I recently watched a video by a well-meaning individual. She was applauded as if she told her viewers something significant. I don't understand the response. The woman simply read a bunch of contextually unrelated scriptures and said she had proved her point. I couldn't figure out what the point was supposed to be.
I guess, for me, there has to be some intellectual basis for a claim that you are explaining something. I don't pull scriptures out of their original context and intent because that seems presumptuous on my part. Even if I ascribed to the idea that each person can interpret scripture to their own desire, it would not make the YouTube ramblings of many coherent.
The woman on this video claimed to be explaining the difference between God's peace, joy, light, etc. and Satan's counterfeit version. She quoted scriptures, said that shows it, and moved on to the next "point" without ever explaining the first one. I read the scriptures and put them in context, but even out of context, the "point" never revealed itself.
I knew another woman who proclaimed herself a pastor, prophet, and healer. She frequently posts scriptures which she uses improperly. We used to be friends. I used to make little comments to put the scriptures she quoted in context. She became very angry with me for pointing out what is obvious to anyone who thinks about it for more than three seconds. She was frequently told how "insightful" she was, even though all she did was take scriptures from their original context and apply them to something unrelated.
The only thing I can figure is that, if you are a protestant, all that is required for people to applaud your "knowledge" is that you quote some scriptures. It doesn't matter if they have anything to do with what you are saying. You don't have to form a cogent intellectual argument. Just quote the Bible and you will be applauded for your "insight".
The only insight I gained is the sure knowledge that I was correct in leaving Protestantism behind. Unfortunately, many people leave Christianity behind entirely because they can't see why they should blindly follow such ideas. I personally could not check my brain at the door to simply go along with everything I saw and heard behind the doors of the protestant church.
In Jesus Christ, in the Gospel, truth and faith were one. I found that the Catholic faith, as it is taught in the Church's magisterium, touches on intellect, the spiritual person, and the physical person.
It is good to study scripture. It is good to be able to appropriately quote scripture. It is an insult to use scripture improperly to garner attention for yourself. It is an insult to God to applaud those who improperly use His word. He gave us brains so that we could use them intelligently!
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Saturday, April 2, 2016
Easter after being in Israel
Last Autumn, my husband and I went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land (Israel). We had always wanted to go, and really looked forward to the trip, but we were unprepared for the ways in which we would be irrevocably changed by the experience. (We were also unprepared for the sheer volume of walking, but that is another story)
We arrived in Tel Aviv after a very long flight. The airport was massive, but we managed to get through customs and collect our baggage with no hitches. Then, we met a man from the travel agency which was handling our trip, who introduced us to our tour guide for the duration. We were incredibly blessed to have as our tour guide, Makhoul, who was formerly an archaeologist for Israel's department of antiquities.
We arrived at our hotel, and the atmosphere was warm; we felt at home with the staff right away. During our stay, we had some thought-provoking conversations with the staff and learned much about the living situation for Israelis. People in the US cannot imagine the impact of racial/religious tension in Israel. It is simply an everyday struggle for many, one they would like to see come to a end. The more radical elements of each group complicate matters for those who desire peace. Peace is never taken for granted in this land, it is greatly desired and sought after.
Peace became the theme of our trip. Peace among men. Peace with God.
We went to Jerusalem and entered the palace (now underground and still being excavated) where Pilate tried Jesus and condemned Him to death; we stood in the very place they put His cross upon His back, the place Jesus began His walk to Golgatha. We saw many sights in Jerusalem, visited churches and chapels which had been erected hundreds (often more than 1,000) of years ago to commemorate the life of Jesus. We saw the pool where He healed the lame man, we walked the Via Dolorosa. We climbed to the place Jesus' cross was erected and saw the bedrock riven by the earthquake when He died. You cannot imagine the impact it has unless you have been there. Another day, we walked the Palm Sunday Road. We saw the place Jesus stood and wept over Jerusalem, the Garden of Gethsemane where silent witnesses (the olive trees) still stand living, many 3,000 years old. We touched the rock where Jesus prayed in agony as He took on the world's sin. We stood in the cistern (next to a basement torture chamber) in Caiphus' house, where they lowered Jesus to spend a night in total darkness. We entered the Upper Room where Jesus instituted the Eucharist and tried to prepare his disciples for what was about to happen. Everywhere, we could smell the scent of olive trees, rosemary, and date palms. The fragrance of Bouganvilea mingled with those fragrances along with aloes and mustard and mints in many places.
The memory of these places, the sounds, the smells, came back so powerfully as I listened to the Gospel readings on Holy Week. I understand in a whole new way what Jesus went through during His Passion. Having seen and knowing as never before, I still cannot comprehend why God did what He did nearly 2,000 years ago. I know that I am more in awe of the sacrifice, amazed at the economy of His every word and action, deeply touched by the simplicity in which He conveyed deep things to the people He spoke with. Most of all, am grateful for the peace I experience in my soul. I am at peace with God as never before, and most of the time I am peace with all those around me. This is what it was all for. For each of us to experience peace with God, peace with ourselves. We are meant to understand our unique worth in the eyes of our maker and in the eyes of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We are meant to grow and prosper in that peace. If there is any way in which I can repay a small portion of the love that has been given to me, I want to do that.
Many I know think that Catholics believe that we can somehow earn Heaven by the things we do. We do not. We know that Jesus did what only God could do for us. We also know that God considers every act of charity we offer other people to be an act of kindness toward Him. As we walk through this life, we seek to cooperate with the grace that can perfect us and make us exactly what God wants us to be.
Easter will never be the same. Peace has never been so perfect in me.
We arrived in Tel Aviv after a very long flight. The airport was massive, but we managed to get through customs and collect our baggage with no hitches. Then, we met a man from the travel agency which was handling our trip, who introduced us to our tour guide for the duration. We were incredibly blessed to have as our tour guide, Makhoul, who was formerly an archaeologist for Israel's department of antiquities.
We arrived at our hotel, and the atmosphere was warm; we felt at home with the staff right away. During our stay, we had some thought-provoking conversations with the staff and learned much about the living situation for Israelis. People in the US cannot imagine the impact of racial/religious tension in Israel. It is simply an everyday struggle for many, one they would like to see come to a end. The more radical elements of each group complicate matters for those who desire peace. Peace is never taken for granted in this land, it is greatly desired and sought after.
Peace became the theme of our trip. Peace among men. Peace with God.
We went to Jerusalem and entered the palace (now underground and still being excavated) where Pilate tried Jesus and condemned Him to death; we stood in the very place they put His cross upon His back, the place Jesus began His walk to Golgatha. We saw many sights in Jerusalem, visited churches and chapels which had been erected hundreds (often more than 1,000) of years ago to commemorate the life of Jesus. We saw the pool where He healed the lame man, we walked the Via Dolorosa. We climbed to the place Jesus' cross was erected and saw the bedrock riven by the earthquake when He died. You cannot imagine the impact it has unless you have been there. Another day, we walked the Palm Sunday Road. We saw the place Jesus stood and wept over Jerusalem, the Garden of Gethsemane where silent witnesses (the olive trees) still stand living, many 3,000 years old. We touched the rock where Jesus prayed in agony as He took on the world's sin. We stood in the cistern (next to a basement torture chamber) in Caiphus' house, where they lowered Jesus to spend a night in total darkness. We entered the Upper Room where Jesus instituted the Eucharist and tried to prepare his disciples for what was about to happen. Everywhere, we could smell the scent of olive trees, rosemary, and date palms. The fragrance of Bouganvilea mingled with those fragrances along with aloes and mustard and mints in many places.
The memory of these places, the sounds, the smells, came back so powerfully as I listened to the Gospel readings on Holy Week. I understand in a whole new way what Jesus went through during His Passion. Having seen and knowing as never before, I still cannot comprehend why God did what He did nearly 2,000 years ago. I know that I am more in awe of the sacrifice, amazed at the economy of His every word and action, deeply touched by the simplicity in which He conveyed deep things to the people He spoke with. Most of all, am grateful for the peace I experience in my soul. I am at peace with God as never before, and most of the time I am peace with all those around me. This is what it was all for. For each of us to experience peace with God, peace with ourselves. We are meant to understand our unique worth in the eyes of our maker and in the eyes of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We are meant to grow and prosper in that peace. If there is any way in which I can repay a small portion of the love that has been given to me, I want to do that.
Many I know think that Catholics believe that we can somehow earn Heaven by the things we do. We do not. We know that Jesus did what only God could do for us. We also know that God considers every act of charity we offer other people to be an act of kindness toward Him. As we walk through this life, we seek to cooperate with the grace that can perfect us and make us exactly what God wants us to be.
Easter will never be the same. Peace has never been so perfect in me.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Reasonable and Religious
I have noticed the trend where people believe that having faith means that one is unreasonable. I strongly object to this kind of accusation. I am both reasonable and a person of faith.
The thing I hear most often is that Christians ignore science and think that the world is only a few thousand years old. I can assure you that most Christians do not think this way. That particular oddity arose from people saying that the Bible is 100% accurate. In actuality, that is one of those "yes" and "no" propositions. Is the Bible the word of God and does it accurately relate the things God has revealed about himself to humans? Yes. Is the Bible historically complete and scientifically accurate? No. There are a lot of events in ancient history which were not included in the Bible. The Bible was never intended to be scientifically accurate.
The best way to look at the Bible (scripture) is to consider some important things about the context in which it is written. The first thing to recognize is that it has numerous human authors spread out over centuries and geographical areas. The author of each book wrote based upon his understanding of the world around him, his cultural conditions, the circumstances in which he lived, and with a particular audience and purpose in mind. Thus, we have to ask some questions; Who wrote this? When did this person write it? Who was he writing to? Why did he write it? Where did he live? What was the historical context of this person's life? What style of literature is this?
When we look at the text critically, we can discover the underlying truths that the author wanted us to get at. For example, Genesis was a written account of stories which had been passed down for many centuries. The book is sometimes allegory and sometimes takes a historical tone. The purpose is to set down a narrative of man's relationship to God in creation and specifically to set down a historical sketch of the Jewish people. The essential truth of the creation story is that God created everything from nothing. That does not go against reason, for science has proven that there was a time when nothing existed. The creation story describes living things of increasing complexity coming into existence. This is not counter to the fossil record. Did these things occur in six days as we currently recon them? I doubt we are meant to view it this way, as the literature takes the form common to allegorical poetry of its time. That which is true remains true.
Another thing to remember is that the genealogies in Genesis commonly skipped generations. A person who is listed as 'begat' by someone could be a grandson or great-grandson. Just as we may have a hard time recalling more than a few generations of our family tree, over centuries the most notable would have been the ones most easily recalled. The writer wasn't trying to be evasive or dishonest, he was just listing everyone he could think of from the stories his family passed down. That doesn't make what he said untrue. It is only as complete as the collective memories of centuries worth of ancestors. Even without the full genealogy, we can sense that there was a progression from common notable ancestors to the people the book was written for (the Jewish people).
These are just two examples of ways in which we can make an honest textual criticism of what we read. Considering the context helps us to glean important ideas from the text. The themes of scripture include the important aspects of our faith. We believe that God is an eternal being who is the cause of all existence. We believe He directed creation and designed people to be in relationship with Him. People broke faith with Him. God promised to send a redeemer who would make the way for man's relationship with Him to be repaired. God came to earth as a man in the person of Jesus. Jesus taught people how to live rightly and made of Himself an eternal sacrifice which would give all people peace with God. Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to many people, thus establishing that He was, indeed who He claimed to be. He taught his followers how to be in communion with him and how to bring others into that relationship.
If one studies scripture about these things, one can find the patterns and themes that constantly weave themselves through the Bible. There is a consistent message throughout. Many things that appeared contradictory to me at one time have become easier to understand as I consider the human role in writing scripture.
Yes, I believe scripture is the Word of God. Yes, I believe that truths about God can be gleaned from its pages. No, I do not believe that every word is meant to be taken literally. It seems apparent to me that the writers did not intend this to be so.
With that said, I believe that we have many excellent guides to understanding the scriptures, including the early Church Fathers and historians.
One does not have to ignore his rational side to be a person of faith. Nothing that has been discovered by science reverses the truths I can observe about God by study and by experience. I am certain that faith has made me a better individual. Even if one ignores the spiritual implications, one cannot deny the good that is associated with those who follow their Christian beliefs faithfully. No one can be faulted for being loving, self controlled, charitable, kind and faithful. Individuals who do not display such virtue are not acting the way that Christians should. I hope that we will be judged by those who are striving to live up to the ideals of our faith rather than by those who are Christian only in name.
The thing I hear most often is that Christians ignore science and think that the world is only a few thousand years old. I can assure you that most Christians do not think this way. That particular oddity arose from people saying that the Bible is 100% accurate. In actuality, that is one of those "yes" and "no" propositions. Is the Bible the word of God and does it accurately relate the things God has revealed about himself to humans? Yes. Is the Bible historically complete and scientifically accurate? No. There are a lot of events in ancient history which were not included in the Bible. The Bible was never intended to be scientifically accurate.
The best way to look at the Bible (scripture) is to consider some important things about the context in which it is written. The first thing to recognize is that it has numerous human authors spread out over centuries and geographical areas. The author of each book wrote based upon his understanding of the world around him, his cultural conditions, the circumstances in which he lived, and with a particular audience and purpose in mind. Thus, we have to ask some questions; Who wrote this? When did this person write it? Who was he writing to? Why did he write it? Where did he live? What was the historical context of this person's life? What style of literature is this?
When we look at the text critically, we can discover the underlying truths that the author wanted us to get at. For example, Genesis was a written account of stories which had been passed down for many centuries. The book is sometimes allegory and sometimes takes a historical tone. The purpose is to set down a narrative of man's relationship to God in creation and specifically to set down a historical sketch of the Jewish people. The essential truth of the creation story is that God created everything from nothing. That does not go against reason, for science has proven that there was a time when nothing existed. The creation story describes living things of increasing complexity coming into existence. This is not counter to the fossil record. Did these things occur in six days as we currently recon them? I doubt we are meant to view it this way, as the literature takes the form common to allegorical poetry of its time. That which is true remains true.
Another thing to remember is that the genealogies in Genesis commonly skipped generations. A person who is listed as 'begat' by someone could be a grandson or great-grandson. Just as we may have a hard time recalling more than a few generations of our family tree, over centuries the most notable would have been the ones most easily recalled. The writer wasn't trying to be evasive or dishonest, he was just listing everyone he could think of from the stories his family passed down. That doesn't make what he said untrue. It is only as complete as the collective memories of centuries worth of ancestors. Even without the full genealogy, we can sense that there was a progression from common notable ancestors to the people the book was written for (the Jewish people).
These are just two examples of ways in which we can make an honest textual criticism of what we read. Considering the context helps us to glean important ideas from the text. The themes of scripture include the important aspects of our faith. We believe that God is an eternal being who is the cause of all existence. We believe He directed creation and designed people to be in relationship with Him. People broke faith with Him. God promised to send a redeemer who would make the way for man's relationship with Him to be repaired. God came to earth as a man in the person of Jesus. Jesus taught people how to live rightly and made of Himself an eternal sacrifice which would give all people peace with God. Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to many people, thus establishing that He was, indeed who He claimed to be. He taught his followers how to be in communion with him and how to bring others into that relationship.
If one studies scripture about these things, one can find the patterns and themes that constantly weave themselves through the Bible. There is a consistent message throughout. Many things that appeared contradictory to me at one time have become easier to understand as I consider the human role in writing scripture.
Yes, I believe scripture is the Word of God. Yes, I believe that truths about God can be gleaned from its pages. No, I do not believe that every word is meant to be taken literally. It seems apparent to me that the writers did not intend this to be so.
With that said, I believe that we have many excellent guides to understanding the scriptures, including the early Church Fathers and historians.
One does not have to ignore his rational side to be a person of faith. Nothing that has been discovered by science reverses the truths I can observe about God by study and by experience. I am certain that faith has made me a better individual. Even if one ignores the spiritual implications, one cannot deny the good that is associated with those who follow their Christian beliefs faithfully. No one can be faulted for being loving, self controlled, charitable, kind and faithful. Individuals who do not display such virtue are not acting the way that Christians should. I hope that we will be judged by those who are striving to live up to the ideals of our faith rather than by those who are Christian only in name.
Monday, September 28, 2015
Commonly Misunderstood
I find myself in an interesting position; I was baptized into the Catholic Church as an infant, spent my formative years and young adulthood in Protestant churches, then came back to the Catholic Church as an adult. Being a Catholic in the United States is an interesting position to be in. So many people have seen the tracts put out by Jack Chick, Dan Brown's books, and numerous other publications that paint a less than glowing picture of Catholicism. Add to that the fact that there have been individuals who have brought public scandal, and an American Catholic finds herself frequently questioned about her beliefs and the Church she is a part of. There are a number of Catholics who do not understand the teachings of the Church and how they are applied to our lives, leaving many questions unanswered.
The most frequent question: what do you actually believe? The best place to go to understand the core of the Church's teachings in her Creed
http://www.beginningcatholic.com/apostles-creed.html
The next most frequent question, or rather accusation, is that Catholics worship Mary. This stems from a near complete misunderstanding of the Old Testament, particularly those pertaining to temple regulations. We find in the Old Testament that the Ark of the Covenant is where God chooses to show His presence. The Ark had to be pure, and if any person who was not pure (right with God and granted permission) touched the Ark, he or she would die because the holiness of God would consume them (I Chronicles 13: 9-10. This is hard to make an analogy of, except maybe if you think about the way that evildoers respond to Ghost Rider if he looks them in the eye. They are actually consumed by their own guilt. Understanding that sets the stage for understanding Mary and her role in the incarnation of Christ. In order for God Himself to dwell within Mary, it was necessary for her to be completely free of sin and of the hereditary taint of original sin. God did something unique with her. God, not being bound by time, granted the effects of salvation to Mary from the time of her conception. She was born without original sin, like Eve had been before the fall. Mary, however, cooperated with God's calling on her life and never fell into sin. Because of this, when Mary consented with God's will to conceive His Son in her through the Holy Spirit,(Luke 1:38) she was a worthy vessel. If Mary had not been a worthy vessel, the presence of God within her would have consumed her, causing her to die. Therefore, if Mary was not a virgin, free of sin, then Jesus could not possibly be God. There is no other way to look at it if one believes that what was revealed partially in the Old Testament was fulfilled and fully revealed in the New Testament. The other side of the coin is this; in order for one to state unequivicably that Jesus was the Son of God from conception, one must believe that Mary was His human mother. That it why she is given the title Mother of God. It is not that Mary preceded or created God; she gave her humanity to the Son of God who was conceived in her. She was Jesus' human mother and God himself was His divine father, thus Jesus possessed humanity and divinity simultaneously. This is a very important tenet of Christianity. Thus, when Catholics state what they believe about Mary, they are affirming what they believe about Jesus' nature.
That now brings me to the frequent charge that Catholics are idol worshippers, worshipping saints and their images. This is another misunderstanding. We do not give worship to any created being, not even a saint. We do believe that those who died in faith are alive in Heaven, however. Such saints are worthy of respect and their lives are worth examining as an example of Christian fidelity. The letters of Paul suggest that Christians on earth are witnessed by those who came before them. Revelation 5:8-10 tells that the saints offer up the prayers of the Church before God's throne. Therefore, since we know that the saints offer our prayers to God face to face, we ask them to pray for us. Human beings are multi-faceted. We have both physical and spiritual faculties. When we see, hear, touch, and taste things, we are better able to comprehend the reality of them. Spiritual realities are represented in artwork and music. The art of the Church helps us to make a more palpable connection to the things we hear and read. Art and music connect our senses and bring us more fully into contemplation and meditation on spiritual truths. Catholics often pray before images, but they are not praying to the images. They are praying to God and asking the saints to pray with them. This is a reflection of a firm belief in life after death for Christians.
Protestants also misunderstand the concept of indulgences. There have been times when indulgences were improperly granted to individuals who made donations, but that only obscures what they truly are. When indulgences are granted, they are granted for making a commitment to prayer and meditation on scripture. These indulgences are not a way to avoid just punishment for wrongs nor a guarantee of skipping Purgatory. Instead, the actions required of a person seeking indulgences dispose that person to a deeper relationship with God.
Many misunderstand relics as well. As a Protestant, I thought that the veneration of relics was tantamount to idolatry. I somehow missed the scriptures that show a precedent for this. In the Old Testament (II Kings 13:21) we see a situation where a dead man is brought back to life when he touches the bones of Elisha. In Acts 19:11-12, we see that handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched the Apostle Paul were being used to heal the sick. Thus, we can see that there is a precedent of God using objects to transfer His healing power to people. It should not be surprising, then that relics are often associated with miraculous happenings. There have been persons, places and things on which God's presence rested powerfully. To encounter these is to encounter the miraculous, to encounter God's presence in a deep way.
As one can see by reading this, most of the misunderstandings that Protestants have with Catholics revolve around the fact that we see God as interacting with us on both the spiritual and the physical level.
The most important way in which this plays out is in regards to Communion. Catholics are not alone in believing this, but many detractors fault us for believing that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. We believe that the spiritual reality of the elements of bread and wine is changed by the blessing in Christ's words, transforming them into His body and blood. In this way, we sense physically the spiritual reality of Christ's presence within us.
God became a man and He understands men. We have need to observe, to touch, taste, hear and see. Our faith is strengthened by the physical presence of Our Lord Jesus as He offers himself to us under the form of wine and bread. That is why He commanded that it be done. An unbloody sacrifice is offered to bring to our present reality the death of Our Lord. Do not forget that He changes the substance of things (John 2:1-12) and that He multiplies things (John 6:1-14). He also promised that He was the Bread of Heaven (John6: 25-69).
I hope that Catholics and Protestants alike will have a better understanding of what Catholics believe and why we do some of the things we do. As a Protestant, I was taught to measure what I was told by the standard of scripture. I have done so, and found that the teachings of the Catholic Church align with scripture.
One further note: the scriptures used as "proofs" against Catholics are frequently taken out of context. As I matured and studied more, I read entire passages rather than just the 'bullet points' speakers pulled out of scripture. I found out that the conclusions drawn did not fit the original writers' meaning in many cases. I found that many Protestant dogmas did not measure up to the scriptural standard they pretend to hold themselves to. If anything seems odd, ask for scriptural proofs to back it up. Open your Bible and read the entire passage. Read the notes on the Biblical author and his audience. If what you read is different from what you are being told, ask yourself why and pray about it. Ask yourself, too, how Jesus taught the Apostles. Would they have taught in this manner in turn? Probably. That leaves us with the fact that Jesus taught His Disciples the new traditions He wanted them to maintain in the Church, and they were passed down by word of mouth, in the rabbinical tradition of their time. The Gospels themselves tell us that they do not contain all of the doings and sayings of Jesus (John20: 30-31).
I hope that Protestants who read this will realize that Catholics are fellow Christians. I hope that the faith of all Christians who read this will be edified by gaining an understanding of some practices they may have misunderstood previously. I hope that all who read and can understand would gain a deeper devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ, Through Whom and In Whom we have Life.
The most frequent question: what do you actually believe? The best place to go to understand the core of the Church's teachings in her Creed
http://www.beginningcatholic.com/apostles-creed.html
The next most frequent question, or rather accusation, is that Catholics worship Mary. This stems from a near complete misunderstanding of the Old Testament, particularly those pertaining to temple regulations. We find in the Old Testament that the Ark of the Covenant is where God chooses to show His presence. The Ark had to be pure, and if any person who was not pure (right with God and granted permission) touched the Ark, he or she would die because the holiness of God would consume them (I Chronicles 13: 9-10. This is hard to make an analogy of, except maybe if you think about the way that evildoers respond to Ghost Rider if he looks them in the eye. They are actually consumed by their own guilt. Understanding that sets the stage for understanding Mary and her role in the incarnation of Christ. In order for God Himself to dwell within Mary, it was necessary for her to be completely free of sin and of the hereditary taint of original sin. God did something unique with her. God, not being bound by time, granted the effects of salvation to Mary from the time of her conception. She was born without original sin, like Eve had been before the fall. Mary, however, cooperated with God's calling on her life and never fell into sin. Because of this, when Mary consented with God's will to conceive His Son in her through the Holy Spirit,(Luke 1:38) she was a worthy vessel. If Mary had not been a worthy vessel, the presence of God within her would have consumed her, causing her to die. Therefore, if Mary was not a virgin, free of sin, then Jesus could not possibly be God. There is no other way to look at it if one believes that what was revealed partially in the Old Testament was fulfilled and fully revealed in the New Testament. The other side of the coin is this; in order for one to state unequivicably that Jesus was the Son of God from conception, one must believe that Mary was His human mother. That it why she is given the title Mother of God. It is not that Mary preceded or created God; she gave her humanity to the Son of God who was conceived in her. She was Jesus' human mother and God himself was His divine father, thus Jesus possessed humanity and divinity simultaneously. This is a very important tenet of Christianity. Thus, when Catholics state what they believe about Mary, they are affirming what they believe about Jesus' nature.
That now brings me to the frequent charge that Catholics are idol worshippers, worshipping saints and their images. This is another misunderstanding. We do not give worship to any created being, not even a saint. We do believe that those who died in faith are alive in Heaven, however. Such saints are worthy of respect and their lives are worth examining as an example of Christian fidelity. The letters of Paul suggest that Christians on earth are witnessed by those who came before them. Revelation 5:8-10 tells that the saints offer up the prayers of the Church before God's throne. Therefore, since we know that the saints offer our prayers to God face to face, we ask them to pray for us. Human beings are multi-faceted. We have both physical and spiritual faculties. When we see, hear, touch, and taste things, we are better able to comprehend the reality of them. Spiritual realities are represented in artwork and music. The art of the Church helps us to make a more palpable connection to the things we hear and read. Art and music connect our senses and bring us more fully into contemplation and meditation on spiritual truths. Catholics often pray before images, but they are not praying to the images. They are praying to God and asking the saints to pray with them. This is a reflection of a firm belief in life after death for Christians.
Protestants also misunderstand the concept of indulgences. There have been times when indulgences were improperly granted to individuals who made donations, but that only obscures what they truly are. When indulgences are granted, they are granted for making a commitment to prayer and meditation on scripture. These indulgences are not a way to avoid just punishment for wrongs nor a guarantee of skipping Purgatory. Instead, the actions required of a person seeking indulgences dispose that person to a deeper relationship with God.
Many misunderstand relics as well. As a Protestant, I thought that the veneration of relics was tantamount to idolatry. I somehow missed the scriptures that show a precedent for this. In the Old Testament (II Kings 13:21) we see a situation where a dead man is brought back to life when he touches the bones of Elisha. In Acts 19:11-12, we see that handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched the Apostle Paul were being used to heal the sick. Thus, we can see that there is a precedent of God using objects to transfer His healing power to people. It should not be surprising, then that relics are often associated with miraculous happenings. There have been persons, places and things on which God's presence rested powerfully. To encounter these is to encounter the miraculous, to encounter God's presence in a deep way.
As one can see by reading this, most of the misunderstandings that Protestants have with Catholics revolve around the fact that we see God as interacting with us on both the spiritual and the physical level.
The most important way in which this plays out is in regards to Communion. Catholics are not alone in believing this, but many detractors fault us for believing that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. We believe that the spiritual reality of the elements of bread and wine is changed by the blessing in Christ's words, transforming them into His body and blood. In this way, we sense physically the spiritual reality of Christ's presence within us.
God became a man and He understands men. We have need to observe, to touch, taste, hear and see. Our faith is strengthened by the physical presence of Our Lord Jesus as He offers himself to us under the form of wine and bread. That is why He commanded that it be done. An unbloody sacrifice is offered to bring to our present reality the death of Our Lord. Do not forget that He changes the substance of things (John 2:1-12) and that He multiplies things (John 6:1-14). He also promised that He was the Bread of Heaven (John6: 25-69).
I hope that Catholics and Protestants alike will have a better understanding of what Catholics believe and why we do some of the things we do. As a Protestant, I was taught to measure what I was told by the standard of scripture. I have done so, and found that the teachings of the Catholic Church align with scripture.
One further note: the scriptures used as "proofs" against Catholics are frequently taken out of context. As I matured and studied more, I read entire passages rather than just the 'bullet points' speakers pulled out of scripture. I found out that the conclusions drawn did not fit the original writers' meaning in many cases. I found that many Protestant dogmas did not measure up to the scriptural standard they pretend to hold themselves to. If anything seems odd, ask for scriptural proofs to back it up. Open your Bible and read the entire passage. Read the notes on the Biblical author and his audience. If what you read is different from what you are being told, ask yourself why and pray about it. Ask yourself, too, how Jesus taught the Apostles. Would they have taught in this manner in turn? Probably. That leaves us with the fact that Jesus taught His Disciples the new traditions He wanted them to maintain in the Church, and they were passed down by word of mouth, in the rabbinical tradition of their time. The Gospels themselves tell us that they do not contain all of the doings and sayings of Jesus (John20: 30-31).
I hope that Protestants who read this will realize that Catholics are fellow Christians. I hope that the faith of all Christians who read this will be edified by gaining an understanding of some practices they may have misunderstood previously. I hope that all who read and can understand would gain a deeper devotion to Our Lord Jesus Christ, Through Whom and In Whom we have Life.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Finding the Right School for My Kids
When I married my husband, we had already decided that we wanted to have as many children as the Lord saw fit to bless us with and that we wanted to home school them. Through the years we have tried a number of options. We did workbook based education early on, then switched to a classical education program, then cyber school, and now we have finally landed at what I think is the best option we have attempted yet. Over the years, I have learned that there are some things which are important to consider when choosing schools and curriculum, and I have discovered what is most important to me and best for our children's happiness and academic success. I realize that our family has its unique challenges and preferences, so please do not assume that I think what works for our family is what will necessarily work for yours.
Our primary goals in teaching our children are to provide a good education, prepare our kids for college and life in general, raise children who can articulate their faith, and train our children in virtuous living. We have found that the things we have tried so far either produced an unrealistic time demand or left gaps in our kids' education. We discussed parochial school, but the costs are too high for our single income household. After praying and researching, we settled on a Catholic Home Study School. The school provides course materials, guidance, grading, testing, transcripts and an appropriate level of accountability. Tuition is very affordable. Lesson plans are very simple and lessons are written in a format which will allow a great deal of independence for the older children. The course work includes English, Math, History, Science, Religion, Music, Art, Health and Physical Education. High School Students have the option of taking electives and advanced level studies. We received the materials, and the more I previewed them, the more excited I became about the coming school year. Everything is perfectly organized. The school obviously wrote the materials with larger families in mind. Despite the simplicity of the lesson plans, the academic level of the materials is excellent. I am truly excited about introducing my children to the authors, scientists and historical figures they will encounter in their studies. Best of all, our precious faith is taught. My children will learn stories of the Bible. They will learn of the example set by the saints. They will receive the teachings of the Church. They will learn to pray. They will learn to praise God with their lips and with their actions. They will be able to connect faith to everyday life and articulate what they believe.
I know, also, that I will be able to keep our family on a schedule which establishes a regular routine for daily life and provides the stability children need. There will be ample time for activities in which my kids interact with other kids as well. As I finish preparations for the school year, I just keep finding ways in which our progress toward those primary goals we have is aided.
I hope all the parents who read my blog are feeling as positive about the coming school year as I am. If you are not, it is never too late to change what you are doing. We only get to raise our children once.
Our primary goals in teaching our children are to provide a good education, prepare our kids for college and life in general, raise children who can articulate their faith, and train our children in virtuous living. We have found that the things we have tried so far either produced an unrealistic time demand or left gaps in our kids' education. We discussed parochial school, but the costs are too high for our single income household. After praying and researching, we settled on a Catholic Home Study School. The school provides course materials, guidance, grading, testing, transcripts and an appropriate level of accountability. Tuition is very affordable. Lesson plans are very simple and lessons are written in a format which will allow a great deal of independence for the older children. The course work includes English, Math, History, Science, Religion, Music, Art, Health and Physical Education. High School Students have the option of taking electives and advanced level studies. We received the materials, and the more I previewed them, the more excited I became about the coming school year. Everything is perfectly organized. The school obviously wrote the materials with larger families in mind. Despite the simplicity of the lesson plans, the academic level of the materials is excellent. I am truly excited about introducing my children to the authors, scientists and historical figures they will encounter in their studies. Best of all, our precious faith is taught. My children will learn stories of the Bible. They will learn of the example set by the saints. They will receive the teachings of the Church. They will learn to pray. They will learn to praise God with their lips and with their actions. They will be able to connect faith to everyday life and articulate what they believe.
I know, also, that I will be able to keep our family on a schedule which establishes a regular routine for daily life and provides the stability children need. There will be ample time for activities in which my kids interact with other kids as well. As I finish preparations for the school year, I just keep finding ways in which our progress toward those primary goals we have is aided.
I hope all the parents who read my blog are feeling as positive about the coming school year as I am. If you are not, it is never too late to change what you are doing. We only get to raise our children once.
Friday, July 24, 2015
Making Connections
I regularly use the Liturgy of the Hours to pray. Much of the content is praying the Psalms. I noticed from the content of Peter's sermon in Acts 2 that Peter makes connections to Psalms as prophetic of Jesus. I discovered a new connection this morning as I prayed. It is a profound reality that I do not fully comprehend (a mystery).
Psalm 51 connects the well-known phrase "A pure (clean) heart create for me, Oh God" to the offering of sacrifices. "then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice, holocausts offered on your altar". How does that mesh with a verse that comes in between, "for in sacrifice you take no delight, burnt offering you would refuse, my sacrifice a contrite spirit, a contrite heart you will not spurn"? It seems like a contradiction, but in fact it is not. The Psalmist make a distinction here; burnt offering versus holocaust. In so doing, he prophesies Christ and the Church. Burnt offering are no longer accepted on the altar, but a holocaust. This holocaust (sacrifice offered whole) is none other than Jesus himself. We believe that Jesus is present to us in Communion, body, blood, soul and divinity, under the sign of bread and wine. Although He is multiplied to us, He is never divided. What does that mean for us? It means that we each receive all of Him, yet we are not complete in Him without each other. There is a profound union of all believers in the reception of Christ. He is truly All in All.
That also means that we are meant to live in love for one another, for we are truly one body in Jesus Christ. What I do to harm another Christian harms me, too. When I deny Christ by word or action, I harm the whole body of believers. I must always remain community with the Church, and I must care for all of her parts. If there is a wound, I should seek healing. If there is good, I should encourage it. I should speak the truth. I should act upon the teachings of the Church in how I live.
When we call ourselves Christian, we are taking on the name of God. It would do us well to remember that, as it says in Exodus 20, "the Lord will not leave unpunished him who takes His name in vain". If I take the name of Christ to myself, I must not let it be in vain. If I receive forgiveness by the holocaust of Jesus offered up, I must reciprocate by offering back the holocaust of my life devoted to Him. I cannot say I am devoted to Jesus without being devoted to His Church, in all its members.
What a profound mystery!
Psalm 51 connects the well-known phrase "A pure (clean) heart create for me, Oh God" to the offering of sacrifices. "then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice, holocausts offered on your altar". How does that mesh with a verse that comes in between, "for in sacrifice you take no delight, burnt offering you would refuse, my sacrifice a contrite spirit, a contrite heart you will not spurn"? It seems like a contradiction, but in fact it is not. The Psalmist make a distinction here; burnt offering versus holocaust. In so doing, he prophesies Christ and the Church. Burnt offering are no longer accepted on the altar, but a holocaust. This holocaust (sacrifice offered whole) is none other than Jesus himself. We believe that Jesus is present to us in Communion, body, blood, soul and divinity, under the sign of bread and wine. Although He is multiplied to us, He is never divided. What does that mean for us? It means that we each receive all of Him, yet we are not complete in Him without each other. There is a profound union of all believers in the reception of Christ. He is truly All in All.
That also means that we are meant to live in love for one another, for we are truly one body in Jesus Christ. What I do to harm another Christian harms me, too. When I deny Christ by word or action, I harm the whole body of believers. I must always remain community with the Church, and I must care for all of her parts. If there is a wound, I should seek healing. If there is good, I should encourage it. I should speak the truth. I should act upon the teachings of the Church in how I live.
When we call ourselves Christian, we are taking on the name of God. It would do us well to remember that, as it says in Exodus 20, "the Lord will not leave unpunished him who takes His name in vain". If I take the name of Christ to myself, I must not let it be in vain. If I receive forgiveness by the holocaust of Jesus offered up, I must reciprocate by offering back the holocaust of my life devoted to Him. I cannot say I am devoted to Jesus without being devoted to His Church, in all its members.
What a profound mystery!
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Where is that in Scripture?
There are so many sayings and phrases that have become a part of Christian vernacular. Many of them have ascended to being revered on par with scripture, but should they be? I hope to cover several of them in this post. Please comment and mention any I have not covered that you are interested in to allow me to expand this article and cover a good sampling of them. I am not averse to friendly discussion, either. I ask only that anyone who disagrees with me would do so respectfully. I have spent some time researching my topic and will be endeavor to be accurate. Most of my Bible quotes will be taken from the New American Bible (NAB), with possible references to the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), Douay-Rheims Bible (D-R), New International Version (NIV) or King James Version (KJ). There are many good translations of the Bible. My use of specific versions is no slight on the version that any person uses regularly. I am a Roman Catholic, so I often use Catholic translations of the Bible, since they contain the full cannon. I belonged to a Protestant denomination for many years and take no umbrage with my Christian brothers and sisters in those faith traditions. This blog seeks to be as accurate as possible when discussing matters of scripture and exegesis of them. Please read the scriptures I mention and feel free to read the entire passages they are found in to test me on this point. I do not think myself incapable of error and will humbly and thoughtfully consider any comments, suggestions or questions.
The first phrase I want to tackle is "Have you accepted the Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?"
This phrase began to be used to focus on a particular aspect of salvation in Christ Jesus, but is it scriptural or even advisable? No where in scripture will you find a directive to make Jesus your personal savior. The closest scripture comes is in Acts 16:31 which says "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household". Notice that the salvation was for the entire household. Notice also in verse 33 "he and his entire household were baptized without delay". We also see that those who were saved were saved in the context of the Church. Baptism initiates believers into the family of God. Another good reason to avoid this type of phraseology is that it allows for each individual to put Jesus into their own personal mold. Think "Personal Jesus" as sung by Depeche Mode. While God does enter into a personal relationship with each of us, it is on His terms and in the context of His Living Body, The Church. When the focus is one's own personal God, it is very easy to think of God in such familiar terms as to deny the true power of what Jesus did and who God is. He is still God. He created us and has a right to demand that we obey Him. He has revealed Himself to us in specific ways that allow us to understand His character and what He desires of each of us. It goes beyond that as, through His Church, He frees us to be exactly what He created us to be. Each of us has a particular part to play in the life of the Church and in the evangelization of the world. Let us not forget that having a personal relationship does not give us the levity to change God's revealed character to fit our desires and circumstances. Rather, let us humbly seek to be our best selves, the people we can be only by cooperating with God's grace in our lives.
"Cleanliness is next to Godliness". Anyone know where that is in scripture? If you said it is not there, you would be right. Consider the following, however. "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 7:1). Often, we associate the external appearance of a place with the character of the person who cares for it. If a place is poorly kept, we may view the person who keeps it as neglectful or lazy. This is a natural human reaction. The same is true of personal grooming. We are likely to think more positively of the man with clean fingernails, starched and ironed clothing, polished shoes and styled hair than we would of the man with dirty fingernails, wrinkled clothing and messy hair. Even though such external things reveal little about the heart of a person, it reflects well on our character and on the character of God if we are orderly and neat. If we claim friendship with God, we should be good representatives of His kingdom. While there is no particular reference to cleanliness being next to Godliness in scripture, it is a good policy and an orderly home, particularly the wife that keeps such a home, is extolled in Proverbs 31:10-31.
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". This phrase is found in scripture, but lest anyone think that is a standard to attain to, keep in mind it is within the context of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Jesus finishes that particular phrase with "when someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well". Jesus taught us in the Beatitudes and Sermon on the Mount to peacefully resist evil and to literally go the extra mile (Matthew 5:41). This teaching shows us that while we can expect to encounter difficulty, we will receive blessing for responding to difficulties with grace and charity. The way of the world is eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The way of blessing is humility and obedience.
"Jesus didn't come to set up a religion". This is never said in scripture. We see, instead, that Jesus emphatically confirms that He came to fulfill the Old Covenant, not supplant it (Matthew 5:17). What had been revealed imperfectly in the Old Covenant was revealed perfectly in the New Covenant. In the Old Covenant, repeated bloody sacrifices were offered for the atonement of sin and thanksgiving offerings included a meal in the presence of God; in the New Covenant, one eternal sacrifice is offered for all and a bloodless perpetual memorial of that sacrifice is offered for atonement and as a thanksgiving offering in the form of a meal in which the presence of Christ comes to reside in each person. In the Old Covenant, failure to obey God's law resulted in strict punishment; in the New Covenant, God sends His Spirit to give us the grace to avoid sin completely. The law proved that we are incapable in and of ourselves to live rightly; the cross and resurrection proved that God offers us the grace necessary to live rightly. With that said, let us see what Jesus commanded the Church to do through His instructions to the Apostles. Matthew 28:18-20 is the Great Commission in which Jesus says "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." Let's unpack that a bit. Jesus commanded that the Apostles baptize in the Trinitarian formula. That is a Rite of the Church, a sacrament He commanded there. He says He will be with them always. Notice He didn't say the Holy Spirit would be with them in this instance, He said that He himself would be with them. How is that possible? It is possible through the Rite of Holy Communion, which He taught them at the Last Supper. He is literally present in the consecrated bread and wine, a perpetual sacrifice which is brought to bear on our current reality through the ritual of repeating the words of blessing He taught His Apostles. He also refers to other things He has taught them to observe. We know that Jesus taught the Apostles many things that were not mentioned in the Gospels. It was normal to pass down important teachings by oral tradition at the time of Jesus. The scriptures themselves tell us that they are not the complete repository of Jesus' words and deeds (John 21: 23 says "there are also many other things that Jesus did"). The Apostle Paul alludes to oral tradition when he says "take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us" (2 Timothy 1:13-14) It is apparent here that Timothy is being charged with maintaining sacred tradition, which was passed on to him by word of mouth. All of this shows us that from the very beginning there were normal rites or sacraments in the Church, and this because Jesus had commanded and taught them. When Jesus returned to Heaven, He left a visible body, a visible kingdom. That visible body is the Church, and she demonstrates the Gospel to the world in many ways. An important way that she does this is through signs and symbols. The scriptures, the oral traditions, and the signs (sacraments) of the Church combine with the individual lives of Christians to form the witness of Christ on earth. True religion, then, is the giving of ourselves to God. We do so by many means. Religion has been treated as a bad word by many in our society. This should be no surprise to us. Jesus said we would be reviled and slandered for His sake. We shouldn't be ashamed of our religion.
I will come back to this post periodically to add sayings and explanations. Please comment.
The first phrase I want to tackle is "Have you accepted the Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?"
This phrase began to be used to focus on a particular aspect of salvation in Christ Jesus, but is it scriptural or even advisable? No where in scripture will you find a directive to make Jesus your personal savior. The closest scripture comes is in Acts 16:31 which says "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household". Notice that the salvation was for the entire household. Notice also in verse 33 "he and his entire household were baptized without delay". We also see that those who were saved were saved in the context of the Church. Baptism initiates believers into the family of God. Another good reason to avoid this type of phraseology is that it allows for each individual to put Jesus into their own personal mold. Think "Personal Jesus" as sung by Depeche Mode. While God does enter into a personal relationship with each of us, it is on His terms and in the context of His Living Body, The Church. When the focus is one's own personal God, it is very easy to think of God in such familiar terms as to deny the true power of what Jesus did and who God is. He is still God. He created us and has a right to demand that we obey Him. He has revealed Himself to us in specific ways that allow us to understand His character and what He desires of each of us. It goes beyond that as, through His Church, He frees us to be exactly what He created us to be. Each of us has a particular part to play in the life of the Church and in the evangelization of the world. Let us not forget that having a personal relationship does not give us the levity to change God's revealed character to fit our desires and circumstances. Rather, let us humbly seek to be our best selves, the people we can be only by cooperating with God's grace in our lives.
"Cleanliness is next to Godliness". Anyone know where that is in scripture? If you said it is not there, you would be right. Consider the following, however. "Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, making holiness perfect in the fear of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 7:1). Often, we associate the external appearance of a place with the character of the person who cares for it. If a place is poorly kept, we may view the person who keeps it as neglectful or lazy. This is a natural human reaction. The same is true of personal grooming. We are likely to think more positively of the man with clean fingernails, starched and ironed clothing, polished shoes and styled hair than we would of the man with dirty fingernails, wrinkled clothing and messy hair. Even though such external things reveal little about the heart of a person, it reflects well on our character and on the character of God if we are orderly and neat. If we claim friendship with God, we should be good representatives of His kingdom. While there is no particular reference to cleanliness being next to Godliness in scripture, it is a good policy and an orderly home, particularly the wife that keeps such a home, is extolled in Proverbs 31:10-31.
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth". This phrase is found in scripture, but lest anyone think that is a standard to attain to, keep in mind it is within the context of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. Jesus finishes that particular phrase with "when someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well". Jesus taught us in the Beatitudes and Sermon on the Mount to peacefully resist evil and to literally go the extra mile (Matthew 5:41). This teaching shows us that while we can expect to encounter difficulty, we will receive blessing for responding to difficulties with grace and charity. The way of the world is eye for eye, tooth for tooth. The way of blessing is humility and obedience.
"Jesus didn't come to set up a religion". This is never said in scripture. We see, instead, that Jesus emphatically confirms that He came to fulfill the Old Covenant, not supplant it (Matthew 5:17). What had been revealed imperfectly in the Old Covenant was revealed perfectly in the New Covenant. In the Old Covenant, repeated bloody sacrifices were offered for the atonement of sin and thanksgiving offerings included a meal in the presence of God; in the New Covenant, one eternal sacrifice is offered for all and a bloodless perpetual memorial of that sacrifice is offered for atonement and as a thanksgiving offering in the form of a meal in which the presence of Christ comes to reside in each person. In the Old Covenant, failure to obey God's law resulted in strict punishment; in the New Covenant, God sends His Spirit to give us the grace to avoid sin completely. The law proved that we are incapable in and of ourselves to live rightly; the cross and resurrection proved that God offers us the grace necessary to live rightly. With that said, let us see what Jesus commanded the Church to do through His instructions to the Apostles. Matthew 28:18-20 is the Great Commission in which Jesus says "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age." Let's unpack that a bit. Jesus commanded that the Apostles baptize in the Trinitarian formula. That is a Rite of the Church, a sacrament He commanded there. He says He will be with them always. Notice He didn't say the Holy Spirit would be with them in this instance, He said that He himself would be with them. How is that possible? It is possible through the Rite of Holy Communion, which He taught them at the Last Supper. He is literally present in the consecrated bread and wine, a perpetual sacrifice which is brought to bear on our current reality through the ritual of repeating the words of blessing He taught His Apostles. He also refers to other things He has taught them to observe. We know that Jesus taught the Apostles many things that were not mentioned in the Gospels. It was normal to pass down important teachings by oral tradition at the time of Jesus. The scriptures themselves tell us that they are not the complete repository of Jesus' words and deeds (John 21: 23 says "there are also many other things that Jesus did"). The Apostle Paul alludes to oral tradition when he says "take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us" (2 Timothy 1:13-14) It is apparent here that Timothy is being charged with maintaining sacred tradition, which was passed on to him by word of mouth. All of this shows us that from the very beginning there were normal rites or sacraments in the Church, and this because Jesus had commanded and taught them. When Jesus returned to Heaven, He left a visible body, a visible kingdom. That visible body is the Church, and she demonstrates the Gospel to the world in many ways. An important way that she does this is through signs and symbols. The scriptures, the oral traditions, and the signs (sacraments) of the Church combine with the individual lives of Christians to form the witness of Christ on earth. True religion, then, is the giving of ourselves to God. We do so by many means. Religion has been treated as a bad word by many in our society. This should be no surprise to us. Jesus said we would be reviled and slandered for His sake. We shouldn't be ashamed of our religion.
I will come back to this post periodically to add sayings and explanations. Please comment.
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