I've been thinking alot about how, when Jesus was alive and preaching, He wrote nothing down. His followers, as they watched Him perform miracle after miracle.... wrote nothing down. There is some evidence that someone wrote down what Jesus said, (Q), but that is merely a theory, and no one knows for sure. Surely no such manuscript survives in any form. Muhammed reportedly dictated to scribes the Quaran as it was "revealed" to him. Jesus did nothing of the sort. The first Christians knew how to read and write. Their Jewish heritage had taught them that. But they were too busy DOING, ACTING, CONNECTING to write something down right then and there. Jesus spread His message, revealed His Father, not by sitting at a desk and writing dialogues and letters (as others after Him would do). No. Jesus WAS the Word. The Word made flesh. And He acted in the flesh. He spread the Truth through His words, His touch, His actions. He connected with PEOPLE. When He died on the cross, later when He ascended to Heaven... He didn't tell those He left behind to "go, write a book". He told them to go ACT, to establish a Church, HIS Church, to make disciples of all men. Go spread the truth to the corners of the Earth, and baptize them. ACT. DO. TOUCH. TELL. ESTABLISH RELATIONSHIPS. BUILD. MY. CHURCH. That infant church spread by word of mouth, by one person telling another, by one person seeing the work of the Holy Spirit in another, by witness of the lives those very first Christians led. It was later, after His death by several years, that the apostles and first followers started writing down what they had seen and heard, what they had learned as the TRUTH. The earliest New Testament books - written by Paul and James - are thought to be from about 45 AD... 13 years after Jesus' death. The first gospel account (Mark) wasn't written until about 70 AD. These followers of Christ wrote the Truth down, because, as the Christian church grew, they needed tools to communicate to distant others what they had first learned in person. To encourage each other. These writings were infused with the Holy Spirit, sacred, inerrant. But they were tools of the early church, to reflect what it was already doing, spreading, teaching. Passing down to the next generation of believers. It was several hundred years before those sacred writings were compiled into a definitive book. The church came first, and then the book. There is no book without the church. So when questions today arise about how to interpret the book... it is natural and logical to go to the source, to the place where Christ divested His authority.... HIS CHURCH. (Matthew 16:18). Because that's how Christ designed it to be. He left behind HIS church to teach the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIGHT.
Pope Bendict XVI (December 25th, 2010): "... an eclipse of reason has taken place ... man no longer uses his intellect in search of God ... but is driven by his passions and desire for self-gratification."
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 16, 2010
A Pat on the Back
Being a mom is hard. It's cliche to say that it's a "thankless" job. It sounds whiny, so pretend I didn't say it. I noticed this morning, as I got the kids on the bus for school, that I was giving myself a little pat on the back, because HEY, I got the kids on the bus for school! Getting everyone up, fed, brushed, dressed, snow-clothed, lunches made and back packs packed and out the door by 7:40 am, while the baby is screaming and wanting to be held. It's HARD! It's a monumental struggle each and every day. And when the kids are successfully on the bus - with or without matching gloves - I give myself this little "you go girl!" And I feel like a good mother. Momentarily. For all my internal self-awarded gold stars, it occurred to me that getting the children off to school is not an accomplishment in anyone else's eyes. It's just EXPECTED. ALL the moms do it. And probably do it far better than I, with less frantic yelling, with less chaos. The same is true when I make dinner, help kids with homework, do the laundry, decorate for Christmas, make cookies for the school bake sale, when I change the sheets. I feel like I'm working HARD, and I'm patting myself on the back for that effort, and I realize that... not ONE other person on the entire planet considers any of these things even remotely an accomplishment. It's simply my job. Expected, nothing unique because there are many moms who do the same things, and do them better than I. And here I am, saying "YES! I DID it!", feeling like I just hit the winning home run, or climbed Mt. Everest or something. There should be crowds cheering, banners flying. Because I'm putting THAT level of effort into it,and I feel like the job is THAT hard. Despite it's unglamorous ordinariness. And yet, I look around this mess of a house and realize that even that effort isn't enough for the job. I can't EVER keep up with the laundry, or the dishes, or the mopping. Getting the kids to practice the piano, do their homework, eat with SILVERWARE. This Mom job. It's a tough gig. Wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, but I have to admit that it'sa heck of alot harder than those days I go into the office and put in a full day "at work". At least there I get feeback, appreciation, respect, a PAYCHECK.
So, to all you mom's out there, just know that I KNOW that every night your children are safely asleep in their beds, it's because you have done countless, anonymous things to make that happen. And I'm here to say "YOU GO GIRL".
So, to all you mom's out there, just know that I KNOW that every night your children are safely asleep in their beds, it's because you have done countless, anonymous things to make that happen. And I'm here to say "YOU GO GIRL".
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
An Exercise
I'd love to hear what anyone comes up with for this. A scenario and an exercise....
OK. Let's imagine that YOU are a geneticst and microbiologist in a newly-developing country. You are brilliant, even though you aren't well-known. In the course of your research, you discover that a cohort of yours has engineered a virus that can evolve slowly over time to wipe out all of humanity. This evil cohort has his reasons, but basically, he feels that humans are the cause of everything bad, and need to just eventually go away. You do some calculations on the rate of mutational change in this virus. 2000 years, give or take. Then, WHAMMO. No more humanity. It's inevitable. It's going to happen.
Only YOU have discovered this impending doom. It's more than a little hard to believe, and it's so far in the future... who would care? So you work tirelessly to figure out a way to stop it. You research, you test, and ONE DAY, you discover that the cure is something astounding... your own DNA. YOU just happen to have the EXACT genetic code to divert impending doom. But it can only "cure" the virus in 2000 years, when the virus is fully mutated. There's no one else in all of history with YOUR exact DNA. Only YOU have the answer to save the world.
What do you do from here? Those people, 2000 years from now, need to know how to combat the destruction that's coming. That's a long time, and you can't count on civilization looking like it does today. Society's collapse... they have before, and they will again. You can't rely on electricity, computers, the internet. Technologies change and become obsolete. You can't know what language people will speak at that time. This is not time-capsule stuff. This information has to be OUT THERE, in order to do it's job.
What would you do?
OK. Let's imagine that YOU are a geneticst and microbiologist in a newly-developing country. You are brilliant, even though you aren't well-known. In the course of your research, you discover that a cohort of yours has engineered a virus that can evolve slowly over time to wipe out all of humanity. This evil cohort has his reasons, but basically, he feels that humans are the cause of everything bad, and need to just eventually go away. You do some calculations on the rate of mutational change in this virus. 2000 years, give or take. Then, WHAMMO. No more humanity. It's inevitable. It's going to happen.
Only YOU have discovered this impending doom. It's more than a little hard to believe, and it's so far in the future... who would care? So you work tirelessly to figure out a way to stop it. You research, you test, and ONE DAY, you discover that the cure is something astounding... your own DNA. YOU just happen to have the EXACT genetic code to divert impending doom. But it can only "cure" the virus in 2000 years, when the virus is fully mutated. There's no one else in all of history with YOUR exact DNA. Only YOU have the answer to save the world.
What do you do from here? Those people, 2000 years from now, need to know how to combat the destruction that's coming. That's a long time, and you can't count on civilization looking like it does today. Society's collapse... they have before, and they will again. You can't rely on electricity, computers, the internet. Technologies change and become obsolete. You can't know what language people will speak at that time. This is not time-capsule stuff. This information has to be OUT THERE, in order to do it's job.
What would you do?
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
A Thought on the Creation Story
My son crawled into bed with me this morning, and began reading his new "Action Bible" for kids. He started on page one. "In the beginning, God created Light."
All of a sudden, as he read that, it came to me what Light meant. I'd always thought the Creation story was so.... out of sequence. God creates light on day 1, but doesn't make the sun until day 4. So... how did that work? IN my ego-centric, earth-centric mind, light came from the SUN. But that's DAYLIGHT. Not LIGHT. And it says that God separated the Light from the Dark. Could that mean Heaven? Is the story describing the separation of Good from Evil, Love from Hate, God from the Devil? He CREATED light - the dark was just the void without light. So often we use words to describe God, as if they're analogies, but sometimes I think certain created things in our experience are actually BEYOND analogies. Light. Water. God's not just "like" light. It's not merely a description. I think LIGHT is an imprint of God on His creation, the universe. Jesus is the LIGHT of the World. There's a reason that Jesus appeared bright as the sun during the Transfiguration. Radiance, life-giving energy. That which allows us to SEE the world around us, causes all things to grow. That which reveals what is hidden. That which is pure energy. Light. God's first creation.
HMMMMM.
All of a sudden, as he read that, it came to me what Light meant. I'd always thought the Creation story was so.... out of sequence. God creates light on day 1, but doesn't make the sun until day 4. So... how did that work? IN my ego-centric, earth-centric mind, light came from the SUN. But that's DAYLIGHT. Not LIGHT. And it says that God separated the Light from the Dark. Could that mean Heaven? Is the story describing the separation of Good from Evil, Love from Hate, God from the Devil? He CREATED light - the dark was just the void without light. So often we use words to describe God, as if they're analogies, but sometimes I think certain created things in our experience are actually BEYOND analogies. Light. Water. God's not just "like" light. It's not merely a description. I think LIGHT is an imprint of God on His creation, the universe. Jesus is the LIGHT of the World. There's a reason that Jesus appeared bright as the sun during the Transfiguration. Radiance, life-giving energy. That which allows us to SEE the world around us, causes all things to grow. That which reveals what is hidden. That which is pure energy. Light. God's first creation.
HMMMMM.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
An entry in A Blog I Follow
By Jennifer Fulweiler
Reach for the Light: The moment I was no longer an atheist
These cucumber sprouts my husband put on our window sill caught my eye this morning as I was washing dishes. I noticed that they were growing at an angle, reaching out towards the sun rather than standing vertically. It reminded me of a key moment in my conversion.
Somewhere in this plant’s DNA are instructions that say something like, “By default, grow vertically. Unless the sun can only be found one side; in which case, reach for the light.”
BY DEFAULT, GROW VERTICALLY…REACH FOR THE LIGHT…
If I were to see these statements written on a piece of paper, I would understand them to be information. Instructions. I would take it for granted that someone wrote them. It would never occur to me to think that random forces constructed those sentences. The idea of creator-less information is an absurdity.
I remember back in 2005, when I had barely dipped my toe into the world of agnosticism after a life of atheism. I wasn’t sure if I believed in God or not, though I was leaning toward not. One afternoon I was reading about the subject of DNA, and I got butterflies in my stomach when I realized: DNA is information. It’s a set of instructions.
The implications of this realization could not be overstated. I leaned back in my chair, thought for a moment, and asked myself: “Can information — instructions — ever come from a non-intelligent source?”
I realized that the answer is no. And my life was never the same again.
Reach for the Light: The moment I was no longer an atheist
Somewhere in this plant’s DNA are instructions that say something like, “By default, grow vertically. Unless the sun can only be found one side; in which case, reach for the light.”
BY DEFAULT, GROW VERTICALLY…REACH FOR THE LIGHT…
If I were to see these statements written on a piece of paper, I would understand them to be information. Instructions. I would take it for granted that someone wrote them. It would never occur to me to think that random forces constructed those sentences. The idea of creator-less information is an absurdity.
I remember back in 2005, when I had barely dipped my toe into the world of agnosticism after a life of atheism. I wasn’t sure if I believed in God or not, though I was leaning toward not. One afternoon I was reading about the subject of DNA, and I got butterflies in my stomach when I realized: DNA is information. It’s a set of instructions.
The implications of this realization could not be overstated. I leaned back in my chair, thought for a moment, and asked myself: “Can information — instructions — ever come from a non-intelligent source?”
I realized that the answer is no. And my life was never the same again.
Friday, October 29, 2010
A Timely Article Proving My Point
MY COMMENTARY ON THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE: I found this article online recently, and it pertained exactly to what my previous post discussed. October is obviously the month of "delving into our origins" on this blog ;). Here's what I found fascinating about the article: SO.... 75,000 YEARS AGO, our ancestors were already infinitely more advanced intellectually than even the most "evolved" animal today. They formed tools using sophisticated techniques, and created jewelry and art. We were HUMAN, and far and away different than animals. 2.6 MILLION years ago - before homo sapiens, in the prehistory before the human body was even fully developed in the form it is today, our ancestors were making stone tools, in the Oldowan Industry. So even multiple MILLIONS of years ago, our lineage demonstrated more intellect than even the next most intelligent animal then OR today. We are DIFFERENT from animals, even if our bodies evolved over time in ways similar to other animals. Chimpanzees (sharing greater than 98% of our own DNA) might today be able to take a rock and and bash something with it, and science might call that the use of "tools", but there's vast difference between that and fashioning a tool for a specific purpose, using multiple-step techniques, and then sharing those techniques with others and handing down the knowledge. How far back do we have to go to believe that we are "mere" animals? This is not arrogance. It is objective fact. We bear the image and likeness of God, and were made by a Creator. Evolution might give us a glimpse of HOW our bodies changed over time, HOW God used the natural processes He set in motion to mold and shape us. But on it's best day, it cannot even begin to explain (although it tries) why we are so fundamentally different and MORE than animals. To me, this parallels closely each individual's own human development. We begin as a single cell, a gift from our father and mother united. That single cell multiplies, morphs, changes. At first it looks nothing like the human it is going to become. It looks like a blob. Then a lizard. Then an animal. But it is still a HUMAN. It becomes more and more complex, it's capacity grows, such that when it is born, the newborn infant is the world's most sophisticated unprogrammed computer. A baby may not SEEM intelligent, but all the potential is there - it just needs to grow, and experience the world. Eventually the baby transitions from all fours to upright, learns language, written communication. It is no less human as a single cell than it is as a full-grown adult. Did we evolve from monkey's? I think not. Did we evolve from human predecessors, and did our bodies change over millenia to make them what they are today? I believe so. And yet, we always were what we were meant to become --- human. Regardless of what we looked like. Separate and unique because we were created in the image and likeness of God Himself.
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EARLY HUMANS' WEAPON-MAKING SKILLS SHARPER THAN EXPECTED
Livescience.com
A delicate, sophisticated way to craft sharp weapons from stone apparently was developed by humans more than 50,000 years sooner than had been thought. The finding could shed light on what knowledge people were armed with when they started migrating out of Africa.
The artful technique is known as pressure flaking. Early weapons' makers typically would use hard blows from a stone hammer to give another stone a rough blade-like shape, then would use wood or bone implements to carve out relatively small flakes, refining the blade's edge and tip.
When done right, pressure flaking can provide a high degree of control over the sharpness, thickness and overall shape of sharp tools such as spearheads and stone knives, said researcher Paola Villa, an archaeologist at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History.
Pressure flaking has long been considered a fairly recent innovation, with the earliest examples seen roughly 20,000 years ago in the Solutrean culture in France and Spain. Now, however, researchers say Blombos Cave in South Africa yielded what seem to be 75,000-year-old spearheads made by anatomically modern humans using pressure flaking.
"We did not expect to find evidence of this very skillful method for shaping and retouching stone artifacts at such an early time," Villa told LiveScience.
In addition to these sharp points, the site yielded other evidence of modern human behavior, such as artwork in the form of shell beads. These are all linked to the so-called Still Bay industry, a Middle Stone Age tool-manufacturing style that was adopted roughly 76,000 years ago and may have lasted about 4,000 years.
"This finding is important because it shows that modern humans in South Africa had a sophisticated repertoire of toolmaking techniques at a very early time," Villa said. "This innovation is a clear example of a tendency to develop new functional ideas and devices. It adds to the complex of novel behaviors already documented at the site, and shows that the Still Bay was a time when novel ideas and techniques were rapidly developed."
The stone points were made of silcrete, or quartz grains cemented by silica, which needs to be heat-treated before pressure flaking. To confirm that was how the newfound artifacts were made, Villa and her colleagues analyzed microscopic details of 159 silcrete points and fragments, 179 other retouched pieces and more than 700 flakes in Blombos Cave from the Still Bay industry.
The removal of flakes from unheated silcrete produces scar surfaces with a rough, dull texture. However, the surfaces of silcrete that was treated with heat have a smooth, glossy appearance. The researchers concluded that at least half of the ancient, finished points at Blombos Cave involved pressure flaking with heat-treated silcrete.
The scientists also experimentally crafted stone points using both heated and non-heated silcrete chunks collected from outcrops roughly 20 miles (32 km) from Blombos Cave. They found that unheated chunks could not be pressure flaked, while blocks of heated silcrete yielded points very much like the ones discovered.
Villa and her colleagues speculate that pressure flaking was invented in Africa and proved crucial to survival when Homo sapiens migrated from the continent about 60,000 years ago, leading to the technique's widespread adoption in Europe, Australia, North America and later Africa.
"More technological studies like ours, based on experimental replication, microscopic studies and detailed analysis of stone artifacts, supported by statistics, should be applied to other archaeological assemblages in South Africa and in other regions," Villa said. "It is important to understand if there are precursors or antecedents in older industries. It is also important to understand if the method was used in the following period — that is, on the backed blades of the Howiesons Poort, a South African culture dating to 65,000 to 60,000 years ago, thus establishing continuity and cultural transmission between social groups in South Africa.
The scientists detail their findings in tomorrow's issue (Oct. 29) of the journal Science.
Copyright © 2010 LiveScience.com. All Rights Reserved.
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EARLY HUMANS' WEAPON-MAKING SKILLS SHARPER THAN EXPECTED
Livescience.com
A delicate, sophisticated way to craft sharp weapons from stone apparently was developed by humans more than 50,000 years sooner than had been thought. The finding could shed light on what knowledge people were armed with when they started migrating out of Africa.
The artful technique is known as pressure flaking. Early weapons' makers typically would use hard blows from a stone hammer to give another stone a rough blade-like shape, then would use wood or bone implements to carve out relatively small flakes, refining the blade's edge and tip.
When done right, pressure flaking can provide a high degree of control over the sharpness, thickness and overall shape of sharp tools such as spearheads and stone knives, said researcher Paola Villa, an archaeologist at the University of Colorado Museum of Natural History.
Pressure flaking has long been considered a fairly recent innovation, with the earliest examples seen roughly 20,000 years ago in the Solutrean culture in France and Spain. Now, however, researchers say Blombos Cave in South Africa yielded what seem to be 75,000-year-old spearheads made by anatomically modern humans using pressure flaking.
"We did not expect to find evidence of this very skillful method for shaping and retouching stone artifacts at such an early time," Villa told LiveScience.
In addition to these sharp points, the site yielded other evidence of modern human behavior, such as artwork in the form of shell beads. These are all linked to the so-called Still Bay industry, a Middle Stone Age tool-manufacturing style that was adopted roughly 76,000 years ago and may have lasted about 4,000 years.
"This finding is important because it shows that modern humans in South Africa had a sophisticated repertoire of toolmaking techniques at a very early time," Villa said. "This innovation is a clear example of a tendency to develop new functional ideas and devices. It adds to the complex of novel behaviors already documented at the site, and shows that the Still Bay was a time when novel ideas and techniques were rapidly developed."
The stone points were made of silcrete, or quartz grains cemented by silica, which needs to be heat-treated before pressure flaking. To confirm that was how the newfound artifacts were made, Villa and her colleagues analyzed microscopic details of 159 silcrete points and fragments, 179 other retouched pieces and more than 700 flakes in Blombos Cave from the Still Bay industry.
The removal of flakes from unheated silcrete produces scar surfaces with a rough, dull texture. However, the surfaces of silcrete that was treated with heat have a smooth, glossy appearance. The researchers concluded that at least half of the ancient, finished points at Blombos Cave involved pressure flaking with heat-treated silcrete.
The scientists also experimentally crafted stone points using both heated and non-heated silcrete chunks collected from outcrops roughly 20 miles (32 km) from Blombos Cave. They found that unheated chunks could not be pressure flaked, while blocks of heated silcrete yielded points very much like the ones discovered.
Villa and her colleagues speculate that pressure flaking was invented in Africa and proved crucial to survival when Homo sapiens migrated from the continent about 60,000 years ago, leading to the technique's widespread adoption in Europe, Australia, North America and later Africa.
"More technological studies like ours, based on experimental replication, microscopic studies and detailed analysis of stone artifacts, supported by statistics, should be applied to other archaeological assemblages in South Africa and in other regions," Villa said. "It is important to understand if there are precursors or antecedents in older industries. It is also important to understand if the method was used in the following period — that is, on the backed blades of the Howiesons Poort, a South African culture dating to 65,000 to 60,000 years ago, thus establishing continuity and cultural transmission between social groups in South Africa.
The scientists detail their findings in tomorrow's issue (Oct. 29) of the journal Science.
Copyright © 2010 LiveScience.com. All Rights Reserved.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Humanity
When I think of intellectual evolution, I wonder why humanity is the ONLY species that would theoretically undergo such an evolution. A stone-age dog is not supposed by archeologists to be any more or less smarter than a dog of today. The same is true with chimpanzees, repitles, sharks. Why ONLY humans, if such an intellectual evolution is possible? Our brains grew bigger with time. There are other animals with brains far bigger than ours - they do not even remotely approach the sophistication of humans. So the question becomes not how our bodies came to be the shape they are, but what made us HUMAN? And that is something that science can't even begin to grapple with, because it can only be answered by something outside natural processes.... it is the stamp of God, His image on us. We are fundamentally different from animals, as I wrote about here.
Science can't disprove God, because God is the author of science. The Bible can't disprove science, because the Bible is the Word of God, and God would not disprove his own handiwork. The only thing that can be in error on either side of the argument is our INTERPRETATION.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Evidence of a Creator
A Thought:
Watching a Nova special on the “beginnings of humanity”, talking about the evolution of man from chimpanzees. The fossil record is blank for 500,000 critical years – essentially there is a “missing link” in the evolutionary chain. Yet scientists are finding rocks deemed “tools” during this missing era, and are assuming that THIS is when “apes became human”. How do they know they’re tools, and not just odd-shaped rocks? “The way we know this is a tool instead of just a rock is because it was broken in a very particular way…. There is a method behind how this rock was broken into a tool, and it is not a random method.” This made me go “HMMMMM” big time. Don’t many of us look at the world in much the same way, in order to come to the conclusion that it has a Creator? That we see order, and perfection, and balance, and know that this could not have been “random”? Science will make the assumption that a rock was fashioned into a tool by a “creator” based on it’s deliberateness, but refuses to acknowledge the same argument in regards to the creation of our Earth.
Watching a Nova special on the “beginnings of humanity”, talking about the evolution of man from chimpanzees. The fossil record is blank for 500,000 critical years – essentially there is a “missing link” in the evolutionary chain. Yet scientists are finding rocks deemed “tools” during this missing era, and are assuming that THIS is when “apes became human”. How do they know they’re tools, and not just odd-shaped rocks? “The way we know this is a tool instead of just a rock is because it was broken in a very particular way…. There is a method behind how this rock was broken into a tool, and it is not a random method.” This made me go “HMMMMM” big time. Don’t many of us look at the world in much the same way, in order to come to the conclusion that it has a Creator? That we see order, and perfection, and balance, and know that this could not have been “random”? Science will make the assumption that a rock was fashioned into a tool by a “creator” based on it’s deliberateness, but refuses to acknowledge the same argument in regards to the creation of our Earth.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Check out this Site!
I've always wanted to visit historical biblical places, to put something concrete to what I've always imagined in my head. I just found a virtual tour of St. Peter's tomb and the necropolis at the vatican! Totally cool.
http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/necropoli/scavi_english.html
http://www.vatican.va/various/basiliche/necropoli/scavi_english.html
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Spirituality
I want to encourage imagination in my children, but also find that they are so concrete, that they WANT to know what is real and what isn't, and I answer them truthfully. "Are vampires real?" No. "Are monsters real?" No. "Are fairies for real?" No. "Except for the tooth fairy, right mom?" Uhhhhh. I want them to believe in the POSSIBLE, because that's where God begins to take hold in a concrete mind. I want them to think beyond the here and now, beyond what they see around them. I want them to believe that maybe, just maybe, things can happen outside what our senses are telling us, but how do I instill that in them? And still remain truthful?
I was reading First Corinthians this morning, and Paul was talking about our resurrection - about how our earthly bodies are just seeds for the heavenly bodies we will one day have. From corruptible, dishonorable and weak, to incorruptible, glorious, and powerful. Maybe this is just the analogy I need - especially now at this "harvest" time of year, where my children have seen our garden grow from a seed placed in dirt to something much different, fuller, beautiful, and bearing fruit. Something life-sustaining from a tiny, seemingly inert seed. Maybe I can use something concrete here in the natural world to explain about "supernatural" to my children.
Dear Lord, please help me encourage a spiritual imagination in my children, so that they might understand.
Amen.
Monday, August 23, 2010
"We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as definitive and has as its highest value one's own ego and one's own desires . . . "
- Pope Benedict XVI
"It is a very common phrase of modern intellectualism to say
that the morality of one age can be entirely different to the morality of another.
And like a great many other phrases of modern intellectualism,
it means literally nothing at all."
- Gilbert K. Chesterton
"The danger when men cease to believe in God is not that they will believe in nothing,
but that they will believe anything."
- Gilbert K. Chesterton
"He who marries the spirit of this age will be a widower in the next."
- William Ralph Inge, Dean, St. Paul's Cathedral, London
Pope John Paul II on the occasion of the "Jubilee" in Rome, 2000
Dear friends who have traveled so many miles, in so many ways, to come to Rome, to the Tombs of the Apostles, let me begin by putting to you a Question: What have you come here to find? You have come to Celebrate your Jubilee: The Jubilee of the young Church. Yours is not just any Journey: if you have set out on a Pilgrimage, it is not just for the Sake of Recreation or an Interest in Culture. Well then, let me ask again: What have you come in search of? Or rather, Who have you come here to find?
There can be only One Answer to that: You have come in Search of Jesus Christ! But Jesus Christ has First gone in Search of you. To Celebrate the Jubilee can have no other meaning than that of Celebrating and Meeting Jesus Christ, the Word Who took Flesh and came to Dwell among us.
The Prologue of Saint John's Gospel, which has just now been Proclaimed, is in a sense Jesus' "Visiting Card". These Words invite us to Fix our Eyes on the Mystery that He is. These Words hold a Special Message for you, dear young people: "In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the Beginning with God" (John 1:1-2).
Indicating to us the Word Who is One-in-Being with the Father, the Eternal Word Generated as God from God and Light from Light, the Evangelist takes us to the Heart of the Divine Life, but also to the Wellspring of the World. This Word in fact is the Beginning of all Creation: "All things were made through Him, and without Him was not made anything that was made" (John 1:3). The Whole Created World, before ever it came to be, was in the Mind of God and was Willed by Him in an Eternal Plan of Love. Therefore, if we look at the World in Depth, allowing ourselves to Marvel at the Wisdom and Beauty which God has Poured-out upon it, we can see in it a Reflection of the Word, which Biblical-Revelation Unveils for us Fully in the Face of Jesus of Nazareth. In a sense, Creation is the First "Revelation" of Him.
The Prologue continues with these Words: "In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of Men. The Light shines in the Darkness, but the Darkness did not accept it" (John 1:4-5). For the Evangelist, the Light is Life, and Death, the Enemy of Life, is Darkness. Through the Word, all Life appeared on the Earth, and in the Word this Life has its Perfect Fulfillment.
Identifying Light and Life, John is thinking of the Life that is not just the Biological-Life of the Body, but the Life which comes from Sharing-in the very Life of Christ. The Evangelist says: "The True Light that Enlightens every Man was coming into the World" (John 1:9). This Enlightenment was given to Humanity on the Night-of-Bethlehem, when the Eternal Word of the Father took a Body from the Virgin Mary, became Man, and was Born into the World. From that time onwards, every Person who by Faith shares in the Mystery of that Event, experiences some measure of that Enlightenment.
Christ Himself, announcing that He was the Light of the World, said one day: "While you have the Light, Believe in the Light, that you may become Children of Light" (John 12:36). This is a Summons which the followers of Christ Pass-on to one another from generation-to-generation, trying to answer it in Everyday Life. Referring to this Summons, Saint Paul writes: "Walk always as Children of Light, for the Fruit of Light is found in all that is Good and Right and True" (Ephesians 5:8-9).
The Heart of John's Prologue is the Proclamation that "the Word was made Flesh and Dwelt amongst us" (1:14). A little before this, the Evangelist had declared: "He came to His own Home, and His own People received Him not. But to all who received Him, He gave Power to become Children of God (cf. 1:10-12). Dear friends, are you among those who have Accepted Christ? Your presence here is already an Answer to that Question. You have come to Rome, in this Jubilee of the 2,000th Anniversary of Christ's Birth, in order to open your Hearts to the Power of Life which is in Him. You have come here to rediscover the Truth about Creation and to Recover a Sense of Wonder at the Beauty and the Richness of the Created World. You have come to Renew within yourselves the Awareness of the Dignity of Man, Created in the Image and Likeness of God.
- Pope Benedict XVI
"It is a very common phrase of modern intellectualism to say
that the morality of one age can be entirely different to the morality of another.
And like a great many other phrases of modern intellectualism,
it means literally nothing at all."
- Gilbert K. Chesterton
"The danger when men cease to believe in God is not that they will believe in nothing,
but that they will believe anything."
- Gilbert K. Chesterton
"He who marries the spirit of this age will be a widower in the next."
- William Ralph Inge, Dean, St. Paul's Cathedral, London
Pope John Paul II on the occasion of the "Jubilee" in Rome, 2000
Dear friends who have traveled so many miles, in so many ways, to come to Rome, to the Tombs of the Apostles, let me begin by putting to you a Question: What have you come here to find? You have come to Celebrate your Jubilee: The Jubilee of the young Church. Yours is not just any Journey: if you have set out on a Pilgrimage, it is not just for the Sake of Recreation or an Interest in Culture. Well then, let me ask again: What have you come in search of? Or rather, Who have you come here to find?
There can be only One Answer to that: You have come in Search of Jesus Christ! But Jesus Christ has First gone in Search of you. To Celebrate the Jubilee can have no other meaning than that of Celebrating and Meeting Jesus Christ, the Word Who took Flesh and came to Dwell among us.
The Prologue of Saint John's Gospel, which has just now been Proclaimed, is in a sense Jesus' "Visiting Card". These Words invite us to Fix our Eyes on the Mystery that He is. These Words hold a Special Message for you, dear young people: "In the Beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the Beginning with God" (John 1:1-2).
Indicating to us the Word Who is One-in-Being with the Father, the Eternal Word Generated as God from God and Light from Light, the Evangelist takes us to the Heart of the Divine Life, but also to the Wellspring of the World. This Word in fact is the Beginning of all Creation: "All things were made through Him, and without Him was not made anything that was made" (John 1:3). The Whole Created World, before ever it came to be, was in the Mind of God and was Willed by Him in an Eternal Plan of Love. Therefore, if we look at the World in Depth, allowing ourselves to Marvel at the Wisdom and Beauty which God has Poured-out upon it, we can see in it a Reflection of the Word, which Biblical-Revelation Unveils for us Fully in the Face of Jesus of Nazareth. In a sense, Creation is the First "Revelation" of Him.
The Prologue continues with these Words: "In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of Men. The Light shines in the Darkness, but the Darkness did not accept it" (John 1:4-5). For the Evangelist, the Light is Life, and Death, the Enemy of Life, is Darkness. Through the Word, all Life appeared on the Earth, and in the Word this Life has its Perfect Fulfillment.
Identifying Light and Life, John is thinking of the Life that is not just the Biological-Life of the Body, but the Life which comes from Sharing-in the very Life of Christ. The Evangelist says: "The True Light that Enlightens every Man was coming into the World" (John 1:9). This Enlightenment was given to Humanity on the Night-of-Bethlehem, when the Eternal Word of the Father took a Body from the Virgin Mary, became Man, and was Born into the World. From that time onwards, every Person who by Faith shares in the Mystery of that Event, experiences some measure of that Enlightenment.
Christ Himself, announcing that He was the Light of the World, said one day: "While you have the Light, Believe in the Light, that you may become Children of Light" (John 12:36). This is a Summons which the followers of Christ Pass-on to one another from generation-to-generation, trying to answer it in Everyday Life. Referring to this Summons, Saint Paul writes: "Walk always as Children of Light, for the Fruit of Light is found in all that is Good and Right and True" (Ephesians 5:8-9).
The Heart of John's Prologue is the Proclamation that "the Word was made Flesh and Dwelt amongst us" (1:14). A little before this, the Evangelist had declared: "He came to His own Home, and His own People received Him not. But to all who received Him, He gave Power to become Children of God (cf. 1:10-12). Dear friends, are you among those who have Accepted Christ? Your presence here is already an Answer to that Question. You have come to Rome, in this Jubilee of the 2,000th Anniversary of Christ's Birth, in order to open your Hearts to the Power of Life which is in Him. You have come here to rediscover the Truth about Creation and to Recover a Sense of Wonder at the Beauty and the Richness of the Created World. You have come to Renew within yourselves the Awareness of the Dignity of Man, Created in the Image and Likeness of God.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Two Astounding Archeological Discoveries
Bones confirmed as St Paul's remainsMonday, 29 June 2009
The first scientific test on what is believed to be the remains of the Apostle Paul appears to confirm that they are genuine, the pope said.
It was the second major discovery concerning St Paul announced by the Vatican in as many days.
On Saturday, the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano announced the discovery of a fresco inside another tomb depicting St Paul, which Vatican officials said represented the oldest known icon of the apostle.
The pope said archaeologists recently unearthed and opened the white marble sarcophagus located under the Basilica of St Paul's Outside the Walls in Rome, which for some 2,000 years has been believed by the faithful to be the tomb of St Paul.
He said scientists had conducted carbon dating tests on bone fragments found inside the sarcophagus and confirmed that they date from the first or second century.
"This seems to confirm the unanimous and uncontested tradition that they are the mortal remains of the Apostle Paul," he said, announcing the findings at a service in the basilica to mark the end of the Vatican's Paoline year, in honour of the apostle.
Paul and Peter are the two main figures known for spreading the Christian faith after the death of Christ
According to tradition, St Paul, also known as the apostle of the Gentiles, was beheaded in Rome in the 1st century during the persecution of early Christians by Roman emperors. Popular belief holds that bone fragments from his head are in another Rome basilica, St John Lateran, with his other remains inside the sarcophagus.
The pope said that when archaeologists opened the sarcophagus, they discovered alongside the bone fragments some grains of incense, a "precious" piece of purple linen with gold sequins and a blue fabric with linen filaments.
On Saturday, the Vatican newspaper announced that a round fresco edged in gold featuring the emaciated face of St Paul had been discovered in excavations of the tombs of St Tecla in Rome. It was believed to have been dated from the end of the fourth century, making it the oldest known icon of St Paul, meaning it was an image designed for prayer, not just art, L'Osservatore Romano said.
Monsignor Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Vatican's culture department, said the discovery was an "extraordinary event" that was an "eloquent testimony" to the Christianity of the first centuries.
Vatican archaeologists in 2002 began excavating the 8-foot long tomb of St Paul, which dates from at least AD 390 and was buried under the basilica's main altar. The decision to unearth it was made after pilgrims who came to Rome during the Roman Catholic Church's 2000 Jubilee year expressed disappointment at finding that the saint's tomb - buried under layers of plaster and further hidden by an iron grate - could not be visited or touched.
The top of the coffin has small openings - subsequently covered with mortar - because in ancient times Christians would insert offerings or try to touch the remains.
The basilica stands at the site of two 4th-century churches - including one destroyed by a fire in 1823 that had left the tomb visible, first above ground and later in a crypt. After the fire, the crypt was filled with earth and covered by a new altar. A slab of cracked marble with the words "Paul apostle martyr" in Latin was also found embedded in the floor above the tomb.
Today is the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, a major feast day for the Roman Catholic Church, during which the pope will bestow a woollen pallium, or scarf, on all the new archbishops he has recently named.
Lasers uncover first icons of Sts. Peter and Paul
AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito
June 22, 2010: ROME — The earliest known icons of the Apostles Peter and Paul have been discovered in a catacomb under an eight-story modern office building in a working-class neighborhood of Rome, Vatican officials said Tuesday.
The images, which date from the second half of the 4th century, were discovered on the ceiling of a tomb that also includes the earliest known images of the apostles John and Andrew. They were uncovered using a new laser technique that allowed restorers to burn off centuries of thick white calcium carbonate deposits without damaging the dark colors of the original paintings underneath.
The paintings adorn what is believed to be the tomb of a Roman noblewoman in the Santa Tecla catacomb and represent some of the earliest evidence of devotion to the apostles in early Christianity, Vatican officials said in opening up the tomb to the media for the first time.
Last June, the Vatican announced the discovery of the icon of Paul — timed to coincide with the end of the Vatican's Pauline year. At the time, Pope Benedict XVI also announced that tests on bone fragments long attributed to Paul "seemed to confirm" that they did indeed belong to the Roman Catholic saint.
On Tuesday, Vatican archaeologists announced that the image of Paul discovered last year was not found in isolation, but was rather part of a square ceiling painting that also included icons of three other apostles - Peter, John and Andrew - surrounding an image of Christ as the Good Shepherd.
"These are the first images of the apostles," said Fabrizio Bisconti, the superintendent of archaeology for the catacombs, which are maintained by the Vatican's Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archaeology.
The Vatican office oversaw and paid for the two-year, euro60,000 restoration effort, which for the first time used lasers to restore frescoes and paintings in catacombs. The damp, musty air of underground catacombs makes preservation of paintings particularly difficult and restoration problematic.
In this case, the small burial chamber at the end of the catacomb was completely encased in centimeters (inches) of white calcium carbonate, which under previous restoration techniques would have just been scraped away by hand. That technique, though would have left a filmy layer on top so as to not damage the paintings underneath.
Using the laser, restorers were able to sear off all the layers of calcium that had been bound onto the painting because the laser beam stopped burning at the white of the calcium deposits, which when chipped off left the brilliant darker colors underneath it unscathed, said Barbara Mazzei, the chief restorer.
June 22, 2010: ROME — The earliest known icons of the Apostles Peter and Paul have been discovered in a catacomb under an eight-story modern office building in a working-class neighborhood of Rome, Vatican officials said Tuesday.
The images, which date from the second half of the 4th century, were discovered on the ceiling of a tomb that also includes the earliest known images of the apostles John and Andrew. They were uncovered using a new laser technique that allowed restorers to burn off centuries of thick white calcium carbonate deposits without damaging the dark colors of the original paintings underneath.
The paintings adorn what is believed to be the tomb of a Roman noblewoman in the Santa Tecla catacomb and represent some of the earliest evidence of devotion to the apostles in early Christianity, Vatican officials said in opening up the tomb to the media for the first time.
Last June, the Vatican announced the discovery of the icon of Paul — timed to coincide with the end of the Vatican's Pauline year. At the time, Pope Benedict XVI also announced that tests on bone fragments long attributed to Paul "seemed to confirm" that they did indeed belong to the Roman Catholic saint.
On Tuesday, Vatican archaeologists announced that the image of Paul discovered last year was not found in isolation, but was rather part of a square ceiling painting that also included icons of three other apostles - Peter, John and Andrew - surrounding an image of Christ as the Good Shepherd.
"These are the first images of the apostles," said Fabrizio Bisconti, the superintendent of archaeology for the catacombs, which are maintained by the Vatican's Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archaeology.
The Vatican office oversaw and paid for the two-year, euro60,000 restoration effort, which for the first time used lasers to restore frescoes and paintings in catacombs. The damp, musty air of underground catacombs makes preservation of paintings particularly difficult and restoration problematic.
In this case, the small burial chamber at the end of the catacomb was completely encased in centimeters (inches) of white calcium carbonate, which under previous restoration techniques would have just been scraped away by hand. That technique, though would have left a filmy layer on top so as to not damage the paintings underneath.
Using the laser, restorers were able to sear off all the layers of calcium that had been bound onto the painting because the laser beam stopped burning at the white of the calcium deposits, which when chipped off left the brilliant darker colors underneath it unscathed, said Barbara Mazzei, the chief restorer.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
On the Miracles In My Life
mir·a·cle
Pronunciation: \mir-i-kəl\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin miraculum, from Latin, a wonder, marvel, from mirari to wonder at
Date: 12th century
1 : an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs
These are the MIRACLES that have occurred in my life - the examples of Divine Intervention that go beyond the ordinary.
1. My husband. Despite the day to day drudgery of raising a family, working, maintaining a household; the frustrations of living with another person who (gasp) doesn’t think always exactly like me; the tendency to take one another for granted…. Despite all of what is “marriage” in the modern world, I have to admit that my husband is the result of a miracle in my life. God undeniably brought us together. I was a newly-graduated physical therapist living in Washington State, Rob was a newly-graduated engineer living in the upper peninsula of Michigan. I got a tax return (my first tax return from my first “real” job), and wanted to buy a telescope with it. My father talked me into buying a computer. I was literally on the internet for the FIRST TIME, when I stumbled one evening upon (through random clicking of links) the message of a “yooper”, who wanted information about moving out West. I remember he said that he and a buddy of his wanted to move West; the mountains in North Idaho were one of his favorite places on the planet. They were MY favorite, too. I felt an enormous compulsion to reply to this message for some reason. I HAD to. A friend had come over so we could go out to a movie, and I remember saying “I can’t go yet. I HAVE to reply to this message”. I HAD TO. And so I did. We began writing back and forth. This eventually led to phone calls, and I found myself talking on the phone for 8 hours at a time to this perfect stranger half a country away. It astounds me now that we had that much to talk about. After several months, Rob agreed to fly out to meet me. The first thing he insisted on doing was meeting my parents. That weekend we went camping, to the park, to the movies. The next month, I flew out to meet him and his family. By our third date, Rob had proposed, and planned to move out west. I am NOT a spontaneous person. I am not a risk taker. And yet here I was agreeing to marry a man I had spent only days with physically. We were married a year later. There are so many variables that could have been minutely different, and we never would’ve met. So many random decisions that would’ve precluded this life that I have now with my husband, the family we have made. And yet, here we are. I often tease Rob that he was SUPPOSED to be a telescope. Yet God knew that what I really needed was a husband. And I trust that He knows what He’s doing.
2. My Boys. Rob and I tried for five long, agonizing years to start our family after we were married. After a year and a half , I realized that something must be wrong, and we saw a doctor. After exhausting his “tricks”, we were sent to a fertility specialist two hours a way. There we started down the road that so many infertile couples journey: surgery, tests, fertility drugs, artificial insemination. Yet nothing worked, and the stress on our marriage was immeasureable – financially, emotionally. After three and a half years, we were referred to a reproductive endocrinologist in a town four hours away, to begin IVF. We had heard good things about this doctor, and were assured that we would finally become the parents we had dreamed of being. The doctor told us that our chances were excellent. Our first round of IVF started without a hitch, and 11 healthy eggs were harvested. The embryologist then injected Rob’s sperm into those healthy eggs, and we waited patiently to hear about how many of our “babies” grew. No one called at the appointed time. Hours later – still no call. Eventually, we heard that not a single one of those eggs fertilized. It was a scenario that had never happened before in any of the specialist’s knowledge – the procedure normally has a 75%-80% successful fertilization rate. The embryologist was highly skilled, one of the best in the country, and yet our trial had failed more miserably than any in history. We were devastated. I remember Rob wondering whether our genetics were compatible. We assumed (although the fertility clinic denied it adamantly) that some mistake HAD to have been made on their part, because this just didn’t happen. Not only had we failed to achieve a pregnancy, but we had failed utterly. Eventually, we bought two more rounds of IVF, and decided to try again. The second attempt, three embryos fertilized, and we opted to use all three. When Rob got a job offer near his parents, we jumped at the chance, assuming that triplets were on the way and that we would need help. Before the move was complete, though, we lost the pregnancy. Heartbreak again. After moving to Michigan, Rob insisted that we have a new beginning. He was never in favor of fertility treatments, but did not want to adopt, either. That left us nowhere, if we wanted to be parents. I prayed incessantly, anguished over this. I felt so strongly called to be a mother, and yet it seemed the likelihood of that happening was quickly deteriorating. We had one more IVF attempt paid for, though, and it was our last, dim hope. I would fly back to Spokane to the fertility clinic as soon as my period started and I could start the fertility drugs. My period never came. I was furious at my body for ruining this one last chance at motherhood. In tears, I called my sister, who suggested that I take a prenancy test. Was she KIDDING? After all I'd been through? I did what she said though... bought the test at the dollar store, because I wasn't about to waste another cent on those stupid, disappointing tests that had always been negative. This time, however... there was the faintest of second lines. Every other test I'd ever taken had been an undeniable "negative". I called Rob into the bathroom, asked him what he saw on the stick. "A line". Was there two? Well, maybe. We'd never had a maybe before. That day I called the fertility clinic and told them that I wasn’t able to start the drugs “on time”, and requested a pregnancy test. The results? Pregnant. Unbelievable. The nurse, when she called with the results, told me she wouldn't have ordered a pregnancy test in our case, because she knew the heartbreak we'd been through, and knew it wasn't a possibility. But I had requested it, and here we were. Pregnant. Without fertility drugs, without the help of medical science. God had allowed us to fail miserably at everything MAN and SCIENCE knew how to do, to show us His glory. We couldn’t do it, but God could. I firmly believe that. As I had already bought my plane ticket, I ended up flying out to Spokane anyway, and seeing the endocrinologist. He did our ultrasound, and asked “did anyone tell you that this pregnancy was unusual?” I panicked immediately. WHAT WAS WRONG?? He showed me the baby, it’s sac, it’s heartbeat. Thank God. The baby was allright. Then he said “and here’s the OTHER baby. You’re having identical twins!” We were astounded and thrilled beyond belief. God is so good!!! The doctor kept saying “Wow! I didn’t do this one? You did it yourselves?” The doctor might have thought that “we” did it ourselves, but we knew better. It was Divine intervention. We COULDN’T do it ourselves. God blessed us on HIS time, through His power – not through our own. We had to fail, science had to fail, man had to fail – utterly and completely, so that His glory could shine through. As if to leave no doubt about the nature of this amazing gift God had blessed us with, the boys were born on my birthday. Happy Birthday to me, from God. I get to be a mom.
3. Quinn’s Kidney. We knew before the boys were born that there was water on their kidneys. It was a difficult pregnancy, I had gone into labor at 22 weeks, and was on bedrest alternately at home and in the hospital for the remaining 12 weeks of the pregnancy until the boys were finally born 6 weeks premature. We were told not to worry about the boys’ kidneys – they wanted me “calm” to keep the contractions under control, and assured me that by the time they were born, the kidneys would be normal. In the NICU, however, the hydronephrosis was found to persist, and both boys ended up getting kidney infections – extremely dangerous for preemies. There was talk of flying them to Ann Arbor for emergency surgery, but the nephrologists eventually thought we should wait until they were big enough to handle such major surgery. We soon found out that each boy had a “dead” kidney, and would need it removed. That was scheduled soon after their first birthday. The surgeries were long (5 hours each) but successful. Colby’s other kidney was fine, but Quinn’s remaining kidney was still had grade IV-V reflux (the same as the kidney that Colby had removed). He continued on daily antibiotics, and we were told he would need an additional surgery when older to correct the problem. If the reflux persisted uncorrected, he would most likely need a kidney transplant. For another year we watched Quinn closely, had regular tests to assess the damage to his remaining kidney, gave him daily medication. When visiting my parents one spring, however, my mother asked if we could have Quinn anointed at church. I was skeptical, but thought there was no reason not to. The priest called us up during the service – Rob holding Quinn (who was fussing and crying, and had spent the first half of the service in the narthex so as to not disrupt everyone else), my parents, Colby and I, and my sister’s family. We were asked to lay our hands on Quinn as the priest anointed him with oil and began praying. It was no ordinary prayer. Father Jack prayed under his breath, but I could tell it was not English he was speaking – he was praying in tongues. Quinn, surprisingly, fell immediately into a deep heavy sleep in Rob’s arms. He didn’t awaken for the entire rest of the service. Rob leaned over to me and said “something happened. I could feel it. He just went so instantly calm.” After the service, my normally reserved husband went up to Father Jack THREE TIMES to thank him, and to tell him that he knew “something happened” during the anointing. I, however, remained hopeful, but wasn’t counting on anything concrete. A month later, we were back in Michigan, and it was time to have Quinn’s annual kidney study done at a hospital two hours away. The doctor started the procedure, and then asked me “What am I looking for again?” I told her grade V reflux. She was quiet. An hour later, she said “Well, I don’t see anything.” Nothing? Not at all???? “There’s no reflux here.” He was healed. Completely. I remember calling my mom, and she started crying. “It’s a miracle!” I have the xrays from before and after, which I keep up in my closet as physical proof (mostly to myself) of this miracle. A follow up visit to our nephrologists downstate confirmed the healing. I remember asking him “does this happen? Can grade V reflux just GO AWAY on it’s own, within a month?” He said “Well, it DID happen, so it must be possible.” That’s all he would say on the matter. Whenever I recount Quinn’s kidney history to other doctor’s now, they always ask me when his corrective surgery was done. I told them never. He was healed. They invariably are shocked that the healing occurred without surgery, which reaffirms my conviction yet again that God is good and works extraordinarily in our lives.
4. Reagan’s Prophecy. I felt enormously blessed by the gift of our sons, their miraculous entrance into our lives. The fear of never being a mom was so tangible, that I gave thanks to God outloud every day that He honored me with my boys. I couldn’t shake the feeling, however, that someone was MISSING. We weren’t complete yet. I felt a little greedy about that. God had already granted me a miracle. And I wanted more??? I had always wanted four children. Rob, however, was perfectly content (or overwhelmed) by our two rambunctious boys. He didn’t want more. This again caused tension between us. I KNEW someone was supposed to be there, and felt like God was telling us that we weren’t done. Rob was convinced it was my biological clock speaking and not the Lord of Hosts. I knew I wanted four kids, but I felt like we were only missing ONE – that, to me, was proof that my “feeling” wasn’t of my own origin. Anyways. When the boys were two and a half, I was at work one day when a truly amazing thing happened. I was doing therapy with a 10 year old autistic boy, when he suddenly stopped, looked at me, and said “Monica, who’s going to be my therapist when you have the baby?” I was shocked, but said “I’m not having a baby. You don’t have to worry about that.” He was insistent, though, and very worried about who would be his therapist when the baby arrived. I tried to divert the conversation, thinking it inappropriate. He would not be diverted. “Matthew, I’m not having a baby.” “Yes you are,” he replied. “It’s a girl. Monica Jr. She’s standing there waving at me! See? She looks like you, and she’ll be born in November.” This was September when all of this occurred – further proof that this young man was just being silly. He would not let up the entire hour, no matter how many times I tried to change the subject. He was so INSISTENT, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being spoken to by more than a 10 year old boy. The next morning, I gave in and took a pregnancy test. I was, indeed, pregnant. And, if Matthew was right about the rest of what he said, we were having a girl. The November thing? Well, maybe he was just being silly. This baby would be due in May. Well, late in October, I miscarried. Turns out it was a molar pregnancy – just an empty sack. We were, of course devastated. The next time I saw Matthew for therapy, he looked at me and said “Where’d the baby go? Is she born?” I told him she was up in Heaven. He just shrugged, and said “Oh. She was supposed to be born in November.” He never said another word about it, and not long after moved out of state with his family. I was devastated once again, but felt guilty about my grief – how greedy was I to want more than what God had already granted me? After all we’d been through with the boys? The feeling wouldn’t go away, however, that someone was MISSING. I felt it so strongly, and yet Rob was adamant it was my DESIRE for another child talking, and not something more. Tension grew between us again. Finally, one day, Rob said “Fine. If you can get pregnant before you turn 35, I’ll consider it. Otherwise, you need to give up this idea of another child forever.” I knew my fertility was poor. We’d been married almost 10 years by that time, and I’d been successfully pregnant only once, despite being open to pregnancy for most of that time. So I prayed. I remember distinctly one day praying to Mary – something I am admittedly not in the habit of doing. I remember praying “Mary, you are a mother, and know the desires of a mother’s heart. If you see fit to ask your son to bless us with another child, I would be truly thankful.” That was it – my simple prayer. On Easter Sunday, 2 months before my 35th birthday, I gave in and took a pregnancy test - certain that it would be negative just as every other disappointing test had been before it. This time, however… it was positive! I was ecstatic!! How fitting to find out about new life on Resurrection Sunday!! Even more surprising, our first ultrasound showed us that we were having identical twins yet again. What a roller coaster. At 9 weeks, however, I lost one of the babies, and was again on bed rest for a short time. That’s when it occurred to me… I had always wanted four children, but strongly felt like God only promised us ONE more. It helped me through that miscarriage, that promise. And despite early labor pains that threatened an early October delivery, we made it until NOVEMBER, and gave birth to a baby GIRL. Just like Matthew had said we would. Little Reagan Anne, who looks a whole lot like her Mommy.
Pronunciation: \mir-i-kəl\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin miraculum, from Latin, a wonder, marvel, from mirari to wonder at
Date: 12th century
1 : an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs
These are the MIRACLES that have occurred in my life - the examples of Divine Intervention that go beyond the ordinary.
1. My husband. Despite the day to day drudgery of raising a family, working, maintaining a household; the frustrations of living with another person who (gasp) doesn’t think always exactly like me; the tendency to take one another for granted…. Despite all of what is “marriage” in the modern world, I have to admit that my husband is the result of a miracle in my life. God undeniably brought us together. I was a newly-graduated physical therapist living in Washington State, Rob was a newly-graduated engineer living in the upper peninsula of Michigan. I got a tax return (my first tax return from my first “real” job), and wanted to buy a telescope with it. My father talked me into buying a computer. I was literally on the internet for the FIRST TIME, when I stumbled one evening upon (through random clicking of links) the message of a “yooper”, who wanted information about moving out West. I remember he said that he and a buddy of his wanted to move West; the mountains in North Idaho were one of his favorite places on the planet. They were MY favorite, too. I felt an enormous compulsion to reply to this message for some reason. I HAD to. A friend had come over so we could go out to a movie, and I remember saying “I can’t go yet. I HAVE to reply to this message”. I HAD TO. And so I did. We began writing back and forth. This eventually led to phone calls, and I found myself talking on the phone for 8 hours at a time to this perfect stranger half a country away. It astounds me now that we had that much to talk about. After several months, Rob agreed to fly out to meet me. The first thing he insisted on doing was meeting my parents. That weekend we went camping, to the park, to the movies. The next month, I flew out to meet him and his family. By our third date, Rob had proposed, and planned to move out west. I am NOT a spontaneous person. I am not a risk taker. And yet here I was agreeing to marry a man I had spent only days with physically. We were married a year later. There are so many variables that could have been minutely different, and we never would’ve met. So many random decisions that would’ve precluded this life that I have now with my husband, the family we have made. And yet, here we are. I often tease Rob that he was SUPPOSED to be a telescope. Yet God knew that what I really needed was a husband. And I trust that He knows what He’s doing.
2. My Boys. Rob and I tried for five long, agonizing years to start our family after we were married. After a year and a half , I realized that something must be wrong, and we saw a doctor. After exhausting his “tricks”, we were sent to a fertility specialist two hours a way. There we started down the road that so many infertile couples journey: surgery, tests, fertility drugs, artificial insemination. Yet nothing worked, and the stress on our marriage was immeasureable – financially, emotionally. After three and a half years, we were referred to a reproductive endocrinologist in a town four hours away, to begin IVF. We had heard good things about this doctor, and were assured that we would finally become the parents we had dreamed of being. The doctor told us that our chances were excellent. Our first round of IVF started without a hitch, and 11 healthy eggs were harvested. The embryologist then injected Rob’s sperm into those healthy eggs, and we waited patiently to hear about how many of our “babies” grew. No one called at the appointed time. Hours later – still no call. Eventually, we heard that not a single one of those eggs fertilized. It was a scenario that had never happened before in any of the specialist’s knowledge – the procedure normally has a 75%-80% successful fertilization rate. The embryologist was highly skilled, one of the best in the country, and yet our trial had failed more miserably than any in history. We were devastated. I remember Rob wondering whether our genetics were compatible. We assumed (although the fertility clinic denied it adamantly) that some mistake HAD to have been made on their part, because this just didn’t happen. Not only had we failed to achieve a pregnancy, but we had failed utterly. Eventually, we bought two more rounds of IVF, and decided to try again. The second attempt, three embryos fertilized, and we opted to use all three. When Rob got a job offer near his parents, we jumped at the chance, assuming that triplets were on the way and that we would need help. Before the move was complete, though, we lost the pregnancy. Heartbreak again. After moving to Michigan, Rob insisted that we have a new beginning. He was never in favor of fertility treatments, but did not want to adopt, either. That left us nowhere, if we wanted to be parents. I prayed incessantly, anguished over this. I felt so strongly called to be a mother, and yet it seemed the likelihood of that happening was quickly deteriorating. We had one more IVF attempt paid for, though, and it was our last, dim hope. I would fly back to Spokane to the fertility clinic as soon as my period started and I could start the fertility drugs. My period never came. I was furious at my body for ruining this one last chance at motherhood. In tears, I called my sister, who suggested that I take a prenancy test. Was she KIDDING? After all I'd been through? I did what she said though... bought the test at the dollar store, because I wasn't about to waste another cent on those stupid, disappointing tests that had always been negative. This time, however... there was the faintest of second lines. Every other test I'd ever taken had been an undeniable "negative". I called Rob into the bathroom, asked him what he saw on the stick. "A line". Was there two? Well, maybe. We'd never had a maybe before. That day I called the fertility clinic and told them that I wasn’t able to start the drugs “on time”, and requested a pregnancy test. The results? Pregnant. Unbelievable. The nurse, when she called with the results, told me she wouldn't have ordered a pregnancy test in our case, because she knew the heartbreak we'd been through, and knew it wasn't a possibility. But I had requested it, and here we were. Pregnant. Without fertility drugs, without the help of medical science. God had allowed us to fail miserably at everything MAN and SCIENCE knew how to do, to show us His glory. We couldn’t do it, but God could. I firmly believe that. As I had already bought my plane ticket, I ended up flying out to Spokane anyway, and seeing the endocrinologist. He did our ultrasound, and asked “did anyone tell you that this pregnancy was unusual?” I panicked immediately. WHAT WAS WRONG?? He showed me the baby, it’s sac, it’s heartbeat. Thank God. The baby was allright. Then he said “and here’s the OTHER baby. You’re having identical twins!” We were astounded and thrilled beyond belief. God is so good!!! The doctor kept saying “Wow! I didn’t do this one? You did it yourselves?” The doctor might have thought that “we” did it ourselves, but we knew better. It was Divine intervention. We COULDN’T do it ourselves. God blessed us on HIS time, through His power – not through our own. We had to fail, science had to fail, man had to fail – utterly and completely, so that His glory could shine through. As if to leave no doubt about the nature of this amazing gift God had blessed us with, the boys were born on my birthday. Happy Birthday to me, from God. I get to be a mom.
3. Quinn’s Kidney. We knew before the boys were born that there was water on their kidneys. It was a difficult pregnancy, I had gone into labor at 22 weeks, and was on bedrest alternately at home and in the hospital for the remaining 12 weeks of the pregnancy until the boys were finally born 6 weeks premature. We were told not to worry about the boys’ kidneys – they wanted me “calm” to keep the contractions under control, and assured me that by the time they were born, the kidneys would be normal. In the NICU, however, the hydronephrosis was found to persist, and both boys ended up getting kidney infections – extremely dangerous for preemies. There was talk of flying them to Ann Arbor for emergency surgery, but the nephrologists eventually thought we should wait until they were big enough to handle such major surgery. We soon found out that each boy had a “dead” kidney, and would need it removed. That was scheduled soon after their first birthday. The surgeries were long (5 hours each) but successful. Colby’s other kidney was fine, but Quinn’s remaining kidney was still had grade IV-V reflux (the same as the kidney that Colby had removed). He continued on daily antibiotics, and we were told he would need an additional surgery when older to correct the problem. If the reflux persisted uncorrected, he would most likely need a kidney transplant. For another year we watched Quinn closely, had regular tests to assess the damage to his remaining kidney, gave him daily medication. When visiting my parents one spring, however, my mother asked if we could have Quinn anointed at church. I was skeptical, but thought there was no reason not to. The priest called us up during the service – Rob holding Quinn (who was fussing and crying, and had spent the first half of the service in the narthex so as to not disrupt everyone else), my parents, Colby and I, and my sister’s family. We were asked to lay our hands on Quinn as the priest anointed him with oil and began praying. It was no ordinary prayer. Father Jack prayed under his breath, but I could tell it was not English he was speaking – he was praying in tongues. Quinn, surprisingly, fell immediately into a deep heavy sleep in Rob’s arms. He didn’t awaken for the entire rest of the service. Rob leaned over to me and said “something happened. I could feel it. He just went so instantly calm.” After the service, my normally reserved husband went up to Father Jack THREE TIMES to thank him, and to tell him that he knew “something happened” during the anointing. I, however, remained hopeful, but wasn’t counting on anything concrete. A month later, we were back in Michigan, and it was time to have Quinn’s annual kidney study done at a hospital two hours away. The doctor started the procedure, and then asked me “What am I looking for again?” I told her grade V reflux. She was quiet. An hour later, she said “Well, I don’t see anything.” Nothing? Not at all???? “There’s no reflux here.” He was healed. Completely. I remember calling my mom, and she started crying. “It’s a miracle!” I have the xrays from before and after, which I keep up in my closet as physical proof (mostly to myself) of this miracle. A follow up visit to our nephrologists downstate confirmed the healing. I remember asking him “does this happen? Can grade V reflux just GO AWAY on it’s own, within a month?” He said “Well, it DID happen, so it must be possible.” That’s all he would say on the matter. Whenever I recount Quinn’s kidney history to other doctor’s now, they always ask me when his corrective surgery was done. I told them never. He was healed. They invariably are shocked that the healing occurred without surgery, which reaffirms my conviction yet again that God is good and works extraordinarily in our lives.
4. Reagan’s Prophecy. I felt enormously blessed by the gift of our sons, their miraculous entrance into our lives. The fear of never being a mom was so tangible, that I gave thanks to God outloud every day that He honored me with my boys. I couldn’t shake the feeling, however, that someone was MISSING. We weren’t complete yet. I felt a little greedy about that. God had already granted me a miracle. And I wanted more??? I had always wanted four children. Rob, however, was perfectly content (or overwhelmed) by our two rambunctious boys. He didn’t want more. This again caused tension between us. I KNEW someone was supposed to be there, and felt like God was telling us that we weren’t done. Rob was convinced it was my biological clock speaking and not the Lord of Hosts. I knew I wanted four kids, but I felt like we were only missing ONE – that, to me, was proof that my “feeling” wasn’t of my own origin. Anyways. When the boys were two and a half, I was at work one day when a truly amazing thing happened. I was doing therapy with a 10 year old autistic boy, when he suddenly stopped, looked at me, and said “Monica, who’s going to be my therapist when you have the baby?” I was shocked, but said “I’m not having a baby. You don’t have to worry about that.” He was insistent, though, and very worried about who would be his therapist when the baby arrived. I tried to divert the conversation, thinking it inappropriate. He would not be diverted. “Matthew, I’m not having a baby.” “Yes you are,” he replied. “It’s a girl. Monica Jr. She’s standing there waving at me! See? She looks like you, and she’ll be born in November.” This was September when all of this occurred – further proof that this young man was just being silly. He would not let up the entire hour, no matter how many times I tried to change the subject. He was so INSISTENT, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being spoken to by more than a 10 year old boy. The next morning, I gave in and took a pregnancy test. I was, indeed, pregnant. And, if Matthew was right about the rest of what he said, we were having a girl. The November thing? Well, maybe he was just being silly. This baby would be due in May. Well, late in October, I miscarried. Turns out it was a molar pregnancy – just an empty sack. We were, of course devastated. The next time I saw Matthew for therapy, he looked at me and said “Where’d the baby go? Is she born?” I told him she was up in Heaven. He just shrugged, and said “Oh. She was supposed to be born in November.” He never said another word about it, and not long after moved out of state with his family. I was devastated once again, but felt guilty about my grief – how greedy was I to want more than what God had already granted me? After all we’d been through with the boys? The feeling wouldn’t go away, however, that someone was MISSING. I felt it so strongly, and yet Rob was adamant it was my DESIRE for another child talking, and not something more. Tension grew between us again. Finally, one day, Rob said “Fine. If you can get pregnant before you turn 35, I’ll consider it. Otherwise, you need to give up this idea of another child forever.” I knew my fertility was poor. We’d been married almost 10 years by that time, and I’d been successfully pregnant only once, despite being open to pregnancy for most of that time. So I prayed. I remember distinctly one day praying to Mary – something I am admittedly not in the habit of doing. I remember praying “Mary, you are a mother, and know the desires of a mother’s heart. If you see fit to ask your son to bless us with another child, I would be truly thankful.” That was it – my simple prayer. On Easter Sunday, 2 months before my 35th birthday, I gave in and took a pregnancy test - certain that it would be negative just as every other disappointing test had been before it. This time, however… it was positive! I was ecstatic!! How fitting to find out about new life on Resurrection Sunday!! Even more surprising, our first ultrasound showed us that we were having identical twins yet again. What a roller coaster. At 9 weeks, however, I lost one of the babies, and was again on bed rest for a short time. That’s when it occurred to me… I had always wanted four children, but strongly felt like God only promised us ONE more. It helped me through that miscarriage, that promise. And despite early labor pains that threatened an early October delivery, we made it until NOVEMBER, and gave birth to a baby GIRL. Just like Matthew had said we would. Little Reagan Anne, who looks a whole lot like her Mommy.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
A Catholic Apologetic, written for my children, when they are old enough to understand.
I heard an analogy the other day that seemed particularly astute, given the misperceptions and vilification of the Catholic church from those outside her walls. The analogy had to do with windows – particularly stained glass windows. From outside a church, a stained glass window is unreadable, dark. The picture in the window can’t be seen, it’s message hidden. From inside the church, however, with the Light of the outside sun (I could say “Son”) to illuminate them, the stained glass windows come to life, and their full glory revealed. So it seems to me that the only way to truly see the fullness of God’s glory is from inside His church.
I’ve been thinking about some simple facts lately, which compels me again back to the Catholic church. One is this verse:
Matthew 16:16-19
16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ,[b] the Son of the living God."
17Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter,[c] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[d] will not overcome it.[e] 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[f] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[g] loosed in heaven."
I ask myself, WHICH church can trace itself back directly to Jesus through Peter? Which lineage is recorded in an unbroken line, and ends up directly at the grave and physical remains of St. Peter himself, deep within a church at the Vatican? Not to a man establishing a denomination – not 200 years ago to a Joseph Smith, or Charles Russell. Not 500 years ago to John Calvin or Zwingli, Henry VIII, or Martin Luther. But back, all the way back, greater than 2000 years back, to the very person who soaked up the same air as Christ Himself, and was granted by Christ His authority hold the keys to Heaven.
I have heard people outside the church claim time and again that Paganism crept up inside the Church, distorting it beyond all recognition, and that the church, millennia after inception, needed to be “restored” or “reformed”. I cannot deny that the Church can stray, has strayed, and is made up of sinners and frail human beings. The church is not the pristine bride Christ commissions her to be. What I DO know is that Christ NEVER LEFT THE CHURCH, never repealed His blessing of her. I know this because of the “new and everlasting covenant” He established with His church. I know this because He promised to be with us, until the end of the age. I know this because He sent the Holy Spirit, the Advocate ( John 14: 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. ) Even when the Church sinned, even when the gates of Hell TRIED to prevail, they didn’t. Because Jesus said they couldn’t. He is stronger. I often wonder, for those so convinced that Christ abandoned His church to paganism for millennia…. at what point do they think He left? Or rather, when did the Church leave Christ so completely… when did the “divorce” occur? At the time of Constantine? Before that? After? Did the church really only “last” for 300 years, despite Jesus Himself promising that it would last until His second coming?
I go back to the writings of the Early Church. Any “reformation” needs to “reform” back to an original, or it’s nothing more than a change to something new and novel. Are we “restoring” or are we “changing for our own reasons?” So the writings of the Early Church NEED to be crucial to us. This may not be the full revelation of God the Father through the Son, with the help of the Holy Spirit, as sacred scripture is. But it is a history of the early church, their beliefs, their practices. It is Christianity in it’s infant, pure form. And it is worthy of study. It is UNDENIABLE that those Christians were “catholic”, in every sense of the word. That church was sacramental, believed in the literal Power of God to act in every day lives of it’s people, through the authority invested in the church. That church believed in the actual and true presence of Jesus Christ, body, soul, and divinity, in the Eucharist and wine. That church knew liturgy, was solemn and sacred. That church had a structure, an organization, and that church was centered in Rome, because that’s where Peter was. That church believed in a communion of saints, living and dead, that could pray and support each other, petition to God on each other’s behalf. Undeniably.
I’ve been thinking about some simple facts lately, which compels me again back to the Catholic church. One is this verse:
Matthew 16:16-19
16Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ,[b] the Son of the living God."
17Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter,[c] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[d] will not overcome it.[e] 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be[f] bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be[g] loosed in heaven."
I ask myself, WHICH church can trace itself back directly to Jesus through Peter? Which lineage is recorded in an unbroken line, and ends up directly at the grave and physical remains of St. Peter himself, deep within a church at the Vatican? Not to a man establishing a denomination – not 200 years ago to a Joseph Smith, or Charles Russell. Not 500 years ago to John Calvin or Zwingli, Henry VIII, or Martin Luther. But back, all the way back, greater than 2000 years back, to the very person who soaked up the same air as Christ Himself, and was granted by Christ His authority hold the keys to Heaven.
I have heard people outside the church claim time and again that Paganism crept up inside the Church, distorting it beyond all recognition, and that the church, millennia after inception, needed to be “restored” or “reformed”. I cannot deny that the Church can stray, has strayed, and is made up of sinners and frail human beings. The church is not the pristine bride Christ commissions her to be. What I DO know is that Christ NEVER LEFT THE CHURCH, never repealed His blessing of her. I know this because of the “new and everlasting covenant” He established with His church. I know this because He promised to be with us, until the end of the age. I know this because He sent the Holy Spirit, the Advocate ( John 14: 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. ) Even when the Church sinned, even when the gates of Hell TRIED to prevail, they didn’t. Because Jesus said they couldn’t. He is stronger. I often wonder, for those so convinced that Christ abandoned His church to paganism for millennia…. at what point do they think He left? Or rather, when did the Church leave Christ so completely… when did the “divorce” occur? At the time of Constantine? Before that? After? Did the church really only “last” for 300 years, despite Jesus Himself promising that it would last until His second coming?
I go back to the writings of the Early Church. Any “reformation” needs to “reform” back to an original, or it’s nothing more than a change to something new and novel. Are we “restoring” or are we “changing for our own reasons?” So the writings of the Early Church NEED to be crucial to us. This may not be the full revelation of God the Father through the Son, with the help of the Holy Spirit, as sacred scripture is. But it is a history of the early church, their beliefs, their practices. It is Christianity in it’s infant, pure form. And it is worthy of study. It is UNDENIABLE that those Christians were “catholic”, in every sense of the word. That church was sacramental, believed in the literal Power of God to act in every day lives of it’s people, through the authority invested in the church. That church believed in the actual and true presence of Jesus Christ, body, soul, and divinity, in the Eucharist and wine. That church knew liturgy, was solemn and sacred. That church had a structure, an organization, and that church was centered in Rome, because that’s where Peter was. That church believed in a communion of saints, living and dead, that could pray and support each other, petition to God on each other’s behalf. Undeniably.
It’s possible to think, however, that none of this is important. That regardless of these facts, the “culture” of the Catholic church is such that it doesn’t "speak” to me. It’s too solemn, not joyous enough, not friendly enough, boring. The people are hypocrites, the structure leads to corruption. Whether you believe that as true or not, I would argue that it is all CULTURE. It is not what is important. It is environment. That is the result of frail human beings. And culture can be changed, is changing at any given second. The church itself, though, is unchangeable. It hasn’t changed substantially, theologically, liturgically, in over 2000 years. It is the church established by Christ Himself through St. Peter, and that is enough for me. Because Christ promised never to leave it.
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED .
I AM A PART of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.
The die has been cast. The decision has been made. I have stepped over the line. I won't look
back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is in God's hands. I am
finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, the bare minimum, smooth
knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, frivolous living, selfish giving, and
dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, applause, or popularity. I
don't have to be right, first, the best, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live
by faith. I lean on Christ.s presence. I love with patience, live by prayer, and labor with the
power of God's grace.
My face is set. My gait is fast, my goal is heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my
companions are few, my Guide is reliable, and my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I
will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the
table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, let up or slow up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid
up, and spoken up for the cause of Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give until I drop, speak out until all know,
and work until He stops me.
And when He returns for His own, He will have no difficulty recognizing me. My banner is
clear: I am a part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.
Adapted from the original (author unknown) by Patrick Madrid
THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE UNASHAMED .
I AM A PART of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.
The die has been cast. The decision has been made. I have stepped over the line. I won't look
back, let up, slow down, back away or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is in God's hands. I am
finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, the bare minimum, smooth
knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, frivolous living, selfish giving, and
dwarfed goals.
I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, applause, or popularity. I
don't have to be right, first, the best, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live
by faith. I lean on Christ.s presence. I love with patience, live by prayer, and labor with the
power of God's grace.
My face is set. My gait is fast, my goal is heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my
companions are few, my Guide is reliable, and my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed. I
will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the
table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, let up or slow up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up, paid
up, and spoken up for the cause of Christ.
I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give until I drop, speak out until all know,
and work until He stops me.
And when He returns for His own, He will have no difficulty recognizing me. My banner is
clear: I am a part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.
Adapted from the original (author unknown) by Patrick Madrid
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Calvinism... the Summary
The beliefs of Calvinism can best be represented by the acronym T.U.L.I.P. Here are the interpretations of what each point of belief means to a Calvin, and what the Bible says in response.
Total Depravity (also known as Total Inability)
What Calvin Meant: Humans are completely sinful, and incapable of doing good.
What the Bible Says:
Genesis 1
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [b] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
1 Timothy 4:4 (New International Version)
4For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
Matthew 13
The Parable of the Weeds
24Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27"The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'
28" 'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
29" 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' "
THEREFORE: We are created in God’s image, and God himself deemed us VERY GOOD. We have chosen, however, of our own free will, through temptation by “the enemy”, to fall from that perfection that God originally created. That means we are imperfect and sinful – all of us, from the moment of birth. But we are STILL created in His image, and have, for that reason (and it alone) the capacity for good, the ability to choose good, to choose right. We are CAPABLE of making a choice to lead us closer to the Father because of the nature God gave us, just as we are CAPABLE of making a bad choice that moves us farther away from the Father because of our own disobedience and sinful nature. Man is sinful, but not TOTALLY DEPRAVED, by virtue of being a creation of God. God cannot and does not create Evil. We choose evil. Can we deny that non-Christians are capable of making a right choice, of doing good, even if it does not lead to their salvation? This can only be because of that quality endowed by the Creator, making all men in His image. We must remember that Jesus himself was human and flesh – it is Gnosticism to believe that all matter is completely evil.
1 John 4: 1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
Unconditional Election
What Calvin Meant: God does not base His election on anything He sees in the individual. He chooses the elect according to the kind intention of His will (Eph. 1:4-8; Rom. 9:11) without any consideration of merit within the individual. Nor does God look into the future to see who would pick Him. Also, as some are elected into salvation, others are not. Some are predestined to Hell.
What the Bible Says:
1 Peter 1:2 (New International Version)
2who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Therefore: We do not earn our salvation. There is no formula for meriting the grace of God. God knows, however, the choices we will make in response to His calling, before we make them. He has the foreknowledge and knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what we are and are not capable of, and what will work to His purposes. Using this knowledge, He chooses those whom He will to carry out His divine plan. Council of Orange 529 AD, Canon 12: "God loves us because of what we will be by the gift of His grace, not because of what we are by our own merit." St. Augustine said "God does not command what is impossible, but in commanding advises you to do what you can and to ask for what you cannot do,"(67)
Limited Atonement:
What Calvin says: Jesus died only for the elect. Though Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient for all, it was not efficacious for all. Jesus only bore the sins of the elect.
What the Bible Says:
John 3:16 (New International Version)
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
1 Timothy 4
9This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance 10(and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.
Matthew 23:37 (New International Version)
37"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.
Matthew 13
The Parable of the Sower
1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9He who has ears, let him hear."
Matthew 22
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
1Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2"The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
4"Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.'
5"But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
8"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' 10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11"But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless.
13"Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
14"For many are invited, but few are chosen."
Acts 13
38"Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.
Revelation 3:20 (New International Version)
20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
THEREFORE: God does not reject His creation – we reject HIM. MANY are invited. He is knocking at our door. If WE hear him knocking and answer, He will enter our lives. In the sower’s parable, the seed is spread on all different types of soil. A good farmer, however, knows where to focus his seeds to produce the best crop. He will not waste seed on poor soil, because he knows how the soil will reject the seed. He has FOREKNOWLEDGE. Does he not want all his land to be good for planting his crops? Absolutely. But our free will essentially determines the type of soil we will be, and how we will receive His message. God did not purposefully make “bad soil”, He did not create some people for the express purpose of going to hell, and He desires all to be saved, but knows (through His omnipotence and foreknowledge) that all will not choose Him. As St. Augustine stated : "God does not abandon those whom He has once justified by His grace, unless He is first abandoned by them." (68)
Irresistible Grace:
What Calvin Meant: When God calls his elect into salvation, they cannot resist. God offers to all people the gospel message. This is called the external call. But to the elect, God extends an internal call and it cannot be resisted.
What the Bible Says:
Acts 7
51"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!
Hebrews 12
15See to it that no one misses the grace of God
22But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, 24to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
25See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks.
The Book of Jonah
THEREFORE: God has the power and sovereignty to COMPEL us to Himself, but He chooses not to. He allows us to make a choice in response to His call. Why would He allow us this ability? Because He knows that love is not love if it is compelled. He allows us the dignity of choice. From the beginning – as Adam and Eve. Because He wants us to CHOOSE to love, as He chose to love us. Don’t get me wrong. God is VERY PERSUASIVE , and our will is no match for His, not by an infinite long shot. Ask Jonah about that. But the story of Jonah tells us something very important. God said “Go”, but Jonah said “NO!” Over and over again. Until God set the circumstances in motion to the point where Jonah finally agreed to God’s plan for himself. But God did not use Jonah as a puppet, as He certainly could have, taking him over so that He said yes instantly. He allowed Jonah the dignity of Free Will, and then He made it very clear to Jonah that the answer needed to be “YES”, and eventually Jonah changed his mind. Moses was reluctant to God’s call, as was Paul initially. That’s why it’s so worthy of emulation for those examples in the Bible who said “yes” without hesitating, immediately, without question. 38"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." The ultimate example is Jesus in the garden of Gesthemane “Not my will, but Yours be done”. Jesus died for us willingly, because it was the Father’s will – he was not COMPELLED to die for us. If so, there would have been no need for the devil to tempt Jesus. The temptation in and of itself shows that Jesus COULD HAVE chosen another path, but DID NOT of his own free will. He was in complete obedience to the Father, but he did not HAVE to be. Jesus had a choice, and made the right one.
Perseverance of the Saints:
What Calvin Meant: You cannot lose your salvation
What the Bible Says:
1 Timothy 4
15Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Hebrews 10
35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. 38But my righteous one[f] will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."[g] 39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
1 Timothy 4
Instructions to Timothy
1The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
Matthew 13:
20The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time.
2 Peter 1
10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
THEREFORE: There would be no need to encourage the saints to persevere, if there was not a risk on salvation being lost. There would be no use of the word “IF” in the above Bible verses, if salvation was secured regardless of one’s actions and obedience to God’s word. There would be no parable of the seed on the rocky soil. We have the hope of the promises the Lord gives us. We trust in that hope. But it is arrogance that leads to complacency to assume that we are all a “sure thing” by virtue of being one of the “special, chosen ones”. We persevere in the hope and promise of things to come, as the pearl of great price.
Total Depravity (also known as Total Inability)
What Calvin Meant: Humans are completely sinful, and incapable of doing good.
What the Bible Says:
Genesis 1
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, [b] and over all the creatures that move along the ground."
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
29 Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food." And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
1 Timothy 4:4 (New International Version)
4For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
Matthew 13
The Parable of the Weeds
24Jesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.
27"The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'
28" 'An enemy did this,' he replied. "The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'
29" 'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. 30Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' "
THEREFORE: We are created in God’s image, and God himself deemed us VERY GOOD. We have chosen, however, of our own free will, through temptation by “the enemy”, to fall from that perfection that God originally created. That means we are imperfect and sinful – all of us, from the moment of birth. But we are STILL created in His image, and have, for that reason (and it alone) the capacity for good, the ability to choose good, to choose right. We are CAPABLE of making a choice to lead us closer to the Father because of the nature God gave us, just as we are CAPABLE of making a bad choice that moves us farther away from the Father because of our own disobedience and sinful nature. Man is sinful, but not TOTALLY DEPRAVED, by virtue of being a creation of God. God cannot and does not create Evil. We choose evil. Can we deny that non-Christians are capable of making a right choice, of doing good, even if it does not lead to their salvation? This can only be because of that quality endowed by the Creator, making all men in His image. We must remember that Jesus himself was human and flesh – it is Gnosticism to believe that all matter is completely evil.
1 John 4: 1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
Unconditional Election
What Calvin Meant: God does not base His election on anything He sees in the individual. He chooses the elect according to the kind intention of His will (Eph. 1:4-8; Rom. 9:11) without any consideration of merit within the individual. Nor does God look into the future to see who would pick Him. Also, as some are elected into salvation, others are not. Some are predestined to Hell.
What the Bible Says:
1 Peter 1:2 (New International Version)
2who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.
Therefore: We do not earn our salvation. There is no formula for meriting the grace of God. God knows, however, the choices we will make in response to His calling, before we make them. He has the foreknowledge and knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows what we are and are not capable of, and what will work to His purposes. Using this knowledge, He chooses those whom He will to carry out His divine plan. Council of Orange 529 AD, Canon 12: "God loves us because of what we will be by the gift of His grace, not because of what we are by our own merit." St. Augustine said "God does not command what is impossible, but in commanding advises you to do what you can and to ask for what you cannot do,"(67)
Limited Atonement:
What Calvin says: Jesus died only for the elect. Though Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient for all, it was not efficacious for all. Jesus only bore the sins of the elect.
What the Bible Says:
John 3:16 (New International Version)
16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
1 Timothy 4
9This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance 10(and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe.
Matthew 23:37 (New International Version)
37"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.
Matthew 13
The Parable of the Sower
1That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3Then he told them many things in parables, saying: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9He who has ears, let him hear."
Matthew 22
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
1Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: 2"The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
4"Then he sent some more servants and said, 'Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.'
5"But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. 6The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. 7The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
8"Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. 9Go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.' 10So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
11"But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12'Friend,' he asked, 'how did you get in here without wedding clothes?' The man was speechless.
13"Then the king told the attendants, 'Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
14"For many are invited, but few are chosen."
Acts 13
38"Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.
Revelation 3:20 (New International Version)
20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. 21To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."
THEREFORE: God does not reject His creation – we reject HIM. MANY are invited. He is knocking at our door. If WE hear him knocking and answer, He will enter our lives. In the sower’s parable, the seed is spread on all different types of soil. A good farmer, however, knows where to focus his seeds to produce the best crop. He will not waste seed on poor soil, because he knows how the soil will reject the seed. He has FOREKNOWLEDGE. Does he not want all his land to be good for planting his crops? Absolutely. But our free will essentially determines the type of soil we will be, and how we will receive His message. God did not purposefully make “bad soil”, He did not create some people for the express purpose of going to hell, and He desires all to be saved, but knows (through His omnipotence and foreknowledge) that all will not choose Him. As St. Augustine stated : "God does not abandon those whom He has once justified by His grace, unless He is first abandoned by them." (68)
Irresistible Grace:
What Calvin Meant: When God calls his elect into salvation, they cannot resist. God offers to all people the gospel message. This is called the external call. But to the elect, God extends an internal call and it cannot be resisted.
What the Bible Says:
Acts 7
51"You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers: You always resist the Holy Spirit!
Hebrews 12
15See to it that no one misses the grace of God
22But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, 24to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
25See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks.
The Book of Jonah
THEREFORE: God has the power and sovereignty to COMPEL us to Himself, but He chooses not to. He allows us to make a choice in response to His call. Why would He allow us this ability? Because He knows that love is not love if it is compelled. He allows us the dignity of choice. From the beginning – as Adam and Eve. Because He wants us to CHOOSE to love, as He chose to love us. Don’t get me wrong. God is VERY PERSUASIVE , and our will is no match for His, not by an infinite long shot. Ask Jonah about that. But the story of Jonah tells us something very important. God said “Go”, but Jonah said “NO!” Over and over again. Until God set the circumstances in motion to the point where Jonah finally agreed to God’s plan for himself. But God did not use Jonah as a puppet, as He certainly could have, taking him over so that He said yes instantly. He allowed Jonah the dignity of Free Will, and then He made it very clear to Jonah that the answer needed to be “YES”, and eventually Jonah changed his mind. Moses was reluctant to God’s call, as was Paul initially. That’s why it’s so worthy of emulation for those examples in the Bible who said “yes” without hesitating, immediately, without question. 38"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." The ultimate example is Jesus in the garden of Gesthemane “Not my will, but Yours be done”. Jesus died for us willingly, because it was the Father’s will – he was not COMPELLED to die for us. If so, there would have been no need for the devil to tempt Jesus. The temptation in and of itself shows that Jesus COULD HAVE chosen another path, but DID NOT of his own free will. He was in complete obedience to the Father, but he did not HAVE to be. Jesus had a choice, and made the right one.
Perseverance of the Saints:
What Calvin Meant: You cannot lose your salvation
What the Bible Says:
1 Timothy 4
15Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Hebrews 10
35So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. 38But my righteous one[f] will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him."[g] 39But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.
1 Timothy 4
Instructions to Timothy
1The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
Matthew 13:
20The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time.
2 Peter 1
10Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
THEREFORE: There would be no need to encourage the saints to persevere, if there was not a risk on salvation being lost. There would be no use of the word “IF” in the above Bible verses, if salvation was secured regardless of one’s actions and obedience to God’s word. There would be no parable of the seed on the rocky soil. We have the hope of the promises the Lord gives us. We trust in that hope. But it is arrogance that leads to complacency to assume that we are all a “sure thing” by virtue of being one of the “special, chosen ones”. We persevere in the hope and promise of things to come, as the pearl of great price.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
The Appeal
God calls each and every one of us to Him, but it is up to us and our free will to respond. It seems to me, though, that this call can appeal to us in one of three ways…..
The first is through an obedience to tradition – faith as passed on from those that came before. Some view this in a negative light, as if being born into the faith isn’t legitimate without a “born again” experience. Personally, though, I find such beauty in the idea of the seeds of faith being sowed in the youngest members of a community, and growing in a nurturing environment to blossom and bear fruit. A person knows God because God as always BEEN THERE – there has never been a day, a time, when God was not a part of their existence, and they accept that implicitly. “Teach a child in the way he should go, and He will not stray from it.” As G.K. Chesterton wrote – “there are two ways to get home, and one of them is to stay there.” The danger here lies only in the chance that faith never rises above “religion” (not that religion is a negative word, as it’s often portrayed) – or more accurately “ritual” and “culture”. Christianity is NOT a heritage, as one might claim to be an Italian, or bear the mark of a familial Roman nose. There is a Christian heritage, a Christian culture, but it is not what being “Christian” IS. Being a Christian implies an active faith, an active relationship both with our God and a community of believers (“Where two or more are gathered in my name, so also will I be”). God seeks us on a deeper level, and at some point – be it in small increments over time too gradual to pinpoint, or in jumps and starts in some dramatic, definitive way – that heritage of faith needs to be owned for yourself. Not because it was what you were taught by those around you, but because you believe it for yourself. And that’s where the two other means come into play.
Whether you start inside or outside a faith tradition, God "knocks at our door" in two ways: through our heads, or through our hearts. Logic or emotion. We often seem to be called in the way that most resonates with our personality (who WE are), but in reality, we are called based on who GOD is. God is love, He is not merely loving. God is the Word, logos, logic. He is not merely logical. Love and Reason. That is God.
For the thinkers among us, God calls us to Himself through logic. He plagues us with questions, planting a desire for answers. “Why are we here? How did we come to be? How do we reconcile science with faith? Who was Jesus historically, and what evidence, what documents, support his existence?” Reason can point us in the direction, put us on the path to truth, if we step back far enough to gain perspective. It is undeniable that Jesus and His followers existed. We know from outside sources (or “hostile witnesses” if you will) that Jesus performed unexplainable feats deemed “miracles” or “magic” even by skeptics. Our reason tells us then that we can either believe one of two things: Jesus is the Son of God that He claims to be, or He is a madman. Our logic can take us right to the foot of Jesus, but then it leaves us there. The last final step, the “conclusive proof”, the scientific certainty, cannot be. The last step is the leap of faith that takes us from the miracle worker or the madman, to the divinity of Christ. Where science ends, God begins. This also makes logical sense. Science is an understanding of our existence. We can comprehend only those things that are finite, that fit inside our brain. How can we possibly understand the infinite? If God is greater, then there is no way we can begin to completely understand – we can only attempt a glimpse. Science can tell us only the “how”, but not the “why” or “by whom”. In the end, we have faith. But it is not a blind faith, or an illogical faith. Because God is neither blind nor illogical.
Others find their way to God through their need, their desire, through their heart. The idea of God fulfills a longing placed there by the very Creator who can be the only one to fill it. We have a “God”-sized hole in our heart. It is a universal human desire to be loved. It sets us apart from mere animals. A dog might desire affection from it’s master, but it’s a need that’s fulfilled with a pat here and there, a thrown ball now and then. Humans desire to be LOVED perfectly, completely. Evolution has no means of explaining that uniquely human desire. As part of being human, we inherently know that there is a perfection SOMEWHERE, and our existence falls short of it. It is the reason we call out in despair “Jesus, I need you. Heal me.” And He responds. Often, this lends itself to a dramatic conversion experience, what some evangelicals might call being “born again”. But we must not fail to note that being “born again” in the Bible was explicitly referring to baptism, and not to an emotional conversion experience. One must be born of the water and the spirit. It seems to me that this way to faith, this emotional need or desire, is a means very much rooted in the present, the “here and now”. It runs the risk of losing all perspective and grounding, as emotions are volatile and subject to change.
Whichever path leads you to the Father, the important fact is only that you GET THERE. It’s evident, though, that one cannot exist without the other. Complete rationality cannot explain the magnanimous agape, the all-encompassing love our Creator has for us, and desires us to spill out to our fellow brothers. Emotion when not tempered with logic loses it’s theology and orthodoxy – the grounding which keeps us straying from the truth.
God draws us to Him, through Himself, love and logic. In a much more concrete sense, God drew all humanity to Himself in the physical embodiment of that self -- in the person of Jesus Christ.
The first is through an obedience to tradition – faith as passed on from those that came before. Some view this in a negative light, as if being born into the faith isn’t legitimate without a “born again” experience. Personally, though, I find such beauty in the idea of the seeds of faith being sowed in the youngest members of a community, and growing in a nurturing environment to blossom and bear fruit. A person knows God because God as always BEEN THERE – there has never been a day, a time, when God was not a part of their existence, and they accept that implicitly. “Teach a child in the way he should go, and He will not stray from it.” As G.K. Chesterton wrote – “there are two ways to get home, and one of them is to stay there.” The danger here lies only in the chance that faith never rises above “religion” (not that religion is a negative word, as it’s often portrayed) – or more accurately “ritual” and “culture”. Christianity is NOT a heritage, as one might claim to be an Italian, or bear the mark of a familial Roman nose. There is a Christian heritage, a Christian culture, but it is not what being “Christian” IS. Being a Christian implies an active faith, an active relationship both with our God and a community of believers (“Where two or more are gathered in my name, so also will I be”). God seeks us on a deeper level, and at some point – be it in small increments over time too gradual to pinpoint, or in jumps and starts in some dramatic, definitive way – that heritage of faith needs to be owned for yourself. Not because it was what you were taught by those around you, but because you believe it for yourself. And that’s where the two other means come into play.
Whether you start inside or outside a faith tradition, God "knocks at our door" in two ways: through our heads, or through our hearts. Logic or emotion. We often seem to be called in the way that most resonates with our personality (who WE are), but in reality, we are called based on who GOD is. God is love, He is not merely loving. God is the Word, logos, logic. He is not merely logical. Love and Reason. That is God.
For the thinkers among us, God calls us to Himself through logic. He plagues us with questions, planting a desire for answers. “Why are we here? How did we come to be? How do we reconcile science with faith? Who was Jesus historically, and what evidence, what documents, support his existence?” Reason can point us in the direction, put us on the path to truth, if we step back far enough to gain perspective. It is undeniable that Jesus and His followers existed. We know from outside sources (or “hostile witnesses” if you will) that Jesus performed unexplainable feats deemed “miracles” or “magic” even by skeptics. Our reason tells us then that we can either believe one of two things: Jesus is the Son of God that He claims to be, or He is a madman. Our logic can take us right to the foot of Jesus, but then it leaves us there. The last final step, the “conclusive proof”, the scientific certainty, cannot be. The last step is the leap of faith that takes us from the miracle worker or the madman, to the divinity of Christ. Where science ends, God begins. This also makes logical sense. Science is an understanding of our existence. We can comprehend only those things that are finite, that fit inside our brain. How can we possibly understand the infinite? If God is greater, then there is no way we can begin to completely understand – we can only attempt a glimpse. Science can tell us only the “how”, but not the “why” or “by whom”. In the end, we have faith. But it is not a blind faith, or an illogical faith. Because God is neither blind nor illogical.
Others find their way to God through their need, their desire, through their heart. The idea of God fulfills a longing placed there by the very Creator who can be the only one to fill it. We have a “God”-sized hole in our heart. It is a universal human desire to be loved. It sets us apart from mere animals. A dog might desire affection from it’s master, but it’s a need that’s fulfilled with a pat here and there, a thrown ball now and then. Humans desire to be LOVED perfectly, completely. Evolution has no means of explaining that uniquely human desire. As part of being human, we inherently know that there is a perfection SOMEWHERE, and our existence falls short of it. It is the reason we call out in despair “Jesus, I need you. Heal me.” And He responds. Often, this lends itself to a dramatic conversion experience, what some evangelicals might call being “born again”. But we must not fail to note that being “born again” in the Bible was explicitly referring to baptism, and not to an emotional conversion experience. One must be born of the water and the spirit. It seems to me that this way to faith, this emotional need or desire, is a means very much rooted in the present, the “here and now”. It runs the risk of losing all perspective and grounding, as emotions are volatile and subject to change.
Whichever path leads you to the Father, the important fact is only that you GET THERE. It’s evident, though, that one cannot exist without the other. Complete rationality cannot explain the magnanimous agape, the all-encompassing love our Creator has for us, and desires us to spill out to our fellow brothers. Emotion when not tempered with logic loses it’s theology and orthodoxy – the grounding which keeps us straying from the truth.
God draws us to Him, through Himself, love and logic. In a much more concrete sense, God drew all humanity to Himself in the physical embodiment of that self -- in the person of Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Catholicity
I am Catholic. It is the denomination of my heritage... my mother, my aunts and uncles, grandparents, and great-grandparents have all been Catholic. I am not sure how far back the links of this chain go; for certain back to the mining towns of Idaho, the Black Hills of South Dakota, the Battle of Little Big Horn, and before that -- across the distance of an ocean, back to the motherland of Germany. It was a gift given to me at birth, this heritage, and for this reason Catholicity is in my blood, and frames my way of viewing the world. It has only been as an adult, though, and through the loving questions of non-Catholics, and the skepticism of myself and others, that I have been led to become a Catholic in my head and in my heart. That I have been able to say that I choose this way of viewing the Truth that was revealed and entrusted to us by God. I choose this way of worshipping -- a way as old as Christianity itself. I know that every time I attend Mass, I am speaking the same words that billions have spoken before me through 2000 years of Christian history. They sang the same songs, partook of the same supper. I am part of a body of Christ that does not consist only of those of us who happen to be alive and walking around. I am a part of a communion of saints and believers that worship together still, even though their earthly eyes witnessed different eras. This is immensely comforting to me.
It may seem hypocritical to some (it does even to myself) that although I feel THIS Catholic, I have worshipped in the Lutheran Church for the past 10 years. I love my church, and the family it has become to me. I love the warmth of this congregation, and the Christian examples that inspire me daily. I love the sincerity of faith that is shown in humble people going about God's work. And I love the questions that have made me think and dig and research and challenge my heritage of Catholicty. There are very few people that know that, although I attend this church for many reasons, I don't consider myself Lutheran. I consider myself a Catholic attending a Lutheran church. I attend a Catholic church on Saturday and a Lutheran church on Sunday, and as I write this, it seems ridiculous. Choose one. Make a decision. It's more complicated than that, although I agree it shouldn't be. Part is resistance, part is fear - of the rift it would cause in my marriage, with my inlaws, with my friends. The gut anti-Catholic reaction in Protestantism is alive and well, I assure you. So I feel a "secret" Catholic, or a "closeted" Catholic. I feel that I am worshipping with hands containing four fingers instead of five - that the biggest thing that is WRONG with the Lutheran way of worship is that it lacks fullness, the completeness that I yearn for.
I go back to the Early Church, and I study the Church Fathers, and I know that that church was undeniably "catholic". It may have grown and morphed in appearance over time, but there it is in it's fledgling form. I see a sacramental view of the world, a theology that does not deny the POWER -- real, non-symbolic, actual POWER, through the grace of God -- that is granted to His church body. I see a depth of understanding of His word; not merely literal and fundamental, because if we take these words at only their surface meaning, we miss the wellspring of revelation beneath. I see liturgy that has remained essentially unchanged throughout history, and it is as if I hold the hands of the early martyrs and all that have gone before me when I participate in such a liturgy. I see apostolic succession. As I look into all the major Christian religions who claim apostolic succession (such as the Copts, and eastern Orthodox churches), I see their similarities, and know that those truths entrusted by the first Christians have been preserved and protected through out the ages, to remain intact. I also see how the history of God's people didn't end with the book of Revelation - it could continue to be written today. God didn't drop a book in our laps and leave. He's still HERE among us, with the Holy Spirit to guide us. I see, as I look back on this faith of my heritage, the frailty of the human being, how imperfect we are, and how we have failed our commission, failed our Covenant, repeatedly. But I know that God has not failed US. When Jesus said it would be a new and EVERLASTING covenant through His body and blood, I know that the powers of Satan infiltrating Christ's church cannot break that covenant. The love story God has with mankind is permanent.
So I stand at a crossroads - because I don't want to upset the cart, the peace, because I have been told that how things are is "good enough". Because I am afraid. Which is silly, but true. And I want my children to know the fullness of faith that I am finding. I want them to know TRUTH. Full truth. I want unification - not a "your" and "my" church, but OUR church, OUR way of worship. I want to be another link in the chain, and pass the gift on to my children, just as it was a gift given to me. I do not want this chain to end with me, especially not because I am AFRAID.
As G.K. Chesterton says, "There are two ways of getting home; and one of them is to stay there." Others, like myself, leave home, and go searching, only to one day turn around and find our answers in the very place we just left. We just need the perspective to see it.
It may seem hypocritical to some (it does even to myself) that although I feel THIS Catholic, I have worshipped in the Lutheran Church for the past 10 years. I love my church, and the family it has become to me. I love the warmth of this congregation, and the Christian examples that inspire me daily. I love the sincerity of faith that is shown in humble people going about God's work. And I love the questions that have made me think and dig and research and challenge my heritage of Catholicty. There are very few people that know that, although I attend this church for many reasons, I don't consider myself Lutheran. I consider myself a Catholic attending a Lutheran church. I attend a Catholic church on Saturday and a Lutheran church on Sunday, and as I write this, it seems ridiculous. Choose one. Make a decision. It's more complicated than that, although I agree it shouldn't be. Part is resistance, part is fear - of the rift it would cause in my marriage, with my inlaws, with my friends. The gut anti-Catholic reaction in Protestantism is alive and well, I assure you. So I feel a "secret" Catholic, or a "closeted" Catholic. I feel that I am worshipping with hands containing four fingers instead of five - that the biggest thing that is WRONG with the Lutheran way of worship is that it lacks fullness, the completeness that I yearn for.
I go back to the Early Church, and I study the Church Fathers, and I know that that church was undeniably "catholic". It may have grown and morphed in appearance over time, but there it is in it's fledgling form. I see a sacramental view of the world, a theology that does not deny the POWER -- real, non-symbolic, actual POWER, through the grace of God -- that is granted to His church body. I see a depth of understanding of His word; not merely literal and fundamental, because if we take these words at only their surface meaning, we miss the wellspring of revelation beneath. I see liturgy that has remained essentially unchanged throughout history, and it is as if I hold the hands of the early martyrs and all that have gone before me when I participate in such a liturgy. I see apostolic succession. As I look into all the major Christian religions who claim apostolic succession (such as the Copts, and eastern Orthodox churches), I see their similarities, and know that those truths entrusted by the first Christians have been preserved and protected through out the ages, to remain intact. I also see how the history of God's people didn't end with the book of Revelation - it could continue to be written today. God didn't drop a book in our laps and leave. He's still HERE among us, with the Holy Spirit to guide us. I see, as I look back on this faith of my heritage, the frailty of the human being, how imperfect we are, and how we have failed our commission, failed our Covenant, repeatedly. But I know that God has not failed US. When Jesus said it would be a new and EVERLASTING covenant through His body and blood, I know that the powers of Satan infiltrating Christ's church cannot break that covenant. The love story God has with mankind is permanent.
So I stand at a crossroads - because I don't want to upset the cart, the peace, because I have been told that how things are is "good enough". Because I am afraid. Which is silly, but true. And I want my children to know the fullness of faith that I am finding. I want them to know TRUTH. Full truth. I want unification - not a "your" and "my" church, but OUR church, OUR way of worship. I want to be another link in the chain, and pass the gift on to my children, just as it was a gift given to me. I do not want this chain to end with me, especially not because I am AFRAID.
As G.K. Chesterton says, "There are two ways of getting home; and one of them is to stay there." Others, like myself, leave home, and go searching, only to one day turn around and find our answers in the very place we just left. We just need the perspective to see it.
Fruits of the Spirit
Galatians 5:22-23 22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
The boys have been learning about the Fruits of the Spirit in Sunday school. It’s been wonderful listening to them rattle them off – it’s sinking in!! It’s also gotten me to thinking about what living a spirit-filled life LOOKS LIKE. What the world sees on the outside when God changes us on the inside. It’s not self-righteousness. Not condemnation. We shouldn’t become more stern, laugh less, have less patience with those around us because they aren’t living up to God’s standards. We are more acutely aware of ALL of that as we grow closer to God. That is true. But instead, as we truly become more in tune to how often we as humans fail our loving God – a fact that should rightly strike us with guilt – He grants us the grace to face that realization with JOY. And HOPE. Yes, we’re all sinners. Yes, this world is going astray. We know that – it’s been the way of humankind since Adam and Eve. We are frail, and weak, and make mistakes. But through God’s grace, as we grow ever mindful of these facts, the Spirit blesses us. Because through our darkness, we see the hope that the Light brings, and we rejoice in that! Thank God! There is a way out! And that faith, that hope in salvation, causes a blossoming, not a shriveling, inside of us. The fruit of that hope is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. THAT is what we need to portray to the world as Christians. We need to let the Spirit shine through us. Let us not portray ourselves as self-righteous, judgemental. We recognize evil, we call it for what it is, but our response is not one of condemnation, but LOVE. Because that is what Christ offers us. ALL of us, if we only accept that gift. And if we let the Spirit shine through our lives, those in darkness will flock to it like moths to a flame. We are called the share the Light with all. May the fruits of the Spirit in our lives be a beacon.
The boys have been learning about the Fruits of the Spirit in Sunday school. It’s been wonderful listening to them rattle them off – it’s sinking in!! It’s also gotten me to thinking about what living a spirit-filled life LOOKS LIKE. What the world sees on the outside when God changes us on the inside. It’s not self-righteousness. Not condemnation. We shouldn’t become more stern, laugh less, have less patience with those around us because they aren’t living up to God’s standards. We are more acutely aware of ALL of that as we grow closer to God. That is true. But instead, as we truly become more in tune to how often we as humans fail our loving God – a fact that should rightly strike us with guilt – He grants us the grace to face that realization with JOY. And HOPE. Yes, we’re all sinners. Yes, this world is going astray. We know that – it’s been the way of humankind since Adam and Eve. We are frail, and weak, and make mistakes. But through God’s grace, as we grow ever mindful of these facts, the Spirit blesses us. Because through our darkness, we see the hope that the Light brings, and we rejoice in that! Thank God! There is a way out! And that faith, that hope in salvation, causes a blossoming, not a shriveling, inside of us. The fruit of that hope is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. THAT is what we need to portray to the world as Christians. We need to let the Spirit shine through us. Let us not portray ourselves as self-righteous, judgemental. We recognize evil, we call it for what it is, but our response is not one of condemnation, but LOVE. Because that is what Christ offers us. ALL of us, if we only accept that gift. And if we let the Spirit shine through our lives, those in darkness will flock to it like moths to a flame. We are called the share the Light with all. May the fruits of the Spirit in our lives be a beacon.
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