The Key of the Kingdom

I hope to get a photo of this wooden key, but for now I will try to explain what it was like. 

It was about 3 feet high, made of beautifully crafted wood. On the top part of the key there was a shamrock shape representing the Trinity. Inside that part there was a small statue of Jesus - Sacred Heart. On the 3 parts of the shamrock there were little bumps representing the beads of a Rosary. 

The bottom part had 6 grooves on each side. These represented the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles. 

Fr. David said that he also had a kind of door that he would set up for the children’s Mass.

He would then open the door with the key and  lead the children through the door and into the kingdom of God. He would explain how they were leaving the world in order to become part of God’s Kingdom. Once inside he would explain to them what kingdom living was supposed to be like. 

At the proper time, he would tell them that it was time to leave and re enter the world. Once back in the world, they were to remember what they had learned and how they were supposed to live as part of God’s Kingdom. 

I thought the illustration was brilliant. It would work  in a Protestant setting as well. 

Fr. David said that in one Mass where he used this key the children did not want to leave the kingdom and go back into the world! 

Of course, that is the idea of the Mass. One enters Heaven for a time, and then is sent back out into the world to live the lessons learned. 

Perseverance

Yesterday's readings at Mass were from Exodus 17:8-13, 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2, and Luke 18:1-8. Each one of these passages has something to do with perseverance and faithfulness. Not everyone has the same gifts. 

I hope I can get a photograph of the beautiful wooden “key of the kingdom” that someone in the parish had made. It showed great Scandinavian style craftsmanship. Fr. David uses it as an object lesson for children. Yesterday he was going to use it in the 11 AM Mass, which was to be a children’s Mass. Even though his homily was mainly designed for children, I thought it was very appropriate for adults as well. 

Of course, I love object lessons anyway. 

Fr. David talked about how it would make no sense for him to try to persevere in the kind of wood working that was required to make the key. He would barely even know how to begin the work let alone how to persevere to its completion.

He believes that God wants him to persevere in contemplative prayer and his service to God as a priest. That is his area of struggle as well. Sometimes it is easy, and other times it is difficult. Sometimes all goes well, and other times there are failures. 

Others have different gifts where perseverance is needed.  

It was a good reminder that not everyone has to be good at everything. At the same time, everyone has gifts that need to be developed. Each of us needs to persevere. 

We rely on God’s grace in Christ. The Holy Spirit gives us strength. 

To illustrate this, Fr. David used a basketball. The object lesson was designed for children, but it works with adults as well. 

He pointed out that the basketball is imperfect, even though it is well made. It is not a perfect sphere. Even so, he had learned how to make it spin on his index finger much like the Harlem Globe Trotters do in their exhibition games. 

It was kind of impressive, because he really can do it. Eventually, though, because of the imperfections in the ball and in his own finger, the ball would fall - and it did. So, what did he do?  He tried again and got the ball spinning again. 

That is very much like our lives as Christians. Because of our imperfections we eventually fall for one reason or another. We get discouraged or lazy or sloppy and then stumble and even fall into sin. What do we do?  We get up and continue on. We persevere if we really do love God. 

He pushes us onward and upward. 

I thought that these 2 object lessons were great. I don’t think I could do the basketball trick, but maybe a top would work instead. It would go well for any children’s group - or even adult. 

Fr. David also explained how Luke 18:1-8 passage would be understood by Jesus’ audience in this way. Everyone in the community would have witnessed this exchange between the widow and the dishonest judge. They were all watching to see what the judge would do. In fact, it was likely that they encouraged her in her efforts to get justice. 

The Exodus passage also shows how the battle involved more in the community than just the soldiers. Moses did not go into battle, but he held his arms up the whole time. Others helped him keep his arms up. This is generally understood much like the story of the widow and the dishonest judge as an example of perseverance in prayer as a community, in communion with all the saints. 

The 2 Timothy selection emphasizes the patience, love, endurance, steadfastness, and faith that were Paul’s aim in life. They should be our aim as well, along with persistence. 

We need those qualities in our lives now as much or more than ever. 

Gospel Lk 18:1-8Jesus told his disciples a parableabout the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary. He said, “There was a judge in a certain townwho neither feared God nor respected any human being. And a widow in that town used to come to him and say,‘Render a just decision for me against my adversary.’For a long time the judge was unwilling, but eventually he thought,‘While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering meI shall deliver a just decision for herlest she finally come and strike me.’” The Lord said, “Pay attention to what the dishonest judge says. Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen oneswho call out to him day and night? Will he be slow to answer them? I tell you, he will see to it that justice is done for them speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Walk on Water

My friend has a big decision to make. She has had some physical problems that make it very difficult for her to do her job. If she can’t meet a minimum requirement of hours, she will lose her job.  Even harder for her is the fact that her benefits include a home where she, her husband, and 3 sons now live. 

They have nowhere else to go at this time. 

She has to make a big decision. Either way, it is a huge step of faith for her.  If she stays, she will need to trust God for the physical strength to meet her work schedule. If they move, she will lose her salary and benefits. 

She and her husband are also in full-time Christian ministry, so quitting her job would be a relief in many ways, but a financial burden at the same time. 

So, I sent her this picture and reminded her of the story of Peter walking on the water. I told her that I didn’t know if she should move or stay where she was.

I told her that either way, Jesus was with them for their good. 

Maybe someone else needs to be reminded of this message today. 

Matthew 14
Jesus Walks on the Water22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land,[a] for the wind was against them. 25 And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.”28 Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind,[b] he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Wisdom of TVD

When you're neither clever nor handsome, can't play ball and can't play guitar, aren't funny or charming, inventing your own theology and sneering at everyone else's becomes an attractive life goal.
TVD

Feast Day of St. Matthew

Yesterday's Bible readings from the USCCB include the story of Jesus’ call of Matthew to follow Him.

Yesterday was his feast day, the day he was remembered and honored  in the Church calendar. 

Here is the Scripture passage that tells us this story of Matthew’s call. He was a tax collector, so his mind was on the things of this world. Money was what occupied his time and attention. 

All of that changed in a moment when he met Jesus. 



Gospel Mt 9:9-13
As Jesus passed by,
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
He heard this and said,
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Jem Sullivan, PhD, is a fine Bible teacher. In today’s video reflection she makes reference to Caravaggio’s painting of the call of Matthew. She pointed out how the hand of Jesus extended towards Matthew is taken from Michelangelo’s painting of the creation of Adam. 

Notice the hand of Jesus pointing towards Matthew, whose head is down as he counts the money.  It is a life-giving gesture. Jesus says to him, “Follow me.” 


Matthew got up and followed. Now instead of being consumed by worldly goods, he became consumed with following Jesus. 

Contemplate this painting and the words of the Gospel of Matthew. He is telling us a little of his own life and calling. 

Listen to the little video reflection by Dr. Sullivan. She brings in more details and encourages us to think about God’s call on our own lives. How are our lives transformed by our encounter with Jesus, the Son of God? 

Here is the Caravaggio painting. 

Check out the video reflection for September 21, 2016. 

Resources on the Deuterocanonical Books of the Bible - 4

The early acceptance of the deuterocanonicals was carried down through Church history. The Protestant patristics scholar J. N. D. Kelly writes: "It should be observed that the Old Testament thus admitted as authoritative in the Church was somewhat bulkier and more comprehensive than the [Protestant Old Testament] . . . It always included, though with varying degrees of recognition, the so-called Apocrypha or deuterocanonical books. The reason for this is that the Old Testament which passed in the first instance into the hands of Christians was . . . the Greek translation known as the Septuagint. . . . most of the Scriptural quotations found in the New Testament are based upon it rather than the Hebrew.. . . In the first two centuries . . . the Church seems to have accept all, or most of, these additional books as inspired and to have treated them without question as Scripture.
Quotations from Wisdom, for example, occur in 1 Clement and Barnabas. . . Polycarp cites Tobit, and the Didache [cites] Ecclesiasticus. Irenaeus refers to Wisdom, the History of Susannah, Bel and the Dragon [i.e., the deuterocanonical portions of Daniel], and Baruch. The use made of the Apocrypha by Tertullian, Hippolytus, Cyprian and Clement of Alexandria is too frequent for detailed references to be necessary" (Early Christian Doctrines, 53-54).

Quoted from

DEFENDING THE DEUTEROCANONICALS

James Akin This article by Akin is an amazing defense of the Deuterocanonical books of the Bible. It is well worth the time to read. Protestants have accepted without question the narrative that has been promoted since the time of the Reformation. The above quote is significant, since it is from a Protestant source. He is an authority on the the subject of the patristic period of Christianity. (100 A.D. - 450 A.D.) During this time period, what are called the early Church Fathers lived, taught, and wrote. Many of them were disciples of the original Apostles. Others were disciples of those disciples, and so forth. That is, these men were direct spiritual descendants of those who lived in the 1st Century, knew Jesus in the flesh, wrote New Testament books, and had  even heard Jesus speak. Their faith and practice shows what the early Church was really like. If those Fathers quoted from the Deuterocanonical books in the same way they quoted from other Scripture, then that helps to show they accepted those books as inspired. The answer is, yes, they did quote from those books in their writings. They did consider them to be inspired Scripture. Their practice contradicts the Protestant narrative. If you have time, and this subject interests you, then read the article. Consider the evidence. What if Protestants have been wrong about the canon of Scripture? Protestants love God’s Word. They believe it to be, as many say, God’s love letter to His children. It is worth checking out the claim that Jesus, the apostles, and the early Church all loved and quoted from the Deuterocanonical books as God’s very Word. If that is true, don’t you want to know?

Resources on the Deuterocanonical Books of the Bible - 3

The Bible of the Early Church

300 years before Christ was born, the Hebrew bible, which Christians consider the Old Testament, was translated into Koine Greek. The title of this translation was called the Septuagint. It is this translation that was used by the Paul, the Apostles, and the early church. It is still in use by the Orthodox Church today, however, sadly, it is rejected by most modern Christians in favor of the Masoretic text.

------------------------------------

The quote above is from an article written by an Orthodox apologist. 

When I was a Protestant,  I just accepted the narrative I had learned. Yes, I had been taught the Protestant version of the history of the canon of Scripture. I never questioned it seriously.

Why is it important to establish the fact that the Old Testament of the early Church was the Septuagint?  

That translation contains the Deuterocanonical books of the Bible. Protestants reject those books as inspired Scripture. They follow the lead of Martin Luther who did a translation of the Bible into vernacular German. 

He removed those 7 books from the Old Testament and put them in the back of his Bible. All Protestants have followed his lead. In fact, Protestant Bibles have gone even farther. Those books have now been removed entirely.  

In effect, Martin Luther became the authority for the Protestant canon of Scripture. He decided to go with the Hebrew Masoretic text. That version did not contain the Deuterocanonical books. That settled it for Protestantism. Everyone else followed his lead. 

Check out the history of what is called the Masoretic text. Check out the history of the Jewish canon of Scripture. You might be surprised to find out when they decided on their canon and when the Masoretic text was finally compiled. 

Resources on the Deuterocanonical Books of the Bible - 2

"The Masoretic text differs from the Septuagint in hundreds of places.”
- from Masoretic vs. Septuagint : Guns, Lies, and Forgeries
  A Bible Story by Robert E. Reis

Here is the summary of the article. 

The Masoretic Text is part of a tradition that began with Rabbi Akiva. Rabbis rewrote the Jewish Bible to destroy the credibility of the New Testament.The Hebrew versions of the Old Testament have been used to proclaim scores of “messiahs” . The Septuagint was only used once.

It is a pretty bold claim.  If you go to this website, you will find that there is a link provided to the original article, along with all the entertaining comments.

As with everything, there is a lot of disagreement and discussion!  At least it might get someone to think about why both Catholic and Orthodox Churches consider the Deuterocanonical books - known as the Apocrypha  for Protestants - to be sacred Scripture.

In fact, if you are a Protestant you may never have even thought about this.

Why should this interest Christians?  Martin Luther decided his Old Testament canon based on the Masoretic text. What if he was wrong, and Protestants have been wrong for 500 years? What if the Deuterocanonical books really are God-breathed Scripture?

One of the rallying cries of the Reformation was “Scripture alone”.  Protestants love the Word of God. What if they don’t have the complete canon of Scripture? More than that, what if the Masoretic text was corrupted on purpose?

What am I?

D. G. Hart says:
September 17, 2016 at 8:26 am
Mermaid, “I suspect that both Jeff and Robert – and all conservative Reformed people – kind of ride on the coat tails of the teaching magisterium of the Catholic Church.”>>>>>

Brother Hart:

Wrong.>>>>

Hello. Who preserved Scripture so that you could have it to be all sola about? Catholic and Orthodox monks. 

Martin Luther was a Catholic monk, Dr., and priest. He didn’t want to leave the Church. 

Then there’s the greatest of all theologians – St. Thomas Aquinas, Catholic Dr., monk, and priest. His Summa summarized Christianity. His commentaries summarized all the teachings of the Church. 

St. Augustine, Catholic bishop and priest. Read ‘em and weep. 

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/davearmstrong/2016/04/st-augustine-was-catholic-not-proto-protestant.html

Yeah, you guys drink deep from the wells of Roman Catholic scholarship which forms the foundation of the Teaching Magisterium of the Catholic Church. If you have a Bible, thank a monk. 

Brother Hart:
You and Susan draft on Protestant ways of being Christian. Propositional statements, certainty, cocksureness. All of that you picked up while a Protestant and you carry it with you to Rome. You embarrass cradle Roman Catholics.>>>>

Well, I may have embarrassed cradle Catholics by wearing my chapel veil to Mass, but that’s not what you mean. Then there is my growing collection of what I call Catholic kitsch,  patron saints, and holy cards. That’s definitely NOT Protestant.

[I should have added Rosaries of all kinds.]

Now my world makes more sense...

Robert says:
September 17, 2016 at 8:08 am
Mermaid,

Can an omniscient God communicate truth such that His child can know with certitude that Jesus Christ rose from the dead?

Robert:
Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.>>>>

You and I believe that Jesus Christian [I mean Jesus Christ] rose from the dead not because it is falsifiable. Your epistemology had nothing to do with it. You believe it because God enabled you to have faith. Faith is a gift of God. 

If God had not revealed the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, using – as you would agree – sinful, weak, flawed human beings making up His Church *, you would have no idea that Christ rose from the dead. That truth has been passed down through the Church such that you and I can hear and believe by the grace of God.

You know the facts because God revealed them and faithful men passed those facts down through the millennia until they reached your ears and mine. You and I believe them to salvation because God enabled us to believe. Justification is by faith, and faith is a gift of God. You know the Scriptures. Eph. 2 lays it out. 

There are those who believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead, but do not believe that He is Messiah, their Savior. Remember the testimony of the Jewish man who accepted the fact that Christ rose from the dead, but did not have faith in Him as Messiah? 

Robert:
And He has done that using infallible revelation (the Word of God) mediated to us by fallible individuals and churches (preachers, etc.).>>>>

Agreed. See above. The Church recognizes that there are many Christian congregations where the Holy Spirit is active. Read the CCC to see that. The Church recognizes the fact that there are many true brethren who are not in full communion with her. 

That offends you. I understand how it could. You don’t feel any less Christian than the Called to Communion guys. You don’t need no stinkin’, apostate Catholic Church to make you a real Christian. Something like that? “Why did they leave us? Do they think we [are]  that terrible?” you seem to be asking. 

These guys left Protestantism. Some of them were Reformed, even PCA and OPC. Now they sit on their blog and call you guys to communion. Yes, it would annoy me. Can’t help you there. 

What am I doing here? I’m not Called to Communion. I followed TVD here. I have followed him on his American Creation blog for awhile. I like what he has to say. 

He got himself kicked off here. For some reason that even I cannot explain fully, I am still here. Maybe I am perverse, as Jeff seems to think. 

Maybe I just wanted to hear you say that you really do believe that God communicated infallible truth to you. You have certitude about the resurrection. I knew you did. Now maybe I can leave you dear brothers alone. 

Maybe I like to see what goofy comment Brother Hart will make to me, and how I can respond in kind. It’s like a game we play. I think I win. 

Jeff is still mad at me, but oh well. I don’t believe he really follows his epistemology when it comes to truth that can only be known through revelation. I mean come on. The Trinity is not falsifiable, yet you guys believe it to be true. 

Sure. Faith in the Divinity of the Trinity involves our human rationality. However, we don’t believe it because somehow we can falsify it. Now if you try to, I will laugh and laugh! …and know you don’t mean it. 

Robert:
You are the one saying that fallible mediators are insufficient even though you have never once had direct contact with an organ of infallibility. Hence Jeff’s point.>>>>

It seems you are focusing on those who are delivering the message. The idea of infallibility is that in spite of how human beings have messed up, the message of the Gospel is communicated accurately. 

It is all about God’s ability to communicate truth to fallen mankind. He does that through His Word, the Bible, and His Church. The Holy Spirit breathed out God’s Word and we have it in written form. The Holy Spirit was poured out on the Church on the day of Pentecost. He led and is leading her into all truth. Not just her as a whole, but each individual within the Church.

[I should have added that it is the Holy Spirit who enables someone to believe in Christ, and it is the Holy Spirit who sanctifies the believer. He is active in the Church* and in the individual Christian.]

Not even Pope Francis believes himself to be infallible on everything he says. He is infallible to the degree that he is faithful to the deposit of truth that has been entrusted to the Church. He certainly does not claim sinless perfection. 

So, maybe I’ll stick around, or not. Your affirmation, without qualification, of the ress. is what I wanted to hear from you. Not to prove you wrong somehow, but to prove what I suspected about you all along. 

You have unshakable faith in the basic fact[s] of the Gospel. Jesus Christ died for our sins, rose from the dead, and appeared to many, according to the Scriptures. You believe that by grace through faith. So do I. 

You don’t believe it because it is falsifiable. 

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* [Robert would not capitalize “church”, but he holds to the Nicene and Apostles’ creeds.]