Rejoice in the Catholic Faith

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== Friday, February 7: three crosses on Calvary ==
== Friday, April 4: All things pointing to Christ ==
Once my Religious Education students went blank when I showed them an image of Calvary with the three crucifixes. They had never heard about the thieves. But it is cause for contemplation.  
Opening prayer, "Anima Christi"
[[File:Mosaic_of_the_exorcism_of_the_Gerasene_demoniac_from_the_Basilica_of_Sant'Apollinare_Nuovo.jpg|thumb|Mosaic of the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac from the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, dating to the sixth century AD]]
 
A first consideration is that with God there are no coincidences. He may let things happen (Tower of Siloam, [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/13?4 Lk 13:4]), or it may be for a very important purpose that we don't always see, such as the "Gerasene Demoniac" ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/8?26 Lk 8:26]) - why the pigs? Some curious elements to this story
{|style="vertical-align:top; float:left; margin-right:25px; margin-bottom:15px; text-align:left;"
!style="padding:15px; max-width:275px;"|
<poem>Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ, save me
Blood of Christ, inebriate me
Water from Christ's side, wash me
Passion of Christ, strengthen me
O good Jesus, hear me
Within Thy wounds hide me
Suffer me not to be separated from Thee
From the malicious enemy defend me
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee
That I may praise Thee with Thy saints
and with Thy angels
Forever and ever
Amen
</poem>
|}
{|style="vertical-align:top; float:left; margin-right:25px; margin-bottom:15px; text-align:left;"
!style="padding:15px;"|
<poem>Anima Christi, sanctifica me.
''Corpus Christi, salva me.
''Sanguis Christi, inebria me.
''Aqua lateris Christi, lava me.
''Passio Christi, conforta me.
''O bone Iesu, exaudi me.
''Intra tua vulnera absconde me.
''Ne permittas me separari a te.
''Ab hoste maligno defende me.
''In hora mortis meae voca me.
''Et iube me venire ad te,
''Ut cum Sanctis tuis laudem te,
''In saecula saeculorum. Amen
</poem>
|-
|}
<div style="clear:both;">
Today's Mass reading is a perfect example of Old Testament "typology," or the "types" of Christ found in the Old Testament, that is wonderfully expressed by Saint Augustine's teaching that<blockquote>The New is hidden in the Old, and the Old is revealed by the New.</blockquote>In the First Reading today's, [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040425.cfm Friday, Fourth Week of Lent], selection from [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/wisdom/2?1 Wisdom 2:1, 12-22], which includes,<blockquote><poem>The wicked said among themselves,
thinking not aright:
....
"Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us;
He calls blest the destiny of the just,
....
and boasts that God is his Father.
Let us see whether his words be true;
let us find out what will happen to him.
For if the just one be the son of God, he will defend him
and deliver him from the hand of his foes.
With revilement and torture let us put him to the test
that we may have proof of his gentleness
and try his patience.
Let us condemn him to a shameful death;
for according to his own words, God will take care of him."
 
These were their thoughts, but they erred;
for their wickedness blinded them,
and they knew not the hidden counsels of God;
neither did they count on a recompense of holiness
nor discern the innocent souls' reward.</poem></blockquote>
 
Just as spoken at the Cross, of course, and across Jesus' ministry. As
We will discuss two “types” that Christ himself points to about himself and his mission to save mankind:
# That he must die
# Salvation is for all men, not just the Jews
 
As we approach Holy Week, these messages become more urgent, and despite that urgency, his Apostles, like the Jews who can’t see him in the Old Testament, fail to understand.
 
The Gospels are full these "types" which sometimes direct and sometimes easy to miss, such as in the Parable of the Prodigal Son in [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/15 Luke 15:11] in which the prodigal son is the gentiles and the older brother the Jews.
 
We'll look for other gems, hidden or explicit, that guide us, too, through God's Plan of Salvation, including:
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Explicit
!Implicit
|-
| colspan="2" |<center>'''"Three days"'''
|-
|'''Cleansing of the Temple'''
Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.” ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/2:19 Jn 2:19])
|'''The Wedding at Cana'''
"On the third day there was a wedding in Cana" ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/2:1 Jn 2:1])
|-
|'''The Conditions of Discipleship'''
“The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9?22 Lk 9:22])
|'''Herod’s Desire to Kill Jesus'''
He replied, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose." ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/13?32 Lk 13:32])
|-
|'''The Third Prediction of the Passion'''
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him, spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death, but after three days he will rise.” ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/10?32 Mk 10:32])
|'''The Agony in the Garden'''
He returned a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough. The hour has come. Behold, the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners." ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/14?41 Mk 14:41])
|-
| colspan="2" |<center>'''Gentiles'''
|-
|'''The Chosen Servant'''
"And in his name the Gentiles will hope.” ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/12 Mt 12:21])
|'''The Demand for a Sign.'''
"At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and there is something greater than Solomon here." ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/12:42 Mt. 12:42])
|-
|'''The Parable of the Wedding Feast'''
"'Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’"([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/22?1 Mt 22:1])
|'''Cleansing of the Temple'''
Then he taught them saying, “Is it not written: ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples’?" ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/11?17 Mk 11:17])
 
''<small>[Note: "for all peoples" only shows up in Mark's version, not those of Matthew or Luke]</small>''
|-
|'''The Presentation in the Temple'''
"a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel." ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/2?32 Lk 2:32])
|'''The Healing of a Deaf Man.'''
Again he left the district of Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, into the district of the Decapolis.... They were exceedingly astonished and they said, “He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and [the] mute speak.” ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/7?31 Mk 7:31, 37]) 
 
''<small>[Here, the typology is in the location, which is a Greek city, where they were "deaf" and "mute"]</small>''
|-
| colspan="2" |<center>'''Gentiles: Sheep'''
|-
| rowspan="2" |'''The Good Shepherd'''
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/10?16 Jn 10:16])
|'''Feast of the Dedication'''
"My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me." ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/10?27 Jn 10:27])
|-
|'''The Parable of the Lost Sheep'''
What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/15:4 Lk 15:4])
|-
| colspan="2" |<center>'''Gentiles: Pigs'''
|-
|'''The Parable of the Lost Son'''
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/15 Lk 15:16])
|'''Pearls Before Swine'''
“Do not give what is holy to dogs,* or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces." ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/7?6 Mt:7:6])
 
'''The Healing of the Gerasene Demoniac'''
 
And they pleaded with him, “Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.”
([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/5?12 Mk 5:12])
|-
| colspan="2" |<center>'''Gentiles: Birds'''
|-
| colspan="2" |'''The Parable of the Mustard Seed'''
"It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the ‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.” ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13:32 Mt 13:32])
 
'''The Parable of the Sower'''
 
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/4?4 Mk 4:4])
|-
| colspan="2" |<center>'''Gentiles: Dogs'''
|-
| colspan="2" |'''The Syrophoenician Woman’s Faith'''
He said to her, “Let the children be fed first. For it is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs." She replied and said to him, “Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/7?27 Mk 7:27-28])
|}
 
== Friday, March 21: Confession ==
We will start with the Act of Contrition: <blockquote>O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen. </blockquote>I listened today to a priest interview a Bishop on what not to do at Confession. He summarizes what ''to do'' in a Confession:  <blockquote>Own the sin. </blockquote>It's a great principle, as everything flows from it. 
 
The things he advises '''''not to do''''' flow from "not owning" one's sins. Some he things mentions include:
 
* approaching the sacrament unprepared
** "have some mercy on the priest and be ready"
* lack of contrition:
** "I'm not really sorry for this, but it's on the Examination of Conscience list....."
* saying "I felt"
* confessing other people's sins
** the Bishop gives a great catalog of  
<blockquote>"Sometimes I've sat in the Confessional for 10 minutes without them confessing a single personal sin. However, I did learn about all the sins of their spouse, their children, the Pope, the President, the pastor, including when that person is me, neighbors, celebrities, postal workers, children's teacher, the IRS, and the cashier at Publix."</blockquote>
* cataloging your resume
* telling the confessor what a good person you are
* providing unnecessary details (let the Confessor ask for clarification)
 
He says to do,
 
* approach the Confession with purpose of amendment
* state your stage in life, such as your age
* relevant mitigation of the sin (circumstances)
* confess in general terms
** "Today I was impatient with my spouse" without going into the details of it
 
"It's about being with Christ. Christ already knows who we are."  The point is to receive God's forgiveness.
 
Here for the Podcast episode <nowiki>http://sites.libsyn.com/286598/a-pastor-looks-at-lent-fr-casey-jones-32025</nowiki> and here for the podcast home page: [https://thestationofthecross.com/programs/the-catholic-current-encore/ The Catholic Current (Encore) - The Station of the Cross]  (Episode 1556: A Pastor Looks at Lent (Fr. Casey Jones): <blockquote>“We welcome back Fr. Casey Jones to explore how a pastor uniquely views Lent, and what mistakes he sees his congregation making with some Lenten practices. He even shares his line-up of how not to make a good confession. “</blockquote>For the discussion of how NOT to Confess: min 28:00
 
Show notes: [https://bulldogcatholic.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/a-detailed-catholic-examination-of-conscience-2nd-ed-updated.pdf Microsoft Word - A Detailed Catholic Examination of Conscience (2nd Ed.).docx]
 
=== The Sacrament of Reconciliation ===
Scriptural sources:
 
* The Healing of a Paralytic (Lk 5:17)
* Parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32)
* Jesus institutes the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Jn 19:23)
* CCC 1480: <blockquote>Like all the sacraments, Penance is a liturgical action. The elements of the celebration are ordinarily these: a greeting and blessing from the priest, reading the word of God to illuminate the conscience and elicit contrition, and an exhortation to repentance; the confession, which acknowledges sins and makes them known to the priest; the imposition and acceptance of a penance; the priest's absolution; a prayer of thanksgiving and praise and dismissal with the blessing of the priest.</blockquote>
 
=== In persona Christi ===
* = “in the person of Christ”
* • in the Sacraments, as well as at Mass, the Priest is “standing for Christ”
** i.e., “in the person of Christ • Per CCC 1465-1467, the priest: 
* “is fulfilling the ministry of the Good Shepherd” (CCC 1465) • “is not the master of God’s forgiveness but its servant” (CCC 1466)
* “is bound under severe penalties to keep absolute secrecy regarding the sins his penitents have confessed to him” (CCC 1467)
 
== Friday, March 14: Timeline of Christ ==
We'll start with this prayer from [[Prayers#St. Clement of Rome (35-101 AD)|St. Clement of Rome]]  
[[File:GaudenzioFerrari_StorieCristo_Varallo2.jpg|alt=Life of Jesus|thumb|Life of Jesus (wikipedia)]]
For my first Easter as a Catholic, I read Bishop Fulton' Sheen’s “Life of Christ,“ timing my calendar with that of the book. Since about half the book is about the Passion and Resurrection, it didn't really line up . Still, it was a beautiful way to celebrate Easter Sunday when the Lord Has Risen!
 
As we head towards the Passion week, let's think about how Jesus got there. We could start with Creation, or the Fall from Eden, but that’d bring us into the larger story of Salvation History, so instead we will discuss Jesus’ earthly life and ministry, and a few of the contingencies surrounding the time and place he chose to save us all.
 
Before going there, we ought to remember Saint Paul's admonition in [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/15?12 1 Cor:15:12-14] that without the Resurrection "we are the most pitiable people of all":<blockquote>But if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then empty [too] is our preaching; empty, too, your faith. </blockquote>
[[File:Sainte_Chapelle_-_Upper_level_1.jpg|thumb|417x417px|Sainte Chapelle - Upper level 1]]
In other words, no Resurrection, and nobody knows Christ -- maybe a few references to Jesus as in Josephus' "History of the Jews," or, as Islam holds, just another prophet (whom they say did not die on the Cross). At best, perhaps we'd talk about Jesus the Nazarene like Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, or like Confucius or Socrates the philosophers. I doubt his name would have made it past the 1st Century.
 
It's ironic, actually, that non-believers and deists like Thomas Jefferson, who hold that Jesus was a really smart man who said really nice things, only know about Christ because of the Resurrection.
 
A fundamental problem with the Crucifixion without the Resurrection is that so much of what Jesus did in his ministry was directed towards the Crucifixion. Let's explore his life, his ministry, his place, his timing and, above all, his purpose.  Everything leads to Calvary, and Calvary leads to the Resurrection. 
----Started out talking about Saint-Chapelle in Paris -- wow!! (Guess the dates of construction -- mind blowing!)
 
We ended up looking over this chart that organizes the Gospel accounts chronologically: [https://biblechronology.net/ChronologyOfTheFourGospels-changes%20from%202019-06-05.pdf Chronology of the Four Gospels]  Pretty neat, but we mustn't ever lose sight of Christ's destination: Calvary and Resurrection.
 
God bless!
 
== Friday, March 7: canceled ==
Please pray for Terry's speedy recovery.
 
== Friday, February 28: The Temptation of Jesus ==
Opening prayer: [[Prayers#Deus Propicius Esto ("God be favorable to me")|''Deus Propicius Esto'']] (God be favorable to me)
 
The Synoptic Gospels all bring us the story of Satan’s attempt to corrupt Jesus. These are found in:
 
* [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/4 Matthew 3:1-11]
* [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/1?12 Mark 1:12-13] (no details about the temptations)
* [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/4?1 Luke 4:1-13]
 
We'll start with the concept of sin itself, as sin is the destination of temptation, so we need to consider where temptation leads us:
 
* See [[Sin|Sin - Rejoice in the Catholic Faith]]
 
A couple things to consider here, which we will discuss:
 
* '''The mystery of the hypostatic union:'''
** Christ is 100% God and 100% man. Can he, then, suffer temptation?
*** (hint: think of the Agony in the Garden)
 
*Saint Gregory says ([https://www.ecatholic2000.com/catena/untitled-11.shtml Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aquinas]),
<blockquote>'''GREGORY.''' In these things is shewn the twofold nature in one person; it is the man whom the Devil tempts; the same is God to whom Angels minister.\ </blockquote>
* '''Did Satan really think he could get away with it?'''
** from [https://www.ecatholic2000.com/catena/untitled-11.shtml Catena Aurea by St. Thomas Aquinas]
 
<blockquote>'''PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM'''. The Lord knew the thoughts of the Devil, that he sought to tempt Him; he had heard that Christ had been born into this world with the preaching of Angels, the witness of shepherds, the inquiry of the Magi, and the testimony of John. Thus the Lord proceeded against him, not as God, but as man, or rather both as God and man. For in forty days of fasting not to have been an hungred was not as man; to be ever an hungred was not as God. He was an hungred then that the God might not be certainly manifested, and so the hopes of the Devil in tempting Him be extinguished, and His own victory hindered.</blockquote>
 
* Saint Jerome notes
 
<blockquote>'''JEROME'''. But thou art caught, O Enemy, in a dilemma. If these stones can be made bread at His word, your temptation is vain against one so mighty. If He cannot make them bread, your suspicions that this is the Son of God must be vain</blockquote>
* '''Both Jesus and Satan quote OT Scripture — kinda cool:'''
 
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:small;"
|+Scripture Quoted
!Satan
!Jesus
!Threefold Sins
!Notes
|-
|If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.”
|‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.’” ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/8?3 Dt 8:30]: "He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna,c a food unknown to you and your ancestors, so you might know that it is not by bread alone* that people live, but by all that comes forth from the mouth of the L<small>ORD</small>."
|
* appetite ("the belly")
* lust of the flesh
|
* stones as sin or error ("dash your foot"
* stones = the tablets of the Ten Commandment s (?)
 
* bread is the gratification of desire
|-
|and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written ‘He will command his angels concerning you’ and ‘with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”  (The source is [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/91?11 Ps 91:11-12]: "For he commands his angels with regard to you, to guard you wherever you go. With their hands they shall support you, lest you strike your foot against a stone.")
|[https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/6:16 Dt 6:16]: "You shall not put the L<small>ORD</small>, your God, to the test, as you did at Massah" (see [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/exodus/17?2 Ex 17:2]: "and so they quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses replied to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the L<small>ORD</small> to a test?”)
|
* pride of life
* ambition
|
* from atop the Temple = above God
* Jesus respects the Temple for worship of God and not for temporal power
|-
|Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, “All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”
|At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: ‘The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.’” (From Dt [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/deuteronomy/6?13 6:13] "The L<small>ORD</small>, your God, shall you fear; him shall you serve,* and by his name shall you swear.")
|
* lust of the eyes
* pride of life
* idolatry
|
* Gn 11:4: "make a name for ourselves"
* Israel's worship of false gods
|-
|
|
|
|
|}
 
* '''Jesus teaches us something very important about bread.'''
** in Luke 11:1, the disciples ask
 
<blockquote>He was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”</blockquote>
 
* see "Lord's Prayer" [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/6?11 Mt 6:11] "Give us today our daily bread"
 
I’m hoping that the discussion will help us to better prepare for Lent.
 
== Friday, February 21: Three crosses on Calvary ==
My RCIA students went blank when I showed them an image of Calvary with the three crucifixes. Huh? Why three? They had never heard about the thieves.
 
At the simplest level, one is damned the other is saved, so they offer a blunt reminder of our own possible choices and destinations:
 
* both sinful
* both prideful
* only one repents
* Christ absolves him
 
But it may be worth further contemplation. They were not there by happenstance: God wanted them there, so let's consider why.
 
First, let's look at the Gospel accounts, The "thieves" -- a word not used in my translation -- are mentioned in all four Gospels, so the Evangelists all agreed on the importance of their presence. The only detail they all share is the placement of the Crosses, which Jesus crucified in the center. Matthew expands on Mark, Luke expands on Matthew, and John tells us that all three were to have their legs broken by the soldiers, but since Jesus was already dead the centurion stabbed him instead.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Matthew
!Mark
!Luke
!John
|-
|Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and the other on his left. ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/27:38 Mt 27:38])
The revolutionaries who were crucified with him also kept abusing him in the same way. ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/27:44 Mt 27:44])
|With him they crucified two revolutionaries, one on his right and one on his left
([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/15:27 Mk 15:27])
|When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/23:33 Lk 23:33])
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.”
The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.”
 
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
 
([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/23:39 Lk 23:39-43])
|There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle. ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/19:18 Jn 19:18])
Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out.
([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/19:31 Jn 19:31-34])
|}
Lots to review there, including thoughts on what happened to the bodies of the thieves, and how, since they were still alive, they witnessed the eclipse of the sun, the earthquake and, perhaps, even, the bodies of the saints raised (?).
 
'''Bonus points''' if you can answer this: ''who was the first person in the Gospels, outside of Mary, to recognize that Jesus is God'' (Answer [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/27:54 Matthew here] and [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/15:39 Luke here]; the answer is suggested by Luke [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/23:47 here] ).
 
We might have a look at two unrelated Gospel readings that help us dig deeper into the story of the good and bad thieves.
 
First is one of the more famous ones, in this year's cycle, from [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/8?34 Mark 8:34]:<blockquote>Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.</blockquote>Then we'll take a look at the [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/20:1 Parable of the Workers (Mt 20:1-16)] , which must have so infuriated the scribes, and certainly was part of the resentment of the Early Church "Judaizers," who resented all these new Christians who didn't follow the Law.
 
Let's see what we can learn!
----Great discussion, as always, and always great to be confronted by the Mysteries of the Lord and of our Faith!


*
We found today that in the context of the "two thieves" (the King James Version uses "thieves"), the salvation of the one came of his humility, while the other kept his pride. As says the poet in the Old Testament, "Pride cometh before the fall" (KJV, Proverbs 16:18).


The Parable of the Workers and Mark 8:34 are all about pride. In Mark 8, when Jesus says, <blockquote>Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.</blockquote>the key word is "deny himself" -- that means to shed pride. It's one thing to pick up one's burdens, and bear it as a cross, but it's altogether another to "deny" oneself. The thieves may or may not have carried their crosses, we don't know, but we do know that one kept his pride, while the other shed it, and received the Lord's welcome in Paradise.[[File:Mosaic_of_the_exorcism_of_the_Gerasene_demoniac_from_the_Basilica_of_Sant'Apollinare_Nuovo.jpg|thumb|Mosaic of the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac from the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, dating to the sixth century AD]]
== Friday, February 7: Demons in pigs! ==
[[File:Mosaic_of_the_exorcism_of_the_Gerasene_demoniac_from_the_Basilica_of_Sant'Apollinare_Nuovo.jpg|thumb|Mosaic of the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac from the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, dating to the sixth century AD]]
In the "Gerasene Demoniac" ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/8?26 Lk 8:26], also in [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/8?28 Mt 8:28] and [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/5?1 Mk 5:1] ), Jesus allows a "Legion" of demons that possessed a man (two men in Matthew), at their request, to enter a herd of pigs. 
Why pigs? There are some curious elements to this story that we might consider:
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|+
Line 40: Line 394:
!Thoughts
!Thoughts
|-
|-
|gentile area, pig herders, across the sea from Galilee
|pagan region, pig herders, across the sea from Galilee
|
|Was that the sole reason for Jesus to go there?
|
|The Apostles were on the boat with him, so they had to know he was going there. (Just after the "calming of the seas")
|-
|-
|"they" arrived (w/ the Apostles) but "he came ashore"
|"they" arrived (w/ the Apostles) but "he came ashore"
|why was Jesus alone?<nowiki>''</nowiki>
|why was Jesus alone?<nowiki>''</nowiki>
|
|Apostles not ready to deal w/ pagans? Jesus wasn't afraid.
|-
|-
|lived in the tombs; was naked
|lived in the tombs; was naked
Line 53: Line 407:
|-
|-
|bound in chains
|bound in chains
|but broke free of them? the power of evil/ sin?
|
|
|slave to sin?
|-
|-
|"do not torment me"
|"do not torment me"
Line 67: Line 421:
|Romans? lots of demons?
|Romans? lots of demons?
|foreshadowing conversion of Rome, exercised of demons by Christianity
|foreshadowing conversion of Rome, exercised of demons by Christianity
|-
|And they pleaded with him not to order them to depart to the abyss.
|hell?
|
|-
|-
|"pleaded with him to allow them to enter those swine"
|"pleaded with him to allow them to enter those swine"
|huh?
|poor pigs?  
pigs aren't people !
|'''ATHANASIUS'''. (de vita Anton.) But if they have no power over swine, the evil spirits have much less against men who are made after the image of God. We ought then to fear God alone, but despise them.
|'''[https://www.ecatholic2000.com/catena/untitled-69.shtml AMBROSE]'''. But the devils could not endure the clearness of the light of heaven, as those who have weak eyes can not bear the sun’s rays.
'''ATHANASIUS'''. (de vita Anton.) But if they have no power over swine, the evil spirits have much less against men who are made after the image of God. We ought then to fear God alone, but despise them.
|-
|-
|abyss
|abyss
|hell? void? cleansing?  
|did they not know the pigs would take them there, anyway?  
|the demons aren't purified, but the land is purified of the demons by the drowning in the water
|the demons aren't purified, the land and people are purified of them (baptism)
'''AUGUSTINE'''. (ubi sup.) But by their being sent down violently into the lake, it is meant that the Church has been purified, and now that the Gentiles are delivered from the dominion of evil spirits, those who refuse to believe in Christ, carry on their unholy rites in hidden places with dark and secret watchings.
'''AUGUSTINE'''. (ubi sup.) But by their being sent down violently into the lake, it is meant that the Church has been purified, and now that the Gentiles are delivered from the dominion of evil spirits, those who refuse to believe in Christ, carry on their unholy rites in hidden places with dark and secret watchings.
|-
|-
Line 88: Line 444:
|}
|}


*
Let's see what can we make of all this!
----Some thoughts on this we shared tonight:


They were not just there by happenstance: God wanted them there, so let's consider why.
* it's the evil within him that was killing him
** when we suffer from evil it within and not without us
** (see Athanasius' comment above)
**


* both sinful
* the man was living w/ evil, was kicked out by his people, but continued to live in desolation, w/ evil
* both prideful
* he could free himself of the shackles the people put on him, but even so unbound, he lived w/ the evil within him,
* only one repents
* we can think of sin as living among the dead
* Christ absolves him
** slavery to sin


Parable of the Workers ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/20 Mt 20:1-16])
* the connections to the Roman empire are strong
** Christianity cured Rome of its pagan beliefs/ practices
** the pigs casting themselves into the sea = baptism for Rome, not just the people of the village
* when he was cured of the evil spirits, the man was again clothed, siting at Jesus' feet
** but he wanted Jesus to stay (didn't say he wanted to follow him)
** Jesus told him to go tell everyone, which he doesn't always do when curing people, at least in Israel


== Friday, January 31: Is it necessarily so? ==
== Friday, January 31: Is it necessarily so? ==
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