Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Protestants and fundamentalists???!!! Are you kidding me?
You think, Jesus Christ, WAS Literally sacrificed on the Cross. BUT yet, you think, on Holy Thursday, in the Upper Room, Christ established, a symbolic Memorial? A SYMBOLIC PERPETUAL OFFERING OF HIMSELF....YOU THINK, GOD is going to establish, A SYMBOLIC communion? Even though, NOWHERE in scripture, do you find this being taught? "Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.' And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'" (Mt. 26:26-28)
St. Paul, certainly ISN'T along for that ride!!!!?? Acts 20:11 "When Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten…" St. Paul explained clearly what "breaking bread" meant. 1 Cor 10:16 "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the Blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the Body of Christ?" St. Paul continued, 1 Cor 11:27 "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the Body and Blood of the Lord." St. Paul in these words confirmed Catholic teaching that the "bread … of the Lord" is truly Christ's Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, and that the "cup of the Lord" is the same substance: "Whoever … eats the bread or drinks the cup … will be guilty of profaning the Body and Blood of the Lord."
St. Paul added, 1 Cor 11:29 "For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the Body eats and drinks judgment upon himself."
thanks to Ross
St. Paul, certainly ISN'T along for that ride!!!!?? Acts 20:11 "When Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten…" St. Paul explained clearly what "breaking bread" meant. 1 Cor 10:16 "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the Blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the Body of Christ?" St. Paul continued, 1 Cor 11:27 "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the Body and Blood of the Lord." St. Paul in these words confirmed Catholic teaching that the "bread … of the Lord" is truly Christ's Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity, and that the "cup of the Lord" is the same substance: "Whoever … eats the bread or drinks the cup … will be guilty of profaning the Body and Blood of the Lord."
St. Paul added, 1 Cor 11:29 "For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the Body eats and drinks judgment upon himself."
thanks to Ross
Monday, May 16, 2011
WHAT DO CATHOLICS BELIEVE ABOUT ... THE EUCHARIST
The Catechism of the Catholic Church: "The Eucharist is the memorial of Christ's Passover, the making present and the sacramental offering of his unique sacrifice, in the liturgy of the Church, which is his Body.... In the sense of sacred Scripture the memorialis not merely the recollection of past events, but the proclamation of the mighty works wrought by God for men. (Cf Ex 13:3). In the liturgical celebration of these events, they become in a certain way present and real. This is how Israel understands its liberation from Egypt: every time the Passover is celebrated, the Exodus events are made present to the memory of believers so that they may conform their lives to them....When the Church celebrates the Eucharist, she commemorates Christ's Passover, and it is made present: the sacrifice Christ offered once for all on the cross (Heb 7:25-27) remains forever present. "As often as the sacrifice of the Cross by which 'Christ our Pasch has been sacrificed (1 Cor 5:7)' is celebrated on the altar, the work of our redemption is carried out" (Lumen Gentium 3). ... The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents(makes present) the sacrifice of the cross, because it is its memorial and because it applies its fruit." (#1362-1366)
Now this beautiful explanation from the CCC gives us the pure Catholic teaching, but how does this understanding come about? Relying on Sacred Scripture and the early Church Fathers we shall dig deeply into this great mystery, Gods' greatest gift to His Church, Himself.
1.) THE PROMISE :
Any discussion on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist will at some point center on John chapter 6, and what we refer to as the "Promise of the Eucharist". Note that this is only the promise, the fulfillment will come later.
Chapter 6 begins with Jesus performing two miracles. The first was the feeding of the five thousand. Realize the symbolism here of Jesus using the fish and the loaves of bread. Any serious student of Christian history will tell you that the "fish" was a symbol for Christ. In the Greek, the word for fish, ICHTHYS, was an acronym. It meant "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior" So here we note how John portrays this miracle using "fish", an obvious reference to Christ Himself, and bread (the loaves) which Christ used at the last supper.
The second miracle has Jesus walking on the water. This, along with the first miracle, shows forth Christ's' power over the elements of nature. Jesus is showing forth His divinity. This is all designed to prepare the hearts of his hearers for the real test the next day.
2.) THE TYPOLOGY, PART I:
After being asked; "Rabbi, when didst thou come here?", Jesus proceeds to explain to the Jews how He is going to fulfill one of the Old Testament "types". A "type" is a person, place , or thing in the Old Testament that prefigures or images the person and work of Christ in the New. Hebrews 10:1 says; "For the law, having but a shadow of the good things to come, and not the exact image of the objects, is never able by the sacrifices they offer continually, year after year the same, to perfect those who draw near;" Note that the Old Testament 'law' is but a shadowof the good things to come! Now we know that a shadow is far inferior to what it represents. Jesus uses this 'typology' in John 3:14: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that those who believe in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting." Our Lord here compares the lifting of the serpent' ( see Num 21:9) with his own Crucifixion. I ask you which of the two is superior? Obviously the Crucifixion.
Now let's get back to John 6. After the Jews ask Jesus for a 'sign' to prove he is from God, as did the prophet Moses by "giving our ancestors Manna in the desert", Jesus says: "Amen, Amen, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from from heaven, but my father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Verse 34, the Jews said "Lord, give us this bread always." Verse 35, Jesus replied "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst" Jesus is comparing himself to the Manna in the desert, a food that the Israelites physically ate, and "died nonetheless (verse 49)." Up unto this point, you could argue that Jesus is speaking metaphorically, spiritually, but what he says next changes all that. Verses 51-52 "I am the living bread that has come down from heaven. If anyone eat this bread he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."
Now understand that the Jews themselves, took Jesus literally. They exclaimed "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Elsewhere in scripture when Jesus was misunderstood, either Jesus corrected the misunderstanding, or the evangelist did. John 19-22, Jesus said "Destroy this temple, and in three days raise it up", the evangelist corrects the misunderstanding in verse 21 "He was speaking of the temple of his body". You can see this elsewhere in scripture too. In Matt 16:6-12, the disciples clearly misunderstood our Lord, and our Lord patiently corrected them.
So here was a clear opportunity for Jesus to correct a supposed misunderstanding. I say 'supposed' for that is what our non-Catholic friends say, this is "a misunderstanding". But what does Jesus do? Does he correct this literal understanding? not only does he not correct them, but he magnifies this teaching by saying, "Amen, Amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life within you." (emphasis mine) Only now does Jesus add that we must also drink his blood. Six times in this paragraph Jesus reasserts the necessity to "eat my flesh and drink my blood", six times! Do you think he was trying to tell us something?
Non-Catholics are fond of quoting John 3:3 "Unless you be born again.." Why is it that that 'unless' is so important, and this 'unless' isn't. You can't have it both ways, we must be consistent when interpreting Gods' word.
The non-Catholic will be quick to point out verse 64 "It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing." See, they will say, Jesus was speaking figuratively, or spiritually, that is why he said "the spirit gives life". Are we to believe that Jesus just said "eat my flesh and drink my blood, but it will profit nothing?" This is what happens when one only interprets scripture to disprove anothers position. Verses get wrenched out of context and given new meanings not intended by the writers.
First note that Jesus said "the flesh", not "my flesh". Jesus' flesh profits much, for it was that flesh which suffered and died for us, opening the gates of heaven to us. But "the flesh", which our Lord spoke of, profits nothing. Meaning that looking at things carnally cannot understand the things of the spirit. See 1 Cor 15:50 "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven", or Gal 5:17 "For the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh..", among others (2 Pet 2:10; 1 Cor 10:2; Eph 2:3, 6:5 etc.) That is why Jesus said "No one can come to me unless he is enabled to do so by my Father (verse 64)". It is only by walking in the spirit that we can come to accept this doctrine.
Besides, in the Hebrew culture, to "each ones flesh, and to drink ones blood', was to revile, or persecute that one. We can see this understanding in Rev 17:6 "And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints..." She persecuted them. Isaiah 49:25-26 "But I will judge those that have judged thee, and thy children I will save. And I will feed thy enemies with their own flesh: and they shall be made drunk with their own blood, as with new wine: and all flesh shall know, that I am the Lord that save thee." Knowing this, is it possible to understand our Lords words figuratively? That would mean he said "If you persecute and revile me, you shall live forever." This is why no one misunderstood what our Lord said!
Look at verse 67; "From this time on, many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him." Did you read that, his disciples left him because they understood him literally. If they had misunderstood him, this was Jesus' last chance to correct them and call them back. But he didn't, he left them go.. If, indeed they did misunderstand him, and Jesus let them go anyway, then Jesus was not the greatest teacher of all time, because he would have let himself be misunderstood, giving no evidence that he wished to correct this misunderstanding. No, they understood him all right, it was their faith that was lacking.
3.) EX. 12 ... THE PASSOVER LAMB
In John 1:29, we read that John the Baptist, pointing to Jesus, proclaims "Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world". It is kind of an obscure passage. What did he mean by "lamb of God"? We've already discussed typology, and the image John uses here refers us back to Exodus 12.
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, "This month shall be for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month they shall take every man a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household; and if the household is too small for a lamb, then a man and his neighbor next to his house shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old; you shall take it from the sheep or from the goats; and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs in the evening. Then they shall take some of the blood, and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat them. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled with water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning, anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's passover. (Ex 12:1-11)
This is what John was referring to, the Passover Lamb. Some things of note in this passage: "they shall take every man a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household", we are the household of God (Eph 2:19). They shall eat the flesh that night, We too must eat the flesh of this Lamb (of God) (1 Cor 11:26). And you shall let none of it remain until the morning, We receive the whole Christ at the table of the Lord. It is the Lord's passover. "For Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (1 Cor 5:8) What 'festival' is Paul here referring to, but the festival of the New Testament passover meal, the Holy Mass! How do we know that? Because Paul goes on to explain the Mass in chapters 10 &11.
In Malachi 1:11 we read: "For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering; for my name is great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts." This verse has been used by early Church Fathers as the prophecy of the Mass. We find it in the "Didache" (circa 100a.d.), Justin Martyrs' "Dialogue with Trypho the Jew" (140 a.d.), Iranaeus' "Against Heresies" (180 a.d.), and in the writings of St. Augustine. What other Christian religion claims to offer a continual sacrifice from the rising of the sun to its setting thereof but the Catholic faith? If there is no New Testament sacrifice, as non-Catholics claim, then this prophecy remains unfulfilled, and Malachi is a false prophet and doesn't belong in the Bible! But, Malachi is in the Bible, thus he is a true prophet of the Most High, therefore the Catholic Religion is the only faith fulfilling this prophecy (along with the other Apostolic Faiths).
We also read in Exodus 12:24, that the Passover was to be a perpetual ordinance, "forever". This Jewish Passover meal was just the type, of which the New Testament passover is the fulfillment. For this fits in perfectly with the Malachi prophecy. This sacrifice will be offered not only in Jerusalem, but "in every place", and at all times.
4.) THE FULFILLMENT : 1 COR 10:24-25 (see also MATT 26:26-27; MARK 14:22-24; LUKE 22:19-20)" For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes."
This, now, is the fulfillment of that great promise of our Lord in John 6. In the setting of the Passover liturgy, Jesus changes the words of the 'Cup of Blessing' that were used for 1500 years. Yes, folks, the Passover liturgy was just a type of "The Mass". It pointed forward to this supreme moment of God condescending to man to become our food! Still not convinced? Then listen to these words of St. Paul: " The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?" (1 Cor 10:16) You cannot get much plainer language than that, my friends. But just in case his listeners did not understand that, Paul goes on to say " Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself." (1 Cor 11:27-29) And as Fr. Ken Roberts likes to say, "That's St. Paul, not Pope Paul!" I ask you, how can you be "guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord" if you are only eating a symbol? Or a memorial?
Notice also what Paul says in this same epistle. He compares the Eucharist with pagan sacrifices " You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons."(1 Cor 10:21) By doing this, Paul puts the Mass in the same context as the sacrifices offered by the pagans. Why is that important? Because our separated brethren will have us believe there is no sacrifice in the New Testament, yet Paul here clearly shows the mass to be a sacrifice. Look, also at what the writer to the Hebrews proclaims "We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat."( Heb 13:10) What is an altar? Is it not a place where 'sacrifice is offered? That is its definition. Therefore, if "We have an altar", then we must have something to offer on that altar, and that means there is indeed, a New Testament sacrifice.
The following excerpt from Scott Hahn "Eucharist, Holy Meal"
5.) EARLY CHRISTIAN WRITINGS : St. Ignatius of Antioch, disciple of the beloved disciple John, spoke of the heretics who were plaguing the Church in his day. "They abstained from the Eucharist because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior, Jesus Christ."
Then St. Justin Martyr in the 2nd Century, one of the great apologists, defenders of the faith, stated, "This food is known among us as the Eucharist. We do not receive these things as common bread
and common drink but as Jesus Christ, our Savior, being made flesh by the word of God."
Then in the 4th Century, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, another venerable Church Father, wrote, "Since then he has declared instead of the bread, 'This is my body,' who after that will venture to doubt. And seeing that he has affirmed and said, 'This is my blood,' who will raise a question and say it is not his blood?"
So we have testimony throughout all of the first centuries of the Church to this effect. You are hard-pressed, I would say it is practically impossible to find a single statement by anybody in the
first eight centuries of the Church where you have a denial of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, flesh and blood, body, soul and divinity there in the Eucharist. I remember when I first discovered that, I was still anti-Catholic, but boy, did that bother me; because I wondered how could John's disciple get it so wrong? How could St. Ignatius say something so patently false and superstitious after spending all this time at the feet of the beloved disciple, St. John?
8.) THE EMMAUS EXPERIENCE : LUKE 24:30-31
" While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, "What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cle'opas, answered him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" And he said to them, "What things?" And they said to him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said; but him they did not see." And he said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further, but they constrained him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight.( Luke 24:15-31)
Boy, there is so much to learn from this great passage of Scripture. But let's concentrate on just a couple of them. The most obvious lesson is to note how the disciples came to notice him in the breaking of the bread, as is explicated for us in verse 35.
Second, notice the first thing that Jesus does with his disciples on His appearance to them is have the Mass. What?, you may say! Look at the text! First Jesus explains the Scriptures to them, just as we do at mass in the Liturgy of the Word. Then He goes on to the Liturgy of the Eucharist by making Himself present to them in the "Breaking of the Bread"
Yes, there can be no doubt about it. The real presence of our Lord in the Eucharist is one of the most clearest doctrines in all of Scripture. Only those who have closed their eyes to the beauty and wonder of Catholic teaching can overlook this plain teaching. Let us all pray that Almighty God will bless us all with a deeper and clearer understanding of this our greatest treasure, THE HOLY EUCHARIST, Amen
Now this beautiful explanation from the CCC gives us the pure Catholic teaching, but how does this understanding come about? Relying on Sacred Scripture and the early Church Fathers we shall dig deeply into this great mystery, Gods' greatest gift to His Church, Himself.
1.) THE PROMISE :
Any discussion on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist will at some point center on John chapter 6, and what we refer to as the "Promise of the Eucharist". Note that this is only the promise, the fulfillment will come later.
Chapter 6 begins with Jesus performing two miracles. The first was the feeding of the five thousand. Realize the symbolism here of Jesus using the fish and the loaves of bread. Any serious student of Christian history will tell you that the "fish" was a symbol for Christ. In the Greek, the word for fish, ICHTHYS, was an acronym. It meant "Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior" So here we note how John portrays this miracle using "fish", an obvious reference to Christ Himself, and bread (the loaves) which Christ used at the last supper.
The second miracle has Jesus walking on the water. This, along with the first miracle, shows forth Christ's' power over the elements of nature. Jesus is showing forth His divinity. This is all designed to prepare the hearts of his hearers for the real test the next day.
2.) THE TYPOLOGY, PART I:
After being asked; "Rabbi, when didst thou come here?", Jesus proceeds to explain to the Jews how He is going to fulfill one of the Old Testament "types". A "type" is a person, place , or thing in the Old Testament that prefigures or images the person and work of Christ in the New. Hebrews 10:1 says; "For the law, having but a shadow of the good things to come, and not the exact image of the objects, is never able by the sacrifices they offer continually, year after year the same, to perfect those who draw near;" Note that the Old Testament 'law' is but a shadowof the good things to come! Now we know that a shadow is far inferior to what it represents. Jesus uses this 'typology' in John 3:14: "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that those who believe in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting." Our Lord here compares the lifting of the serpent' ( see Num 21:9) with his own Crucifixion. I ask you which of the two is superior? Obviously the Crucifixion.
Now let's get back to John 6. After the Jews ask Jesus for a 'sign' to prove he is from God, as did the prophet Moses by "giving our ancestors Manna in the desert", Jesus says: "Amen, Amen, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from from heaven, but my father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Verse 34, the Jews said "Lord, give us this bread always." Verse 35, Jesus replied "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst" Jesus is comparing himself to the Manna in the desert, a food that the Israelites physically ate, and "died nonetheless (verse 49)." Up unto this point, you could argue that Jesus is speaking metaphorically, spiritually, but what he says next changes all that. Verses 51-52 "I am the living bread that has come down from heaven. If anyone eat this bread he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world."
Now understand that the Jews themselves, took Jesus literally. They exclaimed "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Elsewhere in scripture when Jesus was misunderstood, either Jesus corrected the misunderstanding, or the evangelist did. John 19-22, Jesus said "Destroy this temple, and in three days raise it up", the evangelist corrects the misunderstanding in verse 21 "He was speaking of the temple of his body". You can see this elsewhere in scripture too. In Matt 16:6-12, the disciples clearly misunderstood our Lord, and our Lord patiently corrected them.
So here was a clear opportunity for Jesus to correct a supposed misunderstanding. I say 'supposed' for that is what our non-Catholic friends say, this is "a misunderstanding". But what does Jesus do? Does he correct this literal understanding? not only does he not correct them, but he magnifies this teaching by saying, "Amen, Amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life within you." (emphasis mine) Only now does Jesus add that we must also drink his blood. Six times in this paragraph Jesus reasserts the necessity to "eat my flesh and drink my blood", six times! Do you think he was trying to tell us something?
Non-Catholics are fond of quoting John 3:3 "Unless you be born again.." Why is it that that 'unless' is so important, and this 'unless' isn't. You can't have it both ways, we must be consistent when interpreting Gods' word.
The non-Catholic will be quick to point out verse 64 "It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing." See, they will say, Jesus was speaking figuratively, or spiritually, that is why he said "the spirit gives life". Are we to believe that Jesus just said "eat my flesh and drink my blood, but it will profit nothing?" This is what happens when one only interprets scripture to disprove anothers position. Verses get wrenched out of context and given new meanings not intended by the writers.
First note that Jesus said "the flesh", not "my flesh". Jesus' flesh profits much, for it was that flesh which suffered and died for us, opening the gates of heaven to us. But "the flesh", which our Lord spoke of, profits nothing. Meaning that looking at things carnally cannot understand the things of the spirit. See 1 Cor 15:50 "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven", or Gal 5:17 "For the flesh lusts against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh..", among others (2 Pet 2:10; 1 Cor 10:2; Eph 2:3, 6:5 etc.) That is why Jesus said "No one can come to me unless he is enabled to do so by my Father (verse 64)". It is only by walking in the spirit that we can come to accept this doctrine.
Besides, in the Hebrew culture, to "each ones flesh, and to drink ones blood', was to revile, or persecute that one. We can see this understanding in Rev 17:6 "And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints..." She persecuted them. Isaiah 49:25-26 "But I will judge those that have judged thee, and thy children I will save. And I will feed thy enemies with their own flesh: and they shall be made drunk with their own blood, as with new wine: and all flesh shall know, that I am the Lord that save thee." Knowing this, is it possible to understand our Lords words figuratively? That would mean he said "If you persecute and revile me, you shall live forever." This is why no one misunderstood what our Lord said!
Look at verse 67; "From this time on, many of his disciples turned back and no longer went about with him." Did you read that, his disciples left him because they understood him literally. If they had misunderstood him, this was Jesus' last chance to correct them and call them back. But he didn't, he left them go.. If, indeed they did misunderstand him, and Jesus let them go anyway, then Jesus was not the greatest teacher of all time, because he would have let himself be misunderstood, giving no evidence that he wished to correct this misunderstanding. No, they understood him all right, it was their faith that was lacking.
3.) EX. 12 ... THE PASSOVER LAMB
In John 1:29, we read that John the Baptist, pointing to Jesus, proclaims "Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world". It is kind of an obscure passage. What did he mean by "lamb of God"? We've already discussed typology, and the image John uses here refers us back to Exodus 12.
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, "This month shall be for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month they shall take every man a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household; and if the household is too small for a lamb, then a man and his neighbor next to his house shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old; you shall take it from the sheep or from the goats; and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs in the evening. Then they shall take some of the blood, and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat them. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled with water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning, anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord's passover. (Ex 12:1-11)
This is what John was referring to, the Passover Lamb. Some things of note in this passage: "they shall take every man a lamb according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household", we are the household of God (Eph 2:19). They shall eat the flesh that night, We too must eat the flesh of this Lamb (of God) (1 Cor 11:26). And you shall let none of it remain until the morning, We receive the whole Christ at the table of the Lord. It is the Lord's passover. "For Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us, therefore, celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (1 Cor 5:8) What 'festival' is Paul here referring to, but the festival of the New Testament passover meal, the Holy Mass! How do we know that? Because Paul goes on to explain the Mass in chapters 10 &11.
In Malachi 1:11 we read: "For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense is offered to my name, and a pure offering; for my name is great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts." This verse has been used by early Church Fathers as the prophecy of the Mass. We find it in the "Didache" (circa 100a.d.), Justin Martyrs' "Dialogue with Trypho the Jew" (140 a.d.), Iranaeus' "Against Heresies" (180 a.d.), and in the writings of St. Augustine. What other Christian religion claims to offer a continual sacrifice from the rising of the sun to its setting thereof but the Catholic faith? If there is no New Testament sacrifice, as non-Catholics claim, then this prophecy remains unfulfilled, and Malachi is a false prophet and doesn't belong in the Bible! But, Malachi is in the Bible, thus he is a true prophet of the Most High, therefore the Catholic Religion is the only faith fulfilling this prophecy (along with the other Apostolic Faiths).
We also read in Exodus 12:24, that the Passover was to be a perpetual ordinance, "forever". This Jewish Passover meal was just the type, of which the New Testament passover is the fulfillment. For this fits in perfectly with the Malachi prophecy. This sacrifice will be offered not only in Jerusalem, but "in every place", and at all times.
4.) THE FULFILLMENT : 1 COR 10:24-25 (see also MATT 26:26-27; MARK 14:22-24; LUKE 22:19-20)" For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes."
This, now, is the fulfillment of that great promise of our Lord in John 6. In the setting of the Passover liturgy, Jesus changes the words of the 'Cup of Blessing' that were used for 1500 years. Yes, folks, the Passover liturgy was just a type of "The Mass". It pointed forward to this supreme moment of God condescending to man to become our food! Still not convinced? Then listen to these words of St. Paul: " The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?" (1 Cor 10:16) You cannot get much plainer language than that, my friends. But just in case his listeners did not understand that, Paul goes on to say " Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself." (1 Cor 11:27-29) And as Fr. Ken Roberts likes to say, "That's St. Paul, not Pope Paul!" I ask you, how can you be "guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord" if you are only eating a symbol? Or a memorial?
Notice also what Paul says in this same epistle. He compares the Eucharist with pagan sacrifices " You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons."(1 Cor 10:21) By doing this, Paul puts the Mass in the same context as the sacrifices offered by the pagans. Why is that important? Because our separated brethren will have us believe there is no sacrifice in the New Testament, yet Paul here clearly shows the mass to be a sacrifice. Look, also at what the writer to the Hebrews proclaims "We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat."( Heb 13:10) What is an altar? Is it not a place where 'sacrifice is offered? That is its definition. Therefore, if "We have an altar", then we must have something to offer on that altar, and that means there is indeed, a New Testament sacrifice.
The following excerpt from Scott Hahn "Eucharist, Holy Meal"
5.) EARLY CHRISTIAN WRITINGS : St. Ignatius of Antioch, disciple of the beloved disciple John, spoke of the heretics who were plaguing the Church in his day. "They abstained from the Eucharist because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior, Jesus Christ."
Then St. Justin Martyr in the 2nd Century, one of the great apologists, defenders of the faith, stated, "This food is known among us as the Eucharist. We do not receive these things as common bread
and common drink but as Jesus Christ, our Savior, being made flesh by the word of God."
Then in the 4th Century, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, another venerable Church Father, wrote, "Since then he has declared instead of the bread, 'This is my body,' who after that will venture to doubt. And seeing that he has affirmed and said, 'This is my blood,' who will raise a question and say it is not his blood?"
So we have testimony throughout all of the first centuries of the Church to this effect. You are hard-pressed, I would say it is practically impossible to find a single statement by anybody in the
first eight centuries of the Church where you have a denial of the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, flesh and blood, body, soul and divinity there in the Eucharist. I remember when I first discovered that, I was still anti-Catholic, but boy, did that bother me; because I wondered how could John's disciple get it so wrong? How could St. Ignatius say something so patently false and superstitious after spending all this time at the feet of the beloved disciple, St. John?
8.) THE EMMAUS EXPERIENCE : LUKE 24:30-31
" While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, "What is this conversation which you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cle'opas, answered him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" And he said to them, "What things?" And they said to him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since this happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his body; and they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said; but him they did not see." And he said to them, "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He appeared to be going further, but they constrained him, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight.( Luke 24:15-31)
Boy, there is so much to learn from this great passage of Scripture. But let's concentrate on just a couple of them. The most obvious lesson is to note how the disciples came to notice him in the breaking of the bread, as is explicated for us in verse 35.
Second, notice the first thing that Jesus does with his disciples on His appearance to them is have the Mass. What?, you may say! Look at the text! First Jesus explains the Scriptures to them, just as we do at mass in the Liturgy of the Word. Then He goes on to the Liturgy of the Eucharist by making Himself present to them in the "Breaking of the Bread"
Yes, there can be no doubt about it. The real presence of our Lord in the Eucharist is one of the most clearest doctrines in all of Scripture. Only those who have closed their eyes to the beauty and wonder of Catholic teaching can overlook this plain teaching. Let us all pray that Almighty God will bless us all with a deeper and clearer understanding of this our greatest treasure, THE HOLY EUCHARIST, Amen
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter (May 4, 2011): Children of the Light
Children of the Light
http://meditation.
May 4, 2011
Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter
Father Steven Reilly, LC
Wednesday of the Second Week of Easter
Father Steven Reilly, LC
Listen to this meditation as a podcast here.
John 3:16-21
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light, so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, you know my needs better than I do. I turn to your Spirit to teach me what to ask for in this prayer. I want to fulfill your holy will over my life. I love you, Lord, and I place all my hope in you.
Petition: Lord, increase my faith in the power of the Resurrection.
1. God Loves the World: The tsunami that struck the Indian Ocean countries in 2004 and the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 provoked many people to question God’s goodness. How could he, if he is good, have permitted such a catastrophe? But what does our faith teach us? That God loves the world, so much that he sent his only Son. Evil in the world is real and present, and such massive casualties show that nature herself cooperates with the power of death. But that power is being broken. The first decisive blow to the chain that binds the world was Christ’s death on the cross. The execution of Our Lord was the greatest act of moral evil history can ever see, but through God’s power, it has become the source of eternal life for us all, as we now celebrate in this Easter season. Through the power of the Resurrection, we are journeying towards the ultimate defeat of suffering and death.
2. Sin Is the Worst Evil: The physical evil brought by a natural disaster is terrible. But sin is worse. This Gospel reading reminds us of souls who consciously choose evil. The irony is that people make this choice pursuing some form of self-fulfillment. Instead of fulfillment, they encounter the emptiness of a life that carries with it the burden of self-imposed condemnation. They live in darkness as opposed to the light. If we knew someone who freely chose to live in a darkened cave, we would think that person nothing short of insane. But where are the dark patches in our own lives?
3. Christ Leads Us Towards the Light: Christ’s body had been physically destroyed through the evil decisions and cruelty of men. When the risen Lord appeared to the apostles in the Upper Room, his new life of glory pointed in a new direction, and they were flooded with the vision of where we are heading. Through our life in the Church, we are heading to a renewal of all things in Christ, in which death will be no more, and where every tear will be wiped away. The physical evil of natural disasters and the moral evil of sin may try to challenge our faith. But they are the last gasps of a defeated enemy. Let us take heart! We are headed to the light, where Christ is King and Lord of all.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, I long to live in the light. Banish from my soul all darkness of sin or disbelief. At times I struggle to see the pattern of your divine plan. But through my faith, I know that you are love and mercy and you are guiding us towards the light that will never end.
Resolution: I will renew my spiritual vision of the world by frequently lifting my mind up to God during the day.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Jesus’ Resurrection Left a Footprint Within History
By Father Thomas Rosica, CSB
In reading the Resurrection chapters of the four Gospels, the differences between the accounts are very obvious. Not one of the evangelists recounts the actual Resurrection. It is an event that is taking place within the mystery of God between Jesus and the Father; by its very nature, the resurrection event lies outside human experience.
What lessons can we learn about the Resurrection from each of the Gospel accounts, particularly from Matthew’s story that we hear proclaimed today?
Mark’s call to the cross
In the earliest Gospel account in Mark’s Gospel (Chapter 16), the last scene is a startling one … for the story ends with “[The women] came out and fled from the tomb, for they were possessed by fear and trembling, and they said nothing to anyone” (16:8).
The most striking aspect of Mark’s ending is that we never encounter the Risen Lord. Instead, we see an awe-inspiring, almost eerie scene.
In the darkness of early morning, the women arrive at the tomb to accomplish a nearly impossible task. These women are the only ones who follow Jesus to the foot of the cross and to the tomb. They find the tomb opened and empty, and are greeted by a heavenly figure who gives them a commission: “Go and tell his disciples and Peter that he goes before you into Galilee; there you will see him as he told you” (16:7).
Mark’s Resurrection account is meant to disturb the Christian reader; to undo the ease that makes one forget that the call to discipleship is the call to the cross. Readers of Mark’s account are invited to view their lives in the shadow of the cross.
Matthew’s living Christ
Matthew tells the story of the resurrection in four scenes: the women’s experience at the tomb (28:1-7); their short encounter with the risen Lord (28:8-10); the Jewish leaders’ attempt to suppress the story (28:11-15); the appearance to the disciples in Galilee (28:16-20). The final scene, ending with the Great Commission (28:19-20), stands on its own as a programmatic conclusion to the entire Gospel.
The women present in Matthew’s Resurrection chapter do not witness the Resurrection. They do experience the earthquake, the appearance of the angel, and the emptiness of the tomb — all of which are signs or traces of divine activity that has brought these things about.
Matthew literally makes Jesus present in the last scene of the Gospel on the mountain where Jesus had directed the disciples to go (28:16-20). At the end of the Gospel, he points us back to the first programmatic sermon of Jesus on the mountain in Galilee (5:1-7:21).
Matthew’s meek and humble Jesus is the teacher as well as the example of meekness and humility. In revising Mark’s Gospel, Matthew deliberately completes the picture of Jesus and of the Christian life.
The bleak image and invitation of the cross and the dead Jesus are filled out with a living and present Jesus, whose words, reflected upon the Scriptures of Israel, offer a consoling and learnable “way” for those disciples willing to learn. Matthew issues the call to learn of the meek and humble Jesus.
Luke’s symphony
The Easter chapter of Luke’s Gospel (24), like a beautiful symphony, presents us with a biblically oriented pastoral practice and distinct way of Christian living. In the first movement (25:1-12), God alone breaks open a helpless situation. In the second movement of the marvelous story of Jesus and the disciples on the road to Emmaus (25:13-35), God, in the person of Jesus, accompanies people on their journeys through despair. The stories of the third movement (25:36-53) lead people into an experience of community.
John’s Risen Lord
John tells of appearances of the Risen Lord in both Jerusalem and Galilee. The resurrection stories of the fourth Gospel are a series of encounters between Jesus and his followers that reveal diverse faith reactions.
Whether these encounters are with Simon Peter and the Beloved Disciple, Mary Magdalene, the disciples or Thomas, the whole scenario reminds us that in the range of belief there are different degrees of readiness and different factors that cause people to come to faith.
A new dimension of existence
Benedict XVI writes about “The Nature of Jesus’ Resurrection and Its Historical Significance” in “Jesus of Nazareth Part 2: Holy Week — From the Entrance Into Jerusalem to the Resurrection” (Ignatius Press, 2011).
I would like to highlight several points made by the Pope in this masterful text: “Jesus did not simply return to normal biological life as one who, by the laws of biology, would eventually have to die again. [...]
“Jesus is not a ghost (’spirit’). In other words, he does not belong to the realm of the dead but is somehow able to reveal himself in the realm of the living. [...]
“The encounters with the Risen Lord are not the same as mystical experiences, in which the human spirit is momentarily drawn aloft out of itself and perceives the realm of the divine and eternal, only to return then to the normal horizon of its existence. Mystical experience is a temporary removal of the soul’s spatial and cognitive limitations” (pp. 272-273).
Benedict XVI continues: “[The resurrection] is a historical event that nevertheless bursts open the dimensions of history and transcends it. Perhaps we may draw upon analogical language here, inadequate in many ways, yet still able to open up a path toward understanding: as already anticipated in the first section of this chapter, we could regard the Resurrection as something akin to a radical ‘evolutionary leap,’ in which a new dimension of life emerges, a new dimension of human existence” (p. 273).
He added: “As something that breaks out of history and transcends it, the Resurrection nevertheless has its origin within history and up to a certain point still belongs there. Perhaps we could put it this way: Jesus’ Resurrection points beyond history but has left a footprint within history. Therefore it can be attested by witnesses as an event of an entirely new kind” (p. 275).
Fathoming a mystery
In our highly technological world, the reality of the Resurrection becomes increasingly difficult to fathom. So many spend their lives explaining it away rather than probing the depths of its mystery. And they try to do this alone, separated from a believing community of Christians, locked in the prison of self and of ideas, frozen before a computer screen as they try to fathom what happened on Easter morning.
Some people state quite frankly that the whole story is simply out of date. But the Resurrection is not a matter of the head, of theory and ideas, but a matter of the heart that can only be experienced and learned through a community’s worship and liturgy. To be fully experienced and grasped, the Resurrection requires an environment of hauntingly beautiful music, of smoke and incense, bread and wine, murmurs of greeting and shouts of joy, dazzling colors and most of all, three-dimensional bodies of real people, even those who aren’t necessarily “regulars” of our parish communities, who gather together every year to hear the Easter proclamation.
One doesn’t sit at a computer and tap out “Jesus is risen.” It has to be performed and enacted. If the Resurrection were meant to be a historically verifiable occurrence, God wouldn’t have performed it in the dark without eyewitnesses. The Resurrection was an event transacted between God the Father and God the Son by the power of God the Holy Spirit.
Not a single Gospel tells us how it happened. We don’t know what he looked like when he was no longer dead, whether he burst the tomb in glory or came out like Lazarus, slowly unwrapping his shroud and squinting with wonder against the dawn of Easter morning in a garden in Jerusalem.
Finding the words
How shall we find words for the Resurrection? How can we give expression to the conquest of death and the harrowing of hell and the washing that has joined us to God’s life? There are no words — there are only the wrong words — metaphors, chains of images, verbal icons — that invite us into a mystery beyond words.
For four years I lived in the Holy City of Jerusalem and hundreds of times I visited the remains of the Church building that houses the place of Calvary and the Holy Sepulcher. It is truly holy ground for Christians, and being there never failed once to move me. That old building is truly a microcosm of our own lives, our hearts and our Church.
In the midst of the dark, dirty and chaotic Holy Sepulcher Basilica is the tomb of Jesus, a shrine to the risen Christ. But he is not there. All around that tomb are the remnants of 2,000 years of dreadfully human corruption. Nevertheless, it is the most important shrine and holy place for Christians. Christ is risen from the dead!
At Calvary, and elsewhere in the Holy Land, corruption seems so rampant … but God shall be victorious, because 70 feet away from Calvary there is a tomb that is empty.
And there is also another startling truth about that Church and the moments that it commemorates: Every single one of us has within us a shrine to the Risen Christ. That shrine is our first love for him, and him alone.
Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. Do we truly live as children of the light, of the Living One? The Resurrection of Jesus is the sign that God is ultimately going to win.
In the midst of all the chaos found in the Holy Sepulcher building, I found that if I knelt long enough in some corner of the Church amidst religious groups seemingly at war with each other, disquiet disappeared and I often experienced a strange peace and deep joy and consolation because of the resurrection of the man who was God’s Son and our Savior. The only way to discern, detect and discover the presence of the Risen Lord is on one’s knees, in the midst of the chaos of the Church and the world.
Jesus’ victory over death belongs to the Church’s ongoing pastoral and sacramental life and its mission to the world. The Church is the community of those who have the competence to recognize Jesus as the Risen Lord. It specializes in discerning the Risen One. As long as we remain in dialogue with Jesus, our darkness will give way to dawn, and we will become “competent” for witness. In an age that places so much weight on competency, we would do well to focus every now and then on our competence to discern the Resurrection.
What is the Resurrection? Benedict XVI explains it so well in “Jesus of Nazareth”: “It is part of the mystery of God that he acts so gently, that he only gradually builds up his history within the great history of mankind; that he becomes man and so can be overlooked by his contemporaries and by the decisive forces within history; that he suffers and dies and that, having risen again, he chooses to come to mankind only through the faith of the disciples to whom he reveals himself; that he continues to knock gently at the doors of our hearts and slowly opens our eyes if we open our doors to him.
“And yet — is not this the truly divine way? Not to overwhelm with external power, but to give freedom, to offer and elicit love. And if we really think about it, is it not what seems so small that is truly great?” (p. 276).
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Eight Habits of Highly Effective Fathers
by Chris Erickson, June 2000 Lay Witness Magazine
+Educate yourself in the Faith.
+Put what you learn into practice by forming good habits.
+Teach Christ's Truths through your own experience.
+Pray together.
+Spend time with your children.
+Guard the windows to the soul!
+Be vigilant over your children's friends.
+Make your home a place of tranquility and peace — beginning with loving your wife.
By Chris Erickson with improvements by Mike Humphrey
1. Educate yourself in the Faith.
Read a chapter or a passage or two from Sacred Scripture and the Catechism each day. St. Jerome tells us that ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. Pope John Paul II encourages families
"to use the Catechism of the Catholic Church to learn about the faith and to answer the questions that come up, especially the moral questions which confront everyone today."
Listen to God's Word to us as revealed through Scripture and Tradition. In addition to the Bible and the Catechism, there are many other worthwhile books and Church documents, such as Pope John Paul II 's 1981 apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio (on marriage and family issues). We cannot pass on to our children what we ourselves have never taken the time to learn.
2. Put what you learn into practice by forming good habits.
Satan knows the Scriptures better than Scripture scholars do, Knowing God's instructions won't benefit us if we don't live them. A father's primary responsibility is to be a Christian witness to his children.
Our homes can be a haven of moral virtue if we foster it through our own example. We preach in vain if we do not practice what we teach.
3. Teach Christ's Truths through your own experience.
Jesus asks: "For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?" (Mt. 16:26). The Holy Father reminds us that parents are the first and most important educators of their own children. Teach your children about God through your own experience. There is a great difference between "knowing about God" and "knowing God." Share with them simple stories of faith that reveal how you relate to God in your everyday situations. Tell them about your discernment, your trust, your prayer, your dependence on God, and your love for Him. It doesn't need to be anything weighty. God ought to be as real to them as you are. Avoid the attitude that says,
"My child can learn about religion at Sunday school."
If religion is a subject set aside for an hour on Sundays, your child most likely will be a "Sunday Christian", if he keeps his faith at all. Wouldn't you protest if your child were instructed only one hour each week in literature, mathematics, or some other subject?
4. Pray together.
Mass, Confession, cerebrating feast days, reading the Bible or a book on a saint and, above all, daily prayer can all be done together. This bonds a family in the faith, and every strengthening of family bonds is a victory for society. Our Holy Father affirms that
"prayer needs to become a regular habit in the daily life of each family."
Even if you only have five minutes of nightly prayer with your children, do not underestimate its value. A child into his adult life those memories — those "seeds of faith." Think of the abundant harvest if a father devoted more time to family prayer! Some pray the Rosary each evening with their children. If that sounds like too much, don't let it discourage you from saying other simple prayers together. If they are sincere and from the heart, they will reap a great reward.
5. Spend time with your children.
Don't let the pursuit of success or wealth cause you to miss your child's fundamental need to know you as a father. We can teach our children a great deal about Our Lord and ourselves simply by spending time with them. The great truths of our faith and how we personally relate to those truths can be taught through ordinary conversation, fixing cars, collecting bugs, camping, fishing, hiking, gardening, or sports: Any type of hobby allows wonderful opportunities to intimately know each other and to exchange ideas.
6. Guard the windows to the soul!
Keep a careful check over media influences that can lead your family astray. What if, in place of TV and videos, dad invited two strangers to come into his home to entertain his family? The family sits down with their usual bowI of popcorn, and this time they're entertained by strangers in their home groping one another, and engaging in sexual innuendo in their word, dress, and conduct. Shocking? Unacceptable? Yet we often allow the same sorts of things into our house through the media. These are insidious poisons that strike at our fundamental religious beliefs and actions. Fathers, don't dull your family's sense of sin! The world is already hard at work doing it. With a little diligence you can find wholesome alternatives. It is critically important to inculcate strong moral values into your children at the earliest years so as they mature, they will freely choose to apply these same rules of prudence when viewing videos in other homes.
7. Be vigilant over your children's friends.
Get to know your children's friends, or at least try to determine whether their influence is good or bad. No kid is going to be perfect, so avoid being over scrupulous. If you find a particular friend to be a thistle in the growth of your child's faith, talk about it with your child and permit your child the opportunity to be a witness and to set an example for his friend. If that fails to correct the behavior, step in and speak directly to his friend, letting him know what you expect if he wants the relationship to continue. Obviously it isn't so simple with teenagers. In these situations, I believe you will achieve better results by appealing to your child's values and concepts of right and wrong. Teach your teenagers to accept responsibility for their spiritual welfare. The best aid a father can have in teaching his teenager is a good memory! Be sympathetic, honest, and remember that "more flies are caught with honey than with vinegar." top
8. Make your home a place of tranquility and peace — beginning with loving your wife
Love your wife as Christ loves the Church (Eph. 5:25). That's a tall order, but your sons will relate to women in much the same way you relate to your wife; and your daughters will learn from your example what to desire and expect from men. St. John Chrysostom said the home should be a "little church," a miniature kingdom of God. Is your home too stern, too demanding on the children? Is dad too busy and mom often irritable? Does the mood reflect a menacing storm? If so, each will seek their freedom and go their own way. Value honesty and hard work, offer great love, admit mistakes, ask forgiveness, and laugh much. Adorn your home with constant reminders of your Christian faith: A crucifix reminds us of the precious price Christ paid for us; sacred pictures or statues bring to mind events in the life of Our Lord; a favorite Scripture verse or two or an open Bible remind us of what is most important in life. Avoid making others uncomfortable by either exaggerated asceticism or flamboyance.
Fathering is undoubtedly a challenge, and it has been so since antiquity. But the Lord has given fathers the responsibility and the grace to meet the challenge. Probably the most important attributes a father can have for the welfare of his family today are courage and a quiet confidence in God. An exceptional example of courage and quiet confidence, as well as quiet obedience, is the "guardian of the Redeemer," St. Joseph, the preeminent model of "true fatherhood."
We should look to him as our model.
~About the Author
Chris Erickson is the executive director of The Coming Home Network which provides fellowship, encouragement and support for Protestant pastors and laity who are on the journey or who have already been received into the Catholic Church. For more information visit www.chnetwork.org
+Educate yourself in the Faith.
+Put what you learn into practice by forming good habits.
+Teach Christ's Truths through your own experience.
+Pray together.
+Spend time with your children.
+Guard the windows to the soul!
+Be vigilant over your children's friends.
+Make your home a place of tranquility and peace — beginning with loving your wife.
By Chris Erickson with improvements by Mike Humphrey
1. Educate yourself in the Faith.
Read a chapter or a passage or two from Sacred Scripture and the Catechism each day. St. Jerome tells us that ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. Pope John Paul II encourages families
"to use the Catechism of the Catholic Church to learn about the faith and to answer the questions that come up, especially the moral questions which confront everyone today."
Listen to God's Word to us as revealed through Scripture and Tradition. In addition to the Bible and the Catechism, there are many other worthwhile books and Church documents, such as Pope John Paul II 's 1981 apostolic exhortation Familiaris Consortio (on marriage and family issues). We cannot pass on to our children what we ourselves have never taken the time to learn.
2. Put what you learn into practice by forming good habits.
Satan knows the Scriptures better than Scripture scholars do, Knowing God's instructions won't benefit us if we don't live them. A father's primary responsibility is to be a Christian witness to his children.
Our homes can be a haven of moral virtue if we foster it through our own example. We preach in vain if we do not practice what we teach.
3. Teach Christ's Truths through your own experience.
Jesus asks: "For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?" (Mt. 16:26). The Holy Father reminds us that parents are the first and most important educators of their own children. Teach your children about God through your own experience. There is a great difference between "knowing about God" and "knowing God." Share with them simple stories of faith that reveal how you relate to God in your everyday situations. Tell them about your discernment, your trust, your prayer, your dependence on God, and your love for Him. It doesn't need to be anything weighty. God ought to be as real to them as you are. Avoid the attitude that says,
"My child can learn about religion at Sunday school."
If religion is a subject set aside for an hour on Sundays, your child most likely will be a "Sunday Christian", if he keeps his faith at all. Wouldn't you protest if your child were instructed only one hour each week in literature, mathematics, or some other subject?
4. Pray together.
Mass, Confession, cerebrating feast days, reading the Bible or a book on a saint and, above all, daily prayer can all be done together. This bonds a family in the faith, and every strengthening of family bonds is a victory for society. Our Holy Father affirms that
"prayer needs to become a regular habit in the daily life of each family."
Even if you only have five minutes of nightly prayer with your children, do not underestimate its value. A child into his adult life those memories — those "seeds of faith." Think of the abundant harvest if a father devoted more time to family prayer! Some pray the Rosary each evening with their children. If that sounds like too much, don't let it discourage you from saying other simple prayers together. If they are sincere and from the heart, they will reap a great reward.
5. Spend time with your children.
Don't let the pursuit of success or wealth cause you to miss your child's fundamental need to know you as a father. We can teach our children a great deal about Our Lord and ourselves simply by spending time with them. The great truths of our faith and how we personally relate to those truths can be taught through ordinary conversation, fixing cars, collecting bugs, camping, fishing, hiking, gardening, or sports: Any type of hobby allows wonderful opportunities to intimately know each other and to exchange ideas.
6. Guard the windows to the soul!
Keep a careful check over media influences that can lead your family astray. What if, in place of TV and videos, dad invited two strangers to come into his home to entertain his family? The family sits down with their usual bowI of popcorn, and this time they're entertained by strangers in their home groping one another, and engaging in sexual innuendo in their word, dress, and conduct. Shocking? Unacceptable? Yet we often allow the same sorts of things into our house through the media. These are insidious poisons that strike at our fundamental religious beliefs and actions. Fathers, don't dull your family's sense of sin! The world is already hard at work doing it. With a little diligence you can find wholesome alternatives. It is critically important to inculcate strong moral values into your children at the earliest years so as they mature, they will freely choose to apply these same rules of prudence when viewing videos in other homes.
7. Be vigilant over your children's friends.
Get to know your children's friends, or at least try to determine whether their influence is good or bad. No kid is going to be perfect, so avoid being over scrupulous. If you find a particular friend to be a thistle in the growth of your child's faith, talk about it with your child and permit your child the opportunity to be a witness and to set an example for his friend. If that fails to correct the behavior, step in and speak directly to his friend, letting him know what you expect if he wants the relationship to continue. Obviously it isn't so simple with teenagers. In these situations, I believe you will achieve better results by appealing to your child's values and concepts of right and wrong. Teach your teenagers to accept responsibility for their spiritual welfare. The best aid a father can have in teaching his teenager is a good memory! Be sympathetic, honest, and remember that "more flies are caught with honey than with vinegar." top
8. Make your home a place of tranquility and peace — beginning with loving your wife
Love your wife as Christ loves the Church (Eph. 5:25). That's a tall order, but your sons will relate to women in much the same way you relate to your wife; and your daughters will learn from your example what to desire and expect from men. St. John Chrysostom said the home should be a "little church," a miniature kingdom of God. Is your home too stern, too demanding on the children? Is dad too busy and mom often irritable? Does the mood reflect a menacing storm? If so, each will seek their freedom and go their own way. Value honesty and hard work, offer great love, admit mistakes, ask forgiveness, and laugh much. Adorn your home with constant reminders of your Christian faith: A crucifix reminds us of the precious price Christ paid for us; sacred pictures or statues bring to mind events in the life of Our Lord; a favorite Scripture verse or two or an open Bible remind us of what is most important in life. Avoid making others uncomfortable by either exaggerated asceticism or flamboyance.
Fathering is undoubtedly a challenge, and it has been so since antiquity. But the Lord has given fathers the responsibility and the grace to meet the challenge. Probably the most important attributes a father can have for the welfare of his family today are courage and a quiet confidence in God. An exceptional example of courage and quiet confidence, as well as quiet obedience, is the "guardian of the Redeemer," St. Joseph, the preeminent model of "true fatherhood."
We should look to him as our model.
~About the Author
Chris Erickson is the executive director of The Coming Home Network which provides fellowship, encouragement and support for Protestant pastors and laity who are on the journey or who have already been received into the Catholic Church. For more information visit www.chnetwork.org
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