourselves to the party...but we have to cooperate. Some of us he might send a chauffeured limo and make it easy...but ultimately we still have to get into the car. Others might have to ride their bicycles on half inflated tires over dirt roads, but if they choose to do so, they are able to do it. Again, Aquinas says "Ten thousand difficulties do not make one doubt." Just because the journey is hard doesn't make the destination less real.
Lastly, there is a blurb on Faith and Science. This is particularly important in our day and age, where so many feel that these two things are competing and incompatible. I loved science before I loved God...and science was partially responsible for my acceptance of God. Paragraph 159 sums it up nicely. I said it before, but it bears repeating: Truth can not contradict truth. We have nothing to fear from truth of any sort.
Tomorrow's readings:
Genesis 28-29
Psalm 19
Matthew 12:1-21
Catechism 160-165
God Bless and Good Night!
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