Our bulletin has a new segment called "question of the week" in which different members of the staff take turns answering topical questions. This week was my chance to do so. I put the short version without the first two paragraphs in the bulletin. Here's the long version of what I did.
Why can’t women become priests?
In seminary, this question was posed to me while I was sitting down to eat at a benefit for a catholic school. I started what I thought was a rather eloquent explanation from tradition and scripture similar to the one below only to be rather consistently interrupted with the ad-hominem argument that scripture and tradition are biased and outmoded. My pastor, who had been sitting next to me enjoying the exchange, finally spoke up and said what I believed (and still believe) to be the weakest explanation of them all: This is just the way it is now. Stogy, old Rome may not be willing to face the fact that things are changing, but they’re just delaying the inevitable.
This seemed to pacify my interlocutor so I decided to return to what was, up until this point, a rather enjoyable soirée. Nonetheless, this exchange haunts me to this day because of the presumptuousness of the explanation. No one knows what the future holds. If we need further clarity of this, look at this past year’s presidential election. Two years ago, it seemed clear that this was going to be the year in which we would elect the first women president in Senator Hillary Clinton. Two years later, we are, instead, on the precipice of electing the first African-American President in Barak Obama. Who saw that one coming?
The most frustrating thing that many women feel is that they, honestly, probably could do better than a number of men at some of the tasks required of prests. There are, undoubtedly, many women who could preach better, hear confessions better, anoint the sick better, administer a parish, etc. better than men. Pope John Paul II, in his Apostolic Letter on this topic entitled Ordinatio Sacertotalis wanted to be sure to affirm the gifts that women bring to the church. He said, “The presence and the role of women in the life and mission of the Church, although not linked to the ministerial priesthood, remain absolutely necessary and irreplaceable. As the (earlier) Declaration Inter Insigniores points out, ‘the Church desires that Christian women should become fully aware of the greatness of their mission: today their role is of capital importance both for the renewal and humanization of society and for the rediscovery by believers of the true face of the Church.’"
The Pope refutes those who say that Christ was handicapped by his times and biases by referring to Pope Paul VI’s encyclical letter Inter Insigniores which stated…”to the great astonishment of his own disciples Jesus converses publicly with the Samaritan woman (Jn 4:27); he takes no notice of the state of legal impurity of the woman who had suffered from hemorrhages (Mt 9:20); he allows a sinful woman to approach him in the house of Simon the Pharisee (Lk 7:37); and by pardoning the woman taken in adultery, he means to show that one must not be more severe towards the fault of a woman than towards that of a man (Jn 8:11). He does not hesitate to depart from the Mosaic Law in order to affirm the equality of the rights and duties of men and women with regard to the marriage bond (Mk 10:2; Mt 19:3). In his itinerant ministry Jesus was accompanied not only by the Twelve but also by a group of women (Lk 8:2). Contrary to the Jewish mentality, which did not accord great value to the testimony of women, as Jewish law attests, it was nevertheless women who were the fist to have the privilege of seeing the risen Lord, and it was they who were charged by Jesus to take the first paschal message to the Apostles themselves (Mt 28:7 ; Lk 24:9 ; Jn 20:11), in order to prepare the latter to become the official witnesses to the Resurrection.”
The Point the Pope seems to emphasize is that priesthood is neither a job that demands the fulfillment of certain tasks or the possession of the church. “…the example recorded in the Sacred Scriptures of Christ choosing his Apostles only from among men; the constant practice of the Church, which has imitated Christ in choosing only men; and her living teaching authority which has consistently held that the exclusion of women from the priesthood is in accordance with God's plan for his Church.” He’s saying that it is a gift given to the church by Christ to carry out Christ’s mission of salvation. And, so, the church holds no authority whatsoever to altar the gift given. Thus, Pope John Paul II states in no uncertain terms, “the constant and universal Tradition of the Church and firmly taught by the Magisterium in its more recent documents…I declare that the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women and that this judgment is to be definitively held by all the Church's faithful.”
John Paul II Ordinatio Sacerdotalis
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_22051994_ordinatio-sacerdotalis_en.html
Pope Paul VI Inter Insigniores
http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Paul06/p6interi.htm
For more reading
http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2002/0201sbs.asp
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
I wish...
In the middle of my homily this weekend, it occurred to me what I should have preached.
This Sunday, in the Roman Catholic Church, we celebrated the feast of the building of the first official church building of the Roman Empire. Donated by the Emperor Constantine, the church of St. John Lateran in Rome is the Pope's church. The gospel was about Jesus driving the money-changers and livestock merchants.
I could have used it to talk about having reverence in church, about how our church is not the place to come in and visit. The church is a place where we encounter God and remind ourselves that we have sinned and are in need of God's mercy. Too much ancillary activity on the Temple Mount caused Jesus to get angry and we need to be mindful of the respect we have for God when we walk into this dedicated space.
Instead, I used it to talk about the typical "You are the church! We are the Church. The church is not a building!" typical homily. I wish I would have figured it out earlier.
This Sunday, in the Roman Catholic Church, we celebrated the feast of the building of the first official church building of the Roman Empire. Donated by the Emperor Constantine, the church of St. John Lateran in Rome is the Pope's church. The gospel was about Jesus driving the money-changers and livestock merchants.
I could have used it to talk about having reverence in church, about how our church is not the place to come in and visit. The church is a place where we encounter God and remind ourselves that we have sinned and are in need of God's mercy. Too much ancillary activity on the Temple Mount caused Jesus to get angry and we need to be mindful of the respect we have for God when we walk into this dedicated space.
Instead, I used it to talk about the typical "You are the church! We are the Church. The church is not a building!" typical homily. I wish I would have figured it out earlier.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Political Reflections
I feel like today is a good day in the United States of America. I know that Barak Obama's position on abortion is wrong. But, to be honest, I think President Bush's position wasn't much better. How many babies weren't aborted in the last eight years because George Bush was president? Any? And I think, if we were honest with one another, John McCain's would be worse. He'd push stem cell research just as far as President Obama would. But, setting all of that aside, there are other considerations.
An entire race of Americans, a people unjustly brought here to be our slaves, have hope. A group of people that are constantly told that they are "the other" see in Barak Obama someone who looks like them can become the leader of this country. I've got to believe that somewhere, an African-American child knows that there are other options than sports to get out of poverty. And, idiot racists in this country who had to learn a generation ago that there was nothing to fear from us Catholics, may start to learn the same thing about African-Americans. It's transforming. It's much easier to hate someone when you don't know anything about them. It's much harder when you have to see their smiling, hopeful face leading us through tough times.
I also have hope in this country when same sex marriage bans passed in two states (Florida and Arizona) have passed and, by all appearances, California may have passed too. I think people realize that this would so radically alter the notion of marriage that it would eventually lead to it's destruction. Americans who overwhelmingly supported President-elect Obama could see that this is bad for America. It's one thing to say violence and cruelty have no place toward gays and lesbians, it's quite another to say that marriage is their right. Americans all over the country can see it and, hopefully, we will help the rest of the world to see this as well.
An entire race of Americans, a people unjustly brought here to be our slaves, have hope. A group of people that are constantly told that they are "the other" see in Barak Obama someone who looks like them can become the leader of this country. I've got to believe that somewhere, an African-American child knows that there are other options than sports to get out of poverty. And, idiot racists in this country who had to learn a generation ago that there was nothing to fear from us Catholics, may start to learn the same thing about African-Americans. It's transforming. It's much easier to hate someone when you don't know anything about them. It's much harder when you have to see their smiling, hopeful face leading us through tough times.
I also have hope in this country when same sex marriage bans passed in two states (Florida and Arizona) have passed and, by all appearances, California may have passed too. I think people realize that this would so radically alter the notion of marriage that it would eventually lead to it's destruction. Americans who overwhelmingly supported President-elect Obama could see that this is bad for America. It's one thing to say violence and cruelty have no place toward gays and lesbians, it's quite another to say that marriage is their right. Americans all over the country can see it and, hopefully, we will help the rest of the world to see this as well.
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
I promise you won't be offended...well I don't think you will anyway.
I was spammed. And, for once, I liked it. Go here...
http://www.youtube.com/user/AMPNEWS
And watch the intro. You might peruse other videos but I won't promise those others are as good as the intro. You'll laugh. You'll be informed. All in the course of between four and five minutes.
http://www.youtube.com/user/AMPNEWS
And watch the intro. You might peruse other videos but I won't promise those others are as good as the intro. You'll laugh. You'll be informed. All in the course of between four and five minutes.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
How can we believe we’ll someday see our loved ones?
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ
There have been a few times as a priest that a concept seems to get stuck in my brain and it seems to pop up every now and again. For the last few years, I’ve been fascinated by just such a concept put forth by Pope Benedict in a book which he wrote prior to being elected pope entitled Introduction to Christianity. In that work, he stated that the central frustration of both believer and unbeliever alike is the question of “what if?” For the believer, the question is: What if there is no God, if it’s all a hoax? What if I could be doing all kinds of things that believers think are immoral this whole time but haven’t because I feared the loss of heaven and the pains of hell? For the unbeliever, the question is: what if there is a God? What if someday I have to look God in the eyes knowing full well that he knows I spent my life denying his existence? In some ways, the easy solution to this quandary is to be agnostic, to be not sure if God exists or not. Yet, I imagine even the most committed agnostic tends to lean one way or another. In truth, I imagine we all have theories about the nature and existence of God.
This tension is felt most acutely during this commemoration of all the faithful departed or All Souls, as it’s commonly known in our church. In fact, here at St. Thomas, we use the entire month of November to remember our friends and family who have passed away. We invite you to write in the names of your beloved dead in the book of the dead located by the baptismal font. In this way, we keep the celebration of the faithful departed going throughout the entire month. After all, in some way, this celebration is too important to restrain to one day. It encapsulates that most central tension of the human drama: Should we really have hope that our loved ones are alive in Christ after they have died or are we merely using faith to help “get us through” the tragedy of that loss?
Our readings today, in some way, bring to light a couple of points that may help us along this journey. The first reading, in particular, from the deutero-canonical book of Wisdom, challenges the long believed hypothesis prevalent in so much of the Old Testament literature, that may be summed up as, “You get what you deserve.” It was commonly accepted that people in good health, people who were rich, people who had the best crops and livestock, were blessed by God because they were the good ones, the most obedient. In other words, if you behaved good in the sight of God, God will be good to you in return. The book of wisdom is the first book, I believe, to challenge this assumption by saying that the just will be tested in order to be found worthy. Life is not easy. Our faith is constantly being tested, especially in the light of tragic situations like death. It’s difficult to find hope in the death of a mother, father, son, daughter, or someone else close to us. Yet, according to the second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, hope does not disappoint because it seems to come out of nowhere. It’s like those times when we experience a moment of hope in the most frustrating, confusing, and hopeless situations. Have you ever had one of these experiences? Where do they come from? I’m thinking of times when I have been sitting in a funeral home near a coffin while a loved one tells a story about their deceased relative that makes everyone there laugh hysterically. In some way, the memories that we have with a person, the times that helped us bond with the person and learn to love them are sources of comfort for us. Nonetheless, the unfortunate reality is that memories fade. The daily remembrance of someone who is missing becomes weekly and eventually passes into oblivion. And, thoughts that used to seem so hopeful, thoughts about eternal life in heaven, seem hopeless, more like escapism and avoiding the problem.
Yet, the fact that there is hope points to something larger. Jesus, in the gospel, says that this hope comes from the love of God which is poured into our hearts. In those times when our faith is shaken and the world seems pointless, remember love. Oftentimes, the very reason that the world seems so shaken is because we have dared to love and that love seems lost forever. But, the fact that love exists, the fact that we were allowed to experience the love in the first place, points to something greater than us. Even in this experience of love lost, we can find hope that we will one day see all those souls that have gone before us marked with the sign of faith because the love that is still greater than anyone of us will love us up and take us to be with him forever.
There have been a few times as a priest that a concept seems to get stuck in my brain and it seems to pop up every now and again. For the last few years, I’ve been fascinated by just such a concept put forth by Pope Benedict in a book which he wrote prior to being elected pope entitled Introduction to Christianity. In that work, he stated that the central frustration of both believer and unbeliever alike is the question of “what if?” For the believer, the question is: What if there is no God, if it’s all a hoax? What if I could be doing all kinds of things that believers think are immoral this whole time but haven’t because I feared the loss of heaven and the pains of hell? For the unbeliever, the question is: what if there is a God? What if someday I have to look God in the eyes knowing full well that he knows I spent my life denying his existence? In some ways, the easy solution to this quandary is to be agnostic, to be not sure if God exists or not. Yet, I imagine even the most committed agnostic tends to lean one way or another. In truth, I imagine we all have theories about the nature and existence of God.
This tension is felt most acutely during this commemoration of all the faithful departed or All Souls, as it’s commonly known in our church. In fact, here at St. Thomas, we use the entire month of November to remember our friends and family who have passed away. We invite you to write in the names of your beloved dead in the book of the dead located by the baptismal font. In this way, we keep the celebration of the faithful departed going throughout the entire month. After all, in some way, this celebration is too important to restrain to one day. It encapsulates that most central tension of the human drama: Should we really have hope that our loved ones are alive in Christ after they have died or are we merely using faith to help “get us through” the tragedy of that loss?
Our readings today, in some way, bring to light a couple of points that may help us along this journey. The first reading, in particular, from the deutero-canonical book of Wisdom, challenges the long believed hypothesis prevalent in so much of the Old Testament literature, that may be summed up as, “You get what you deserve.” It was commonly accepted that people in good health, people who were rich, people who had the best crops and livestock, were blessed by God because they were the good ones, the most obedient. In other words, if you behaved good in the sight of God, God will be good to you in return. The book of wisdom is the first book, I believe, to challenge this assumption by saying that the just will be tested in order to be found worthy. Life is not easy. Our faith is constantly being tested, especially in the light of tragic situations like death. It’s difficult to find hope in the death of a mother, father, son, daughter, or someone else close to us. Yet, according to the second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, hope does not disappoint because it seems to come out of nowhere. It’s like those times when we experience a moment of hope in the most frustrating, confusing, and hopeless situations. Have you ever had one of these experiences? Where do they come from? I’m thinking of times when I have been sitting in a funeral home near a coffin while a loved one tells a story about their deceased relative that makes everyone there laugh hysterically. In some way, the memories that we have with a person, the times that helped us bond with the person and learn to love them are sources of comfort for us. Nonetheless, the unfortunate reality is that memories fade. The daily remembrance of someone who is missing becomes weekly and eventually passes into oblivion. And, thoughts that used to seem so hopeful, thoughts about eternal life in heaven, seem hopeless, more like escapism and avoiding the problem.
Yet, the fact that there is hope points to something larger. Jesus, in the gospel, says that this hope comes from the love of God which is poured into our hearts. In those times when our faith is shaken and the world seems pointless, remember love. Oftentimes, the very reason that the world seems so shaken is because we have dared to love and that love seems lost forever. But, the fact that love exists, the fact that we were allowed to experience the love in the first place, points to something greater than us. Even in this experience of love lost, we can find hope that we will one day see all those souls that have gone before us marked with the sign of faith because the love that is still greater than anyone of us will love us up and take us to be with him forever.
Friday, October 31, 2008
The bishops speak about gay marriage
If you go to this link...
http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2008/08-158.shtml
...you can hear the bishops of this country weigh in on gay marriage. It makes me glad since I'm still taking flak from some radical parishioners on my previous homily in which I encouraged people to stand up against it.
http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2008/08-158.shtml
...you can hear the bishops of this country weigh in on gay marriage. It makes me glad since I'm still taking flak from some radical parishioners on my previous homily in which I encouraged people to stand up against it.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Maid Rite
One of the super special treats of growing up on Marshalltown, Iowa was a loose meat sandwich called the maid rite. It's basically a hamburger with ground beef instead of a patty. The Marshalltown Maid Rite has been in existence since before the great depression...no...not the one we're in right now. The 1920 one. In fact, up until recently, they wouldn't have ketchup available in the store because homeless folks would come off the trains and use ketchup to make tomato soup back in the 20's.
Tomorrow, I'm going to pick up my brother and bring him back to Ames for a couple of days. But, before I do, I'm going to stop and have a maid rite with him. I can't wait. It will be good to spend time with my brother and good to start that with a maid rite.
Tomorrow, I'm going to pick up my brother and bring him back to Ames for a couple of days. But, before I do, I'm going to stop and have a maid rite with him. I can't wait. It will be good to spend time with my brother and good to start that with a maid rite.
Monday, October 27, 2008
The Great Commandments
I wasn't sure of a good, practical example of the law of love so I preached about how we love God through love of neighbor. But it was pretty weak so I'm not going to post it this week. There was too much excitement with the Iowa State/Texas A&M game. However, I did find out something very important. I wondered who I would cheer for when my two favorite teams play one another. I found out that I'm more of a cyclone fan than and Aggie. I've been so from childhood.
Friday, October 24, 2008
How do you react when you feel attacked?
I recently got an email criticizing me for the below homily that I preached last weekend at my university parish. The email was, frankly, pretty stereotypical in it's criticism of me. It complained that I talked about abortion and gay marriage while endorsing my statements about the war. It also inferred that I am responsible both for abortion bombings and the murder of Matthew Shepherd because I preach about abortion and gay marriage. And, the person thought that I brought unnecessary stress in the congregation's life by joking that I was going to endorse a candidate and then deciding not to. The person asked if I heard the gasps from the congregation at that point in the homily, which I didn't because there weren't any.
I resolved at one point not to respond to angry emails because all it does is make me mad and not further the conversation. Email is too impersonal. It's easy to say hurtful things without having to look people in the eye when you do so. But, I got pretty angry at this email and, frankly, felt like the prophet who could hold himself in no longer. I felt like I had to answer this person. Nonetheless, I wanted to answer what I perceive as rather typical cries of complaint with an atypical response. But, looking through it again, I'm afraid I merely gave the person exactly what was expected. Please join me in praying for the person, that my email will be more of a source of conversion and less a source of exile
I resolved at one point not to respond to angry emails because all it does is make me mad and not further the conversation. Email is too impersonal. It's easy to say hurtful things without having to look people in the eye when you do so. But, I got pretty angry at this email and, frankly, felt like the prophet who could hold himself in no longer. I felt like I had to answer this person. Nonetheless, I wanted to answer what I perceive as rather typical cries of complaint with an atypical response. But, looking through it again, I'm afraid I merely gave the person exactly what was expected. Please join me in praying for the person, that my email will be more of a source of conversion and less a source of exile
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Give to America what is American and Give to God what is God’s
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ
There is a great deal of tension in the gospel today but you have to understand the two groups in the gospel to understand why. The Pharisees and the Herodians who are ganging up on Jesus trying to discount him are in many ways polar opposites. The Pharisees were extreme Jewish nationalists. They had distrust of Rome and wanted to see Israel as an independent state. And the Herodians were extreme Roman sympathizers. They’d become rich by Roman rule, sometimes by the murder and exile of the anti-Roman Pharisees. The only person that could effect reconciliation between these two groups is Jesus, who seems to threaten both. They ask him about taxes: Do good, observant Jews need to pay them or not? If Jesus tells them that they need to pay their taxes, he appears to be aligning himself with the Herodians and would have offended his largely Pharasaic followers. Had he told them that they are not Romans and don’t need to pay their taxes, the Herodians would have strung him up for dissent of the state. He seems to be at an impasse.
I kind of feel at an impasse today. There’s a part of me that would love to talk about giving to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, to the government what belongs to it. And how, even in these difficult times, these times of economic downturn when we wonder what out loans and retirement funds are safe, we still need to give to God what belongs to God. But, Paul and Mary Brown did a good job of that last week, reminding us of how we need to sacrifice things in order to be faithful disciples who support our church. And I’m afraid that, if we have a sacrificial giving homily two weeks in a row, you’ll be like the Herodians ready to string me up. There’s another part of me that would like to talk about how, as American Christians, we are obliged to vote. In just a few weeks we will choose the next leader and we need to use the moral principles that guide us as a church to help guide us when we choose the next president. Maybe I could even endorse one of the presidential candidates. Who do you think I would choose to endorse? No, I don’t want to do that. I’ll let you decide which Caesar to vote for and I’ll stick to preaching about God. It seems like, whatever I preach about, there are ways to fall into a trap. So, how did Jesus get out of his trap?
He asked the Pharisees to show him one of the coins that was used to pay the Roman tax. When it was produced, he turned the trap on them. You see, a good, observant Jew could not have had one of these coins. They had a graven image on them, an image of Caesar who believed himself to be God. What was a Pharisee, the most observant of all the Jews, doing with one of these coins? Jesus seems not even to know what the coin looks like, yet he says that it’s okay to give Caesar back his idolatrous coin and to give God what God deserves. What is created in the image and likeness of God? We were created in the image and likeness of God! So, we need to give our very selves back to God if we are to follow Jesus prescription. The Herodians would have been content to be able to keep their riches and the Pharisees would have been able to continue to devote their lives in loving service of the law.
In a sense, Jesus appeases each group with this answer. But, he also challenges each of them. The Herodians have become so accustomed to living the “good life” that they have forgotten the need to give their entire lives back to God. And the Pharisees, in wrapping themselves in their religion, have diluted themselves into believing that paying taxes is, somehow, hurting their religion.
A generation ago, we Catholics had to constantly defend being both American and catholic. And, even though I think we’ve mostly managed to shirk allegations that there is innate contradiction between these two allegiances, I fear now we no longer see the tension in the two. In a sense, we’re becoming like the Herodians who have allowed their riches to blind them to religious obligations. What we do here is totally ineffective if we are not good citizens and good Catholics when we leave. We need to do things like vote, pay attention to traffic signals and speed limits, and pay our taxes. We do this because we are good citizens who give to America what America deserves. But, we also challenge America when she starts trampling on the affairs of God; when she starts wars with countries that may someday have the capacity for hurting us, when she condones the murder of innocent children in the womb, when she attempts to altar the nature of marriage from what it was in the beginning to what a vocal minority scream it should be now. We must stand up and make our voices heard. We feel tension, true. But, lest become the very hypocrites that Jesus scorns in the gospel today, we must remember that our very image, our entire being, is a gift from God and we live in the hope that God will want this image back someday.
There is a great deal of tension in the gospel today but you have to understand the two groups in the gospel to understand why. The Pharisees and the Herodians who are ganging up on Jesus trying to discount him are in many ways polar opposites. The Pharisees were extreme Jewish nationalists. They had distrust of Rome and wanted to see Israel as an independent state. And the Herodians were extreme Roman sympathizers. They’d become rich by Roman rule, sometimes by the murder and exile of the anti-Roman Pharisees. The only person that could effect reconciliation between these two groups is Jesus, who seems to threaten both. They ask him about taxes: Do good, observant Jews need to pay them or not? If Jesus tells them that they need to pay their taxes, he appears to be aligning himself with the Herodians and would have offended his largely Pharasaic followers. Had he told them that they are not Romans and don’t need to pay their taxes, the Herodians would have strung him up for dissent of the state. He seems to be at an impasse.
I kind of feel at an impasse today. There’s a part of me that would love to talk about giving to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, to the government what belongs to it. And how, even in these difficult times, these times of economic downturn when we wonder what out loans and retirement funds are safe, we still need to give to God what belongs to God. But, Paul and Mary Brown did a good job of that last week, reminding us of how we need to sacrifice things in order to be faithful disciples who support our church. And I’m afraid that, if we have a sacrificial giving homily two weeks in a row, you’ll be like the Herodians ready to string me up. There’s another part of me that would like to talk about how, as American Christians, we are obliged to vote. In just a few weeks we will choose the next leader and we need to use the moral principles that guide us as a church to help guide us when we choose the next president. Maybe I could even endorse one of the presidential candidates. Who do you think I would choose to endorse? No, I don’t want to do that. I’ll let you decide which Caesar to vote for and I’ll stick to preaching about God. It seems like, whatever I preach about, there are ways to fall into a trap. So, how did Jesus get out of his trap?
He asked the Pharisees to show him one of the coins that was used to pay the Roman tax. When it was produced, he turned the trap on them. You see, a good, observant Jew could not have had one of these coins. They had a graven image on them, an image of Caesar who believed himself to be God. What was a Pharisee, the most observant of all the Jews, doing with one of these coins? Jesus seems not even to know what the coin looks like, yet he says that it’s okay to give Caesar back his idolatrous coin and to give God what God deserves. What is created in the image and likeness of God? We were created in the image and likeness of God! So, we need to give our very selves back to God if we are to follow Jesus prescription. The Herodians would have been content to be able to keep their riches and the Pharisees would have been able to continue to devote their lives in loving service of the law.
In a sense, Jesus appeases each group with this answer. But, he also challenges each of them. The Herodians have become so accustomed to living the “good life” that they have forgotten the need to give their entire lives back to God. And the Pharisees, in wrapping themselves in their religion, have diluted themselves into believing that paying taxes is, somehow, hurting their religion.
A generation ago, we Catholics had to constantly defend being both American and catholic. And, even though I think we’ve mostly managed to shirk allegations that there is innate contradiction between these two allegiances, I fear now we no longer see the tension in the two. In a sense, we’re becoming like the Herodians who have allowed their riches to blind them to religious obligations. What we do here is totally ineffective if we are not good citizens and good Catholics when we leave. We need to do things like vote, pay attention to traffic signals and speed limits, and pay our taxes. We do this because we are good citizens who give to America what America deserves. But, we also challenge America when she starts trampling on the affairs of God; when she starts wars with countries that may someday have the capacity for hurting us, when she condones the murder of innocent children in the womb, when she attempts to altar the nature of marriage from what it was in the beginning to what a vocal minority scream it should be now. We must stand up and make our voices heard. We feel tension, true. But, lest become the very hypocrites that Jesus scorns in the gospel today, we must remember that our very image, our entire being, is a gift from God and we live in the hope that God will want this image back someday.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Sorry for the silence
I've not had much to say for a while. I've had a big decision that's been clouding my mind for the last couple of weeks or so. And, despite the lack of clarity on the decision, there's been some really interesting stories that have come across the news recently. For instance, did you hear this story about how church goers were attacked outside of a church in California. That's tolerance for you.
Also, Catholics are struggling with the election. It makes me feel really good because I'm personally struggling a lot! I learned here that even theologians are struggling. We feel like abortion is a crucial issue. Thousands of babies die each day and millions of lives are lost because of it. But, if you're like me, you wonder why we've had a pro-life president for 20 of the last 28 years and we have more abortions taking place today than when we elected the first one in 1980. And, I'm just not satisfied with John McCain's answers when he gets asked about it. Of course, Barak O'bama will continue the laws as they are if not strengthen them as president. We have no right to complain if access to abortions increase. He has made that promise. And I don't agree with the moralist that believes we need to give up because we've lost the war. Where would African-Americans be in this country if Abraham Lincoln gave up on them because "we lost the war on slavery?" So, I'm just frustrated. I don't know who to vote for. Maybe I'll move to Rome and just live in Vatican City for a while. Or maybe this is just the sign of the return of Christ and neither John McCain nor Barak O'bama will be the leader.
It just makes us pray even more
MARANATHA! COME LORD JESUS!
Also, Catholics are struggling with the election. It makes me feel really good because I'm personally struggling a lot! I learned here that even theologians are struggling. We feel like abortion is a crucial issue. Thousands of babies die each day and millions of lives are lost because of it. But, if you're like me, you wonder why we've had a pro-life president for 20 of the last 28 years and we have more abortions taking place today than when we elected the first one in 1980. And, I'm just not satisfied with John McCain's answers when he gets asked about it. Of course, Barak O'bama will continue the laws as they are if not strengthen them as president. We have no right to complain if access to abortions increase. He has made that promise. And I don't agree with the moralist that believes we need to give up because we've lost the war. Where would African-Americans be in this country if Abraham Lincoln gave up on them because "we lost the war on slavery?" So, I'm just frustrated. I don't know who to vote for. Maybe I'll move to Rome and just live in Vatican City for a while. Or maybe this is just the sign of the return of Christ and neither John McCain nor Barak O'bama will be the leader.
It just makes us pray even more
MARANATHA! COME LORD JESUS!
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Family Weekend Homily
Dear Friends in Christ
Let me begin today by welcoming the brothers, sisters, moms, dads, step moms, step dads, aunts, uncles, cousins and other family members who have come to be with us here at Iowa State University this Family Weekend. This is a special weekend for me because this is the anniversary of me becoming a Cyclone fan when my brother invited me to come to Iowa State and stay the weekend with him. I can only hope that other little sisters and brothers are coming to love being a Cyclone this weekend just like I did so many years ago.
As I look back on that weekend, I’m kind of amazed at how well I got along with my brother. I mean, I was a terrible little brother. Don’t get me wrong, I think I was completely justified in being a terrible little brother. After all, I was the youngest of five children. When they were all going through their teen angst, I was a geeky little grade school kid. I used to fight with my siblings all the time. They always thought they knew more than I did and, despite the fact that they proved over and over again that they really did, I would seek to prove that they didn’t. That’s what is so amazing about the idea that I came here and, for 48 hours, I listened to my brother and trusted that he actually knew what he was doing. I can’t believe my parents would put that much trust in him and me!
The landowner of Jesus’ story today knew that he had to put trust in people. He’s the money behind the operation. But, he needed strength in order to get the job done. So, he hired tenants who are expected to raise the crops, live for free on the land, turn over the crops at harvest and be paid for their service. The problem is that they abuse the trust of the landowner and decide that they deserve to keep the produce that they have so painstakingly taken care of. And, they’re going to keep it at all costs, even being willing to torture and murder those sent to collect it. And, who can blame them? They did all the hard work. While the landowner is off having lavish dinner parties living in his palaces, the poor struggling tenant farmers were working in the rain and heat trying to ensure that the best crop is grown. They deserve to keep what they have worked so hard to produce. What gives the landowner the right to come now that it’s harvest time and claim what he never sowed in the first place?
He has the right because that was the deal he struck with the tenants. If they didn’t like the deal, they should have been more shrewd when they were negotiating terms of their tenant contract. He has the right because he owns the field. Contrary to what some believe, Jesus wasn’t a Communist. He recognized the right of ownership. Further, He has the right because, as we came to find out in both the first reading and the gospel, He is the God who made the field in the first place. How did the tenants get the plants to sprout from their seeds? How did they make the sun shine in the day and just enough rain to come? How did they make sure that nothing terrible happened like a natural disaster? Of course, they didn’t. They were as helpless to all of that as any human landowner would have been. Would they have wanted to be responsible for a bad crop? Of course not.
Lately, we have heard a lot of news about the federal bailout of moneylenders, with every politician willing to point fingers at the other side to lay blame. And, I’ve heard a lot of people worried about how they are going to deal with the economic downturn this will mean for our county. How do we deal with these catastrophes? Do we try to act like the tenants from the gospel and the wild grapes of the first reading, behaving badly toward one another in a way that points fingers of blame? Let us carefully listen to St. Paul who encourages us, in difficult times, to focus on what really matters. “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” St. Paul is not trying to get us to bury our heads in the sand or to have a “keep on the sunny side” attitude of ignorance. He is calling us, in times of hardship, to focus on what is honorable and good in the world. One of these institutions we should be able to trust in is family. As we gather on this Family weekend, we are reminded that when the wealth of this world fails and the world seems to be coming down around us, we, Christians, seek the seat of true wisdom and goodness and are reminded that we need to lean on each other throughout our life and let God be in charge.
Let me begin today by welcoming the brothers, sisters, moms, dads, step moms, step dads, aunts, uncles, cousins and other family members who have come to be with us here at Iowa State University this Family Weekend. This is a special weekend for me because this is the anniversary of me becoming a Cyclone fan when my brother invited me to come to Iowa State and stay the weekend with him. I can only hope that other little sisters and brothers are coming to love being a Cyclone this weekend just like I did so many years ago.
As I look back on that weekend, I’m kind of amazed at how well I got along with my brother. I mean, I was a terrible little brother. Don’t get me wrong, I think I was completely justified in being a terrible little brother. After all, I was the youngest of five children. When they were all going through their teen angst, I was a geeky little grade school kid. I used to fight with my siblings all the time. They always thought they knew more than I did and, despite the fact that they proved over and over again that they really did, I would seek to prove that they didn’t. That’s what is so amazing about the idea that I came here and, for 48 hours, I listened to my brother and trusted that he actually knew what he was doing. I can’t believe my parents would put that much trust in him and me!
The landowner of Jesus’ story today knew that he had to put trust in people. He’s the money behind the operation. But, he needed strength in order to get the job done. So, he hired tenants who are expected to raise the crops, live for free on the land, turn over the crops at harvest and be paid for their service. The problem is that they abuse the trust of the landowner and decide that they deserve to keep the produce that they have so painstakingly taken care of. And, they’re going to keep it at all costs, even being willing to torture and murder those sent to collect it. And, who can blame them? They did all the hard work. While the landowner is off having lavish dinner parties living in his palaces, the poor struggling tenant farmers were working in the rain and heat trying to ensure that the best crop is grown. They deserve to keep what they have worked so hard to produce. What gives the landowner the right to come now that it’s harvest time and claim what he never sowed in the first place?
He has the right because that was the deal he struck with the tenants. If they didn’t like the deal, they should have been more shrewd when they were negotiating terms of their tenant contract. He has the right because he owns the field. Contrary to what some believe, Jesus wasn’t a Communist. He recognized the right of ownership. Further, He has the right because, as we came to find out in both the first reading and the gospel, He is the God who made the field in the first place. How did the tenants get the plants to sprout from their seeds? How did they make the sun shine in the day and just enough rain to come? How did they make sure that nothing terrible happened like a natural disaster? Of course, they didn’t. They were as helpless to all of that as any human landowner would have been. Would they have wanted to be responsible for a bad crop? Of course not.
Lately, we have heard a lot of news about the federal bailout of moneylenders, with every politician willing to point fingers at the other side to lay blame. And, I’ve heard a lot of people worried about how they are going to deal with the economic downturn this will mean for our county. How do we deal with these catastrophes? Do we try to act like the tenants from the gospel and the wild grapes of the first reading, behaving badly toward one another in a way that points fingers of blame? Let us carefully listen to St. Paul who encourages us, in difficult times, to focus on what really matters. “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” St. Paul is not trying to get us to bury our heads in the sand or to have a “keep on the sunny side” attitude of ignorance. He is calling us, in times of hardship, to focus on what is honorable and good in the world. One of these institutions we should be able to trust in is family. As we gather on this Family weekend, we are reminded that when the wealth of this world fails and the world seems to be coming down around us, we, Christians, seek the seat of true wisdom and goodness and are reminded that we need to lean on each other throughout our life and let God be in charge.
Saturday, October 04, 2008
some reasons TO go to confession that are often used NOT TO go to confession
I was coming back from hearing confessions for a retreat when I started thinking about some reasons that I've used to not go to confession that should have been a reason to go to confession. I tried to think of ten but didn't quite make it. Any other suggestions?
1. It's been too long. Catholics should go to confession AT LEAST ONCE a year. In my life, I've gone longer than a year and then been afraid to go to confession because I was afraid of what the priest would say.
2. I'll probably commit the same sin again after I confess it. But how can I stop it if I just keep it hidden away. Confession may be the first step on the process of getting over it.
3. The sin is too serious. God won't forgive me for it. God's forgiveness surpasses anything we can imagine. All he asks of us is to ask for it.
4. I need to stop committing the sin before I confess it. Related to the above two. God can forgive you and maybe you need to bring it out of the darkness in order to conquer it.
1. It's been too long. Catholics should go to confession AT LEAST ONCE a year. In my life, I've gone longer than a year and then been afraid to go to confession because I was afraid of what the priest would say.
2. I'll probably commit the same sin again after I confess it. But how can I stop it if I just keep it hidden away. Confession may be the first step on the process of getting over it.
3. The sin is too serious. God won't forgive me for it. God's forgiveness surpasses anything we can imagine. All he asks of us is to ask for it.
4. I need to stop committing the sin before I confess it. Related to the above two. God can forgive you and maybe you need to bring it out of the darkness in order to conquer it.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Ever look back and wonder, "What was I thinking?"
As a kid, I was in love with the song "Angels" by Amy Grant. It was inspiring. It made me believe in God.
And, for some reason, I was thinking about it this morning. So, I looked it up on youtube and found something surprising.
IT HAD A VIDEO!
You can find it here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYjwT9ANdbg
Be prepared: this is filled with 80's schlock. Watch the boy in yellow. He really seems to get into it. You'll love it when they lean in to get quiet and lean back when they get loud. And, what's up with the poor guy in the water that seems guarded by the people with masks? And who's the poor grey Fanciscan who is taken captive by Roman soldiers in a rat infested cell?
It's confusing but also kind of....really really bad! I can't lie to you. I'm so glad that we've moved past this. This is why the church needs to be really careful about introducing new music to worship. We can still sing "Holy God, We praise thy name." We laugh at "Angels."
And, for some reason, I was thinking about it this morning. So, I looked it up on youtube and found something surprising.
IT HAD A VIDEO!
You can find it here...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYjwT9ANdbg
Be prepared: this is filled with 80's schlock. Watch the boy in yellow. He really seems to get into it. You'll love it when they lean in to get quiet and lean back when they get loud. And, what's up with the poor guy in the water that seems guarded by the people with masks? And who's the poor grey Fanciscan who is taken captive by Roman soldiers in a rat infested cell?
It's confusing but also kind of....really really bad! I can't lie to you. I'm so glad that we've moved past this. This is why the church needs to be really careful about introducing new music to worship. We can still sing "Holy God, We praise thy name." We laugh at "Angels."
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Failure with asterisks
I failed. I took on way too much and the hatchet of sacrifice has come down on HDFS 510, Theories of Human Development.
By that, I mean that I have discontinued taking a class through Iowa State University. I had eliminated the idea of a degree about two weeks ago when it became obvious that this degree wasn't really going to help me be a better priest/campus minister. But I thought I'd "gut out" the class I was in. However, it has become clearer that the class is not only not going to help me be a better campus minister, the amount of time it was taking just to do "adaquately" meant that I couldn't even be a decent campus minister. So, I dropped it. Or at least I will drop it. When I figure out exactly how Iowa State does that.
I feel kind of like a failure. I should have looked deeper into the content of the course to determine how useful it would be. I should have made sure I could dedicate the time to be able to be successful. I should have done a lot of stuff. But, I didn't.
But, failure is the other side of the "learning a lesson" coin. I learned that I'm too busy to take a class during the school year. I learned that this isn't the direction I want to take with my academic career at this point. I even learned that the social sciences make my head hurt because they are really intelligently done (for the most part). And, perhaps, most important of all, I learned that being a student really is a terrible life. I'm not called to be a life-long student. I am supposed to be a priest.
By that, I mean that I have discontinued taking a class through Iowa State University. I had eliminated the idea of a degree about two weeks ago when it became obvious that this degree wasn't really going to help me be a better priest/campus minister. But I thought I'd "gut out" the class I was in. However, it has become clearer that the class is not only not going to help me be a better campus minister, the amount of time it was taking just to do "adaquately" meant that I couldn't even be a decent campus minister. So, I dropped it. Or at least I will drop it. When I figure out exactly how Iowa State does that.
I feel kind of like a failure. I should have looked deeper into the content of the course to determine how useful it would be. I should have made sure I could dedicate the time to be able to be successful. I should have done a lot of stuff. But, I didn't.
But, failure is the other side of the "learning a lesson" coin. I learned that I'm too busy to take a class during the school year. I learned that this isn't the direction I want to take with my academic career at this point. I even learned that the social sciences make my head hurt because they are really intelligently done (for the most part). And, perhaps, most important of all, I learned that being a student really is a terrible life. I'm not called to be a life-long student. I am supposed to be a priest.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
The illogical superabundance of God’s love
Dear Beloved in Christ
Yesterday afternoon, I gathered with between thirty and forty of our parishioners to clean our yard, here at Sts. Peter and Paul, and get ready for fall. Although, I have to admit, I was a little worried because, when I got here at ten minutes until one, I was alone. I walked around and found the White House open and someone, I’m pretty sure it was Don Johnson, had cut out the pine bushes in front of the White House earlier in the day. So, I decided to walk to the back yard to see what was happening. Again, no one was there but I noticed that there were weeds growing under some of the pine trees. So I walked over and started to pull a few weeds from under one of the trees when I heard the first few parishioners start to show up who had brought a hand saw. Eventually everyone showed up, which allowed for some distribution of labor. Some of us worked on clearing some bricks around the white house that were, at one time, markers for a flower bed. They had become, instead, an obstacle for man and mower alike. Others of us decided to clean out the dead branches of the pine trees so that it would be easier to mow and maintain. I am comfortable using a manual, muscle driven, hand saw. I enjoy it really. I like the feeling of achievement when you get done sawing a dead branch from a tree using a hand saw. But, to paraphrase St. Paul, to me a handsaw is like Christ and a chainsaw is death. I can’t use one because I’m one of the world’s biggest klutzes! So, I let a few of the guys run the chainsaw while I dragged the limbs out from under the tree, onto trucks, and onto the burn pile. I started off full of energy and excitement but, by a couple hours into it, I was exhausted. I remember thinking that I should just leave and go home and read for my class but I hated the idea of leaving people when there was still a lot of work to do.
I think that’s a typical reaction most of us have toward doing a job: don’t quit until the job is complete. We have an unwritten understanding of how to do things that our parents taught us as kids. And, when we see someone who doesn’t do it the way we were taught, we are obliged to let them know that they’ve done something wrong. I think this is a pretty cross-cultural concept: we do things because it’s what we were taught is fair. That’s precisely what workers who have at least put in a ten hour, if not twelve hour, day think when others who haven’t worked as long as they have are getting paid as much as they are. It’s bad business sense. How is this landowner going to get someone to work in his vineyard tomorrow if they know that they can wait until five o’clock in the afternoon and get paid as much as those who start at six in the morning? I imagine, this landowner will soon find that he is paying all his workers a full days pay for an hour of work.
Of course, this isn’t Jesus way of teaching the ten steps toward successful business practices. This is a parable, as we heard in the first sentence, about the Kingdom of God. Some suggest that this is a way for Matthew, who was probably writing to a largely Jewish audience, to emphasize that Gentile Christians are going to receive the same salvation that they are going to receive. They may ask themselves how it is that God has “made them equal to us.” But, God is going to give a similar response to the one given by the landowner in the gospel, “Am I not free to do as I wish with my salvation? Are you envious because I am so generous?”
Sometimes, while talking with people, I’m amazed to hear them doubt the superabundant generosity of God’s forgiveness and love. They see themselves as unworthy of God’s love because of some sin they have committed. And, to be honest, in some ways, shouldn’t we all feel like that? In some ways, we are all more like the later laborers than the earlier ones. Maybe we were born and raised catholic but we don’t always practice the faith. Sometimes, we are down-right un-Catholic in the jokes we tell, the actions we do to one another, or the thoughts we have. But, we sometimes feel like the earlier ones because we know something about someone that doesn’t make them seem all that holy. Maybe you donate your time to some charitable organization and you wonder where your fellow St. Peter and Paul parishioners are as you are volunteering. Or maybe you feel very passionately about an issue involved in the upcoming election and you can’t understand why your fellow Sts. Peter and Paul parishioners would dare vote for the politician that doesn’t support your issue. Before we give up on each other, let us very carefully hear the call of Christ in the gospel who rewards all his faithful equally, despite our weaknesses and let us rejoice at those who were lost who show up late and, nonetheless, get the job done.
Yesterday afternoon, I gathered with between thirty and forty of our parishioners to clean our yard, here at Sts. Peter and Paul, and get ready for fall. Although, I have to admit, I was a little worried because, when I got here at ten minutes until one, I was alone. I walked around and found the White House open and someone, I’m pretty sure it was Don Johnson, had cut out the pine bushes in front of the White House earlier in the day. So, I decided to walk to the back yard to see what was happening. Again, no one was there but I noticed that there were weeds growing under some of the pine trees. So I walked over and started to pull a few weeds from under one of the trees when I heard the first few parishioners start to show up who had brought a hand saw. Eventually everyone showed up, which allowed for some distribution of labor. Some of us worked on clearing some bricks around the white house that were, at one time, markers for a flower bed. They had become, instead, an obstacle for man and mower alike. Others of us decided to clean out the dead branches of the pine trees so that it would be easier to mow and maintain. I am comfortable using a manual, muscle driven, hand saw. I enjoy it really. I like the feeling of achievement when you get done sawing a dead branch from a tree using a hand saw. But, to paraphrase St. Paul, to me a handsaw is like Christ and a chainsaw is death. I can’t use one because I’m one of the world’s biggest klutzes! So, I let a few of the guys run the chainsaw while I dragged the limbs out from under the tree, onto trucks, and onto the burn pile. I started off full of energy and excitement but, by a couple hours into it, I was exhausted. I remember thinking that I should just leave and go home and read for my class but I hated the idea of leaving people when there was still a lot of work to do.
I think that’s a typical reaction most of us have toward doing a job: don’t quit until the job is complete. We have an unwritten understanding of how to do things that our parents taught us as kids. And, when we see someone who doesn’t do it the way we were taught, we are obliged to let them know that they’ve done something wrong. I think this is a pretty cross-cultural concept: we do things because it’s what we were taught is fair. That’s precisely what workers who have at least put in a ten hour, if not twelve hour, day think when others who haven’t worked as long as they have are getting paid as much as they are. It’s bad business sense. How is this landowner going to get someone to work in his vineyard tomorrow if they know that they can wait until five o’clock in the afternoon and get paid as much as those who start at six in the morning? I imagine, this landowner will soon find that he is paying all his workers a full days pay for an hour of work.
Of course, this isn’t Jesus way of teaching the ten steps toward successful business practices. This is a parable, as we heard in the first sentence, about the Kingdom of God. Some suggest that this is a way for Matthew, who was probably writing to a largely Jewish audience, to emphasize that Gentile Christians are going to receive the same salvation that they are going to receive. They may ask themselves how it is that God has “made them equal to us.” But, God is going to give a similar response to the one given by the landowner in the gospel, “Am I not free to do as I wish with my salvation? Are you envious because I am so generous?”
Sometimes, while talking with people, I’m amazed to hear them doubt the superabundant generosity of God’s forgiveness and love. They see themselves as unworthy of God’s love because of some sin they have committed. And, to be honest, in some ways, shouldn’t we all feel like that? In some ways, we are all more like the later laborers than the earlier ones. Maybe we were born and raised catholic but we don’t always practice the faith. Sometimes, we are down-right un-Catholic in the jokes we tell, the actions we do to one another, or the thoughts we have. But, we sometimes feel like the earlier ones because we know something about someone that doesn’t make them seem all that holy. Maybe you donate your time to some charitable organization and you wonder where your fellow St. Peter and Paul parishioners are as you are volunteering. Or maybe you feel very passionately about an issue involved in the upcoming election and you can’t understand why your fellow Sts. Peter and Paul parishioners would dare vote for the politician that doesn’t support your issue. Before we give up on each other, let us very carefully hear the call of Christ in the gospel who rewards all his faithful equally, despite our weaknesses and let us rejoice at those who were lost who show up late and, nonetheless, get the job done.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Overwhelmed
In seminary, I took a personality inventory that told me I was apt to take on too much responsibility and then not be able to fulfill it. Finding that out was rather eye opening for me because I was finally able to put in my mind a patter that would happen. I would want to get involved in everything and still be able to do all the fun things that typical college students do...well not all the fun things. The things that didn't involve needing to go to confession the next day. But, invariably, I'd realize you can't do everything and I'd get to the point where I just felt overextended.
That's where I'm at right now. I have said "yes" to just way too much right now and I probably can't get everything done. And, so, I'm having to trim stuff out. It's never easy to do this because it means that I have failed and, in all likelihood, someone will be disappointed and/or angry.
That's where I'm at right now. I have said "yes" to just way too much right now and I probably can't get everything done. And, so, I'm having to trim stuff out. It's never easy to do this because it means that I have failed and, in all likelihood, someone will be disappointed and/or angry.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Upon this rock...
I was doing some research to a question a student had for me and I came upon this really interesting article...
http://www.catholic.com/library/Peter_the_Rock.asp
I learned a connection I hadn't made before from this article. I've heard about the argument about the name of Peter but never had an evangelical argue with me about it personally. But, I'd never thought that, if Matthew was originally written in Aramaic, intended to evangelize an predominately Aramaic-speaking group of Jews, it makes sense that the point evangelicals are making is moot. It also makes sense that 1 John and Paul, two authors that are very theologically distinct in terms of style, both use the Aramaic version of Peter's name, Kephas/Cephas.
Peter really is the rock on which God built his church. It just gets more convincing all the time.
http://www.catholic.com/library/Peter_the_Rock.asp
I learned a connection I hadn't made before from this article. I've heard about the argument about the name of Peter but never had an evangelical argue with me about it personally. But, I'd never thought that, if Matthew was originally written in Aramaic, intended to evangelize an predominately Aramaic-speaking group of Jews, it makes sense that the point evangelicals are making is moot. It also makes sense that 1 John and Paul, two authors that are very theologically distinct in terms of style, both use the Aramaic version of Peter's name, Kephas/Cephas.
Peter really is the rock on which God built his church. It just gets more convincing all the time.
Monday, September 15, 2008
John 3:16 AND 3:17
Dearly Beloved in Christ
I imagine most undergraduates either have or will experience this or something like it in your residence hall. Sometime, maybe you’ll be studying or relaxing watching TV and you’ll hear (Knock 3xs). You get up from to answer the door, like you do when someone knocks at the door, and find at the door someone from your floor. They look innocent enough. Maybe you’ve had a conversation with them in the bathroom if you’re a woman or maybe you’ve said hello to them in the hallway so you know them but not really well. They ask if they can come in to your room and you say yes, again, like you do when someone comes to the door. They sit down and ask you one of those questions that we Catholics hate to be asked, “Do you know if you are saved?” or “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior?” Or, “Do you know if you’re going to heaven?” Or one of a dozen other questions that they have memorized to start the God conversation. You may start to feel trapped. You may even wish at this point that you had never asked them to come into your room in the first place. Some of you may feel energized and ready to explain your beliefs and, if that’s you, I’d suggest you talk to Misty Heinen who is one of our campus ministers. She’d love to have your enthusiasm with the outreach team. But, I imagine most of you feel trapped in more of an adversarial way than in a way that makes you want to explain your faith because you may feel like you aren’t able to articulate it well enough. I hope that, in the context of this homily, you’ll learn a tip or two about what to do when this happens.
You may be asking why this topic is coming up on this feast day of the exultation of the Holy Cross a celebration that commemorates when St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, found the true cross in Israel. It was September 14th in the year 320. Of course, considering the fact that if you were to gather all the fragments of the “true cross” you’d likely have about four or five true crosses at this point, one wonders if the original point of this celebration is still clear. I’d suggest not. Instead, I’d like to suggest that church wants us to focus on a topic connected to the example I stated in the beginning, knowing your faith and knowing the cross.
We hear from the Old Testament this very interesting story about the Israelites whining in the desert. As whining had almost become second nature to the Israelites, we shouldn’t be surprised that it’s happeneing. But, we should be surprised at God’s reaction. Why would God send seraph serpents to harm his people, this people he has removed from slavery, promised a new home, and helped to guide through the wilderness. All they are asking for is food, for goodness sake. Who can complain about food. Do you remember, as a kid, sitting down at the table and seeing some food that you didn’t like? Brocolli or spinach or pizza with vegetables on it. Do you remember what happened when you complained about having to eat that food? When I did that, my mother would say to me something along the lines of, “Starving children in Africa would love to have this food.” To which, I would reply, “Well then send it to them.” At some point in the conversation the point would be driven home that, if I don’t like what’s on the table, I could just not eat. You see, it’s not that God hasn’t provided food and water for the Israelites. At first they try so say that’s the problem. But then they say, “We are disgusted with this wretched food!” In other words, they have food, they just want to God to bring them something different. That’s what makes God so mad. They aren’t starving. They aren’t thirsty. They’re just expecting God to do whatever they want him to do. That’s what makes God so angry that he sends these serpents to attack them. It's a little more severe than a time out but equally as effective. The Israelites eventually repent and ask Moses to intercede for them. But then it gets really interesting. God's solution to this problem is not simply to stop the serpents from attacking his people. That would be too easy. Instead, God tells his people to mount the image of a seraph serpent on a pole and, whenever they get bitten, they are to look at the serpent and it will cure them. I don't know about you, but it appears to me that God gave his people a graven image. A graven image…hadn’t he just told them not to do that? Why? Because he told them to do it. A graven image is only graven when you are doing something that God doesn't want you to do. But, in the New Testament we see a different explanation of the pole that led the Israel safely out of the desert.
In the gospel, Jesus talks about his cross in the same way as the serpent image of the Old Testament to the leader of the Jews. Scripture scholars believe the image would have been still been present in the Temple at the time of Jesus. They believe Nicodemus would have not only been familiar with the story from Exodus but would have known the pole and serpent very well. So, Jesus is telling them that his cross will be the same image that heals the entire world of the sin that it had fallen into. That's why we, as Christians, set the cross so prominently in each of our churches. It's the symbol of our redemption. Sometimes our evangelical brothers and sisters criticize us for our "graven images" like the cross. We hear our Lord telling us that it's not graven when Christ tells us to do it.
In the context of this passage we also hear a verse that Evangelicals love to emphasize. You see it at sporting events and other prominent places, John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” And we are blessed that they do emphasize that faith in the cross of Christ is what saves us. But, sometimes in their zeal for John 3:16, they neglect John 3:17 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”
We, as Catholics, have a sense that God really does want all people to be saved but, on this feast of the exaltation of the holy cross, we are reminded that it’s not out job to determine who is saved or not. God alone determines who is saved or not. So, when your evangelical friends ask you,“Do you know if you are saved?” or “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior?” Or, “Do you know if you’re going to heaven?” First of all, remember charity, remember that we are to be a people identified because of the love we show other people. And then tell them, "I hope so." And when they ask you, "What do you mean? You don't know?" Just tell them, "Nope. It's not my job to know. No feeling that I have. No innate sense or presumed knowledge saves me. God alone is my savior. He and he alone can determine that.
I imagine most undergraduates either have or will experience this or something like it in your residence hall. Sometime, maybe you’ll be studying or relaxing watching TV and you’ll hear (Knock 3xs). You get up from to answer the door, like you do when someone knocks at the door, and find at the door someone from your floor. They look innocent enough. Maybe you’ve had a conversation with them in the bathroom if you’re a woman or maybe you’ve said hello to them in the hallway so you know them but not really well. They ask if they can come in to your room and you say yes, again, like you do when someone comes to the door. They sit down and ask you one of those questions that we Catholics hate to be asked, “Do you know if you are saved?” or “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior?” Or, “Do you know if you’re going to heaven?” Or one of a dozen other questions that they have memorized to start the God conversation. You may start to feel trapped. You may even wish at this point that you had never asked them to come into your room in the first place. Some of you may feel energized and ready to explain your beliefs and, if that’s you, I’d suggest you talk to Misty Heinen who is one of our campus ministers. She’d love to have your enthusiasm with the outreach team. But, I imagine most of you feel trapped in more of an adversarial way than in a way that makes you want to explain your faith because you may feel like you aren’t able to articulate it well enough. I hope that, in the context of this homily, you’ll learn a tip or two about what to do when this happens.
You may be asking why this topic is coming up on this feast day of the exultation of the Holy Cross a celebration that commemorates when St. Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, found the true cross in Israel. It was September 14th in the year 320. Of course, considering the fact that if you were to gather all the fragments of the “true cross” you’d likely have about four or five true crosses at this point, one wonders if the original point of this celebration is still clear. I’d suggest not. Instead, I’d like to suggest that church wants us to focus on a topic connected to the example I stated in the beginning, knowing your faith and knowing the cross.
We hear from the Old Testament this very interesting story about the Israelites whining in the desert. As whining had almost become second nature to the Israelites, we shouldn’t be surprised that it’s happeneing. But, we should be surprised at God’s reaction. Why would God send seraph serpents to harm his people, this people he has removed from slavery, promised a new home, and helped to guide through the wilderness. All they are asking for is food, for goodness sake. Who can complain about food. Do you remember, as a kid, sitting down at the table and seeing some food that you didn’t like? Brocolli or spinach or pizza with vegetables on it. Do you remember what happened when you complained about having to eat that food? When I did that, my mother would say to me something along the lines of, “Starving children in Africa would love to have this food.” To which, I would reply, “Well then send it to them.” At some point in the conversation the point would be driven home that, if I don’t like what’s on the table, I could just not eat. You see, it’s not that God hasn’t provided food and water for the Israelites. At first they try so say that’s the problem. But then they say, “We are disgusted with this wretched food!” In other words, they have food, they just want to God to bring them something different. That’s what makes God so mad. They aren’t starving. They aren’t thirsty. They’re just expecting God to do whatever they want him to do. That’s what makes God so angry that he sends these serpents to attack them. It's a little more severe than a time out but equally as effective. The Israelites eventually repent and ask Moses to intercede for them. But then it gets really interesting. God's solution to this problem is not simply to stop the serpents from attacking his people. That would be too easy. Instead, God tells his people to mount the image of a seraph serpent on a pole and, whenever they get bitten, they are to look at the serpent and it will cure them. I don't know about you, but it appears to me that God gave his people a graven image. A graven image…hadn’t he just told them not to do that? Why? Because he told them to do it. A graven image is only graven when you are doing something that God doesn't want you to do. But, in the New Testament we see a different explanation of the pole that led the Israel safely out of the desert.
In the gospel, Jesus talks about his cross in the same way as the serpent image of the Old Testament to the leader of the Jews. Scripture scholars believe the image would have been still been present in the Temple at the time of Jesus. They believe Nicodemus would have not only been familiar with the story from Exodus but would have known the pole and serpent very well. So, Jesus is telling them that his cross will be the same image that heals the entire world of the sin that it had fallen into. That's why we, as Christians, set the cross so prominently in each of our churches. It's the symbol of our redemption. Sometimes our evangelical brothers and sisters criticize us for our "graven images" like the cross. We hear our Lord telling us that it's not graven when Christ tells us to do it.
In the context of this passage we also hear a verse that Evangelicals love to emphasize. You see it at sporting events and other prominent places, John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” And we are blessed that they do emphasize that faith in the cross of Christ is what saves us. But, sometimes in their zeal for John 3:16, they neglect John 3:17 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”
We, as Catholics, have a sense that God really does want all people to be saved but, on this feast of the exaltation of the holy cross, we are reminded that it’s not out job to determine who is saved or not. God alone determines who is saved or not. So, when your evangelical friends ask you,“Do you know if you are saved?” or “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior?” Or, “Do you know if you’re going to heaven?” First of all, remember charity, remember that we are to be a people identified because of the love we show other people. And then tell them, "I hope so." And when they ask you, "What do you mean? You don't know?" Just tell them, "Nope. It's not my job to know. No feeling that I have. No innate sense or presumed knowledge saves me. God alone is my savior. He and he alone can determine that.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Cubs fans of the world, unite!
I am a Chicago Cubs fan. I am an Iowa State Cyclone fan. I cheer for the underdog. The team that most other people think of as the lovable losers. And, if you want to know why, just watch this video...
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=cubs100
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=cubs100
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