Inspiration from St Paul and St JP2

It is easy to get discouraged these days.  

Between the poverty, suffering and endless bickering in society, it is not always easy to stay positive.

But the "stars" of this weekend give us hope.

Yesterday was the Feast Day of St. John Paul II (Oct 22) and some of his more famous quotes include:

Do not abandon yourself to despair.  We are the Easter people and Alleluia is our Song!

There is no evil to be faced that Christ does not face with us. There is no enemy that Christ has not already conquered. There is no cross to bear that Christ has not already borne for us, and does not now bear with us.

From Mary we learn to surrender to God’s will in all things. From Mary we learn to trust even when all hope seems gone. From Mary we learn to love Christ her Son and the Son of God.

And in today's second reading, St. Paul tells us:

But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength.

The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom.

These positive and uplifting reminders are certainly welcome at times like these.  With them in mind, hopefully we can - like St. Paul - compete well, keep the faith and finish the race.

God Bless you. 

 

Sinners who become Saints

I've had this topic for a post in my head ever since All Saints Day, but just haven't had a chance to get it on paper screen.  (Apologies for not posting in a few weeks!)

As I went through Mass on All Saints Day, I was reminded of one of the most inspiring facts about our Faith.  Namely that some of the most Blessed people we have ever read about were once sinners just like us.  

Sometimes even worse!

Take for example St. Augustine.  Despite being the son of another Saint (St. Monica), he was quite the pagan in his early days.  He partied, followed the teachings of Plato, and had a son with a mistress.  Yet, he turned back to Christ, became a Doctor of the Church, and one of our most influential Saints.

St. Mary of Egypt was a prostitute for years.  St. Olga murdered many people and sold others into slavery.  Saint David the King committed adultery.  

And let's not forget that even the great St. Paul had Christians killed before converting.

I could go on and on, but my goal is not to list out all the sins that these Holy people have committed.  Rather it is to share a few extreme examples as inspiration.  

One of the most beautiful things about our Faith is that we have these people to admire and emulate.  However, often times, the distance between them and us feels insurmountable.  Almost as if they were a different species entirely.  

But they weren't.  They were human just like you and I, and had failings just like you and I. 

Yet, look at what they became, and the many people they inspired.  

We can do the same through Christ.

We, too, can be Saints.

The Shortest Passage? It Depends.

Last week I posed the question:

What is the shortest passage in the New Testament?

Victor and Jade both took the time to answer (thank you!) and they were both right.

Kind of.

You see, there are different answers to this question depending on what Bible you are using.

In the King James Version of the Bible, John 11:35, Jesus wept, is indeed the shortest phrase.  

However, we all know the Bible was originally written in Greek.  And in Greek, John 11:35 is actually three words and 16 characters.  Luke 20:30, And the second, is actually the shortest passage in Greek, coming in at only 12 letters.   

In fact, there is even a second phrase that is shorter than John 11:35 in Greek. First Thessalonians 5:16, Be joyful always, is only 14 characters in Greek. 

Ironic how that phrase plays off of the King James line of Jesus weeping, isn't it?

By the way, the image of Jesus weeping is, in my mind, one of the saddest in all the Bible.  We often imagine God loving, caring, kind ... even angry.  But weeping?  It breaks your heart doesn't it?

God Bless you, and thank you for playing along with me.

Issues with the book Zealot - from just the excerpt!

Thanks to a popular YouTube video, many people have now unfortunately heard of the book Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth.  

This is sad, as the author uses the book to present Jesus as just another revolutionary - a violent one at that.  Worse yet, he uses incorrect facts, questionable arguments, and cherry picks information to support his claims.

In fact, one just need read his excerpt to find numerous issues:

1. "The most widely accepted theory on the formation of the Gospels holds that Mark's [gospel] was written after 70AD."   Not true.  As many, if not more, scholars believe all the Gospels were written before that - if for no other reason than they would have recorded the destruction of the temple in 70AD to show Jesus's prophesy had come true.  In addition, we know that Acts ends around 60AD (and does not mention Paul's death in 65AD - something Luke surely would have done).  Most scholars believe that the Gospel of Luke preceded Acts, which means it would have been written before 65AD.
2. The author basically claims that because Jesus was crucified (a death reserved for the "crime of sedition") He must have been a zealot and revolutionary.  Also not true.  The Romans had no choice but to crucify Jesus because he did not deny being a King.  That had to be taken as a direct threat to the throne back then, no matter how seriously they believed Him (or the Jewish leaders claims).  It would not have taken angry mobs and a crazy man to lead to that.  In fact, one wonders if Jesus would have made it onto Pilate's list had the Jews not thrust Him there so forcefully.
3. In addition, he claims that because two other revolutionaries were crucified next to Jesus, Jesus must have been a violent Zealot.  Right.  I can hear them now ... "Wait, Titus, make sure we put all the violent ones next to each other.  We don't want to mix the violent and non-violent revolutionaries when we mindlessly crucify them." 
4. He claims that the Evangelists do not paint a historical picture of Jesus the man.  This is partially true, but does mean it should be disregarded.   The Evangelists did not write like historians do today.  That wasn't their goal.  Their goal was to write pieces of the overall story to further the teachings of Christ.  So saying they left out many details of the life of Jesus is true.  Tossing them all out because of such is tomfoolery.  
5. Gnostic gospels proved that "even those that walked with" Jesus had diverging opinions over who He was.  While true that there must have been varying levels of belief, the author leaves out the fact that many of the gnostic "authors" are believed to have used apostles names to lend weight to their own opinions.  Scholars have already poured through these to point out inconsistencies and untruths.  P.S. you cannot throw out the New Testament but then use the Gnostic Gospels in your argument! 
6. "The problem with pinning down the historical Jesus is that, outside of the New Testament, there is almost no trace of the man."   Isn't this the definition of cherry picking?  Let me get this straight ... aside from the most widespread accounts of Jesus's life, there is almost no record of Him.  Oh, and disregard the fact that He lived in a time and society that relied on the oral word over the written one.  Ok.  Gotcha.
7. The most ironic part of this excerpt, is that the author states that there are only two hard historical facts - that Jesus was a Jew who led a popular movement, and the Romans crucified him.  IF that were the case, and we agreed to throw out the New Testament because it didn't agree with the author's thinking, then why would this book Zealot be any different?  Why can the author take general information about the time Jesus lived in and come up with a more accurate biography?  Its preposterous!  It would be like someone two thousand years from now writing your biography based on what people in your country generally were like.  Oh, and throwing out your diary, your friend's Facebook posts, and that recommendation your boss gave you since they didn't fit the story.  

Bonus material:  While I have not read the book (and won't, given the glaring errors), my research led me to other folks who pointed out even more inaccuracies and cherry picking.  For example, the author uses New Testament passages where they help him (Jesus was violent because he said "I have come not to bring peace but the sword") but not when they hurt his argument (eg, Jesus stopping Peter from using his sword in Gethsemane).  The author also claims Mark does not mention the Resurrection (I guess Mark 16:6 "He has risen" could be confusing) and that Luke does not refer to Paul as an Apostle (I can see how Acts 14:14 "But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this ..." might be unclear).

It is sad that the author believes this method of research is accurate for defining who Jesus was.  It is even sadder that many will read this and rethink their faith.

Thus, I end this post with a prayer, and I ask you to join me.  I pray that the author will find the true Jesus, and that the readers of his book will use the errors and blatant twisting of information to become even more ardent supporters of Christ.

God Bless.

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A Simple Letter

There is so much to write about today's readings, but the one thing that keeps jumping out at me is Paul's epistle to the Corinthians.

I remember when I found out that this letter was likely the first written document to mention the events of the Last Supper.  At the time, I would have bet $50 it was Mark.  Or Matthew.  Or the infamous Q.  But many scholars believe 1 Corinthians was written around 55 AD, which is about 10 years earlier than the first Gospel and a mere 25 years or so after Jesus' death.

One simple letter carries such immense historical significance.  

I can't stop thinking about that.  

God Bless.

P.S. Did you know 1 Corinthians is the only place the phrase "Lord's Supper" is used in the entire Bible?

Not Exactly a Walk in the Park

Today's first reading starts off simply enough:

Paul and Barnabas continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia.

But what gets lost in that brief sentence is what that journey entailed.  Assuming they travelled by land, it would include:

• More than 100 miles of walking.  At a pace of less than 20 miles per day.  
• Rugged terrain - with steep roads (over 12,000 feet at its highpoint), deadly flash floods and rapidly changing weather.  
• Robbers, robbers, and more robbers.  Even the Roman soldiers did not travel on this route without a garrison.  In fact, depending on what exact route they took, its quite possible they traversed the most dangerous road in the Roman Empire.  

Oh and this was most likely after the little episode where Paul was lashed 39 times, shipwrecked, and fell deathly ill.

It is remarkable what Paul, Barnabas, and other disciples did so that we could learn the faith, isn't it?

God Bless. 

Preparation

Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober.

Paul's words today remind me of a homily I heard the other day about death and heaven.

The priest talked about our fear of death and asked for perspective.

Our lives here on Earth are gifts, of course.  But this world is full of pain, sorrow, and sin.   

Heaven, on the other hand, is perfection.  It is love.  It is beautiful.  It is Paradise.

And yet most of us have one foot, if not both feet, planted firmly here.  Worrying.  Scared of leaving.  Afraid of death.

Why?

Because we are human, yes.  But mainly because deep down we know we have not followed Paul's reminder to its fullest.   

We prepare for presentations at work.  We prepare our meals for the week.  We spend countless hours preparing for parties and celebrations.

But we are often remiss when it comes to being fully prepared for our Lord.  We are half sleeping. Otherwise we would all be talking about how we couldn't wait to move on.

I paraphrased most of that, of course.  The priest was much more eloquent.  

I just wish it didn't feel like he was looking at me the whole time he spoke ...


God Bless.
  

Are We Longing?

St. Paul said to the Philippians in today's second reading (Phil 1:23):

I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better.

I almost skimmed past that statement without really thinking about it.

Are we really longing to depart this life?

Are we really?

Then what are we collecting all this stuff for?  

Why are we worrying about all the things we worry about?

Why aren't we spending our time differently?* 

Of course, I want to be in Heaven with Jesus as much as you do.  But if aliens came down from outer space and looked at my life, there is no way they would say I was "longing to depart this life."

Not by a long shot. 

God Bless you.

*  Now that I am an honorary author over at the Community of Catholic Bloggers, I thought it would be fun to do two posts on the same topic.  So click over to my post there to see the mathematical equation St. Paul inspired me to create ....  then read the posts from the other authors for some actual good content ;)

Just Finish

"I have competed well; I have finished the race."

That's what St. Paul told Timothy in his second letter to him (2 Tim 4:7 - today's reading).

Many believe St. Paul knew his death was imminent when he wrote this letter, which would make it somewhat of a last will or final message to his closest friend (and all of us!).   

To me, it's a great reminder that our life on this Earth is a constant competition - that we are always engaged in spiritual battle.  A battle that Pope John Paul II described as "an invisible struggle in which we engage every day against temptations." 

It's so easy to forget that - especially in a world with so many physical, Earthly distractions.   But unfortunately, forgetting that there is a competition going on is the equivalent of joining the other team. 

Luckily, we don't need to be beaten, hunted, or chained in prison like St. Paul to make it to Paradise.  In fact, as he notes, we don't even need to win the race.  

Christ already did that for us.

We just need to finish.  

God Bless.

Apologetics for Today's Thomas

"Yes, but how do you know that the Resurrection actually happened?"

As Christians, we have all heard this question at least once in our lives. Especially at Easter.

So I thought it would be worthwhile to share a list of some apologetics that I have heard over the years, put into loose theoretical order.

Here it goes ...

1. Jesus died while on the cross. There is almost no debate on this one. Christian and non-Christian writers have mentioned Jesus' execution and death. Furthermore, the odds of surviving the scourging, crucifixion, and lance to the side are medically slim to none.
2. Joseph of Arimathea was given the body. There is no other written testimony to contradict this. And, Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin (albeit sometimes mentioned to be Jesus' relative). If the followers of Christ were making up a tale, they certainly would not have let their King's body be turned over to a member of the despised group that condemned Him to begin with.
3. Matthew tells us there was a guard stationed at the tomb. We do not know if this is a Roman guard or a Jewish one. If it was a Roman one, there is no way he would have taken the body or assisted in a cover-up because the punishment would have been severe. If it was a Jewish guard, surely he would have done everything possible to prevent theft of the body. In either instance, the guard was likely armed, making it even harder for a common person to get past him.
   
4. All four Gospels tell us that it was women who found the empty tomb. In Jesus' time, the testimony of women was worthless. If the authors were trying to gain credibility, they would have had men making the greatest discovery of all time. If they were just telling the truth, they would tell it exactly as it happened.
   
5. There was a two-ton stone covering the tomb. The women could not have moved it themselves to take the body. Nor could anyone else with any degree of stealth.
   
6. There are no Jewish or Roman writings contradicting the empty tomb. Having an empty tomb is paramount to proving there was a Resurrection. If the women were at the wrong tomb, as some protest, the Jews would have showed the world the actual tomb.
   
7. Jesus appears to many. To different people at different times. To believers and non-believers. He ate with the disciples. Thomas was able to touch Him. St. Paul even tells the Corinthians that the Resurrected Jesus appeared to over 500 at one time, many of whom were still living. In other words, they could have confirmed this if they wanted to.
   
8. The Apostles were convinced. These same folks that ran when Jesus was captured, denied Him, and remained hidden after the Crucifixion, suddenly found the courage to preach the Word to their death. Every one of them. Surely at least one of them would have bailed on the plan if the whole thing was a conspiracy, no?
9. They had nothing Earthly to gain. People lie to gain something. Money. Power. Status. They got ridiculed, beaten, and jailed. And they kept going. That is pretty strong conviction.
   
10. They preached in Jerusalem. They didn't all go off immediately to a foreign land to preach the Word. They preached in front of witnesses. They could not have gotten away with that if they were fabricating the events that had transpired. (And again, if the Jews had the body, they would have produced it to nip the revolution in the bud.)

This certainly isn't an exhaustive list, and I'm sure there are many more points to make.

But hopefully it will help more than one person echo the Apostle Thomas' beautiful statement ...

"My Lord and my God"

God bless.

reyarP

"Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you." - Matthew 26:41

"Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." - Luke 18:1

"One of those days, Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God." - Luke 6:12

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful." Col 4:2

"Pray without ceasing." 1 Thess 5:17

-------------------------------------------------------

What does it take to pray - with strict concentration - for an entire night?

What does it really mean to devote yourself to prayer?

In today's hectic world, how on earth do we "pray without ceasing"?

I entered this Lenten season thinking about what true prayer looks like, and with a commitment to get better at it than I am now. Right now, aside from morning and evening, I usually end up squeezing prayer into openings in my day.

Which means it is taking a back seat to my day to day life.

And something in my soul tells me that I've got that backwards.

God Bless.

Pray Like it's 1999

What have you been doing since 1999?

(That's ten years ago, for those of you keeping score.)

If you are like me, and the years are starting to blur together, here are some random events from 1999 to give you some perspective:

• The Euro was born
• The first episode of Sponge Bob SquarePants aired
  
• The DOW crossed 10,000 for the first time (ironic, as we just crossed it again)
• Apple launched the first iBook (not iPhone)
  
• Exxon completed its merger with Mobil
• JFK Jr. died
• Fight Club and Matrix were top movies

Oh, and some folks in Kansas City started praying.

And haven't stopped since.

St. Paul tells us to "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess 5:17), and the folks at the International House of Prayer in KC have been doing just that.

Ten straight years of prayer. Day and night. 24/7.

I can't even remember watching the Matrix for the first time, and these people have been praising God relentlessly ever since.

And as I think back to some of the silly ways I spent my time over the past ten years, I ask myself, "Who spent their time more wisely, these people or me?"

(Please don't answer that, I already know who.)

May God continue to inspire the folks at the International House of Prayer.
And may they, in turn, continue to be an inspiration for all of us.

God Bless.

Paul Said II

"Rejoice always;
Pray without ceasing;
in everything, give thanks;
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)


Thank you Saint Paul, for those simple, yet wonderful words of advice.

God Bless.

Paul Said

“If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him?” (Romans 8:31-32)

Thank you St. Paul, for reminding us just how much our Father loves us.

God Bless.

St. Paul Outside the Walls

Since the Jubilee Year of St. Paul ends this month, my next few posts will be about this great Apostle.

Today I wanted to share some photos of my trip to see St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome. (St. Paul's, by the way, is considered to be one of the four great churches/basilicas in the Catholic faith.)

This basilica is built over the place where Paul was believed to have been crucified. The front is picturesque with the palm trees, statue, mosaic and pillars...










The back of the basilica is equally beautiful...
















Inside, there is a huge tabernacle that marks the spot where St. Paul was believed to be beheaded...























A closeup of the ceiling shows the exquisite detail (I don't know about you, but my church doesn't look like this!) ...


















In 2006, the Vatican announced that it had found the sarcophagus believed to contain the remains of St. Paul himself! There is only a small part visible to the public, and it is behind a gated area, so you will have to excuse the poor photo...












It was a very moving experience, to say the least, especially given that it was during the Jubilee Year. If you ever have the fortune to go to Rome, don't miss St. Paul's. It it outside the city walls (thus the name), but a quick 20 minute subway ride lets you off right across the street from the basilica.

St. Paul, please pray for us.

God Bless.

Prayers for a Spritual Lent

Given that this is the Jubilee Year of St. Paul, I thought it would be appropriate to start Lent with a quote from him.

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures" - 1 Corinthians 15

Praying that all of you have a very spiritual and reflective Lenten season!

God Bless.

The Conversion of St. Paul

I've written a few posts on St. Paul, and now I have a good reason to add one more.

This past weekend, Catholics celebrated the conversion of this great Apostle. It is the only "conversion" the church officially celebrates.

In fact, Pope Benedict issued an extraordinary decree, allowing parishes to use the prayers and readings of this feast day instead of the normal readings from the Third Sunday in Ordinary Time.

What does that mean?

Well, for me, it means I got to hear one of my favorite Gospel passages (Acts 9:1-22). That passage tells us how Paul became a follower of Jesus.

I am in awe every time I hear it. Not only because of its importance in our history, but because of the lesson found within.

Paul was one of the most outspoken opponents of early Christianity, persecuting early followers of Jesus. Luke even tells us he approved and watched Steven's stoning.

And yet, God forgave him. (Not only forgave, but gave him a pretty important job to do!)

So this weekend I was reminded not only of Paul's great works, but that God will always forgive us, no matter how bad our sins are.

All we have to do is ask.

God Bless.

Week of Christian Unity

Yesterday marked the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2009. An annual occurrence, the week is set aside for Christians everywhere to pray that the divisions within the church will be healed. You can read more about it on the Vatican's site here.

The theme for this year's Week is Ezekiel 37:17:

"That they may become one in your hand"

This, of course, is a perfect choice for a theme of unity.

But given that this is the Pauline year, and I am knee deep in my study of Paul, this Week also causes me to reflect on the state of the church during his time. The Apostles were spreading the Word of Jesus to the Jewish people. Paul was spreading a similar message to the Gentiles. And all the little communities they had set up were tweaking things based on their beliefs. Talk about the need for unity!

Fast forward 2000 years later. We still have divisions among the Christian religion, albeit much more civilized and organized than in Paul's day. But the need for unity is still with us. Just like it was in Ezekiel's time, and just like it was in Paul's time.

Interestingly enough, last year's theme was from Paul (1 Thess 5)

"Pray without ceasing."

What good advice for us this week, and always.

God bless.

Following Paul

As most of you know, we are in the middle of celebrating the Pauline year. I'm ashamed to say that before this year, I did not know Paul's story that well. Sure, I knew his letters from the readings in Church, and from my own Bible studies. But I had never taken the time to understand who he was and what he meant to the Church.

Slowly but surely, I changed that. I've done a lot of online research about him. I also read Peter, Paul, and Mary Magdalene, by Bart Ehrman, and What Paul Meant by Garry Wills. And I was fortunate enough to visit St. Paul Outside the Wall in Rome (a very moving experience).

Each day I am blown away about what Paul did and how much he meant to our Catholic faith. Paul's passion and dedication to the Lord - despite having persecuted against him earlier in his life - is Divine intervention at its best.

I was equally surprised to learn that earliest account of the Resurrection is found in Paul's letters (1 Cor 15:3-7) not the Gospels!

I plan on continuing my "Pauline education" throughout the year and beyond. There is much to learn from this great apostle.

Do any of you have any good Paul books or facts you would like to share?

God Bless.

Peter, Paul, and Mary

No, I’m not talking about that music group (for those of you that even remember them). I’m talking about Bart Ehrman’s book Peter, Paul and Mary Magdalene.

I came across this book in the library (yes people still go there) after deciding I wanted to learn more about the most important figures in Christianity. Peter and Paul were at the top of my list, so this book caught my eye.

I was pleasantly surprised at Ehrman’s style. Its smooth, fluid, and kept me intrigued throughout. It wasn't the dry religious speak I was expecting.

And I though the content was excellent. He devotes about 6 chapters to each subject, taking us through their lives with and after Jesus. (Or in Paul’s case, before and after Jesus appeared to him) Throughout his book, he tries to dispel common thoughts and give solid evidence to support others. One of the more famous stories he shuns is that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute and married to Jesus. (There is no historical evidence of either. Gregory the Great actually started this myth in a sermon 5 centuries after her death!)

In any case, if you are interested in learning more about three important figures in Christianity I highly recommend this book.

God Bless.