DOES GOD FORGET?

THE UNACCLAIMED BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

Why do two obscure early Christians who died in 304 have their own feast day in the calendar of the Church when almost nothing is known about them? Saints Marcellinus and Peter (not the Apostle) were beheaded as martyrs in 304 during the persecution of Diocletian. One was a priest, the other was authorized by the Church to deal with cases of demonic possession. That’s about it. No biography. No resume. No obituary.

The Scripture declares, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” That is, saints in the biblical sense of those pressing on to be holy and righteous, not only those with heroic virtue whom the Church respects with its collective memory to give honor where it is due. Forgotten by secular history, nevertheless these men once sent an impulse of encouragement through the whole early Church with their ultimate step of faith.

Even those of us who have lived a common and relatively hidden life, perhaps unknown and unacclaimed by the world, will never have lived and died in vain. The “Unknown Soldier” who is honored in our National Cemetery is not unknown to God by name and life deeds. Nor is anyone to whom God has given breath. With that initial breath of life He gave us, we received the gift of a unique eternal soul that lives on after our final breath.

As God never overlooks the fall of a single sparrow, so He never forgets the passing from this life to life eternal of any of those in friendship with Him. No obscure or unknown believer slips through the cracks to be forgotten by Almighty God. In our doctrine of the Communion of Saints, we are all forever bound together with one another—those still on earth, those being purified on their way to Heaven, and those already rejoicing in God’s presence there.  We are all living in the “eternal now” and Jesus assured us that those who believe in Him “shall never die.” Is it then not inaccurate to say that we “lose” our loved ones who died in Christ?

“Do you believe this?” Jesus asked Martha at the grave of her brother. He asks us as well. He expects us to accept that sure promise straight from his own lips as our Savior—and then act like it. We all know folks whose friends, loved ones or relatives have passed or are even now passing from this life—and each of us will do so too. No exceptions. Let us encourage each other to live according to what God has said is true and rejoice in that blessed hope and assurance.

Catholic By Grace: Divine Mercy or Blessed Assurance?

Catholic By Grace: Divine Mercy or Blessed Assurance? (Click on the link)

Since tomorrow, May 1, is our celebration of DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY, I share this post from a friend-blogger, also a rather recent Catholic Christian. I consider this a valid and sensitive biblical explanation--with which I agree--of the difference between presumption and trust in God's loving mercy.

As we sing at Catholic Mass now, and as we sang when I was an evangelical,

"There's a wideness in God's mercy/Like the wideness of the sea;
There's a kindness in God's justice/which is more than liberty;
There is plentiful redemption/in the blood that has been shed;
There is joy for all the members/in the sorrows of the Head."

PRIME EXPOSITOR OF THE CATHOLIC CATECHISM

I diligently explored the official teachings of the Catholic Church for four years expecting to expose error and deviation from the Bible. Most of my research was to find out what the Church actually taught. Listening to the teaching of Scripture scholar Father John Corapi on TV, whose textbooks were the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, was a significant part of my search. What I did find was that the official teachings of the Church were unmistakably true to the Scriptures. To maintain my integrity I would have to make some decision. (See a review of my recent book on my blog for January 2011 titled "One of the most unlikely convert stories I've ever read.")

Father Corapi's life reads like dramatic fiction. The story of the Prodigal son that Jesus told is the script which was fleshed out in his roller coaster lifestyle--from Hollywood to Holy Orders, you might say. From millionaire to a homeless destitute on the streets to four earned doctoral degrees and Christian media ministry--you will find that truth really is stranger than fiction. Listen and view a condensed version of his remarkable testimony at the site below.

http://julieahoffman.blogspot.com/2009/04/fr-corapi-conversion-story-condensed.html

END

NEW BOOK RELEASE

May 2010 was the release date of:
"My Journey to the Land of MORE -- Evangelical to Catholic"
by Leona Choy

Published by CHR (COMING HOME RESOURCES) the publishing arm of
THE COMING HOME NETWORK INTL.

Order from CHNI 1-800-664-5110
or from
CHNI P.O. BOX 8290 ZANESVILLE, OH 43702
$12.95 plus S/H

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Leona RISKED:

• Making a paradigm faith shift at the age of 80 when changes are difficult
• Losing happy Protestant ministry relationships she had enjoyed for a lifetime
• Being misunderstood by her family to whom she had become a role model matriarch
• Potentially affecting her descendants for generations with her decision to become Catholic
  
• Losing readers for her many published books written from an evangelical perspective
• Starting all over to make friends in a new and unfamiliar Catholic setting
• Exchanging her worldview and eschatology for a different biblical perspective so late in life
• Abandoning her lifelong reputation in evangelical leadership
  

But COULD SHE RISK:

NOT following the truth which she believed God led her to discover in the Catholic faith?

This is a book the author never dreamed of writing. It is an unexpected sequel to her 30th book, her autobiography, Czeching My Roots, which she thought was her final word and last book. God surprised her with an 11th hour journey into the joyous fullness of biblical faith she found in the Catholic Church.

ACCOMPANY Leona Choy through her attempts to "rescue" a friend who had become Catholic. STRUGGLE with her for 4 years of diligent biblical, and historical research and fervent prayer while trying not to become Catholic. REJOICE with her to finally be received into the one holy catholic and apostolic Church in 2005 and arrive at The Land of MORE.

What reviewers are saying

"This is an amazing book written with immense intelligence. The author has thoroughly scoured every possible question that might arise over the question of the Church. It is a vastly courageous and candid account: with remorseless self-scrutiny Leona has laid bare for us every single doubt, temptation, and fear that beleaguered her during her quest. I'd say it is in the drop-everything-and-read-it category."
Dr. Thomas Howard, convert, author, professor

"Leona presents in powerful prose the truths our Lord revealed to her late in life. She witnesses to God's hand on her life from infancy, guiding her steps and calling her to ever deeper commitment. Her years of service provided the basis from which she could discover the fullness of faith and the riches of grace in the Catholic Church."
Kimberly Hahn (Mrs. Scott Hahn), convert, author

"Leona's journey is a visceral, though joyous, rebellion against the idea that 'church' is a commodity or service one chooses--like a pair of slacks one can have tailored to one's specifications."
Dr. Francis J. Beckwith, Professor of Philosophy and Church-State Studies, convert and author

From the Publisher

"With great joy we publish this truly inspiring account of Leona Choy's journey to the Church. She covers all the bases, presenting in a concise yet fully readable apologetic format all the major issues that discourage Jesus-loving, Bible-believing Christians from considering the Catholic Church. Please, read this book prayerfully. If you love Jesus Christ and are willing to follow Him anywhere, you may find yourself on a journey you never dreamed."
Marcus C. Grodi, convert, founder of The Coming Home Network International

# END

LOST? NOT LOST!

This time of the year, the end of the calendar year, with the deluge of Christmas cards that fill my mailbox, I am delighted to receive wonderful, nostalgic, printed family newsletters tucked inside. These are more meaningful than cards simply signed “John or Mary” without personal notes—for which they paid 42 cents postage plus the high price of some of those gorgeous Christmas cards. (The problem is compounded because I know several Johns and Marys and I have to check the postmark to see the location from which it was mailed!)

Invariably, in the family letters I will read, “I LOST (a number of friends and relatives) this year” and they are fondly recalled by name. The older one becomes the more this is repeated in the letters. A significant number of my close friends, too, have departed this life this year.

From the Christian perspective, if we truly believe the promises of Jesus Christ which are recorded in Scripture, combined with our declaration of “I believe in the Communion of Saints” from the Apostles’ Creed, we do NOT LOSE our loved ones and friends who are in the Faith when they depart this mortal, earthly life. God created us with immortal spirits (or souls) which never die. Jesus’ words could not be clearer, “He who believes in Me shall live even if He dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me, shall never die.” (John 11:25)

From the time of the Apostles through the early Church age and in the writings of the Early Church Fathers, and throughout the centuries of the Christian Church, it was taught and believed that the “Communion of Saints” consists of unbroken relationships between those still living and those who departed this life to live eternally in the presence of God. “Saints” is the term given to all who are in Christ, as the word is used in the New Testament.

In the Catholic faith passed on through the ages from the time of Christ, it is taught and believed that our loved ones in Christ who are now in His presence are aware of our lives on earth. They can pray for us and we can ask for their prayers. They cannot DO anything for us because they are not Divine, but they can INTERCEDE for us to Jesus Christ, the One Mediator with God the Father. There is nothing in Scripture or in the early Church teachings to the contrary. This is NOT an attempt to communicate with the dead for the purposes of knowing the future, as the Scriptures clearly teach against.

There are many mysteries, things difficult to understand in the Christian faith. As finite beings we can’t expect to fully know the Infinite during our lifetimes on earth. We will know as we are known, the Scriptures say, when we come into the Presence of God ourselves. Time will give way to Eternity; God will reveal Himself fully to us, and we shall see His grand, sovereign plan unfold. Until faith becomes sight, we trust in God.

Let us accept as much as Jesus Christ has seen fit to reveal to us. The rest He keeps as a wonderful surprise for us in the future. He said, “Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s House are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way where I am going. I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” (John 14: 1-6)

As difficult as separation is when loved ones or friends depart this earthly life, or how keenly we miss them because our emotions are involved, we do not really LOSE them! Nor do we LOSE CONTACT with them because of the availability of their intercession for us. This is good news! We would do well to meditate on the reality of their being ALIVE AND WELL in the presence of God and visualize them as so.

The veil between time and eternity may be thinner than we realize!

HEARING AIDS NEEDED

Much of my time alone with God should be spent listening to God, not in God listening to me. God can speak aloud if He wants to, but He usually doesn’t. In the early days of salvation history it would seem that He spoke aloud to the prophets and the leaders of His chosen people. Today God speaks more often through impressions. How do I know that what I think I’m “hearing” is really from God and not just my own thoughts or imaginations? I need "hearing aids."

In John 10:4 and 27 Jesus said that His sheep would know His voice and follow Him, and a stranger they would not follow. One writer pointed out that the Greek word for sheep that Jesus used in this passage literally means “fully mature ewes.” The lambs do not recognize the shepherd’s voice in the beginning because discernment takes time and must be learned by experience. The young lamb gradually develops an ear to hear the shepherd’s voice by observing which voice the mature sheep of the flock respond to.

Similarly, we Christians need to learn to recognize the voice of God for personal guidance in our lives. In matters of morals and ethics and theology, however, it is not a matter of our private interpretation. God’s truth is not up for grabs at our every whim and desire. Jesus knew the capricious and vacillating heart and mind of man so before He ascended to the Father, He established “the Church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of truth” as a sure way of continuing to hear His voice on earth. (1 Timothy 3:15) In the Catholic faith, we don’t depend on guesswork or “everyone doing that which seems right in his own sight” as they did in the times of the Judges in the Old Testament. Jesus gave the keys of His Kingdom to the apostle Peter and his successors. The Magisterium, the teaching body of the Church composed of the Pope and the bishops, guard the New Testament revelation and pass it on faithfully through the generations. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel to decide what is or is not God’s truth. Based squarely on the inspired Holy Scriptures and in line with Sacred Tradition from the apostles, we are on solid ground when we check our impressions. The greater our familiarity with the Scriptures and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the better our chance of discerning God’s voice from among other voices we may hear. God has provided us with ample “hearing aids.”

As I bring the Scriptures into my prayer time and ask for the Holy Spirit’s enlightenment, I learn to recognize the tone of God’s voice; my fear of mistaking His voice lessens. The degree of my surrender to the Lord and my sensitivity to the Holy Spirit are other factors in my listening perception. The more I submit and commit myself to obey the Word and will of God, the more discernment in hearing God’s voice I will develop.

I’m at some disadvantage when I try to enter the spiritual world by prayer. I’m only one-third spirit, as it were, and I’m trying to communicate with God who is all Spirit. I almost immediately meet resistance from my body which operates in the flesh and my soul. My soul operates through my senses and emotions and is uncomfortable in the spirit world; in the natural, it resists entering the unknown realm of God’s presence where feelings are not paramount. However, my spirit is alive and well because I am indwelt by the Holy Spirit by virtue of my baptism, and I received spiritual ears to hear God’s spiritual voice. Jesus emphasized that by repeating many times, “He who has ears, let him hear”! And that means us!

Granted, sometimes an impression could come from my human spirit or from the realms of evil and not from the Holy Spirit. I must always square the impression carefully with what God said in His Word and in His Church because God never contradicts Himself.

# END

OVERSIZE SATELLITE DISH EARS

As I rounded a bend in our country road driving home at twilight, I was startled by a small herd of deer leaping across the road from a wooded area. I slammed on my brakes, stopped the car, and watched as one pre-adolescent deer lingered to check me out. I was transfixed with the striking beauty of God’s creature. I was amazed at its HUGE, satellite dish ears—quite out-of-proportion to its small, handsome head! Both of us motionless, we watched each other for a full minute or two.

I thought, Might not God be pleased if we prayed to acquire large spiritual ears for listening to Him rather than overdeveloped mouths by talking too much in His presence?

As a recent convert to the Catholic Church, I felt strange at first when invited to spend time in the Adoration Chapel of our parish. There was nothing comparable to this experience in my previous evangelical world. I wondered what the point was to simply sit there doing apparently nothing.

Our Chapel is a small, secluded room with about twenty padded chairs with kneelers facing an altar on which are lit candles, fresh flowers, and a large gold sunburst vessel called a Monstrance. In its center is one of the transubstantiated host wafers reserved from the Eucharist which is referred to as the Blessed Sacrament. It is therefore no longer merely baked wheat despite its appearance as such, but the actual, living presence of Jesus in solemn exposition for our adoration. Of course the three Persons of the Trinity are present everywhere, and dwell within us, but in a unique way Jesus is present in the consecrated host.

And there is always silence—no hymns are sung, no music in the background, no praying aloud, no conversation among those who come to spend intimate time with Jesus our Lord. I discovered it was really the most fruitful of activities because it was not “doing nothing.” It is a case of less being more. Less talk on our part equals more listening to the heart-whisperings of the Holy Spirit. Worshippers may sit or kneel; some even prostrate themselves before the Lord. They may read the Scriptures or a devotional book or pray in whatever manner they choose, and intercede for others—but silently. They may sit quietly, meditate, or simply enjoy being with the Lord. We are blessed in our Church to have 24/7 adoration. Parishioners make a volunteer commitment to be present at the hour they have chosen day or night.

Journalist Dan Rather was said to have interviewed Mother Teresa to ask about her prayer life: "What do you say to God when you pray," he inquired.
"Nothing," replied Mother Teresa. "I just listen."
"What does God say to you?" he pressed further.
"Nothing," replied Mother Teresa. "He just listens."

Silent listening in God’s presence, acknowledgment of Him with awe and reverence, meditation on His Word, and contemplation are hallmarks of Catholic spirituality. It seems more infused than worked for or attained by human effort or activity. Yet seeking to be in God’s presence, resting in His love, pursuing holiness, and moving toward intimate union with Him are not passive. Both prominent and obscure holy men and women through the ages have developed this piety in varied ways and to different degrees.

Such spirituality is to be found both in cloistered life and in the busy marketplace, among the young and the old, the highly literate and the simple, in past ages and in contemporary life. I admit that the names so well known in the Catholic world were totally unknown to me as an evangelical; this to my great loss. Saint Benedict, Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint John of the Cross, Saint Therese of Lisieux, Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Francis de Sales, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux just a sample of the rich list.

To expose myself to the pleasant warmth of the Holy Spirit seems to be what prayer before the Blessed Sacrament is all about. I deliberately rein in my ceaseless hurry and stop talking—even to God. I become silent and listen to Him as He listens to the non-words of my spirit. I develop oversize ears to hear God’s whispering to my heart instead. “He who has ears to ear, let him hear” invited Jesus. I enlarge my heart by slowing down its pace. The more time I spend in silence before the Blessed Sacrament in the Adoration Chapel, or in my private Holy Hour at home, or in the quiet of the Church Sanctuary, the more clearly I train myself to hear God, and the more aware I become of His presence in my life.

I enjoy relaxing in the sunshine. “Basking” is a good word. I know the very real effect it has on me. Physically, I experience a healthy, warm glow that lingers even after I retreat to the shade.. Spiritually, it is the same. I bring the warmth and radiance of His divine love back to my family, to my daily responsibilities, to the needs and suffering of others. It is a Holy Hour of healing both for me and others as I lift them up to the Son. When I abide in the presence of Jesus, when I implore Him to “stay with me,” my heart burns within me as it did in the disciples when Jesus spoke with them on the road to Emmaus. My body, too, feels more rested and restored. Spending time before the Blessed Sacrament brings rest to my soul: Jesus invited, “Come, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

What happens when things of substance such as CDs, chocolate, butter, or crayons are exposed to the sun? The sun softens their rigidity causing them to melt. So too, spending time before the Blessed Sacrament makes me more compliant to the will of God, more easily molded to the purpose God intends for me. The healthy link between vitamin D and sunshine is similar to the connection between the “D” of depression and the lack of sunlight.

Artificial sunlight is readily available in tanning studios for a price. Rubbing on skin tanning lotions produces a counterfeit appearance of having spent time in the sun. Both are potentially harmful to the user. On the other hand, adoration and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament contributes to my spiritual health. It gives me the true glow of joy that Jesus’ disciples must have radiated when people “took notice of them that they had been with Jesus.”

# END

MORE than Welch’s grape juice and Wonder Bread

A most frequent misunderstanding by non-Catholics centers on the view of the Bread and the Wine. By request, this is to explain briefly what the Catholic Church teaches about transubstantiation. That is the word for the Catholic belief that according to the gospel of John chapter 6 and Jesus’ institution of the Last Supper in Luke 22, His words are to be taken literally not symbolically in the inspired biblical record.

To have a level playing field, I will define terms:

Catholics use the term Eucharist for what Protestants call The Lord’s Supper or Communion or The Breaking of Bread. It is a Greek word meaning “Thanksgiving.” It takes place at Mass which is what the Catholics call their worship gathering. Through the Eucharist they offer thanksgiving for Jesus’ finished sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.
The host is what Catholics call the bread. It is usually in the form of a white, unleavened, pure wheat wafer. Real wine, not grape juice, is served in a cup called a chalice. After the host is consecrated and blessed by the priest, any of the host that is undistributed during the Eucharist is reserved in an enclosed boxlike receptacle called the Tabernacle which is usually located behind or to the side of the altar. The Blessed Sacrament, as the host is called, remains consecrated and transubstantiated and is used to distribute to shut-ins or displayed reverently at Eucharistic devotions called Benediction and Adoration.

The nitty-gritty of understanding the Eucharist

Some have misunderstood that the bread and wine at the Eucharist is supposed to taste or feel different after the priest consecrates it. Others are horrified that Catholics actually believe they are eating flesh and blood. (In the biblical record of John chapter 6 that is precisely why some of those who were already His disciples left Him.)

The Eucharist is the source and summit of Catholic faith; it is critical how we understand and believe it. As a personal word, I spent a lifetime taking Communion or the Lord’s Supper reverently, but I thought, and was taught, and I in turn taught, that it was only a symbol simply to remind us every so often of what Jesus sacrificed for us on the cross. I never questioned that interpretation.

Sometimes the host was in the form of tiny soda cracker squares, or a crumbled, unleavened Matzo sheet, or even ordinary white leavened bread sliced into little squares and passed around to the congregation. Sometimes an entire loaf of unsliced bread is offered, from which pieces are broken off to consume. Little thimble-like plastic glasses filled with grape juice often accompany it. The traditions for Communion vary among denominational churches and non-affiliated evangelical churches. In non-denominational groups it is likely to be open communion: the pastor invites everyone “who truly has accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior” to partake. Baptism was not a prerequisite except in certain denominations or more liturgical churches. Nor was confession of our sins a requirement before taking Communion.

As an evangelical, I don’t recall ever hearing a sermon explicitly explaining the meaning of the apostle Paul’s warning of spiritual guilt and even physical judgment by illness or physical death, if someone “does not judge the body rightly” or “eats the bread and drinks the cup in an unworthy manner” or “does not examine himself” (1 Cor. 11:23-34).

Non-Catholic Christian friends are sometimes offended because they are not invited or allowed to receive the Eucharist when visiting a Catholic Mass. Is the Church discriminatory or elitist by not welcoming all Christians to the Table of the Lord? Even impolite? Better that the Catholic Church is misunderstood than to contribute to the guilt of someone who believes that what he is receiving is only a symbol and therefore would “eat in an unworthy manner” to his own judgment. The proper response when one receives the host from the priest is “Amen” which means that one agrees with what the Catholic Church teaches about the transubstantiation of the elements. To receive the host without that conviction contributes to a person’s hypocrisy and would incur guilt.

What an eye-opener it was for me when I read chapter 6 of John’s gospel again in light of the inspired literalness of Scripture! Taken in context, is there any question that those who originally heard His words knew exactly that He meant—that they were literally to eat His body and drink His blood “or you have no life in you”? He repeated it several times for emphasis; it so offended some of His disciples that many left Him. Notice that Jesus did not call them back to explain that they simply misunderstood Him.

What part of Jesus’ declaration in the Upper Room “This is My body….” in Luke 22 don’t we understand? I admit that I used to take both of the above passages as metaphors, as I did Jesus’ several declarations of “I am…” in the gospels. It can be documented that the Church taught the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist since the days of the apostles and the early church. It has always been a Sacrament—never a symbol.

Do Catholics believe that the bread and wine change their original appearance after consecration by a priest? Formerly I thought that is what the Catholic Church believes. It doesn’t. I researched this thoroughly from their official teachings because it is the cornerstone of Catholic faith. I have a lot to learn yet, but the following is what I understand the Church teaches about the Eucharist.

All matter has two aspects: its substance and its appearance. The substance is what the thing is in and of itself "deep down inside," so to speak. Its appearance is what we can perceive with our five senses and by applying the scientific method. When the priest by his delegated ecclesial authority consecrates the bread and wine, their appearance remains exactly the same, but their substance changes. The "breadness" and "wineness" disappear; in their places are Christ's body and blood. We do not expect to see any visible change, nor can any high-powered microscope detect a change. This is not magic; it is a mystery of our Christian faith.

Can transubstantiation, as this is called, be proved scientifically? No. Do I taste flesh and blood when I receive the Eucharist? No. Although the consecrated bread is no longer bread, when you swallow it, it acts in your body as though it were still bread. For instance, if someone is allergic to wheat-based food, he may have a reaction to it. If you were to drink quantities of consecrated wine, you would get drunk. If someone with a cold or flu virus leaves germs on the chalice, someone might become ill even though the germs are in contact with the blood of Christ. In the consecration, bacteria and viruses are not transubstantiated.

The Sacrament of the Eucharist is like the large, sparkling gem set in the midst of the Seven Sacraments of the Church. The symbolism I settled for previously because I didn’t recognize the full biblical truth pales in comparison to the wonder of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It is truly “Wonder Bread!” No, Jesus is not sacrificed again at each Mass as some who are misinformed have accused the Church. His sacrifice is a finished work but is “re-presented,” made present to us now in real time in an “unbloody manner” not as it was the first time at Calvary when Jesus literally gave His life and blood for us.

# END