While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.” When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. [Lk 22:26-30]
Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and being made perfect he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek. [Heb 5:8-10]
On Holy Thursday, at the Last Supper, Jesus established the Eucharist and the Priesthood, two of the most important aspects of the Mass. He asked his followers to continue to celebrate this in memory of Him.
[The following is another posting from my (former) CatholicSphere blog, Tuesday, Holy Week, 2007; in a slightly edited form, as I tried to tone down some of the judgmentalism I sensed was coming through in the original. Next week I'll maybe blog something about where these things came from and why they were directed as they were, and why I spent over 10 years studying, debating and discussing faith, the Bible, and Catholicism.]
Each Lenten season when I was growing up, Jesus of Nazareth would be shown over several nights on network television. My parents would let me stay up past my bedtime to watch the teleplay of his birth, death and resurrection. The mini-series put a face to Jesus, and taught me stories which became familiar.
It also showed me the person of Jesus.
A few years ago, then, came the film The Passion of the Christ, depicting the last 12 hours of Jesus’ life, culminating in his resurrection. For me, the film was very moving.
However, there are those who asked the question: “Who is this Jesus?”
They did not know the stories. They did not know the person. They did not know the Son of Man.
And, so they asked the question.
The Scriptures tell us of who Jesus is; of what He taught; of why He did what He did . . . and the mini-series Jesus of Nazareth gives us a glimpse of who the Scriptures testify Jesus is and what He did.
I encourage you to watch the Passion of the Christ before Easter Sunday. Walk with the Lord on His journey to the Cross that “takes away the sins of the world”.
When I watched, I saw violence; but not for violence’s sake. This was not merely about a man beaten and crucified. It was about a man suffering and dying for a purpose.
He did this, not for his own sake, but for me (and everyone). Because of love.
He brought a message of love, and confirmed it with a gift of love: his very life. He did this, not so we may have a “good life”, but so that we may have an after life.
Why anyone would go through all that he went through for others…why he would go through this for me and you?
How should we respond to someone who cared so much…?
Today’s song: This Man – Jeremy Camp
[The following is a repost of an entry from Palm Sunday, 2007, that I wrote from my CatholicSphere blog.]
We have spent the last 5 weeks preparing. We have spent the last 5 weeks on a journey.
Today, we take the final turn and begin the “home-stretch” toward our destination. This week we will make our final preparations for arriving at our end point.
And, interestingly, that “end point” is also our beginning. — We see this manifested clearly in the reception of catechumens into the Church at the Holy Saturday/Easter Vigil Mass, when they receive the fullness of Christ Jesus through the sacraments of His Church. –
But, what is that destination?
It is Easter Sunday … via Good Friday.
It is the Resurrection … via the Crucifix.
[Yes, Crucifix, not merely a Cross. The Cross of Christ; the Cross where He died ... for us.]
In order to get to Easter Sunday, we must go to the Cross on Good Friday. (For those who want another short reflection on Good Friday, you may want to check out my entry Good Friday 2006 entry on my CatholicSphere blog: “Why is this Friday called ‘Good’?”)
This week’s postings will focus on bringing us to the Crucifixion, that we may be able to share in the Resurrection Day. Additionally, each day I will suggest a Contemporary Christian song for reflecting on the sacrifice of Christ Jesus, our sin and the hope and life we can have through Him.
Today’s Song: “I Can Only Imagine” – Mercy Me
Lead singer, Bart Mallard said of the song: “The song is not about crossing our fingers and hoping that God is out there somewhere, but it’s about resting easier at night knowing that there is one true, living God who is crazy in love with us so much so that he desires us to spend eternity with him.”
In July 2006, I wrote the following post, reporting on a speech given by (then) US Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama. I found the words interesting in light of where we stand at this moment, with Barack Obama as our President … I hope you find them equally as interesting and relevant.
Last week, US Senator Barack Obama, addressed Call to Renewal on faith and politics. In a departure from the kind of dismissive talk we’ve come to expect from Democratic politicians on matters of faith, Sen. Obama sounded more like “Pastor Obama”.
It’s certainly worth more than mere acknowledgment. It needs to be heralded.
There is both chastisement and humor at once in commentary such as:
I am not suggesting that every progressive suddenly latch on to religious terminology. Nothing is more transparent than inauthentic expressions of faith – the politician who shows up at a black church around election time and claps – off rhythm – to the gospel choir.
And, I believe he firmly strikes the nail when he argues:
To say that men and women should not inject their “personal morality†into public policy debates is a practical absurdity; our law is by definition a codification of morality, much of it grounded in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
He also posits:
And in its historical struggles for freedom and the rights of man, I was able to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death; it is an active, palpable agent in the world. It is a source of hope.
Sen. Obama’s comments are certainly relevant and I found the statement immediately above particularly interesting, in that I have seen the “hedge against death” argument used against atheistic beliefs — and I’ve even used it myself in the past. I think it paints our faith in a pale light. Do we believe simply because the prospect of the alternative is unpleasant? I certainly hope not … and I would suspect that is not the case for many — at least not that we would openly admit.
At points, Sen Obama would seem to be moving toward the party line of “separation of church and state”, saying “That during our founding, it was not the atheists or the civil libertarians who were the most effective champions of this separation; it was the persecuted religious minorities, Baptists like John Leland, who were most concerned that any state-sponsored religion might hinder their ability to practice their faith.” Yet, he doesn’t go that direction. He doesn’t defend the “party line”, but rather aims to give a practical way to contribute to a universal principle that is applicable under all versions of faith.
Of course, some may put forth that this is just an eloquent attempt to dissuade people of faith from having an influence in government and politics, so that crimes such as abortion may continue. And certainly Sen Obama’s stated pro-choice position does create such a sense. However, his words should not be a reason for continued and further polarization. Rather they should be a challenge to people of faith to forumulate their arguments in universal terms as well as religious ones.
A comedy 3,000 years in the making …
Here’s the Lenten post for today … Back in 1999 I was having online debates with non-Catholics about Catholic doctrine on a regular basis — having spent upwards of 8 hours a day(!) preparing responses on various discussion boards. There was one particular discussion board that I posted on that made the claim that Catholics were not Christians, and went on to provide a list of reasons why they believed that. What follows is my response, with the original claim appearing in italics. I originally intended to use this as a jumping off point for more discussion on each topic, but the conversation basically stopped there … and I never got around to actually expanding on it.
Some of the comments are tongue-in-cheek, but others try to build on Catholic beliefs — and reference the Scriptures — to reinforce the defense.
NOTE: In many instances of this dialogue, I used the term “Catholic Christian.” Some may question the usage of this as redundant, and I would agree. However, it was my desire to reinforce the idea that Catholics are certainly Christians.
…a Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ and comes under His authority, not the Pope’s.
A Catholic Christian is a follower of Christ Jesus as well and comes under His authority. Any denial or repudiation of that fact is only by a person who lacks understanding of the Catholic Christian faith.
A Christian prays to God and reverences God, not Mary and not the saints.
A Catholic Christian prays to God in reverence, truth and love. A Catholic Christian prays for ALL his brothers and sisters, and asks for their prayers in return, no matter whether they are in this life or the next.
The dulia and latria stuff doesn’t cut it because you know in your mind that you aren’t saying, “okay, right now I’m giving dulia to this and this and latria only to this but now let me put it in hyper dulia and away we go….”.
What “honor” shall I give to my father and mother (as the commandment of God states), if I cannot discern honor (”dulia”) and worship (”latria”)?
A Christian believes that Christ’s atonement is sufficient, done one time for all time.
A Catholic Christian believes that Christ’s atonement is sufficient, and the grace of that atonement can bring fulfillment of the call “to be holy and blameless” [cf Eph 1:4], so that we may “live a life worthy of the calling to which we have been called.”[Eph 4:1], and be “imitators of God”[Eph 5:1]
A Christian doesn’t fear “purgatory” because we have passed from death to life and are not under condemnation.
A Catholic Christian believes that “we have become partners of Christ if only we hold the beginning of the reality firm until the end.”[Heb 3:14] And, knows that we shall not enter “God’s rest” if we disobey [cf Heb 4]. We believe that through the consuming fire of God [cf Heb 12:29], which will purge the unrighteous works of the righteous man, we will be “made perfect” [cf Heb 12:23].
Furthermore, we believe that we have not yet taken possession of our inheritance [cf Eph 1:14], but “are receiving the unshakable kingdom” [cf Heb 12:28], and therefore, “we must consider to how rouse one another [and ourselves] to good works” [Heb 10:24], for we know that doing good and sharing what we have is pleasing to God [cf Heb 13:16].
A Christian confesses their sins to God, who is the ONLY one capable of forgiving sins because the sin is against God, not the priest and not the bishop.
A Catholic Christian believes that God “gave authority to men” [cf.Mt 9:8, 10:1, 16:18-19, 18:18; Mk 6:7; Lk 9:1, 10:19 Jn 20:23; 2 Cor 10:8, 13:10; 3 Jn 1:9], and that this authority is His, exercised through them. And, in particular, God gave the authority to forgive sins [cf. Jn 20:23].
I cannot forgive you sleeping with my neighbor’s wife; it isn’t possible.
Yet, an offense against my neighbor is ultimately an offense against God, and thus God can forgive such a sin; even through those He has given authority.
A Christian cannot buy their way out of “purgatory” which is fictional and God cannot be bought for entrance into heaven.
A Catholic Christian would agree that one cannot buy their way out of Purgatory, or into Heaven.
A Christian doesn’t get baptized to be saved because nothing we do can make us saved or add to the grace of God which is the only way we become saved.
A Catholic Christian believes that they are “saved” by the redeeming sacrifice of Christ Jesus. The Catholic Christian believes they are joined to the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus through baptism [cf. Rom 6:3-11], and that their baptism “into His death” brings about the “forgiveness of sins” and reception of the Holy Spirit [cf. Acts 2:38].
A Christian doesn’t call any religious leader “Father” because there is one Father, who is in heaven.
A Catholic Christian knows that God is our Father, and we are His children. And, a Catholic Christian also knows that Stephen testified to Abraham as “our father” [Acts 7:2], and Paul called Abraham the “father of all of us”, [Rom 4:11-12; 16], (as does James [cf. Jas 2:21]) and that even he, Paul, “became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. [1 Cor 4:15].
Shall we say that this is blasphemy and seeks to replace God with mere men? No, indeed not! But, it is explained, and the Catholic Christian understands,…”for you know how, like a father with his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you” [1 Thess 2:11]
A Christian doesn’t observe the Lord’s Supper to help with their salvation; it is a memorial.
A Catholic Christian heeds the words of our Lord when He says “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” [John 6:53-56]
A Catholic Christian recognizes that the cup and bread are a participation of the very blood and body of Christ Jesus. [cf1 Cor 10:16]; “For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself.”[1 Cor 11:29]
A Christian doesn’t bow the knee to any man like a priest or a pope or kiss anyone’s feet or gawdy rings because we worship Jesus Christ, who was poor and had nowhere to lay His head.
A Catholic Christian would agree that we are to worship Christ Jesus, and would never consider worship of any man; however, a Catholic Christian may honor a man whom God has honored by bestowing rich spiritual blessings upon him, and whom has answered the calling to be a servant of God.
A Christian lives out the Christian faith, not the Catholic faith.
A Catholic Christian recognizes the two as synonymous.
A Christian doesn’t constantly recrucify and reoffer Christ as a sacrifice because He is risen and without the shedding of BLOOD, their is no remission of sins. Your mass and Eucharistic ritual is of no effect because there is no shedding of blood – it is finished.
A Catholic Christian does not believe Christ is recrucified. On the contrary, a Catholic Christian believes that by the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit, the Lord’s Supper makes the one sacrifice of the cross present to every one who comes to the Lord’s table, in every generation.
A Catholic Christian believes that this was the basis for which Christ Jesus implemented this heavenly meal.
A Christian doesn’t require the priesthood because it was abolished when the veil was torn. I can go boldly to the throne room of God and make my petitions.
A Catholic Christian knows that we “are being built into a holy priesthood” [1 Pet 2:5], and that we may “confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.”[Heb 4:16], but also understands that the gifts of the Spirit are divided as He sees fit, and that not all were given the same gifts. These gifts were given to some for the good of the whole Body of Christ. [cf. 1 Cor 12].
Salvation is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, not a group effort.
A Catholic Christian knows that salvation is based upon one’s own cooperation with grace, which is help from God, to live His commands of love, and faith, the goal of which is “salvation of your souls” [1 Pet 1:9]; but also knows that the Church is the Body of Christ, and those who are in His Body are “in Christ.”
I think you get the general picture of where I stand.
Actually, I think I do and it doesn’t seem to be Scripture-based.
There’s nothing you can tell me from your theologians (who don’t agree on anything)
Who don’t agree on anything? If I were to show you theologians who agree, would it change your opinion?
and your “infallible” popes (who contradict each other and overturn each others decisions and edicts – really infallible)
Perhaps you could offer some examples of this [with citations]? It seems I may have missed these.
that will make me turn from Christ the risen Savior to the christ you keep hanging on a cross.
Well, I certainly wouldn’t want you to turn from Christ Jesus, but, considering all you’ve written, I’m wondering whether you’ve got your own “Christ” and other Christians have theirs, and Catholics, in the Tradition of the Apostles and prophets have theirs. (Not that there is more than one, of course!)
I have the whole truth contained in God’s Word so I don’t need anything else.
I presume that you consider “God’s Word” to be the Bible. Well, I believe Christ Jesus to be God’s Word [Jn 1:1;14]; and I believe the Bible to be the word of God, as I do “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
I won’t repeat over and over again “prayers” that are written down and repetitious,
Well, I know that I sometimes prefer to pray as Christ Jesus taught us. “Our Father….”
I don’t need Mary to appease Jesus Christ because she’s as dead as every other human that’s ever died,
I guess you believe the resurrection of the dead is a lie. Or perhaps you don’t believe that Christ really died and rose, and that everyone who dies “in Christ” is raised to new life with Him?
I don’t need to confess my sins to a fallible human
So, then, they shall not be able to excercise, in your life, the power of God given to them.
and sin is sin is sin – nothing venial or mortal.
I guess that St. John was wrong when he said: “If any one sees his brother committing that is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal.” [1 John 5:16-17]
Nowhere in Scripture, never intimated. In Catholicism, looking at a beautiful women and thinking things is venial; committing adultery with her is probably mortal. Christ said even if you lust with your eyes, you’ve committed adultery;
Looking at beautiful women and “thinking things” CAN BE mortal, if one persists in that; however, it may also be venial. Though, I think this is not the time or place to discuss that distinction particularly; as I believe there are much more pressing matters at hand.
there is no distinction between sin. One sin isn’t lighter or not as worse as another – they all have the same weight with God because it is disobedience against Him and Him alone.
Indeed, sin is disobedience, and we should strive to “sin no more”, so that we should be found blameless before the Lord. However, St John in particular makes the distinction – unless, of course, we should throw that book or verses out.
There’s freedom in Christ, not dictatorship and oppression.
Indeed, I have freedom in Christ; but is that freedom the freedom to do what I want, or is it the freedom to do what Christ wants – because He certainly knows better than I what is best for me.
I don’t think Catholicism is any different [from Jehovah's Witness and Mormonism] They’re cultish in my opinion and the opinion of millions of others so don’t single me out.
Should we base this on majority vote? I think the billion Catholic Christians would overrule the 400-500 million Protestant Christians. (BTW, notice how I consider you Christian, despite your lack of charity in considering me the same.)
Mary is the focus, tradition is the focus,
Hmm….wondering why the Mass focus’ on Christ Jesus and the Scriptures then, with hardly a mention of Mary.
Catholic churches and dioceses around Italy are encouraging Catholics to fast from technology for Lent, with suggestions ranging from no texting to no television.
“It’s a small way to remember the importance of concrete and not virtual relationships,” the Modena diocese said in a statement. “It’s an instrument to remind us that our actions and lifestyles have consequences in distant countries.”
Of course, that would be an interesting trick for me, since I rely on computers and the internet for my job. Choosing something to abstain from during Lent has always been, and remains, a personal choice.
But, this is merely a recommendation and not in anyway to be considered required or necessary. And it doesn’t mean that the Catholic Church is against technology.
In January, the Vatican launched its own YouTube channel, with Pope Benedict XVI welcoming viewers to this “great family that knows no borders.”
Benedict praised social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace for forging friendships and understanding…
Sirius and XM merged last year … but the two emails I received today suggest that they are still competing.
With Sirius you can save ten more dollars than you can with XM (click on the image to see a larger version of the email images side by side).
Since I’ve run a Catholic blog and engaged in debate of Catholic doctrine with people of all denominations — including pastors of several churches — over the last 10+ years, I usually get challenged, especially during Lent, by people who are very critical of the Catholic faith.
I know other Catholics who have asked me how to respond to those that ridicule or challenge them as well.
The first thing I always answer is “Relax.”
Religious discussions can be an emotional topic, especially because beliefs are so personal that it is easy to get defensive and feel personally attacked. But the thing to remember is that what is said isn’t a risk to your faith — keep in mind that the Catholic Church has faced objections since its start 2,000 years ago, and nothing has caused it to cease to exist.
And, a better way to view these type of comments is as opportunities rather than challenges. Yes, there will be questions and comments that you won’t be sure how to answer, but its best to answer honestly and say “I’m not sure about that”. Nothing wrong in that answer. If a question comes from someone who is just interested in ridiculing your beliefs, no answer is likely going to be sufficient; but if it comes from someone who is questioning sincerely, tell them that you can get back to them — and then follow through on that. The person might be looking more seriously at faith issues, and you might serve a purpose in God’s plan to bring that person more deeply into relationship with Him.
Over these next few weeks, I’ll provide some answers I’ve given on the more common objections to the Catholic faith. (For those who want to see what I’ve written in the past and descriptions of discussions I’ve had, feel free to visit my other blog, CatholicSphere; look around or search the archives. I started writing there back in 2004 – although some of the archives are missing).
For this first posting of a Lenten series, I want to keep from getting “preachy” … in fact, I hope that all my posts are free of “preachy-ness”. Unfortunately, its something that I find myself falling into way too often. It is far too easy to criticize the choices of others. And, I’ll admit it right off the bad that I find myself falling into it pretty regularly — often as a shortcut to boasting of my own lifestyle.
During Lent, Catholics are encouraged (read: admonished under threat of hell! 
) to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and to abstain from eating meat (other than fish) on Ash Wednesday and all Fridays. There are several reasons that have been given throughout the years … but it always seems to come back to fasting and abstinence from meat as a way to refocus ourselves on our basic need for God.
As I said, I find myself easily becoming critical or angry. As such, one thing that I want to try to do this Lenten Season is to try “A different approach to fasting” in addition to the “regularly scheduled” fasting and no meat rules:
Fast from anger and hatred.
Fast from judging others.
Fast from discouragement.
Fast from complaining.
Fast from resentment or bitterness.
Fast from spending too much money.
I don’t know how I’ll do on all of them, but hopefully I’ll be successful in doing at least a few that will carry beyond April 12.
