Grace for the Wayward Heart

The End...

2007-07-01T11:55:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know what I said a few posts back about upcoming posts here (only one of which was ever actually posted). Yet I have decided that I am no longer going to write at Grace for the Wayward Heart. I will devote my blogging time to Barque of Peter, my Catholic apologetics blog. Perhaps that one was read less frequently than this--perhaps the style of writing between the two was different enough that people preferred the more humourous and relaxed tone of Wayward, or the essay format vs. colour-coded dialogues typical so far at Barque. Maybe they just liked the format here better than the spartan look of Barque (though that has completely changed to a much more comforting and liturgical scheme, if you hadn't already seen it). Whatever the reason, I would hope that you might stop in over there from time to time anyway.

I'm planning to reproduce certain articles from here on that site, such as the Passion of the Christ and Da Vinci Code series, as well as others. I also plan to write more Wayward-style articles at Barque, instead of the once-typical output there. And, don't worry, I'm not going to delete Wayward--what is here will stay here until Blogger decides (if they decide) to take it down. And, of course, any comments posted here will still be emailed to me. Just don't expect any new posts around here.

Now, a little while ago, I had added "Dez" as a contributor to this blog. She hasn't as yet actually contributed anything, but if she chooses to take it and run with it, then that's awesome! I hope she does.

Thanks for reading and for praying. Hope to see you on the Boat.

God bless
Gregory

At the Feet of Jesus

2007-04-16T13:30:00.002-04:00

Divine Mercy

We Fall Down
Words and Music by Chris Tomlin

We fall down
We lay our crowns
At the feet of Jesus

The greatness of
Mercy and Love
At the feet of Jesus

And we cry
Holy, Holy, Holy
And we cry
Holy, Holy, Holy
And we cry
Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lamb

This weekend, we celebrated the Feast of Divine Mercy, which is a rather new feast in the Church, and yet, at the same time, a really old feast, too. It was added to the Liturgical Calendar by Pope John Paul II in 2000, and yet there are still many Catholics who don't know anything about it, so I thought I would begin with a brief history of the feast.

Way back in the time of the Church Fathers, the Sunday after Easter was known as Dominica in Albis, or Sunday in White (or Whitsunday). This was because at the Easter Vigil, the newly baptised Catholics were given a white garment which represented the new purity of their souls, which they would wear for the whole week of Easter. On Dominica in Albis, they took off their white robes and put them in a place of special remembrance for them. On this feast, St. Augustine would say to his parishioners at this moment, "Let not our interior purity be lessened as we set aside its exterior symbols." (#156, Dominica in Albis) St. Augustine calls these days "days of mercy and pardon" (# 156, Dominica in Albis) and the Sunday "the compendium of the days of mercy."

Moreover, my patron saint, St. Gregory of Nazianzus, one of the greatest Doctors of the Church, says that this Octave day of Easter is even a greater Feast than Easter though it takes nothing whatever away from the greatness of the Day of the Resurrection itself. Easter Sunday is the boundary between death and life (a creation). But its eighth day, the Octave, is the fulfillment of what Easter is all about - perfect life in eternity (a second creation, more admirable and more sublime than the first).

Over the centuries, however, the greatness of this feast was seemingly forgotten by the Church, until in the 1930's, Jesus Himself began appearing in visions to a Polish nun, St. Maria Faustyna of the Most Holy Eucharist (or just St. Faustina). He said to her,

I am giving them the last hope of salvation; that is, the Feast of My Mercy. If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity... tell souls about this great mercy of Mine, because the awful day, the day of My justice, is near.

On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the found of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.

On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened.

You will prepare the world for My final coming.

Before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of my mercy. (Quotes taken from various locations in St. Faustina's Diary.)

When St. Faustina told the Bishop of Cracow that Jesus wanted this feast instituted, she was told that there already was such a feast, and she shouldn't trouble herself or him with these things. Rebuffed, she reported this to Jesus the next time He appeared, and He answered, "And who knows anything about this feast? No one! Even those who should be proclaiming My mercy and teaching people about it often do not know about it themselves. That is why I want the image to be solemnly blessed on the First Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it."

However, the feast never came to be recognised by the Universal Church until April 30th, 2000--the date of St. Faustina's canonisation. And on this day, it was another Archbishop of Cracow who had the honours--though by now he was the Pope!

On May 13th, 1981, there was an assassination on Pope John Paul II's life. Critically wounded by a gunshot, he was taken to the hospital. While recovering there, the Pope had the Diary of St. Faustina re-read to him. Upon his recovery, he visited his would-be assailant in prison. After he left the prison, the media wanted to know what he and his assassin had talked about. But all the Pope said was that the details were between he and his assailant, but he did clearly state, "I have forgiven him as a brother and a friend."

This forgiveness of the Pope wasn't simply a pious platitude or the sanctimonious posturing of a "religious" man. It was genuine. As proof of this, Pope John Paul II kept up regular correspondence with the man and his family. He even urged prayer for his "brother". Toward the end of his battle with Parkinson's, John Paul II's former assailant actually wrote to wish him well in his illness, expressing hope that the Pope would live to carry on his work! This man, who formerly tried to kill the Pope, was deeply grieved on the day of his funeral, that he could not be allowed to go to Rome to mourn!

That is the power of mercy! And the example of the Pope's mercy on this man reminds us of Jesus' mercy for us. Jesus said that there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for his friends, but Romans tells us that Jesus laid down His life for His enemies, in order to make them friends! That unfathomable mercy is what the Pope declared we celebrate on Divine Mercy Sunday!

Now, of course, to discuss Mercy, we need to have a need for Mercy. In other words, Mercy is closely related to Forgiveness--and Forgiveness requires something to forgive. And all of us need forgiveness. We all need Mercy. Way back at the beginning, the original people, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God and lost the life of Grace that He created them to live in. But they didn't just lose that Grace for themselves; they lost it for all of us. This is the notion of Original Sin--that, in a sense, we have all been sold into slavery to sin. We inherit this slave-state just as the son of a slave is born into slavery. As slaves to sin, we're subject to its control in our lives--meaning, we can't simply blame Adam and Eve for ruining things for us, as though we don't have our own responsibility. As the Bible clearly tells us, we've all sinned. We all need to be set free.

And so, Jesus came, as He said, "not to be served, but to serve, and to give Himself as a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28). Romans 11:32 tells us, "God has imprisoned all human beings in their own disobedience only to show mercy to them all." In other words, God allowed Adam and Eve to choose to disobey Him, in order to subject us all to our own disobedience, for the sole purpose of demonstrating the true, unfathomable greatness of His Divine Mercy to those who would accept it! At the Cross, Jesus paid the debt for our sins, to ransom us out of slavery and give us new life in Him. We find this Mercy for Sins at the foot of the Cross:

Carrying His own cross He went out to the Place of the Skull or, as it is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified Him with two others, one on either side, Jesus being in the middle....
It was the Day of Preparation, and to avoid the bodies' remaining on the cross during the Sabbath--since that Sabbath was a day of special solemnity--the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. Consequently the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Him and then of the other. When they came to Jesus, they saw He was already dead, and so instead of breaking His legs one of the soldiers pierced His side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water. This is the evidence of one who saw it--true evidence, and he knows that what he says is true--and he gives it so that you may believe as well. Because all this happened to fulfil the words of scripture:
'Not one bone of His will be broken;'
and again, in another place scripture says:
'They will look to the one whom they have pierced.'
(John 19:17-18, 31-37)

John the Apostle watched as the Centurion pierced the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the flood of water and blood that flowed out twigged in his mind the words of the prophet Zechariah, who prophesied:

'But over the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem I shall pour out a spirit of grace and prayer, and tehy will look to Me. They will mourn for the One whom they have pierced as though for an only child, and weep for Him as people weep for a first-born child. When that day comes, the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad Rimmon in the Plain of Meggido...
'When that Day comes, a fountain will be opened for the House of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to wash sin and impurity away.' (Zechariah 12:10-11, 13:1)

Not only, Zechariah says, will they look upon the One they pierced (who is identified with God Himself, notably), but they will mourn for Him as they did at Meggido, when King Josiah (a major hero of the Jewish people) was killed in battle. And on top of all that, and from all that, the Fountain to cleans from Sin and Impurity will flow out! Divine Mercy--the blood and water from Jesus' Heart, flows out for the forgiveness of sin!

Jesus said precisely this to St. Faustina: "On the cross, the fountain of My mercy was opened wide by the lance for all souls – no one have I excluded!"

The divine Mercy that flows from Jesus' Heart--the Blood and Water--are emblematic of Baptism and the Eucharist, as He explained to St. Faustina, through which we receive the forgiveness of sins and special graces from God! This Divine Mercy is available to all of us, if we choose to appropriate it to ourselves!

What must we do, then?
We must come to the feet of Jesus, where the fountain of Mercy pours out. At the feet of Jesus our lives are transformed, just as was Thomas' in the Sunday Gospel. Jesus did not cast him away for his obstinate unbelief, but showed him His Merciful Heart, and forgave him!

That same forgiveness is available to us for the asking! And so we ask for mercy, in the Sacrament of Confession, which Jesus instituted upon His resurrection:

He said to them again, 'Peace be with you.
'As the Father has sent Me,
so am I sending you.'
After saying this He breathed on them and said:
Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive anyone's sins,
they are forgiven;
if you retain anyone's sins,
they are retained.'
(John 20:21-23)

To St. Faustina, Jesus said:

Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion...

Sometimes, though, Confession is an intimidating thing to go to. We sin, and we're ashamed. We don't want to tell anyone, especially not a priest!

When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy. When you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul and ennobles it. Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul.

Make your confession before Me. The person of the priest is, for Me, only a screen. Never analyze what sort of a priest it is that I am making use of; open your soul in confession as you would to Me, and I will fill it with My light.

Or, we go, in humility, and receive forgiveness and graces to avoid sin in the future, but still, we manage to fall back into our old habits almost immediately! We can despair of God's generous forgiveness--but we must never do that!

No soul that has called upon My mercy has ever been disappointed.

As the prophet Jeremiah wrote:

Surely Yahweh's mercies are not over,
His deeds of faithful love not exhausted;
every morning they are renewed;
great is His faithfulness! (Lamentations 3:22-23)

As long as we are willing to come in repentance to Jesus, He will welcome us and lavish us with His mercy!

And so, our second response to this is one of Trust. When Jesus commissioned the Divine Mercy Image from St. Faustina, He said that it must be inscribed with the signature, "Jesus, I trust in You." He called this image, "a vessel with which they are to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy."

The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that is -- trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive.

I let my Sacred Heart be pierced with a lance, thus opening wide the source of mercy for you. Come then with trust to draw graces from this fountain. I never reject a contrite heart.

Sooner would heaven and earth turn into nothingness than would My mercy not embrace a trusting soul.

And so we trust in Jesus, as Scripture says:

Taste and see that Yahweh is good.
How blessed are those who take refuge in Him. (Psalm 34:8)

Have mercy on me, God, have mercy on me,
for in You I trust. (Psalm 57:1)

We have put our trust in the living God and He is the Saviour of the whole human race but particularly of all believers. (1 Timothy 4:10)

Finally, in order to participate in the Divine Mercy that Jesus has for us, He tells us that we ourselves must be merciful:

Blessed are the merciful:
they shall have mercy shown them. (Matthew 5:7)

On this point, Jesus is intensely serious when He speaks to St. Faustina:

I demand from you deeds of mercy which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbours always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse yourself from it ... Even the strongest faith is of no avail without works.

Scripture echoes this explicitly:

'When you stretch out your hands I turn My eyes away.
You may multiply your prayers, I shall not be listening.
Your hands are covered in blood,
wash, make yourselves clean.
Take your wrong-doing out of My sight.
Cease doing evil. Learn to do good,
search for justice, discipline the violent,
be just to the orphan, plead for the widow.

'Come, let Us talk this over,' says Yahweh.
'Though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be white as snow;
though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.' (Isaiah 1:15-18)

Again, Jesus says to St. Faustina,

If a soul does not exercise mercy in some way, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment.

Remember, that in Matthew 25:31-46, the sheep and the goats were separated, not by their faith in Jesus, but by the mercy that they showed to others! That is the true test of faith!

Spiritual Works of Mercy
1. Instruct the Ignorant
2. Convert Sinners
3. Advise the Perplexed
4. Comfort the Sorrowful
5. Show Patience to Sinners
6. Forgive Others
7. Pray for the Living and the Dead

Corporal Works of Mercy
1. Feed the Hungry
2. Give Drink to the Thirsty
3. Clothe the Naked
4. Shelter the Homeless
5. Visit the Sick
6. Visit Prisoners
7. Bury the Dead

Let us partake in the Event of God's Mercy! Let us Ask for Mercy in confession; let us Trust in Jesus for His unfailing forgiveness; and let us allow that Mercy, given to us, to flow out of us as it flows out of Jesus' Heart, in Acts of Mercy to others!

Amen.

Quick Update!

2007-04-16T13:13:00.000-04:00

Hey all! I am still alive. At the same time, I am still unemployed :(

Scrap that, I've got a kind-of job with Credo Books, a local Catholic bookstore. A friend and fellow parishioner recently bought it and took it over, and while she can't hire me on in any permanent capacity, the previous owner didn't use a computer for anything. So Sunday I was over helping her clean up the clutter and ancient furniture that was literally falling apart, and she asked if I would come by on Wednesday to help begin digitising some of the hard-copy catalogues that needs to be done. Everything was done in hard copy there! So she said she'd pay me for it, and it'll help until I find something more stable. So, hooray for that Divine Mercy given to me on Divine Mercy Sunday :)

Speaking of Divine Mercy Sunday, which was yesterday, in thanks for helping at the store yesterday, the new owner also gave me St. Faustina's Diary, Divine Mercy In My Soul! Sweet!

Also related to that event of God's Mercy, I had the privelege Saturday night of preaching on Divine Mercy at the Praise and Worship event done by the St. Margaret Mary Youth after the Saturday Night Mass! It was pretty cool. I was nervous and a little out of form, though, since Fr. Trusz was sitting in the front row. Yikes! But people really seemed to enjoy it and get a lot from it--so thanks to God for that! My loving wife assures me that it wasn't because of me ;)

On the 2nd of March, I also had a speaking engagement, which I might have mentioned already, at St. Marguerite D'Youville parish in Brampton, for the "Holy Spirit Weekend" portion of the Alpha Program. I gave a (lengthly) talk on having a personal relationship with Jesus. Melissa says I was much better at that venue. Of course, the parish priest wasn't in the front row, there, either :p

Anyway, as such, possibly today, maybe tomorrow, I'll be putting those talks up here, because seriously, it's just been too long. And if there's one thing these occasions have reminded me, this (preaching, not blogging per se) is my vocation! I'm not sure how yet, but seriously, nothing brings life to me more than this!

In other news--to become another post soon--the Public School Board is petitioning the Ontario Government to amalgamate the Public and Catholic school boards. I'm not sure if it's just the Hamilton-Wentworth public board wanting to amalgamate the Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic board, or if it's the public boards across Ontario, but yeah, they're pretty serious about this!

The cover of today's Hamilton Spectator featured an article about the new "Character curriculum" that the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board wants to introduce to the schools. A list of ten virtues was drawn up through a survey to determine which characteristics kids in the public school system should be learning!!! I'm serious! Anyway, it's absurd, really. But I'll post more about that, today if I have time (I doubt it) but this week at some point!

So yeah, that's three new posts coming soon! Plus this one! Nice, eh?
And you thought I didn't love you anymore!

God bless
Gregory

Lent

2007-02-22T13:09:00.000-05:00

Since Advent, I've been reading a chapter of Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ as a part of my daily spiritual readings and devotions. It is packed with insights on living a holy life, as well as plain and clear moments of the Spirit speaking and convicting me. The chapter I read for Ash Wednesday was one such reading:

Having Confidence in God When Harsh Words Assail Us

Christ:
Son, stand firm and trust in Me; for what are words but words: they fly through the air, but hurt not a stone. If thou art guilty think that thou wilt willingly amend thyself. If thy conscience accuse thee not, think that thou wilt willingly suffer this for God's sake. It is a small matter that thou shouldst sometimes bear with words, if thou hast not as yet courage to endure hard stripes. And why do such small things go to thy heart, but because thou art yet carnal, and regardest men more than thou ought! For it is because thou art afraid of being despised that thou art not willing to be reprehended for thy faults, and seekest to shelter thyself in excuses.

But look better into thyself and thou shalt find that the world is still living in thee, and a vain desire for pleasing men. For when thou art unwilling to be humbled and confounded for thy defects, it is plain indeed that thou art not truly humble, nor truly dead to the world, nor the world crucified to thee. But give ear to My word, and thou shalt not value ten thousand words of men. Behold, if all should be said against thee which the malice of men can invent what hurt could it do thee if thou wouldst let it pass, and make no account of it? Could it even so much as pluck one hair from thee?

But he who has not his heart within, nor God before his eyes, is easily moved with a word of censure. Whereas he that trusts in Me, and desires not to stand by his own judgement, will be free from the fear of men. For I am the judge and the discerner of all secrets, I know how the matter passeth; I know both him that offers the injury, and him that suffers it. From Me this world went forth: by My permission it happened, that out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed. I shall judge the guilty and the innocent, but by a secret judgement I would beforehand try them both.

The testimony of men oftentimes deceives; My judgement is true, it shall stand and not be overthrown. It is hidden for the most part, and to few laid open in everything; yet it never errs, nor can it err, even though to the eyes of the unwise it seems not right. To Me, therefore, must thou run in every judgement and not depend upon thy own will. For the just man will not be troubled whatever happens to him from God. And if anything be wrongfully pronounced against him he will not much care. Neither will he vainly rejoice if by others he be reasonably excused. For he considers that I am He Who searcheth the heart and the reins; Who judgeth not according to the face, nor according to human appearance. For oftentimes that is found culpable in My eyes which in the judgement of men is esteemed commendable.

Disciple:
O Lord God, the just Judge, strong and patient, Who knowest the frailty and perverseness of men, be Thou my strength and all my confidence, for my own conscience suffices me not. Thou knowest that which I know not, and therefore in every reprehension I ought to humble myself, and bear it with meekness. Pardon me, I beseech Thee, in Thy mercy, as often as I have not done thus, and give me again the grace to suffer still more. For better to me is Thy plenteous mercy for the obtaining of pardon, than the justice which I imagine in myself for the defence of my hidden conscience. Although my conscience accuse me not, yet I cannot hereby justify myself; for setting Thy mercy aside, in Thy sight no man living shall by justified. --Book 3, Chapter 46

Too often I've given too much thought and regard to what others say of me (both good and ill). On the one hand, I've been criticised and attacked for my faith and zeal, while on the other I've been complimented and lauded for my faith, my writing, my intellect, etc. And now, as I look for a job, I have competing voices from all sides telling me "be this, do that, you'd be good at..."

Through it all, I've risen in pride, and sunken in despair. I've lashed out in anger at offended pride, and secretly nourished the flattery I've received in my own heart. Truly, as Christ told Brother Thomas, the world has not been fully crucified to me.

About something quite different, Albert Einstein once said, "All I want to know are God's thoughts. The rest are just details." Yet the sentiment applies to me.

What am I giving up for Lent? My pride. Hopefully after 40 days, I won't pick it back up again.

God bless,
Gregory

A Portrait of Me

2007-02-21T15:06:00.000-05:00

Not a self-portrait, though. This awesome drawing was done by Jordan Ogilvie, a grade 6 student at one of the schools that I visited as the Youth Minister. He gave it to me as a going-away gift.

There's me in my brown jacket, with the famous (or infamous) Get Holy or Die Tryin' t-shirt, a Bible, my spikey hair, and even facial scruff! That's one observant and talented kid!

Yes, I'm still around...

2007-02-21T13:39:00.000-05:00

Hello to all those who (used to) faithfully read Grace for the Wayward Heart. I'm sorry I haven't been around that much lately.

This blog originally was started in order to chronicle the talks, events, and other announcements that I gave as the Youth Minister of St. Andrew's Parish, in Oakville. However, as of December 31st, I have not been the youth minister there anymore. The church decided not to renew my contract for various reasons.

As such, I am currently unemployed. Because of this, most of my time has been spent in the pursuit of new work, and not in blogging. Once I have a new job, my blogging will resume in some form, both here and at The Barque of Peter, my Catholic Apologetics blog. That blog has a much more distinctive "polemical" feel to it--meaning that the posts there are thorough defences of Catholic practice and theology against attacks on it from other groups--be they Protestants, Mormons, Muslims, Atheists, or whathaveyou. Now, that sort of thing is not everyone's cup of tea. They prefer a more reflective, devotional, and encouraging message, to help inspire them to greater devotion to Christ and His Church. And that's what I intend to make Grace for the Wayward Heart into.

Noted, that won't be much of a transition, since most of the posts here were of that sort anyway. The main differences will most likely be 1) it will be less specifically geared to the youth group (though, by that I mean simply I hope it will appeal to more people rather than less, so any readers from the St. Andrew's YG, don't take off, either), and 2) it will be a bit more personal. I won't feel that a personal comment about something, or an anecdote from my life, or perhaps a rant about something that bothers me, or a more light-hearted quiz or meme (such as the Dante's Inferno Hell Test just before this post) is out of place here because of a pre-set agenda.

So what's the plan for the immediate future? Once I find a job, I'll post the leftover martyr talks that I'd given at St. Andrew's schools (St. Thomas More, St. Jeanne D'Arc, and St. Charles Lwanga and Companions), and then we'll see from there. I want to eventually post up here the other Bible Studies that I'd led at St. Andrew's in a similar format to the Revelation Bible Study already posted here (The Gospel of St. John, Paul's Letter to the Philippians, and the Old Testament book of Tobit), and then eventually, to host here Bible Studies of all the books of the Bible :) but that's getting ambitious and far-off. I'll also post here the talk on having a Personal Relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit that I'll be giving at the Alpha Program's Holy Spirit Weekend Retreat at St. Marguerite D'Youville in Brampton, on Friday, March 2nd.

It's Lent now, and I still haven't decided what to give up. I'd love to say, "I gave up Unemployment for Lent" but that's slightly out of my control. St. Joseph the Worker, pray for me. So we'll see.

Anyway, that's my update for you all. Please pray for me as I try to sort out God's Will for my future.
God bless you all,
Gregory

The Dante's Inferno Hell Test...

2007-02-21T13:28:00.000-05:00

I saw this at a couple friends' blogs, and thought I'd do it too. It's actually a pretty cool test, and the book-related descriptions are pretty accurate.

The Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to Purgatory!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very High
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	Very High
Level 2 (Lustful)	Low
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Very Low
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Very Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Very Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)	Very Low
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Moderate
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Very Low

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test

I made it to Purgatory. Where did you think I'd end up?! ;)
Let me know where you're going!

And hey, since Lent has begun, maybe the Inferno test will be a good Litmus test for what you need to focus on this penitent season.

God bless
Gregory

Sts. Perpetua and Felicity - c. 203

2006-11-17T16:59:00.000-05:00

Before her death, St. Perpetua wrote an account of her sufferings, which we still have today. Obviously, someone else stepped up and finished the story after her death, but nevertheless, her autobiographical description is one of the first documents we have written by a woman--making St. Perpetua one of the first female writers! Her story was so popular, in fact, that St. Augustine had to warn his parishioners against giving it the weight of Scripture!

St. Perpetua was born around AD 181, in Carthage, a city of North Africa. She was the daughter of a wealthy Roman nobleman, and was married to a soldier. At that time in the Roman Empire, slavery was still a common and acceptable practice, and being a rich noblewoman, Perpetua had slaves. One of them was Felicity. But because they were of similar ages, and had both recently been married, and since Perpetua had just given birth, and Felicity was pregnant, the similar events in their lives led them to develop a friendship that went beyond slave-master.

At this time, in the Roman Empire, the Emperor, Caesar Septimus Severus had proclaimed that Christianity was illegal, and that it was therefore illegal to convert to Christianity, or to proclaim and teach the Christian faith to non-Christians. Those who were already Christians, or born into Christian families, were excluded from the government's censure, unless they tried to convert others--but for those who converted, the penalty was often death. Despite this, the Christians continued to spread the Gospel, convinced of its truth and importance. That was how St. Felicity's husband came to hear about Jesus, and he began learning about the Christian faith from a priest, Father Saturus. Felicity's husband, Revocatus, convinced Felicity to come and learn as well, and she in turn persuaded Perpetua.

These three, with two others (Saturninus and Secundulus), attended catechism in secret from Father Saturus. However, before they could complete their instruction, and be baptised the following Easter, the Roman government found out about their religious instruction, and had the five catechumens, as well as their priest, arrested. The date for their trial would not come right away, though, and they languished in their dungeon for months--awaiting a suitable occasion: the birthday of the Emperor!

During their time in prison, Fr. Saturus would continue to teach them the Christian faith, and, when they were catechised enough, he took some of their drinking water, and baptised each of them, since it would be impossible for them to wait for the following Easter. During this time, Perpetua's father, who was a nobleman and thus had influence, was permitted to visit Perpetua. But far from bringing joy and relief to her, she writes that his visits only served to vex her further, since he, as a Pagan Roman, continually tried to convince Perpetua to abandon the Christian faith to save her life. He appealed to her reason, to her honour and to her family's honour--to not die so shameful a death. But most of all, he appealed to her mother's heart, for who would take care of her newborn baby? Perpetua knew that her son would be starving without her to feed him, since he hadn't been weaned yet. But on one of her father's visits, he brought her mother and also her brothers, one of whom himself was also secretly learning the Christian faith (though, obviously, he hadn't been caught yet), and he went to the Deacons of the Church in Carthage, who bribed the guards to let Perpetua's baby be brought to her. And so she was able to feed her son until her trial.

Furthermore, Perpetua's brother also asked her to pray to God, that maybe she'd be granted a vision that would indicate whether her current sufferings and imprisonment would lead to martyrdom. She agreed, and in fact did receive a vision. Here's her account:

I beheld a ladder of bronze, marvelously great, reaching up to heaven; and it was narrow, so that not more than one might go up at one time. And in the sides of the ladder were planted all manner of things of iron. There were swords there, spears, hooks, and knives; so that if any that went up took not good heed or looked not upward, he would be torn and his flesh cling to the iron. And there was right at the ladder's foot a serpent lying, marvelously great, which lay in wait for those that would go up, and frightened them that they might not go up. Now Saturus went up first (who afterwards had of his own free will given up himself for our -sakes, because it was he who had edified us; and when we were taken he had not been there). And he came to the ladder's head; and he turned and said: Perpetua, I await you; but see that serpent bite you not. And I said: it shall not hurt me, in the name of Jesus Christ. And from beneath the ladder, as though it feared me, it softly put forth its head; and as though I trod on the first step I trod on its head. And I went up, and I saw a very great space of garden, and in the midst a man sitting, white-headed, in shepherd's clothing, tall milking his sheep; and standing around in white were many thousands. And he raised his head and beheld me and said to me: Welcome, child. And he cried to me, and from the curd he had from the milk he gave me as it were a morsel; and I took it with joined hands and ate it up; and all that stood around said, Amen. And at the sound of that word I awoke, yet eating I know not what of sweet.

And at once I told my brother, and we knew it should be a passion; and we began to have no hope any longer in this world.

(Meaning, of course, that they placed all their hope in Heaven, not that they gave in to despair.)

The six Christians continued to pray with each other and encourage each other as the day approached, but St. Felicity grew more and more worried. You see, she was still pregnant, and was not due to give birth until after the date slated for execution. According to Roman law, a pregnant woman could not be tortured or executed until after she had given birth. St. Felicity was worried not so much about being tortured or executed for Christ's sake, but that she would not be able to be martyred along with her friends. It's often hard to do the right thing. That's especially the case when it comes to giving your life. But it's even harder when you have to do it alone. Felicity was worried that when her time came, without her friends' encouragement she would not find the strength within her to confess Christ.

The six prayed together about this, and although Felicity was only about eight months pregnant, a week before their trial, she gave birth to a healthy baby, who was arranged to be adopted by a Christian family. In this, God showed that He was still with them, and cared for them, even in that dark prison. His asking of them to lay down their lives was not a sign that God had abandoned these six brave Christians, but rather, that He had singled them out for greater honour!

The day before their martyrdom, the six were allowed to have whatever they desired as a "last meal". Unanimously, they chose to have bread and wine, which Fr. Saturus blessed, and so they celebrated the Mass together. When the day finally came for these six great saints to be martyred, they were led to the arena in Carthage, to be tried by the magistrate. Each in their turn were asked whether they would renounce Christ and sacrifice a goat to Caesar and worship him, and each in their turn refused, claimed to be Christian, and were sentenced to be thrown to the wild beasts.

When it came time for Perpetua to be tried, however, not only the magistrate, but also her own father, attempted to convince her to abandon the Church. Her father came forward, carrying her baby in his arms, and appealed again to Perpetua to recant and live, so that her baby wouldn't die of starvation, for lack of milk. But again, through God's grace, He made it so that the baby was already weaned before his time, and no longer needed his mother to live. Thus, Perpetua, with her friends, professed herself a Christian, and was sentenced to death.

While the men were sentenced to face off against leopards and bears, out of spite and mockery for their femininity, the court sentenced Perpetua and Felicity to be attacked by a cow (a symbol of motherhood, and a mockery of these two mothers). When the two courageous women were thrown into the arena, Perpetua's robe tore, and she took the time to tie it so that she would appear modest and decent, taking more care for her modesty than for her own wounds. She even tied back her hair, since messy, unkempt hair was a sign of mourning in her culture, and she didn't want anyone to think that she was sad at her fate, but courageous and confident in God. She turned to help up Felicity, and immediately was led off to the side of the arena to rejoin the men who had survived the beasts. When there, she asked them, "When are we going to face the cow?" Amazed, her friends said to her, "You already have! It's hurt you! Look at yourself!" Perpetua and Felicity had been blessed by God to have had an ecstatic encounter with him, so that they were spared the pain of the cow's attack. In fact, Perpetua had to be shown her own wounds before she would believe her friends!

Afterward, all of them were led out again, and sentenced to be killed by the sword. The courage of these martyrs, particularly of the women, touched the audience so much, that many of them became Christians, including the jailer of the martyrs. It was one of these converts who finished the account of Perpetua's and Felicity's martyrdom, so that others in future generations would hear about and be inspired by their courage and sacrifice. In the author's own words:

O most valiant and blessed martyrs! O truly called and elected unto the glory of Our Lord Jesus Christ! Which glory he that magnifies, honors and adores, ought to read these witnesses likewise, as being no less than the old, unto the Church's edification; that these new wonders also may testify that one and the same Holy Spirit works ever until now, and with Him God the Father Almighty, and His Son Jesus Christ Our Lord, to Whom is glory and power unending for ever and ever. Amen.

God bless.

St. Maximilian Kolbe - 1941

2006-11-07T15:53:00.000-05:00

Since Remembrance Day is coming up, I figured it would be good to relate the story of a Saint who played a large role in World War II.

Raymond Kolbe was born in 1894, in Zdunska Wola, Poland. Throughout his childhood, Raymond was quite a troublemaker. Very mischevious, he was always trying to get away with something, and his parents often considered him to be quite a trial. However, in 1906, around the time of his First Communion, things changed for Raymond. One night, he had a vision, and in that vision, he saw the Blessed Virgin Mary, and he asked her what was to become of his life. In response, she held out two crowns: one white, and the other red. The white one, she said, represented a life of purity, and the red one, a death of martyrdom. She told him he could choose a crown. Raymond decided to choose both.

Raymond chose to enter the priesthood with the Fransiscans, and took the name Maximilian. While in seminary, he and some friends started a club known as The Crusaders of Mary Immaculate, who were dedicated to spreading the Gospel of Jesus, the conversion of sinners, devotion to Mary, and to the Miraculous Medal.

After his ordination, St. Maximilian founded a Fransiscan monastery in Warsaw, Poland, in order to further spread faith in Christ and devotion to the Miraculous Medal, known as "The City of the Immaculate". After a while, though, he became restless, and felt God wanted him to travel as a missionary. So in 1930, Maximilian Kolbe went to Nagasaki, Japan, and there founded another monastery. After that, he continued on to India, doing the same thing, but illness caused him to have to return to Poland in 1936.

(Incidentally, Nagasaki was one of the two cities, with Hiroshima, that the USA dropped nuclear bombs on at the end of World War II, in retaliation for the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbour. The atomic bombs decimated nearly everything in those two cities--but, miraculously, St. Maximilian's monastery, and all those within, survived the bombing. Just one of the miracles attributed to devotion to the Miraculous Medal.)

Back in Poland, Maximilian continued his priestly duties, and overseeing the monastery there. On top of this, he began to publish and write for a newsletter called "The Knight". In it, he would teach about the love of Christ, and also address issues of justice and right living. When Adolph Hitler came to power in Germany in 1939, and began his Holocaust of the Jews and others who weren't of the Aryan race, many refugees began to flee from Germany to escape the oppression and persecution. Many of these refugees came to Poland, and Maximilian was able to put his teachings on love and justice into action, by hiding refugees in his monastery, and caring for them there. At one point, he had about 3000 refugees hidden in the monastery, and at least two-thirds of them were Jewish, because he knew that God loves all people, not just those of a certain ethnicity or religion.

For this act of hiding refugees, and for continuing publication of The Knight, which the Nazi Party considered to be Anti-Nazi, when Germany invaded Poland at the beginning of the War, Maximilian Kolbe was arrested and put into the Polish prison of Pawiak, on February 17, 1941. On May 28th, he was transferred to the Auschwitz concentration camp, in Germany, and even then was put in the worst sector--with particularly cruel guards--because he was a priest. There he was often beaten and deprived of food. Through it all, though, he continued to tell others about Christ, and to hear Confessions. He even, when he could get his hands on some smuggled in bread and wine, would say Mass and give other inmates the Eucharist!

After about a month and a half, there was an escape from Auschwitz. Protocol dictated that for every escaped prisoner, ten others were to be executed in his place. So the Nazis rounded up several people. One of them was a Jewish man named Franciszek Gajowniczek. He cried out, "Please! I have a wife and four children! Please don't kill me!" The guards were pitiless to his cries, but St. Maximilian Kolbe stepped forward and said, "This man has a wife and family. I am a priest. I have no wife, no children. Kill me instead and let this man go free."

In making this sacrifice, Maximilian lived out the two crowns that Our Lady had offered him: the purity of the priesthood, and the martyrdom of charity. He died on August 14th, 1941. Franciszek Gajowniczek did survive Auschwitz, and because of Maximilian's sacrifice, he and his family converted to Catholicism!

No one in the world can change Truth. What we can do and should do is to seek truth and to serve it when we have found it. The real conflict is the inner conflict. Beyond armies of occupation and the hecatombs of extermination camps, there are two irreconcilable enemies in the depth of every soul: good and evil, sin and love. And what use are the victories on the battlefield if we ourselves are defeated in our innermost personal selves?

Saint Maximilian Kolbe in the last issue of The Knight

St. Jean de Brébeuf - 1649

2006-11-03T10:24:00.000-05:00

St. Jean de Brébeuf is probably my favourite of the martyrs. In fact, I was going to choose him as my Patron Saint at my Confirmation, but, because I was converting from Protestantism, and my parents are still protestants, and because the name they gave me means so much to us, I thought they might not understand when the priest said "Jean, be sealed with the Holy Spirit." Because of that, I chose to take Sts. Gregory of Nyssa and Gregory of Nazianzus as my patrons.

St. Jean de Brébeuf still has a special place in my heart, though, and that's for three reasons. 1st, he's known as a Canadian saint, and one of the Patrons of our great Country. 2nd, he was a missionary, one who spreads the Christian faith--which is something that I feel called to do. And 3rd, he was a martyr--and, in my mind, the martyrs just rock out loud. Hence my writing about them here!

St. Jean de Brébeuf was born in Normandy, France, in 1593. From an early age, he knew that he wanted to be a part of spreading the Gospel, so, when he was old enough, he went to the Jesuits in order to become a lay missioner. However, he strongly felt that God was telling him that being a layperson wasn't the plan--God wanted him to become a priest. So, he thought, he would study theology and the Bible and the history of the Church, and become one of the smartest priests around, so that he could train others to do missionary work. So he enrolled in the Jesuit University in France, and began studying.

Well, this lasted all of maybe a month, and then Jean became really sick. He was so sick that he had to return home in order to get better. His sickness stayed with him for nearly nine years! But, during this time, Jean realised that God was calling him to more than simply instructing others. God wanted him to actually go out and do the mission work himself! And so, when he was well enough, Jean de Brébeuf signed up to be a part of the team that was going to the newly discovered country of Canada!

Now, in my mind, it is definitely an act of God, when someone who is too sick to even study, is suddenly well enough to accept the call to travel across the ocean, to Canada, and face our harsh winters and other rough climates! Nevertheless, St. Jean de Brébeuf went, and thrived there!

At this time, in the early 1620s, the Protestant revolt had been going on for about 100 years. Tensions were high, and oftentimes violent, as whole European countries would often side with either Protestantism or Catholicism. England, on the one hand, for example, had become totally Protestant, and even outlawed Catholicism. France, on the other hand, became rather totally Catholic, and outlawed Protestantism. This fact merely fuelled the rivalry between the two countries that had existed for centuries, since the French Normans had invaded England back in 1066.

Well, it just so happened that it was an English Protestant captaining the ship that was carrying St. Jean de Brébeuf and the other Jesuits to Canada, who more than once threatened to "turn this boat around and take you back to France!" because they were Jesuit missionaries, and the English and the French were fighting over who got Canada.

Well, despite the threats, St. Jean de Brébeuf and the others arrived safely in Canada, and travelled to Trois-Rivières, Québec, where the Jesuits were headquartered. When he arrived, Jean did not simply begin proclaiming the Gospel, because he would not have been understood! The Natives only spoke a very little English or French, if any, and he didn't speak their language at all--nor did he understand their customs or culture. So the first thing that he did was begin to study the customs of the Native people, so that he could better understand and communicate with them.

After some time of this, he was assigned to travel with a tribe of natives known as the Hurons back to their land in Upper Canada (modern day Ontario, basically in the Simcoe area). It was a three-day canoe ride with the Hurons, and because St. Jean de Brébeuf was so large of a man, the Hurons even hesitated to let him in the canoe with them, for fear it would sink! As it was, he had to travel alone with a group of Hurons, while the other Jesuits were each in separate canoes. Since he still couldn't communicate with the Hurons, it was a three-day trip in silence, with only God to talk to.

Finally, they arrived in the Hurons' home, and the Jesuits worked to set up their Mission, and to continue to build relationships with the Hurons, learning their language and ways. Jean de Brébeuf found this task particularly difficult, but he continued to strive at learning Huron. After years of it, he managed, and even wrote a Huron Catechism, and a Huron-French dictionary to aid his fellow Jesuits in their learning and communication. Through these means, and their cheerful and friendly attitudes with the Natives, friendships were finally forged, although the Hurons were still not open to receiving the Gospel.

Back in Québec, however, things were not going so well at all. Tensions between the English and the French were heating up, and growing to the point of war. The Jesuit Superior at Trois-Rivières instructed the missionaries in Huronia to return. This order broke Jean de Brébeuf's heart, because he had grown to really love his Huron people. The Hurons also felt hurt, and abandoned, because they did not understand about Superiors and Orders. But Jean had to go. Back at Trois-Rivières, the situation was even worse than he'd feared, and the Jesuits had to return all the way to France.

Back in France, Jean tried to do whatever service he could with the Jesuits, but more than anything he wanted to return to Canada, to his beloved Hurons. Finally, God answered the prayers of his heart, and after a 4-year exile in France, he was able to return. But when he was back with the Hurons, Jean found that he had to rebuild those friendships that he had forged. Trust had been lost between them, and he had to work harder than ever to reach them with the Gospel.

Complicating matters was the fact that the Natives often got deathly ill with the white men's diseases, since their immune systems had never encountered them before. To the Hurons, it seemed as though the white men were cursing them with death. Jean de Brébeuf would minister to the sick and dying Hurons, telling them about Christ and Heaven. Those who converted, he would baptise--but they were so sick that they would often die the next day. This caused the Hurons to be rather afraid of Baptism, thinking that it was the cause of death for their friends and family--and so, it became still harder for St. Jean de Brébeuf to make converts!

Patiently, however, Jean de Brébeuf continued his work, and sought the intercession of Mary, and of St. Joseph, whom they had long ago established as the Patron Saint of Canada. After nearly four years, the earnest prayers of the missionaries were answered, when two healthy adult Huron men, Pierre Tsiouendaentaha and Joseph Chiwatenha converted and were baptised. Because of their example, Christianity began to make a slow but steady headway. St. Jean de Brébeuf continued his work among the Hurons for nearly 16 years, and conversions among the Hurons grew until they could be numbered in the thousands!

However, not all was peaceful in the land of Huronia. The Hurons had enemies in the deadly savage tribe of the Iroquois, and these enemies would often savagely attack the Hurons, who frequently kept poor guard. In 1648, Huronia began to fall to the well-armed Iroquois, who were intent on destroying their enemies. The Iroquois kept destroying Huron villages, causing them to flee. Finally, on March 16, 1649, the Iroquois attacked the village of St. Ignace, causing the Hurons to flee to St. Louis. The Iroquois took that as well, and, killing many Hurons, they captured several, as well as St. Jean de Brébeuf and his colleague, St. Gabriel Lalemant, who were taken back to St. Ignace.

The two missionaries were fastened to great stakes, and tortured in various ways, such as placing necklaces of red-hot tomahawk heads around their necks, and pouring boiling hot water on their heads in mockery of baptism. Through it all, St. Jean de Brébeuf never complained, but endured it stoically. His friend, Paul Ragueneau, wrote, "No doubt, his heart was then reposing in his God." This went on for several hours, and his silence astonished and angered his captors. Finally, when Jean de Brébeuf did begin to speak, it was to preach the Gospel of Christ to them, and to encourage the Hurons with him to continue to cling to God, and await the reward of Heaven. They replied, saying, "We will call on God as long as we live. Please, pray for us!" Finally, the Iroquois killed the saint at about 4 pm on March 16, 1949.

Since the Iroquois had all but exterminated the Hurons, and those who had survived had fled into the USA and could not be found, the remaining Jesuits retreated to Trois-Rivières to determine what they should do. Should they go back to France, in defeat, or should they return to the Iroquois to face what seemed like certain death? They decided that they were called to be missionaries here, and, following in the spirit of Jean de Brébeuf, they returned to the Iroquois. Because of the example and courage of St. Jean de Brébeuf, and the love and courage of the Jesuits who returned, the Iroquois people were deeply moved, and many became Catholic!

Again, we see that the death of the martyr is never the end of the story--but their sacrifice is used by God to bring incredible change! Because of the work of these early Canadian missionaries, our Country was started as the Christian nation that it was. Let us seek the intercession of St. Jean de Brébeuf and the Holy Canadian Martyrs that Canada would continue to be a nation that upholds Godly values!

St. Jean de Brébeuf, pray for us!
Amen.

St. Maria Goretti - 1902

2006-11-01T16:12:00.000-05:00

St. Maria Goretti is unique among the saints and martyrs of the Catholic Church, as the youngest saint ever to be canonised! At the time of her martyrdom, she was only eleven and a half years old.

Maria Goretti was born on October 16, 1890, to a very large, but poor, Italian family. Her family was so poor, in fact, that in order to make ends meet, her father, Luigi Goretti, had to make arrangements with another family, the Serenellis, to come and live on their farm, and do the farmwork with them, in order to make ends meet--to have enough food and a place to live!

As Maria grew up, she made a decision to live as God would want her to--to be good, and humble, and modest. She would take care of her younger siblings, and do thankless chores around the farm, even when no one asked. Around town, she was well-known for her good behaviour and her modesty. When, two years after they'd moved to the Serenelli farm, her father died of Malaria, St. Maria Goretti had to mature even more, and continued to serve her family and take care of her brothers and sisters.

When she was growing up, Catholic children received the Sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Communion in a different order than we do today. Maria would have been Confirmed around the age of six or seven, and would not receive the Eucharist until she was eleven. As her opportunity for First Communion approached, Maria took extra care to prepare herself to receive such an awesome gift: Jesus Christ, fully present, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity, in the Eucharistic bread and wine! She spent much time in prayer and spiritual reading, in order to make sure she was worthy of receiving such a precious gift! When the day came, her family said that it was the greatest moment, and highlight of her life!

But if St. Maria Goretti could be considered a model of saintly virtue, of love, compassion, and modesty, then another person on that farm was the exact opposite. The Serenelli family had a son, Alessandro. And Alessandro was not a good kid. In his teens, he got into the wrong crowd, and going with them to parties and other things, he lived a very wayward life. Alessandro was often violent, and got in trouble with the law on more than one occasion. On top of all this, he would occupy his free time reading and looking at very impure things, like pornography. All of these choices that Alessandro made, caused him to have a very skewed and troubled, and selfish, outlook on life. And when he looked at Maria as she grew up, he felt lust in his heart.

Alessandro would many times try to come on to Maria, trying to seduce her; but Maria, very conscious of God's instructions on the topic of sex, and very protective of her modesty and purity, would tell Alessandro, No, and remind him that God did not permit that kind of behaviour. But Alessandro wasn't interested in what God wanted, but only what he wanted. Over and over, he would try to tempt Maria, and over and over she would turn him down, reminding him of God's Laws. Finally, Alessandro wasn't going to take no for an answer any more, and on July 5th, 1902, he tried to force himself on Maria, in order to rape her. When she again struggled to resist him, telling him again that "This is a sin! God doesn't want this! You can go to hell for this, Alessandro!" he took a knife, and stabbed Maria with it fourteen times. Maria was quickly taken to the hospital, and Alessandro was taken to prison.

As Maria lay in the hospital overnight from July 5th to 6th, 1902, she held a medal of Our Lady, and a Crucifix. Over and over, she prayed for Alessandro, that God would have mercy on him! She kept praying for Alessandro's forgiveness until she died, and, truly, even afterward in Heaven.

Meanwhile, Alessandro, who was a minor when he committed his attack, was sentenced to 30 years in prison. While there, nothing changed, and he continued to be a selfish, violent prisoner. Often he would attack the guards, as well as other inmates. He would even attack the faithful priest who would come to visit him, in order to encourage him to repent and turn to God. This behaviour continued for thirteen years.

But one night, Alessandro had a vision. In that vision, he saw Maria Goretti in a field full of lilies--a flower that has traditionally symbolised purity. Maria was gathering up the lilies into a bouquet, and then walked up to Alessandro. She told him to take the lilies, and when he did, he said they turned into a still white flame that went into his heart. Alessandro awoke from that vision as a changed person.

The next day, when the priest came to see him--probably expecting to be beaten up--he found a calm and quiet Alessandro Serenelli. That day, Alessandro made a good Confession, and turned his life over to Jesus Christ. After he served out the rest of his sentence, Alessandro went to Maria's mother, and asked her forgiveness for his crime. Mrs. Goretti forgave Alessandro, and that year they attended Christmas Eve mass together. Alessandro afterwards became a Capuchin monk, and lived a life of purity, helping others to turn from their sinful lifestyles.

When the cause of Maria's beatification came up, Alessandro Serenelli testified to her life and purity, and told of his crimes against her. When in 1952, Pope Pius XII canonised her as a saint, her mother was there to witness it! On that occasion, the Pope said these words:

With splendid courage she surrendered herself to God and his grace and so gave her life to protect her virginity.

The life of a simple girl - I shall concern myself only with highlights - we can see as worthy of heaven. Even today people can look upon it with admiration and respect. Parents can learn from her story how to raise their God-given children in virtue, courage, and holiness; they can learn to train them in the Catholic faith so that, when put to the test, God's grace will support them and they will come through undefeated, unscathed, and untarnished.

From Maria's story carefree children and young people with their zest for life can learn not to be led astray by attractive pleasures which are not only ephemeral and empty but also sinful. Instead they can fix their sights on achieving Christian moral perfection, however difficult that course may prove. With determination and God's help all of us can attain that goal by persistent effort and prayer.

Not all of us are expected to die a martyr's death, but we are all called to the pursuit of Christian virtue.

So let us all, with God's grace, strive to reach the goal that the example of the virgin martyr, Saint Maria Goretti, sets before us. Through her prayers to the Redeemer may all of us, each in his own way, joyfully try to follow the inspiring example of Maria Goretti who now enjoys eternal happiness in heaven.

St. Maria Goretti again reminds us that the story of a martyr goes beyond their tragic death--but always impacts the lives around them, even their killers, as we see from the radical change Maria's example of purity, her willingness to die, and her prayers from heaven had on Alessandro Serenelli.

God bless.

Letting God do the Work

2006-10-24T17:19:00.000-04:00

In the post, All Day, I set up the Rosary as one of the greatest examples of Prayer available to us as Catholics. At this, both Protestant and Catholic readers have asked for a greater description of the Rosary, both the why and the how we should pray it. So here goes:

Why Pray the Rosary?
The Rosary is one of the most beautiful and effective prayers in the Catholic arsenal. Literally, the name means "garland of roses", but behind the soft, gentle name lies a powerful weapon in our fight against sin and temptation in our lives, and in the world. Used properly, the Rosary is a powerful spiritual weapon used to bring forth many heavenly graces and draw us closer to Jesus and Mary.

On the 8th of March, 2003, Pope John Paul II said,

Today...I am handing you the Rosary beads. Through prayer and meditation on the mysteries, Mary leads you safely towards her Son! Do not be ashamed to recite the Rosary alone, while you walk along the streets to school, to the university or to work, or as you commute by public transport. Adopt the habit of reciting it among yourselves, in your groups, movements and associations. Do not hesitate to suggest that it be recited at hime ... because it rekindles and strengthens the bonds between family members. This prayer will help you to be strong in your faith, constant in charity, joyful and persevering in hope.

Beyond the exortation of John Paul the Great, Mary herself appeared to two men at different times, St. Dominic and Bl. Alan de la Roche, and gave them a total of fifteen promises to those who would pray the Rosary every day. These promises should inspire us to greater devotion. I reproduce them here, but they can also be found at Our Lady's Warriors.org Click the link to read an explanation of each of these 15 promises.

1. Whosoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary shall receive signal graces.

2. I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.

3. The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin and defeat heresies.

4. It will cause good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of men from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire for Eternal Things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.

5. The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary shall not perish.

6. Whosoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying himself to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of Eternal Life.

7. Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.

8. Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the Light of God and the plenitude of His Graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the Merits of the Saints in Paradise.

9. I shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.

10. The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of Glory in Heaven.

11. You shall obtain all you ask of me by recitation of the Rosary.

12. All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.

13. I have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire Celestial Court during their life and at the hour of death.

14. All who recite the Rosary are my Sons, and brothers of my Only Son Jesus Christ.

15. Devotion to my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

Our Lady's Warriors.org reminds us that "these promises mean that, by faithfully and devoutly praying the Rosary, Our Lady will obtain for us the necessary Graces to obtain said promises. It is still up to each individual soul to respond to those Graces in order to obtain salvation."

The beauty of prayer, through the Rosary, was described beautifully by fellow Catholic convert, Owen Swain, in the archives of his spiritual oddysey. In a post titled Bead by Bead, he writes,

The fact of the rosary is this, it is not work but rather I rest in the rhythm of the Hail Marys, focusing on the meaning and prayer intention of the specific mystery from the life of Christ and his Mother, it is a realization that causes me to laugh that I ever thought that Catholics work for their salvation, in the sense that Protestants so often accuse Catholics of working for their salvation. In the rosary ours is to be obedient while God does the work of answering the prayer yes, but arguably more importantly as we rest in the rosary God does a work in us. I gave myself over early in faith to the idea that a central point of the rosary is seeing God’s Son through Mary’s eyes because she is our greatest example as devoted Christian. What I gave my self over to in faith, the substance of things I did not then see, I have now begun to see and understand and the speed at which this has happened I can only attribute to the grace of God. I could not have anticipated this and so I laugh a laugh of joy for God and not of derision for my Protestant brothers and sisters or Catholics for that matter who see no place for a holy devotion to the rosary. Yes, I have been taken by surprise in receiving what I asked for.

...

Now, no struggle in prayer, this is new for me. It is a kind of freedom in the spirit that I have not known before and I was a card carrying Pentecostal for over two decades. There is nothing vain in the repetitions of the rosary as the focus is Christ, which is more than one can say for endless list prayers that for all their spiritual sounding tone are at least as much self orriented as they are Christ centric. Instead when prayed with attention, intention and devotion there is an increase of hope, faith and love as well as practical reminders, promtings if you like, about specific intentions or prayer requests as I used to call them.

And by no struggle I mean not that we should not by times be hard at it, struggling in faith or doubt or hope or confession as we pray nor do I mean that setting time aside and getting down to the business of meeting with God is not sometimes an effort of the will. What I mean is that, perhaps to my shame, for the first time in a long time I am drawn to prayer, I want to return to the beads and the meditations on my Lord. What I mean is that as I come to those times my mind does not wander, I am not adrift thinking of what to pray for next or reciting an endless list of items to God and detailing some of them in such a way as if you would think I thought God was unaware of the details. Do you see that?

...

Praying the rosary, even for a novice, is a bit like watching God thread the spirit of his blessed Son into my life, bead by bead. Nothing vain in that.

I echo Owen's sentiments. Through the Rosary, I have grown closer to Jesus, through His Mother, than I ever had achieved at any time in my life before!

How to Pray the Rosary

The Rosary beads are a chain of many beads that form a loop. Trailing from the loop is a small stretch of 5 beads ending with a Crucifix. Where the tail connects to the loop, there is a medal, usually of Mary, or Jesus, or a saint. The one hanging from my rearview mirror has the Eucharistic Chalice with a Host above it. From the medal are ten beads, a slight space, a single bead, another space, ten more beads, etc. In all, there are five groups of ten beads, with a single bead between each group of ten, making four (plus the medal).

Beginning with the Crucifix, we pray the Apostles' Creed (See the prayers below). Then, while fingering the first of the five beads, we pray the Our Father. For the next three beads, we pray a Hail Mary each. On the fifth bead, we pray a Glory Be.

When we get to the medal, we announce the first mystery that we intend to meditate on (the mysteries will be explained below as well). Then we pray another Our Father. For the next 10 beads we pray a Hail Mary each, while meditating and praying about the mystery that we have just announced. When we come to the space between the tenth bead and the single bead, we pray a Glory Be, and then a Fatima Prayer. At the single bead, we announce the next mystery, and start the process over. This continues until all five mysteries are prayed through and meditated upon, and we arrive at the medal again. In the space after the final tenth bead and the medal, we again pray a Glory Be, and a Fatima Prayer, as we have done. Then, at the Medal, we pray a Marian prayer such as the Hail, Holy Queen (which is my preference) or another prayer to Mary of our choice. Then we cross ourselves and go on our way, knowing that we are not walking alone!

The Prayers of the Rosary
The Apostles' Creed
This prayer is a brief summary of our beliefs. It is called "The Apostles' Creed" because it was a summary of their teachings, passed on by the early Church.

I believe in God, the Father Almighty
Creator of Heaven and Earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
On the third day He rose again.
He ascended into Heaven.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

The Our Father
This is the prayer that Jesus taught His disciples, when they asked Him how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13.

Our Father, who art in heaven
Hallowed by Thy Name.
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.
Amen.

The Hail Mary
This prayer is also taken from Scripture--at least the first half. The first two lines are Gabriel's greeting to Mary in Luke 1:28, and the second two are Elizabeth's greeting to Mary in Luke 1:42. The second half is a simple prayer asking Mary to pray for us.

Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou amongst women,
And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God
Pray for us sinners,
Now, and at the hour of our death.

The Glory Be
This is a simple doxology glorifying the Trinity.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
Is now, and forever will be,
World without end. Amen.

The Fatima Prayer
This prayer was given to the three children of Fatima, Portugal, when Mary appeared to them in a series of visions. She asked them to pray it when they prayed the Rosary. In my mind, it proves the desire of Mary to lead us to Jesus:

O my Jesus,
Forgive us our sins,
Save us from the fires of hell,
And lead all souls to heaven--
Especially those in most need of Thy mercy.
Amen.

The Hail, Holy Queen
This poetic prayer to Mary can cause concern to Protestants, but we must understand that everything that we hold in this prayer is only because of Jesus, and because she brought Jesus into the world in order to be our salvation.

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
Our life, our sweetness, and our hope.
To thee we cry, poor banished children of Eve.
To thee we lift up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy towards us,
And show unto us the Most Blessed Fruit of thy womb, Jesus--
O clement, o loving, o sweet Virgin Mary.

Pray for us, most holy Mother of God,
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Amen.

Those are the prayers of the Rosary. Many Protestants claim that the Rosary violates Jesus' condemnation of "vain repetition" in our prayers, since we repeat each prayer several times (Matthew 6:7-8). However, it is important to understand two things here:

1. Not all repetition is vain. Otherwise, many of the Psalms would fall under Jesus' condemnation, making Jesus a contradiction, since the Psalms are the inspired word of God. See, for example, Psalm 136, where the second line of each of its 26 verses is "For His faithful love endures forever." Now that's repetitious!

2. The focus of the prayer isn't on the words being said. They form a prayerful backdrop for the key part of the prayer--meditating on the life of Christ with Mary. Without this exercise of meditating on Christ, then yes, the Rosary would be vain repetition! The mysteries are the entire point of the Rosary! So what are they?

The Mysteries of the Rosary
By "mystery" it is meant an aspect of our faith that is miraculous, that we cannot comprehend. When it comes to the life of Christ, we will never comprehend how the Infinite, Almighty God could become a Man and live among us. Thus, everything that Christ did is a "mystery". In the Rosary, there are 20 mysteries, divided into four sets of five. One "rosary" is the praying of a set of 5, thus going around the loop.

The mysteries focus on Christ's birth, life, death, and resurrection. When we meditate on each mystery, it is important to focus on it as if we ourselves were there, witnessing the event. How would we have felt, or reacted, in that situation? When we do this, we go right into the pages of the Gospels with Mary, as she shows us her Son more clearly. As such, it is important that we read and learn the stories from the Bible itself. Therefore, I will include the place in the Bible where the story is found.

When we undertake to meditate on a mystery, it is helpful to offer a prayer intention. One will be suggested for furthering virtues in your life, as we discussed in the Seven Deadlies post.

Let us look at each mystery.

The Joyful Mysteries
These five mysteries focus on Jesus' birth and early childhood.

The Annunciation of Gabriel to Mary--Luke 1:26-38
Intention: When meditating on this mystery, pray for the humility of Mary when she responded to God's plan, saying, "You see before you the Lord's servant, let it happen to me as you have said" (Luke 1:38).

The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth--Luke 1:39-56
Intention: When meditating on this mystery, pray that you would have a greater love for your neighbour (Matthew 22:39). Think of Mary, visiting her pregnant cousin, and helping her to keep house, while she herself is pregnant with the Saviour!

The Nativity of Jesus--Luke 2:1-21
Intention: Pray that Jesus would help you to be poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3), as He Himself was: The King of the Universe born in a barnyard feeding trough! If He would do this for us, what should we do for Him?

The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple--Luke 2:22-38
Intention: The Jewish people had to offer sacrifices of purification for every first-born child. When Mary and Joseph went to offer these sacrifices, two prophets, Simeon and Anna, give testimony to who Jesus is. If Mary and Joseph had not been obedient to even the seemingly minor points of the Law, Simeon would never have seen the Lord's promise fulfilled (Luke 2:26). Let us then pray for willingness to be obedient to Christ's laws.

Finding Jesus in the Temple at the age of 12--Luke 2:41-50
Intention: Jesus' parents lose track of Him on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for Passover. In their worry they look everywhere, and finally find Him, a 12-year-old, teaching scribes and teachers of the Law! When they find Him, Mary and Joseph are filled with joy and relief. Let us pray that we would also be filled with joy at finding Christ working in our own lives--even in the places we least expect to see Him!

The Luminous Mysteries
These new mysteries, given by Pope John Paul 2 in 2002, highlight key events in the life and ministry of Jesus.

Jesus' Baptism--Matthew 3:1-17; Mark 1:1-11; Luke 3:1-22; John 1:29-34
Intention: At His baptism, the heavens were opened, and God proclaimed His love for Jesus, and sent the Holy Spirit to empower His ministry. Let us pray that we would have a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Jesus Turning Water into Wine at the Wedding in Cana--John 2:1-12
Intention: In this story, we see Mary bringing the servants to Jesus so that He could meet their need, and she tells them the most important piece of advice ever: "Do whatever He tells you" (John 2:5). Let us pray and ask Mary to lead us into a deeper relationship with her Son.

The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God--Matthew 4:23; 5:1-7:29
Intention: Let us pray that we would be willing to proclaim Jesus' Kingdom as He sends us out. Let us pray that we are never too worried about what others think that we would deny Jesus!

The Transfiguration of Jesus--Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8
Intention: When Jesus was transfigured, He displayed His true glory for a moment, to Peter, James and John. Let us pray that He would reveal His glory in our own lives.

The Last Supper--Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:7-20
Intention: Let us pray that we would come to know Jesus truly as He gives Himself to us in the Eucharist.

The Sorrowful Mysteries
These mysteries focus on Jesus' suffering and death, which brings us forgiveness for our sins.

Jesus' Agony in the Garden--Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46
Intention: As we meditate on Jesus praying and sweating blood for us, let us pray for true sorrow and true repentance for our sins which brought Him here.

Jesus' Arrest and Scourging--Matthew 26:47-27:26; Mark 14:43-15:15; Luke 22:47-23:25; John 18:1-19:16
Intention: As we meditate on Jesus' suffering, let us realise that it brought us our redemption: "He was being wounded for our rebellions, crushed because of our guilt; the punishment reconciling us fell on Him, and we have been healed by His bruises" (Isaiah 53:5). Let us pray and thank Him for His salvation, and pray that we would understand the value of suffering in our own lives.

The Crowning with Thorns--Matthew 27:27-31; Mark 15:16-20
Intention: Let us pray, as we meditate on Jesus' humiliation, that we will have the strength to stand up for Him, even in the face of ridicule and death.

Jesus' Carrying His Cross--Matthew 27:32-33; Mark 15:20-22; Luke 23:26-32; John 19:17-18
Intention: As we meditate on Christ carrying His Cross, let us pray for the patience that He had in enduring this torture.

Jesus' Crucifixion and Death--Matthew 27:32-56; Mark 15:23-39; Luke 23:33-49; John 19:18-37
Intention: As we meditate on Jesus' death, let us reflect on the care He had for those around Him, even in His agony. Let us pray that we would persevere in our walk with Him always, so that we would inherit the crown of life.

The Glorious Mysteries
These mysteries focus on Jesus' resurrection and His power in the Church

The Resurrection--Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-13; Luke 24:1-42; John 20:1-21:25
Intention: As we meditate on Jesus' Resurrection, pray that He would increase our faith in Him.

The Ascension--Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-20; Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:1-11
Intention: As we meditate on Jesus' Ascension into heaven, let us pray that He would fill us with hope in the angels' words, "Why are you...standing here looking into the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you will come back in the same way as you have seen Him go to heaven" (Acts 1:11).

The Outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost--Acts 2:1-36
Intention: As we meditate, let us pray that the Holy Spirit would fill us with a greater love and zeal for God.

Mary's Assumption into Heaven--Revelation 11:19-12:1
Intention: At the end of her life, Mary was assumed bodily into Jesus' presence in heaven so that she who had been graced to be without sin, would not suffer the unltimate consiquence of sin: death. Let us pray for the desire to join Mary and her Son, Jesus, in heaven, so that we would not stray from following Him here on earth.

Mary's Coronation as Queen of Heaven--Revelation 12:1
Intention: Let us pray and ask Mary to increase our trust in her intercession for us, and for the entire Church, of which she is the Mother (Revelation 12:17).

These mysteries of the Rosary, when we pray them, and meditate on them, will lead us to a greater knowledge of Christ, and a deeper relationship with Him. Let us take our cue from Mary herself, and ponder all these things in our hearts (Luke 2:51).

In conclusion, I'd like to leave some tips when praying the Rosary:

1. Set aside a specific time each day for reciting the Rosary, and stick to it. Whether it's in the morning when you get up, or before you go to bed. Maybe when you get home from school, or after you finish homework. Or, possibly, even say a decade on the bus ride to and/or from school.

2. Pray with your heart, not just your lips, so that prayer becomes a joy to you rather than a burden.

3. Announce each Mystery, and name a prayer intention, whether for you or for another, that is specific to that Mystery, such as I've suggested in the listing of each Mystery. But by all means, be creative. My suggestions are just that: suggestions!

4. Pause for a moment to meditate on and visually contemplate the Gospel Mystery being said.

5. Make the Rosary part of a greater spiritual program in your life, that includes Mass, receiving the Eucharist, Confession, reading the Bible, and other things.

And remember, God helps you pray, and He understands when we just can't seem to. To Him, even the very desire to pray is itself a prayer. So stick with it.

God bless!
Pray for me!

St. Peter - c. 64

2006-10-14T14:01:00.000-04:00

For this post, we're jumping way back to the beginnings of Christianity again, to discuss the big kahuna himself, St. Peter, the leader of the Church and first Pope.

Now, Peter wasn't born with that name. Instead, his parents named him Simon. And Simon was a fisherman, who made his living catching and selling fish in his hometown of Capernaum. But I suspect he wasn't all that great of a fisherman, since at least twice, the Gospels tell us that he spent the whole night fishing, and didn't catch a thing!

After one of these profitless nights, a tired Simon and his colleagues were sailing to the shore of the Sea of Galilee, and on the shore, they see a Man, talking to a crowd of people who are swarming so close to Him that they're almost pushing Him into the water. This Man turns to Simon, and says, "Simon, can I borrow your boat?" Simon lets this Man up so that He can continue to preach and teach about God's love and His Kingdom. Simon listens intently to what this Man has to say, and after He is done His message, Simon makes sure to introduce himself. Jesus says to him, "Hey, let's go fishing!" Simon, tired from the night's work, and knowing that the middle of the day is just a bad fishing time, was probably a little doubtful: "Actually, Jesus, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather go home to bed. I was out all night and didn't catch anything. Do You mind?" To which, Jesus replies, "Come on, it'll be fun!"

So Simon sets out with Jesus for some highly irregular fishing--and it will only become more irregular from this point out! In the middle of the sea, Jesus says to Simon, "Throw out your nets!" Simon again reminds Jesus that fishing is terrible at this time of day, but follows Jesus' instructions anyway. And after catching nothing all night, in peak fishing hours, suddenly now, in the middle of the day, Simon's nets are so full that they're breaking from the catch!

Realising that this just isn't normal, Simon turns to Jesus and says, "Away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" Jesus, instead, lifts Simon up and says, "No longer will you catch fish, but from now on, you will catch men!" And from that point, Simon gave up his fishing business and accompanied Jesus as He taught about the Kingdom of God, and Simon himself preached and did many signs and wonders.

A little while goes by, and Jesus pulls Simon and the other disciples aside for a pop quiz. There had been a lot of questions about who exactly Jesus was, and so He put those questions to His crew: "Who do people say that I am?" Some replied that people thought He was Elijah come back from heaven. Others said He was a great prophet. Some didn't like Him so much, and thought He was a bit of a wing-nut. So Jesus brought it home: "Who do you say that I am?" Simon, who was one of those kids who always answered without sticking up his hand, blurted out, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!" And, much to his surprise, Jesus replied by saying, "Hey, you're right!" Jesus continued, saying, "This answer didn't just come from your own mind, either, but God Himself revealed this to you! Because of this, I'm renaming you Peter, the Rock, and on this Rock I will build My Church!" Peter was on top of the world!

But the very next moment, Jesus said, "But first, people are going to begin to hate Me, and they'll take Me away and crucify Me! But I will rise again on the third day." I guess Peter missed the last part, because he immediately interrupted, saying, "What?! There ain't no way, Lord! That ain't gonna happen!" Jesus got right in Peter's face and said, "Get behind Me, satan. You're not focussing on what God wants, but on what you want!" Now, of course, Jesus wasn't calling Peter the devil, but in calling him satan, which means "adversary" or "opponent", Jesus was showing that Peter's mindset was in direct opposition to the will of God. Peter went from a big high, to a very deflated low. And much of the Gospel's record of Peter was a repeated loop of big high, big low as he served God well, and then followed it up with sometimes incredible stupidity.

Perhaps the most famous case of Peter's stupidity was at the Last Supper. Jesus again told them of His impending Crucifixion, so that His disciples would not need to be confused as well as afraid, but know what the plan was. He told them that when it happened, they would all leave Him and scatter. Peter, again speaking out boldly, said, "Never, Lord! Even if all these others leave You, I never will! I'm willing to even die with You!"

I'm grateful that Jesus is so infinitely patient with us. I'm sure He sighed and shook His head, and then told Peter, "I'm telling you, Peter, this very night you will deny that you know Me three times before the rooster crows." And of course, Peter rejected that! "Nuh uh! No way! No!"

Afterward, they went out to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. Well, Jesus prayed. Peter, James, and John fell asleep. Three times. Finally, Jesus (again, eternally patient) wakes them to tell them that the mob is here to arrest Him. Peter, again trying to be the heroic Rock, takes out a sword and starts swinging. He chops off one of the guards' ears! Jesus again, shakes His head and says, "Oh Peter, didn't I tell you not to do that? This has to happen!" With that, Jesus heals the ear of the guard! Meanwhile, Peter and the other disciples take off.

But Peter doesn't go too far, but rather, he follows at a safe distance. He hangs around outside of the courtroom, trying to hear the results of Jesus' trial. As he stands there, someone approaches him, and asks whether he was one of Jesus' disciples. "No way! I got no idea what you're talkin' about!"

A little later, someone else asks the same question, noting that Peter's accent was the same as Jesus' and the other disciples. Again, Peter denies knowing Jesus. Finally, a little servant girl sees him and says, "You were with Jesus!" And big, tough, rocky Peter is so intimidated by her that he curses and swears and denies that he knows Jesus! Then the rooster crowed, and Peter remembered Jesus' words, and ran off weeping.

We know the story--how Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried. On the third day, He rose again, and when, that morning, Mary Magdalene and the other women were going to the tomb to properly embalm Him, an angel was waiting there for them! The angel told them that Jesus had risen, and to go and tell the Disciples--and Peter--that Jesus would meet them in Galilee!

Peter, hearing the news, says to his friends, "Galilee, eh? I'm going fishing!" And the disciples joined him, as he took his boat out of retirement and cast out on the Sea of Galilee that night. They fished all night, and, once again, caught nothing! As they were heading into shore, there was a man walking on the beach. He hollered out to them, "Hey! Catch anything?" Peter probably grumbled a no, and the man yelled again, "Throw out your nets on the other side of the boat!"

Now, I don't know if you know anything about fishing. I've fished a few times, catching nothing, and Jesus' words will come back to me, and I'll try tossing out my line on the other side of the boat. And I still catch nothing! Why? Because fish aren't hiding on the other side of the boat, laughing at you as you cast out on the one side. That's just not how it works. They're not that smart.

So to Peter, this advice had to sound incredibly useless, but he remembered a similar incident of receiving bad fishing advice that paid off big, so he looked at John and said, "Hey, what the heck?" When they did, they caught a huge amount of fish! The Gospel of John numbers them at 153! And this time, the nets didn't break! When John saw the miracle, he says to Peter, "Hey! It's Jesus!" Peter grabs his coat, puts it on, and leaving everyone else to finish hauling in the fish, he jumps out of the boat and swims to shore. Now, I wouldn't be putting more clothes on before I jump in a lake, but hey, it's Peter.

When he gets to shore, Jesus takes him for a walk, and begins talking to him. He asks Peter if he loves Him, to which Peter replies, "Yes, I love you, Lord." Jesus says to him, "Feed My sheep." A little later, Jesus asks again, "Do you love Me?" Peter again answers, "Yes Lord, You know I love You." Jesus says to him, "Feed My lambs." A third time, Jesus asks Peter, "Do you love Me?" Peter's a little upset about being asked a third time, and replies, "Lord, You know everything. You know I love You!" Jesus says, "Tend My sheep."

In doing this, Jesus gave Peter the opportunity to make up for denying Him three times, and each time, Jesus reaffirms His plan for Peter, to lead the Church. Jesus had compared Himself to a Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for the sheep. On the Cross, He had done just that. Now, it was Peter's turn to take over caring for those very sheep.

Afterwards, on the Day of Pentecost, the Disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter took up that leadership role, preaching Christ to the crowds, and in that first sermon, 3000 people converted to Christianity! And Peter continued to serve and to lead the Church, travelling abroad and beginning churches. Finally, he went to Rome, and began and led the church there. In the 60s, the Emperor Nero came to power, and he hated the Christians. He also seemed to love fire, and parties. And at one such party, he burned down half the city of Rome. When his enemies tried to put the blame on him, though, he said, "Wasn't me! It was, uh, the Christians! Let's kill 'em!" And so a terrible state-sponsored persecution of the Church began, killing many Christians (Nero would often light their bodies on fire as streetlights--big surprise).

The Christians in Rome pleaded with Peter to flee for his safety, since, as the leader of the Church, Nero would certainly be coming after him. And, heeding their advice, Peter fled. But as he left Rome, St. Ambrose tells us that he had a vision, and in it he saw Jesus, carrying His cross back toward Rome. Peter asked Jesus, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus replied, "I am going to Rome, to be crucified again." Then the vision ended, and Peter knew that Jesus wasn't really going to be crucified again, but that he, as Jesus' representative, needed to return to Rome and continue to lead the Church until whatever happened, happened. So Peter did just that.

When the Romans caught up with Peter, and arrested him, he was slated to be crucified in the Colosseum. But Peter refused that death, saying that he was unworthy to die in the same way that His Lord had. So they crucified Peter upside down, and by his courageous death, he gave glory to God.

St. Peter's story is encouraging to us today. Through it we know that God is ever-patient with us, and always forgiving. Even when we screw up numerous times, God's plan is still true for us, and if we are willing to return to Him, we will find forgiveness and restoration, just as Peter did; and ultimately, our lives and our deaths will be used to the glory of God!

Amen!

Sr. Leonella - 2006 (Sept. 17)

2006-10-10T16:57:00.000-04:00

In the last post, I wrote about St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. This post, we'll be skipping forward to very nearly the latest Christian martyr! She's not on my Get Holy or Die Tryin' t-shirt. She was still alive when it was made! In fact, Sr. Leonella only joined the ranks of martyrs a short three weeks ago, though she seemed to expect it for many years.

Thirty-eight years ago, Sister Leonella decided to consecrate her life to God, and become a nun. She made her perpetual vows and joined the Order of the Sisters of Consolation, and went to Kenya to work in a hospital among the poor and suffering just outside of Kenya's capital, Nairobi. Her infectious enthusiasm and love for her patients and all she met earned her great love and respect in her community. After working there for many years, her fellow sisters even elected her to Regional Superior at the hospital, which she did for 6 years! While she was in that position, she trained new sisters for the work of loving and caring for the poor, and trained them to be nurses in the hospital. During this time, she was able to get the World Heath Organisation to recognise the sisters in her order as validly certified nurses!

After 6 years, in 2001 she took a sabbatical, and travelled to Mogadishu, Somalia, to investigate starting a hospital there through the SOS Village organisation. Her vision became a reality the next year, and she was also in charge of the nursing school there.

In going to Somalia, ravaged by civil war for over 15 years, and still now in a state of uneasy peace and civil unrest, with an Al-Qaida cell vying for political power, Sr. Leonella knew the risks she faced as a Catholic nun. She would often joke, even back in Kenya, that one day there would be a bullet with her name on it. But the risk didn't deter her. Neither did her often poor health or the struggles with governments and bureaucracies. Through it all, she continued to work for and to love the people of Africa. But she wasn't naively unaware of the risks, either. One of her sisters had been kidnapped in the previous year. She was found and her kidnapper sentenced to one year, but this and other attacks and threats to their lives prompted Sr. Leonella to hire a bodyguard to protect her.

On September 17th, 2006, after making the rounds of the hospital she helped begin in Mogadishu, she and her bodyguard were crossing the street 30 feet to her home, where five of her sisters were waiting to have lunch. As she and her bodyguard crossed the street, three gunmen, lying in wait, shot her, killing her and her bodyguard execution-style. When her sisters heard the shots, they ran out of the home to see what was going on. As the gunmen fled, the sisters carried Sr. Leonella and her bodyguard back into the hospital, but it was too late. As Sr. Leonella lay dying, she kept repeating "Pardono, pardono, pardono..." which is Italian for "Forgive, forgive, forgive..." Just like St. Stephen, Sr. Leonella prayed to forgive her enemies, and, at the same time, instructed her fellow sisters, and everyone else around, that they must forgive her killers, too, and not become bitter and hateful.

At her funeral, the Bishop remarked on her life and on her love. He also remarked on the circumstances of her death, and her dying with her bodyguard. He said that if a man and a woman could die together; a black man and a white woman; a Muslim man and a Catholic nun, could die together, then it was a sign of hope that we could live together, in peace.

That's the vision that Sr. Leonella had for Somalia. And through her love, she lived out that vision daily. Pope Benedict XVI echoed Tertullian, when he expressed his prayer that "the blood shed by so faithful a disciple of the Gospel may become a seed of hope to construct authentic brotherhood among peoples."

Many in the news speculated that Sr. Leonella was murdered as a reaction to the Pope's remarks made in a lecture last month about how violence is incompatible with the nature of God, and cited Islam as an example of spreading the faith by the sword. It prompted many protests from Muslims throughout the world, but in Sr. Leonella's case, let's remember again, that she'd already been threatened, and a fellow sister had even been kidnapped, before the Pope had ever made his speech. She didn't have a bodyguard for nothing!

Let us remember Sr. Leonella's legacy of love and forgiveness, and her inspiring courage in the face of many tremendous obstacles! Let us be full of courage in our own lives, as we reach out to help others with the love of God.

Amen.

St. Stephen - c. 33

2006-10-06T13:02:00.000-04:00

We'll begin our look at the lives (and deaths) of martyrs with the story of St. Stephen, since he was the first Christian martyr. Stephen lived at the same time as Our Lord, and, in fact, died about the same year as Jesus Himself was crucified! He may (or may not) have even met Jesus Himself during His earthly ministry.

After Jesus had come, preaching about God, and how to love God and each other, He was crucified. But, since, not being just a normal human being, but, in fact, God Himself, He rose again on the Third day. After this, He commissioned His disciples to complete the work He had started, and to build His Church. He promised them the Holy Spirit, so that they would be able to accomplish His mission.

And so the Church began, on the day of Pentecost, as the Holy Spirit descended and filled the believers. And they, empowered by Him, went out and preached about Jesus, and His love and forgiveness. And many people believed in Him. But the Church knew it was not enough simply to proclaim God's love, but to actually live it out. And the early church in Jerusalem did this radically. Christians would even sell their own valued possessions, and use the money to buy food for the poor! Think about that: going home, and selling your television, your Xbox, your skateboard, your car, or even the computer on which you're reading this! And then, use that money to go and benefit the poor and needy around you!

This is what the earliest Christians were doing. But before long, a problem arose: The early Christians were Jewish, and as they did these loving acts, they made sure that the poor Jewish people of Jerusalem were looked after. But the problem was this: Not all those who lived in Jerusalem were Jewish. And there were many poor Greek people who also were in need. So they came to St. Peter, and asked him to make sure that they wouldn't be overlooked in the daily distribution of food. St. Peter said to them, "I have to run this whole Church, and study the Scriptures in order to teach about Jesus. I can't wait tables, too! But this is a serious problem, so here's what we'll do. We'll appoint seven men to be Deacons, and their job will be to make sure that everyone is looked after fairly and properly.

(Notably, the Catholic Church still ordains Deacons, and their primary vocation is still social justice in the community and in the world--and it began with these seven men, in Acts chapter 6!)

The very first person picked as a Deacon was St. Stephen, and he was chosen, according to the Bible, because he was "full of faith and of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 6:5). The Holy Spirit working in Stephen gave him the humility, the courage, and the love to reach out to the poor with kindness. Now, Stephen was a bright and handy fellow. He could have made a career doing anything. He could have made a terrific living for himself, and been considered very successful in the world's eyes. But instead, he gave it up, in order to serve the poor and lowly. And this choice led many people to wonder about him. What would make a person choose to live a life like that? And they would ask Stephen about it, and he would answer, "A couple of years ago, there was this guy, Jesus, who came, and taught us how to love. He was amazing, doing miracles and wowing everyone. But the authorities became jealous and angry at Him, because He made them aware of their need to change. And rather than change themselves, they chose instead to kill Him. They crucified Him, but He rose again, and told us to carry on preaching and acting out God's love. And because of Him, and His love for us, I'm here helping the poor."

And whenever Stephen had the opportunity, he would tell people about Jesus. But, as I said, Jesus had only been crucified earlier that year. And those people who didn't like Jesus were still alive, and they still didn't like Jesus. And they weren't too fond of those people who talked about Him. So they came to Stephen and they said, "We don't want you talkin' about Jesus anymore. Quit it." And Stephen said, "Uh, no. I love Jesus way too much to stop talkin' about Him." So they said again, "Shut up, or we'll make you shut up!" Stephen replied, "Jesus is just too awesome for me to stop talking about Him!"

But you can't just kill someone who devotes his whole life to serving the poor! Someone like that has way too much respect in society. So his enemies plotted amongst themselves, and they started making up lies about horrible things that Stephen supposedly had done. And they told the authorities, and came back to Stephen, and said, "Because of all the horrible things we say you did, we're going to kill you," and they picked up stones to throw at him.

Now, I don't know about you, but if someone made up a bunch of lies about what a horrible person I am, and began throwing rocks at my head because of it, my first response would be to pick up my own rocks and throw them right back: "Oh, it's on, now!"

But as the mob was stoning Stephen, he did not retaliate, but instead prayed, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And as he died, he saw a vision, of Jesus standing up in Heaven, welcoming him home (Acts 7:60, 56).

Now, while the world might consider a person who gives up everything in life to follow God, and then ends up killed for it, a colossal failure, we recognise St. Stephen as a great hero. The reason we do so, is because we recognise that Stephen's death is not the end of the story.

As Stephen was being Crucified, he prayed for God to forgive his very killers! That kind of love can only come from the Holy Spirit in one's life! But the amazing thing is, all of us who are Christian have that same Holy Spirit! And as we grow closer to Him, and make ourselves more available to Him, we too will be filled with that same love that Stephen showed. And that love will have serious effects, as we see from Stephen's story. Because as Stephen was being stoned, one of the people in the crowd, one who had a rather large part in instigating the stoning, was a man named Saul.

Now Saul was rather anti-Christian. So much so that, after Stephen died, he went around trying to arrest and even kill other Christians. One such mission of his took him to a town called Damascus--but on the way, Saul had an encounter with Jesus. As he travelled, Saul saw a bright light that knocked him right off his horse, and heard Jesus say to him, "Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" Saul didn't know what to say, and so replied, "Who are You, Lord?" Jesus replied that He was Jesus, and that Saul would go on to Damascus to seek out a Christian, but not to kill him, but rather, this person, Ananias, would pray for him and baptise him, and Saul would become a great witness to Jesus!

In this remarkable way, Jesus answered the prayer of Stephen to forgive his killers, which Stephen prayed as he died, and let me tell you, continued to pray after he arrived in heaven! And Saul was the first one to receive the grace of those prayers, when he was baptised in Damascus, and changed his name from Saul, to Paul.

It was this Apostle Paul who spread the faith throughout the Roman Empire, starting many, many churches, writing nearly half of the New Testament, and finally, dying as a martyr himself, beheaded by the Emperor Nero! This is the legacy that St. Stephen's martyrdom gave to the Church!

And each of us, through the Holy Spirit, are able to live such a heroic life of faith, and to impact our generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! We need only to be willing to yield our own lives to the Holy Spirit inside of us!

God bless!

Get Holy or Die Tryin'

2006-10-04T14:30:00.000-04:00

I realise that I typically use red to denote the words of Christ from Scripture. However, liturgically, red is the colour worn by the priests on feasts in honour of the Martyrs. Over the school year, when a title on this blog is in red, the post will be telling the story of one such martyr.

Last summer, I went down to the Franciscan University of Steubenville's annual youth conference (which rocked out loud, and we'll be going as a youth group next year!), and while I was there, I explored the gift shop and found the t-shirt pictured above, made by Catholic to the Max.com. I saw it, and had to get it, mainly because St. Jean de Brébeuf topped the second column, and, being a Canadian martyr, my patriotism swayed my decision against other very cool t-shirts. At the time that I bought the shirt, I did not realise that it was, in fact, a parody of 50 Cent: Get Rich or Die Tryin'. I just thought that it was a wicked shirt, with martyrs on the back, and a slogan that we as Catholics should all aspire to: Get Holy, or Die Tryin'.

Now that the school year is back in full swing, and I'm back visiting the elementary schools' senior grades, I've decided, instead of just preachin' at them, to tell stories instead--and the stories I have to tell are those of the martyrs (particularly those on the back of my t-shirt, listed above). Now, there are 44 listings on the shirt, and less than 44 weeks in the school year, so we won't cover all of them. But I will select the ones that I think have the most captivating, inspiring, and challenging tales (a difficult task, in light of the roster--but then, I feel I can be choosy, since the creators of the shirt themselves were choosy. If they included all the martyrs, the t-shirt would need to be a robe, covered front and back with their names!).

The fact that the t-shirt is a parody of 50 Cent's misguided motto adds further depth to the message. 50 Cent reflects the world's view of success: to be rich, successful, famous, and all that. In stark contrast, Jesus in the Beatitudes reminds us that it is the poor, gentle, mournful, hungry and thirsty for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers, and persecuted who are blessed and truly successful.

In the lives of the martyrs that we'll hear about, we will see all of these characteristics lived out as the Spirit of God makes these normal men and women, just like us, able.

While the world would look at a person who gives up their entire life in service of Christ, and is willing to even suffer persecution and death for that, as a fool and a failure, the Catholic Church views these people as Heroes to be looked up to and emulated. These are the Church's greatest success stories, and their impact on this world far surpasses their deaths. The ancient Christian writer Tertullian once remarked that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. Throughout history, and in our modern world, it is where Christians are persecuted that the Church is strongest and growing fastest.

The examples of the martyrs' lives on earth, and their prayers for the world, in heaven, continue to change the world we live in, in extraordinary ways. May we, filled with the Spirit of God, lead lives such as theirs.

As many a martyr said upon his death:
Long Live Christ the King!

All Day

2006-10-03T17:59:00.000-04:00

All Day
Hillsong United

I don't care what they say about me
It's alright, alright
I don't care they think about me
It's alright, they'll get it one day

I love you, I'll follow you
You are my, my life
I will read my bible and pray
I will follow you all day

I don't care what it costs anymore
'Cos you gave it all and I'm following you
I don't care what it takes anymore
No matter what happens I'm going your way

I love you, I'll follow you
You are my, my life
I will read my bible and pray
I will follow you all day

All Day
All Day now
All Day

I don't care what they say about me
It's alright, alright
I don't care they think about me
It's alright, they'll get it one day

I love you, I'll follow you
You are my, my life
I will read my bible and pray
I will follow you all day

All Day
All Day now
All Day

Anyone around can see
just how good you've been to me
For all my friends that don't know you
I pray that you would save them too

All Day
All Day now
All Day

I have to admit, when I first heard this song at a Pentecostal church here in Oakville, I thought it was the most repetitive thing I'd ever heard in my life! And Pentecostals love to accuse Catholics of vain repetition! However, I heard it on the actual cd by Hillsong United, and I liked it better, mainly because, while it was still repetitive (and a little banal), it was somewhat less so, and had a pretty cool bass line.

But it has grown on me, a little. Enough that I can base a talk on it. It does have a good message, even if it is, as I said, rather banal.

The song encourages us to have the courage to proclaim our faith in our world today, no matter what anyone thinks; no matter what it costs. We live in an age where pluralism is good, tolerance has replaced the "golden rule", and absolutes are viewed as narrow-mindedness and backward thinking. Those who believe in, and hold to those absolutes are often ridiculed or branded as fanatical or fundamentalists, or worse. Our Pope, in speaking out against the "Dictatorship of Relativism", has been labelled as a backwards-thinking archaism, who wants to return the world to the Dark Ages, or he has been libelled as a Nazi-sympathiser and a hater of almost everyone. Why? Because he has dared to speak the truth, and not water it down.

But we cannot water down the truth, because it is the Truth that sets us free! We have to fight for the truth, so that others can be set free, as well!

So what weapons do we have? The song, in typical Protestant fashion, gives the bare-bones answer: Bible and Prayer. And they're not wrong, only limited. As Catholics, we rely on the inspired Word of God, the Bible and the Apostolic Tradition handed down unchanged, though developed, since the beginning of Christianity. It is His Word which keeps us stable during the storms of uncertainty and relativism, and cuts through the lies and deceptions of the world. It is the Sword of the Spirit.

Further, we have prayer. In particular, we have that prayer that the saints, and particularly Pope John-Paul II, referred to as our most powerful weapon: the Rosary. Through it, we meditate on Christ's life, and are led closer to Him by His Mother, Mary. Through it, we receive an abundance of grace. Through it, we bind our hearts to God and walk on. Through it, we meditate on the Word of God, and understand its application to our own lives, so that we can live it out effectively in the world.

And so we will read God's Word, and pray the Rosary, daily. Maybe not for long stretches at first--but more and more. It takes discipline, but it is the lazy who will be caught off guard. With so many things competing for our time and attention, we desperately need to take that time and focus on Christ, His Mother, and His Church. Then we won't be intimidated by the world. We won't be ashamed of the Gospel. Then anyone around truly will see how good He has been to us, and they may become more devoted to Him, as we share His word with them.

God bless.

Another Day, Another Death

2006-10-03T17:07:00.000-04:00

Brief note, the Open Forum below this post is still Open. Post, and ask, away!
**********************
Just a note, this piece was written by my buddy, Dave Stoneburgh, who co-writes The Daily Disciple, and co-writes Three Nails with me. I thought this was a well-written, impassioned, inspiring call for us to be bold in sharing our faith, so I'm reproducing it here.
**********************

Someone asked me something tonight. How do you tell someone about Jesus when their beliefs, their possibly conflicting beliefs, are as real to them as Jesus Christ is to you? They might have more faith than you do. Born and raised, how can you tell them that what is fact, is actually wrong. And on top of all that, how do you tell them that if they don't change, it's Hell for eternity? You could avoid telling them. Another day, another death.

In World Religions class, I learned that I had to respect all cultures and their beliefs. I learned that some cultures believed in many gods. They believed in gods of life, death, war, beauty...things that I thought were odd, and foreign, but I musn't say that, because I was to be respectful to them. What they believe is as real to them, as what I believe is to me. What they believed seemed to be that when you die, you would either go to a wonderful afterlife, or you would come back to Earth. Almost every variant I could identify seemed dampened, acceptable...fine. What was the harm if they were right. I would be fine. They would be fine. In the interest of respect, it made sense that I kept my mouth shut. But what if they weren't right? Then it was a big deal. For everyone; thousands of people and their eternal souls. Another day, another thousand deaths.

At home, I was either in front of a television, or the computer screen. I either watched as the media butchered my beliefs in the interest of ratings, or I read the words of hate scattered about the vast cybergraveyard at my fingertips. Casual sex and crime flooded the television that millions of youth found themselves in front of every day. Music videos advertising girls who were advertising their bodies, and men doing drugs and killing each other was what millions more found themselves relating to every night, 5 through 10pm. Web forums of any topic would always find themselves deep within a Christian bashing session at the accidental typing of the word "Jesus". Some of the things I've seen them say; careless, and guiltless behind the mask of anonymity that is the internet. Another day, another million deaths.

How can I tell someone who believes so strongly against me, that Jesus is the only way? After all, if they were to look about the media, or in their schools, they would see exactly how wrong Christianity must be. And what grim alternative is it to go from believing in reincarnation, to believing that their current path will lead them to eternal torture. It would seem that it's easiest to keep our mouths shut. The few of us who know what's right will be rewarded, and the rest can pay the debt for not finding it on their own. Another day, another Christian's death.

You know how we do it? You want to know how we can tell them that everything they believe is wrong? They told us to keep quiet. They told us to be 'respectful'. THEY TOLD US TO SIT BACK, AND WATCH THEM DIE! Those people who believe differently have the option of saying, "even though these Christians don't believe what we do, we're all going to be OK in the end". We do not! Without us, without you, these people; these valuable souls, are condemned to Hell forever! As a Christian, you have no choice, you have no moral choice to make as some would have you believe. It is your duty to save souls. We don't do this as a recruitment mission. We don't do this to keep our numbers large enough. We don't do it to keep the Church revenue coming. We do this because anyone with an ounce of heart in them can't watch as someone falls into the underworld, and suffers worse then we can imagine for...for...forever. We do this, not for us; not for our own hearts. We do this for them. We do this out of love. Any pain they may feel on the journey is a necessity in their eternal bliss. Another day, another life.

They said we were wrong.

I will not stand for these lies! I will not let them tell me to be quiet, to be respectful, to sit down and shut up. There's no amount of 'respect' in the world that could justify allowing someone to die and burn. I want to see all of them in heaven with me! Another day of eternal life...

So, how do I answer the question? How can you tell such an unbeliever about Jesus Christ? I tell you I can, only out of love. I love them like my Savior loves me. I can't earn it, I don't deserve it, but I have it. God loves me, and will always love me. He loves them too. There's nothing they could do to change that. I will keep fighting for them, because their souls are just as precious to me as the souls of my Christian friends and family. I love this world. And though I can't say I love what it, and it's media have done to what I believe, I promise I won't ever sit down, quiet down, and be....'respectful'.

Another day, another smile.

~Dave~

Open Q&A 2

2006-09-06T16:03:00.000-04:00

Last year, I hosted a rather successful Q&A Forum, answering any and all questions you all have about our Catholic Faith. After 185 posts (!) the comments and questions finally stopped. Rather than continuing that one, since it's enormous and impossible to wade through anymore, I thought I'd open a new one, here.

So, anyone who reads this, if you want to know about, or know more about Catholicism, ask away. And invite your friends!

God bless
Gregory

The Conscience of a Christian.

2006-09-06T15:38:00.000-04:00

Also known as: The Christian's Manifesto
**********************
Just a note, this piece was written by my buddy, Eric Johnson, who co-writes The Daily Disciple, and writes his own blog at The Righteous and the Wicked. I thought it was a pretty clever parody of The Hacker's Manifesto, so I'm reproducing it here. I'll add some comments at the bottom.
**********************

Another one was killed today; I just got an e-mail about it. "Men to be Killed as Infidels", "Church Leaders Burned for teaching Heresy".
Damn Christians. They're all alike.

But did you, in your secular, apathetic psychology, and Darwinistic mindset, ever take a look into the soul of a Christian? Did you ever wonder what makes them tick? What forces shape them? What may have caused this spur of belief?
I am a Christian, enter my world.
Mine is a world that begins with school... I seem to be the only one who questions the myths of evolution and the Big Bang...
Damn class rebels. They're all alike.

I'm in junior high or high school. I've listened to my World Religion teacher explain that all religions take you to Heaven. "No, Ms. Spencer, I understand. I just disagree".
Damn dogmatic hate-monger. Probably got it from his parents. They're all alike.

I made a discovery today. I found a book. Wait a second, this is cool. It tells about a Creator God, and His Son, Jesus Christ. This guy is an incredible thinker, and he loved me enough to die for my sins. He teaches me how to live my life, and if I disagree with him, it's because I'm not right with God. Not because...
He doesn't like me.
Or He feels threatened by me.
Or thinks I overanalyze the world too much.
Or worries about what people think.
Damn Christian. Takes his reading way to seriously. They're all alike.

And then it happened. A door opened to a new world. Rushing into my soul, like heroin through an addict's veins, an overwhelming peace is sent forth, a refuge from the day to day nothingness, and emptiness I used to face.
"This is it. I knew there was more to life than this."
Damn Christian. He's just trying to get attention. They're all alike.

Damn right we're all alike! We've been spoon-fed the same ridiculous propaganda and dishonesties, when we've hungered for the truth! The miniscule portions of truth you have let us have, have been tainted, and twisted to meet your wretched needs. We've been dominated by Satanists, or ignored by the apathetic. The few that have been willing to stand up and preach this message have been swept under the rug, and labeled as heretics, religious fanatics, or extremists. You remember the death, but forget the message.

This world is a battlefield now...a battle between God the Father, and Satan, the fallen angel. We spread a message of salvation that would be widespread, comprehended, and accepted by most...if the world wasn't run be a bunch of apathetic, humanistic apostates.... And you call use narrow-minded. We search for Truth...and you denounce and invalidate our sense of free thought. We exist throughout races, nationalities, skin colors, and genders...you call us bigoted, chauvinistic, and offensive. You wage wars, design explosives, murder children, and the elderly, cheat, steal, tear apart families, lie to us and try to make us think it is for our own good...yet we're persecuted, hated, forced to denounce our beliefs, and even locked away, as criminals.

Yes, I am a criminal. My crime is that of honesty. My crime is attempting to spread a message that would shake our world to its core, were people able to see past the simple-minded, pleasurable lies that have been forced upon them since the dawn of your reign. My crime is that of finding a way out of meaningless existence, into something much bigger, more powerful, and more beautiful than anything this world could offer, something you could never forgive me for.

I am a Christian, and this is my manifesto. You may stop the individual, but you'll never stop the Truth. After all...we're all alike.

************
Note: This is a Parody of a an article called "The Conscience of a Hacker/The Hacker's Manifesto", written in 1985 by a hacker known as The Mentor. I wrote this, not to antagonize those who read and live by the aforementioned manifesto, but to harness the passion and satire of it, and direct it towards a more deserving target.

The Hacker's Manfesto can be found at: http://www.phrack.org/phrack/7/P07-03

As usual, read and comment.

Your Servant and His,
Eric J.

I love the passion in this. This is the zeal that we all need to have. As you guys go back to school this year, let this Manifesto stick in your heads as a calling to live out. In Christ, you have a huge gift, and He asks you to share it with those around you--to speak the truth, so that they also can leave behind the emptiness that traps them.

While the Church hasn't categorically condemned all forms of evolutionary theory, and the Big Bang was originally a proof for the existence of the Creator, any theory about the origin of the world that leaves God out of it is indeed a myth. Materialistic Evolution (i.e., no God involved) devalues human life. Racism becomes okay because X-inferior-race simply isn't as evolved as Y-superior-race. Violence is permitted, because Might makes Right in the survival of the fittest. There no longer is any objective moral standpoint by which we can measure right and wrong, or even our own worth.

Christ has come to set us free from that relativity, to know the Truth that saves us from our sins, from our oppression, and ultimately, from this dying world. Eric's parody is a call to arms, and we need to answer and bring as many souls with us to Heaven as we can!

God bless.

The Revelation of St. John: Conclusion

2006-09-06T13:05:00.000-04:00

In his book, The Lamb's Supper, Scott Hahn tells the story of how the Ukrainian Christians "discovered" the liturgy:

In 988, Prince Vladimir of Kiev, upon converting to the Gospel, sent emissaries to Constantinople, the capital city of Eastern Christendom. There they witnessed hte Byzantine liturgy in the cathedral of Holy Wisdom, the grandest church of the East. After experiencing the chant, the incense, the icons--but, above all, the Presence--the emissaries sent word to the prince: "We did not know whether we were in heaven or on earth. Never have we seen such beauty.... We cannot describe it, but this much we can say: there God dwells among mankind" (p.115. The quotation is from The Orthodox Church, Timothy Ware. Baltimore, Penguin Books, 1963, p.269).

Throughout our study of the Book of Revelation, we have seen some bizarre sights and symbols, and have done our best, with the aid of the Tradition of the Church, to decipher their meanings. We have seen the destruction of Jerusalem, the persecutions of the Church, and the continual struggle between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of the world and the devil.

But through it all, we have seen most fully the Presence of Christ among His people: The Sacrifical Lamb, constantly presenting His atonement before the Father on our behalf; the Warrior King who fights on behalf of those who faithfully persevere; and the Husband, who lives among His Bride with faithful love.

And His presence has been shown through and accompanied by worship. The continual liturgical worship of Heaven gives glory to God and to His Christ. It is the weapon of the warfare against Satan. And it brings about the judgement of all peoples--do they join in the unending song, or do they shut their ears and hearts, and curse God?

But again, more than the worship of Heaven, Revelation gives us a glimpse at the spiritual reality behind our worship in Sunday Mass. Again, Scott Hahn writes,

If we want to see the liturgy as Prince Vladimir's emissaries saw it, we must learn to see the Apocalypse as the Church sees it. If we want to make sense of the Apocalypse, we have to learn to read it with a sacramental imagination. When we look into these matters once again, now with new eyes of faith, we will see the sense amid the strangeness in the Book of Revelation, we will see the glory hidden in the mundane in next Sunday's Mass.
..Look again and discover that the golden thread of liturgy is what holds together the apocalyptic pearls of John's vision:
Sunday worship.........................1:10
a high priest............................1:13
an altar..................................8:3-4; 11:1; 14:18
priests (presbyteroi)...................4:4; 11:15; 14:3;
...........................................19:4
vestments...............................1:13; 4:4; 6:11;
...........................................7:9; 15:6; 19:13-14
consecrated celibacy...................14:4
lamp stands, or Menorah..............1:12; 2:5
penitence................................ch. 2 and 3
incense...................................5:8; 8:3-5
the book, or scroll......................5:1
the Eucharistic Host....................2:17
chalices..................................15:7; ch. 16; 21:9
the Sign of the Cross (the tau)........7:3; 14:1; 22:4
the Gloria................................15:3-4
the Alleluia...............................19:1, 3, 4, 6
Lift up your hearts......................11:12
the "Holy, Holy, Holy"...................4:8
the Amen................................19:4; 22:21
the "Lamb of God"......................5:6 and throughout
the prominence of the Virgin Mary....12:1-6, 13-17
intercession of angels and saints......5:8; 6:9-10; 8:3-4
devotion to St. Michael, archangel....12:7
antiphonal chants........................4:8-11; 5:9-14;
.............................................7:10-12; 18:1-8
readings from Scripture.................ch. 2-3; 5; 8:2-11
the priesthood of the faithful..........1:6; 20:6
catholicity, or universality..............7:9
silent contemplation.....................8:1
the marriage supper of the Lamb.....19:9, 17
Taken together, these elements comprise much of the Apocalypse--and most of the Mass. Other liturgical elements in Revelation are easier for modern readers to miss. For example, few people today know that trumpets and harps were the standard instruments for liturgical music in John's day, as organs are today in the West. And throughout John's vision, the angels and Jesus pronounce blessings using standard liturgical formulas: "Blessed is he who..." If you go back and read Revelation end to end, you'll also notice that all of God's great historical interventions--plagues, wars, and so on--follow closely upon liturgical actions: hymns, doxologies, libations, incensing.
..Yet, the Mass is not just in selected small details. It's in the grand scheme, too. We can see, for instance, that the Apocalypse, like the Mass, divides rather neatly in half. The first eleven chapters concern themselves with the proclamation of the letters to the seven churches and the opening of the scroll. This emphasis on "readings" makes Part One a close match for the Liturgy of the Word. Significantly, the first three chapters of Revelation mark a sort of Penitential Rite; in the seven letters to the churches, Jesus uses the word "repent" eight times. For me, this recalls the words of the ancient Didache, the liturgical manual of the first century: "first confess your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure." Even John's opening assumes that the book will be read aloud by a lector within the liturgical assembly: "Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear" (Rev 1:3).
..Revelation's second half begins in chapter 11 with the opening of God's temple in heaven, and culminates in the pouring of the seven chalices and the marriage supper of the Lamb. With the opening of heaven, the chalices, and the banquet, Part Two offers a striking image of the Liturgy of the Eucharist (The Lamb's Supper, pp. 118-121).

So we see, amid the symbolism of Revelation, the definite spiritual reality behind the Mass. And we now see, in the Mass, our own place in history: each and every Mass, we present ourselves before the Throne, to find mercy and forgiveness in the eternal sacrifice of Christ, and to be more united with Him when we receive Him in the Eucharist. And we see the power of that encounter, when Heaven and Earth meet, to save souls and conquer the enemy.

Amen; come, Lord Jesus.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all. Amen.

God bless.

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Revelation 22

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22 Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

In Ezekiel 47, verses 1-12, this river is also described, with more detail. It comes from the Temple, in Ezekiel, and is so wide that no one can swim across it. But just as John claims, it gives life, and on its shores, fruits blossom in every season. Since in Revelation, the Temple is the Throne of God and of the Lamb, this River springs directly from them. From the banks of the river grows the Tree of Life, bringing us full-circle through the Bible, right back to Genesis 2:9, where the Tree of Life grew right in the middle of the Garden of Eden. It was so that Adam and Eve could not get to this tree and eat of it to live that God banished them from Eden (Genesis 3:22-24). Now, for His People, who have lived and died for Him, God grants that they may finally eat of that Tree. Liturgically speaking, this Tree is the Cross of Christ, and the fruit of it is the Eucharist, which Jesus promises that those who eat of it will never die, but have eternal life (John 6:54). This truth will be finally consummated at the Heavenly Banquet, but before we enter the City, He offers us His Life-Fruit, for the healing of the nations.

3There shall no more be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall worship him; 4they shall see his face, and his name shall be on their foreheads. 5And night shall be no more; they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they shall reign for ever and ever.

These verses are an allusion to Zechariah 14:1-11, which describe the end judgement. They remind us that nothing impure or unholy can stand before the All-Holy God. Unless we are made perfectly holy, we cannot enter Heaven. This is the reason for Purgatory. It is God's Grace to us yet again, preparing us to truly enter into His presence!

His name shall be on their foreheads: God brands us, owns us, and claims us as His own. He knows us and all who are there are wanted.

6And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place. 7And behold, I am coming soon." Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.
8I John am he who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me; 9but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God."

Jesus gives us His own guarantee that these things are certain. Nothing will change. Nothing will take Him by surprise or catch Him off guard. John once again reminds us of the evil of idolatry--worshipping even God's servants in place of God is sin. Even the most glorious and most perfect of God's servants are still His servants.

10And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11Let the evildoer still do evil, and the filthy still be filthy, and the righteous still do right, and the holy still be holy." 12"Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay every one for what he has done. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." 14Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. 15Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and fornicators and murderers and idolaters, and every one who loves and practices falsehood.

This is a hard passage. Jesus' return is soon, so we should let the sinner keep sinning?! I do not think that is the correct interpretation of those words, for verse 14 says that they are blessed who wash their robes white (through baptism and repentance). However, there is a stern warning in verse 11 that there will come a day when they will fail to hear the words of prophecy and righteousness, and there will come a time when it will be too late to repent. If we are baptised, and remain in a state of Grace, we may eat the Tree of Life (The Eucharist) so that we can enter into the City (Heaven)!

16"I Jesus have sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star."
17The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let him who hears say, "Come." And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price.

Jesus again reminds us who He is, and the Holy Spirit and the Church repeat His promise of Living Water without price. It's not yet too late!

18I warn every one who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if any one adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19and if any one takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

People hesitate to study Revelation, because it is so confusing. The Reformer, Martin Luther, wanted to remove it from Scripture because he said, "A revelation should be revealing." And yet it is revealing! When we take the time to study it with the Church and the Spirit, we see more clearly the full depth and wonder of Jesus, His plan, and His presence--especially in the Mass!

20He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
21The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.

AMEN!

(Return to Introduction | Previous Chapter | Conclusion)

Revelation 21

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21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; 3and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; 4he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away."

Chapter 21 starts off with an allusion to Isaiah 65:17: "For look, I am going to create a new heavens and a new earth, and the past will not be remembered and will come to mind no more." Verse 1 mentions that in the New Heaven and New Earth, there will be no sea. It seems like a random detail, but in the Hebrew mind, the sea is a symbol of chaos, uncertainty, and death. That John (as a fisherman, who had at least twice in the Gospel been rescued by Jesus at sea) mentions it, is a clear indication that its absence is integral to the structure of the New World--one of peace, perfection, order, and life!

The context talks about God's just judgement and those who have served Him will be rewarded with peace, and will forget all the pain that had ever afflicted them. Verse 2 compares the Church to the Bride, the most common image of our relationship with God in the Bible, already seen in Chapter 19. In this new heaven and earth, God will be with His People in a way never before experienced. Verse three and four contain allusions to Ezekiel 37:27, a prophecy of the New and Eternal Covenant that God would make with His People, and which Jesus made with us in the Eucharist (Luke 22:20), as well as an allusion to Isaiah 25:8 (wiping away every tear). Isaiah 25:6-12 is about the Divine Banquet that God's people will come to at the end. Liturgically, again, we are at the Eucharist.

5And he who sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." 6And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment. 7He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son. 8But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death."

In the movie, The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson puts verse 5 into Jesus' mouth when He meets His Mother as He carries His cross. Through Christ's death and resurrection, He has indeed made all things new--and in the end, will complete what He has started! In fact, as verse 6 tells us, from God's perspective, it has indeed already happened! The end of verse 6 is the same promise that Jesus gave in John 7:37-38. Further, He challenges us to press on and conquer, to realise our destinies as sons and daughters of God. All those who fail to hold out, but fall into deadly, mortal sin, will be punished in Hell. This is the flip-side to God's Love. If He was not just in His punishment, He would not truly love those who had faithfully served Him.

9Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, and spoke to me, saying, "Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb." 10And in the Spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed; 13on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

This section begins with an allusion to Ezekiel 40:2, which describes an angel taking Ezekiel to the top of a high mountain in order to show him the New Jerusalem. Ezekiel then describes the New Jerusalem for 9 chapters (40-48) in order to finish his book. John condenses those 9 chapters into half of one, but throughout, the allusions are to that passage. In short, the New Jerusalem, the Bride of Christ, the Church, will be radiant, beautiful, pure, and precious. It will also be vast and perfect.

15And he who talked to me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its breadth; and he measured the city with his rod, twelve thousand stadia; its length and breadth and height are equal. 17He also measured its wall, a hundred and forty-four cubits by a man's measure, that is, an angel's. 18The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, clear as glass. 19The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every jewel; the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, transparent as glass. 22And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine upon it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24By its light shall the nations walk; and the kings of the earth shall bring their glory into it, 25and its gates shall never be shut by day--and there shall be no night there; 26they shall bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27But nothing unclean shall enter it, nor any one who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.

In various versions of Scripture, the gems and the measurements vary. While I do not believe that the exact identity of the gems is entirely relevant, except to say that the New Jerusalem is glorious and priceless, the measurements being 144,000 cubits high does ring as symbolic, referring once again to the perfection of the New Jerusalem (as well as to its inhabitants, recalling the 144,000 witnesses from chapter 7). Unlike Ezekiel's vision, which spends nearly the whole 9 chapters describing the New Temple, John says that there will not even be a Temple, for that will be God the Father and Jesus Himself. And all who are there are there on purpose. They have been listed in the Book of Life! With God, there are no oversights. Only perfection and justice, and peace for ever.

(Return to Introduction | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter)

Revelation 20

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20 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were ended. After that he must be loosed for a little while.

According to the traditional teaching of the Church, this 1000 year period is symbolic of the Church Age--that is, now. Satan, while not destroyed, is hindered from deceiving the nations, as evidenced by the spread of the Church throughout the World. In fact, Christianity is growing more now than it ever has before! Compare this passage with what Jesus says in Luke 10:17-20, right after the 70 disciples return from their missionary journey. Seventy, notably, is the symbolic biblical number representing the totality of the Gentile nations!

4Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom judgment was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their testimony to Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life, and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy is he who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they shall reign with him a thousand years.

Verse 4 contains an allusion to Daniel 7:22, which is the Messianic Judgement, in which Daniel's fourth beast is finally judged. The Beast of Revelation, recall, is a combination of all four of Daniel's beasts.

The 1000 years is again the Church Age. How is this reconciled with talk of first and second resurrections? The key, obviously, is to understand what the first and second resurrection refer to, as well as the first and second death, for they are related. The first resurrection corresponds to the second death, and the second resurrection to the first death.

The first resurrection is our rebirth, where our souls come to life by God's Grace and we enter His Covenant. The Second Death is spiritual death and separation from God for eternity in Hell. While those who are alive in Christ will die physically, they will not die spiritually. Our physical death is the first death, which corresponds to the second resurrection--that of our bodies.

So our first resurrection is our souls coming alive in Christ. This is followed by the first death, that of our bodies. After this, at the end, our bodies will be resurrected and we will come before the final judgement, where if we were partakers of the first resurrection, we have no need to fear the second death.

Those who have received the first resurrection are the Church, who reign with Christ this "1000 years".

7And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be loosed from his prison 8and will come out to deceive the nations which are at the four corners of the earth, that is, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9And they marched up over the broad earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city; but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

At the end of the Church Age, there will be the Great Tribulation that Jesus predicted in Matthew 25:15-25, which was immediately fulfilled by the Sack of Jerusalem, but ultimately is fulfilled here, at the end of time. Gog and Magog were the enemies that God overcame in Ezekiel 38 (and in the last chapter, the references to Ezekiel 39 were to the triumph over Gog and Magog). God is the one who fights the battle against these figures, representative of the power of the world led by Satan. This final rebellion results in Satan's ultimate defeat.

11Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it; from his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Also another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done.

In the presence of Almighty God, nothing else seems to exist, let alone have any relevance, hence the earth and sky fled away. There are no more hiding places and no more excuses. Rather, the books are laid open (an allusion to Daniel 7:10). These books contain the written account of all our deeds, which form the basis of our judgement. Further to that, another book was opened, the Lamb's book of life. This book is the one mentioned in Revelation 13:8, about which it says that those who worship the beast are those who are not in this Book of Life. Some translations of Rev. 13:8 make the statement that the names written in this Book were there from the foundation of the world, while others make the claim that the Lamb was slain from the foundation of the world. The Church accepts both teachings.

This Book, therefore, is the Roll of those who have been predestined to Grace. It raises the age-old question of "Does God predestine everything, or do we have free will?" The Catholic Church, again, teaches both, that God predestines, but does so in a way that leaves our will free to choose. It is a mystery, along with how is One God, three separate persons?

However, the important thing to note is that we are judged by our deeds, which we are responsible for. In that mysterious way, we will deserve the judgement that we receive, which will also be corroborated by the Book of Life. This is why Revelation 13:10 stresses that "the saints must have perseverance and faith."

13And the sea gave up the dead in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead in them, and all were judged by what they had done. 14Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire; 15and if any one's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

God's just judgement is completed, and even Death and Hades are destroyed by the second death. How can Hell (the second death) destroy Hades (commonly understood to be Hell)? I think, rather, Hades refers to the state of separation from God that precedes the final resurrection, where souls before the resurrection go that are not saved, whereas the second death refers to that place where the resurrected bodies of those who are not saved end up.

Let us rejoice in God's justice and love for us, and strive to continue in that love and in His Grace.

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Revelation 19

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19 After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2for his judgments are true and just; he has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants." 3Once more they cried, "Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever." 4And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who is seated on the throne, saying, "Amen. Hallelujah!"

This comes immediately after the destruction of "Babylon" described in the 17th and 18th chapters. Verse 3 contains an allusion to Isaiah 34:10, which prophesies the destruction of Edom, one of Israel's many enemies. The Babylon of the last two chapters is the enemy of the New Jerusalem, and so that New Jerusalem, the Church, rejoices in her destruction.

Keeping with the notion that Revelation is a spiritual look at the Liturgy, verse 4 brings us to the Great Amen that we sing out just before praying the Our Father and receiving Communion.

5And from the throne came a voice crying, "Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great." 6Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 7Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure"--for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are true words of God." 10Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God." For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Verse 5 ends with an allusion to Psalm 115:13: you who fear him, small and great. Psalm 115 is a poem that exults in the reality and power of God, and derides idols and their worship, reminding us again of the crimes of Babylon, and reminding us that we must fear God alone. Vv. 7-9 bring us right up, liturgically, to the main event: The Eucharist--the Marriage Supper of the Lamb! Notably, the Bride, the Church, is clothed in white, which represents purity. She is robed so because of the deeds of the saints: a reminder again to persevere in holiness. Verse 10 once again highlights the theme of combating idolatry.

11Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems; and he has a name inscribed which no one knows but himself. 13He is clad in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, followed him on white horses. 15From his mouth issues a sharp sword with which to smite the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron; he will tread the wine press of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16On his robe and on his thigh he has a name inscribed, King of kings and Lord of lords.

The coming of Christ! Just as we see Him at the beginning of Revelation, so He comes at the end, triumphant and in power! The Scriptural allusions in this section, in vv. 11, 13, 15, and 16, are from Isaiah 11:4; 63:1; and Psalm 2:9. They serve to show that this person is indeed the Messiah.

Christ comes among us in the Eucharist no less powerfully, though perhaps less dynamically. The Eucharist is our key weapon in the combat against the World, the Flesh, and the Devil. Those who persevere fight with Christ, dressed, as He is, in white.

This isn't "at the end of the world" necessarily. This is Now! Christ is among us now! Yet, also, He will come again in glory at the End.

17Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and with a loud voice he called to all the birds that fly in midheaven, "Come, gather for the great supper of God, 18to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all men, both free and slave, both small and great."

The end of verse 17, and beginning of verse 18 are an allusion to Ezekiel 39:17. The allusion is completed in verse 21 of this chapter, which alludes to Ez 39:20. It is a reference to God's final defeat of Israel's enemies, and His showing His glory to the whole world.

19And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who sits upon the horse and against his army. 20And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulphur. 21And the rest were slain by the sword of him who sits upon the horse, the sword that issues from his mouth; and all the birds were gorged with their flesh.

This is it! The huge climactic battle of Revelation--the whole World verses the Church with Christ. You'd think there'd be more to it, but victory is a given when you're with God!

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Revelation 18

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18 After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority; and the earth was made bright with his splendor. 2And he called out with a mighty voice, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! It has become a dwelling place of demons, a haunt of every foul spirit, a haunt of every foul and hateful bird; 3for all nations have drunk the wine of her impure passion, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have grown rich with the wealth of her wantonness."

The dirges sung over Babylon the great are drawn from the prophetic indictments against proud cities, especially Jeremiah 50-51; Ezekiel 26-28; and Isaiah 47.

4Then I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues; 5for her sins are heaped high as heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6Render to her as she herself has rendered, and repay her double for her deeds; mix a double draught for her in the cup she mixed. 7As she glorified herself and played the wanton, so give her a like measure of torment and mourning. Since in her heart she says, 'A queen I sit, I am no widow, mourning I shall never see,' 8so shall her plagues come in a single day, pestilence and mourning and famine, and she shall be burned with fire; for mighty is the Lord God who judges her."

When Rome invaded and destroyed Jerusalem, no Christians were harmed, because they had come out of her, as Jesus had instructed them in Matthew 24:15-22.

9And the kings of the earth, who committed fornication and were wanton with her, will weep and wail over her when they see the smoke of her burning; 10they will stand far off, in fear of her torment, and say,
Alas! alas! thou great city,
thou mighty city, Babylon!
In one hour has thy judgment come.
11And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn for her, since no one buys their cargo any more, 12cargo of gold, silver, jewels and pearls, fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet, all kinds of scented wood, all articles of ivory, all articles of costly wood, bronze, iron and marble, 13cinnamon, spice, incense, myrrh, frankincense, wine, oil, fine flour and wheat, cattle and sheep, horses and chariots, and slaves, that is, human souls.
14"The fruit for which thy soul longed has gone from thee, and all thy dainties and thy splendor are lost to thee, never to be found again!"
15The merchants of these wares, who gained wealth from her, will stand far off, in fear of her torment, weeping and mourning aloud,
16Alas, alas, for the great city
that was clothed in fine linen, in purple and scarlet,
bedecked with gold, with jewels, and with pearls!
17In one hour all this wealth has been laid waste.
And all shipmasters and seafaring men, sailors and all whose trade is on the sea, stood far off 18and cried out as they saw the smoke of her burning, "What city was like the great city?" 19And they threw dust on their heads, as they wept and mourned, crying out,
Alas, alas, for the great city
where all who had ships at sea
grew rich by her wealth!
In one hour she has been laid waste.

Fascinatingly, her once-allies and consorts stand afar off, mourning, not so much for her, but for the loss of her wealth and power that they participated in.

20"Rejoice over her, O heaven, O saints and apostles and prophets, for God has given judgment for you against her!"

We are instructed to rejoice in her judgement, because God has judged truly and righteously. The evil that she has done against the saints has been requited, and God has displayed His justice.

21Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying,
So shall Babylon the great city
be thrown down with violence,
and shall be found no more;
22and the sound of harpers and minstrels,
of flute players and trumpeters,
shall be heard in thee no more;
and a craftsman of any craft shall be found in thee no more;
and the sound of the millstone shall be heard in thee no more;
23and the light of a lamp shall shine in thee no more;
and the voice of bridegroom and bride
shall be heard in thee no more;
for thy merchants were the great men of the earth,
and all nations were deceived by thy sorcery.
24And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints,
and of all who have been slain on earth.

Jerusalem, Babylon the great city has been judged for her treason against God's covenants and the killings of the prophets and the saints. God uses the very beast she has ridden and allied herself with, to bring about her ruin. The beast, though, continues its persecutions of God's people, and finally comes to wage war against Christ Himself, and it too will be destroyed.

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Revelation 17

2006-09-01T16:14:00.001-04:00

17 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who is seated upon many waters, 2with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and with the wine of whose fornication the dwellers on earth have become drunk." 3And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. 4The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and bedecked with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication; 5and on her forehead was written a name of mystery: "Babylon the great, mother of harlots and of earth's abominations." 6And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. When I saw her I marveled greatly. 7But the angel said to me, "Why marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her.

We come here to the description of the downfall of Babylon the great, mother of harlots. In the Old Testament, Babylon was the epitome of evil nations, having conquered and led Judea into exile in 586 BC. Babylon, however, by John's day, no longer existed. Hence, John is using the term figuratively. So what is the identity of Babylon, and what is the beast she is described as riding?

8The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is to ascend from the bottomless pit and go to perdition; and the dwellers on earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will marvel to behold the beast, because it was and is not and is to come.
9This calls for a mind with wisdom: the seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman is seated; 10they are also seven kings, five of whom have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come, and when he comes he must remain only a little while. 11As for the beast that was and is not, it is an eighth but it belongs to the seven, and it goes to perdition.

The Beast we recall from chapter 13 as the spirit behind corrupt political empires. Here, it is narrowed down a little bit more, with the seven heads referring both to seven hills, and to seven kings. The Seven Hills suggest the Seven Hills of Ancient Rome, and the kings its Caesars--probably to those especially that persecuted the Christians: Nero, Domitian, Trajan, Decius, Valerian, and Diocletian. The seventh, who is still to come, could refer to another in the line, or, more likely, to the final Anti-Christ. Hence, in the final analysis, the Beast immediately relates to Rome, but just as in chapter 13, cannot be confined to it. The final persecution (the great tribulation) will be in the same spirit as the Neronic persecution that killed Sts. Peter and Paul.

12And the ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received royal power, but they are to receive authority as kings for one hour, together with the beast. 13These are of one mind and give over their power and authority to the beast; 14they will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful."

These ten kings are vassal kings under Rome, who work in allegiance to it. They are mentioned also in Daniel 7:24.

15And he said to me, "The waters that you saw, where the harlot is seated, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues. 16And the ten horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the harlot; they will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire, 17for God has put it into their hearts to carry out his purpose by being of one mind and giving over their royal power to the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled. 18And the woman that you saw is the great city which has dominion over the kings of the earth."

Here we come to the woman. Above, she is described as committing fornication with the kings of the earth. Throughout the Old Testament, and especially in Ezekiel 16, harlotry is metaphorically used as violating God's covenant to commit idolatry. She is described as being dressed in royal garments and decked with wealth, referring to her power and commerce under Rome's authority. She is seated on the beast, Rome, indicating her alliance. Together with the beast, she persecutes the saints and martyrs of Jesus. Finally, she is described as the great city, and throughout Revelation, there is only one "great city." Chapter 11 identifies it as Jerusalem.

Rome and its allies did indeed turn on Jerusalem, and utterly destroyed it with fire. They will make her desolate and naked, and devour her flesh, an allusion to the fate of Jerusalem in Ezekiel 16:39, because of her harlotries described there.

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Revelation 16

2006-09-01T16:08:00.000-04:00

16 Then I heard a loud voice from the temple telling the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of the wrath of God."
2So the first angel went and poured his bowl on the earth, and foul and evil sores came upon the men who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
3The second angel poured his bowl into the sea, and it became like the blood of a dead man, and every living thing died that was in the sea.4The third angel poured his bowl into the rivers and the fountains of water, and they became blood. 5And I heard the angel of water say, "Just art thou in these thy judgments, thou who art and wast, O Holy One. 6For men have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink. It is their due!" 7And I heard the altar cry, "Yea, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are thy judgments!"

The Seven Bowl Judgements begin, causing plagues on the earth that are reminiscent of the 10 Plagues with which God struck Egypt to free the Israelites (Exodus ch. 7-12). The angel and the martyrs (under the altar, see chapter 6) proclaim God's justice in His judgements and celebrate His triumph over evil.

8The fourth angel poured his bowl on the sun, and it was allowed to scorch men with fire; 9men were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues, and they did not repent and give him glory.
10The fifth angel poured his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was in darkness; men gnawed their tongues in anguish 11and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores, and did not repent of their deeds.

God's judgements continue, but note, through it all, God's mercy: though the people refuse to repent of their wickedness, John's mentioning that fact tells us that even now, they still have the chance to. Instead, unlike Job, who suffered similarly but refused to "curse God and die," but "in all this misfortune Job uttered no sinful word" (Job 2:9-10, NJB), rather, the people do in fact [curse] the name of God rather than give Him glory.

12The sixth angel poured his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. 13And I saw, issuing from the mouth of the dragon and from the mouth of the beast and from the mouth of the false prophet, three foul spirits like frogs; 14for they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty. 15("Lo, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is he who is awake, keeping his garments that he may not go naked and be seen exposed!") 16And they assembled them at the place which is called in Hebrew Armageddon.

The sixth judgement is that the Euphrates dries up to make a highway for the world's armies to come together to fight against God. At first, this does not seem like a judgement or a plague, but realise that a) all things are in God's plan, and b) the nations who come together will not only surely lose (who can fight against God?) but in their act of war against Him will seal their fate and show God's justice to be altogether true.

Satan and the two beasts send forth evil spirits to rally the troops. Even in this, they are not achieving anything against God, but playing right into His hand. They meet at the place called Armageddon, which is a symbol for disaster since the good King Josiah was killed there in 2 Kings 23:29). Satan is no fool. He knows his fate (John recorded it in this very book!), and he will try to take as many souls down with him when he goes. This is why spreading the Gospel throughout the world is so incredibly important.

17The seventh angel poured his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple, from the throne, saying, "It is done!" 18And there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder, and a great earthquake such as had never been since men were on the earth, so great was that earthquake. 19The great city was split into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell, and God remembered great Babylon, to make her drain the cup of the fury of his wrath. 20And every island fled away, and no mountains were to be found; 21and great hailstones, heavy as a hundred-weight, dropped on men from heaven, till men cursed God for the plague of the hail, so fearful was that plague.

The seventh plague comes, and it is beyond anything we've ever seen. Such as had never been since men were on the earth: an allusion to Daniel 11:40-12:1:
When the time comes for the End, the king of the south will try conclusions with him; but the king of the north will come storming down on him with chariots, calvary, and a large fleet. He will invade countries, overrun them and drive on. He will invade the Land of Splendour, and many will fall; but Edom, Moab, and what remains of the sons of Ammon will escape him.
He will reach out to attack countries: Egypt will not escape him. The gold and silver treasures and all the valuables of Egypt will lie in his power. Libyans and Cushites will be at his feet: but reports coming from the East and the north will worry him, and in great fury he will set out to bring ruin and complete destruction to many. He will pitch the tents of his royal headquarters between the sea and the mountains of the Holy Splendour. Yet he will come to his end--there will be no help for him.
At that time Michael will arise--the great Prince, defender of your people. That will be a time of great distress, unparalleled since nations first came into existence. When that time comes, your own people will be spared--all those whose names are found written in the Book (NJB).
Daniel's prophecy refers to the persecution and downfall of Antiochus Epiphanes, one of Israel's greatest enemies, and a prefigurement of the AntiChrist. Hence, John's allusion to this passage sets up both the climactic battle, and the ultimate defeat, of the Dragon and his Beasts.

But first, John mentions that God remembered great Babylon, to make her drain the cup of the fury of his wrath. The next two chapters relate the identity and punishment of Babylon.

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Revelation 15

2006-09-01T16:03:00.000-04:00

15 Then I saw another portent in heaven, great and wonderful, seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended. 2And I saw what appeared to be a sea of glass mingled with fire, and those who had conquered the beast and its image and the number of its name, standing beside the sea of glass with harps of God in their hands. 3And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
Great and wonderful are thy deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are thy ways,
O King of the ages!
4Who shall not fear and glorify thy name, O Lord?
For thou alone art holy.
All nations shall come and worship thee,
for thy judgments have been revealed.

This brings us to the beginning of the end: the Seven Bowl Judgements. These are the final element of God's justice on the world. Those who have overcome the evils in this world praise God for His justice. The Song of Moses: Sung in Exodus 15, after the Egyptian Army has been destroyed by God at the Red Sea, celebrates God's deliverance of the Israelites. However, this hymn that John records is actually from Jeremiah 10:7 and Psalm 86:9, which in context celebrate the True God over false idols (Jeremiah 10) and His victory over enemies (Psalm 86).

5After this I looked, and the temple of the tent of witness in heaven was opened, 6and out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, robed in pure bright linen, and their breasts girded with golden girdles. 7And one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God who lives for ever and ever; 8and the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were ended.

God again reveals His glory in the Temple, an allusion to 1 Kings 8, when Solomon has built the Temple, and brings the Ark into it. In verse 10, God's glory fills the Temple so thickly that, according to verse 11, the priests are unable to perform their duties because of God's Glory.

At the End, God's presence will be so thick with us, that there will be no denying Him, but everyone will have an awareness of Who He Is, and that His Judgements are true and just.

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Revelation 14

2006-09-01T15:57:00.000-04:00

14 Then I looked, and lo, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. 2And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpers playing on their harps, 3and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from the earth. 4It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are chaste; it is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes; these have been redeemed from mankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, 5and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are spotless.

Here we have again the 144,000 people from Revelation 7:1-8. There, they were described as having been "seal[ed] on the foreheads," an allusion to Ezekiel 9:4, and a reference to the Sign of the Cross. Here in chapter 14, that seal is again mentioned, described this time as having the Lamb's name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. Again, this clearly represents the Sign of the Cross, as when at baptism and confirmation, and even when we make the Sign of the Cross in our prayers, we say "In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" as we mark ourselves (or are marked by the priest) with the cross. More is revealed about these redeemed ones--it is only they who learn the New Song, they are consecrated to virginity, they always follow the Lamb, they do not lie and are pure, and they have been redeemed as the "firstfruits" for God. This is an allusion to Jeremiah 2:2-3, and identifies this group as the New Israel, under the New Covenant.

Liturgically, their consecration to celibacy is striking, as it was a rarity in John's time, in the Middle East. Yet we find it plentifully in the Catholic Priesthood and Religious.

6Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; 7and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the fountains of water."

Again, with God's just judgement, there is an opportunity to repent, and be saved. His Mercy is always present.

8Another angel, a second, followed, saying, "Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who made all nations drink the wine of her impure passion."
9And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If any one worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10he also shall drink the wine of God's wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and he shall be tormented with fire and sulphur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever; and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name." 12Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. 13And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth." "Blessed indeed," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!"

V. 8: We'll discuss the identity and fall of Babylon when she reappears in chapters 17 and 18.

Those who have betrayed God and taken the Mark of the Beast are to be punished. They have made their choice with full knowledge, and there is no going back. Sadly, it is eternal punishment for them. This is why we as Christians must continue to endure, and never turn our backs on Christ.

Those who have died in Christ, at this point, are called blessed, because they can rest (a contrast to those "stalled in the sixth day" of work, as Scott Hahn writes about those who take the mark of the beast, in chapter 13). They are blessed especially because their good deeds which they have done go with them into Heaven.

14Then I looked, and lo, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat upon the cloud, "Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe." 16So he who sat upon the cloud swung his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped.
17And another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18Then another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has power over fire, and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, "Put in your sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe." 19So the angel swung his sickle on the earth and gathered the vintage of the earth, and threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God; 20and the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood flowed from the wine press, as high as a horse's bridle, for one thousand six hundred stadia.

This is a fascinating passage. Liturgically, as I've said, we have entered the Liturgy of the Eucharist. This passage, then, could be interpreted as the "Bringing of the Gifts", when the bread and the wine are brought forth to be consecrated. This scene is described throughout with the metaphor of harvesting the wheat and preparing the wine.

What is striking about it, though, is that the "wheat" and the "wine", are those on the earth who are to be judged! Rather than the familiar Eucharistic imagery, we are presented with a rather violent scene. But as we mentioned in Chapter 5, the Mass is a Court of Justice for us. We find forgiveness and the renewal of the Covenant through the Eucharist; but for those who refuse to repent, the Eucharist is also a punishment. In 1 Corinthians 11:28-32, St. Paul tells us,
Everyone is to examine himself and only hten eat of the bread or drink of the cup; because a person who eats and drinks without recognising the body is eating and drinking his own condemnation. That is why many of you are weak and ill and a good number have died. If we are critical of ourselves we would not be condemned, but when we are judged by the Lord, we are corrected by the Lord to save us from being condemned along with the world (NJB).
Mass is serious business. Jesus Himself is present in the Eucharist. We must persevere in a right relationship with Him, and approach Him with due honour.

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Revelation 13

2006-08-26T15:06:00.000-04:00

13 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems upon its horns and a blasphemous name upon its heads. 2And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. 3One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth followed the beast with wonder. 4Men worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?" 5And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months; 6it opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and tongue and nation, 8and all who dwell on earth will worship it, every one whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain. 9If any one has an ear, let him hear: 10If any one is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if any one slays with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

For this chapter, I defer to Scott Hahn's descriptions of the beasts and the Mark of the Beast, and will add my own comments only sparingly.
THE FIRST BEAST
..Unsuccessful in his assaults on the woman and her son, the dragon returns to attack her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. The dragon summons his own seed, two dreadful beasts. Oddly enough, amid all the hopeful and awe-inspiring images of the Apocalypse, these hideous monsters seem to spark the most interest. Moviemakers and televangelists dwell longer, by far, on 666 than on the glassy sea or the Lion of Judah.
..I feel an urgency to impress upon you the reality of the beasts. They are symbols, but they're not just symbols. They are real spiritual beings, members of the satanic "lowerarchy," demonic persons who have controlled and corrupted the political destiny of nations. John describes two ugly beasts. But I believe the beasts he saw were much more horrible than his description.
..In much of Revelation--but especially chapters 4 and 5--John describes the realities behind the Mass. Now, he does the same with sin and evil. Just as our actions in the liturgy are united with unseen heavenly things, so are our sinful deeds attached to infernal wickedness. In the Mass, what does God want to make us? A kingdom of priests who reign through their sacrificial offerings. On the other hand, what does Satan want to accomplish through the beasts? He wants to subvert God's plan by corrupting both kingdom and priesthood. Thus, John shows us, first, the demon that corrupts government authority, the state. Next, he reveals the demon of corrupt religious authority.
..First beasts first: from the sea arises a hideous seven-headed, ten-horned monster, a terrifying combination of leopard, lion, and bear. The horns symbolise power; the diadems (or crowns), kingship. Both its power and its kingship it receives from the dragon. We would err, however, if we identified this beast with monarchy in general. No, the beast represents corrupt political authority of any sort.
..It's tempting, too, to identify the beast exclusively with Rome, or with the Herodian dynasty that Rome maintained in the Holy Land. Certainly the Rome of John's day typified the sort of government represented by the beast. But the beast itself does not allow for such a simple identification. It's actually a combination of all four of the beasts from a vision of the Old Testament prophet Daniel (see Dan 7). I follow the Church Fathers, who saw Daniel's beasts pointing to four gentile empires: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome--all of whom persecuted God's people before the Messiah's coming.
..Revelation's seven-headed beast, then, stands for all corrupted political power. For it's a human impulse to look upon the power of the state as the greatest power on earth and say, like the people in the Apocalypse, "Who can fight against it?" Out of fear for this power--or desire for a piece of the action--people constantly compromise themselves and worship the dragon and the beast. History's most blatant example of a human institution usurping God's prerogatives is Rome and its Caesars. They literally demanded the worship that belongs to God alone. And they made war on the saints, instigating bloody persecutions of those who would not worship the emperor.
..Again, however, I must emphasize that the beast is not only Rome, or Rome's puppet, the Herodians. The beast refers also to any corrupt government, any state that puts itself above God's covenant order. More than that, the beast represents the corrupting spiritual force behind these institutions. (The Lamb's Supper, pp. 80-82.)
Before we move on, I just wanted to briefly comment on verse 8. All the world will worship this first beast, except those who are written in the Lamb's book of Life. According to the RSV used here, as well as the New Jerusalem Bible that I use, tell us that those whose names are in the Sacrificial Lamb's book of life, have been recorded since before the foundation of the world, emphasising the soveriegn election of God, who has predestined them to grace. However, other translations, such as the King James Version and the Douay-Rheims, read "And all that dwell upon the earth adored him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb which was slain from the beginning of the world" (D-R), emphasising the eternal sacrifice of the Lamb (from heaven's perspective). This is also the wording that St. Jerome used in the Latin Vulgate, and the way that the words themselves are ordered in the original Greek. As such, we have a double truth here: God has predestined many to receive His Grace, and those who persevere in that have no need to fear the Beast (verse 10). Second, Christ's sacrifice is eternal, extending before the past began and beyond the end of time. This is why John portrays Him throughout Revelation as the Slain Lamb. And this is how, in the Eucharist, we are participating in that selfsame sacrifice on the Cross, represented to us in the Mass!

11Then I saw another beast which rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. 13It works great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of men; 14and by the signs which it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast, it deceives those who dwell on earth, bidding them make an image for the beast which was wounded by the sword and yet lived; 15and it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast should even speak, and to cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. 16Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.
18This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six.

Again, Scott Hahn writes about the Second Beast:
THE SECOND BEAST
..This beast comes from the earth and has horns like a lamb. The lamb imagery is jarring, as we've come by now to associate it with sacred things. John's use of it, I believe, is intentional, for I believe that this beast is meant to suggest the corrupted priesthood in first-century Jerusalem.
..The initial clue is that this beast comes out of "the earth," which in the original Greek could also mean "the land" or "the country," as opposed to "the sea," which brings forth the gentile beasts (see Dan 7). Further, John was likely bearing witness to the ultimate compromise of priestly authority, which had occurred only a few years before. In a dramatic historical moment, religious authority had given its allegiance to corrupt government authority instead of God. Jesus, the Lamb of God, High King and High Priest, stood before Pontius Pilate and the chief priests of the Jews. Pilate said to the Jews, "Here is your king!" They cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!" Pilate replied, "Shall I crucify your king?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar" (see Jn 19:15). Indeed, it was the high priest himself, Caiaphas, who first spoke of Jesus' sacrifice as politically "expedient" for the people (see Jn 11:47-52).
..So they rejected Christ and elevated Caesar. They rejected the Lamb and worshiped the beast. Certainly Caesar was the government's ruler and as such deserved respect (see Lk 20:21-25). But Caesar wanted more than respect. He demanded sacrificial worship, which the chief priests gave him when they handed over the Lamb of God.
..The beast resembles a lamb in some superficial features. We see that everything he does is in mimicry and mockery of the Lamb's saving work. The Lamb stands as though it had been slain; the beast receives a mortal wound, but recovers. God enthrones the Lamb; the dragon enthrones the beast. Those who worship the Lamb receive His sign on hteir foreheads (Rev 7:2-4); those who worship the beast wear the mark of the beast.
..Which brings us to the difficult question: What is the mark of the beast? John tells us that it is the name of the beast, or the number of its name. What is that? John answers in a riddle: "This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six" (Rev 13:18).
..One one level, the number may represent the Roman Emperor Nero, whose name transliterated into Hebrew indeed has the value 666. Yet there are many other, or additional, possibilities. Consider that 666 was the number of gold talents King Solomon required from the nations yearly (see 1 Kgs 10). Consider also that Solomon was the first priest-king since Melchizedek (see Ps 110). Moreover, John says that discerning the identity of the beast "calls for wisdom," which some interpreters have seen as another reference to Solomon, who was renowned for his wisdom.
..Finally, 666 can be interpreted as a degredation of the number seven, which, in Israel's tradition, represented perfection, holiness, and the covenant. The seventh day, for example, was declared holy by God and set aside for rest and worship. Work was done in six days; it was sanctified, however, in the sacrificial worship represented by the seventh day. The number "666," then, represents a man stalled in the sixth day, serving the beast who concerns himself with buying and selling (see Rev 13:17) without rest for worship. Though work is holy, it becomes evil when man refuses to offer it to God.
..Yet we should be clear about something. This interpretation should not lead any Christian to justify anti-Semitism. The Book of Revelation overwhelmingly demonstrates the dignity of Israel--its Temple, its prophets, its covenants. The Apocalypse should rather lead us to a greater appreciation for our heritage in Israel--and to a sober consideration of our own accountability before God. How well are we living according to our covenant with God? How faithful are we to our priesthood? The book stands as a warning to all of us.
..The beastly message is this: we are fighting spiritual forces: immense depraved, malevolent forces. If we had to fight them alone, we'd be trounced. But here's good news: there is a way we can hope to overcome. The solution has to match the problem, spiritual force for spiritual force, immense beauty for immense ugliness, holiness for depravity, love for malevolence. The solution is the Mass, when heaven touches down to save an earth under siege. (The Lamb's Supper, pp. 82-85)
Amen!

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Revelation 12

2006-08-26T14:59:00.000-04:00

11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
12And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery.

Here we have a startling development! Liturgically, we move into the Liturgy of the Eucharist, preceded by the blowing of the Seventh Trumpet. John sees the Heavenly Sanctuary open, and, wonder of wonders, there is the Ark of the Covenant, displayed with lightning and thunder! Perhaps to us, the significance is lost, but this Ark was the most holy relique in all of Judaism. But it had not been seen in more than 500 years, because at the time of the Babylonian Captivity, the prophet Jeremiah had hidden it away in the wilderness (2 Maccabees 2:1-8). "The place is to remain unknown," he said, "unitl God gathers his people together again and shows them his mercy" (v.7, NJB). As such, St. John's revelation of the Ark of the Covenant is of monumental importance, and yet, he seems to spend just one verse on it before changing the subject entirely.

The truth is, he does not change the subject at all, in turning his attention to The Woman. The Ark seen in Heaven, and the woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars are one and the same. Who is this Woman? John describes her as pregnant and in labour, later saying that she gives birth to a child who would rule the nations with an iron sceptre--a Messianic reference to Psalm 2:9. The Child, then, is Jesus. The Woman is His Mother, Mary. Scott Hahn writes:
...When John describes the woman, he is describing the ark--of the New Covenant. And who is the woman? She is the one who gives birth to the male child Who will rule the nations. The child is Jesus; His mother is Mary.
What made the original ark so holy? Not the gold that coated the outside, but hte Ten Commandments inside--the Law that had been inscribed by the finger of God on tablets of stone. What else was inside? Manna, the miracle bread that fed the people in thier pilgrimage through the wasteland; Aaron's rod that blossomed as a sign of his office as high priest (see Nm 17).
What makes the new ark holy? The old ark contained the word of God written in stone; Mary contained in her womb the Word of God Who became man and dwelt among us. The ark contained manna; Mary contained the living bread come down from heaven. The ark contained the rod of the high priest Aaron; Mary's womb contained the eternal high priest, Jesus Christ. In the heavenly temple, the Word of God is Jesus, and the ark in whom He resides is Mary, His mother. (The Lamb's Supper, pp. 77-78)
We are briefly seeing the Heavenly perspective on Salvation History from Christmas onward.

3And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. 4His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth; 5she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

The Dragon is Satan. seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads represent his pretentions to perfection, completeness, and authority. The third of the stars of heaven represent the angelic warriors who rebelled with Satan. Verses 5-6 recall the ancient first prophecy of the Messiah in Genesis 3:15:
'I shall put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
it wiil bruise your head
and you will strike its heel' (NJB).
Satan's plans to destroy the Messiah fail, ultimately resulting in his own destruction, while the Child and the Woman are kept safe.

7Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12Rejoice then, O heaven and you that dwell therein! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!"

Going back to the Ark of the Covenant parallel for just a moment, historically, according to the Old Testament, the priests would carry the Ark into battle, and God would fight for His people. Here again we see the Ark in the context of war--the greatest of wars, between Heaven and Hell. Michael, the defender of Israel, and his heavenly armies route Satan and his legions, and cast them out of Heaven. This is not simply "Heaven" as in God's Home, but the Kingdom of Heaven, the Church. While we still must persevere in fighting against Satan and evil, the victory is won, and God has the Kingdom, Christ has the power, and we have the duty to spread that Kingdom throughout the earth. The Battle was won through by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. We must persevere in that victory.

13And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had borne the male child. 14But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. 15The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood. 16But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon had poured from his mouth. 17Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.

Having been defeated by God and His armies, Satan turns his attentions to the Church, trying to destroy the woman (but all of nature is at God's command, and He fights for us), and to her offspring: those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. We are the sons and daughters of Mary. Scott Hahn again writes:
Others object that the woman cannot be Mary because the woman in Revelation has other offspring, and the Church teaches that Mary was perpetually virgin. But Scripture often uses the term "offspring" (in Greek, sperma to describe one's spiritual descendants. The children of Mary, her spiritual offspring, are those "who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus (Rev 12:17). We are the other offspring of the woman. We are the children of Mary.
Thus Revelation also portrays Mary as the "New Eve," mother of all the living. I the Garden of Eden, God promised to "put enmity" between Satan, the ancient serpent, and Eve--and between Satan's "seed and her seed" (Gen 3:15). Now, in the Apocalypse, we see the climax of this enmity. The seed of the new woman, Mary, is the male son, Jesus Christ, Who comes to defeat the serpent (in Hebrew, the same word, nahash, can apply to both dragon and serpent).
This is the overwhelming teaching of the Fathers, Doctors, saints and popes of the Church, both ancient and modern. It is the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (see no. 1138).... Pope St. Pius X spoke eloquently for the Tradition in his encyclical letter Ad Diem Illum Laetissimum:
Everyone knows that this woman signified the Virgin Mary.... John therefore saw the Most Holy Mother of God already in eternal happiness, yet travailing in a mysterious childbirth. What childbirth was it? Surely it was the birth of us who, still in exile, are yet to be generated to the perfect charity of God, and to eternal happiness.
(The Lamb's Supper pp.79-80.)

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Revelation 11

2006-08-24T18:50:00.000-04:00

11 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told: "Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months. 3And I will grant my two witnesses power to prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." 4These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth. 5And if any one would harm them, fire pours out from their mouth and consumes their foes; if any one would harm them, thus he is doomed to be killed. 6They have power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. 7And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit will make war upon them and conquer them and kill them, 8and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which is allegorically called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9For three days and a half men from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.

Those who date the book of Revelation as preceding the Fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 tend to do so primarily based on verse 1 of this chapter, saying that if the temple had been destroyed, John would not have been able to measure it. However, these people seem to me to fail to take into account the fact that, according to John himself, he was exiled on the Island of Patmos, and would not have been able to measure the Temple, anyway.

Again, though, John uses the Sack of Jerusalem as a type of the end judgement of the world. The two witnesses mentioned have sparked much debate, as to their identities. John suggests their identities by the powers that are attributed to them--turning water into blood and calling down plagues: Moses. Shutting up the sky and calling down fire from heaven: Elijah. These together testify to the sins of the world and the just judgement of God. Verse 4 calls them the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth, an allusion to Zechariah 4:1-14.

Moses and Elijah (who appear talking to Jesus during His transfiguration, Matthew 17), typify the Law and the Prophets. Thus, their appearance and witness are not specifically literal, especially in the case of the original sack of Jerusalem. However, the Scriptural warnings about keeping the Law contianed in their Scriptures, which they forsook when they rejected and killed the Messiah, proclaimed to them the just judgement they received. Will Moses and Elijah literally return in the end times? That remains to be seen. However, it seems likely that they will, somehow (they did, after all, appear with Jesus). It says that the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit will war with them and kill them. We will meet this beast in chapter 13. The deaths of the two witnesses are met with celebration and rejoicing that almost resembles Christmas! The world believes that the destruction of the Word of God brings freedom, and Satan counterfeits true joy. John calls the city where they are killed by the symbolic names of Sodom and Egypt--two great historic cities that were in opposition to God's plan, and so were judged. Then John lets us know the literal identity of the city, as being where Jesus was crucified. The indictment is that Jerusalem itself had opposed God's plan in killing the Messiah, and the Roman destruction of her was God's judgement. Again, Jerusalem stands as a type for the world that is in opposition to God.

11But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up hither!" And in the sight of their foes they went up to heaven in a cloud. 13And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

God's Word cannot be silenced. Moses and Elijah are resurrected, and then taken back up to Heaven--so that everyone could see! After this, there is an earthquake that kills 7000 people. Again, it is a symbolic number--7, symbolising perfection, and magnified by 1000. Hence, a lot of people, but the perfect amount at this time. God again is in control of every detail. Now, witnessing the witnesses come back to life and ascend to Heaven, and surviving the earthquake, the remaining people, struck with fear, give glory to God. However, this giving of glory is only temporary, as we shall see in chapter 13.

15Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever." 16And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17saying, "We give thanks to thee, Lord God Almighty, who art and who wast, that thou hast taken thy great power and begun to reign. 18The nations raged, but thy wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, for rewarding thy servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear thy name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth."

The seventh trumpet is blown, and Heaven exults that the Kingdom of the World is ruled by God and Christ! Looking at Revelation through the eyes of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Word has ended, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist is about to begin.

I do realise that I have omitted Revelation 11:19. This was intentional, because it fits better as a part of verse 12, and will be commented on in that chapter.

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Revelation 10

2006-08-24T16:36:00.000-04:00

10 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. 2He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, 3and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring; when he called out, the seven thunders sounded. 4And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down." 5And the angel whom I saw standing on sea and land lifted up his right hand to heaven 6and swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there should be no more delay, 7but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God, as he announced to his servants the prophets, should be fulfilled.

Before the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet, we have a mighty angel descend from Heaven. Who is this angel? Though He is called an angel, it is Jesus Himself. We see this based on John's description of Him. He is wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. The cloud alludes to the glory of God (cf. 1 Kings 8:10-11; Matthew 17:1-8, esp. v. 5). By the rainbow, we see that even as God judges the world, He is still mindful of His covenant (cf. Genesis 9:12-17). His face like the sun and legs like pillars of fire recall John's description of Jesus from the first chapter. His feet, one on land and one on the sea, signify His authority over all of creation. His voice like a lion roaring, is an allusion to Amos 1:2 and 3:8, and confirm that this angel is indeed Jesus Himself:
Yahweh roars from Zion,
and makes Himself heard from Jerusalem...(Amos 1:2, NJB).

The Lion roars: who is not afraid?
Lord Yahweh has spoken: who will not prophesy? (Amos 3:8, NJB)
This allusion also sets up the exchange between John and Jesus in the next verses below. John is commanded not to reveal what the seven thunders proclaimed, and then Jesus swears that now is the time of judgement (another allusion, to Deuteronomy 32:40, where God swears to judge those who refuse to obey His Covenant).

8Then the voice which I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, "Go, take the scroll which is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land." 9So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll; and he said to me, "Take it and eat; it will be bitter to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth." 10And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it; it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. 11And I was told, "You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings."

John is instructed to take the open scroll (the same scroll that only the Lamb who was Slain was worthy to open?) and to eat it, alluding to a similar command from God to the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 3:1-13. To eat the scroll is to know and to own the message. It tastes like honey, but turns the stomach--hearing a word from God is wonderful and exciting: God has spoken, to me! But the burden to proclaim that message is a heavy one--especially when it is a message of judgement that people will not want to hear. And this is just what the scroll signified. John now has to prophesy again, about the fate of the world.

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Revelation 9

2006-08-23T16:00:00.000-04:00

9 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key of the shaft of the bottomless pit; 2he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 3Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth; 4they were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those of mankind who have not the seal of God upon their foreheads; 5they were allowed to torture them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torture was like the torture of a scorpion, when it stings a man. 6And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death will fly from them.

It would seem that the star fallen from heaven to earth is possibly Satan, who is able to unleash his demons upon the earth. Notably, even Satan's destructive, evil power is marked and checked by God's command. Satan cannot go one step beyond what God Himself permits.

Notably, these locust-like creatures are not permitted to harm or attack those who are marked with the sign of the Cross, and even those whom they can attack, they are not permitted to kill them. No matter what destruction and devastation in these judgements, God is always in control.

7In appearance the locusts were like horses arrayed for battle; on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, 8their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; 9they had scales like iron breastplates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. 10They have tails like scorpions, and stings, and their power of hurting men for five months lies in their tails. 11They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.
12The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.

The army of demon-locusts are described symbolically, with allusions to the prophet Joel's description of the plague of locusts that smote Israel in chapters 1 and 2 of his book.

Horses arrayed for battle: They are organised and fearsome.
What looked like crowns of gold: They pretend to authority, but it only appears true.
Their faces were like human faces: They are intelligent.
Hair like women's hair: They are seductive in their ways.
Teeth like lions' teeth: Behind the intelligence and seductive beauty is death and destruction. Falling for their allure leads to pain.

Their leader is Apollyon or Abaddon, which means "Destroyer." And yet again, because of God's sovereignty and mercy, he cannot destroy, but only torture for five months.

13Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, 14saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15So the four angels were released, who had been held ready for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, to kill a third of mankind. 16The number of the troops of cavalry was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. 17And this was how I saw the horses in my vision: the riders wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulphur, and the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulphur issued from their mouths. 18By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulphur issuing from their mouths. 19For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; their tails are like serpents, with heads, and by means of them they wound. 20The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot either see or hear or walk; 21nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their immorality or their thefts.

The 6th judgement is of an army of avenging angels who kill a third of the people of the earth. These angels have been set for the exact moment of their release--it has all been planned beforehand. God does not miss a detail. This time, it does not mention whether this third of the human race includes those who are marked with the Cross or not. It is possible to assume God's ongoing protection of His people, but at the same time, we recognise that if not, those who die in this plague will reign forever afterward, and their death only hastens their victory.

The army is described as being powerful and resplendent.

The people who survive, in verses 20-21, refuse even after all this, to repent of their wickedness, which is primarily that of idolatry, but also, with it, murder, thievery, witchcraft, and sexual immorality. That John mentions this fact shows us a) that their judgement is just, and b) that even now, God is merciful and they could repent if they chose. But just like Pharaoh in Exodus, they harden their hearts against the evident power of God.

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Revelation 8

2006-08-23T15:34:00.000-04:00

8 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

Again, we see Revelation take on a very Liturgical format.

As well, we see that contained within the seventh seal, there is the seven-fold trumpet judgement, and the seventh trumpet brings about the seven bowl judgements.

2Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; 4and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God. 5Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth; and there were peals of thunder, voices, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

More liturgical action, as the angel mingles the prayers of the saints with heavenly incense, and presents them before God. Thus we have Scriptural support for the mediation of saints and angels through their prayers and actions. We also see that these prayers are effective, and used by God to bring about His justice!

6Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets made ready to blow them. 7The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, which fell on the earth; and a third of the earth was burnt up, and a third of the trees were burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. 8The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea; 9and a third of the sea became blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. 10The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the fountains of water. 11The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died of the water, because it was made bitter. 12The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light was darkened; a third of the day was kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

Again, in these natural disasters and intense devastation, we see the fall of Jerusalem being symbolically depicted. Through it, we also see the end of the world and the last judgement. While the imagery is frighteningly violent, still throughout we recognise both the justice and the mercy of God. Justice: knowing that those who are being punished deserve their fate for their rebellion. Mercy: because even now, God calls them to repentance (cf. Revelation 9:20-21)!

13Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice, as it flew in midheaven, "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets which the three angels are about to blow!"

The eagle warns that things are only going to get worse, and implicitly gives a call for repentance. Interestingly, in Christian iconography, John's Gospel was always represented by an eagle.

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Revelation 7

2006-08-17T14:04:00.000-04:00

7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2Then I saw another angel ascend from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads."

Just before the Seventh Seal is broken, John interjects with a description of the positive--namely, the loving care that God takes for those who have been faithful to His Word. This is the remnant referred to in our comments on Chapter 6 verse 8. First, we see God's absolute control over the world. Next, we see His restraint. He holds back the coming judgement so that His people can be sealed. What is this seal? It is an allusion to Ezekiel 9:4: "And Yahweh said to him, 'Go all through the city, all through Jerusalem, and mark a cross on the foreheads of all who grieve and lament over all the loathsome practices in it'" (NJB). The seal is the sign of the Cross! And this seal was prophesied by Ezekiel centuries beforehand! At our baptisms and our confirmations, the priest traced in oil the sign of the cross on our foreheads, sealing us into God's covenant! This is true of the early Christians as well. Chapters 8-9 of Revelation are again describing the devastation of Jerusalem (and typologically prophesying the end Judgement), and here, in Chapter 7, God is preparing His people to come through (compare again, Ezekiel chapter 9).

4And I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand sealed, out of every tribe of the sons of Israel,
5twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Judah,
twelve thousand of the tribe of Reuben,
twelve thousand of the tribe of Gad,
6twelve thousand of the tribe of Asher,
twelve thousand of the tribe of Naphtali,
twelve thousand of the tribe of Manasseh,
7twelve thousand of the tribe of Simeon,
twelve thousand of the tribe of Levi,
twelve thousand of the tribe of Issachar,
8twelve thousand of the tribe of Zebulun,
twelve thousand of the tribe of Joseph,
twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Benjamin.

The number 144,000 is the sacred number of 12 squared and then multiplied by 1000. It refers to the totality of the saved. The list of Jewish tribes excludes Dan, perhaps because of the legend that the Antichrist would arise out of the Tribe of Dan. However, it does tell us that God has not forgotten His original covenant people.

9After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!" 11And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying,
Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor and power and might
be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.

After John sees the totality of the Jewish saved, he sees an even greater, innumerable multitude, from every people on earth. God's salvation is for all people of all times!

13Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?" 14I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night within his temple; and he who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 17For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Again John speaks with one of the 24 Elders, who tells him about this innumerable multitude. These are the ones who have survived the Great Tribulation--referring immediately to the Jewish War, and ultimately to that time of great trial at the end. Through their baptism, they have "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." At the Easter Vigil, those who are baptised are presented with a white garment, and instructed to "bring it unstained to the judgement seat of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that you may have everlasting life."

The description of their reward is an allusion to Isaiah 49:10: "They will never hunger nor thirst, scorching wind and sun will never plague them; for he who pities them will lead them, will guide them to springs of water" (NJB). God's blessing will always be on those who faithfully serve Him.

Interestingly enough, in terms of the Fall of Jerusalem, this was exactly the case. While Jerusalem was destroyed, not one Christian died in the Jewish War. Scott Hahn writes:
Yet through all the strife of the Jewish War, not a single Christian perished, because the community of believers had fled to the mountains across the Jordan to a place called Pella. We read in Revelation 7:1-4, that these Christians--144,000 from the Twelve Tribes of Israel--were preserved because they were "sealed...upon their foreheads." This recalls the signing of God's remnant in Ezekiel (see Ez 9:2-4), where the Hebrew word for "sign" is tau, transliterated as the Greek letter "T." In A.D. 70, God similarly saved the remnant of Israel who were marked with tau, the Sign of the Cross.

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Revelation 6

2006-08-11T14:39:00.000-04:00

6 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say, as with a voice of thunder, "Come!" 2And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and its rider had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

The Lamb begins to open the Scroll, seal by seal, and every seal broken brings forth a judgement. The first four seals, popularly referred to as "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse", seem specifically to refer to the sack of Jerusalem in AD 70, and symbolically describe the effects of a siege.

The first horseman, then, on the white horse, is the Emperor Titus.

3When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" 4And out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that men should slay one another; and he was given a great sword.

The second horseman, evidently, is the War.

5When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" And I saw, and behold, a black horse, and its rider had a balance in his hand; 6and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not harm oil and wine!"

The third horseman is the effects of the siege, the cutting off of resources to Jerusalem, resulting in famine.

7When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" 8And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, and its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him; and they were given power over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

The fourth horseman is the death resulting from the first three. Scott Hahn writes about the Jewish War, saying,
...The Roman emperor Titus's armies laid siege to the city in the year A.D. 70. Siege brought on famine, pestilence, and strife, which we can see in the devastations wrought by the four angelic horsemen of Revelation 6, and by the seven angelic trumpeters of Revelation 8-9. In a manner less symbolic and more horrifically graphic, we can see these calamities described also in the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus, who was an eyewitness. Josephus describes Jerusalem so ravaged by famine that its mothers, mad with hunger, began to devour their own infants. (Hahn, Scott. The Lamb's Supper. [New York: Doubleday, 1999], p. 97.)
While the imagery is very descriptive of the Fall of Jerusalem, we should also note that the final meaning of the text is not limited to these events, but through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, typologically speak of the final judgement of the whole world. Over and over again, in the Book of Revelation, the city of Jerusalem prefigures and stands in for the entire world.

Verse 8 is also an allusion to Ezekiel 14:21, where God threatens the same punishment ("sword, famine, wild beasts and plague--to denude it of human and animal") on Jerusalem. However, in that passage, He also promises mercy and the survival of a faithful remnant ("even so, there will be a remnant left, a few men and women who come through"-Ezekiel 14:22, NJB). We will meet this remnant in Chapter 7.

9When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne; 10they cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?" 11Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

Here we have the martyrs who have died for their faith. They are found under the heavenly altar, and pray for the just judgement of God for the world. The white robe they are given, later in Revelation is described as their deeds, and they are told to wait, because more like them still had to suffer and die.

From this passage we see, for the first time, Heaven's Altar. This altar is the one on which Jesus continually presents Himself as Priest and Victim to God, and which we participate in in the Eucharist. We also see the souls of the dead there, who have been faithful to God, showing us that at death, the souls of the sanctified rest in Heaven with God. They are under the altar because their sacrifices have been joined to that of Christ, and they intercede for us in praying that God's Will be done on the earth.

Finally, we are reassured by their instruction to wait a while, for the rest "who were to be killed as they themselves had been." This is reassuring not because of their deaths, but because, through all the violence and death being described, we see first, God has a plan and is in absolute control, and second, that there is a blessed reward for the faithful, even when they must suffer for that faith.

This seal introduces these saints as further evidence against Jerusalem (and the world), pointing to their just judgement.

12When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale; 14the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the generals and the rich and the strong, and every one, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand before it?"

The opening of the sixth seal gives the judgements a more definitively universal scope. Verses 12-14 allude to Isaiah 34:1-4, in which God begins to judge the world on behalf of its treatment of His people, hence this judgement following on the fifth seal and the martyrs. Verses 15 and 16 allude to Hosea 10:8 and Isaiah 2:10-19, to the judgement of the idolatry of ancient Israel. Condemnation of idolatry is a major theme in Revelation. God's final judgement is destruction on those who have traded in their worship of Him for worship of His Creation, but everlasting reward for those who have sought Him and served Him faithfully.

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Revelation 5

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5 And I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals; 2and I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?" 3And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4and I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5Then one of the elders said to me, "Weep not; lo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals."

John sees that God is holding a scroll. This alludes to Ezekiel 2:9, and the scroll is a scroll of Judgement. In Ezekiel, the Scroll is given to the Prophet so that he might announce God's judgements to a stubborn and rebellious Israel. According to him, on it was written "Lamentations, dirges and cries of grief"(Ezk 2:9, NJB). The Scroll in Revelation is sealed with seven seals. Seven again is a symbolic number, for perfection--hence, perfectly sealed. This is why not just anyone could open it. The seals were placed throughout the document, so that the outermost seal was opened first, and the scroll was unrolled until the second seal, consecutively until the seventh. Chapters 6-8 record the breaking of these seals.

As I stated in Chapter 1, Revelation is a retrospective look at the Fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, and a Prophetic discourse on how Jerusalem's destruction is typological of the world's ultimate judgement. Hence, we shall see in the breaking of the seven seals and the resulting judgements, imagery that very directly refers to and describes Jerusalem's downfall, but on a more grandiose scheme. Thus, Revelation is a description of the Courtroom of God.

It is also important to remember that Revelation is a Liturgical document--not in the sense that it is a play-by-play of the Mass, but rather, it is a mystical description of what takes place in Mass. As such, just as Revelation is a Court of Justice for the World, so is the Mass a Court of Justice for us. Through our sin, we are guilty. We plead guilty before God at the beginning of Mass in the Penitential Rite, hear the just judgements pronounced in the Reading and the Homily, and finally throw ourselves on the Divine Mercy of the Court, finding forgiveness in the Sacrifice of Christ as we renew our Covenant with Him in the Eucharist.

John weeps because no one is worthy enough to break the seven seals and open the Scroll, although all heaven and earth was searched. But at his point of despair, one of the Elders reassures him, by pointing him to the Lion of Judah!

(Interesting trivia, if the 24 Elders are in fact the 12 heads of the 12 Tribes of Israel, and the 12 Apostles, it is likely that the Elder that spoke thus to John was in fact one of his close friends, and, in a mystical way, could have even been himself! It's amazing to ponder what occurs when the Infinite comes into contact with our own small finite reality--and it comes into contact with us at every Mass and in every Eucharist!)

6And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth; 7and he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints; 9and they sang a new song, saying,
Worthy art thou to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for thou wast slain and by thy blood
didst ransom men for God
from every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10and hast made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on earth.

Enter the Lamb of God! When John turns in order to see the impressive "Lion of the tribe of Judah", what he sees is shockingly incongruous: a lamb, and not only that, one that looked dead! Granted, it has seven eyes and seven horns (perfect knowledge and perfect strength, as well as being the seven spirits of God). But nevertheless, a lamb is not a lion--and if there was any more opposite creatures in the animal kingdom, it is these. But it is this Lamb who is worthy to open the seals.

When He takes the Scroll, the Four Living Creatures and the 24 Elders tell us why He alone is worthy for this task: Because He had been slain, and had become the Saviour of the World! This is Jesus!

11Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12saying with a loud voice,
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom
and might and honor and glory and blessing!
13And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all therein, saying,
To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might for ever and ever!
14And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped.

The Lamb of God! Of all things to present Himself as for Eternity in Heaven, Jesus chooses a Lamb! Why? Because that was the key sacrificial animal, of the key sacrificial event in history: The Passover, where God ransomed Israel from the Egyptians, and set them free. This is where God made His Covenant with them, to be their God, and they His people.

And when Jesus came, became a Man, in order to become the Sacrifice for our sins, to ransom us from slavery to Sin, so that we could be God's people, and He could be our God, Jesus made that sacrifice during the Passover. He really was our Passover Lamb! And what seemed to be His tragic defeat, His death on the Cross, was actually the very act of Victory, by which we are saved!

And in Heaven, Jesus continually presents His sacrifice to God, on our behalf as our High Priest--the Once-for-All Sacrifice, eternally present in Heaven. He is the Lamb who was Slain, and we participate in that sacrifice, appropriating it to ourselves, when Heaven and Earth meet, in the Eucharist!

The Lamb is present. He has taken the Scroll. Let the judgement begin: Court is in Session.

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Revelation 4

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4 After this I looked, and lo, in heaven an open door! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up hither, and I will show you what must take place after this." 2At once I was in the Spirit, and lo, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne! 3And he who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald. 4Round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clad in white garments, with golden crowns upon their heads. 5From the throne issue flashes of lightning, and voices and peals of thunder, and before the throne burn seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God; 6and before the throne there is as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. 8And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all round and within, and day and night they never cease to sing,
Holy, holy, holy,
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!
9And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing,
11Worthy art thou, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for thou didst create all things,
and by thy will they existed and were created.

After the Letters, Jesus ("the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet") calls John to come up, and John is brought to Heaven "in the spirit". When John gets there, he sees the throneroom of heaven, described with allusions to Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1 and 10. God is seen as sitting on the Throne, composed, it seems, of the most precious stones, and surrounded by His Glory like a rainbow of emerald. Around the Throne of God are 24 other thrones, with 24 Elders on them, clothed in white, with gold crowns. These 24 Elders equal the 24 priestly divisions of the Levitical code in the Old Testament, and they are priests. Elders, in the Greek, is the word presbyteroi, which is where we get our English word "Priests." Keep that in mind when reading the New Testament, when it discusses Elders in the Church (like James 5:13-16).

These 24 Priests in Revelation are liturgically dressed in white vestments and are prepared to offer worship to God. Most scholars feel that they are the 12 Fathers of the 12 Tribes of Israel, and the 12 Apostles--together the representatives of God's Covenant People. Along with these Priests are numerous angelic beings: The seven spirits of God, the Archangels (cf. Tobit 12:15), the Four Living Creatures, who are covered with eyes, and each have 6 wings, representing their vigilance and swiftness in God's service. Their heads each represent the greatest creatures in God's creation: The Bull is the greatest domestic animal, the Eagle is the greatest of the birds, the Lion is the greatest Beast, and Man is the greatest of all Creation. Hence, these 4 creatures are representative of all God's creation. Four, as well, is a symbolic number recurring often in Revelation, symbolising completeness or wholeness. Notably, in Christian iconography, each of these creatures is assigned to one of the Four Gospels.

Their worship is antiphonal, or responsorial. When the Four Living Creatures praise God (v. 8), the 24 Elders respond with praise of their own. This Heavenly Liturgy, according to verse 8, is unending! The Holy, Holy, Holy is echoed in the Mass, known in the West as the Sanctus, and in the East as the "Trisagion".

Heaven here is described as resembling the Jewish Temple, with its priests, Mennorah, the "glassy sea" (the large pool of polished bronze that held 11,500 gallons of water), and the Altar (chapter 5, verse 9). Or rather, it should be said that the earthly Temple in Jerusalem resembled the Eternal Throneroom of God, as the Book of Wisdom tells us,
You have bidden me build a temple on your holy mountain,
and an altar in the city where you have pitched your tent,
a copy of the holy Tent which you prepared at the beginning. (9:8, NJB)

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Revelation 3

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3 "And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: 'The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your works; you have the name of being alive, and you are dead. 2Awake, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. 3Remember then what you received and heard; keep that, and repent. If you will not awake, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. 4Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5He who conquers shall be clad thus in white garments, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life; I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'

Jesus addresses the church of Sardis, referring to Himself as the one with the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. He cites these things to assert His authority over the Churches, especially as Sardis is a church that has drifted from Him. It is the second "exception" to the general format of the letters. Contrary to Smyrna, though, Jesus has nothing affirming to say to Sardis. While they seem like a good and lively church, in reality they are dead. However, they are not so dead that they are beyond hope. Christ calls to them to awake, and perfect their works. Otherwise, their judgement will come when they least expect it--as is the case with all who become complacent about their faith.

However, Jesus does say that there are a few holy Christians in Sardis, and they are worthy of Him. Jesus promises that along with those, all who amend their ways and overcome, will be clothed in white garments, and their names will remain in the Book of Life. Jesus will bring them before the Father in Heaven.

7"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: 'The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens. 8I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut; I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie--behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and learn that I have loved you. 10Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial which is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell upon the earth. 11I am coming soon; hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 12He who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God; never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. 13He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'

Philadelphia, like Smyrna, is a positive exception to the composition structure--again, nothing negative is reported about them. Jesus refers to Himself as the bearer of the Keys of David, an allusion to Isaiah 22:22, where Isaiah prophesies that the steward of David's house will be stripped of his authority, and the Keys given to another. This prophecy typologically points to Christ, who is the Steward of the New Covenant. He it is who has the authority to Open and Shut. And as such, He has opened heaven to the Philadelphians, that no one else can close. This is good news for them, because of the persecutions from the Jewish people. Because they are weak, Jesus promises them special care. He judges all people fairly, and helps those who remain faithful to them, and never gives anyone more than he can bear.

For those who are victorious, Jesus says that He will make them Pillars in the Temple! Those who were weak will be made strong enough to bear up the Church! More, they will be branded, inscribed, claimed as Jesus' own personal and treasured possession! Notably, in the later chapters of Revelation, we discover that the New Jerusalem in fact has no Temple. God Himself is the Temple of the New Jerusalem. In 1 Peter 2:5, St. Peter writes, "you, too, may be living stones making a spiritual house as a holy priesthood to offer the spiritual sacrifices made acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (NJB). Jesus, here, is promising that we will be incorporated into His Temple, and stand before God forever, worshipping Him!

14"And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 'The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. 15I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! 16So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth. 17For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich, and white garments to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. 19Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent. 20Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

This final letter, like the one to Sardis, has nothing positive to commend the Laodiceans for. Jesus identifies Himself as the faithful, true witness, and the origin of all things. In other words, He knows what He's talking about in his indictments.

The church of Laodicea has become complacent, "neither cold nor hot." Jesus says He wishes they were one or the other, as cold water is refreshing, and hot water is soothing, but because they are like lukewarm water, He will spit them out. In their prosperity, they have forgotten their need of God, and fail to realise that without Him, they are the very opposite of wealthy, but so poor as to be naked and blind! As such, Jesus counsels them to return to Him, using trade imagery that was familiar to their region. Laodicea was renowned for their affluence (and so Jesus counsels them to buy pure gold), which was a result of their rare black wool from the black sheep of the region (and so, Jesus instructs them to buy white robes--spiritually representing their righteous deeds). As well, they had developed a salve to relieve blindness from the dust and cataracts (which Jesus again alludes to, to cure them of their spiritual blindness). All the things that the Laodiceans had and prided themselves in materially, they needed spiritually.

Jesus alludes to Proverbs 3:12, reminding them of His unending love for them, despite their complacency. In fact, He continues to seek them out, knocking at the doors of their hearts, so that they might dine together. If they welcome Him, and are victorious, they will share His glory and kingship!

All seven of these churches were destroyed when the Muslims spread throughout the Middle East, and even today, there is but a small Christian presence there, and special permission is required in order to celebrate the Mass. Their fate should keep us mindful of our need for perseverance in following Jesus--as well as our need to pray for our fellow believers who are undergoing persecution throughout the world.

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Revelation 2

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In the following 2 chapters, Jesus instructs John to write to the Seven Churches in his Diocese. Each of these letters is addressed to the Angel: again, possibly a church's guardian angel, but more likely, the "messenger" at that Church: the priest. As chapter 1 states, these letters were to be read aloud. Each letter also deals with the particular circumstances that each parish was facing—though often in a figurative sense, usually by alluding to a relative story from the Old Testament (i.e., Balaam, Jezebel). Each letter also has a word of encouragement to persevere, and a word of conviction, to bring the church to repentance, except for three cases, which will be discussed individually. The final thing to note is that each individual letter makes a reference to some characteristic of Jesus that John saw in his vision from chapter 1. A different characteristic of Jesus is referred to at the beginning of each letter, and the promise of reward or penalty to the churches that concludes each letter is a call-back to that respective element.

Viewing Revelation liturgically, chapters 2 and 3 nicely correspond to the reading of the Scriptures at Mass.

2"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear evil men but have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and found them to be false; 3I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. 4But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6Yet this you have, you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.'

Jesus refers to Himself as the one with the seven stars in His hand, and who walks among the lampstands. We recall from the end of chapter 1 that these stars are those angels of the churches, and the lampstands are the churches. Hence again, Jesus reminds the Church at Ephesus that He is with them, and holds them in His hand. He begins by praising them for their practices, and especially that they stick very closely to sound doctrine, testing anyone who comes and preaches to them. However, Jesus then turns and says "Right doctrine isn't enough." He tells them that they know the truth, but they don't love the truth. Their passion and love for Christ has waned.

This distinction is a crucial one. It has been remarked that "we can miss heaven by 18 inches: the distance from our heads to our hearts." Often, as Christians we can become so focussed on "the truth" and the theory of theology and orthodoxy, that we never stop to figure out how that applies to the world in which we live. Both truth and love must coexist together. St. Paul writing to this very same church, states, "If we live the by the truth and in love, we shall grow completely into Christ, who is the head" (Ephesians 4:15 NJB). That's the plus. The negative side of the coin is that, if we fail to do so, Jesus tells the church that its lampstand will be taken away.

Jesus doesn't end on a negative note, though, and tells the Ephesians that He is pleased with their hatred of the works of a group known as the Nicolaitans. Very little is known about this sect. The most complete description is from Eusebius (Church Histories, III, xxix), that the sect was named after Nicholas the deacon (Acts 6:5), and claimed to follow his teachings, but Eusebius tells us that they had actually twisted words that he had spoken that were in themselves harmless, in order to indulge in promiscuous and otherwise immoral behaviour. The early Church Fathers unanimously taught that this sect was short-lived.

Jesus promises that those who overcome will get to "eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God," an allusion to Genesis 2:9. This tree stood alongside the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that led to the fall of humanity into Sin. According to Genesis 3:22-24, God banished Adam and Eve from Eden for the sole purpose of preventing them from eating from this tree, and so live forever. Hence, this tree is a reference to the eternal life in God. For Christians, we recognise that this Tree was "replanted" at Calvary, and that the fruit of this Tree is Jesus Himself, in the Eucharist, which He says, "anyone who eats...has eternal life" (John 6:54, NJB).

8"And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: 'The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. 9I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who conquers shall not be hurt by the second death.'

The letter to Smyrna is the first "exception" mentioned above. While the typical format for these correspondences is praise, criticism, praise, the letter to the Smyrnaeans is all praise and encouragement. Jesus here identifies Himself as the beginning and the end, and as the Resurrected One. He empathises with the persecutions that Smyrna struggles under, and how poor this has made them in earthly things, but yet, He calls them rich. Their persecutors are the Jewish people of Smyrna, who would turn them over to the Romans to face their punishments. Jesus is harsh with these Jews, calling them a "Synagogue of Satan," which is reminiscent of His condemnation of the religious leaders in John 8: "You are from your father, the devil, and you prefer to do what your father wants. He was a murderer from the start; he was never grounded in the truth; there is no truth in him at all. When he lies, he is speaking true to his nature, because he is a liar, and the father of lies" (v.44, NJB).

Jesus tells us that Satan is behind the persecution about to come upon the church at Smyrna, but that they should not fear. Ten days is a reference to a rather short period of time, in contrast to Jesus' self-designation of the First and the Last. He is in charge all throughout, and to those who overcome, and remain faithful, even if they die, Jesus, who Himself "died and came to life" will grant them the Crown of Life. Throughout, Jesus reminds us of His teaching in the Beatitudes: "Blessed are the poor in spirit" and "Blessed are those who are persecuted in the cause of uprightness." Notably, both these first and last beatitudes have the same promise: "The Kingdom of Heaven is theirs" (Matthew 5:3,10, NJB). For a discussion of "the second death", see the note in Chapter 20.

12"And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: 'The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. 13I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; you hold fast my name and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice immorality. 15So you also have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16Repent then. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone which no one knows except him who receives it.'

Jesus here identifies Himself in terms of the two-edged sword coming from His Mouth, which is God's Word (cf. Hebrews 4:12). This word of power is ready to be exercised against those who have strayed from Him. Jesus is mindful of Pergamum's somewhat precarious location: "Where Satan's throne is," a reference to Pergamum being a major hub of idolatry and Emperor Worship in the ancient world. Jesus commends the church there for staying true during a major persecution, even when Antipas, the bishop at Pergamum, was martyred during the persecution of Domitian (which, incidentally, goes a long way in dating the writing of Revelation to the mid to late 90's, since Domitian was emperor from 81-96, and Antipas died in 92).

However, Jesus then indicts the church of Pergamum for following the teaching of Balaam. This is an allusion to Numbers 22-24. Balak, King of Moab, feared the Israelites as they journeyed toward the Promised Land, because God had used them to wipe out all those who stood in their way. So Balak hired Balaam, a prophet, to curse the Israelites. However, Balaam could only bless the Israelites, because God was with them. Balaam counselled Balak to set traps for the Israelites to lead them into immorality so that through their sin, they would lose the blessing of God and Balaam could then curse them. This reference to Balaam and Balak corresponds to the church of Pergamum's members who belong to the Nicolaitans and practice their immoral behaviours as well. Here then we have the reverse of the letter to the Ephesians. The Pergamum church was faithful in their love of God, even in the face of persecution, but had allowed false teaching to creep in, and were just as guilty. To them, Jesus says that if they do not repent, that sword in His mouth will make war on the sinners.

But to those who stay faithful and overcome, He will give the Hidden Manna, again, a reference to the Eucharist, and a white stone with a name on it that only the one who receives it would know. The white stone means innocence. During a trial, the court would condemn a man using a black stone, and acquit him using a white stone. This white stone, then, means that those who have overcome will be found Innocent before God, and welcomed into His Kingdom.

18"And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: 'The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and beguiling my servants to practice immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her immorality. 22Behold, I will throw her on a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her doings; 23and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve. 24But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay upon you any other burden; 25only hold fast what you have, until I come. 26He who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, I will give him power over the nations, 27and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received power from my Father; 28and I will give him the morning star. 29He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

Jesus identifies Himself to the Thyatirans in terms of His appearance to John with fiery eyes and brazen feet, references to Daniel 10:6, and Daniel's description of the Messiah. Jesus commends the church's love, faith, service, and patient endurance, and that these works have only become greater as they've grown in Him. However, Jesus rebukes them for tolerating Jezebel, a so-called prophetess, who has taught them to be sexually immoral and commit idolatry. Jezebel is a reference to 2 Kings 9:22, "As soon as Jehoram saw Jehu, he asked, 'Is all well, Jehu?' 'What a question!' he replied, 'when all the while the prostitutions and countless sorceries of your mother Jezebel go on'" (NJB) Hence, some woman in Thyatira was claiming to receive prophecies from God that taught immoral practices and idolatry. Jesus says that He had given her time to repent, but that soon, she and all her followers would be punished. Whether the adulteries are literal or not is open to interpretation, since throughout the Bible (cf. Ezekiel 23), idolatry has been symbolically compared to adultery, and is again later in Revelation itself. Either way, sin is sin.

The just punishments dealt serve to show that Christ is the just judge, who repays all according as their works deserve. But for the rest, Jesus encourages them to continue as they have, and if they overcome, they will be given to share in Jesus' authority and Messianic reign, as the allusions to Psalm 2:8-9 indicate. The Morning Star that Jesus promises to give is Himself.

(Return to Introduction | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter)

Revelation 1

2006-07-20T10:05:00.000-04:00

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place; and he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near.

In the first three verses, St. John tells us the purpose of writing his vision. He tells us its origin: From God, through Jesus Christ. He tells us the recipient of the message, namely, himself. He identifies himself as John, and further says that he has borne witness of God's Word and of Jesus Christ to everyone he met. In saying so, he identifies himself as a missionary, at least. While modern scholars debate exactly which "John" this is, the earliest testimony of the Church has always identified him as St. John, the Beloved Apostle, who wrote the Gospel according to John as well as the three letters bearing his name. Finally, John tells us his purpose in writing. It is a warning and an encouragement to the Church, about things that are soon to take place. This document was intended to be read during the Liturgy, and the Liturgy is the proper setting for Revelation: "Blessed is he who reads aloud...and blessed are those who hear."

The phrase in verse 1, "What must soon take place," is an allusion to Daniel 2:28. In this passage in Daniel, the prophet Daniel tells the king of Babylon that the visions that the King has seen are of things "that must soon take place." He goes on to relate Nebuchadnezzar's dream, and to interpret it for him. The dream contrasts the kingdoms of the world, vs. a Heavenly Kingdom "which will never be destroyed" (Daniel 2:44). This Kingdom will triumph over all the kingdoms of the world. This allusion to Daniel is the first of over 300 in the book of Revelation. These allusions go a long way in revealing its meaning. More often than not, it is the context that the allusion is from that gives the meaning, rather than simply the words used. Here, we recognise that the Heavenly Kingdom from Daniel's prophecy is the Church, and that it is the subject of that vision, namely the Church's struggle with, and eventual triumph over, the kingdoms of the world, that is the subject of Revelation.

4John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 7Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. 8"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

Again, there is a Liturgical reference, in the addressing of the Letter to "the seven churches that are in Asia." These seven churches (according to v.11: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea), were real churches in the Roman province of Asia. Before St. John's exile to the island of Patmos (Rev. 1:9), he was the Bishop of what could be called "The Diocese of Ephesus." St. Timothy, to whom St. Paul addresses two letters, was John's auxiliary. As Bishop of Ephesus, John would have been the Overseer to all these parishes. After his exile, Timothy replaced him, but until his death, John still cared for and ministered to his flock any way that he could.

John greets the churches with Grace from the eternal God, and from the seven spirits who minister before His throne. These seven spirits, mentioned elsewhere in Revelation, are the same as those mentioned in Tobit 12:15. John also sends Grace from Jesus Christ, and strings quotations and allusions together to describe Our Lord. They are from Psalm 89:37 (faithful witness), 89:27 (first-born...ruler of kings); Isaiah 55:4 (witness again); Exodus 19:6 (a kingdom, priests to his God); Daniel 7:13 (coming with the clouds); Zechariah 12:10 (every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of him), and all point to the glorious Messiah.

Verse 5, "has freed us from our sins by his blood," is rendered in other translations more graphically as "has washed away our sins with his blood." This is not only a reference to Jesus' Crucifixion, but also to our baptism into Him. That Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet that John was writing in, tells us that He is the totality and perfection. He was in the beginning, and will be in the end, unchanging. All things are under His control--even the crazy and disturbing images that we will see in this Book.

9I John, your brother, who share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11saying, "Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea." 12Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden girdle round his breast; 14his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, 15his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters; 16in his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

John tells us that he has been exiled because of his proclamation of the Gospel, and shares therefore in the hardships being undergone by the Church. Depending on the dating of the Book of Revelation, this could refer to various seemingly devastating persecutions by the Roman Empire. If the writing is from before AD 70, then the persecution is that of Nero. If later, c. AD 90-95, then it was the persecution of either Vespasian or Domitian. According to Tradition, St. John endured and survived all three, as the only one of the Apostles to not be martyred. There is some debate as to when Revelation was written, based on internal content and the testimony of others. I personally hold that it was written just after AD 70 and the destruction of Jerusalem, as a prophetic retrospective of why Jerusalem fell, and how that foreshadows the ultimate judgement of the world by God. Others suggest that it was written before AD 70 and actually prophesies the destruction of Jerusalem with a telescopic view to the end. Either way, the Book of Revelation ultimately is about the sack of Jerusalem, and the replacing of Temple-worship with the New Covenant of the Eucharist, and the ultimate consummation of the New Jerusalem, the Church.

John received this vision while "in the Spirit on the Lord's day." That is, while worshipping on a Sunday. Because Jesus' resurrection was on a Sunday, this day became the new Lord's Day for the Christians.

The description of Jesus here is a composite of allusions primarily from Daniel chapters 7 and 10, as well as Ezekiel 43:2. Daniel chapter 7 relates the judging of the nations by the Messiah. Chapter 10 relates a vision of the Messiah. Ezekiel 43:2 describes the glory of God. Together they again demonstrate the true glory of Jesus, who is Himself God. The Jesus we see here seems drastically different than He who walked the earth in the first century. But the same Jesus who died for us, is the same Jesus who appears to John--now, however, His glory is unveiled. This is the Jesus that we serve, the Jesus who is coming again!

17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19Now write what you see, what is and what is to take place hereafter. 20As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."

John is so overwhelmed in the presence of the glorified Christ that he falls down as though dead—an experience referred to in Charismatic circles as being "slain in the Spirit." Jesus announces Himself, the First and the Last, who lives even though He died, and not only that, but in rising again, now has the victory and authority over death itself. Chapter 1 comes full circle with a second allusion to Daniel 2:28 in verse 19, and then Jesus explains the relevance of the seven lampstands and seven stars. These seven stars are the angels of the seven churches listed earlier. Whether these seven angels refer spiritually to angelic beings in charge of each church, or humanly to the priests of each church (since "angel" literally means "messenger") is not certain, nor incredibly important.

The lampstands, however, are more significant. In the ancient Temple, before the Ark of the Covenant, there was a golden seven-armed lampstand, called the Mennorah. This Lampstand was kept lit to signify the presence of God (similar to how the Candle above the Tabernacle in a church is always lit when there is a consecrated host within the Tabernacle). When Jerusalem was sacked, and the Temple was destroyed, the Mennorah was carried away to Rome, and later melted down for the gold. Its departure from Jerusalem was a symbolic statement that God was no longer present. Here, Jesus says that as He dwelt in the Temple when the Mennorah was there, now He dwells in the Church, which is the New Mennorah. As indicated, through the Eucharist, this is literally the case as Jesus comes to us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity to be with us.

(Return to Introduction | Next Chapter)

Bible Study: The Revelation of St. John

2006-07-19T17:57:00.000-04:00

Introduction

Hey all. Here at St. Andrew's, I teach a Bible Study Thursday nights, from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. This past year we studied Revelation. Since over the summer months, there won't be much other teaching happening in the Youth Ministry, I thought I would post the commentary on Revelation here, based on that Bible Study. God bless!

By the by, starting September 21st, we'll be studying the Old Testament book of Tobit.

The Book of Revelation, the last of all the books of the Bible, is also the least understood. Throughout the world, and throughout the different sects and denominations within Christianity, much confusion, disagreement, debate, and squabble abounds over its proper interpretation. Even its author and date of writing are up for debate among scholars. And these questions are not recent, but many of them go back to the beginning.

The Book of Revelation was one of the last books to be inducted into the Canon of Scripture (the authoritative list of the books of the Bible), finding acceptance by St. Athanasius in around AD 367, and ratified by following Church Councils. However, over 1000 years later, at the time of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther again wanted to remove it from Scripture because he could not make sense of the book. In his own words, "A revelation should be revealing."

In recent years, Revelation has been at the forefront of Protestant thought, due to the popularity of the best-selling Left Behind series. This series of Christian fiction interprets Revelation in a literalistic fashion and in a purely futuristic sense--making the book all about the Return of Jesus Christ. However, their interpretation, and that of many Protestants, (known as dispensationalism) is a new teaching, originating in America around the end of the 19th century. Historically, and traditionally, the Catholic Church has never taught this, and still does not.

That brings us to the purpose of this study: What does the Catholic Church teach about the Book of Revelation? What Martin Luther and the majority of Bible Scholars these days fail(ed) to take into account in trying to understand this mysterious book is that it, and indeed, all of the Bible, is only ultimately comprehensible within the Liturgy of the Church. Traditions and denominations that have splintered from and rejected the Tradition of the Catholic Church have lost that key, and as close (or as far) as any of them come to interpreting Revelation, it will always be incomplete.

Throughout this study, we will be using The Lamb's Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth by Dr. Scott Hahn (himself a convert to Catholicism) as a guide to show us that as much as Revelation is a book that discusses the fate of the Church and the world in St. John's own day, and as much as it reveals things about the End of the World and the Return of Jesus Christ, ultimately, Revelation, in all its bizarre and confusing imagery, is about something very near and dear, something very familiar to all of us. The key to understanding Revelation is the Mass, and on the other hand, the key to really understanding the Mass is the book of Revelation.

Scott Hahn writes in his introduction,

Of all things Catholic, there is nothing so familiar as the Mass. With its timeless prayers, hymns, and gestures, the Mass is like home to us....
The Mass is near and dear. The Book of Revelation, on the other hand, seems remote and puzzling....
Well, in this little book, I'd like to propose something outlandish. I propose that the key to understanding the Mass is the biblical Book of Revelation--and, further, that the Mass is the only way a Christian can truly make sense of the Book of Revelation.

God inspired all of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16) and as such He meant for it to be for all peoples of all times. Therefore, what John wrote down is relevant to us today. God still speaks through His Word, if we are open to hearing His voice. Otherwise, what would be the point of a Bible Study? So let us open our hearts to His Word.
Come Holy Spirit, and enlighten the hearts of Your people. Reveal Your truth to us. Amen.

Just a note. For the commentary, the Words of Scripture will be Bold and blue, while my comments will be in the normal light grey default type. Scriptures quoted outside of Revelation will be in blue, but not bolded. Words of Christ, as always, will be red. The Scripture text will be in the Revised Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

God bless.

Go To:
Chapter 01 | Chapter 02 | Chapter 03 | Chapter 04 | Chapter 05
Chapter 06 | Chapter 07 | Chapter 08 | Chapter 09 | Chapter 10
Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15
Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20
Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 | Conclusion

Youth N Scripture

2006-07-19T14:37:00.000-04:00

This post is a talk that one of the kids in the St. Andrew's Youth Ministry, Dez Nacario, gave last night at the Charismatic prayer group that focused on youth. It rocked out loud, so I wanted to put it up here. Dez, you're my hero!

When I was first asked to talk at this meeting I thought, "Oh, that's cool. I can just throw something together and talk," but then I realized "Youth and Scripture? That's such a huge topic! What am I supposed to talk about?" So I prayed about it, asking God what it was that He wanted me to teach. What was it that He wanted me to say? This passage came to mind:

"Let no one have contempt for your youth, but set an example for those who believe, in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity. Until I arrive, attend to the reading, exhortation, and teaching." (1 Timothy 4:12-13)

Reading and reflecting on this passage made me think that the majority of youth today just aren't trying to live for God. It's just not seen as cool. Things like going to church every week, reading the Bible, praying, and putting everything you got into God will make today's youth look at you and say, "Wow, what a dork." Now, that's not our entire youth. Some of our youth hear their calling to follow Christ, and that's wonderful. So, if some of our youth can follow Christ and live to be His disciple, why not the rest of them? But then again, are we getting the opportunity to do this? Are people doing their jobs and setting an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity? Are we living up to the responsibility to attend to the reading, exhortation, and teaching?

The theme for these talks is discipleship, and I think that it has to start with the youth. The point of my talk tonight is youth. Youth getting involved with scripture and the church. Youth knowing what the church and Jesus are really about. Youth learning to be Disciples of Christ.

Youth getting involved in the church is important. A big part of getting youth involved is making sure that we understand our faith. You can't just tell them to believe, they have to understand what they believe. A lot of them will say, "Give me a reason to believe!" Well, how are you supposed to respond to that? Having them read the Bible, even if it's just a little bit of it every week, can help a lot. If they don't show much of an interest--most kids, especially teenagers, won't--maybe reading it with them and then talking about what you read could help. Sit down with them and try to relate some of the scripture to their own lives. Go to mass as a family, that is so important. If they see you skipping out then they'll think that attending mass weekly isn't important. And don't forget to pray. Pray for them and pray with them.

Another great way to get them involved is to get them into a youth group. Now, any of the kids from St. Andrew's youth group know that although the teachings at the meetings can be really lengthy, they're geared for us. They're meant so that we can understand what the church is really about. And they're presented in a fun way, I mean, if the deal is dodge ball or some other activity like paintballing and then a "brief" talk I think that's pretty fair. After an hour and a half or so of throwing a ball around, or shooting your friends, or just running around, I think we can sit and listen to a teaching. And when your youth minister can relate paintballing to our Catholic faith, you've got to admit that that's pretty impressive! With a youth group you can learn about the church and get really involved, and then in turn teach what you've learned. A lot of kids I've met that are involved in youth groups really do have a grasp on their faith. When they understand their faith, they seem to have more of a willingness to just live for God. If we don't understand what we're supposed to believe, then how are we supposed to be enthusiastic about God or the church? Especially in a world where you can lose your way so easily. This generation is plagued by temptation, and we do lose a few people. We have to be taught about God, we have to learn about the church by the right people or we could end up getting the wrong ideas about the church. And when there are displays of youth's faith, it's just one of the most inspiring things to witness. It just makes you feel so alive and full of His love. And it gives you the confidence to stand up and say, "I'm a Christian" for all to hear. I think that the main concern with youth today is not being seen as cool or accepted if they're a Christian, and they have to learn that 'Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteous sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.'
Who really cares if other people think that they're cool? Isn't what's important that you're giving it all to God? Isn't the only opinion that really matter's God's? I think this is what youth should be learning. When I look at the world today I think, "If I can deal with you talking about drugs, sex, and beer, then why can't you deal with me talking about something as cool as Jesus Christ?" I think that getting involved while you're still young will help you grow in your faith. We all know that kids can be cruel, so if you can stand up against persecution from kids, who can come up with the most horrid ways to taunt somebody, don't you think you'll be able to handle any type of persecution when you and those giving you a hard time are older just a little bit better?

Youth should be able to turn to Scripture and God when they need help. They should know the power of prayer. They should be able to read the Bible and find comfort and guidance, and understand what it's trying to tell them. For many people my age, religion is lost on them. For any of the youth here tonight, can you honestly say that you turn to God, Scripture, and the Church when you need help? Or even the adults, can you say that you do? That you've taught your children that they can they can lay all their problems down before the Lord, and let Him guide them? Another problem with youth is the majority of us have virtually no patience to speak of. If we pray we expect an answer or solution to just appear immediately. Have we really learned that it's all in God's time? When we pray, do we really take that to heart?

I know that tonight I may have spoken as if I wasn't part of the youth, but I am and I know that I am not a saint. I've just been lucky enough to be raised to know my faith. I've been lucky enough attend a church with not only amazing and insightful priests, but a youth group that is--I will only say this once, or else Greg will never let me live it down--a youth group that is actually pretty cool and rather fun. Unfortunately, not everyone has been offered the same things that I have. I acknowledge that it's now my turn to spread God's word. Now, just because I'm out there trying to teach others about God, doesn't mean that everyone else doesn't have to. Isn't it our responsibility as Christians to go out and spread the Gospel? In fact, I believe Jesus instructed us to do so. 'He said to them, Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature' (Mark 16:15). So, let's spread His Word, not only to the youth, who are the future, but to anyone and everyone. God Bless!"

Adversus Da Vinci, Pt. 5

2006-07-05T19:44:00.000-04:00

The Artwork: What's So Controversial about Leonardo?

Well, in our conclusion to The Da Vinci Code series, I wanted to look at the artwork, particularly The Last Supper and La Gioconda, since they feature so prominently in the book. We'll begin with La Gioconda.

La Gioconda
More commonly, it's known as The Mona Lisa, but this is it's official name. As such, there is no anagram about calling it The Mona Lisa (Amon, L'Isa?! Whatever). In fact, the name "Mona Lisa" wasn't something that Leonardo called his painting, but comes from Giorgio Vasari's biography of Leonardo, published thirty-one years after his death! The painting is a portrait of Lisa, the wife of wealthy Florentine businessman, Francesco del Giocondo. Since "Mona" is a common contraction of "Madonna", the Italian word for "My Lady", the title given to the painting by Vasari literally means "My Lady Lisa" and has nothing to do with Amon or Isis. Neither is it a self-portrait of Leonardo in drag, nor a celebration of androgyny. It is what it is, a beautiful painting.

Brown makes the claim that the horizon on Lisa Gherardini's left side is higher than that on her right, and since left=feminine and right=masculine, therefore this is a subtle way of expressing the glories of woman. Except, on what does Brown base his assumption that the left is the "feminine" and right is "masculine"? And even so, I wonder if he was looking at the same painting that we are. Click on it and blow it up, if you want! Not only is there no definitive horizon line, but the heights of the background are even, if varied. The highest points on each are pretty much the same, and can hardly be construed as containing symbolism!

So much for accurately describing artwork, Brown!

The Last Supper
Because Dan Brown spends so much time on The Last Supper, so will we. In The Da Vinci Code, Brown makes a number of embarrassingly ignorant claims about the painting and its meaning, so lets compare Brown's reality with, well, real reality.

The first thing that Brown claims about the painting is that there is no "Chalice" in the painting. No "Holy Grail." Instead, according to Brown, there are 13 cups of wine at the table, one for each Apostle plus Jesus. So because Da Vinci didn't paint the Grail, according to Brown, it's actually not the cup, but Mary Magdalene, and all that jazz.

Well, I'm a little puzzled here. Which is it, Brown? Are there 13 cups, or no cup? If there are 13 cups, then what's the big deal?! The Grail is right there! Jesus' cup! Just because it's not gold and doesn't have a stem doesn't mean it's not the Holy Grail! You'd think that Brown hadn't seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade! The Grail is right there!

The second thing that Brown claims about this painting is that the person to the left of Christ...well, our left, His right...is a woman, Mary Magdalene. He claims that the two figures make a V in the middle of the painting, as the focal point, thus symbolising feminity again. Further, Brown writes:

Sophie examined the figure to Jesus' immediate right, focusing in. As she studied the person's face and body, a wave of astonishment rose within her. The individual had flowing red hair, delicate folded hands, and the hint of a bosom. It was, without a doubt...female. (p. 243)

Here again, I find myself wondering if Brown and we are looking at the same painting. The alleged V shape between Jesus and "Mary" is not the focal point of the painting. Jesus Himself is.

Further, the figure to Jesus' right does not have "a hint of a bosom", nor red hair, nor can one really describe the figure's hands as "delicate". "Blurry" maybe. Much is made over the fact that this figure has no beard, so therefore it must be female! No one seems to pay any attention to the fact that the third guy on Jesus' left also has no beard! No one cares about him!

The fact is, the person to the right of Jesus is John the Apostle. Traditionally, John was considered the youngest of the Apostles, and so, frequently, was portrayed without a beard. This was the common Renaissance motif for painting young men: womanly faces with men's bodies--and that, contrary to Brown's ideas, is what we have here.

The third thing Brown says is that Judas, John, and Jesus together form a hidden "M". Brown claims it stands either for Mary Magdalene or Matrimonio. He then says this M has been subtly hidden in many different Churches throughout the world, most blatantly, at Our Lady of Paris in London. Well, if there's a Church called "Our Lady" of anything, with a big M on the altar, I wonder what that M would stand for? Surely not Mary, the Mother of Jesus! But again, Brown cleverly avoids mentioning Our Lady in order to make his discussion of the other Mary more convincing. If people kept in mind the importance in Christian iconography of Our Blessed Mother, this hogwash about Mary Magdalene would never have gotten anywhere!

Finally, Brown makes the audacious claim that St. Peter was jealous of Mary Magdalene because Jesus intended to found the Church on her, instead of him. Therefore Leonardo portrayed Peter behaving threateningly toward Mary (who is really John), making a hand-across-the-throat gesture at her...er...him. In fact, if you look, St. Peter's hand is actually resting on John's shoulder. All his fingers are out, not just the one. His index finger is a bit longer than the others, since it is pointing to Jesus rather than just following the curve of John's shoulder, but it's hard to construe it as some sort of threatening gesture!

Moreover, Brown discusses an allegedly disembodied dagger, another subtle threat to Mary Magdalene. Brown claims that if you count the arms, it belongs to no one at all! As a matter of fact, the dagger belongs to Peter. He just happens to be holding it at a very awkward angle. Apparently, this knife dealy gave Leonardo some trouble, and he practised it a few times in his sketchbooks. Thanks, Leonardo, for putting the mystery to rest. Too bad Mr. Brown didn't study up!

So why does Peter have a knife? Why is his hand on John's shoulder? What exactly is happening in this picture?

Well, Brown gets one thing right about the painting. The scene portrayed is in fact Jesus' announcement that one of His disciples will betray Him. At this announcement, according to the Gospels, all the disciples are shocked, and ask, "Is it I?" (Mark 14:17-21). Hence, Leonardo's depiction of the disciples in a bit of commotion.

In John's Gospel, at this point, Peter leans over to John and asks him to ask Jesus who He meant, since John was sitting right next to Jesus (John 13:21-27). Jesus' response is that it is the person who took bread at the same time He did, and look again at the painting: Judas (that guy between Peter and John clutching the bag of money) is reaching for a loaf of bread just as Jesus is! So, the only remaining question is, what on earth is Peter doing with a dagger? Well, in Luke's Gospel, chapter 22, verses 35-38, Jesus tells His disciples to be prepared for the crisis of His arrest and crucifixion. He tells them even to sell their cloaks to buy swords if they don't already have one. At this, the disciples pick up two knives and say, "Hey, here are some swords!" Later on, in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus is arrested, Peter uses one of those very knives to hack off a guard's ear (John 18:10,11). Since the sword was first grasped at the Last Supper, Leonardo threw it in, just so we'd know that this is Peter.

So there you have it. The two most controversial paintings in The Da Vinci Code really aren't all that controversial at all. In fact, they're pretty straightforward, and just as any good painter should, Leonardo put together a very clear masterpiece full of subtle detail and clear meaning.

The neat thing about The Last Supper, is that it was painted on a wall in the convent of Santa Maria della Grazie, in the dining hall. The light sources in the painting even match up to those that are in the hall, to make those dining there feel as if they were actually at the Last Supper. That it depicts the point where Jesus predicts that one of His disciples would betray Him serves as a reminder that we all must remain faithful to Christ. None of the disciples knew whether they were the person, and all had to ask, "Is it I?" That should be our question, too. Dan Brown would make us all Christ's betrayers. But ironically, he has given many the incentive to explore and research the truth of the Catholic Church and of Jesus Christ! Such an examination can only serve to strengthen our faith, if we really do, as the tagline for The Da Vinci Code movie encourages us, "Seek the Truth."

God bless!

Adversus Da Vinci, Pt. 4

2006-07-05T18:40:00.000-04:00

Jesus Meets the Holy Women: Has the Church Truly Oppressed Women?

Well, we're getting there, to the end of The Da Vinci Code series! The title comes from the 8th Station of the Cross, where Jesus encounters the weeping women of Jerusalem on His way to be Crucified. Notably, Jesus meets several people on His way to the Crucifixion: His Mother, Simon of Cyrene, Veronica, and the group of women. Only one of those people is a man. All the other men in the stations are beating on Jesus except for station 14, where Joseph of Arimathea puts Him in his tomb. This devotion seems typical of the respect the Church has always had for women.

The bulk of the information in this post is not my own, but the research of Fr. William Slattery, whom I had the opportunity to hear speak on this the February before last. He graciously emailed me his notes, which I slightly adapted for this post. Thank you, Fr. Slattery!

Did the Church crush the ancient feminist religions destroying "the sacred feminine" and has it oppressed womanhood ever since? This is the claim of Dan Brown throughout the book.

However, the reverse is true: The Church established the veneration of "the sacred feminine" in the respect for The Blessed Virgin Mary. In fact, I find it highly ironic that a 454 page book that claims to be discussing the Catholic Church only ever mentions Mary once, and then, just as a passing thing, discussing ancient Christian iconography, and alleging that it's a rip-off of pagan iconography! That's the only time she's mentioned by name (p. 232)! Now, anyone who's anyone realises that Catholicism has a huge place for the Blessed Virgin Mary! In fact, she's in the highest position the Church can give to a human being! So how can a book make the claim that the Church that exalts and honours Mary as chief of all the saints, and most blessed of all women, oppresses those same women? Logic apparently isn't Brown's forté, and he tries to cover that up by omitting mention to the Mother of God!

The Church also liberated women from the oppression of paganism and set standards which contemporary feminism is still trying to equal.

Firstly a few facts on the so-called "sacred feminine" in ancient pagan religions: The Church did not destroy "the sacred feminine" because it never existed. There was no Female Goddess: pagan religions were polytheistic, and among those religions' many gods, the chief one was always a male, like Odin or Zeus. There has never been a matriarchal society: for example, Catalhoyuk, the 9,000 year old Stone Age settlement, according to the analysis of the human bones found there, had a division based on sex of work and implicitly of responsibilities and was not a strictly egalitarian society. Devotees of Wicca--sometimes known as the Goddess Movement--have laid claim to an ancient heritage. Historians now believe that not a single element of the Wiccan story is true.

On the contrary, Christianity brought about the liberation of woman: The Bible proclaimed the equal dignity of woman with man: Galatians 3:28, "There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither slave nor freeman, there can be neither male nor female--for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

God's revelation freed woman from being obliged to physical motherhood as the only way of self-fulfillment when Christianity declared virginal consecration as a vocation for woman: 1 Cor 7:35. Up until that point in history, pagan cultures, and even ancient Judaism, valued women based upon how many children they could have! But the Church changed that when they said, "You aren't valuable based on how many children you can have, but based on the fact that you are created in Christ's image, and He loves you! You don't have to have children to have value. You don't even have to be married if you don't want to!"

What has the Church done for womanhood? The answer is that the status of women before and after the arrival of Catholicism was like night and day because Catholicism proclaimed an unheard of belief in the ancient world: the total equality of male and female: Woman is the equal to man in origin, nature and destiny. Before that, women were regarded as chattel, as property, not as people!

As regards the difference between the status of women in Christianity and in pagan religions in general, the Church changed the general attitude to women prevalent in some ancient religions as simply being a sex object. For example, if a man wanted to worship at the ancient temples of Diana or Aphrodite, he could do so by hiring a "ritual prostitute"!

In Ancient Rome because of Catholicism the infanticide of girls was eliminated: in the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa, in which males outnumbered females by thirty per cent or more, many families refused to raise a second girl. As one husband's letter put it: "If a girl, discard it." The Church stopped this!

The Church abolished polygamy.

Women were far less likely to be forced to have an abortion: a frequent cause of death for women of the time. Notably, it's still a frequent cause of death, or at least complications, even today!

Women from Christian families were three times less likely than women from pagan families to be married before thirteen years of age. That's like, marrying someone in their 30s or older, while you're still in grade 7 or 8! Yay Catholic Church!

Christian women exercised greater freedom to choose their spouse because of the economic support available from the Church. Women could therefore flee to the Church to escape an unwanted marriage, because the Church would take care of them until they chose to get married, or chose to consecrate themselves to virginity as a nun.

The Church demanded that husbands be faithful (quite a contrast with pagan Rome).

The Church elevated women as men to the highest rank in the church: models of Christ-likeness--the Saints. For example, Mary Magdalene, who is called the Apostle to the Apostles, since she was the first person to see the Empty Tomb and tell Jesus' disciples! Ironically, her feast day was on the same day that the DVC movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and her most famous shrine is just a hop-skip-and-jump away from the Festival! So much for trying to cover her up, Dan Brown. As the writer Flannery O Connor said: "The Church would just as soon canonize a woman as a man, and I suppose has done more than any other force in history to free women."

Partly as a result of this, women of all ranks were conspicuous in the new religion and there was a notable presence in some churches of women of important social status.

In the Middle Ages (yes, those terrible Middle Ages!), the social importance, power and influence of women rose to such heights that we still haven't recovered the same level:

Politically, Between the 1000s and the 1200s almost every throne in Europe was occupied by or powerfully influenced by a woman such as the Queen of France, Blanche de Castille.

Some women were the equivalent of provincial governors and mayors and exercised power that many men today would envy. They were feudal lords and as powerful as men of the same rank in virtue of their role as abbesses of monasteries, often administering vast territories with villages, parishes. One example is Heloise, abbess of the Paraclete monastery in France.

Politically, women had the right to vote: there is the example of a woman Gaillardine de Frechou who, during a vote in her area of the Pyrenees Mountains, was the only one in the population to vote No to a certain agreement.

Career-wise, women exercised different professions: in the survey ordered by St. King Louis IX and others there are accounts of a woman teacher, doctor, pharmacist, plasterer, dyer, copyist, salt merchant, a woman Crusader, a woman hairdresser, a woman miller and so on.

In education, women were educated as well as men through the convents. The abbess Hroswitha in Germany, a writer, influenced the development of both the theatre and the German language; the abbess Herrad of Landsberg wrote the best-known encyclopedia, Hortus Deliciarum of the 1100s. Not to mention the talented musician Hildegarde of Bingen. There were even dual monasteries on different parts of a property where men and women lived separately but were ruled over by women, as occurred in the famous abbey of Fontevrault.

In the home the woman ruled alongside her husband over both family and property and retained power over what belonged to her from before marriage.

In the armed forces, we still have not had a female commander in chief since Joan of Arc was promoted to the position by the Catholic Church.

If you had said to Queen Isabella of Spain, to Joan of Arc, Catherine of Siena or any of the aforementioned women that the Church subjected women, they would all have been very indignant and most of them would have flown into a towering passion. They would have asked in various ways where the whole sense of medieval respect for womanhood came from, where their ability to study and rule and govern came from?

This is the bright and shining truth of Christianity, that women as well as men are of equal worth in Christ's eyes. We are all able to attain to the highest position in the Catholic Church: that of Saint. And truly, that is our calling, and that is what we should be striving for! God calls us all to it with open arms; let's accept His invitation!

Below, I've posted the Concluding Footnote from Fr. Slattery's notes:

Concluding footnote: UNRELIABLE SOURCES OF INFORMATION:
Brown actually cites his principal sources within the text of his novel. One is a specimen of academic feminist scholarship: The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels. The others are popular esoteric histories: The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ by Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince; Holy Blood, Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln; The Goddess in the Gospels: Reclaiming the Sacred Feminine and The Woman with the Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalen and the Holy Grail, both by Margaret Starbird. (Starbird, a self-identified Catholic, has her books published by Matthew Fox's outfit, Bear & Co.) Another influence, at least at second remove, is The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets by Barbara G. Walker.

The use of such unreliable sources belies Brown's pretensions to intellectuality. But the act has apparently fooled at least some of his readers--the New York Daily News book reviewer trumpeted, "His research is impeccable."

God bless!

Adversus Da Vinci, Pt. 3

2006-06-16T15:37:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the big delay in posting. It's what happens when busy-ness meets the stupidity of the topic. I've got just a few hours to post 3 parts in order that they all fall into the "June" Archive. Oh well.

The Bible: Its Genesis and Revelation

In the same chapter that Dan Brown makes his ludicrous claims about Jesus Christ's divinity, he makes similar claims regarding the origin and content of the Bible:

"The Bible is a product of man, my dear. Not of God. The Bible did not fall magically from the clouds. Man created it as a historical record of tumultuous times, and it has evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions. History has never had a definitive version of the book." -Leigh Teabing, p. 231

Brown claims that the Bible "didn't arrive by fax from heaven" (p.231) as if this is something new to Christians. We know this. We hold, rather, that God divinely inspired the many authors of the Bible to write the historical record of tumultuous times. And yet, that is not all that the Bible is, either. It is also theological reflection on those same tumultuous times, as well as moral instruction for how to be have at any time, tumultuous or not. Notably, the Bible also records non-tumultuous times!

Brown throws in another half-truth when he discusses that the Bible "evolved through countless translations, additions, and revisions." Obviously the Bible has been translated. It has also been added to. It was, after all, written over a period of 1500-odd years! As for revisions, when it comes to the Catholic Church, this is simply not the case. Any time revisions were undertaken, the Catholic Church reacted strongly against it, such as St. Polycarp (a disciple of St. John the Apostle), who called the heretic Marcion, "the first-born of Satan" because Marcion removed the entire Old Testament, as well as Matthew, Mark, and John, and anything not written by St. Luke or St. Paul--even then, he felt that he understood things better than St. Paul. Later, when dissenters like Wycliffe and Huss published their own translations of the Bible, the Catholic Church again decried their revisions, as they did with the translation by Martin Luther the reformer.

Finally, Brown makes the claim that "history has never had a definitive version of the Bible." Well, that is simply absurd. Notably, he contradicts even himself in his lies, when later he makes the claim that the version of the Bible that we know was "collated" by Constantine 1650-odd years ago! So which is it, Brown, have we never had a definitive Bible, or have we had an allegedly rewritten one for 1650 years?

Well, actually, it's neither, as we'll discuss later.

"Jesus was a historical figure of staggering influence....His life was recorded by thousands of followers across the land." Teabing paused to sip his tea and then placed the cup back on the mantel. "More than eighty gospels were considered for the New Testament, and yet only a relative few were chosen for inclusion--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John among them."
"Who chose which gospels to include?" Sophie asked.
"Aha!" Teabing burst in with wild enthusiasm. "The fundamental irony of Christianity! The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great." -ibid.

Here's some more fun with illogic. A "Gospel" is defined as a record of Christ's life. Brown says that "thousands" of people recorded His life. In other words, thousands of people wrote Gospels. Yet, in the very next sentence, Brown mentions "more than eighty." Well, yeah, if it's true that more than a thousand people wrote a gospel, there would be "more than eighty." But I wonder why the conservative number of eighty, if there should have been upwards of 2000? Probably because even Dan Brown was aware of the absurdity of that claim!

Here's another thing I love. Out of the 80, a "relative few" were chosen, "Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John among them" (emphasis mine). Hold on. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were "among" the Gospels that were chosen to be included? No, they were not "among", they were it! These four and no more!

But besides being illogical to the point of idiotic, Brown's claims simply aren't true. There were only around fifty, not 80, gospels floating around in and before Constantine's time. Of those 50, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were authoritative almost as soon as they were written, and all others were rejected! Writings from around the year 100 already testify to the unsurpassed quality of the fourfold Gospel. After Marcion decided to chop things up around AD 140, the Church decided to put out an authoritative list, which included 22 or 23 of the 27 books that we have today. It wasn't until AD 367 (well after Constantine's time) that St. Athanasius listed out the 27 books, And this list was decided at the Councils of Hippo (AD 393) and Carthage (AD 397), and ratified by popes Innocent I (AD 405) and Gelasius (AD 495). In 1546, the Council of Trent again confirmed, and infallibly defined, that the Bible that we use is indeed the Bible, because the Reformers, like Luther, decided to do away with 7 books of the Old Testament, and Luther tossed around the idea of losing the Epistle of James and the Book of Revelation.

"The twist is this," Teabing said, talking faster now. "Because Constantine upgraded Jesus' status almost four centuries after Jesus' death, thousands of documents already existed chronicling His life as a mortal man. To rewrite the history books, Constantine knew he would need a bold stroke. From this sprang the most profound moment in Christian history." Teabing paused, eyeing Sophie. "Constantine commissioned and financed a new Bible, which omitted those gospels that spoke of Christ's human traits and embellished those gospels that made Him godlike. The earlier gospels were gathered up, outlawed, and burned...
"Fortunately for historians," Teabing said, "some of the gospels that Constantine attempted to eradicate managed to survive. The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the 1950s hidden in a cave near Qumran in the Judean desert. And, of course, the Coptic Scrolls in 1945 at Nag Hammadi...[T]hese documents speak of Christ's ministry in very human terms. Of course, the Vatican, in keeping with their tradition of misinformation, tried very hard to suppress the release of these scrolls. And why wouldn't they? The scrolls highlight glaring historical discrepancies and fabrications, clearly confirming that the modern Bible was compiled and edited by men who possessed a political agenda--to promote the divinity of the man Jesus Christ and use His influence to solidify their own power base." -Ibid, p. 234.

Again, Dan Brown borders on the ridiculous here. Constantine had nothing to do with the Canon of Scripture. He did not have anything rewritten. There is documentary evidence in support of the veracity of the Scriptures. There are more than 5000 copies of the New Testament books, many of which predate Constantine, which agree with incredible accuracy with the Bible that we have. That is, there is only about a 200 year difference between our earliest copies and when the Bible was written, and when we compare what we have with those, there are only about 400 differences, total, and not only do they not affect any major Christian doctrine at all, most of them are pronoun differences (he or it?) or verb tenses.

That might sound like a lot (200 years? 400 differences?) but consider this comparison. Outside of the Bible, the oldest manuscript that we have is Homer's Iliad. It was written around 800 BC. Scholars have only around 400 or so copies of it, and these copies date to around AD 200. That's a 1000 year gap! Yet historians consider these copies to be very reliable, even though there are thousands of discrepancies between each copy. Compared with the New Testament, where our earliest copies are only 200 years after it was written (instead of 1000!) and we have upwards of 5000 copies (compared to 400) and there are only 400 very minor discrepancies (compared to many thousands), considering the fact that historians consider the Iliad to be a reliable historical document, how much more reliable can we consider the Bible?

Brown goes on to claim that the Gospels that were omitted talked about a very human Jesus, but the Gospels that were kept talk about a more godlike one. I wonder if Brown has read the Bible? Jesus' humanity and His divinity are stressed throughout! In fact, many people have read the Bible and decided that Jesus in fact was not God based on their reading (misinformed as it is).

Finally, in his defence, Dan Brown tries to introduce the Dead Sea Scrolls and the texts of Nag Hammadi to give evidence. But even here he fails to prove anything beyond how illiterate his research is. The Dead Sea Scrolls, which he claims tell the truth about who Jesus was, don't say one word about Him! They were Jewish documents that were written between 100 and 300 years before Jesus was born! As a matter of fact, the Dead Sea Scrolls have gone a long way to authenticate our version of the Old Testament, showing that it is as reliable as the New Testament!

As for the texts of Nag Hammadi, these are not Christian texts at all, but Gnostic ones. Gnosticism was a religion in the early days of Christianity that gained popularity (or notoriety) by stealing the important religious figures of a religion and making them out to teach Gnostic ideas. And they didn't do it exclusively with Christianity, and the so-called "Gnostic Gospels", but with Judaism and even the pagan Greek and Roman religions! Moreover, these so-called gospels were not written before the Gospels, but over 100 years after! As such, they do not hold deep insights into Christ's true history, but are cultic fabrications with little to nothing to do with Christianity. As far as the Vatican trying to suppress these documents, they have not. In fact, they hardly said a word when one of them, the "Gospel of Judas", was "unveiled" by National Geographic just before last Easter, and heralded to be a "controversial" document in Christianity. The Church yawned and simply reminded everyone that it's all old news to them: St. Irenaeus around the year AD 180 had referred to this very text as pure fiction, and in 1800 years, we've got nothing to add.

Dan Brown attempts to undermine a book, and he certainly does. Only, he just manages to undermine his own book by spouting ridiculous lies about the Bible. With just a little bit of historical research, these facts are verifiable. For Dan Brown to deny history is just plain silly. But according to him, remember, "all descriptions of...documents...are accurate." Right. And I'm Leonardo Da Vinci.

For more information on where the Bible came from, I'd recommend reading Where We Got the Bible: Our Debt to the Catholic Church by Rev. Henry G. Graham. You can read it online at that link.

The wonderful thing about people trying to undermine the Catholic Faith, is that it gives us the terrific opportunity to reexamine it, and remind ourselves about the facts, that Jesus is God, the Church is Good, and the Bible is reliable.

God bless

Adversus Da Vinci, Pt. 2

2006-06-10T14:24:00.000-04:00

The Church: Wheat and Chaff

Repeatedly, too often to sift through again for quotes, The Da Vinci Code takes frequent pot-shots at the Catholic Church, portraying it alternatively as power-hungry, blood-thirsty despots to gullible, ignorant pawns. All of the Catholics in the book are portrayed negatively: The "New Pope" is a liberal who is changing the Church's more stringent doctrines (ironically, since the book was written before Pope John Paul II died, the book is trying to describe Benedict XVI, and failing laughably!).

The Parisienne Captain of the DCPJ, Bezu Fache (whose name is an anagram of Zebu, a type of bull, and the French word for Angry, hence, Angry Bull--must have taken his colleagues a long time to come up with that nickname!) is portrayed as a merciless and unscrupulously Javert-esque detective. Although he turns out to be perhaps the best portrayed Catholic in the book, in the sense that in the end he realises the truth of the murder plot and gets the bad guy, his tactics are never repenteded.

Silas, the albino "monk" of Opus Dei, is portrayed as a murderous fiend, a religious extremist, and an unwitting pawn. His mentor, Bishop Aringarosa, is portrayed as desperate and duplicitous (as are his consorts within the Vatican), who is seeking power to maintain his shaky position.

The nun at St. Sulpice is portrayed heroically as a liberal and modern-thinking Catholic, like the Pope. In all, the "Good Catholics" are portrayed as power-hungry and duplicitous, and the "Bad Catholics", who deny the faith and teachings of the Church, are portrayed as forward-thinking, enlightened heroes.

Moreover, Dan Brown repeatedly dredges up (and makes up) sordid details from Catholicism's past. He claims that Constantine made Jesus God (see last week's article) in order to consolidate the Vatican's power (newsflash, the Vatican didn't exist in Constantine's day! It wasn't built for another 1000-odd years!), and he portrays dissenting heretics as noble martyrs who were persecuted for wanting to choose what the truth was. He claims that the Catholic Church burned 5,000,000 witches, which is insane on two counts: The vast majority of witch trials were done in Protestant Europe, not by Catholics; and the actual numbers, according to most historians, was only around 30,000-50,000 witches. Still a tragic number, but nowhere near five million!

Brown claims that the Crusades were instituted to further destroy heretics, when in fact they were defensive wars attempting to beat back the marauding Muslim invaders. He claims that the Church was fully behind the arrest and burning of the Knights Templar, though it was really the too-powerful French prince, Philip the Fair, who used the weak Pope Clement V. Even then, Pope Clement did much to help the Templars even then. Further, historians have shown that, most likely, the Templars were never heretics, much less guardians of the secret that Jesus had a child with Mary Magdalene!

All this isn't said in order to say that Dan Brown paints the Church in sinister strokes, while the reality is much more pure and good. No, the Church has always had within it evil, sinful people, who, in the name of the Church or of Religion, have done evil things. In fact, the true history of the Church is dark enough at points to make us wonder why Brown bothered to make up stuff at all!

Knowing, then, that the Church contains evil men, as well as good, and has done evil things as well as good, what are we to do? Decry it as evil and leave for the paganism that Dan Brown espouses? Reject religion for a fluffy spirituality, as even some Christian people advocate?

No! We should not be surprised that there are evil people in the Church! Jesus Himself told us that there would be:

He put another parable before them, 'The Kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everybody was asleep his enemy came, sowed darnel all among the wheat, and made off. When the new wheat sprouted and ripened, then the darnel appeared as well. The owner's labourers went to him and said, "Sir, was it not good seed that you sowed in your field? If so, where does the darnel come from?" He said to them, "Some enemy has done this." And the labourers said, "Do you want us to go and weed it out?" But he said, "No, because when you weed out the darnel, you might pull up the wheat with it. Let them both grow till the harvest; and at harvest time I shall say to the reapers: First collect the darnel and tie it in bundles to be burnt, then gather the wheat into my barn"'(Matthew 13:24-30).

Jesus is telling us that it is neither our job to rid the Church of those that are evil, nor to leave on account of the evil. As a pastor once remarked, "There's no such thing as a perfect church. But if you happen to find one, don't go there, because you'll only mess it up." What he was saying is that none of us are perfect, but we, in all of our imperfections, make up this Church. In fact, if the Church here and now was perfect, there would be no place for us. The Church, whose mission is to offer Grace and Forgiveness to sinners, would not be able to do so until those sinners no longer needed Grace or Forgiveness!

So how do we respond to a Church that even in this day and age, is riddled with a clergy sex-abuse scandal, and other failings? St. Augustine said it well:

Stay close to the faithful who are good. Because there are, sad to say, believers who are evil. There are some who are called believers, though they are not. There are believers who abuse the sacraments of Christ, people who live in such a way that they themselves perish while they destroy others. They perish from their evil way of living; they destroy others by the example of their wicked lives. Do not join them, dearly beloved. Seek the good; cling to the good; be good.

Don't be surprised at the multitude of bad Christians who fill the church, who go up to the altar for Communion, who make a big deal of praising the bishop or priest when he speaks about good morals. Such people fulfil the prediction made by our shepherd in the psalm: "Were I to proclaim and tell of them, they would be more than can be numbered" (Ps 40:5). They can be with us in the Church of this time, but, after the resurrection, they will be unable to remain in the congregation of saints. The Church of this time has good mixed with bad. It is like a threshing floor, where grain is mixed with chaff, good members mixed together with evil. But, after the judgement, it will have all good members, without the evil. This threshing floor holds the harvest planted by the apostles and watered in turn by good teachers down to the present time. It has been threshed a bit by the persecution of enemies; now only the final winnowing remains to be done. And indeed He is coming, of whom you have repeated in the creed: "He will come to judge the living and the dead." As the Gospel says: "His winnowing fork is in His hand, to clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His granary, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire" (Luke 3:17).

...May the grain rejoice with trembling, and remain, and not leave the threshing floor. May you never try, by your own judgement, to free yourself from the chaff; for you cannot remain on the threshing floor if you seek to separate yourself now from the chaff. What's more, when Christ comes--He Who judges without error--He will not raise to the granary anything He has not found on the threshing floor. And those grains that have left the threshing floor will boast in vain about where they came from. The granary will be filled and closed. Fire will consume whatever is left outside.

So, brothers and sisters, those who are good must put up with evil. Those who are bad must imitate the good. On this threshing floor, grain can rot into chaff, and grain can rise up from the chaff. Such changes take place every day, my brothers and sisters. This life is full of humiliations and consolations. Every day, seemingly good people do wrong and die; yet seemingly evil people are converted and live. For God takes no "pleasure in the death of the wicked," but only "that he should turn from his way and live" (Ezek 18:23).

Listen to me, grains of wheat! Listen, you who are what I wish you to be! Don't be saddened by the mixture with chaff. The evil ones will not be with you forever. How heavy, after all, is that pile of husks? It is light, thank God! We must only remain as grains, and then, however heavy it gets, it will not crush us. "God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your strength, but with the temptation will also provide a way of escape, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Cor 10:13). (From Sermon 223. Quoted in Living the Mysteries: A Guide for Unfinished Christians, ch. 33, edited by Scott Hahn and Mike Aquilina.)

Here is our answer! Here is our duty! Seek the good; cling to the good; be good.

God bless.

Adversus Da Vinci, Pt. 1

2006-06-02T11:00:00.000-04:00

Jesus Christ: The God-Man

We began discussing The Da Vinci Code with an eye on St. Peter's instruction to "Simply proclaim the Lord Christ holy in your hearts, and always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15).

What is the reason for our hope? Our faith in Jesus Christ, knowing that His death and resurrection has saved us and set us free. This is the Truth, about which Jesus said, "If you make My word your home, you will indeed be My disciples; and you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32). What is He saying? That we need to live according to the Truth in order to be free! So what is the Truth that we need to know? Later in the Gospel of John, Jesus tells us point blank: "I am the Way; I am Truth and Life. No one can come to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). Christ Himself is the Truth that we need to know!

But Dan Brown has a different notion: in his book, he has his character, Leigh Teabing, say, "Constantine's Bible has been their truth for ages. Nobody is more indoctrinated than the indoctrinator...[A]lmost everything our fathers taught us about Christ is false" (ch 55. p. 235 in the Hardcover version published by Doubleday, emphasis in the original).

This is what The Da Vinci Code teaches is the truth about Christ:

"Jesus Christ was a historical figure of staggering influence, perhaps the most enigmatic and inspirational leader the world has ever seen. As the prophesied Messiah, Jesus toppled kings, inspired millions, and founded new philosophies. As a descendant of the lines of King Solomon and King David, Jesus possessed a rightful claim to the throne of the King of the Jews. Understandably, His life was recorded by thousands of followers across the land" (Teabing, p. 231).

Sounds pretty impressive. Brown really gives Jesus a lot of credit! Calling Him the King of the Jews, the Messiah, and a great human prophet who inspires millions! But the key is that Brown claims Jesus was only a human being. He goes on to describe the Council of Nicaea in AD 325:

"At this gathering," Teabing said, "many aspects of Christianity were debated and voted upon--the date of Easter, the role of the bishops, the administration of the sacraments, and, of course, the divinity of Jesus."
"I don't follow. His divinity?" [Sophie Neveu, the main female character, says.]
"My dear," Teabing declared, "until that moment in history, Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet...a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal."
"Not the Son of God?"
"Right," Teabing said. "Jesus' establishment as 'the Son of God' was officially proposed and voted on by the Council of Nicaea."
"Hold on. You're saying that Jesus' divinity was the result of a vote?"
"A relatively close vote at that," Teabing added. "Nonetheless, establishing Christ's divinity was critical to the further unification of the Roman empire and to the new Vatican power base. By officially endorsing Jesus as the Son of God, Constantine turned Jesus into a deity who existed beyond the scope of the human world, an entity whose power was unchallengeable. This not only precluded further pagan challenges to Christianity, but now the followers of Christ were able to redeem themselves only through the established sacred channel--the Roman Catholic Church."
Sophie glanced at Langdon [the main male character], and he gave her a soft nod of concurrence.
"It was all about power," Teabing continued. "Christ as Messiah was critical to the functioning of Church and state. Many scholars claim that the early Church literally stole Jesus from His original followers, hijacking His human message, shrouding it in an impenetrable cloak of divinity, and using it to expand their own power"(p. 233).

But is this actually the historic truth? Dan Brown wants us to believe that it is. After all, on his so-called "Fact" page, he says that the descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals are accurate. Well, the Council of Nicaea was recorded--documented--and he "describes" the Council here. Well, if his "facts" are indeed facts, then this should be an accurate description of the Council.

In fact, the Council of Nicaea was convened by Constantine, who had converted about 12 to 13 years earlier. But Constantine wasn't a theologian, he was a king, who wanted peace in his Empire. In AD 313, he issued the Edict of Milan which made Christianity a legal religion. (Contrary to Brown's assertion, Constantine never made Christianity the "official" religion of the Roman Empire. That was done nearly a century later by a guy named Theodosius. All Constantine did was make it illegal to continue persecuting Christians.) Now that Christianity was legal, and the leaders of the Church no longer had to fear for their lives on a daily basis, they were better able to spread the Gospel throughout the land. Unfortunately, some people had a distorted version of Christianity--in particular, one priest from Egypt, named Arius. Arius taught that Jesus was the Son of God in the sense that God made Jesus and gave Him divine power, making Him something of a demi-god or a secondary god, as opposed to the One True God. Unfortunately, Arius was a pretty clever and convincing fellow, and a good large portion of the Church listened to him. However, there were those who still clung to the faith of the Apostles and contended with Arius.

Enter Constantine, who wanted an end to the infighting, so in AD 325, he gets all the Bishops together to hash out the issue. But remember, unlike what Brown says, the question of Jesus divinity was not "Was Jesus God or just human?" but "In what way was Jesus God?" Everyone at that Council believed that Jesus was divine!

Most of the Bishops that were at the Council actually agreed with Arius' teaching--and in fact, again, contrary to what Brown says, even Constantine leaned in favour of the Arian position! But Constantine recognised that he had no authority to make a pronouncement, and left that to the Bishops. For a while they wrangled over metaphysics and philosophical theories, until finally the simple question was proposed, "What did the Apostles believe? What did they teach?" When that question became the basis of the discussion, the answer was arrived at very quickly. About this decision, Dan Brown claims that the vote was "a relatively close one". In my mind, at a council of 220 Bishops, a close vote might look something like 115-105, or 120-110. To be generous, I'd even toss out 130-90.

But what Dan Brown describes as "a relatively close vote" was 218-2 in favour of the Apostles' teaching--That Jesus Christ really was God! This was the Teaching of the Apostles, and their successors! Don't believe me? Here are some quotations from the Early Church Fathers, all of which were written before the Council of Nicaea (The quotations are in chronological order. The dates are with the citations of the documents. I've bolded particularly poignant ones):

Ignatius of Antioch

"Ignatius, also called Theophorus, to the Church at Ephesus in Asia... predestined from eternity for a glory that is lasting and unchanging, united and chosen through true suffering by the will of the Father in Jesus Christ our God" (Letter to the Ephesians 1 [A.D. 110]).

"For our God, Jesus Christ, was conceived by Mary in accord with God's plan: of the seed of David, it is true, but also of the Holy Spirit" (ibid., 18:2).

"[T]o the Church beloved and enlightened after the love of Jesus Christ, our God, by the will of him that has willed everything which is" (Letter to the Romans 1 [A.D. 110]).

Aristides

"[Christians] are they who, above every people of the earth, have found the truth, for they acknowledge God, the Creator and maker of all things, in the only-begotten Son and in the Holy Spirit" (Apology 16 [A.D. 140]).

Tatian the Syrian

"We are not playing the fool, you Greeks, nor do we talk nonsense, when we report that God was born in the form of a man" (Address to the Greeks 21 [A.D. 170]).

Melito of Sardis

"It is no way necessary in dealing with persons of intelligence to adduce the actions of Christ after his baptism as proof that his soul and his body, his human nature, were like ours, real and not phantasmal. The activities of Christ after his baptism, and especially his miracles, gave indication and assurance to the world of the deity hidden in his flesh. Being God and likewise perfect man, he gave positive indications of his two natures: of his deity, by the miracles during the three years following after his baptism, of his humanity, in the thirty years which came before his baptism, during which, by reason of his condition according to the flesh, he concealed the signs of his deity, although he was the true God existing before the ages" (Fragment in Anastasius of Sinai's The Guide 13 [A.D. 177]).

Irenaeus

"For the Church, although dispersed throughout the whole world even to the ends of the earth, has received from the apostles and from their disciples the faith in one God, Father Almighty, the creator of heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them; and in one Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became flesh for our salvation; and in the Holy Spirit, who announced through the prophets the dispensations and the comings, and the birth from a Virgin, and the passion, and the resurrection from the dead, and the bodily ascension into heaven of the beloved Christ Jesus our Lord, and his coming from heaven in the glory of the Father to reestablish all things; and the raising up again of all flesh of all humanity, in order that to Jesus Christ our Lord and God and Savior and King, in accord with the approval of the invisible Father, every knee shall bend of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth..." (Adversus Haereses 1:10:1 [A.D. 189]).

"Nevertheless, what cannot be said of anyone else who ever lived, that he is himself in his own right God and Lord... may be seen by all who have attained to even a small portion of the truth" (ibid., 3:19:1).

Clement of Alexandria

"The Word, then, the Christ, is the cause both of our ancient beginning--for he was in God--and of our well-being. And now this same Word has appeared as man. He alone is both God and man, and the source of all our good things" (Exhortation to the Greeks 1:7:1 [A.D. 190]).

"Despised as to appearance but in reality adored, [Jesus is] the expiator, the Savior, the soother, the divine Word, he that is quite evidently true God, he that is put on a level with the Lord of the universe because he was his Son" (ibid., 10:110:1).

Tertullian

"The origins of both his substances display him as man and as God: from the one, born, and from the other, not born" (The Flesh of Christ 5:6-7 [A.D. 210]).

"That there are two gods and two Lords, however, is a statement which we will never allow to issue from our mouth; not as if the Father and the Son were not God, nor the Spirit God, and each of them God; but formerly two were spoken of as gods and two as Lords, so that when Christ would come, he might both be acknowledged as God and be called Lord, because he is the Son of him who is both God and Lord" (Against Praxeas 13:6 [A.D. 216]).

Origen

"Although he was God, he took flesh; and having been made man, he remained what he was: God" (The Fundamental Doctrines 1:0:4 [A.D. 225]).

Hippolytus of Rome

"Only [God's] Word is from himself and is therefore also God, becoming the substance of God" (Refutation of All Heresies 10:33 [A.D. 228]).

"For Christ is the God over all, who has arranged to wash away sin from mankind, rendering the old man new" (ibid., 10:34).

Novatian

"If Christ was only man, why did he lay down for us such a rule of believing as that in which he said, 'And this is life eternal, that they should know you, the only and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent?' [John 17:3]. Had he not wished that he also should be understood to be God, why did he add, 'And Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent,' except because he wished to be received as God also? Because if he had not wished to be understood to be God, he would have added, 'And the man Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent;' but, in fact, he neither added this, nor did Christ deliver himself to us as man only, but associated himself with God, as he wished to be understood by this conjunction to be God also, as he is. We must therefore believe, according to the rule prescribed, on the Lord, the one true God, and consequently on him whom he has sent, Jesus Christ, who by no means, as we have said, would have linked himself to the Father had he not wished to be understood to be God also. For he would have separated himself from him had he not wished to be understood to be God" (Treatise on the Trinity 16 [A.D. 235]).

Cyprian of Carthage

"One who denies that Christ is God cannot become his temple [of the Holy Spirit]..." (Letters 73:12 [A.D. 253]).

Gregory the Wonderworker

"There is one God, the Father of the living Word, who is his subsistent wisdom and power and eternal image: perfect begetter of the perfect begotten, Father of the only-begotten Son. There is one Lord, only of the only, God of God, image and likeness of deity, efficient Word, wisdom comprehensive of the constitution of all things, and power formative of the whole creation, true Son of true Father, invisible of invisible, and incorruptible of incorruptible, and immortal of immortal and eternal of eternal.... And thus neither was the Son ever wanting to the Father, nor the Spirit to the Son; but without variation and without change, the same Trinity abides ever" (Declaration of Faith [A.D. 265]).

Arnobius

"'Well, then,' some raging, angry, and excited man will say, 'is that Christ your God?' 'God indeed,' we shall answer, 'and God of the hidden powers'" (Against the Pagans 1:42 [A.D. 305]).

Lactantius

"He was made both Son of God in the spirit and Son of man in the flesh, that is, both God and man" (Divine Institutes 4:13:5 [A.D. 307]).

"We, on the other hand, are [truly] religious, who make our supplications to the one true God. Someone may perhaps ask how, when we say that we worship one God only, we nevertheless assert that there are two, God the Father and God the Son--which assertion has driven many into the greatest error...[thinking] that we confess that there is another God, and that he is mortal.... [But w]hen we speak of God the Father and God the Son, we do not speak of them as different, nor do we separate each, because the Father cannot exist without the Son, nor can the Son be separated from the Father" (ibid., 4:28-29). (This list was compiled by the great people at Catholic Answers: Click here for the whole article.)

So why is it important for us to actually believe that Jesus was both completely God and completely human? Because otherwise, He could not have saved us. Through sin, humanity put themselves in debt to God. The payment of that debt is death--and not just physical death, but eternal death: separation from God in Hell. That's what we deserve. But obviously, that's a debt that we can't pay. So God, out of Gracious Love for us, chose to pay that debt for us, through Jesus Christ.

Now here's the thing: had Jesus just been human, even a really great human like The Da Vinci Code says, His death would have only been worth the death of a human. One for one!

On the other hand, had Jesus been only God, and not truly human, but only "dressed up like one" as some cultish religions, like the Gnostics, teach, He would not have had the right to pay that debt on our behalf. To really represent humanity, the payer of the debt must himself be human.

So Jesus, who is "God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God" in the words of the Nicaean Creed, became a Man "for us men and for our salvation," so that, as a Man, He could represent humanity, and as God, His death would be of infinite worth--because God is an infinite God. His sacrifice is worth enough to pay the debt of sin for everyone, from Adam and Eve to the very last people to live on earth!

That's the Truth that sets us free, if we choose to live in it! That's the truth that Dan Brown seeks to subvert and destroy in his novel!

That's the Gospel. Don't let anyone rob you of it!

God bless!

Adversus Da Vinci

2006-06-01T14:56:00.000-04:00

Introduction: Just Fiction?

1 Peter 3:15

Simply proclaim the Lord Christ holy in your hearts, and always have your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you have.

Well, on May 19, The Da Vinci Code Movie premiered. I laughed to read the reviews of the critics, which panned it all around, but sadly, the wisdom of critics is often overlooked by the movie-going public.

Ever since the book came out 3 or so years ago, it has been making waves in the Christian world, with its claims that Jesus wasn't God, married Mary Magdalene, and that the Catholic Church hid that truth through often treacherous means. It takes some clear and offensive pot-shots at our faith, and I've been asked, tragically on more than one occasion, how much of the book is true?

On the other hand, many people see absolutely nothing wrong with The Da Vinci Code, appealing to the book cum movie's label as "fiction" to minimise the impact of what the book teaches. And yes, it is fiction. However, too many people make the mistake of saying, it's just fiction. For something to qualify as fiction does not mean that everything about the book is false or made up. "Historical Fiction" is a quite popular genre precisely because much of the action takes place in "the real world" and is therefore more believable. And it is at this blurry little line that we run into problems, because, similar to an historical fiction writer, Dan Brown has made the claim that much of what he has written is not fiction, but fact. He has even said that the "fiction" lies simply in the plot of two people trying to figure out why some guy at the Louvre was murdered. Meanwhile, just after the title page, there is a page of supposed "Facts":

Fact:

The Priory of Sion--
a European secret society founded in 1099--is a real organisation.
In 1975 Paris's Biblioth?que Nationale discovered parchments known as Les Dossiers Secrets, identifying numerous members of the Priory of Sion, including Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Leonardo Da Vinci.

The Vatican prelature known as Opus Dei is a deeply devout Catholic sect that has been the topic of recent controversy due to reports of brainwashing, coercion, and a dangerous practice known as "corporal mortification." Opus Dei has just completed construction of a $47 million National Headquarters at 243 Lexington Avenue in New York City.

All descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals in this novel are accurate.

The problem is that his claim itself is fiction. What Brown touts as facts in his book are more often than not fictitious. For example, the Priory of Sion founded in 1099 was not a secret society, but a religious order that looked after The Church of St. Mary's in Zion, until it was destroyed by Muslims after the first Crusade. After that time, they spread through Europe teaching the Gospel, until in 1617 the last remaining members joined the Jesuits. The "secret society" known as "The Priory of Sion" was founded in 1956 by a man convicted of embezzlement and fraud, named Pierre Plantard, and Les Dossiers Secrets have been shown to be a forgery by Plantard.

Moreover, Opus Dei is described as being brainwashing and coercive, and practicing a "dangerous" ritual known as "corporal mortification." Yes, Brown admits that these are just "reports", but still, they are on his facts page and imply that they should be taken seriously--and many do. More to the point, Brown still himself editorialises by calling "Corporal Mortification" a dangerous practice. It is not. Remember on this blog, the article about Fasting? That's a form of "corporal mortification." It is simply denying our body something in order to be more able to focus on the spiritual things of God, and is not in the least "dangerous."

Finally, Brown's descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents, and secret rituals are anything but accurate. We'll be discussing that more in depth in the following parts, but for starters, the bathroom in the Louvre where Langdon and Sophie Neveu get rid of his tracking device by tossing it out the window--that bathroom doesn't have a window! So much for accurately describing architecture. The glass pyramid at the Louvre that allegedly has 666 pieces of glass, actually has 793 panes! So much for accurate descriptions of Art! As I said, we'll explore the rest of these as we go on. Suffice it to say that Brown's "Fact" page is just as fictional as his plot. But people in our culture often do not have the discernment nor the ability (nor patience) to decipher what is true from what is false. And so too often people (including good, Catholic people) ask me, "How much of this is true?"

Anything with the potential to lead people away from Jesus and His Church is never just fiction. It is dangerous and should be stood against. Hence, over the next few weeks, I'll be posting a five-part series examining and dismantling the "facts" of The Da Vinci Code. Part 1 will look at Who Jesus Is. Part 2 will look at The Church. Part 3 will address Where We Got the Bible. Part 4 will discuss whether, in truth, the Church really Oppressed Women. And finally, we'll examine some of the Art featured in the novel. Hopefully in so doing, I will help people to have an answer ready, for when people ask us about the hope that we have.

So stay tuned for what I'm sure will be, for myself at least, a pleasurable opportunity to set the record straight and preach the Truth, over and against what was written in a novel that, in my opinion, has characters about as deep as those in a Hardy Boys Mystery and a plot that is as unpredictable as an episode of Scooby-Doo.

Man, I want those 10 hours back that I spent reading that book!

God bless!

Anti-Evil

2006-05-31T15:31:00.000-04:00

I got a cool shirt recently, that parodies the infamous Anarchy 'A', with a Cross, and the slogan, Anti-Evil. So I wore it and did a talk on it. Here it is!

Romans 12:14-21

Bless your persecutors; never curse them, bless them. Rejoice with others when they rejoice, and be sad with those in sorrow. Give the same consideration to all others alike. Pay no regard to social standing, but meet humble people on their own terms. "Do not congratulate yourself on your own wisdom." Never pay back evil with evil, but bear in mind the ideals that all regard with respect. As much as possible, and to the utmost of your ability, be at peace with everyone. Never try to get revenge: leave that, my dear friends, to the Retribution. As Scripture says: "Vengeance is Mine--I will pay them back," the Lord promises. And more: "If your enemy is hungry, give him something to eat; if thirsty, something to drink. By this, you will be heaping red-hot coals on his head." Do not be mastered by evil, but master evil with good."

People often bemoan the evils in this world, and decry the wicked state of our society. Many of them use the presence of the terrible things in this world to deny the very existence of God! But that very realisation that there is evil in this world, that the world is not as it should be, is itself an evidence that there is a God who is Good.

And that God has shown us the way to live, in order to combat the evil that exists. But the war on evil that God calls us to is radically different than the way we tend to see it fought. Instead of retaliation in a misguided quest for justice, which too often looks like vengeance, St. Paul tells us here that our response must be blessing and patience. He tells us that we must not seek to retaliate, but to leave that to God's justice. It's hard, and it takes faith, but then, that's what it's all about. More, Paul tells us that we must be empathetic to others' needs, to rejoice with them or to weep with them. We must treat everyone as equals, and not celebrate ourselves above others.

He goes on to urge us to live at peace with everyone--but realises that peace is a two-way effort. So he qualifies it: As much as it is up to us, and to the best of our ability. What's that mean? Maybe your enemy doesn't want to reconcile. You still need to be open to it, and offering forgiveness, or even apologising for your own part. And you always need to be ready to do that.

Finally, Paul quotes from the book of Proverbs (15:21-22), and tells us to feed our enemies--to show them kindness in practical ways! He says this will have a similar effect to them as if you had dumped red-hot coals on their heads! Wouldn't that be fun? Most of us would prefer to dump the coals rather than be kind, but it is kindness and love that evil is combatted most effectively!

We can't fight fire with fire, or evil with more evil. Just as water extinguishes fire, Good defeats evil. Every time.

Or, to repeat my favourite quote, below the blog's title:

"Nothing in the world is the way it ought to be. It's harsh, and cruel, but that's why there's us... It doesn't matter where we come from, or what we've done, or suffered, or even if we make a difference. We live as though the world were as it should be, to show it what it can be." --Angel

It's our job to fight evil, not just complain about it.

Do Good.

Hope

2006-05-30T18:09:00.000-04:00

Romans 1:1-5

So then, now that we have been justified by faith, we are at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; it is through Him, by faith, that we have been admitted into God's favour in which we are living, and look forward exultantly to God's glory. Not only that; let us exult, too, in our hardships, understanding hardship develops perseverance, and perseverance develops a tested character, something that gives us hope, and a hope that will not let us down, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.

A few weeks back, I had one of the crappiest times of my life. Pressures of youth ministry were weighing me down. I was simultaneously dealing with two separate issues within the youth group, as well as just trying to run it, and just as I had to do something that was unconscionably hard, but necessary and right, I found out that a dear friend of mine had departed from the faith! I was weighed down by all the evil in our society and in the world, and really quite depressed.

I was listening to a cd by Jars of Clay, titled If I left the Zoo, and track 7, "Hand", really reflected how I was feeling, but then, at the same time, reminded me that through it all, God gives us hope to carry on:

Hand
Jars of Clay

I'm here waiting for something new to break my heart
So callous laden, I can't feel a thing at all
So will You catch my fall?

From lost and not found, to run and not hide
My hand inside... (Your hand)

Fear is keeping time with the beating of my heart
Doin' way too much thinkin'
And it's tearing me apart
But I, I feel You reach for me

From lost and not found, to run and not hide
My hand inside... (Your hand)
Losing my grip falling so far
My hand inside Your hand

I hear Your voice and follow
So hard to believe, and still I go
Still I go...

From lost and not found, to run and not hide
My hand inside... (Your hand)
Losing my grip falling so far
My hand inside Your hand

It was the second verse that really impacted me, and reminded me that truly, when life gets to its darkest, and throws everything it can muster to knock you down, that God is still reaching out to us, to take us by our hand and lead us on. It's not our strength that carries us through, but His, and even when we feel our hand, our faith, our hope, slipping, Jesus is still holding on, as tight as ever.

So no matter what is getting you down, hold on.
Jesus gives us Hope, and that hope doesn't let us down, because it's Him, and not us, that is the guarantee!

God bless.