God, Death, and Life: The Readings for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The readings for this Sunday focus on the theme of death, and God’s power over it.  The first reading poses some issues that have to be discussed:

Reading 1 Wis 1:13-15; 2:23-24

God did not make death,
nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.
For he fashioned all things that they might have being;
and the creatures of the world are wholesome,
and there is not a destructive drug among them
nor any domain of the netherworld on earth,
for justice is undying.
For God formed man to be imperishable;
the image of his own nature he made him.
But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world,
and they who belong to his company experience it.

The modern person, of course, will immediately object that natural history seems to indicate that death was always a part of nature.  Plus, there are poisonous plants and animals, and isn’t nature “red in tooth and claw,” etc. 

Deliver Us from Evil: The Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul

Today is the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, a very great feast day in the Church, and it doesn’t seem right to allow the occasion to pass without some comment.

Saints Peter and Paul represent, respectively, the leaders of the Church’s mission to the Jews and to the Gentiles (Gal 2:7).  The Church celebrates their feasts on the same day, because the Church’s proclamation of the gospel is founded on their dual mission: “the gospel … is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (i.e. the Gentile)” (Rom 1:16).

Since the earliest times, and continuing today, there have been efforts to split Peter from Paul, and claim that they had different gospels.  Peter is claimed to have preached a “Jewish Christianity,” which insisted on the continued observance of the law of Moses, whereas Paul is blamed for the idea of preaching faith in Jesus to Gentiles, without requiring circumcision or any other Jewish ritual.  Such views continue to be promoted in TV shows or popular books about the beginnings of Christianity.

A split between Peter and Paul on the nature of the gospel can’t be reconciled with the actual text of the New Testament.  It’s true that at one time,

Atheist Blogger Turns Catholic

One of the past week's most interesting religious stories was the announcement by atheist blogger Leah Libresco that she was planning to enter the Catholic Church.  One of the many reports can be read here.  The story is an interesting read.  It seems that Libresco first became convinced of the reality of the moral order (or the natural law).  If the moral order is really real, and not just part of our imagination, or a fluke of our evolutionary development, it does finally imply the existence of a God, because law (as in moral law) implies a lawgiver. 

As an assignment for a seminary apologetics class, I moved an atheist friend of mine from his conviction of the reality of morality to acknowledgment of God through a series of logical steps.  But I convinced his head, not his heart, and he ended up rejected the conclusion even while admitting the validity of the steps that led to it. 

It's interesting to trace Libresco's movement along the same path, a path that tends toward Catholicism, which has the best articulated moral theology within the Christian tradition.

“Preacher Jailed for Speaking Out on Marriage”: The Nativity of St. John the Baptist

This Sunday we celebrate the birth of John the Baptist, a great saint and biblical character who led a very difficult life and ministry.  

In hindsight, the conflict that led to his demise and death has a strangely modern ring to it: he was jailed by Herod Antipas for speaking out on marriage (Mark 6:17-18).  Specifically, John the Baptist held to the principle of one man, one woman, for life—a theology of marriage founded in Scripture (Mal. 2:13-16) and reflected in the Essene movement at Qumran and in the teachings of Our Lord (Matt 19:3-12).  This got him into trouble with the nation’s chief executive, Herod Antipas, whose own views on marriage had evolved: he had wed Herodias, his divorced ex-sister-in-law, who was also his niece.  John the Baptist said the marriage was unlawful.  Herod invoked executive privilege to have John arrested and detained for expressing his intolerant and partisan views on marriage in public.  Eventually, Herod had him beheaded at the request of his wife Herodias’ daughter Salome, who gave a “hot” hip-hop performance for the king and his cabinet that earned her a political favor (Mark 6:14-29).

There is really nothing new under the sun.  John the Baptist was a political failure but a great spiritual success, a champion of faith and fortitude who still lives and is praying for us from heaven.  The readings for his feast day also provide us hope and encouragement:

“Now Seeds, START GROWING!!” Trusting God for Growth: Readings for the 11th Week of Ordinary Time

In this week’s Mass readings, Jesus teaches us about himself and the Church using agricultural images.

It is the Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time.  The last time we had a Sunday of Ordinary Time was on February 19^th, and that was the Seventh.  The logical question is, what happened to the 8^th, 9^th, and 10^th?  They were pre-empted this year by Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, and Corpus Christi.

Since we haven’t been here since February, we have to get re-oriented to what is going on in Ordinary Time of Year B.  The Gospel is moving ad seriatim (sequentially) through Mark.  We are going to read virtually all of Mark this year by the end of November, with the exception of the Passion and Resurrection accounts (Mark 14-16), which were already read during the Triduum.

Body of Christ or Condemnable Idolatry? The Readings for Corpus Christi

This is what I used to hold and teach about the Catholic Eucharist:

“The mass teaches … that Christ is bodily under the form of bread and wine, and therefore is to be worshipped in them; so that the mass, at bottom, is nothing else than a denial of the one sacrifice and sufferings of Jesus Christ, and a condemnable idolatry.” (from the Heidelberg Catechism, Q&A 80)

That little statement comes from a famous Calvinist statement of faith, to which I adhered during my brief tenure in pastoral ministry (1995-1999).

Yet here I find myself writing about the Eucharist on the eve of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, still popularly called “Corpus Christi.”  How things change.

The readings for this Sunday are wonderfully set up in such a way as to teach about covenant, sacrifice, salvation history, and divine filiation.

COGIC Weighs in on Same-Sex Marriage

The Church of God in Christ recently released a very carefully crafted statement on the issue of same-sex marriage, available here. 

I respect their forthright defense of Judeo-Christian morality and traditional Scriptural exegesis.

The Church of God in Christ is one of the largest African-American denominations in America.  It is Pentecostal in spirituality, but ecclesiologically it is very hierarchical (unlike the Assemblies of God) and has essentially reconstructed an episcopal structure similar to the Catholic Church.  COGIC prelates have occasionally recognized the similarity, and there have been, at times, amicable discussions between the COGIC and representatives of the Catholic hierarchy.

Since the local congregation I used to pastor was predominantly African-American in membership, I had frequent contact with COGIC congregations in west Michigan.  I have a great deal of respect for their theological tradition, which I find inherently interesting and thought-provoking.

Love, Suffering, and the Trinity: Reflections on the Readings

This coming Sunday is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.  While the Trinity might evoke a “Ho-hum, don’t we know that already …” response from many Catholics, the doctrine of the Trinity is essential to—and distinctive of—the Christian faith and is vital to our daily prayer and walk with God.  The doctrine of the Trinity touches on who God is; if one has this doctrine wrong, one has the wrong idea of God and may in fact be worshiping a god who does not exist.

The Trinity is by no means a dead theological issue, either.  Most obviously, Jews and Muslims protest this doctrine, which they believe destroys the unity of God.  For them, God is monopersonal.

Among groups that share a tradition with Christianity, Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Unitarians, and “Jesus-only” Pentecostals all dispute the doctrine of the Trinity.  Mormons are not, strictly speaking, monotheists: in their view the Father and Son are different gods.  Jehovah’s witnesses are modern day Arians—they believe in one God (the Father) but deny the

"Bible Basics" Now an E-book

Ave Maria Press informs me that my new book, Bible Basics for Catholics, is now available on Kindle, Nook, Kobo.

I asked if it was available on NoBo, Noogie-noogie, and Flash.  They said no, but they were working on it.


Seriously, it is an e-book now ...

St. Bernard on the Fruits and Gifts of the Spirit

We noted that the second reading of the Mass for the Solemnity of Pentecost allows the homilist to address either the "gifts" of the Spirit (1 Cor 12:3-13) or the "fruit" of the Spirit (Gal 5).  The following is insight from St. Bernard of Clairvaux on this two-fold endowment from the Spirit.  St. Bernard is actually meditating on Song of Songs 1:2:

"Your name is oil poured out."  Of what truth of our interior life does the Holy Spirit wish to assure us by means of this text?  He refers to the experience of a twofold operation , one by which he inwardly strengthens the virtues that lead us to salvation, the other by which he outwardly endows us with serviceable gifts.  The former is of benefit to ourselves, the latter to our neighbors.  For example, faith, hope, and charity are given to us for our own sake, without them we cannot be saved.  But the gift of wise and learned speech, the power to heal, to prophesy, and endowments of this kind without which we can fully achieve our own salvation, are undoubtedly meant to be used for our neighbor's salvation.  And these operations of the Holy Spirit, that we take note of either in ourselves or in others, are named from their method of functioning: we call them infusion and effusion.  To which of them may we suitably apply the words: "Your name is oil poured out"?  Is it not to effusion? If he had meant infusion, he would have said "poured in." ... Any man who perceives that he is endowed with an exterior grace enabling him to influence others, can also say to the Lord: "Your name is oil poured out."

—St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermon 18 on the Song of Songs

The Pentecost Readings

Let's discuss the Readings for Pentecost Sunday Mass during the Day.

The First Reading is, finally, the account of Pentecost itself, from Acts 2:1-11.  We have already remarked on the intimate relationship between this event and Babel (Pentecost is the Un-Babel) and Sinai (Pentecost is the giving of the New Law of the New Covenant).  It is important to note that the congregation gathered around the apostles comes not only from a wide variety of nations of the earth, but also consists of “Jews and converts to Judaism.”  In other words, there are both ethnic Jews and ethnic Gentiles here: those who hear the apostles are truly a representative cross-section of humanity.

Let the Fire Fall! Reflections on the Readings for the Vigil of Pentecost

The Lectionary provides a wealth of Scriptural inspiration for this weekend’s celebration of the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost.

As usual, there is too much beauty and richness for us to deal with it all in depth.  Nonetheless, here's a go:

The First Reading Options for the Vigil:

Inscription Found Mentioning "Bethlehem"

The Israeli Antiquities Authority has announced the discovery of a pre-exilic seal impression bearing the name of the town "Bethlehem."  Click for the full story. 

Get Through the Bible in an Hour

Click here for the link to my webinar, going through salvation history in an extremely compressed time frame.

Webinar Tuesday at 3PM

I'll be leading a webinar tomorrow on how to teach the Bible and salvation history, based on my book Bible Basics for Catholics: A New Picture of Salvation History.  The webinar is Tuesday, May 21, at 3pm EDT, and the sign-up is here.

Ascension Day, the Kingdom, and the Church

In most of the country, this Sunday is celebrated as Ascension Day.  I'll offer a few comments about the first reading, which is really the primary reading for this particular solemnity:

Reading 1: Acts 1:1-11
In the first book, Theophilus,
I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught
until the day he was taken up,
after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit
to the apostles whom he had chosen.
He presented himself alive to them
by many proofs after he had suffered,
appearing to them during forty days
and speaking about the kingdom of God.
While meeting with them,
he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,
but to wait for "the promise of the Father
about which you have heard me speak;
for John baptized with water,
but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

The 7th Sunday of Easter, Apostolic Succession, Church Government

In the northeast and a few other places, Ascension Day was celebrated at it's proper time (on Thursday) and this Sunday is celebrated as the Seventh Sunday in Easter.

The first reading for this Sunday is Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26:

Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers
--there was a group of about one hundred and twenty persons
in the one place --.
He said, "My brothers,
the Scripture had to be fulfilled
which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand
through the mouth of David, concerning Judas,
who was the guide for those who arrested Jesus.
He was numbered among us
and was allotted a share in this ministry.

In Lansing This Saturday

I'll be in Lansing, MI area (specifically Williamston, MI) this Saturday for a morning seminar, talking about my journey to Catholicism, my new book, and how to teach Scripture effectively at St. Mary's Church.  Any TSP readers in the Lansing MI area are welcome to come! 

The link to sign up is here.

Webinar: How to Get Thru the Bible in an Hour!

I'll be doing a live Webinar through Ave Maria Press next Tuesday, May 22, at 3PM EDT.  The Webinar will be based on my book Bible Basics for Catholics, and I'll be discussing how to teach the main outlines of salvation history in as little as an hour (if you really need to), although the approach can be expanded into whatever time is available (a 7, 10, 14-hour course or biblestudy, for example).  My approach involves simple sketching, so it's particularly helpful for visual learners. The sign up is here.

Interesting News at Davidic-Era Archeological Site

Prof. Garfinkel with possible ancient Israelite "shrine"

Interesting finds keep coming to light at Khirbet Qeiyafa, the site of the remains of a Davidic-era city near what once was the Philistine-Israelite border.  Already this site has turned up a tenth-century BC ink-on-pottery inscription that none other than Emile Puech—a famous French scholar from the Ecole Biblique widely known for his early work on the Dead Sea Scrolls—has interpreted as a description of the rise of Saul to the kingship.

Now archeologist Yosef Garfinkel of Hebrew University is making known cultic finds from the site that shed light on religious practice at the ancient city.

Don't be surprised if the cultic materials that are discovered reveal syncretism or pagan religions being practiced in an Israelite city, and don't be surprised if news articles spin the finds as "disproving" the biblical account of Israelite "monotheism."  Actually, the biblical account asserts that monotheism (I'm not going to argue the technical definition of that term—I am aware of the debate) was introduced early in Israel's history but was mostly a "minority position" through most periods of Israel's history, especially during the "Judges" period immediately preceding the monarchy.  We should expect to find religious practice at Qeiyafa that is "deviant" by biblical standards.