I'm doing something I've never done before, which is start up the old computer while watching morning Mass on TV, so that I can criticize the sermon that I just heard.
For those not Catholic, here's the structure. There are usually two Bible readings during Mass, plus excerpts from one of the Psalms. The sermon (or homily) follows a reading from the Gospel. Those of you not Catholic can probably grasp quicker than it seems some priests do that the sermon follows the Gospel so that the priest can EXPLAIN THE GOSPEL.
I just listened to a sermon by a priest who I thought knows better, but obviously does not, that was one of the worst I have listened to. It referenced the Gospel not at ALL, except for a lame sentence added at the end. Instead, it sounded like a New Age sermon touting healing miracles.
How did this mistake happen? Here's the problem. Catholics correctly uplift and celebrate saints on their special days. It is correct because people need to hear practical real life inspiration by those who have been demonstrated to be in sanctified service to the Lord God. So I didn't mind mention of the virtues and life story of "today's saint." However, it went on too long, and then to my horror, as I expected the priest to FINALLY get around to um, you know, MENTION THE GOSPEL, he went into a detailed awe struck ridiculous detailing of the medical "miracle" of modern people who have been "cured" by their belief in the saint.
As a result we heard allllllllll about the doctors, the patient, the big old cancer boo-boo, about some nun who sucked on cigars to help a leper patient, blah, blah, blah. I'm glad I don't have breakfast before Mass because I'd have hurled.
I consider it a SIN to be a priest and to give a sermon that does not even mention, say nothing of actually explaining, the GOSPEL. The sermon in a Catholic Church is not a pep talk on whatever subject the priest thinks would be hip (or someone tells him to do, as I know happens). It is also, as the Gospel, a SACRED part of the Mass, as in the sermon the priest is actually imitating both Christ and his disciples, by EXPLAINING GOD.
Worse, if it can get any worse, the lack of connection between the Gospel reading and the blah blah blah about the people who have miraculous cures, help out the down and out, etc creates a false idea about the Gospel message in people's minds. They assume they are linked and they are not!
The Gospel today, about Lydia, who heard Paul, believed, was baptized and saved, was not about Lydia thinking "Hm, here are holy people. I better believe in them in case I need a miraculous cure someday." It is the OPPOSITE because many early believers had nothing but martyrdom for their faith to look forward to. Lydia believed because she knew the Truth, through the Holy Spirit, when she heard it. She didn't "invest" in "this God" in case Paul and the others would cough up a miracle, or "in case" she needed a miraculous cure. Yet, incredibly, this priest let that impression linger, and even basically said so at the end (the old saw that you never know who might come along with miraculous power, blah, blah, blah).
Look, you don't breathe air because you think someday a tank of oxygen might cure you in illness, do you? Each day you take a breath and think to yourself, "Well, I better keep breathing just in case one day I am sick and only a tank of oxygen falling out of the sky will save me." No, duh, you breathe each day because 1) you need to and 2) it is the correct thing to do all on its own (ie. the truth). Likewise you don't believe in God in case some miracle is needed someday, or because someone may OR MAY NOT have had a miraculous cure! You believe in God because like the air, God is the ever present reality.
Heaven help us. Do we not have enough problems?
Priests, you better make sure that your sermons address the Gospel. If not, why are you there?
Prayers for the priests who are somehow keeping their sanctified purpose in the midst of those who seem determined to lead them astray. Do not follow "self agenda" sermon giving priests as your example. You are there because of the Gospel and you are indeed even alive because of the Gospel. You better be helping the people understand THAT Gospel in each and every sermon that you give, period.
Showing posts with label sermons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sermons. Show all posts
Monday, May 10, 2010
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Excerpt from 1600 yr old Christmas sermon
St. John Chrysostom, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, born in Antioch, Syria lived from c. 347 to 407 and was famed for his preaching. Here is the first fifth or so of his Christmas morning sermon. So yes you are reading a Christmas sermon that is one thousand six hundred years old, spoken only a few hundred years after Jesus Christ lived.
I behold a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd's song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise. The Seraphim exalt His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He Who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised.
Bethlehem this day resembles heaven; hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices; and in the place of the sun, enfolds within itself on every side, the Sun of Justice. And ask not how: for where God wills, the order of nature yields. For He willed, He had the power, He descended, He redeemed; all things move in obedience to God. The day He Who is, is Born; and He Who is, becomes what He was not. For when He was God, He became man; yet not departing from the Godhead that is His. Nor yet by any loss of divinity became He man, nor through increase became He God from man; but being the Word He became flesh, His nature, because of impassibility, remaining unchanged.
When he was born the Jews denied His extraordinary birth; the Pharisees began to interpret falsely the Sacred Writings; the Scribes spoke in contradiction of that which they read. Herod sought Him out Who was born, not that he might adore, but to put Him to death. Today all things proclaim the opposite. For they have not been, that I speak with the psalmist, hidden from their children, in another generation (Ps. lxxvii. 4). And so the kings have come, and they have seen the heavenly King that has come upon the earth, not bringing with him Angels, nor Archangels, nor Thrones, nor Dominations, nor Powers, nor Principalities, but, treading a new and solitary path, He has come forth from a spotless womb.
Yet He has not forsaken His angels, nor left them deprived of His care, nor because of His Incarnation has he departed from the Godhead. And behold kings have come, that they might adore the heavenly King of glory; soldiers, that they might serve the Leader of the Hosts of Heaven; women, that they might adore Him Who was born of a woman so that He might change the pains of childbirth into joy; virgins, to the Son of the Virgin, beholding with joy, that He Who is the Giver of milk, Who has decreed that the fountains of the breast pour forth in ready streams, receives from a Virgin Mother the food of infancy; infants, that they might adore Him Who became a little child, so that out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings, He might perfect praise; children, to the Child Who raised up martyrs through the rage of Herod; men, to Him Who became man, that He might heal the miseries of His servants; shepherds, to the Good Shepherd Who has laid down His life for His sheep; priests, to Him Who has become a High Priest according to the order of Melchisedech; servants, to Him Who took upon Himself the form of a servant that He might bless our servitude with the reward of freedom (Phil. ii. 7); fishermen, to Him Who from amongst fishermen chose catchers of men; publicans, to Him Who from amongst then named a chosen Evangelist; sinful women, to Him Who exposed His Feet to the tears of the repentant; and that I may embrace them all together, all sinners have come, that they may look upon the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world.
Since therefore all rejoice, I too desire to rejoice. I too wish to share the choral dance, to celebrate the festival. But I take my part, not plucking the harp, nor shaking the Thyrsian staff, nor with the music of the pipes, nor holding a torch, but holding in my arms the cradle of Christ. For this is all my hope, this is my life, this my salvation, this my pipe, my harp. And bearing it I come, and having from its power received the gift of speech, I too, with the angels, sing: Glory to God in the Highest; and with the shepherds, and on earth peace to men of good will.
This day He Who was ineffably begotten of the Father, was for me born of the Virgin, in a way no tongue can tell. Begotten according to His nature before all ages from the Father: in what manner He knows Who has begotten Him; born again this day from the Virgin, above the order of nature, in what manner knoweth the power of the Holy Spirit. And His heavenly generation is true, and His generation here on earth is true. As God He is truly begotten of God; so also as man is He truly born from the Virgin. In heaven He alone is the Only-Begotten of the One God; on earth He alone is the Only-Begotten of the unique Virgin.
...
From "The Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers: A Manual of Preaching, Spiritual Reading and Meditation," Volume One, Translated and Edited by M. F. Toal, D.D., Ignatius Press, SF, 2000 (New Edition).
I behold a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd's song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise. The Seraphim exalt His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He Who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised.
Bethlehem this day resembles heaven; hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices; and in the place of the sun, enfolds within itself on every side, the Sun of Justice. And ask not how: for where God wills, the order of nature yields. For He willed, He had the power, He descended, He redeemed; all things move in obedience to God. The day He Who is, is Born; and He Who is, becomes what He was not. For when He was God, He became man; yet not departing from the Godhead that is His. Nor yet by any loss of divinity became He man, nor through increase became He God from man; but being the Word He became flesh, His nature, because of impassibility, remaining unchanged.
When he was born the Jews denied His extraordinary birth; the Pharisees began to interpret falsely the Sacred Writings; the Scribes spoke in contradiction of that which they read. Herod sought Him out Who was born, not that he might adore, but to put Him to death. Today all things proclaim the opposite. For they have not been, that I speak with the psalmist, hidden from their children, in another generation (Ps. lxxvii. 4). And so the kings have come, and they have seen the heavenly King that has come upon the earth, not bringing with him Angels, nor Archangels, nor Thrones, nor Dominations, nor Powers, nor Principalities, but, treading a new and solitary path, He has come forth from a spotless womb.
Yet He has not forsaken His angels, nor left them deprived of His care, nor because of His Incarnation has he departed from the Godhead. And behold kings have come, that they might adore the heavenly King of glory; soldiers, that they might serve the Leader of the Hosts of Heaven; women, that they might adore Him Who was born of a woman so that He might change the pains of childbirth into joy; virgins, to the Son of the Virgin, beholding with joy, that He Who is the Giver of milk, Who has decreed that the fountains of the breast pour forth in ready streams, receives from a Virgin Mother the food of infancy; infants, that they might adore Him Who became a little child, so that out of the mouth of infants and of sucklings, He might perfect praise; children, to the Child Who raised up martyrs through the rage of Herod; men, to Him Who became man, that He might heal the miseries of His servants; shepherds, to the Good Shepherd Who has laid down His life for His sheep; priests, to Him Who has become a High Priest according to the order of Melchisedech; servants, to Him Who took upon Himself the form of a servant that He might bless our servitude with the reward of freedom (Phil. ii. 7); fishermen, to Him Who from amongst fishermen chose catchers of men; publicans, to Him Who from amongst then named a chosen Evangelist; sinful women, to Him Who exposed His Feet to the tears of the repentant; and that I may embrace them all together, all sinners have come, that they may look upon the Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world.
Since therefore all rejoice, I too desire to rejoice. I too wish to share the choral dance, to celebrate the festival. But I take my part, not plucking the harp, nor shaking the Thyrsian staff, nor with the music of the pipes, nor holding a torch, but holding in my arms the cradle of Christ. For this is all my hope, this is my life, this my salvation, this my pipe, my harp. And bearing it I come, and having from its power received the gift of speech, I too, with the angels, sing: Glory to God in the Highest; and with the shepherds, and on earth peace to men of good will.
This day He Who was ineffably begotten of the Father, was for me born of the Virgin, in a way no tongue can tell. Begotten according to His nature before all ages from the Father: in what manner He knows Who has begotten Him; born again this day from the Virgin, above the order of nature, in what manner knoweth the power of the Holy Spirit. And His heavenly generation is true, and His generation here on earth is true. As God He is truly begotten of God; so also as man is He truly born from the Virgin. In heaven He alone is the Only-Begotten of the One God; on earth He alone is the Only-Begotten of the unique Virgin.
...
From "The Sunday Sermons of the Great Fathers: A Manual of Preaching, Spiritual Reading and Meditation," Volume One, Translated and Edited by M. F. Toal, D.D., Ignatius Press, SF, 2000 (New Edition).
Friday, December 12, 2008
Highly recommend Advent sermon about St. Paul
Here is another wonderful (and at the same time, very scholarly and thought provoking) sermon by Fr. Cantalamessa, the Pontifical Household preacher.
It is not just a moving sermon but one I'd call a spiritual chiropractor spine realignment, teaching those who read and revere St. Paul how to actually understand his full relationship with God and Jesus Christ. This has been a stumbling block for many Reformation children.
http://www.zenit.org/article-24546?l=english
It is not just a moving sermon but one I'd call a spiritual chiropractor spine realignment, teaching those who read and revere St. Paul how to actually understand his full relationship with God and Jesus Christ. This has been a stumbling block for many Reformation children.
http://www.zenit.org/article-24546?l=english
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Text of two Pope messages at Lourdes
Here is the text of his message at the Angelus:
http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=29328
(For those who are not Catholics, the Angelus can be thought of as mid-day prayers).
snip
At noon, when the first hours of the day are already beginning to weigh us down with fatigue, our availability and our generosity are renewed by the contemplation of Mary’s “yes”. This clear and unreserved “yes” is rooted in the mystery of Mary’s freedom, a total and entire freedom before God, completely separated from any complicity with sin, thanks to the privilege of her Immaculate Conception. This privilege given to Mary, which sets her apart from our common condition, does not distance her from us, but on the contrary, it brings her closer.
While sin divides, separating us from one another, Mary’s purity makes her infinitely close to our hearts, attentive to each of us and desirous of our true good. You see it here in Lourdes, as in all Marian shrines; immense crowds come thronging to Mary’s feet to entrust to her their most intimate thoughts, their most heartfelt wishes. That which many, either because of embarrassment or modesty, do not confide to their nearest and dearest, they confide to her who is all pure, to her Immaculate Heart: with simplicity, without frills, in truth. Before Mary, by virtue of her very purity, man does not hesitate to reveal his weakness, to express his questions and his doubts, to formulate his most secret hopes and desires. The Virgin Mary’s maternal love disarms all pride; it renders man capable of seeing himself as he is, and it inspires in him the desire to be converted so as to give glory to God.
And here is the text of Pope Benedict's homily:
http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=29327
snip
This is the great mystery that Mary also entrusts to us this morning, inviting us to turn towards her Son. In fact, it is significant that, during the first apparition to Bernadette, Mary begins the encounter with the sign of the Cross. More than a simple sign, it is an initiation into the mysteries of the faith that Bernadette receives from Mary. The sign of the Cross is a kind of synthesis of our faith, for it tells how much God loves us; it tells us that there is a love in this world that is stronger than death, stronger than our weaknesses and sins. The power of love is stronger than the evil which threatens us. It is this mystery of the universality of God’s love for men that Mary came to reveal here, in Lourdes. She invites all people of good will, all those who suffer in heart or body, to raise their eyes towards the Cross of Jesus, so as to discover there the source of life, the source of salvation.
The Church has received the mission of showing all people this loving face of God, manifested in Jesus Christ.
A homily is the "sermon" given during a Catholic Mass.
These are highly recommended readings because once again Pope Benedict XVI shows himself to be the loving instructor of the flock. He knows that people, even those with great belief, have failings in their knowledge and need to regain educational context for their faith. And so with every paragraph he does three things at once: he preaches, he explains and teaches, and he performs as the role model for the faith. If you read these two texts (and all future ones from him) and keep these three points in mind, you'll see for yourself how he is doing all of those essential tasks at once. For example, through his careful example and explanations, Pope Benedict corrects, without having to say a word about them, misconceptions that people have about the role of Mary and reinforce that Mary is totally about the primacy of God, to whom all worship is due and who holds all power, and the completeness of the role of Savior in and only in Jesus Christ. Pope Benedict demonstrates how he can frame the truthful context of God, Jesus, Mary, and the importance of the Cross so that misguided misconceptions simply fall away and do not have to be confronted.
Studying Pope Benedict and his writings and utterances in this way also helps when one reads the Bible. You see, Bible authors who recorded the true events in faith history were doing the same thing: preaching, instructing and establishing role models. It is much easier to understand Bible figures and also the saints and others who followed when you recognize those who are particularly gifted and conscientious, as is Pope Benedict, to do all of these three tasks at once that are essential to good faith formation.
Parents, you might want to think about this too in your relationship to your children, including in secular activities. Children develop the best when they understand at the same time: 1) what to do 2) why it is the way it is and 3) they can observe good role models.
I hope that you find this helpful.
http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=29328
(For those who are not Catholics, the Angelus can be thought of as mid-day prayers).
snip
At noon, when the first hours of the day are already beginning to weigh us down with fatigue, our availability and our generosity are renewed by the contemplation of Mary’s “yes”. This clear and unreserved “yes” is rooted in the mystery of Mary’s freedom, a total and entire freedom before God, completely separated from any complicity with sin, thanks to the privilege of her Immaculate Conception. This privilege given to Mary, which sets her apart from our common condition, does not distance her from us, but on the contrary, it brings her closer.
While sin divides, separating us from one another, Mary’s purity makes her infinitely close to our hearts, attentive to each of us and desirous of our true good. You see it here in Lourdes, as in all Marian shrines; immense crowds come thronging to Mary’s feet to entrust to her their most intimate thoughts, their most heartfelt wishes. That which many, either because of embarrassment or modesty, do not confide to their nearest and dearest, they confide to her who is all pure, to her Immaculate Heart: with simplicity, without frills, in truth. Before Mary, by virtue of her very purity, man does not hesitate to reveal his weakness, to express his questions and his doubts, to formulate his most secret hopes and desires. The Virgin Mary’s maternal love disarms all pride; it renders man capable of seeing himself as he is, and it inspires in him the desire to be converted so as to give glory to God.
And here is the text of Pope Benedict's homily:
http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=29327
snip
This is the great mystery that Mary also entrusts to us this morning, inviting us to turn towards her Son. In fact, it is significant that, during the first apparition to Bernadette, Mary begins the encounter with the sign of the Cross. More than a simple sign, it is an initiation into the mysteries of the faith that Bernadette receives from Mary. The sign of the Cross is a kind of synthesis of our faith, for it tells how much God loves us; it tells us that there is a love in this world that is stronger than death, stronger than our weaknesses and sins. The power of love is stronger than the evil which threatens us. It is this mystery of the universality of God’s love for men that Mary came to reveal here, in Lourdes. She invites all people of good will, all those who suffer in heart or body, to raise their eyes towards the Cross of Jesus, so as to discover there the source of life, the source of salvation.
The Church has received the mission of showing all people this loving face of God, manifested in Jesus Christ.
A homily is the "sermon" given during a Catholic Mass.
These are highly recommended readings because once again Pope Benedict XVI shows himself to be the loving instructor of the flock. He knows that people, even those with great belief, have failings in their knowledge and need to regain educational context for their faith. And so with every paragraph he does three things at once: he preaches, he explains and teaches, and he performs as the role model for the faith. If you read these two texts (and all future ones from him) and keep these three points in mind, you'll see for yourself how he is doing all of those essential tasks at once. For example, through his careful example and explanations, Pope Benedict corrects, without having to say a word about them, misconceptions that people have about the role of Mary and reinforce that Mary is totally about the primacy of God, to whom all worship is due and who holds all power, and the completeness of the role of Savior in and only in Jesus Christ. Pope Benedict demonstrates how he can frame the truthful context of God, Jesus, Mary, and the importance of the Cross so that misguided misconceptions simply fall away and do not have to be confronted.
Studying Pope Benedict and his writings and utterances in this way also helps when one reads the Bible. You see, Bible authors who recorded the true events in faith history were doing the same thing: preaching, instructing and establishing role models. It is much easier to understand Bible figures and also the saints and others who followed when you recognize those who are particularly gifted and conscientious, as is Pope Benedict, to do all of these three tasks at once that are essential to good faith formation.
Parents, you might want to think about this too in your relationship to your children, including in secular activities. Children develop the best when they understand at the same time: 1) what to do 2) why it is the way it is and 3) they can observe good role models.
I hope that you find this helpful.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Bible Reading: St. James 5:1-6
Come now, you rich, weep and howl over your miseries which will come upon you. Your riches have rotted, and your garments have become moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you, and will devour your flesh as the fire does. You have laid up treasure in the last days. Behold, the wages of the laborers who reaped your fields, which have been kept back by you unjustly, cry out; and their cry has entered into the ears of the Lord of Hosts. You have feasted upon earth, and you have nourished your hearts on dissipation in the day of slaughter. You have condemned and put to death the just, and he did not resist you.
***
This is from the Epistle of St. James the Apostle, who was one of the original twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. This is St. James "the lesser" (that means younger), not St. James the Greater, also an Apostle, whose memorial day is this week.
I hadn't intended to include a fire and brimstone kind of Bible reading tonight, but the book fell open to this section and I realized there are some good points I can make that touch on current topics (the Bible always has comfort and insight even for the most modern problems).
First, a little bit about St. James. Known as a pillar of the Christian community in the decades after Jesus, St. James also retained and demonstrated great knowledge of the Jewish roots in the Old Testament. He was the Bishop of Jerusalem, and is known to have been at the council of Jerusalem around the year 50. St. Paul consulted with him about the Gospel. He was esteemed by the Jews and called "James the Just," yet was nonetheless martyred by them in the spring of 62.
And so, you can read this letter, this Epistle written by the man who was also Bishop of Jerusalem, and see that there are elements that already demonstrate the "teaching" role of a bishop in his diocese. So you could view the section that I cite above as kind of the "fire and brimstone" part of one of his sermons as part of exhortation and instruction through his diocese. So you can see that already around three decades after the Lord Jesus Christ's death, resurrection and ascension, St. James was visibly performing a role that we see in Catholic bishops today. This is another example of the continuity of the Church as established by the Apostles and its organization. Think about it. Here is one of the Apostles, bishop of the city where Jesus had been crucified just several decades prior. St. James the Greater had been martyred (the first of the Apostles to so die) in the year 42, so it was a continually hazardous place, the city that was the very cradle of what would be the Catholic Church through the presence of Jesus Christ. I'll return to that point after first discussing some of the commentary about this passage that I'm citing here.
The most important point is that while it is vehement it is not an "anti the rich" sermon. It is an anti the unjustly rich sermon. St. James is criticizing the rich who do not pay the wages due to their employees and he is also criticizing the rich who hold money back when it could be put to good use. So this text cannot and should not be cited as justification for either side of the so called "prosperity Gospel" debate. It does not condemn people who are rich; it condemns the people who are unjustly rich. Likewise, though, it does not endorse being rich because of some argument that God wants people to make as much money as possible. Clearly St. James recognizes that morally correct wealth relies on fair and prompt payment to the workers and active use of the wealth for good and charitable purpose on earth. This is what he means by not storing it up, it rusts, and so forth. St. James is not saying that the rich cannot have holdings or savings. But he is strongly implying that their wealth must be refreshed and used in the community, and not hoarded.
Doesn't it make you wonder if there had been some scandal or some specific outrageous cheating of the poor workers by the wealthy that inspired this part of what sound much like a sermon? I point this out to remind you that yes, that was probably the case, just as how bishops speak out, often making real waves (like in the Eucharist controversies) in response to specific events within their diocese. The difference is that these would not be wealthy Christians that he is railing against, as in his flock, but these are more "social injustice" commentary toward wealthy merchants and landholders in Jerusalem. Remember, the early Christians, most especially the Apostles, were always simultaneously preaching to their early fledgling Christian flock and to evangelize and hope to convert the large majority around them of Jews and Gentiles. So early "sermons" by the Apostles always had two audiences at the same time: the small numbers of faithful believers and the huge numbers of those who still opposed them, or who had not heard and accepted the word yet.
This is why notice how very neatly St. James concludes this section with reference to "the just" who was condemned and put to death but did not "resist you." St. James is clearly aligning Jesus, who meekly and without resistance had everything, including his life, taken from him with the desperately poor workers who are deprived of their wages by people who do have the means to pay them. This is very astute preaching if you remember that indeed his audience would be both the converted but especially the not yet converted. This section is undoubtedly representative of his actual words on a number of occasions where he preached. You can also just with this small analysis of his words here understand how the Jews might have admired his sense of justice, hence giving him that nickname of "James the Just," yet still be driven to martyr him because of their disbelief in the Christian doctrine.
I hope that this is helpful at once again showing how a reader of scripture can glean a lot of insight into what it would have been like "looking over the shoulder" of Jesus' Apostle who became the first Bishop of Jerusalem. Returning to that topic, I want to remind you that what Jesus essentially said to Peter is that wherever you establish yourself, that is where I will build my church. So Peter, after a time as Bishop of Antioch, went to Rome, to the heart of the Empire to evangelize, and established the bishop's seat in Rome. Therefore as Bishop of Rome this is where Peter established the Church, and the Papacy. Jesus gave the physical placement of the heart of the future Church within a person, a man, to establish, not the sentimental or spiritual location. This is why Rome is the home of the Papacy and the Vatican, and not Jerusalem, where one might have otherwise assumed. I thought that comparing St. James being Bishop of Jerusalem with Peter's movement to Antioch and then Rome to be Bishop of Rome, and hence the first Pontiff, would make the organization of the very earliest Church and its continuity into its present form be easier to see and, honestly, to admire. Jesus knew what he was doing when he sent the Apostles out to become what would be the role models and actuality of bishops, while one man, Peter, would be the Vicar of Jesus Christ himself where he established his staff, which would be... Rome!
***
This is from the Epistle of St. James the Apostle, who was one of the original twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. This is St. James "the lesser" (that means younger), not St. James the Greater, also an Apostle, whose memorial day is this week.
I hadn't intended to include a fire and brimstone kind of Bible reading tonight, but the book fell open to this section and I realized there are some good points I can make that touch on current topics (the Bible always has comfort and insight even for the most modern problems).
First, a little bit about St. James. Known as a pillar of the Christian community in the decades after Jesus, St. James also retained and demonstrated great knowledge of the Jewish roots in the Old Testament. He was the Bishop of Jerusalem, and is known to have been at the council of Jerusalem around the year 50. St. Paul consulted with him about the Gospel. He was esteemed by the Jews and called "James the Just," yet was nonetheless martyred by them in the spring of 62.
And so, you can read this letter, this Epistle written by the man who was also Bishop of Jerusalem, and see that there are elements that already demonstrate the "teaching" role of a bishop in his diocese. So you could view the section that I cite above as kind of the "fire and brimstone" part of one of his sermons as part of exhortation and instruction through his diocese. So you can see that already around three decades after the Lord Jesus Christ's death, resurrection and ascension, St. James was visibly performing a role that we see in Catholic bishops today. This is another example of the continuity of the Church as established by the Apostles and its organization. Think about it. Here is one of the Apostles, bishop of the city where Jesus had been crucified just several decades prior. St. James the Greater had been martyred (the first of the Apostles to so die) in the year 42, so it was a continually hazardous place, the city that was the very cradle of what would be the Catholic Church through the presence of Jesus Christ. I'll return to that point after first discussing some of the commentary about this passage that I'm citing here.
The most important point is that while it is vehement it is not an "anti the rich" sermon. It is an anti the unjustly rich sermon. St. James is criticizing the rich who do not pay the wages due to their employees and he is also criticizing the rich who hold money back when it could be put to good use. So this text cannot and should not be cited as justification for either side of the so called "prosperity Gospel" debate. It does not condemn people who are rich; it condemns the people who are unjustly rich. Likewise, though, it does not endorse being rich because of some argument that God wants people to make as much money as possible. Clearly St. James recognizes that morally correct wealth relies on fair and prompt payment to the workers and active use of the wealth for good and charitable purpose on earth. This is what he means by not storing it up, it rusts, and so forth. St. James is not saying that the rich cannot have holdings or savings. But he is strongly implying that their wealth must be refreshed and used in the community, and not hoarded.
Doesn't it make you wonder if there had been some scandal or some specific outrageous cheating of the poor workers by the wealthy that inspired this part of what sound much like a sermon? I point this out to remind you that yes, that was probably the case, just as how bishops speak out, often making real waves (like in the Eucharist controversies) in response to specific events within their diocese. The difference is that these would not be wealthy Christians that he is railing against, as in his flock, but these are more "social injustice" commentary toward wealthy merchants and landholders in Jerusalem. Remember, the early Christians, most especially the Apostles, were always simultaneously preaching to their early fledgling Christian flock and to evangelize and hope to convert the large majority around them of Jews and Gentiles. So early "sermons" by the Apostles always had two audiences at the same time: the small numbers of faithful believers and the huge numbers of those who still opposed them, or who had not heard and accepted the word yet.
This is why notice how very neatly St. James concludes this section with reference to "the just" who was condemned and put to death but did not "resist you." St. James is clearly aligning Jesus, who meekly and without resistance had everything, including his life, taken from him with the desperately poor workers who are deprived of their wages by people who do have the means to pay them. This is very astute preaching if you remember that indeed his audience would be both the converted but especially the not yet converted. This section is undoubtedly representative of his actual words on a number of occasions where he preached. You can also just with this small analysis of his words here understand how the Jews might have admired his sense of justice, hence giving him that nickname of "James the Just," yet still be driven to martyr him because of their disbelief in the Christian doctrine.
I hope that this is helpful at once again showing how a reader of scripture can glean a lot of insight into what it would have been like "looking over the shoulder" of Jesus' Apostle who became the first Bishop of Jerusalem. Returning to that topic, I want to remind you that what Jesus essentially said to Peter is that wherever you establish yourself, that is where I will build my church. So Peter, after a time as Bishop of Antioch, went to Rome, to the heart of the Empire to evangelize, and established the bishop's seat in Rome. Therefore as Bishop of Rome this is where Peter established the Church, and the Papacy. Jesus gave the physical placement of the heart of the future Church within a person, a man, to establish, not the sentimental or spiritual location. This is why Rome is the home of the Papacy and the Vatican, and not Jerusalem, where one might have otherwise assumed. I thought that comparing St. James being Bishop of Jerusalem with Peter's movement to Antioch and then Rome to be Bishop of Rome, and hence the first Pontiff, would make the organization of the very earliest Church and its continuity into its present form be easier to see and, honestly, to admire. Jesus knew what he was doing when he sent the Apostles out to become what would be the role models and actuality of bishops, while one man, Peter, would be the Vicar of Jesus Christ himself where he established his staff, which would be... Rome!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Interesting St. Augustine sermon quote re belief
Still researching my original topic. Anyway, I wanted to share this quote from the great St. Augustine (354-430) from one of his sermons. I want to use it as a way to illustrate some of the faith and reason interpretive skills I've been teaching. He said:
The Church is spread throughout the whole world: all nations have the Church. Let no one deceive you; it is true, it is the Catholic Church. Christ we have not seen, but we have her; let us believe as regards Him. The Apostles, on the contrary, saw Him, but they believed as regards her. (Sermon 238).
Rather than just gliding over these sentences and thinking, "Well, that's a nice statement of faith," analyze it like a scholar. You can glean these observations by doing so:
1. During the 4Th century every nation (that is, all the nations that were known of at that time in history) had at least a few Catholic present.
2. Therefore, people who state that the faith does not exist are incorrect, because obviously there is a shared belief that has penetrated every nation, whether it be a small presence or a large one, the point is that the common belief is unified through all nations in some degree.
3. The basic premise of faith is the ability to believe what one has not physically seen, so he reiterates that the Catholic Church is the "see-able" part of the faith, since obviously they cannot see Jesus Christ, who passed from the earth several hundred years previously.
4. The Apostles had the ability to see Jesus Christ in person, while they had to "have faith" in the future Catholic Church.
See, from a few sentences you can get solid facts about Church and societal conditions at this time in faith history plus a very interesting observation about faith. I'm not sure many people have thought about the fact that the Apostles "had" Jesus right in front of them; they had to have "faith" in the future Catholic Church. People today have the Catholic Church, and have to have "faith" in Jesus, who they do not have physically present in their midst (and will not until the End of Days).
Slowing down and reading what someone writes, whether clerical or a layperson, from a point in time and not just glossing over it as just another thing to say gives real insights about not only that person's beliefs and assertions, but actually kind of a spyglass back into that point of time in human and faith history. This is similar to what I wrote two postings ago about St. Jerome's letter suggesting the making of alphabet blocks. Reading a saint's letters tell you something valuable about 1) his idea for a child's instruction and 2) this was a girl child he was advising, so it's not like the stereotype that no one cared about teaching and educating young girls at all. Without having an agenda he wrote this letter giving kindly advice to family friends, and thus modern readers get a glimpse into the much more nuanced behavior and attitudes of the 4Th century than people often assume.
The Church is spread throughout the whole world: all nations have the Church. Let no one deceive you; it is true, it is the Catholic Church. Christ we have not seen, but we have her; let us believe as regards Him. The Apostles, on the contrary, saw Him, but they believed as regards her. (Sermon 238).
Rather than just gliding over these sentences and thinking, "Well, that's a nice statement of faith," analyze it like a scholar. You can glean these observations by doing so:
1. During the 4Th century every nation (that is, all the nations that were known of at that time in history) had at least a few Catholic present.
2. Therefore, people who state that the faith does not exist are incorrect, because obviously there is a shared belief that has penetrated every nation, whether it be a small presence or a large one, the point is that the common belief is unified through all nations in some degree.
3. The basic premise of faith is the ability to believe what one has not physically seen, so he reiterates that the Catholic Church is the "see-able" part of the faith, since obviously they cannot see Jesus Christ, who passed from the earth several hundred years previously.
4. The Apostles had the ability to see Jesus Christ in person, while they had to "have faith" in the future Catholic Church.
See, from a few sentences you can get solid facts about Church and societal conditions at this time in faith history plus a very interesting observation about faith. I'm not sure many people have thought about the fact that the Apostles "had" Jesus right in front of them; they had to have "faith" in the future Catholic Church. People today have the Catholic Church, and have to have "faith" in Jesus, who they do not have physically present in their midst (and will not until the End of Days).
Slowing down and reading what someone writes, whether clerical or a layperson, from a point in time and not just glossing over it as just another thing to say gives real insights about not only that person's beliefs and assertions, but actually kind of a spyglass back into that point of time in human and faith history. This is similar to what I wrote two postings ago about St. Jerome's letter suggesting the making of alphabet blocks. Reading a saint's letters tell you something valuable about 1) his idea for a child's instruction and 2) this was a girl child he was advising, so it's not like the stereotype that no one cared about teaching and educating young girls at all. Without having an agenda he wrote this letter giving kindly advice to family friends, and thus modern readers get a glimpse into the much more nuanced behavior and attitudes of the 4Th century than people often assume.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
