Door-to-Door Evangelism (from an unlikely bunch)

 

Its an early Saturday morning in the month of November in Omaha Nebraska. Families are more likely doing one of two things: 1) they are ramping up to get to Lincoln to watch the Cornhuskers plan some football, or 2) they are at the grocery store stockpiling for their at home view of the game, planning to watch from the living room, their man-cave, or even their party garage. Either way, the state of Nebraska is getting ready for some football.

On that Saturday morning though, there happens to be some Churchy folk going down specific streets, Bibles in hand, offering the doors they visit a warm "hello" from their Pastor and an invitation to join in prayer or any number of activities available to gain a closer relationship with "the Lord."

Spoiler alert: these aren't Jehovah's Witnesses or Mormons. They aren't dressed in white shirt and tie, or 19th century recreations of Amish clothes. They are dressed in husker jackets, jeans, and are armed with bulletins and directories. They aren't offering conversions, or, perhaps they are offering reverisons though. They are Catholics.

(queue record stop sound effect)

Catholics going door to door? Catholic don't do that!

But some do. It's the recently created group at St. Robert Bellarmine Parish of Omaha, NE. Inspired by the recent book by Sherry Weddell, "Forming Intentional Disciples". The group, clever as could be, aptly named themselves "Forming Intentional Disciples". Novel, eh?

The group, at the direction and support of their Pastor, Fr. Steven Stillmunks, and under the leadership of Associate Pastor, Fr. Michael Voithofer, is set on going out on one Saturday per month to seek the existing members of their Parish. The intention is to go to their door and simply see how they are doing, invite them to a study group or other activity that fits their style, and ask them for prayers or any concern at all that we can bring back to the pastoral team.

Oops, I used the word "we" and totally blew my cover. The group wasn't my idea. I happened to call my great friend Sean Stevens one mid-summer night and he told me I should show up to their first meeting. That was summer 2013. Its now November. These Catholics take some time to get the old engine oiled up, eh?

Its a fabulous bunch.There are a number of people in the group but on our first day it was 6 going out. Sean Stevens is a self-employed shrink (I don't know how he feels about that title) who is married to a wonderful woman; they are parents to a college-age boy, Michael. Sean has said much on his blog about the formation of this group, read that here.  Beth Jareske is a mother of three, wife of one, and grandparent of several. She stays at home and helps build up her domestic Church day-by day. She is of the essence of life and happiness to me; indeed a special friend. Bill Beckman is the Archdiocese Director of Evangelism and Catechesis. This man, if you believe it, is the real Paul Bunyan. Though his hair flows with grace and some minor puff (he's going to kill me) and he doesn't have a beard, he appears to any as a 10 foot mammoth of a man, with a voice that ought to be used to preview movie trailers. He is a very merry man who knows his stuff. I hope to gain a lot of knowledge out of him in the coming future. Peter Matt, I know from the Parish golf league. A handy man with a passion for energizing others and bringing the gospel of life and forgiveness to all. He is a magnetic man with tough hands and a beautiful smile. Paul is the last. I know least about Paul. He is always urging others to attend the very popular "That Man is You" men's group at the Parish. He is a true champion for Christ in each way I can view him.

(Left to right: Peter, Fr. Michael, Bill, Sean, and Beth)

That's the group and what we do. More to come. More to learn.

Does your parish have a group like this? Are you interested in starting a group like this of your own? First, pick up the book. Second, pray about your mission and passion. Let God ignite your heard and the discern what it is you can do and make a plan. Then, execute. Contact me via this blog for any question, find me on Facebook or Google+. I am no expert on this, but I can find you the people who are. God Bless my friend.

Book Review: Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor

I was visiting my local Catholic bookstore here in Omaha, Nebraska to look for some reading on a subject for one of my papers this semester. As I was checking out I found Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor by Allen Hunt and immediately recognized the Dynamic Catholic logo. It was reasonably priced so I added it to my purchase and went home.

What interested me about this book immediately is that I am a convert from the mega church scene as well. It is a topic I have written and blogged about before as well. In my conversion the problems in the mega church scene permeated my convictions and added to the need to find something different. I might have discovered reasons against baseline Protestantism, but the rising mega church scene added to my level of discomfort and disconnect in my faith at the time. You can ask my wife, I swore to the idea of finding a small church, even going so far as to provoke the thought of starting my own house-church. Well, it’s funny how things happen when you say “I will never” to God; I ended up joining the biggest Church there is – the Catholic Church.

That’s a story from another day but it fits well with this review. Adam Hunt is the former pastor of one of the largest Methodist congregations in the U.S. His story is inviting and personal, but also one of teaching and examination of the real treasures and genius found in the Catholic Church. Allen opens the book in an interesting way – he builds a picture, chapter by chapter, of a house. Each with different rooms and scenes, from the kitchen to the front porch, Allen takes the reader on a narrative journey through his conversion process. Throughout this house the narrative pastorally browses the challenges he faced personally and doctrinally while providing lively ways he was convinced of the Catholic faith. He tells of personal trial in details that only friends give to each other. In detail, he tells of his struggle with colitis while at the same time takes on a study for his PhD. with Yale University. Incidentally to that, Allen befriends a Catholic priest who aids him in prayer and the friendship blossoms.

He confesses his main fears and ignorance about the Catholic Church as well. Meeting a group of nuns for the first time, he was assigned to teach them but ended up learning about the tougher teachings of the Real Presence in the Holy Communion and how our devotion to Mary or other Saints is not cultic and idolatrous. Of seemingly most important to his conversion story was the moral ground the Catholic Church stands on. In his “Family Cemetery” chapter he drives by an abortion cemetery and begins to question the moral relativity that his Methodist faith stands in. He might personally stand against abortion but his denomination could say otherwise. He discusses the inner workings of the democratic system his church uses to determine its position, relative to the stalwart and steadfast moral philosophy of the Catholic Church, whose position on life and social issues is immutable and unchanged.

The read is easy and can be finished quite quickly for the avid reader. At about 150 pages, the chapters are a breeze and I finished it going one chapter a day for a week. At the end he provides an appendix with challenges and choices for the lay Catholic and the non-Catholic as well. Overall, I really suggest this book to all. I do not easily give that sort of recommendation for a book, but this one makes the cut. It is thoughtful and engaging with an added dose of apologetics. I would compare it with Hahn’s Rome Sweet Home but slightly less rigorous apologetic explanations. It truly captures the pastoral love of Allen’s previous experience, and his thoughtful conversion to the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.   

Praying to the Saints [edit]

Edited and updated, from February 2012:

One of the oldest beliefs of Christians is the invocation of the Saints. Others might refer to this similarly as the “cloud of witnesses” or the "Communion of Saints." Before the close of the first century this became a prominent part of what is now known as the “Apostles Creed.” This creed is the oldest creed known to the primitive church and until the recent past, most Christian denominations held close to this creed and recited it regularly. The professions of faith in the creeds are not mere religious utterance – they are claims and beliefs that the early martyrs thought worthy of death and torture. Justin Martyr is a notable figure who was known for his many letters to the Caesar at the time, defending and clearing up the claims behind the notorious creed.

But many Christians most prominently the Protestant believers will say off hand that they believe in the Communion of Saints but toss away its true meaning. Now I must not write this with the reader thinking that what I am writing is a predominately Roman Catholic belief, it is, but the true meaning I will explain and defend is a belief of the most primitive of Christianity, and even the most primitive of the people of God. The more one study’s the primitive church, the more that person will come to see the Catholic Church as it still is today, unchanged, just as promised, “and the gates of hades will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). So let us explore the true and original meaning of the “Communion of Saints.”

I could begin by quoting the voluminous quotations from the ecclesiastical writers of the early church as to the beliefs of the intercessions of the angels and dead saints in our daily prayers, but since the Catholic Church and the Protestants have a common ally in the Bible I will start there. First, the reader should consider that the Angels and Saints in heaven do not hear and listen and understand the picture as we humans of flesh and blood do here on earth. We are confined to a small spectrum of frequencies recognized by our limited senses produced and interpreted by the body. I suppose there would be no one who would think man on earth is limitless. But those residing in heaven we know from scripture have much more clarity, communion with Gods plan, and more. James Gibbons, an early american apologist, Cardinal of the Church and Archbishop of Baltimore, compares this to the bird who is caged and then is suddenly released from its confinement and one his spirit rises into the air he can now see everything and his understanding is that much better. St. Paul writes, “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Cor 13:12). Think of this time we live in 2012 compared to only 200 years ago. If you lived back then and had a friend who said that in a short time, we will be able to communicate from San Francisco to New York instantaneously, that person would be called a fool, and today would be called a prophet. Not only can the message be understood, but recognition of that person’s voice can be distinguished and also today we have video calling where we can see everything. How hard is it to see that sort of capability here on earth and yet be led to believe that in heaven there are greater limitations – especially when concerning the body of Christ, which we have a personal guarantee from Himself that that body could not be broken and will last forever.

The Saints and Angels do intercede on our behalf in prayer.

As early as man has known God, man has known the angels. Let us not forget that man did not reside on earth as we know it in the beginning, but Eden was in some ways a perfect earth before the fall. The point is, the angels knew us, and us them. We see very early in sacred scripture that the Patriarch Joshua on his deathbed asks “may the angel who delivered me from all evils bless these boys” (Gen 48:16). Joshua was a man who God singularly blessed and Joshua surely could have asked for God alone to bless the children, but Joshua understood that it is useful to have others intercede on ones behalf as well. The Angel Raphael says in the Book of Tobit, “Now when you, Tobit, and Sarah prayed, it was I who presented the record of your prayer before the Glory of the Lord; and likewise whenever you used to bury the dead” (Tobit 12:12). How would the angel have presented the petition to the Lord if he could not hear the prayer? (you may also surely notice that I have included a reference from a book known as “apocryphal” but bear in mind that the six books included in a Catholic Bible are included in the Septuagint LXX which is quoted from every single New Testament writer and from the mouth of Jesus Himself – just a quick lesson on why the primitive church held close to 72 books, and not just 66 books which Martin Luther authorized according to his own doctrinal convenience). Back to the subject of Angels hearing our prayers. Our Lord spoke often about the angels. In Luke 15:10 he says that all the angels in heaven celebrate more for one sinner doing penance. But what is penance? It is an interior alteration of the heart and will. Therefore, the Saints are acquainted with the heavens – we do not know how – not only with actions and words, but with our very thoughts. I have to borrow a line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet “words without thought do not reach heaven.” What did St. Paul mean when he said “we are a spectacle to the world, to the angels, and to men”? It means as clearly as we can see others, those is heaven can as well (perhaps even more so).

We have discussed Angels which are easy to hold in high regard and it is somewhat more convincing to think them supernatural to us. But our Lord Jesus also says that we who enter heaven will be like the angelic spirits (Matt 22:30). Paul even says that we will have authority over the angels and judge them (1 Cor 6:3). That blows my mind to think of. We know that here on earth the Saints can intercede for us as Abraham petitioned God to save some from the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, and God replied gracefully, even though there were none righteous (Genesis 38). Moses also interceded with his arms raised while fighting off the Amalekites (Exodus 17). We see all over the Book of Acts and in the example of Jesus himself that we should pray for one another, asking God for blessings, mercy, healing, forgiveness, and even resurrection.

Now I ask you, how we as sinners can pray for one another and God to grant those petitions, why it is so hard to believe that the Saints in Heaven, in whom only charity abounds, cannot lend their prayers on our behalf? Is the power of the Saint relinquished only because they have passed into eternal glory? Or does an unbeliever in the Communion of Saints believe that the Saints in heaven are so caught up in the Glory of God that they are ignorant of their brethren on earth? Paul tells us in many places (not to ignore the quote I provided earlier) that we will have many responsibilities in heaven, and we see in revelation that the bowls are the prayers of the Saints which are delivered to God (Rev 8:4). In heaven charity is triumphant, and yet how can there be charity without mindfulness of those still on earth, especially when those who are in heaven know firsthand the travail Saints on earth experience?

I’ll borrow a quote from James Cardinal Gibbons once more. “To ask the prayers of our brethren in heaven is not only conformable to Holy Scripture, but is prompted by the instincts of our nature. The Catholic doctrine of the Communion of Saints robs death of its terrors, while the Reformers of the sixteenth century, in denying the Communion of Saints, not only inflicted a deadly wound on the creed, but also severed the tenderest chords of the human heart. They broke asunder the holy ties that unite heaven with earth – the soul in the flesh with the soul released from the flesh. If my brother leaves me to cross the sea I believe that he continues to pray for me. And I he crosses the narrow sea of death and lands on the shores of eternity, why should he not pray for me still? What does death destroy? The body. The soul still lives and moves and has its being It thinks and wills and remembers and loves. The dross of sin and selfishness and hatred are burned by the salutary fires of contrition, and nothing remains but the pure gold of charity.”

Even though it is charity and faithful to do so, to ask Saints to pray, and to pray with the Saints, other of a more Pharisaical nature will condemn you saying, “you dishonor God with your idol worship, and your make void the mediatorship of Jesus Christ. You put the creature above the Creator.” How groundless and objection. Though I once too believed so, I was ignorant and assumed too much about the Catholic faith. To dishonor God would be to pray to Saints independent of God, but such is not the teaching or the practice of a Catholic. We know true and well that God is the source of all good gifts, and His perfect will supersedes all. So when we ask a Saint to pray for us, we beg them in them to pray through the merits of Christ, while we ask Jesus to help up though His own merits. We pray always in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. But if this is all folly and useless then Jacob was wrong, and so was Paul, and what did Jesus mean? You deem it useful and pious to ask your pastor to pray for you. If St. Paul is with Jesus and Jesus can hear me can it not also be true that St. Paul can hear me? Speaking of Paul, do not forget how intact the body of Christ is after death and in this world as well. Think back to his revelation on the road to Damascus for Paul. When the spirit asked Paul why he was persecuting him, Paul asked who the voice was, and it was none other than Jesus. Now think a moment about this. Paul did not firsthand ever even meet Jesus in the flesh. Paul condemned and killed Jesus’ followers. I don’t think anyone has a better idea (and no one spoke more of it) of the meaning of the Body of Christ because of this occasion. See, Jesus is the body, and the body is in Jesus, and therefore when we persecute or are persecuted, Jesus is persecuted. How then can that body be separated in Heaven if it is also here on earth – as we know it as the Body of Christ? The answer is: it is not separated.

Remember that while the Catholic Church declares it necessary for salvation to pray to God, she merely asserts that it is “good and useful to invoke the saints” (Council of Trent, Sess. xxv). We ask them merely to pray to their God, which is our God, for the same things we ask each other here on earth to pray for.

I will not depart this topic without giving some more evidence that this is an original Christian teaching. It is no mere opinion of the modern or medieval Church or some "invented" doctrine. We can disagree about the interpretation of scripture, but I submit to you to consider what the earliest Christians recorded as common faith (which by the way is the very essence of the word Catholic, meaning “universal”). I don’t think there is a single Christian who doesn’t want to be in doctrinal communion with the apostles. The Catholic Church is the only who calls themselves “apostolic” because she claims that the teaching and the authority are handed down straight from the apostles of the NT. This is a tough one for a protestant but let me at least provide your with prominent names and quotes from the primitive church. Bear in mind that when I date these, the earliest Gospel I believed even by the most faithful scholars to be 90ad, so these writings have to be very primitive. I will let the reader decide then who nowadays is in conformance with the earliest Church fathers.

Hermas of Rome – 80ad

“But those who are weak and slothful hesitate to ask anything from the Lord. But the Lord is full of compassion and gives without fail to all to ask him. But having been strengthened by the holy angel, and having obtained from him such intercession, and not being slothful, why do you not ask understanding of the Lord, and receive it from him?”

St. Clement of Alexandria – 207ad

“In this way is the true Christian always pure for prayer. He also prays in the society of angels, as being already angelic of rank, and he is never out of their holy keeping; and though he pray alone, he has the choir of Saints standing with him.”

Early Christian Inscription – 250ad

“Blessed Sazon who aged nine years, may the true Christ receive your spirit in peace, and pray for us.”

St. Cyprian of Carthage – 250 AD

“Let us remember one another in concord and unanimity. Let us on both sides pray for one another. … that if any one of us, by the swiftness of divine condescension, shall go from here first, our love may continue in the presence of the Lord, and our prayers for our brothers and sisters not cease in the presence of the Father’s mercy.”

St. Augustine – 400ad

“It is true that Christians pay religious honor to the memory of the martyrs, both to excite us to imitate them, and to obtain a share in their merits and the assistance of their prayers.”

“For even the souls of the pious dead are not separated from the Church, which even now is the kingdom if Christ; otherwise there would be no remembrance made of them at the altar of God in the partaking in the Body of Christ, nor would it do any good in danger to run to baptism, that we might now pass from this life without it.” (City of God, 419ad).

Summa Blogologica - Question 3: Our God is a "Simple" God

 

The things below come from Question 3 of the Summa Theologiae, “Whether God is Simple.” They discuss many attributes of God, as does the great part of the Summa, all adding up to God being quite simple. You’ll soon understand what I mean. Here we go:

-----

God cannot have a body for a body is of matter and form. Matter and form are complimented by one other ingredient to make a body, which is the ability of change. Remember in the quinque viae (Five Proofs) that change was a proof of God, which made this “God” the necessary being for all other change in the world? That idea is important here for obvious reasons because God cannot undergo change (otherwise He would require a thing before and more powerful than Himself) and it directly shows why he does not have a body, by cause (a priori) and not effect (a posteriori).  [NOTE: think of a priori and a posteriori as evidence of something having happened prior to, and evidence of something having happened after, hence cause and effect]

Essence and nature are used interchangeably as terms, and God is the same as His essence or nature. Essence is what a thing “is”, e.g., humans have a nature that is “universal”. The argument against here is that God cannot be “in” Himself. That is, God does not have a body and so there is nothing to be in. However, God is just pure act, the prime mover, He is not like or akin to anything like a genus or species like offspring of another thing, He just is who He is and so whatever He is, is in fact, His very nature. “I am who I am.” Creatures receive their essence when they are created, but God was never created and so He never received his existence, but so instead He is His existence. This is a H.U.G.E. idea that the reader must remember going forward!

An accident is an external thing which is associated with a thing. For example, a hat has black color, it has its shape, its size, its smell, its taste. All of these things are accidents. So with God, we say that He has no accidents, obviously, because He does not have matter and form (hyle and morphe).

-----

In all of these ideas, as difficult to grasp as they might be, they make for what we refer to as the Simplicity of God. God is simple. Simple things are not complex. Complex things are made up of matter, form, accidents, bodies, … some have legs, eyes, DNA, proteins … but God has none of these. He might be infinite, powerful, and omniscient, but there are no complexities in God. God is simple! See?

Questions?

"The Pope is a Flaming Liberal"

Did you know the new Pope is a far left extremist? Well he said so himself. Yeah - he will turn the Catholic Church around and finally allow abortions, promote gay equality, and even allow women to become priests. Its crazy right?

Enter meme.

Yes it is crazy. I guess the world can also be convinced that the Pope is not a practicing Catholic either. You know by now that the media is making a huge deal of the latest interview from Pope Francis (CLICK HERE FOR FULL INTERVIEW). Sorry, you'll have to read a little (a lot). Its not short. If you want to save some time here is a short bit on what he said.

You should then proceed to read Jimmy Akin's blog about.

Now... I am not about reinventing the wheel. There are many things I can discuss in this blog but I choose not to discuss things if I feel I can just link the reader to a great source. So what I want to do here is quickly talk about the situation in a contemplative sense. What's that you say? Let me bring to you wonderful mind some nuggets to consider in listening to the media and going forward with Pope Francis.

The media is on a honeymoon with Pope Francis. He gives them more firepower with his off the cuff remarks. Francis is not as, lets say precise or considerate of what he says as his predecessor or his predecessor's predecessor. It really speaks to his humility when you think about it. From day one we have witnessed a Pope that doesn't care for a lavish life. The media soaked this up early and soon turned to malign or twist anything and everything he says. Now if a Pope makes a silly comment we need to know the difference between a Magisterial document and an interview.  Each week its as if there is new material to spin. It was the "who am I to judge" comment on gays. It was the comment about the Priori. Then it was the scribble of the atheist-being-saved comment. The fact is, our Holy Father isn't as careful to explain in context what he is saying and naturally much of what he says is interpretable.

Where with Blessed JPII and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI we were in a season of scholarship, we could and should consider the season to have changed to a season of humility and love. In Patrick Madrid's "Envoy for Christ", his other book "Search and Rescue" and still the newest "On a Mission" he re-re-re-re-re, and still more emphasizes LOVE, GENTLENESS, PRAYER, and HUMILITY. In Madrid's eyes, even if you would learn the world over and become a perfect Apologist and were capable of converting Satan himself, if you had not love, you are null, ineffective and all your efforts would be like a cake without icing. It just wouldn't be a cake. You'd have a convert, but not a real convert of the heart. There has to be both.

We are among very few generations who will live to see more than 2 or even 3 Popes. Let us be accepting and understanding of the benefits of that. 

Now what about the Catholics who are dissident to the Church? Those "rebels" who are public figures who claim the title of "Catholic" yet pick and choose which parts of the faith fit their lifestyle? For those faithful Catholics, these people at times anger us. But let me offer this to you if you think like that (which we all do from time to time): what about the vineyard workers who worked all day and earned the same as the hand hired in the last hour? Yes, this is a parable about those who are life long religious vexing those who convert in their last hour, but it works the same for those who accept and submit their entire lives to the Magisterium and those who just barely cut the quick. It might be a shame for them and an embarrassment to the Church but it says a great deal about the power of the first principal of the Church - Jesus is Lord and He has saved your life. The Kerygma.

There is so much more to say but I promised a friend I would make these short. You get the point though. There is a change of season. The Pope is not a far-left liberal Catholic. We must challenge wrongful teaching, but do so with humility and love. And finally we must first remember the power of truth and that some will get much of it and some will get little of it. What you must do is pray for them and if the opportunity comes you must love them.

EDIT: Guidance with the Gospels

Quickly, I mean to edit and improve the previous blog post with a little ditty I wrote:

Synthesis of the Major Teachings: Dei Verbum and the Document on the Pontifical Biblical Commission: INSTRUCTION CONCERNING THE HISTORICAL TRUTH OF THE GOSPELS.

Our Lord Jesus Christ entrusted His teachings to ordinary men but through His help and the Holy Spirit they became much more than men and after some time began to fully understand their purpose as well as the purposes of Jesus’ teachings and instructions to them. There are some phrases in the world which we hear throughout our lives and think of as commonplace but as soon as we discover they come from the lips of our Lord or the ink from an Apostle of Jesus, we suddenly hold those words and phrases without hesitation as immaculate and Holy. Our Lord gave us a Church that entrusted these teachings to His Apostles and indeed instructed them to teach them to others (Mt 28:20 NAB) but oddly enough never wrote a word and the Bible shows no explicit command to write. But they did.

Four of the Apostles wrote the Gospels doing their best to tell their audience about the Jesus they knew, each of them writing about the same Jesus. John, the one Jesus loved, wrote these words and the rest with a very personal feel and flow. Luke, the physician, writes in flavorful detail and diagnosis. Each of the other two have their personalities as well but they all teach of the same person, Jesus Christ.

With this our Mother Church holds steadfast on the historicity and inspiration of all four as Apostolic origin. In time the Church sorted out the accurate from the not, and assembled them in a symbolic order of the four creatures in Ezekiel and Revelation. We can trust our Church Fathers, why? Because Jesus did. We are His bride and as a perfect groom He promises to keep us from the gates of Hell (Mt 16:18 NAB), which if she fails to tell the Truth, the gates of Hades have certainly prevailed against her.

With this being said there is historical and practical value in the Gospels. The exegete, the one who critically explains the text, will need to keep in his interpretive tool box a few things in order to accurately and carefully, not to mention faithfully, execute his or her mission. First, the exegete must not rely on himself but on the Lord and the Church which is the pillar and bulwark of Truth. Next this individual must follow with the guidance of the Church and her Fathers and Doctors as to not contrive contrary teachings no matter how novel they are and to use the resources available to him/her. Finally, as the term implies, the exegete will use all means necessary to probe into the lives, the culture, and the depth to find deeper insight into the lives of those in and those who wrote the gospels in order to better discern their message and meaning.

Above all, the individual at hand must take heed to obey, observe, and offer his teachings in line with the magisterium of the Church. Let him/her not attempt novelty by straying from these teachings and Traditions for the mere sake of being novel and original. Such efforts are not of the Spirit, for the Spirit of God cannot lie and the promise from Jesus lips forbids and precludes the necessity of doing so, “The Advocate, the holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name – he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you” (Jn 14:26 NAB) and again the Lord urges, “But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth” (Jn 16:13 NAB).

Quick Remarks on the Gospels

A short message on the teachings of the Church on the Gospels.

 

Major Teachings: Dei Verbum and the Document on the Pontifical Biblical Commission.

Our Lord Jesus Christ entrusted His teachings to ordinary men but through His help and the Holy Spirit they became much more than men and after some time began to fully understand their purpose as well as the purposes of Jesus’ teachings and instructions to them. There are some phrases in the world which we hear throughout our lives and think of as commonplace but as soon as we discover they come from the lips of our Lord or the ink from an Apostle of Jesus, we suddenly hold those words and phrases without hesitation as immaculate and Holy. Our Lord gave us a Church that entrusted these teachings to His Apostles and indeed instructed them to teach them to others (Matthew 28:20 NAB) but oddly enough never wrote a word and the Bible shows no explicit command to write. But they did.

Four of the Apostles wrote the Gospels doing their best to tell their audience about the Jesus they knew, each of them writing about the same Jesus. John, the one Jesus loved, wrote these words and the rest with a very personal feel and flow. Luke, the physician, writes in flavorful detail and diagnosis. Each of the other two have their personalities as well but they all teach of the same person, Jesus Christ. With this our Mother Church holds steadfast on the historicity and inspiration of all four as Apostolic origin (Dei Verbum, 18). In time the Church sorted out the accurate from the not, and assembled them in a symbolic order of the four creatures in Ezekiel and Revelation. We can trust our Church Fathers, why? Because Jesus did. We are His bride and as a perfect groom He promises to keep us from the gates of Hell (Matthew 16:18 NAB), which if she fails to tell the Truth, the gates of Hades have certainly prevailed against her.

How does one follow Jesus?

Look, a cute baby:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now for the lesson (you can look at babies when you are done, I promise):

 

How does one follow Jesus? There are many ways, many perfect ways in which one can live their life as a follower of Jesus. Catholics have a good number of orders such as Franciscans, Dominicans, and others. These are disciplined and orderly successions of priests and laity following in the footsteps of their founders. One thing on common with all of these is discipleship.

In the Gospel of Mark there is a clear message of discipleship as Jesus recruits the Apostles. What we see when Jesus offers the Apostles the opportunity to follow Him is the perfect way in which one responds to the call of Jesus to discipleship.

As Jesus approaches and seeks out the first, being Simon and Andrew (1:16-18), James and John (1:19-20), we notice four distinct interactions: Jesus passing by, Jesus offering with “follow me”, the new disciples immediately responding leaving their nets, and following. The seeking, the offering, the leaving, and the following; four elements for discipleship in Christ. Notice Jesus, the Son of God seeking out individuals for His own discipleship. The same man that said if he is lifted up he will draw the whole world to Himself, sets out in the region to find the Apostles. They refer to Him as their rabbi. The usual rabbi would sit, Jesus would stand. The usual custom is for disciples to stand and listen, while the disciples of Jesus sat and asked questions if necessary. Perhaps this is one contributing reason to people thinking of Jesus approach as “a new teaching” or “one who teaching with His own authority.” Certainly following Jesus is not like following other teachers.

So the disciples respond in perfection: they immediately leave everything behind. But their leaving is not meaningless and Mark is gracious enough to supplement this for us. They leave for the purpose of following. Leaving with a purpose, following with faith. There is an Old Testament parallel to this scene. In 1 Kings 19 we see Elijah passing Elisha by, and offering discipleship in the manner of “throwing his mantle over him.” Elisha responds by catching up to Elijah (probably a little surprised by the gesture) and informing the prophet that he will say goodbye to his family and then will come and follow. Acceptable? I think so.  I mean, Jesus tells us to “count the cost” before following. Faith moves and if it moves fast, fine. If it moves with carefulness, fine. There is only one Peter, and he even needed some proof when His brother told him he believed he had found the messiah.

G.K. Chesterton says “no one comes to conversion at the same angle”. Mark the Evangelist is not recording this account like a journalist by leaving out some teaching or agenda. Instead he gives two accounts (1:16-18, 1:19-20) with the same pattern as if to say “look, this is the right way to do it!” Response to Jesus is a daily task in the truest meaning – and it can be one to be taken with some consideration – but the perfect disciple stands firm, saying “your will be done” or in the words of the Mother of God, “let it be done to me according to your will.”