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).

"Put your boobs away."

Anyone heard of Rocco Grimaldi? Perhaps not, unless you're a huge College Hockey fan, or follow the NHL draft. The man of the discussion is the 33rd Draft pick to the NHL's Florida Panthers, and a current Fighting Sioux forward (woot woot). This guy can thread a needle in the dark if you know what I mean (hockey metaphor). The most remarkable thing about this extremely talented young man is not the fact that he is touted as the next Johnathan Toews (take your pick from the megamix of talent coming from the ND Locker room), nay, the most remarkable thing about him is his devotion to God, Jesus, and the advancement of the Kingdom.

He isn't just about pretty words either; as most athletes stop at "I would like to thank God," no, this man preaches the whole Gospel - conviction, celebration, and hope. He is also a man who knows how to carry that cross. Some -who have nothing better to write about- have referred to his very recent Twitter remarks as "sexist" which we can see is a common reaction from that of an unbeliever. His "rants" were largely pointed at modesty and purity. He points out that "women are not an object for playing with" and "Guys, when did sleeping with every girl you can make you a man?" or "[girls,] when did being a beautiful girl become dressing with the least amount of clothes?"  .... The one that got him in trouble was "Ladies you can help us out big time. Put your boobs away..."

Yep, that is SEXIST!!! (#psych!!) lol

Click: yardbarker for a 'thoughtful' exposition where Rocco "gets all weird and religious on us" or puckdaddy for some twisted criticism of Rocco's choice of words.

We can call it unfair treatment, but the "world" is not a place for a Christian or a devout, outspoken athlete. We weren't made for this world. The "world" would be heralding this man if he was in support of LGBT or removal of DADT or DOMA, or if he were to drive a Prius and gave speeches for the rights of the "small majority." What a contradiction. Instead, people act as if his Twitter comments are an attack on the very civil rights of others. 

As my wife would say, it's a "travishamockery." But I will digress. We all know how the world treat Christians so I will not spend any more time talking about it. Instead, I will celebrate that the Lord Jesus has done an amazing work in this young mans life. Glory be to God that He has empowered a public figure to be a great example of the message of the Messiah. His words are that exact message:

"I'm not a Christian because I'm strong and have it all together. I'm a Christian because I'm weak and admit I need a savior."  

Amen. Carry your cross, too. Preach the whole Gospel. People don't know they need a mediator until they know they understand the Law.

Now for fun: