Category Archives: Holiness

3 Stages of the Christian Life – by Matthew Vincent Chicoine

Blessed Virgin Mary, Church, Community, Holiness, Holy Spirit, Prayer, Scripture, Spirituality

The spiritual life for the Christian is not a mere horizontal path, but rather vertical and likened to a ladder— consisting of different levels of progression. Thus, the spiritual journey for the Catholic-Christian is composed of three steps being the interior, religious, and spiritual.  In this post, I will focus on individuals from St. Luke’s Gospel who exhibit each stage.

Stage 1— The Interior Life

First, the “interior life” refers to the initial level of the spiritual path for Christians. At this stage, a person demonstrates the ability to be self-aware (self-autonomous) and shows the capacity to utilize their imagination. This stage is necessary for a Christian to increase and deepen their spirituality. However, it is possible to have a profound interior life without being spiritual.  A pragmatic instance of this is a secular artist painting a picture. They exercise their imagination without contemplating the mysteries of God. Nevertheless, normally the more powerful the imagination is, the greater potential a person has to power their “spiritual engine”—the mind.

Example of the Rich Young Man

Two instances of the “interior life” within the Gospel of Luke include the Rich Young Man 18:18-30 and the centurion at the Crucifixion 23:44-49. Regarding the former, the Revised Standard Edition refers to the Rich Young Man as a ruler who initiates contact with Jesus by posing a query: “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”(v. 18).  An analysis of this statement shows the ruler demonstrating the “interior life” on a twofold manner: he knew Jesus was a good, informative teacher (he probably heard about the previous work and preaching of Jesus from others) and the question asked was of metaphysical nature, which thus required imagination and intellect to ponder.

Jesus responds by telling the man to adhere to the Decalogue. The man then tells Christ that he diligently follows the commandments. But Jesus required more, he wanted the Rich Ruler to give away his material goods to the poor. But the man was unable to do so.  While he exhibited an “interior life” by asking the right question, the Rich Young Man was not spiritual due to failure to move past material wealth (v.23). Augmenting this point the narrator tells the reader that the man was sad to give up his possessions and thus shows why he cannot move past the interior level.

Example of the Roman Centurion

A second case of someone having the interior life in Luke comes at the close of the gospel. After hanging upon the cross for several hours, darkness came over the land and the veil of the temple split in two and Jesus uttered his final breath. During this a centurion proclaimed “Certainly this man was innocent!” (v.47). The centurion saw the curtain torn and perhaps remembered Jesus’ premonition that the Temple would be destroyed. Such recall shows intellect and imagination. In fact he had such a powerful imagination, that the centurion “praised God” in v.47. Because of this, he had a profound “interior life”.

Stage 2—The Religious Life

Defined as the level where one is focused on concepts of rituals and/or sacraments, the “religious life” is the next stage in Christian spirituality. To put it another way, this phase denotes an experience of contact with the Transcendent deity via religion.

Two prime examples of this are the Pharisees in Luke 6:1-5 and Peter in 9:28-36. With the former, the Pharisees badgered Jesus and his disciples for gathering grain on the Sabbath. Their query in v. 2 shows that they are primarily concerned with Jewish ritual practices, which exhibits a sign of being in the “religious life” phase. The narrator gives a further clue that this is a case of the “religious life” because Jesus corrected them by showing that David set a precedent in 1 Samuel 21:1-6. The Pharisees were thus being nit-picky about the Sabbath law.

Example of the Transfiguration

The second incident of a person existing in the “religious life” level of spirituality occurs a few chapters later at the Transfiguration. Upon witnessing Jesus’ conversation with Moses and Elijah, Peter utters a seemingly perplexing statement, “Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths…” (9:33). Knowledge of the main Jewish celebrations is needed to ascertain Cephas’ point. Peter is referring to the Feast of Booths which recalls Israel’s exodus from Egypt and their wandering in the desert for 40 years. Although Peter is being an astute Jew by wanting to follow that ritual custom of erecting a tent, his missed the true purpose of the Transfiguration and hence he is at the “religious” level of the spiritual life and not yet at the final stage.

Stage 3—The Spiritual Life

The final phase of the spiritual journey is at the level of the “spiritual life”. The phrase “the spiritual life” is delineated as the level where mankind’s spirit and the Holy Spirit connect— it also presupposes and fulfills the latter two stages in the spiritual excursion.

Example of Mary

At the outset of Luke’s Gospel, Mary’s fiat in 1:26-38 is the most perfect expression of obedience to God and a person having the fullness of the “spiritual life”.  First of all, when the angel Gabriel came to her, Mary although initially concerned did not flee. Rather she listened to the message. After hearing the news of her future pregnancy, Mary asked “How can this be since I have no husband?” (She pledged her life to remain a virgin). Gabriel responded by telling her that Jesus will be conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary’s reply in v. 38 displays her complete surrender to God’s will and shows why she exhibits the “spiritual life”.

Example of the Repentant Sinful Woman

The next case of the “spiritual life” in Luke also is of a woman. In 7:36-50 a sinful woman wept at Jesus’ feet, because of her sins, and cleansed them with her tears and expensive ointment. Luke juxtaposes this woman with Simon, Jesus’ Pharisaic host. He scorned the woman due to her sin. Jesus quips back by saying that the woman washed his feet without him asking. Simon failed to welcome Jesus with the same hospitality (v.45-47). Verse 48 shows the climax of this passage, “Your sins are forgiven”.  She desired forgiveness and Christ is pleased to forgive. For this reason, she is an example of having the “spiritual life”.

St. Francis de Sales declared, “All of us can attain to Christian virtue and holiness, no matter in what condition of life we live and no matter what our life work may be.” Our reflection on St. Luke’s Gospel proves that God meets individuals at various places and times. Whether you are at the beginning or more advanced path to holiness, the key to “climbing” the spiritual ladder is to let Christ carry you— cooperate with Divine Providence this week! I challenge you to plunge yourself into the Scriptures this week and mediate on how you can better encounter Jesus.

Visit Matthew at his website:  https://thesimplecatholic.blog

Part II – Powerful Women of the Christian Scriptures – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Blessed Virgin Mary, Church, Community, Converts, Evangelism, Holiness, Holy Spirit, Jewish roots, Relationships, Scripture, Spirituality, Women

WOMEN AND THE POWER OF GOD – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

This is the second part of my article on Women and the Power of God.  In the first part I looked at some of the women of the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament).  Today we will look at some of the women of the Christian Scriptures (the New Testament).  Next week we will look at some women Saints.  God consistently uses women to show His power and to help bring about the Kingdom.

PART II – POWERFUL WOMEN OF THE CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES (NEW TESTAMENT)

MARY, THE MOTHER OF JESUS:  We start our New Testament list of women with the woman who made it all possible.  Because of her resounding YES, the second person of the Holy Trinity, The Word, became Jesus.  We must remember that Mary was just a young teenage girl when the angel appeared to her.  Try to imagine what it must have been like to be a young teenager, engaged to be married and have an angel come to her with the revelation that God was calling her to become the mother of His son.  She quickly pointed out that she did not know man and wondered how this could happen.  The angel told her that the Holy Spirit would come over her and she would be with child.  That would be scary for any woman, but Mary, because of her love of God and her trust in Him, said yes.  Think what it must have been like to travel to a foreign town and have to give birth in a cave with animals.  Imagine having the three Magi come to her bearing gifts and coming to see the King of Kings, her baby.  Her amazement continued with the Shepherds coming and describing their own visit by an angel announcing Glory to God in the Highest.  When she presented the baby Jesus in the Temple, Simeon said to her, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.”   How those words must have cut in to her spirit.  Think about how Joseph told her that Herod was going to kill their baby and that they needed to flee to Egypt where she would spend a significant time away from her family and friends in a foreign nation.   Mary had to be a very strong woman to handle all of this and to do it so graciously.  Think of the strength that she had to have during Jesus’ ministry and especially at the time of his Passion.  Mary continually showed her strength and trust in God.  There is so much that could be said about her that I really don’t have the space here.  Mary is the Theotokos, the Mother of God.

ELIZABETH:  When Mary was pregnant with Jesus, she went to be with her elder cousin, Elizabeth.  Elizabeth was probably between 60 and 70 years old and was miraculously pregnant with John the Baptist.  Elizabeth was the wife of the priest, Zechariah and was a strong woman of faith.  Scripture tells us “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit”. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”  This statement of Elizabeth is filled with so much faith and such recognition of who Jesus was.  Elizabeth’s encounter with the pregnant Mary caused her to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  The baby in her womb, John the Baptist, leapt for joy.  Those same words were used in the Old Testament when David leapt and danced before the Ark of the Covenant.  Mary, pregnant with Jesus, is the new Ark of the Covenant and Elizabeth recognizes this immediately.  Elizabeth was a strong woman of faith.  She was also strong enough to protect her child, John the Baptist, from being killed by Herod’s soldiers when he ordered the slaughter of the innocent.

MARTHA AND MARY:  These two women and their brother Lazarus were close friends of Jesus.  Their names often come up in the scriptures.  Martha is seen as the working servant and Mary as the quiet listener.  They certainly each had their own personalities, but they seemed to put all that they had into following Jesus and working for the building of His Kingdom.    The important thing about their relationship to Jesus is that it seems to be on par with the relationship men would have with their rabbi.  Normally women would not be so close to the rabbi and wouldn’t be seen as important enough to “sit at their feet” in learning and also wouldn’t be seen as workers with him.   Jesus, in his relationship with Martha and Mary showed us that gender was not an issue to Him, even if it was to His culture. 

MARY MAGDALENE:  Mary Magdalene is often misunderstood in the scriptures, art and tradition.  Her name is so common that she is often confused with other Mary’s.   Unfortunately, in the Western world, she is also often seen as the repentant prostitute mentioned in the scriptures.  Truth of the matter is that in 1969 the Roman Church officially said the she was not that sinful prostitute.  Enough bible study and study of early Church writings showed that she wasn’t.  In 2016 Pope Francis gave her a feast day, June 22nd, ranking her with the male Apostles.  If you study the early writings it appears that she supported Jesus both financially and spiritually.  Eastern tradition has it that she went with Mary, the mother of Jesus to Ephesus to live and that she was considered an early leader in the Church.  Mary Magdalene was a strong disciple of Jesus right until the very end.  She was present at His crucifixion and was a witness of His empty tomb.  Whenever scripture mentions her with other women, her name is always first.  The Resurrected Jesus appeared to her at least twice.  Our modern study of scripture and early writings show that she was a powerful disciple and leader of the early Church.  Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, the Vatican’s culture minister, said Mary Magdalene’s reputation was sullied by her depiction in art over the centuries.  He said, “Art history made her become a prostitute, which is something that is not present in the Gospels, It is important to find the real face of Mary Magdalene, who is a woman who represents the importance of the female aspect on the side of Christ.”   Mary was a strong leader and tremendous help to Jesus during His ministry.  She continued to be a strong help to His Church.

THE SYROPHOENICIAN WOMAN (MARK)/CANAANITE WOMAN (MATTHEW):  Matthew and Mark tell us of the Pagan woman who comes to Jesus requesting healing for her daughter.  The woman’s name is not given.  The incident occurs in Tyre (modern day Lebanon) which has a long history of being an enemy of Israel.  The woman is not a Jew, yet she comes to Jesus asking for help.  She more than asks for help, she screams for help over and over again.  Jesus seems to ignore her.   She pleads with Jesus who finally says that he was “sent only to the lost sheep of Israel”.   Matthew tells us that the woman throws herself at the feet of Jesus and pleads for his help.   Jesus tells her, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”  The woman tells Jesus that “even the dogs get to eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table”.  To this, Jesus replies to her, “O woman, your faith is great; let it be done as you have requested.”  Jesus emphasizes the word great.  At that moment the daughter is healed and Jesus tells the woman to go home to her daughter and to trust.  She does.  There are several things in this story that tell us of the strength and cunning of this woman that allows the power of Jesus to shine through.  First of all her persistence in trying to get Jesus to help is commendable.    Secondly her use of the word Lord and Son of David in addressing Jesus shows us that even though she was not a Jew, she knew about Jewish thought on the messiah.  The very fact that she went to Jesus, and was persistent shows us of the faith that she had.  When Jesus makes the comment about feeding the children and not the dogs, she didn’t show anger but was smart enough to come back with the line that even the dogs eat the scraps that drop from the table.  To this Jesus remarks about how great her faith was and he healed her daughter.  Lastly, when Jesus told her to go home in trust, she did exactly that.  She trusted that her petitions to Jesus were answered.  We all need to learn from this powerful, faithful, persistent, trusting woman.

LYDIA:   Lydia was an educated and wealthy woman from Thyatira (modern day Turkey).  She did not follow the numerous gods of that region but instead showed an interest in the one God that the Jewish people professed.  She was a business woman who sold rare dyes (particularly purple) and had her business centered in Philippi Greece.  There she met the apostle St. Paul who told her about Jesus.  She was the first person converted by Paul during his trip to Greece.  She was so convinced in her conversion that she immediately shared the good news with her family and they followed her in to being a convert to Christianity.   She opened the first Christian church in Greece in her large home.   Paul and Silas remained with her for several weeks training her in the faith.  Because of her business connections and trading in many areas she was responsible for the conversion of many Greeks.  Not only had she started the first Christian church in Greece, but she also helped to spread that faith to many areas.  God used this strong and successful business woman to help spread the faith.  We can’t help but to be thankful for the way that she turned all that she had made (and it was significant) to be used for spreading the Good News.

DAMARIS:  Damaris was an intellectual woman in the city of Athens.  When Paul went to Athens he spoke in the streets about Jesus and although this was scoffed at by many, some of the intellectual Greeks there found him quite interesting.  He was invited to speak to the Intellectual Council there.  One of the members present was a woman named Damaris who was intrigued by all that Paul taught about Jesus and after many discussions with Paul, she converted and helped to lead many people to Jesus.  She became a leader in the church in Athens.  God used this intellectually gifted woman to help build up his Church.

PHOEBE:  Phoebe was a successful business woman from Corinth.  Paul spent a considerable amount of time in Corinth setting up his Church.  Phoebe was an integral part of the work that he did there.  In a letter to the Romans Paul describes Phoebe as a servant leader of the Church there and a benefactor to the Church.  Just like Lydia, Phoebe used her significant resources to help the Church.  She also used her “connections” to help spread the Word.  Paul called her a saint and a leader in that church.

PRISCILLA:  Priscilla was a Gentile from the Roman aristocracy who married a Turkish Jew named Aquila.  They originally lived in Rome and helped Peter set up the Church there.  By profession they were tent makers.  In 51 AD they were expelled from Rome (for their Christian work) and moved to Corinth.  There they met Paul and worked with him in evangelizing Greece.  They were so important to Paul that he brought them both with him to help spread the Good News in Ephesus.   Even though Priscilla and Aquila worked together, Paul always mentions Priscilla first indicating her importance.  It seems that her role as an evangelist and a leader in the Church is something that Paul wished to emphasize.  Later they both returned to Rome and again helped build up the Church there.

CONCLUSION:   When we look at the women of the New Testament we can’t help but to see that they stood out as being equal to men as evangelizers and leaders in the early Church.  What makes this so extraordinary is that in the culture of the time, women could hardly do anything in public.  Their place was in the home.  Jesus and the early Church quickly showed the fallacy of this.  These women were strong leaders and servants that helped to spread the Good News.

WOMEN AND THE POWER OF GOD – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Community, Creation, Discernment, Family, Holiness, Jewish roots, Marriage, Penance and Reconciliation, Prayer, Pro-Life, Relationships, Scripture, Sin, Spirituality

WOMEN AND THE POWER OF GOD – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

In Genesis we read, “When God created human beings, he made them in the likeness of God; he created them male and female.”  Even though we call God “Our Father”, and Jesus was a man, I believe that the true likeness of God cannot be seen by just looking at the masculine; nor can it be seen by just looking at the feminine.  To truly see the image of God we must look at both the masculine nature and the feminine nature of humankind.  Throughout the scriptures there are plenty of examples of both but there does seem to be preponderance of the masculine.  Too often the women of scripture are in the background and don’t get the attention that they deserve.  This is probably due to social and cultural partiality.  I want to bring to the reader’s attention some of the women of Scripture that show God’s power at work.  Since there are so many, this article will be in three parts.  One, the women of the Hebrew Scriptures; Two, the women of the New Testament; and Three, women Saints of the Church.

PART I – POWERFUL WOMEN OF THE HEBREW SCRIPTURES

EVE:   In the creation account, Eve is seen as the mother of the living.  She is also seen as Adam’s companion and helper.  In Christian traditions, Eve is the one who led Adam astray by sharing the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge with him.  When God confronts Adam about his disobedience he blames not only Eve for his transgression but also blames God for giving him Eve.  Eve in turn blames the serpent for tempting her to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge.  While it is easy to think of Eve as being weak because of this, we must remember that Eve had to be a strong woman.  She, according to the Genesis account, was the first mother.  She had no one else to be an example of what motherhood was all about.  She had no mother to show her how to take care of her children.  She had no other women friends to help support her.  In the Genesis account she was the only mother.  It is in her that humanity receives life.  The Church traditionally recognizes Eve as a Saint, along with Adam and celebrates their feast day on December 24th. 

SARAH:  Sarah was the wife of Abraham and is the first woman mentioned in scripture after Eve.  She had to be a strong woman to accompany Abraham on his long journey to the Promised Land.  She also was a woman with a good sense of humor.  When God told Abraham that he and Sarah would bare a son, even though they were a century old, Sarah laughed.  However, she also was a woman of faith because she took God at His Word.  The letter to the Hebrews tells us that, “By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised.”  Can you imagine how much strength she would have to have to bring up children at her age?

SHIPHRAH AND PUAH:  These two women were Hebrew mid-wives in Egypt who were ordered by Pharaoh to kill the newborn Jewish boys when they were born.  Pharaoh felt that the Jewish people were getting too strong and too powerful so he ordered the midwives to kill the baby boys.   Shiphrah and Puah knew the sanctity of life and did not do this and lied to Pharaoh about it.  They knew that their stand on life could cost them their own life, but they were strong enough to follow their conscience.  They are a great example to us of people who hold life sacred and of people who can stand up to an evil government through civil disobedience.  Because of them, many Jewish lives were saved, including Moses.

SOBEKNEFRU:  Was the daughter of the Pharaoh who had ordered the Hebrew children killed.  She is the woman who found the baby Moses floating in a basket.  She had the strength and courage to go against her father and raise Moses as her own child.  Fortunately, she used Moses real mother, Jochebed as the nursemaid.  Jochebed must have had a lot of strength and love for her son Moses to disobey Pharaoh and keep her son alive.

MAHLAH, NOAH, HOGLAH, MILCAH AND TIRZAH – THE FIVE DAUGHTER OF ZELOPHEHAD:  Zelophehad was a descendent of Joseph who left Egypt with Moses and died in the wilderness.  He had five daughters and no sons.  Under the Jewish law only sons could inherit the property of their father.  The five daughters of Zelophehad went to Moses and Eleazar and petitioned them to change the law.  Through divine intervention, God told Moses to give the land to the daughters and to change the law so that if there were no male offspring, the estate could go to the daughters who would rightfully own it.  Because of the vision and persistence of these women, Jewish law was changed forever.  They had the strength to stand up against the established leaders and fight for equality.  God honored their fight.

TAMAR:  Tamar was married to Judah’s son, Er.  Er was a wicked man and died and Judah asked his other son Onan to provide offspring for Tamar (a Levirate union) so that the family line would continue.  Onan slept with Tamar but because he didn’t want her to have a child, he kept “spilling his seed on the ground”.   Onan was more interested in a larger share of Judah’s estate, than continuing the Family line.  Tamar knew that it was necessary for the family line to continue so she disguised herself as a prostitute and slept with her father-in-law, Judah.  He did not recognize her.  From that Union she brought forth twin sons to continue the family line.  The one son, Perez is an ancestor of Jesus.   Even though Tamar’s action seems odd in today’s world, Tamar received a great deal of respect from Judah for the bold thing that she did.  Not only was she strong and bold to do this, but she was very bright to come up with a way to prove that Judah was the father (read Genesis 38).  Because of her strength and cunning, the Davidic line continued on.

RAHAB:  Rahab, who is listed in the genealogy of Jesus, is a most unlikely person to be an ancestor.  First of all, she was not a Jew but was a pagan Canaanite.  Secondly, she was a prostitute.  Rahab lived in the city of Jericho and when the Jewish people were ready to attack that city Joshua sent in some spies.  Rahab, was quite intelligent, perceptive and well informed.  She recognized the two Jewish spies and told them that she had heard of their God and how He had set His people free from the Egyptians.  She told the spies that all of the Canaanites were fearful of the Jews and their God.  She even spoke a phrase of faith by saying, “For the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below”.  She told the spies that if they could spare her and her family, she would help them.  Rahab went against her king and and her country and religion and she hid the spies in her home.  Because of this, they were able to obtain tactical information.  The Jews conquered the city and spared Rahab and her family.  Rahab later married a Jewish man and continued the Davidic line to Jesus.

RUTH:  During the time of the Judges rule of Israel, there was a famine in the land.  Elimelech and his wife Naomi left their home in Bethlehem with their two sons, Mahlon and Chilion to go to the land of the Moabites and escape the famine.  They were there several years and Elimelech died.  Both sons had married Moabite women.  Mahlon married Ruth and Chilion married Orpha.  After about ten years both sons died and Naomi decided to go back to her homeland.  She told both widowed daughters in laws to return to their families and to remarry.  Orpha did return to her family, but Ruth decided to stay with Naomi and go back to Bethlehem.   Ruth said to Naomi, “For wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”  Ruth went with Naomi to Bethlehem.  It must have been very difficult for Ruth to leave her homeland and her family and to travel to an unknown land.  Her relationship to Naomi and the witness of faith that Naomi provided gave her the strength to do go to Bethlehem.  There Ruth supported herself and Naomi by gleaning in the fields of a man named Boaz.  Boaz had heard of Ruth’s loyalty to her mother in law and saw her great kindness.  He also saw her as a hard working woman.  Boaz was a close relative of Naomi’s deceased husband Elimelech.  He bought the land that Elimelech had owned and married Naomi.  Together they had a son named Obed and a grandson named Jesse who would be the father of King David.   

HULDAH:  Most of the time when we think of Prophets, we think that they are all men.  In the book of Kings, there is one female Prophet named who was most important to the Jewish heritage.  She was one of seven women prophets (Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Abigail and Esther) mentioned in scripture.  The scriptures tell us that Hidlah was a prophet who the priests and royal officials would often consult.  She could tell them of their fates and the fates of surrounding nations.  She spoke stern commands to the leaders and was seen as someone who could determine if writings were from God or not.  When they were rebuilding Solomon’s temple, a script was found and brought to Huldah to determine if it was God’s Word.  Huldah declared that it was God’s Word and that the temple and people would suffer because they had failed to follow it.  She told King Josiah that because of his repentance he would be spared.  Her prophecies about destruction came true.  Huldah was a woman who could stand up to anyone, commoner or king.  She was well respected for her gifts of discernment and was a woman who helped turn the people back to God through repentance. 

We can see that God chose these women, and many more besides, to help continue the Line of David and to help bring people to Him.  Even in the Middle East several thousand years ago, when women were seen as subservient to men, God used their strength and their cunning and their faith to help build his Kingdom.    This concludes Part I on the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament).  In a few days we will take a look at Part II, Women of the New Testament.

Living in a Gnostic Culture – by Father Bill Peckman

Anxiety and Worry, Apologetics, Church, Community, Ethics, Evangelism, Gnosticism, Heresy, Holiness, Penance and Reconciliation, Pro-Life, Spirituality

Living in a Gnostic Culture by Father Bill Peckman

A general rule of thumb for me is that if one truly believes something, it changes their behaviors. If I see someone preaching something or becoming an activist for something, but I do not see their behaviors follow suit, I dismiss it as hypocrisy at best and as neo-Gnosticism at worst.

In the USA, we live in an increasingly Gnostic culture. Gnosticism is a belief that the created order is the result of a malevolent entity, the height of that disorder is humanity, and that a benevolent entity has planted within us a spark and a soul that most are too ignorant to act upon. This spark is a special or secret knowledge. This created an elite group.

Gnosticism sees anything that creates more human beings as evil. Abortion, suicide, mercy-killing, birth control, homosexuality, and other forms of sexuality and life issues contrary to Christianity were seen as positives. As Gnostics are dualists (body bad, soul good), salvation comes not from renouncing sin, but from being released from ignorance about the created order. Gnosticism takes a very dim view of organized religion as a whole.

What we see today, I call a neo-Gnosticism. What makes it different is a two-tiered system of elites who posses the knowledge and the commoners who don’t. Rules do not apply equally to the two groups. Gnosticism is certainly the ‘religion’ of the eugenics movement. Gnosticism has found itself in the man-made climate crisis controversy.

I am a man who is very much in favor of NOT dumping pollutants into our land, sky, and water. I think we wildly over-consume. I am in favor of re-usable anything. The personal choices I have made reflect this. I think that many scare tactics are in use with the debate and that the debate has taken a near zero sum quasi-religious fervor. Again, since I believe belief should effect action, when I see celebrities and politicians who champion the cause but whose lifestyles would give no witness to these beliefs (they fly private jets, have limos, several homes, etc), it makes me question the veracity of their beliefs. While I might not agree completely with anyone, I will respect those who actions are in line with their beliefs in this matter.

My own opinion about so much of the debate in this country is that is it about control. Elitism in any of its forms is about a general disdain for the unenlightened. In this worldview, the enlightened are duty bound to save the ignorant masses from themselves, even if that means culling the herd. The tools for this are via the government: legislative activism, judicial activism, and punitive taxation. However, for this to work, division among the ignorant masses needs to happen. It is like the popular kids getting unpopular kids to attack other unpopular kids with the promise the attackers will become part of the elite..which seldom happens and makes useful idiots of them. The neo-Gnostic mentality allows for this.

Progressive politics are rooted in neo-Gnosticism. So is progressive Christianity. It is little wonder that progressive Christianity has adopted Gnostic views on life issues and the use of human sexuality. Certainly there are forces within the Catholic Church, who believing themselves to be oh so reasonable, want to follow suit. While they might not say it outright, that the majority of Catholics do not believe in the Real Presence is of no concern. For a Gnostic posing as a Catholic, the Incarnation itself would be problematic, hence all things that flow from the Incarnation, especially that we consume the Flesh and Blood of the Word made Flesh would seem ridiculous. As Gnosticism does not see sin in the way Catholics do, the consequences of sin would also mean little (who needs Confession? No such thing as spiritual warfare) and means to rectify the consequences would be ignored as irrelevant.

No heresy ever really dies. It morphs and adapts. It goes by new names while keeping its essential character. We live in a Gnostic culture in the west and the Americas. Just as Gnosticism wanted to be the orthodoxy of Christianity from the beginning, so too today. Heresy counts on ignorance of the truth to spread. 50 years of horrid catechesis within the Catholic Church is now bearing consequences that are a major contributory factor in the emptying of our pews and the despoiling of the flock by ravenous wolves.

Demanding the truth, living the truth, and giving witness to the truth is how we have always battled heresies; it will be the way we do now.

Father Bill Peckman’s website can be found at: http://www.ramblingsofacountrypastor.blogspot.com/

Mary, Our Queen Mother – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Blessed Virgin Mary, Church, Death and Dying, Healing, Holiness, Jewish roots, Miracles, Relationships, Saints, Scripture


Mary, Our Queen Mother – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

On August 22nd, the eighth day after the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Church celebrates the feast of the Queenship of Mary.  From the earliest days of the Church, these two events were seen as linked together.  When Mary was given the special gift of being assumed bodily in to heaven, it was to take her place as Queen of Heaven.  For us today, in a world where Kings and Queens are part of fairy tales or mostly exist for ceremonial purposes, it is hard for us to understand why the Church would recognize Mary as the Queen of Heaven.  In order to understand it better, we must look back in to our Jewish roots, scriptures and the early Church fathers.

Mary exists as Queen only because Jesus exists as “King of the Jews”.  The first time we hear Jesus referred to as King is in the Gospel of St. Matthew in his nativity accounts.  St. Matthew writes with a great knowledge of Judaism and its history.  His nativity account is flowing with references to Jesus as King of the Jews as related to the Davidic Kingdom.  He has the Magi, the eastern kings, come and worship the new King of Kings.  This is set in David’s city, Bethlehem.   It is the Magi who kneel down before the baby Jesus, and before Mary and call Jesus the King of the Jews.  Joseph isn’t even mentioned when the Magi adore the new babe.  The emphasis is placed upon Jesus and Mary.  To understand this we need to look at the Jewish role of the Queen Mother.

The Jews, like most of the other people of the Middle East, gave special emphasis to the mother of the King as the Queen Mother.  This was quite practical as most of the Kings had numerous wives, but only one mother.   Scripture tells us that King Solomon, David’s son, had 700 wives and 300 concubines.  In Jewish history the Queen Mother had her throne right next to her son, the King.  She helped him in caring for the Kingdom.   She was always especially known as an advocate for her people.  She very often interceded for her people.  In 1 Kings 2: 13-21 we hear the story of Adonijah who comes to see the Queen Mother saying, “I have something to ask to you.” She replied, “Say it.” So he said, “There is one favor I would ask of you. Do not refuse me.” And she said, “Speak on.” He said, “Please ask King Solomon, who will not refuse you, to give me Abishag the Shunamite for my wife.” “Very well,” replied Bathsheba, “I will speak to the king for you.”   Then Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah, and the king stood up to meet her and paid her homage. Then he sat down upon his throne, and a throne was provided for the king’s mother, who sat at his right. “There is one small favor l would ask of you,” she said. “Do not refuse me.” “Ask it, my mother,” the king said to her, “for I will not refuse you.   So she said, “Let Abishag the Shunamite be given to your brother Adonijah for his wife.”  Of course, the King did what his mother asked.  This was the common practice for Queen Mothers; to sit on a throne next to their son and bring him intercessions.   This is what our Queen Mother, Mary does today for us.

There is no doubt that the Kingship of Jesus differs from the Kingship of David or Solomon or any of the Jewish Kings.  His Kingship is founded on his death and resurrection.  It is at the cross that we read “Jesus, the Nazorean, King of the Jews.  It was on the cross, with Mary at his foot, that Jesus shows us that His Kingdom is based upon Mercy and pure Love.  The Queenship of Mary follows this same example, Love and Mercy.  Now Jesus is enthroned in Heaven with Mary, the Queen Mother, at His side.  Together they are dispensers of God’s Mercy and Love.  Mary, the Immaculate daughter of the Father and spouse of the Holy Spirit sits with her son and her God, Jesus.

The book of Revelation, Chapter 12 verses 1 though 5 gives us an apocalyptic vision of Mary as Queen of Heaven.  It says, “And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars: And being with child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered. And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads, and ten horns: and on his head seven diadems: And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to be delivered; that, when she should be delivered, he might devour her son. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with an iron rod: and her son was taken up to God, and to his throne.”  I find it interesting that she has a crown with twelve stars.  Those twelve stars remind us of both the twelve tribes of Israel who relied upon the Queen Mother as their intercessor before the King and of the twelve Apostles who regarded her as the mother of Jesus and their mother.  The red dragon reminds us of how Mary, our mother and our Queen, has always resisted the attacks of the devil and is the promise of the New Eve who stamps her foot upon the devil’s head.

When we see Mary as the Queen of Heaven we honor her place in God’s plan as being the mother of His son Jesus, who is fully human and fully God.  Her resounding YES and her flesh gave flesh to the Word.   She was the new Ark of the Covenant in which the very presence of God resided.   It was because of her that our Lord and Savior were brought in to this world.  She is, most definitely, BLESSED among women.

St. Pope John Paul II in his letter, Rosarium Virginis Mariae, tells us, “Christ was raised in glory to the right hand of the Father, while Mary herself would be raised to that same glory in the Assumption,  enjoying beforehand, by a unique privilege, the destiny reserved for all the just at the resurrection of the dead. Crowned in glory – as she appears in the last glorious mystery – Mary shines forth as Queen of the Angels and Saints, the anticipation and the supreme realization of the eschatological state of the Church.”

Hopefully, some day we too, like Mary, will receive our glorified bodies and worship God and honor Mary in heaven.  Until we do, we can honor her as Queen of Heaven and bring before her our cares and concerns so that she can intercede for us before her son, Jesus, the King of Kings.

MYSTAGOGY – AN EXPERIENCE FOR ALL OF US – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Apologetics, Blessed Virgin Mary, Charity, Church, Community, Converts, Easter, Eucharist, Evangelism, Holiness, Holy Spirit, Holy Week, Internet Resources, Life in the Spirit, Liturgy, Miracles, Mystagogy, Mystics, Penance and Reconciliation, Prayer, Resurrection, Rosary, Sacraments, Saints, Scripture, Service, Spirituality, Uncategorized

MYSTAGOGY – EXPERIENCING THE MYSTERIES

In the RCIA program, the period following the reception in to the Church is known as a period of Mystagogy.  Mystagogy is a time where the mysteries of the Church are revealed to the new Catholics.  It is revealed through their experience of the Sacraments and through all that the Church offers them.  Although teaching is involved, experience and sharing about that experience is the way the mysteries are revealed.  The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (Chicago, 1988) manual states: “. The purpose of the mystagogy is to enable the newly baptized to draw from their sacramental experience a new sense of the faith, the Church, and the world”.  As a leader in the RCIA program in my parish, I try to encourage our Neophytes to experience as much as they can, the resources that the Church offers them.  Truly, I believe that this is good for all the people of the Church as well.

Those who have gone through the RCIA program have experienced at Easter NEW LIFE.  They are, in a spiritual sense, born anew.  I have truly seen, throughout the years, a big change in them.  They are more alive in the faith.   We established Catholics have also been enlivened by experiencing all that Lent and Easter has given us.  Our faith should truly be renewed.  I believe that a period of mystagogy is appropriate for us too.  We need to experience all that the Church offers us, and there is so much.  We are constantly called to grow in our faith by using the sacraments and other tools that the Church gives us.  When we grow in our faith we become more of who God wants us to be.  When we do that, we become happier, more fulfilled and more at peace.   We can grow in our experience of all that the Holy Spirit gives us by receiving the Spirit’s gifts and fruits.  Literally, we can set the world on fire.

I would like to share some of my thoughts on how to do this.  I thought that I would do this in a list format.  Sometimes it is good to have a list of some of the things that the Church can offer to us so that we can grow in our faith.  Here is a list (certainly not a full one) of things that will help us to grow in our faith:

TWELVE STEPS TO HELP US GROW IN OUR FAITH

1 – Go to mass at least every Sunday.  The mass is the Summit and Source of our faith.  In the mass we hear God’s Word proclaimed and explained and we receive the most precious gift of His Body and Blood.   We pray together and experience community and are sent forth.  I attend daily mass because I believe it can do more for me than anything else.

2 – Pray.  When you are in Love with someone, communication is a natural expression of that Love and a way that Love can grow.  Prayer is communication with God.  There are so many ways to pray.  I love praying the Liturgy of the Hours.  It is now so easy to do and so available by placing an app on your smart phone.   I use the ibreviary app.  It is a no cost app.   Try it out, you will be glad that you do.  I would suggest at least praying Morning prayer and Evening prayer.

I also like to use what I call “gut” prayer.  This is totally spontaneous and can be done at any time.  It comes from deep within us, our “gut”.   Sometimes my gut prayer is filled with praise and thanksgiving.  Often it is filled with “why me God?”  And “why are you allowing this to happen?”   It is a prayer of honesty and truth and feelings.

3 – Eucharistic Adoration.  This is also a form of prayer, but it goes beyond regular prayer.  It is a time to adore the Lord as he is present to us in His Risen Body in the Eucharist.  It is certainly a time for prayers of thanksgiving and praise but can also be a time for prayers of supplication.  I go to Eucharistic Adoration at least once a week.

4 – The Sacrament of Reconciliation.   St. Paul tells us that we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  All means all.  Christians too sin.  Even the Pope goes to confession.  There is no doubt that when I do something that I know is wrong, or more often, fail to do something I know that I should have done, I immediately ask for God’s forgiveness.  However, it is very freeing to regularly confess our sins to a priest and to hear him give us God’s forgiveness.

5 – The Rosary.  I love praying the rosary.  I try to do it every day.  In the rosary you can meditate on the mysteries of God’s touch to mankind.  The rosary is meant to be a meditative prayer where we literally focus on many of the stories from the scriptures about our salvation.  I look at it as a mini-course on God’s love and action.

6 – The Bible.  The Bible is a special gift that the Church has given to the world.  In it we hear God’s Word and receive direction and support for our lives.  Every liturgy that the Church does has at least one reading from the Bible.  We should listen closely to it at every liturgy but it also should have a special place in our homes.  The Catholic Church has given us the Bible and it is up to the Catholic Church to help us understand it.  I highly recommend using a Catholic study guide; My favorite is The Word Among us.   Going to a good Catholic Bible study is great (stay away from Protestant ones as they can misinterpret the Bible).  There are many online resources to help us (see last page).

7 – Charity and Service.  Every Christian is called to be a person of action.  We are called to feed the poor, heal the sick, visit the lonely and those in prisons etc.  Every parish has some sort of ministry to help us do that.  Check it out and become involved.  Put your faith in to action.

8 – The Blessed Virgin Mary.  The Lord literally gave His mother to us to help us in our journey towards Him.  Since the very beginnings of the Church Mary has been held in high esteem and has helped the Church and all Christians in many ways.  It is good to learn about Mary and to ask her intercession in your life.  She loves you as her own son or daughter.

9 – The Saints.  The Saints were all ordinary people just like you and me.  They struggled with the same things we struggled with and they were able to grow so close to Jesus and follow Him that the Church assures us that they are in heaven.  They intercede for us in prayer and they love it when we ask them to do so.  Try to learn as much as you can about the Saints and learn from them how to follow the Lord.

10 – Go on a Retreat.  A retreat is simply a time set aside for you to get away from the normal distractions in life and to draw closer to the Love that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have for you.   Some retreats have themes, and some are simply quiet time with the Lord.  Try one, you will love it.

11 – Visit Holy Sites.  Throughout the world there are places that one would consider a Holy Site.  It might be one because of its history and what happened there, or it could be just an ordinary place that has been set aside for people to visit and grow closer to God.  I have been fortunate to visit many Holy Sites throughout the world, including the Holy Land, Rome and several places where Mary has appeared.  I have one Holy Site nearby, The Shrine of Our Lady of the Island that I love to visit and spend time with the Lord.

12 – Be Proud to be Catholic.  The more you learn about the Church, the prouder you will be.  Yes, the Church is not perfect (the priest sex scandal shows us that), but it is something that Jesus Himself started and maintains.  No other organization on this planet has lasted as long as the Church has.  It is an instrument of God’s grace.  Let your pride in the Church show.  Tell others about it.

There are so many other resources that the Church offers us that we should take advantage of.  I have compiled a partial list of some important Internet Resources and include that here.  There are also so many great books out there that you could (should) read.  Perhaps another time I will look in to that.  May our good Lord bless you in your walk with Him.

CATHOLIC    INTERNET    RESOURCES

CATHOLIC WEB SITES

SITES EVERY CATHOLIC SHOULD USE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR FAITH:

The Vatican:                                       www.vatican.va    (choose English in the menu at top right)

EWTN:                                                 www.ewtn.com

New Advent:                                       www.newadvent.org

Catechism of the Catholic Church:   www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

US Conference of Bishops:                www.usccb.org

Catholic Answers:                              www.catholic.com

News Vatican:                                     www.news.va

Catholic News Service:                       www.catholicnews.com

Rome Reports:  (video news)                        www.romereports.com    Choose English at top right

Jimmy Akin:                                        www.jimmyakin.com

Life Teen:  (for Youth, but….)                        www.lifeteen.com

Amazing Catechists:                           www.amazingcatechists.com

Cardinal Newman Society:                www.cardinalnewmansociety.org

Strange Notions:                                www.strangenotions.com

uCatholic                                            www.ucatholic.com

Catholic Lane:                                     www.catholiclane.com

Institute of Catholic Culture:            www.instituteofcatholicculture.org  FREE Catholic Courses

Word on Fire:                                     www.wordonfire.org

Dynamic Catholic:                              www.dynamiccatholic.org

CATHOLIC APPS FOR YOUR SMART PHONE:

Search your play store for these apps

Liturgy of the Hours:                          ibreviary

Catholic prayers and readings etc.   laudate

Novena prayers etc                            pray

Catholic radio                                     Relevant Radio

The Bible                                            Bible

Eternal Word Network                      EWTN

Mass times                                         Catholic Mass times

Catholic Dating                                   Ckiss

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen – My Trusted Guide for Lent – by Al Smith

Books, Church, Holiness, Lent, Saints, Service, Spirituality

As I prepare for Lent each year, I ask myself the same questions: what am I going to give up, what works of mercy will I perform, or what spiritual reading might I entertain this year?

The older I get, the more I realize that I cannot go wrong with the tried and proven writings of the saints. Classics such as St. Alphonsus Liguori’s The Way of the Cross, and Lenten reflections from the writings of St. Teresa of Avila and St. Francis de Sales, are staples in my home. But to be honest, it is the writings of the Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen that continue to be my trusted Lenten companion.

I will never forget the first time I read Sheen’s book from 1939, entitled Victory over Vice. As I entered into the book, I began to feel deep, heartfelt sorrow for my sins for the first time in my life. Fulton Sheen’s words were removing the scales from my eyes. He showed me that the seven last words that Our Lord spoke from the Cross were the antidote for each of the seven deadly sins.

After reading this one Sheen book, I was convinced that I could put my trust in him, to guide me in my walk with Christ.  I desired to read every book of his that I could find, with a similar Lenten theme. Over the course of the next several months, I read books such as The Seven Last Words (1933), Calvary and the Mass (1936), The Cross and the Beatitudes (1937), The Rainbow of Sorrow (1938), The Seven Virtues (1940),  Seven Words to the Cross (1944), Seven Words of Jesus and Mary (1945), and Characters of the Passion (1946), to name a few.

I found out that during his last recorded Good Friday address in 1979, Archbishop Sheen spoke of having given this type of reflection on the subject of Christ’s seven last words from the Cross “for the fifty-eighth consecutive time.” Whether as the young priest in Peoria, Illinois, the university professor in Washington, D.C., or the bishop in New York, Sheen’s messages were sure to make an indelible mark on his audience.

Possessing a burning zeal to dispel the myths about Our Lord and His Church, each year Sheen gave a series of powerful presentations on Christ’s Passion and His seven last words from the Cross. As a Scripture scholar, Archbishop Sheen knew full well the power contained in preaching Christ crucified. With St. Paul, he could say, “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2).

This confirmed what I had realized after reading many of Sheen’s books: that he desired most of all to speak about the mystery of love and suffering, more specifically, about Jesus Christ becoming man, and dying for our sins.

Recently, I came upon this great description of what a priest should be: a priest is someone who brings Jesus to the people, and in turn brings the people to Jesus. From reading Sheen’s books, listening to his audio recordings, and watching him on television, I have found that he fits this description perfectly. Indeed, he is an accomplished retreat master.  His love for Our Lord and the Blessed Mother permeates his every thought, binding our hearts to theirs. And isn’t that what Lent is all about, a time to put God in first place in our hearts?

Over the last ten years, it has been my privilege to speak about the life and writings of the Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.  I never tire of hearing the “Sheen stories,” how he is still fondly remembered by so many, and how he touched people’s lives.

As a way of thanking God for the many favors that my family has received through the intercession of Our Lady and the Venerable Sheen, I compiled a collection of Sheen’s writings about Our Lord’s passion and His seven last words.  The book is titled: The Cries of Jesus from the Cross – A Fulton Sheen Anthology, and is published by Sophia Institute Press. It is collection of seven unique Sheen titles that will take the reader on a spiritual journey during Lent like no other.

For the first time ever, Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s complete writings and reflections on Christ’s last words have been compiled into this one book. Sheen masterfully demonstrates how the seven last words of Our Lord are in fact, a full catechism on the spiritual life.  From these holy words, we learn the secrets of living the Beatitudes, ways to avoid the deadly vices of anger, envy, lust and pride, and how to cultivate the heavenly virtues of fortitude, prudence, justice, and charity. Bishop Sheen teaches us how to deal with difficult people, and how to understand pain and suffering.  And he binds all of this together with touching references to the most beautiful love between Our Lord and His Blessed Mother.

The Venerable Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen has been my trusted Lenten guide for a number of years now.  He is that faithful priest who continues to bring Jesus to me and helps to bring me closer to Jesus.  I pray that he will do the same for you this Lent.

POWER – by A.J. Avila

Books, Church, Holiness, Holy Orders, Prayer, Relationships, Saints, Service, Spirituality

Recently my husband came home from a Friends of the Library sale. My city library sells donated books every few months, and you pay only a measly two dollars for whatever you can stuff inside a paper grocery bag. The money goes toward buying new books for the library, essential when our city has slashed the new book budget to zero.

In my husband’s bag was a book he thought I might like because it’s about Catholicism. On the back cover are quotations from many prominent Catholics—that is, Catholics who are prominent in a worldly sort of way, such as politicians and actors. One quotation struck me immediately. I’m not going to mention who said it, but it read “When my mom asked if I wanted to be a nun, I said I’d rather be a priest . . . The nuns were always wonderful, but the power was with the priest.”

When I see something like that, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. I did, however, read it aloud to my husband, and he burst into laughter. So maybe mirth is the more appropriate response to something so ridiculous.

If you think priests have a lot of power, read that quote to your local parish priest and see what his reaction is.

I guess the woman who said it had no idea what she was talking about. Does she not know why Catholic priests wear Roman collars? It’s because the collar is a symbol of slavery.

That’s right: Roman Catholic priests are slaves.

That is, they are slaves of Christ.

Ironically, that is where power—in a supernatural sense—resides, but since this woman is a politician, she seemed to be talking about worldly power.

If I had the opportunity, I would ask her who she thought had more worldly power: her parish priest or Mother Teresa. After all, Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peace Prize. She addressed the United Nations.

When’s the last time your parish priest did that?

Besides, worldly power means nothing to God, except in how it is wielded.

True power comes from conforming to God’s will, and you don’t have to be a priest to do that.

I got into this a bit in my novel Nearer the Dawn. A man who has turned away from his atheism to make an act of faith lies prone in adoration on a mountainside when he encounters God:

Here, with his nose in the dirt, he had never felt so elevated. Before, he had considered the walls of a church those of a prison or insane asylum. Now he realized the barriers he had seen were of his own construction, designed to keep him banished outside rather than let him in. At last here was Everything he had been searching for, Everything he was created for, the fulfillment of his hunger. This was not only the destination but the road that led everywhere, the key that opened all treasures. Here was the ecstasy that eternally satisfied that longing desire not only to be loved but to love fully and completely. And here was true freedom, for only by binding himself with the One he was free to be transformed, crowned with glory. No wonder he had never been able to do it alone. Relying on his own capabilities was like trying to operate on a single ohm, but now he was plugged into a Power Source mightier than all the suns of the universe, for here life overflowed with more abundance than he had thought possible.

Being a priest is wonderful, but it is God who crowns us with power and glory. The power, in other words, comes by being a saint.