Sunday, August 25, 2013

Gospel For Today - 21st Sunday of Ordinary Time

TWENTY-FIRST SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

This week, two-for-one.

First, the gospel reading.  Today's reading from Lk 13:22-30 continues the "hard saying" tone of week's reading where Jesus talks about setting the world on fire and causing division. This week it's "wailing and grinding of teeth."  Jesus speaks of those locked outside of the Lord's house knocking and begging to be allowed in, and the Lord saying, "I do not know where you are from.  Depart from me all you evildoers!"  

All this harsh talk was prompted by one question put to our Lord.  How many will be saved?  Whenever Jesus is asked this sort of question, He never gives a direct answer.  Instead, He turns the attention back on the questioner and makes it personal.  In this case Jesus instructs him to "strive to enter the narrow gate."  It is as if our Lord is saying, "Look, don't worry about eternal population demographics. Worry about your soul."  

We can become obsessed with the numbers.  Despite the fact that even people who asked the Lord face to face did not get a direct answer, some theologians today still debate the issue of how many will be saved.  Some believe that number will be very, very small.  You can certainly understand how this conclusion could be drawn from the words of Christ such as we read today.  "[M]any, I tell you, will attempt to enter and will not be strong enough."  Others believe in universal salvation; that the mercy of God is such that even the worst unrepentant sinner will be accepted into heaven in the end somehow.  They teach that hell does not exist; or if it does exist, it is empty.

Certainly this latter view is attractive.  Who wants to think of the possibility that not all of their friends and relatives will be saved?  Who does not want to find comfort in knowing that however imperfect one's life has been, in the end God will still accept you through the pearly gates?  Everyone wants to get to heaven, so who wouldn't want it to be easy?  The problem with this view, however, is that it ignores all the passages of Scripture like the ones we read today.  And there are many of them.  Indeed, Jesus talks about hell more often than He speaks of heaven.  If there is one thing we know for certain about hell it is this:  Jesus wants us to believe in it, and He wants us to have a healthy fear of ending up there.  The thought should make us shudder.  It should help keep us on the narrow path.

So why can't God just save us all?  Why can't there be universal salvation?  Why would a merciful and loving God create a world in which some of the people He created would be damned for all eternity?  It all goes back to the basic question, why is there evil in the world?  Once we accept the truth that God does not create evil, but we do through sin, the next question is usually, so why does God allow us to choose evil?  Why didn't God make us so that we would always choose the good?  Wouldn't that have been better for everyone?

The surprising answer to that question is because that's not what love does.  

God created us with a rational mind and a free will.  This gives us both the capacity to know and understand, and the capacity to choose.  We can choose good or evil.  We can choose to accept God or reject Him.  And we can rightly be held responsible for our choices.  Why is this a loving act?  Because love asks, it does not demand.  Love invites, it does not coerce.  Love beckons, it does not bind.  God is a lover, not a rapist.  He would never force Himself on someone that did not want Him.  Hell, as horrible as it is, is part of God's love.  He gives His loved ones the freedom to reject Him - that is hell - and as bad as hell is, the option of choosing hell makes the prospect of heaven that much more sweet.  Every soul in heaven is there because it said "yes" to God, freely  and willingly.  Every soul in heaven is there because it wants to be there, because it chose to respond to God's love with love.  The souls in hell are there not because God does not love them, but because they chose to respond to God's love with hatred.  

God never ceases to love us.  We are sustained by His love constantly.  If He ever stopped loving us, we would simply blink out of existence.  The question of heaven or hell is not determined by whether God loves us enough, but rather our decision to love Him enough.  He allows us to make that decision freely, because He loves us.

HUMAN SEXUALITY AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
Now for part two.  A couple of our CCM students this semester are taking a class on human sexuality.  Apparently on the very first day of class one of the topics discusses was... you guessed it, the Catholic Church!  According to one student's notes, the professor said the Catholic Church teaches that sex is for reproduction, not just for pleasure.  

Well, no arguments there.  That is true as far as it goes.  But it is certainly not the totality of the Church's teaching about human sexuality.  I learned that much about sex in middle school biology, long before I was a Catholic.  

The Church, following the natural law, teaches that the sexual act in fact has two purposes, described in the Catechism of the Catholic Church as, "the good of the spouses themselves and the transmission of life" (CCC 2363).  These two ends are generally referred to as the unitive and procreative aspects of sex. Anything that attempts to thwart either of those two ends undermines the natural purpose of the act itself and is therefore immoral.  (This is why the Church teaches that things like contraception, adultery, fornication, homosexual acts, etc. are sinful).

Note that the two purposes of the human sexual act are reproduction and union, not reproduction and pleasure as our professor puts it.  I would argue (and I believe I have the teaching of the Church supporting me in this) that both the unitive and reproductive aspects of the sexual act have the capacity to produce great pleasure if they are sought with love.

All too often people dismiss the Church's position on sex as being purely biological; she is accused of reducing women to breeding chattel.  They can only make this accusation if they willfully ignore the Church's own teaching.  What the Church actually teaches is this:  "Sexuality, by means of which man and woman give themselves to one another through the acts which are proper and exclusive to spouses, is not something simply biological, but concerns the innermost being of the human person, as such" (Familiaris consortio 11).  

She teaches that the human sexual act is "noble and honorable" (Gaudium et Spes 49) and that "sexuality is a source of joy and pleasure" (CCC 2362).  This is not some new teaching of the Church, only introduced since Vatican II.  On Oct. 29, 1951, Pope Pius XII said that God Himself made the sexual act so that "spouses should experience pleasure and enjoyment of body and spirit.  Therefore spouses do nothing evil in seeking this pleasure and enjoyment" (qtd. in CCC 2362).

Simply put, Catholics are not Puritans.  We do not, as some believe, look upon sex as a necessary evil which husband and wife must sometimes engage in to bring new Catholics into the world.  This is not our teaching at all.  

But nor do we believe as the world believes today; that the primary purpose of sex is for personal physical pleasure, that children are a secondary purpose at best (usually looked upon as a byproduct to be avoided if possible), and that the only rule is mutual consent.  

The difference between the Church and the world is that the world views children as an optional aspect of sex which can be chosen or not chosen, whereas the Church views children as an integrated and inseparable part of the whole of human sexuality.  "A child does not come from outside as something added on to the mutual love of the spouses, but springs from the very heart of that mutual giving, as its fruit and fulfillment" (CCC 2366).  

Sex.  Children.  Marriage.  These three are seen by the Church as one integrated good.  Remove any one from the equation and you do damage to the whole.  

In closing, all of the above quotes I provided can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  This is an indispensable resource that every Catholic college student should have on their desk.  If you do not have one, order one; it is worth the investment.  Learn to use it.  Become familiar with the index, the glossary, and the texts cited.  It is your go-to resource whenever you have a question on what the Church really teaches.  (You can also access the text free online).

May the Lord bless you and keep you!
Matt

--
WCU Catholic Campus Ministry
Matthew Newsome, MTh, campus minister
  
(828)293-9374  |   POB 2766, Cullowhee NC 28723

Gospel For Today - 20th Sunday of Ordinary Time

TWENTIETH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (C)

Today is definitely not one of those "warm and fuzzy" gospel readings.  No bunnies and squirrels or pretty daisies in sight.  We often are tempted to put Jesus into a box with these other huggable things and think of Him more as a supernatural buddy than our Lord who is both Savior and Judge.   He is the ultimate "nice guy."  We are not entirely unjustified in doing so.  After all, Jesus did some pretty nice things and had some wonderfully nice things to say.  He fed people.  He healed people.  He said, "Be not afraid," and "My peace I give you."

But then He also says things like we read in today's gospel, from Luke 12:49-55.  "Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?  No, I tell you, but rather division."  He goes on to speak of households being divided, fathers against sons, mothers against daughters, and so on.  Wow.  What happened the nice "be not afraid" Jesus?

Well, He is still there.  But perhaps we need to rethink our definition of "nice."  We think that if we are nice to other people, then other people will generally like us, and everyone will get along, and won't that be just nice.  But the problem with that kind of nicety is that it is superficial.  It is shallow.  And it ultimately means nothing.  That sort of nicety never challenges.  It never confronts.  It is afraid to make waves.  It is willing to sacrifice principles for the sake of getting along.  It ends up being a mask for all sorts of sins and flaws that we dare not mention because it wouldn't be "nice." 

Nice does not equal holy.  Some of the holiest people on record were notorious for being not nice.  Padre Pio reportedly was not a very nice man (I never met him).  St. Benedict was so ornery that his own monks tried to poison him!  I am not saying that holy people have to be mean - meanness is no sign of holiness, either - but we need to realize that our modern concept of a "nice person" is no guarantee of sanctity.

What are signs of sanctity?  Well, we can start by looking at the virtues.  The four cardinal (pivotal) virtues outlined in the Catechism are prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance.  (See 1805-1809 in the Catechism).  Let's look just at fortitude for the moment.

Fortitude is the moral virtue that ensures firmness in difficulties and constancy in the pursuit of the good.  It strengthens the resolve to resist temptations and to overcome obstacles in the moral life.  The virtue of fortitude enables one to conquer fear, even fear of death, and to face trials and persecutions.  It disposes one even to renounce and sacrifice his life in defense of a just cause (CCC 1808).

For those trying to live out their Christian faith in an authentic way in the world today, fortitude is not an optional virtue.  Especially on a college campus, we find challenges to our faith and morals around every corner.  If we are to remain true to our faith, true to Christ, then we will often find ourselves having to say "no."  And that can feel lonely.  It can make you feel isolated.  It can make you feel uncool, unliked, and not respected by your peers.  And that stinks.

Jesus today tells us, "So what?  You don't need them.  You have Me."  He gives us in the first reading today the example of Jeremiah, His faithful prophet who was thrown into a cistern full of mud and left to die of starvation; all because he dared to speak the truth.  Jesus today tells us that Truth is a greater good than being nice.  But truth will create division.  Some will accept it and live by it.  Others will not.  The fact that some will not accept the truth cannot be reason for you to abandon it.  Pray for them.  And hold fast to the truth yourself.  Be resolute.  Have fortitude.  

Our reading from the Letter to the Hebrews today says, "let us... persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith."  This is my prayer for all those beginning their college career today.  That for the next four years - and for the rest of your life - you will keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.   

Distractions will be everywhere, and not just where you think they will be.  Sex, drugs, alcohol, yes all those will be temptations.  But sometimes they can be the easier ones to resist.  Academic success can also be a temptation.  "I can't come to Mass because I have to study."  "My class schedule is too full, I don't have time to pray."  I have heard these things over and over as a campus minister.  Being a Catholic minority can also be its own cross.  "I know I should be going to Mass, but I don't know any other Catholics and all my friends go to the non-denominational church... and church is church, right?"  

Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.  Don't worry about others' opinions.  Don't worry about "being nice."  Accept that standing up for what is true and right will cause division.  Jesus knows it will, but He also guarantees that if you remain true to Him, He will fill your soul with His peace.  Not peace as the world expects it - but His peace - the peace that comes with integrity of mind, body and spirit.  This is sanctity.  This is being a friend of Christ.

Keep your eyes on Jesus.  Pray every day.  Make time.  Put it in your schedule now, today.  Look at your class times and figure out when each day you will dedicate yourself to prayer.  Come to Mass.  Do not neglect God.  He wants to be in relationship with you.  Make an effort to spend time with Him.  Seek out fellow Catholics and build good, virtuous relationships with them.  They will help you.  Do this, and your four years at college will be a wonderful time in your life; a time when you will grow in maturity of faith, in holiness, and in relation with the Lord.  Start that journey now.  Pray for fortitude.  Be courageous.  Keep your eyes on Christ.

May the Lord bless you and keep you,
Matt

--
WCU Catholic Campus Ministry
Matthew Newsome, MTh, campus minister
  
(828)293-9374  |   POB 2766, Cullowhee NC 28723

Thursday, August 15, 2013

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

To many Protestants, the Marian doctrines of the Catholic faith are the most troubling. Our devotion to her seems to them to take away from our worship of her son, Jesus Christ. The various things that we believe about Mary, that she was Immaculately Conceived, that she remained a virgin all of her life, that she is Mediatrix, that she was Assumed body and soul into heaven, all seem "non-Biblical" and therefore non-Christian to them. On the occasion of this day, the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, we celebrate our Catholic belief that Mary, the Mother of God, was assumed body and soul into heaven at the end of her life.

It is helpful to first define just what this belief is and what it is not, as many who question it do so because of a poor understanding of the doctrine. It is not, as many assume, the belief that Mary did not die. When Pope Pius XII defined this doctrine infallibly, he wrote that "at the end of her earthly life [she] was assumed body and soul into the glory of Heaven." Note that he is silent on whether or not she actually died. Most theologians are in agreement that she did, in fact, die a normal death. But the Church has not defined the issue one way or another. Unless the Church proclaims infallibly that she did not die, we should assume that she did. What this doctrine means is that after her death, her body was not allowed to decompose or become corrupt. It was assumed into heaven along with her soul. This is not the same as Christ's Ascension into heaven. Christ ascended into heaven by His own power and will. Mary was assumed into heaven through the will and power of God.

Sometimes questioners will make a big deal out of the fact that "that this was not a Catholic doctrine until 1950." If this is truly a matter of faith to be believed, why did it only come up almost two millennia after the Apostles? This argument is based largely on the false assumption that the Catholic church "invents" teachings. The proper thing to do is to remind people that this particular doctrine of faith was not defined until 1950. There is a big difference between "define" and "invent." Beliefs and practices can be around a long time before they are officially defined as doctrine. Most often, the Church waits until the need is present before it will make an official proclamation on a subject. In fact, the dates of the definitions of various doctrines usually correspond to the first time the doctrine is widely questioned (and thus the need for a formal definition), not when it was first widely believed. So to say that the doctrine of the Assumption of Mary was not defined until 1950 is not the same as saying it was a new belief then. Far from it. We can look at early church records and see that this is a very ancient belief of the church.

The earliest known written reference to the Assumption can be found in the text De Obitu S. Dominae, which dates to the fourth or fifth century but has been attributed to St. John himself. In the East, it is mentioned in the sermons of St. Andrew of Crete, St. John Damascene, St. Modestus of Jerusalem and others.

In 451 AD, at the Council of Chalcedon, the Emperor Marcian and Pulcheria desired to own the body of Mary, the Mother of God. St. John of Damascus tells us that St. Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, told them that, "Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that her tomb, when opened, upon the request of St. Thomas, was found empty; wherefrom the Apostles concluded that the body was taken up to heaven." The Catholic Church does not, however, claim to derive this doctrine from any of these early writers, but from Apostolic Tradition itself, which these early sources merely point to.

The Assumption of Mary has also been celebrated since early times with a Feast day. We do not know exactly where or when this celebration first occurred, but according to the life of St. Theodosius (d. 529) it was celebrated in Palestine before the year 500, probably in August. It has been celebrated at other times of the year in various places, however, such as in Egypt and Arabia, where it was observed in January. By 700 it was one of the principle feasts in Rome, and was a Holy Day of Obligation. As we do not know exactly when Mary died, we cannot mark the exact anniversary of her death, but we can still remember her Assumption with this celebration.

Many will argue that nowhere in the Bible can mention be found of Mary's Assumption. In Genesis, Enoch is said to have been assumed, and the same goes for Elijah in 2 Kings. So if Mary was truly assumed, then wouldn't this event have warranted mention in the Bible? On the face of it, this argument seems to hold weight. There are no express Scriptural proofs that show the validity of this doctrine. As Catholics, though, we need not rely solely on the Bible as our rule of faith. For us, it is enough that the living, infallible, teaching Church has told us that it is true. This requires an examination of the Protestant doctrine of sola scriptura (Scripture Alone). For now it is important to point out that nowhere in the Bible does it exclude the possibility of the Assumption. In fact, in Matthew 27 it describes a scene where "graves were opened, and many bodies rose out of them, bodies of holy men gone to their rest: who, after his rising again, left their graves and went into the holy city. . ." This scene certainly seems to imply that such a thing as the Assumption is possible.

If one were to look to the Scripture for references to Mary's Assumption, the best place to look is the book of Revelation, chapter 12.
"And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery. And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth; she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, . . ." 
Many commentators identify the woman with the Church. However, since the dragon is always identified with Satan, and the child always Christ, and these are both singular entities, it makes sense that the woman should be identified first as a singular entity, and secondarily as a collective entity. The singular entity is, of course, Mary. John's vision of Mary in heaven with her son, Jesus, only makes sense if she had been Assumed into heaven, as Pope John Paul II as well as Pius X have stated. And this is, of course, what the Apostles believed happened, according to what the Bishop of Jerusalem said at the Council of Chalcedon, as we read above.

In fact, the absence of a body, or any remains at all, attributed to Mary speaks volumes. The Biblical silence on her assumption is neither an affirmation or a rejection of the fact--it is simply silence. But the silence of anyone claiming to have, or have seen, her earthy remains is worth noting. From the very beginning of the Church, Catholics have had a special veneration for the saints. The bones of the martyrs killed in the Coliseum were gathered up and preserved almost immediately, according to the biographies of those first Christian victims. Cities would vie for the claim to fame of being the final resting place of a famous saint. For some of the more famous saints, the bones were even divided up so that more than one town could claim them. These relics were preserved and venerated and were objects of great devotion. Surely a saint such as Mary, the most well known of all, who had such a special honor among all the saints, would be preserved and venerated more than any other. Yet no city anywhere has ever claimed her remains. We know she lived for a while in Ephesus with John and may have died there. There is also a good case that she may have died at Jerusalem and her temporary tomb is said to be there. Yet neither of these cities claims or ever has claimed to have her corporeal remains. Nowhere are her bones venerated. No one claims to have them. Why not? Because there were no remains to venerate and the people of the time knew it.

Mary's Assumption cannot be explained without also considering the doctrine of her Immaculate Conception. I cannot give that doctrine a full treatment here, but it states that Mary was conceived immaculately, without the stain of original sin. That from her conception she was set aside, chosen by God, to be the New Eve, the one to bear Christ to the World. Death and decay are the punishments for original sin, and since Mary was free from this stain, she was free of its consequences. So why did she die? If she died, it was because she was united with Christ. It was her desire to do the will of God, and just as Christ chose to die for our sins so that we may be redeemed, she chose to suffer and die an earthly death to be united with her son. Just as we all will one day be reunited with our physical bodies in our eternal home, Mary's body was taken into Heaven along with her soul. God would not allow her body, the body of His servant, free of sin, to corrupt. Her assumption gives us a glimpse of what the final destination of all of us may be.

This doctrine of the Church was proclaimed infallibly by Pope Pius XII in the Bull Munificentissimus Deus, 1 November, 1950. It was re-emphasized at the Second Vatican Council in the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium that "the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, when her earthly life was over, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things."

"All generations shall call me blessed; for he who is mighty has accomplished great things on my behalf." - Lk 1:48, 49
Communion antiphon for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary
 

--
WCU Catholic Campus Ministry
Matthew Newsome, MTh, campus minister
  
(828)293-9374  |   POB 2766, Cullowhee NC 28723

Gospel For Today - 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time

NINETEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (C)

Today's readings are all about one thing: faith.

In the second reading, from Hebrews, we are reminded of the story of our Father in faith, Abraham.  Abraham was called to travel to a land he was told would be his inheritance, even though he did not know where it was.  While travelling, he and his family lived in tents, even though they were promised a city made by God.  Abraham, even in his old age, with a sterile wife, conceived a son through faith.  And Abraham was later asked to sacrifice his son, the same son whom God promised would provide many descendants.  

All this Abraham was able to do because of his great faith.  So what is faith?  We talk a lot about "the faith," meaning the sum of our Christian beliefs and practices.  But faith is also a virtue one can possess.  Abraham had this faith in abundance.  

The glossary in the back of the Catechism is a wonderful tool.  It tells us faith is "Both a gift of God and a human act by which the believer gives personal adherence to God who invites his response, and freely assents to the whole truth that God has revealed."

Clearly, then, faith is a give and take.  It requires the actions of both God and man.  God proposes, and man accepts.  This is why faith (along with hope and charity) is called a "theological virtue."  It has its origin in God; it also has God as its end.  

Blessed John Paul II issued an encyclical in 1998 entitled Fides et Ratio, or in English, "Faith and Reason."  This wonderful work explores the relationship between these two ways of knowing.  Most of the knowledge we learn comes to us through reason.  God has created us with senses - sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell - through which we gain information about the world around us.  God has also gifted us with a rational intellect allowing us to draw conclusions about the world based on the information provided by our senses.  

To give a basic example, we can learn through use of our sight that yellow and blue mixed together make green.  We can also deduce through reason things like 2 + 2 = 4, or that gravity keeps the planets in their orbits, and that broccoli is better for our health than gummy worms.  We don't need any divine revelation from God to teach us these things.  Knowing that 2 + 2 = 4 does not require the virtue of faith.

Faith is something different from reason, though it is not incompatible with it.  Faith allows us to accept certain truths proposed to us by God that our reason alone would not allow us to grasp.  The foundational teachings of our faith are like that.  Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.  God exists as one God in three Persons.  These things we could never know using only our reason.  Though they do not run contrary to reason, we could never deduce them on our own.  We must accept them through faith.

But more than having faith in the doctrines taught by the Church for our benefit, we must also have personal faith in God.  Abraham shows us the virtue of this faith in action.  God promised Abraham some pretty radical sounding things.  Even though he was in his 90's, and his wife Sarah in her 80's and sterile, God promised them a son.  He promised them a land to be the inheritance of their many descendants.  He promised that Abraham would be the faith a great nation.  These things sound impossible.  Yet Abraham had faith and did not shy away from what God was calling him to do.  Why and how did Abraham have such great faith?

Our reading today from Hebrews gives us the answer.  "For he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy."

The one who made the promise was trustworthy.  My faith in the Eucharist has nothing to do with what my senses can tell me.  It is not because of anything special about the bread and wine.  I believe in the Real Presence because of the One who said, "This is my body," and "this is my blood."

Likewise I don't believe in the infallibility of the Church because of anything special about the men who make up the College of Bishops.  As intelligent and pious as they may be, there is nothing in their humanity that would guarantee to my reason that they will always lead the Church in the truth.  I believe it because of the One who said, "Upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it."

St. Augustine once said, "I would not believe in the Gospels if the authority of the Catholic Church did not move me to do so."  With him, I admit that there is nothing in the Scriptures that would cause my reason to take them for anything other than a great work of historic literature.  But the Church who speaks with the authority of Christ tells me that this is the inspired Word of God.   And so I believe.

The one who made the promise is trustworthy.

If this is true about great matters of our faith, it is also true in our personal lives.  Abraham was not given some great doctrine proposed for believe, such as the Real Presence in the Eucharist or the infallibility of the Church.  He was given a task - an impossible sounding task.  And he was able to accept it with faith because he trusted the One who asked him to do it.  

Aren't we too often unwilling to ask God what His will is for us, because we are afraid that we may not be up to what He wants us to do?  Are we afraid that God might want us to do something we will fail at?  Whether that be teaching faith formation in your parish, starting a new charitable aid group, getting involved in hospital ministry - or maybe giving our lives completely to Him in a religious vocation - whatever it might be, if that calling is truly coming from God, then we need to have faith that He will provide a way to make it happen.

Like Abraham, the path before us might not be free of difficulties.  We may have many hardships and obstacles to overcome.  But we persevere in faith, because we trust in the One who makes the promise.

May the Lord bless you and keep you!
Matt

--
WCU Catholic Campus Ministry
Matthew Newsome, MTh, campus minister
  
(828)293-9374  |   POB 2766, Cullowhee NC 28723

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Gospel For Today

EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (C)

The Catholic Church does not advocate prudery.  She advocates for chastity, which is a completely different thing.  Dr. John Haas is a renowned Catholic ethicist and speaker who now serves as president of the National Catholic Bioethics Center.  Once during the Q&A session after a talk he gave, a college student asked him, "Why do you Catholics have such a problem with sex?"

Dr. Haas replied, "I don't have a problem with sex; I have nine children!"  Catholics don't have a problem with sex.  In fact, we think it is holy.  It is a wonderful gift from God.  Which is why any abuse of this gift is such a sin.  We don't have a problem with sex.  We have a problem with adultery, fornication, pornography, homosexual acts, contraception, and so forth.  

In a similar way, Catholics are not teetotalers.  We don't have a problem with drinking alcohol.  In fact, our Lord's first miracle was turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana, when the host ran out of the good stuff.  The wine produced by that miracle was so wonderful that all the guests commented on how the host saved the best for last.  We don't have a problem with alcohol.  We have a problem with drunkenness.  

Nor do we have a problem with eating food.  We do, however, have a problem with gluttony.

And while there is nothing wrong with owning money and possessions, we condemn greed as a sin.

This may sound like "all things in moderation" (which is generally sound advice), but that's not the point.  The point is to put nothing before God.  All of these sins, the sexual sins, greed and gluttony, etc., are wrong not because they treat evil as good, but because they wrongly place a good above the good.  It is easy for us to take a good of this world and exalt it above the one who created the world.

Is sex the first and last thought of your day?  Do you obsess over finding the right job to land you that lucrative paycheck?  Do you live for the weekend so you can get wasted with your friends (or maybe you don't wait for the weekend)?  Or perhaps it's nothing that sinister; maybe it's just spending too much time on social media, or gaming, watching 24 hour news networks, or working out in the gym.  Even rather innocent pursuits can become problematic if we prioritize them above God.  

Today's scripture readings are all about putting God first.  The first reading from Ecclesiastes reminds us that all of our human work and profit will eventually pass away.  In the second reading from Colossians St. Paul tells us to "think of what is above, not of what is on earth."  

In the gospel reading from Luke Jesus tells the story of the rich man whose chief problem is that he has so much grain his buildings cannot store it all.  He is considering tearing down all of his barns so that he can build bigger ones.  That would solve his problem.  Little does he know that this will be his last night on earth.

Isn't that a characteristic "first world problem?"  We are drowning in stuff.  Our homes are overwhelmed with it all (and by extension, our lives).  How many television shows are geared today towards people who need help organizing their possessions, paring down their possessions, or just letting go of that hoarding instinct?  We build bigger houses each generation; but they are not filled with larger families, only more stuff.  We have to rent storage buildings to keep the overflow stuff.  We are like the rich man with too much grain.

All this needless stuff keeps us from having a meaningful relationship with Christ.  Maybe for you it is not material possessions; maybe for you it is an obsession with good looks, or popularity, or a political cause, or sexual pleasure, or some other distraction.  Whatever it is for you, I urge you today to let it go.  Stop letting it have mastery over your life.

In the words of St. Paul from our second reading: "Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.  Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed for knowledge, in the image of its creator."

Put nothing in your life before God.  Let nothing have ownership of you but God.  Love nothing above God.  Only then will you be able to enjoy the richness and bounty of God's gifts to us in a healthy and holy way.  Only then will you find true happiness.  

May the Lord bless you and keep you!
Matt
--
WCU Catholic Campus Ministry
Matthew Newsome, MTh, campus minister
  
(828)293-9374  |   POB 2766, Cullowhee NC 28723

Gospel For Today - 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (C)

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ..."

Our second reading today from Colossians 1:24-28 begins with these words from St. Paul. They can be troubling for many Christians.  "What is lacking in the afflictions of Christ..."  Whatever can St. Paul mean?  Is he saying that Christ's sacrifice for us was not not complete?  Is he saying that more is needed?  It certain sounds that way.

As Catholics, we are sometimes accused by our Protestant brothers and sisters of denying the efficacy of Christ's single sacrifice.  He died once on Calvary in a perfect sacrifice which was sufficient for the salvation of all men, yet we Catholics claim that our Mass is also a sacrifice, an offering of the Body and Blood of Christ to the Father over and over again.  It is as if we are denying that the unique sacrifice of Jesus was good enough.

Of course that is not what we believe at all.  We do believe, along with our Protestant brethren, that Christ's sacrifice on the cross was universal and complete, sufficient reparation for the sins of all humanity.  We do not "re-sacrifice" Him in the Mass.  Rather, the sacrifice presented in the Mass is the same sacrifice of our Lord at Calvary, re-presented (made present to us today) in and through the Mass.  The bread and wine we offer become through Christ's words of consecration and the power of the Holy Spirit the same flesh and blood that was offered on our behalf on the first Good Friday.  Thus we in the year 2013 are able to participate in Christ's single, timeless offering of Himself nearly 2000 years ago.  When you are at Mass, you are at the foot of the cross.

St. Paul's comment about filling up what is lacking in Christ's sufferings can be similarly misunderstood.  Again, we believe that Christ's sacrifice is universally sufficient and complete.  Nothing is lacking in His suffering - except for perhaps one thing.  And that is our acceptance of it.  

It has often been said that "God is a lover, not a rapist."  He does not force Himself upon us, but He lovingly invites us into relationship with Him.  God made us as beings with intelligence and free will.  The Catechism teaches us that God "enables men to be intelligent and free causes in order to complete the work of creation" (CCC 307).  That applies equally to the work of our salvation.  The Catechism goes on to say that we can "enter deliberately into the divine plan by [our] actions, [our] prayers, and [our] sufferings" (CCC 307).  

The Catechism reaffirms that "the cross is the unique sacrifice of Christ" who is "the one mediator between God and man."  But because He has united Himself to us, "the possibility of being made partners" in His sacrifice is offered to us.  This is what it means when Christ invites us to take up our own cross and follow Him (CCC 618).

We Catholics are also sometimes accused of thinking we can "earn our way into heaven" with our good works.  Certainly good works are an important part of the Christian life and a means of becoming holy people.  But we can never "earn" anything by them in God's eyes, and this is not Catholic teaching.   Suggesting we can "earn" something from God implies an equality between man and God which is not there.  When I do a job for someone, I expect to be paid for it, because I and my employer are equal in our dignity; my time may be traded for his treasure because there is an equality of value there.  But nothing is equal between man and God. There is nothing we could ever do that would put God in the position of owing us anything.  

But that is us.  Christ is another matter.  Christ, while being fully man (and thus able to suffer and to die) is also fully God.  As God Himself, Christ's actions can be meritorious before God and this is precisely why His suffering on the cross is meaningful.  And here is the key in all of this.  Through baptism, we have been joined to Christ.  Our faith teaches that baptism makes us new creatures, members and co-heirs with Christ, and temples of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1265).  Baptism, like all sacraments, conveys God's grace to us, and when we receive God's grace we receive His very life.  God makes His home within us.

What this means is that whatever we do, we bring God with us.  This has several effects.  For one, it means that when we sin it is even more scandalous than before, because we bring God into our immorality. Thus St. Paul chastises the wayward Corinthians, "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?  Shall I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute?  Never!" (1 Cor. 6:15).  

But it also has the wonderful effect of making God participants in our good works and in our sufferings.  While our actions on our own can merit us nothing before God, when we act as Christians, as members of Christ's body, our good actions are 1% us and 99% Christ within us.  Thus our good works can have merit, because they are the works of Christ.

So, too, with our suffering.  For the Christian, suffering is not pain alone, but pain with meaning, pain with purpose, because it is pain also suffered by Christ.  It becomes pain which can make us holy.  And just as Christ's suffering is endured for the salvation of all men, our own suffering, joined with Christ, can aid in the salvation of others, as well.

This is what it means when we are told to "offer up" our suffering to Christ.  It means we join our suffering to His, for the benefit of ourselves and of all humanity.  It gives meaning and merit to our pain.

And thus we, like St. Paul, can fill up "what is lacking" in Christ's afflictions; for the only thing lacking in His perfect sacrifice is for us to participate fully in it; for us to climb up on that cross and suffer with Him.  Christ cannot do this for us; but He can and does go before us.  He shows us the end of suffering is joy, the end of death is resurrection.  Let us take up our cross and follow Him to eternal life.

--
WCU Catholic Campus Ministry
Matthew Newsome, MTh, campus minister
  
(828)293-9374  |   POB 2766, Cullowhee NC 28723

Gospel For Today

FIFTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (C)

Sometimes you have to wonder, "What's the big deal about the Ten Commandments."  Whenever there is a news story about some debate somewhere about their display in a courtroom, or in a public park, part of me wants to say, "Ok, leaving alone the whole separation of church and state issue, what is so offensive about thou shall not kill, thou shall not steal, thou shall not bear false witness, thou shall not commit adultery, etc.?  Isn't all this common sense?  Do we really have to be told this?"

The answer is both yes and no.  We know of the Ten Commandments (also called the Decalogue) as being given to Moses directly from God Himself.  As a direct communication from God, they are considered Divine Law.  However, the content of the Decalogue is strictly from the natural law.  This means they are precepts based on our own human nature.  If we think about what it means to be a human being, we can understand with our own reason that the things forbidden in the Ten Commandments are beneath our dignity.  They are bad for us; we go against our nature when we do them.  You might say (and in fact St. Paul did say) that these laws are written on our hearts (Romans 2:15).

This is not some secret wisdom that it took Christians hundreds of years to figure out.  In fact, Moses said as much right from the beginning.  From today's first reading (Dt 30:10-14):

For this command that I enjoin on you today is not too mysterious and remote for you.  It is not up in the sky, that you should say, 'Who will go up in the sky to get it for us...' No, it is something very near to you, already in your mouths and in your hearts; you have only to carry it out.

So why don't we?  Why is it so hard to simply carry out the law written on our very being by the One who made us?  The answer is sin; specifically original sin, but also the many personal sins we pile on top of it.  

Besides being kicked out of Paradise, pain in childbirth, and having to labor for our food, one of the consequences of original sin is called concupiscence.  This is just a big, fancy word meaning "the tendency to sin."  Even though we were made good by God, and in our essence are still good, we have this annoying habit of choosing things that are bad for us.  We decide, over and over again, to go against God, against ourselves, and against our better judgment.  Bad behavior is so attractive to us; we become selfish, self absorbed, and get mired in greed, lust, gluttony, jealousy, or whatever your pet vice may be.

We say to ourselves, "we are only human," even though these things are contrary to human nature.  If we acted "only human" we would be fine.  When we sin we act less than human. 

One of the universal truths about humanity is that everyone wants to be good.  No one wakes up in the morning thinking, "I think I'm going to do some evil today!"  Yet we have an terrible capacity to do evil.  We do this by justifying our actions in our own minds.  Before we can perform an evil deed, we first convince ourselves that what we are choosing to do is really in some way good.  We have gotten quite good at this sort of thing.  The more we do it, the more we sin, the more we forget about the natural law and fall into self destructive behavior.

What is the remedy?  This is the good news.  We have been given the answer from our very Creator.  A "plug in," if you will, from our Designer to fix this bug in our systems. 

Moses said to the people: "If only you would heed the voice of the Lord, your God, and keep his commandments and statutes." So is the answer obedience?  That is certainly part of the solution. But there is more to it.  Jesus lifts the veil and shows us what is at the heart of the commandments.  "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."

This is a summary of the Ten Commandments.  The first three commandments tell us what it means to love God (no false idols, do not take His name in vein, keep the Sabbath holy).  The last six commandments tell us what it means to love our neighbor (don't kill, steal, lie, covet, etc.).  The fourth commandment links the two together (honor your father and mother - including your heavenly Father).  So if we loved God perfectly, and loved our neighbor perfectly, we would not need to be told the commandments.  We would simply do them.

This is why St. Augustine summarized the moral law by saying, "Love God, then do as you will."  The real solution to the problem of sin -- the only solution -- is love.

But we don't love perfectly.  There is too much love of self in the mix.  Too much damage from sin.  We need help.  And this is where the real good news can be found.  Not only are we called to love perfectly, but we are loved, and loved perfectly.  God our Creator, the author of our human nature, loves us.  And with that love He is willing to fill in what is lacking in our own charity.  

He offers us His grace, His very life, in the sacraments.  His gift to us is a gift of love, and with that gift we may begin to love not as fallen man does, but as God does.  This is how God intended us to be from the beginning.  We have fallen, but He will restore us.  We only need to cooperate with the cure.

The cure is Jesus Christ, God Incarnate.  He established a Church to teach us, govern us, and sanctify us (make us holy).  If we hold fast to the Church, we hold fast to Christ.  We will come to know God's love and mercy for us, and so be equipped to show love and mercy to others.  

We can, with God's help, start to be truly human.


--
WCU Catholic Campus Ministry
Matthew Newsome, MTh, campus minister
  
(828)293-9374  |   POB 2766, Cullowhee NC 28723

Gospel For Today

FOURTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (C)
click here for readings

There are many examples in history of Christians attempting to purge themselves from any attachment to the physical.  Some of these attempts have been healthier than others.  On the one hand you have the more ascetical religious congregations, such as certain Carmelite communities, Trappists, etc.  On the other hand you have heretical groups such as the Cathars of medieval Europe.  

What makes one group holy and another heretical?  And what about those of us who don't live in medieval monasteries, but in modern homes with our families?  Are we, as Christians, required to eschew material goods and pleasures?

St. Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians (today's second reading) that "the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."  This certainly suggests that he is no longer attached to material concerns; they have no more hold over him.  

Likewise in today's gospel reading from Luke we hear Christ telling the seventy-two He sends out to carry no money bag, sack, or sandals.  They were to have nothing with them, depending entirely upon the charity of those they meet.  It certainly seems that for the Christian, a certain detachment from material goods is expected.

But the Cathars we mentioned before preached a radical detachment, and they were condemned as heretics.  In fact, the great Dominican order was founded to go and preach among them and convince them of the error of their ways.  What gives?

The Cathars certainly did teach that the Christian should have no attachment to physical things of this world.  But they did so for all the wrong reasons.  They taught that the physical world -- all of nature -- was evil.  This included not only food and drink, material wealth, and other goods; it also included our very bodies.  

The Cathars were a medieval revival of an even more ancient heresy called Manicheism. The Manicheans were dualists.  This meant they believed in two gods.  In their view, the lesser evil god was responsible for creating the physical world, while the good god of light was responsible for creating the spiritual world.  Thus things of spirit were good while physical things were evil.  A human being, in their view, was a good soul that was trapped in an evil body.  Salvation for the Manicheans and the Cathars meant freeing the soul from the body.

In this life, strict practitioners did this by living very ascetic lives, detached from any physical goods.  They ate only the bare minimum to sustain them.  And they forbade marriage, as the purpose of marriage was to unite two (evil) physical bodies in an (evil) physical union, the result of which was to create a new (evil) physical body in which another (good) soul could be trapped.  

Of course this view of creation is all wrong.  Even though it may appear that these heretics have certain things in common with ascetic religious orders (living simple lives, detachment from material goods, celibacy), their theology is miles apart.

We believe in one God.  We profess this each and every time we recite the Creed.  It is the first and foundational article of our faith.  And this God created the entire universe, all that is visible and invisible, as we also recite in our Creed.  This means God is creator of both the physical and spiritual realms.  All creation comes from Him, and that means all of creation is good.

God made us as creatures with physical bodies and spiritual souls.  This is why it is so wrong for us to think of our existence in heaven (or hell) as disembodied spirits.  We are not meant to be ghosts.  We are human beings, and we will be human beings in heaven (or hell).  Human beings have bodies and souls.

St. Paul mentions a "new creation" in his letter today.  This current world and everything in it (including our bodies) exists in time, and everything in time has a beginning and an end.  It will pass away.  We will pass away.  But our faith tells us of "a new heaven and a new earth" that will exist in eternity.  Christ's Resurrection is the first fruit of the future resurrection in which we will all rise from the dead in our new bodies.  Our ultimate destiny is not to live as ghosts for all eternity in some dimension of pure spirit.  We will exist in eternity as we are now, with physical bodies - but perfected and glorified.

God even uses the physical to communicate His love to us.  Think about the Sacraments.  We are baptized into Christ with water poured over us.  We receive God Himself in the form of bread and wine.  Our priests are ordained by the laying on of hands.  These are all very physical acts.

Think of the Incarnation.  This is the doctrine that makes Christianity absolutely unique among all other religions.  We believe that the God who made the universe Himself entered into His creation to be born of a woman.  This means God resided in His mother's womb; He nursed from her breasts; He crawled around, and later walked, ran, played and worked on the ground of this earth.  He breathed the same air we do, drank the same water.

So the Christian rejoices in the physical world.  We look upon it as a great work of art created by the hand of God.  We look upon it as a wonderful gift which has been put into our care, for us to enjoy responsibly.  But even more importantly, the Christian realizes that the goodness of this world is only a reflection of the goodness of the One who made it.  

It is precisely because of its goodness that the physical world can be such a temptation for us.  We may begin to see material things as good in their own right.  Holy ascetics live lives of detachment from material goods, not because they think the physical world is evil but because they recognize that it is not the greatest good.  They practice self-denial as a discipline to prepare themselves for the perfect world to come.

Those of us who are not called to a life of strict asceticism can still learn a lot from this practice. It is important that we understand that the material things we use and enjoy are only good inasmuch as they reflect the goodness of God.  When we enjoy a good meal, a good glass of wine, good music, a lovely mountain view, or even the feel of rain on our faces, we must realize that these things are gifts to us from the Creator.  We should allow the good things of this world to draw us closer to Him.  

This is why it is appropriate from time to time (such as Fridays and the penitential seasons of Advent and Lent) for us to practice a little self-denial as a reminder that these physical things, as good as they are, are not the ultimate good.  There is a greater glory for which we strive.

That greater glory is described to us in our first reading today from Isaiah.  God tells of the comfort that we will find in the new Jerusalem.  Listen to the very physical language He uses.  "Oh, that you may suck fully of the milk of her comfort, that you may nurse with delight at her abundant breasts!... As nurselings, you shall be carried in her arms, and fondled in her lap; as a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you..."

Yes, our Catholic faith is a physical faith.  We surround ourselves with images and incense, bells and smells, art and architecture.  And we throw some glorious parties.  Unlike the Cathar, we can enjoy this creation as a gift from God.  But unlike the materialist, we recognize its goodness as a mere shadow of the goodness to come, the goodness of the new creation, which will even more perfectly reflect the glory of its maker because unlike this world, it will not pass away.

I hope to see you there!

--
WCU Catholic Campus Ministry
Matthew Newsome, MTh, campus minister
  
(828)293-9374  |   POB 2766, Cullowhee NC 28723

Gospel For Today

THIRTEENTH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (C)

We modern day Americans feel like we have a good grip on what freedom means.  After all, we live in the "Land of the Free."  In a few days, on July 4, we will be celebrating our freedom from English overrule with displays of fireworks, hotdogs and hamburgers, the national anthem and plenty of red, white and blue.

But freedom is not something we can take for granted.  Turn on the news, and more and more you hear that our freedom is under attack.  And I do not mean by foreign terrorists or enemy soldiers.  People are worried about losing our freedom from within.

We are in the middle of a special "Fortnight for Freedom" instituted by our US Bishops, to pray for and defend religious liberty.  This observance is to last from June 21 to July 4, and is meant to  address many current challenges to religious freedom, including the looming August 1 deadline for religious organizations to comply with the HHS contraception mandate, as well as the real possibility that recent same-sex marriage rulings will impact religious organizations and individuals.  (If you haven't heard of the "Fortnight for Freedom" before, click here).  

On the other side of the coin you have those on the political left claiming an affront to their freedom any time the absolute right to abortion is challenged.  Many claim to personally believe abortion is wrong, but in the name of freedom will not allow anyone to dictate what they can and cannot do.  It is all about choice.

Our modern understanding of freedom too often equates it with "choice."  But not all choices are good ones.  We can choose things that enslave us.

I love my Netflix account.  It allows me to choose from a huge selection of movies and television shows to keep myself and my family entertained.  But if it included an X-rated channel which streamed smut into my home, I would not allow it; I would not want my children exposed to that "choice."  I want to protect them from becoming addicted to pornography.

Likewise I appreciate all the choices offered at my local supermarket.  In addition to local produce I can get food from all over the world, any time of the year.  But I would never shop at a grocer that had a "narcotics aisle."  We recognize how addictive drugs can be, and that addiction reduces our choices down to one.  We choose to feed our addiction, even if it causes irreparable harm to other aspects of our lives.  Even if it kills us.

Sin can be just as addictive as heroine.  It can enslave us.  In today's second reading from Galatians, St. Paul tells us, "For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit to the yoke of slavery."  

What does St. Paul mean by submitting to the yoke of slavery?  He's talking about sin.  He continues, "Do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh," and, "the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want."

You can use your freedom to sin.  You can choose to do evil.  You can choose hate and selfishness.  You can choose indulgence and excess.  You can choose to slowly kill your soul.  Yes, you can even choose damnation.  I have heard it said that God condemns no one to hell, but He allows those who have freely chosen it to go there.  I believe this is true.  We may ask, "Who would choose hell?"  But people do, sadly, every day.  They freely reject God.  They reject love.  They turn inward.  And they do it all thinking it is their choice, their right.

People look upon the moral law of the Church -- a morality based on the natural law, which is to say it is based on the human person and so applicable to all -- as a restriction on their freedom.  It is a series of "thou shalt nots."  Thou shalt not lie.  Thou shalt not steal.  Thou shalt not commit adultery.  Thou shalt not covet your neighbor's goods.  Thou shalt not have any gods before me...  No, no, no.  Not, not, not.  How can this be freedom when you have the Church constantly telling you what not to do?

A wise person once quipped that the reason the Ten Commandments are negative statements is because it was more efficient for God to spell out the few things we can't do rather than list the infinite number of good things we can do. 

Another way of looking at it is to imagine the moral life as an island in the middle of a turbulent, shark infested ocean.  There are children on the island, huddled at the center for fear of stepping too close to the shore and being swept off to sea.  They have no rules to follow, no restrictions.  But are they truly "free?"  

Then someone comes along and builds a fence around the perimeter of their island.  Fences are built either to keep people out or keep them in.  Fences restrict freedom in our way of thinking.  But with the fence in place, the children are now able to run around and play, enjoying the whole island.  They know as long as they stay within the fence, they will be safe from the sea.  They are more free with the fence than without it.

The moral law is like that fence.  We may choose to look upon it as restrictive, but in truth the only thing it restricts us from is our own peril.  As long as we stay within the fence, we need not worry.  We are in fact more free, because we know where the danger lies and how to avoid it.

Many of you no doubt use GPS devices to navigate on the road.  We happily subject our "freedom" to this little electronic gadget that tells us where to go.  Why do we do this?  Because we know if we follow that path, we will arrive at our destination.  Otherwise we would be lost.  Submission in this case makes us more free.

Likewise we are made free by submitting to the law of God.  He's laid out the path for us.  He has erected the safety fences.  This is why, of all people, the Christian is the most free.  We know where we are going and how to get there.

In truth, the only thing we need to fear -- the only way we can lose the path -- is if we choose to stray.  Pray today that we will never use our freedom for that purpose.  Let us never use our freedom to choose the yoke of slavery to sin.  This is not why Christ set us free.  He freed us to become saints.  He freed us to be joyful people.  He freed us to love.

--
WCU Catholic Campus Ministry
Matthew Newsome, MTh, campus minister
  
(828)293-9374  |   POB 2766, Cullowhee NC 28723

Gospel For Today

TWELFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (C)

"Who do you say that I am?"  This is the question Jesus asks in today's gospel reading from Luke 9:18-24.  It is still an important question today, an essential one for any Christian.  

I cannot recall how often I have been asked this question on retreats, in classes, guided prayers, etc.  Unfortunately the emphasis is often put on the wrong word.  "Who do you say that He is?" the questioner asks.  They are interested in our personal thoughts about Jesus.

There is an approach to this question which is helpful, and one that I fear could be harmful to one's faith.  It is, on the one hand, absolutely essential that a Christian know the answer to this question.  A Christian is not one who merely follows the teachings of Christ, but one who follows Christ Himself.  We do not worship Christ because of anything He said or did but because of who He is.  Our faith is a personal faith.  We believe in a Person, and we must believe within our person.  

So the "you" in "Who do you say that I am?" is vital.  Jesus wants our personal answer.

But there is an unhelpful way of looking at this, as well.  We can put too much emphasis on "our personal answer" and begin to treat Jesus as a construct of our own thoughts and desires.  What would we want in a savior? 

I have sat in discussion groups and heard people say, "Well, to me, Jesus is a friend, a companion on the journey..."  "To me, Jesus is like an older brother..."  "To me, Jesus is a messenger of God's mercy..."  "To me, Jesus is an example of how to live right."  

Some of these answers may be better than others, but the problem is the emphasis placed on the, "To me, to me, to me."  We can easily fall into the trap of recasting Christ in our own image.  We forget that Jesus did not ask, "What do you say I am like?" but rather "Who do you say that I am?"

So let's take the emphasis off of "you" and put it where it ought to be.  "Who do you say that I am?"  Who is Jesus?  As Jesus is a real Person, this question has a real answer.  

This means there are wrong ways to answer this question. "You are John the Baptist."  "You are Elijah."  "You are a prophet."  No, no, no.  This is what the crowd was saying, and the crowd rarely gets it right.

"The Christ of God," Simon Peter says.  Yes, yes, yes.  Christ means Messiah, the Anointed One.  The one for whom the Jewish people have long awaited.  As Peter puts it in the parallel version from Matthew, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."  

It is this answer which prompted Jesus to change Simon's name to Rock (Peter) and promise, "Upon this Rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Mt 16:18).  

This is Jesus.  This is who He is, regardless of our personal thoughts and opinions on the matter.  So don't be like the crowd, murmuring your own guesses at who this Jesus might be.  "A prophet, a teacher, a holy man, a revolutionary, a friend."  All of those things might describe what He is like.  But when someone asks you who He is, you can do no better than to unite yourself to Peter's faith and proclaim, "He is the Christ of God."

The Catholic Church is the Church founded upon the Rock of Peter by Jesus Christ.  It is the Church which Christ sustains in existence to this day, and will continue to sustain until the end of time.  To know Jesus is to know His Church.  To live the life of the Church is to live a life close to Jesus.  

This means being willing to abandon some of our own perceptions and preconceptions about who we think Jesus might be.  It means learning about Him through the reality of His Church, through which He remains with us today.  We must "deny ourselves" as Christ teaches in this same gospel passage, so that we may better "take up our cross and follow Him."  

In this way we will come to know the real Jesus, as He is.  This is vital.  In the beginning stages of any relationship, we can make the mistake of falling in love with the image we have of the other person in our mind.  This can never be true love.  This is a crush, an infatuation.  Real love requires us to know the real person, as they truly are.

Falling in love with Jesus requires the same.  Come to know Jesus the Christ in all His glory.  Accept no substitutes.

--
WCU Catholic Campus Ministry
Matthew Newsome, MTh, campus minister
  
(828)293-9374  |   POB 2766, Cullowhee NC 28723