Almost back to normal

Wow! What a difference a week makes. My voice is still a bit rough, but whatever virus I had is gone.

Actually, there's not a lot to discuss. This week's RCIA class dealt with what I think is probably one of the overtly political moments of the New Testament outside of the Passion narrative: Matthew 22, in which the Sanhedrin attempts to back Jesus into a corner with a crowd of people looking on with great interest.

First, they try to butter Him up by saying they know He is a truthful man who teaches the way of God in accordance with the truth. However, they then ask Him to tell them if it's legal to pay the census tax.

If Jesus says yes, He risks alienating the Jews and possibly being stoned to death. But if He says no, He risks angering the Romans and being charged with treason and being sent to the cross. Either way, our faith would probably not exist today had Jesus not recognized what was really going on and defty stepped out of the trap and rebuked the deceivers at the same time. He asked for a denarius (a Roman coin bearing the likeness of Caesar.)

"You hypocrites! Why do you test me... Whose image is on this coin?" He asks.

"CAESAR'S!" roars the crowd.

"Then render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and unto God that which is God's!"

The discussion centered around this: just what is God's? Our faith, of course. Jesus' "render unto Caesar" command is multi-layered and our interpretation may be beyond the point Jesus intended to make. However, it could just as easily mean where one's responsibilities lie and setting proper priorities. God, church, family, work, debtors, etc.

On a closing note, Randy, one of the RCIA teachers, is now a Macintosh user! This pleases me greatly. Apparently he's got an older machine running an older version of OS X, but Randy says he'll probably get a new one in the spring. I burned a few of my favorite free apps to disc and gave it to him. I am resisting the urge to bombard him with Mac tips.

Getting Over the Flu

Well, apparently I contracted whatever virus a couple of other drivers had.

On a few hours of sleep and loaded up on meds, I (somewhat) boldly went to today's RCIA class and Mass. I can't blame it all on the flu; I had to watch the end of game two of the American League Championship Series between the Boston Red Sox at the Tampa Bay Rays, which ended at about 1:30 a.m. The Rays won 9-8 on B.J. Upton's sacrifice fly to score Fernando Perez.

Back to the RCIA class...

Today's lesson was the Parable of the Wedding Feast from Matthew 22. It's a typical Jesus parable, and I agree with the interpretation of the Boston Christian Bible Study Resource website, which states: Jesus was speaking of people's response to the gospel. They chose to work rather than accept God's free gift. There are those who are not particularly hostile, but simply distracted by worldly things to pay attention. Then there are those who are outwardly hostile to it. The illustration of people actually killing those who simply invite them to a wedding is truly outrageous, but nonetheless an accurate description of the persecution of the ministers of the gospel. Thus Jesus reminds such people, that they are not going to get away with such behavior. God is not Santa Claus. *

Judaism's version of Sharia law?

FoxNews.com is reporting that some Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem are fighting immodesty and have taken it upon themselves to patrol the city looking for such infractions as a woman wearing a red blouse and stores selling such modern amenities as computers.

Their biggest fear seems to be that computers will tempt Jews to view or download pornography. Or perhaps they also fear other viewpoints, particularly other Jews', which espouse such things as personal liberty or a philosophy of live and let live.

A 38-year-old man named Elchanan Blau defends the policing.

"These breaches of purity and modesty endanger our community; if it takes fire to get them to stop, then so be it," he stated.

In one case, an unidentified woman was attacked by a "rogue enforcer" (a term used by Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld) who gagged and beat her and tried to force her to leave the Haredi neighborhood. The attacker in that case was paid $2,000. In another case, a 17-year-old girl identified only as "Rivka" was accosted by a group of teens who were incensed that she was walking with a group of boys and pepper sprayed her. Originally from New York City, Rivka lives in Beit Shemes, a Jerusalem suburb where the vigilantism has been particularly harsh.

Her comment about them is also harsh: "They can go to hell."

It's a surprise "they" haven't yet called for Jewish women in Jerusalem to wear burqas.

It's sad that the great Jewish religion which has contributed to humanity in countless and incalculable ways, has gone down the path of Islam. It also demonstrates the danger of religious extremism, which is the rule, rather than the exception, of Islam. As former PLO terrorist Walid Shoebat stated in the documentary, Islam: What the West Needs to Know: "There are moderate Muslims; there is no moderate Islam."

Whether Islamic, Jewish, Christian, or Hindu; when fanatical religious belief takes precedence over good sense and decency, it's a danger to us all and we should oppose it. All one need do is look at Afghanistan under Taliban rule, or even Nazi Germany (since Nazism had roots in the occult) to see what fanaticism can lead to. Yes, those are extreme examples, but the Taliban and the Nazi Party each started out as small fringe groups which grew in power and influence over a relatively short amount of time.

We received new bibles at this week's RCIA class

As I stated in a previous article, the Our Lady of Sorrows RCIA team did indeed give us bibles. They're New American translation bibles which provide answers and insights into passages to help increase knowledge about the bible as well as the teachings of the Roman Catholic church.

This is exactly what I need.

The first thing they taught is the parable of the tenants in Matthew 21:33-46:

"Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.' They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"

They answered him, "He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times."

Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes'? Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit. The one who falls on this stone will be dashed to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls."

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.

I was not totally unfamiliar with the parable. The vintner is God; the son who was killed was, of course, Jesus Himself. The rlatter part of the parable foretells the conspiracy to rid Israel of Jesus, His rejection and His death.

DVD recommendation

I recently discovered there was a Catholic bookstore called In His Image, which was relatively close to my home — just 15 miles or so away.

I was actually looking for an affordable Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition bible. While they didn't have one, they did have this DVD. As an amateur history buff, the title is what actually piqued my interest. I am happy to say that the topics covered in it vindicated my decision to become a Catholic rather than join a Protestand denomination.

The documentary is called Where Did the Bible Come From? It's a three-disc set and it is definitely worth the $35.00 I paid. Where Did the Bible Come From? is heavy on the history behind the bible and it reveals how and where men like Martin Luther, John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, and John Calvin took it upon themselves without authority of any kind to single-handedly rewrite the Latin Vulgate, which was used by the Roman Catholic Church for centuries, to suit their own beliefs.

But far from translating the Latin Vulgate, these men rewrote it; they changed it for the worse. For example, Cuthbert Tunstall, the Bishop of London, estimated that there were upwards of 2,000 errors in William Tyndale's bible, and Thomas More, sainted by Pope Pius XI in 1935, commented that looking for errors in the Tyndale bible was like looking for water in the sea.

The first two discs reveals the problem with the translations used by the some 40,000 Protestant denominations (the producers' estimation): they are flawed edited versions of the Latin Vulgate. Martin Luther, for instance, removed seven books of the Latin Vulgate (Tobit, Judith, I Maccabees, II Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach, and Baruch,) and he also removed parts of Esther and Daniel. Luther's reasoning? He didn't think they were inspired by the Holy Spirit. He even added to it to at his whim. And his animus was not restricted to the Old Testament. He had qualms about a number of New Testament books, too. Romans 3:28 is specifically mentioned and examined in detail.

Many of the various Protestant denominations use the King James Version exclusively and consider it infallible. However, that's complete nonsense; the King James Version was written in 1611, years after Luther had corrupted the Latin Vulgate.

The third disc is a lecture given by Michael Voris of St. Michael's Media. Almost immediately, Voris makes a wager with the audience members that if any of them are able to logically refute any of his four propositions, he'll renounce his Catholic faith. Mr. Voris is, to my knowledge, not a Protestant at this time.

Where Did the Bible Come From? is a "Catholic" documentary in the sense that it explores the corrupted versions used by Protestant denominations and shows how Baptists, Methodists, and other Protestants are being lied to. The producers took the high road; there is no Protestant bashing here.

I think newcomers to the Catholic faith and longtime, "cradle" Catholics alike will enjoy Where Did the Bible Come From? It can also be purchased at Amazon.com.

First RCIA Class!

Well, I attended my first RCIA class at Our Lady of Sorrows. This first class was essentially about getting to know each other and a very basic overview of the course. People asked questions and the instructors (called "facilitators") and Fr. Terry answered them.

There are about 10 people in this year's class. They handed out a book written by Michael Pennock called This Is Our Faith: A Catholic Catechism for Adults. Next week, according to the schedule, they'll be issuing bibles.

One question I had dealt with the difference between the Latin Mass and the so-called "Novus Ordo" Mass. Specifically, the fact that in the Latin Mass, the celebrant doesn't face the parishioners, while in the newer Mass he does. Well, Fr. Terry brought up a point I'm ashamed to say I hadn't thought of: during the last supper, Jesus faced His apostles.

Shemariah

This post has been a long time coming.

Shemariah is a Canadian woman who's basically hand-holding me via email during my first steps into the Catholic faith. We "met" at the Catholic Answers message board. She was even so good as to send me an RSV bible, which has gotten good use. To send a treasured possession like that to a near total stranger takes a lot of faith!

In Matthew and Luke (I feel the Matthew retelling is superior,) there is an event where a Roman centurion comes to Jesus in complete humility seeking help for his treasured servant, who's almost like a son to him. He's dying and in great pain.

In the 1977 miniseries Jesus of Nazareth (the only filmed version of this passage that I've seen,) Jesus (Robert Powell) offers to go to the centurion's (Ernest Borgnine) home. However, the centurion stops him: "Lord, I am not good enough for You to come to my house," and tells Jesus that although he is under authority, he has authority over a hundred men. If he tells one to "go there!" he will go there; if he says to another, "do this!" he will do it. The centurion says he need not personally see it done to know it has been done; knowing is sufficient. Likewise, if Jesus gives the word, the centurion says it will be enough.

Jesus marvels at the Roman, Pagan, Gentile centurion's humility and exalts him, stating that He has seldom seen this level of faith among the people of Israel. He then tells the centurion his faith has healed his servant, and this is the case. Many of the Jews witnessing this are clearly upset. Jesus rebukes them, saying that all are welcome at His Father's table — children of Abraham and children of Pagans alike. (Later, when a soldier brusquely attempts to bar Mary from going to see her crucified Son, that grateful, humble Roman centurion sternly rebukes him and kindly helps Mary go to Him and also allows Mary Magdalene to go with her.)

Strangely, I hadn't heard about this event before I rented the DVD from Netflix. I'd seen bits and pieces of it when it was first aired on television, but never the entire six-and-a-half-hour film. I initially thought this particular scene had been invented specifically for the film. Not so.

This was actually the first passage I checked in my new prized possession. I immediately got the message: be humble.

Thank you, Beans!

Praise God I've found a home!

I was contemplating whether or not to go to Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows this Sunday due to the fact that I had work a full shift in the evening. However, I felt that since I'd only have to do it just this one time, I went. It was so nice! Fr. Terry Meehan is the priest. The Mass was nice, the people were nice, and the atmosphere was really nice.

However, I have to say the church building looks a lot bigger on the outside. The orientation of the main room was sideways to accommodate the large turnout; they also had a smaller room where twenty-five or so parishioners watched the Mass on television. They mentioned either building a new church or expanding the current one. Which ever course they choose, it's needed.

The RCIA course begins next Sunday morning at 9:00. I can't wait.

Found a church offering RCIA

Finally!

It's called Our Lady of Sorrows in Monroe, Ohio. The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults course begins on September 28, 2008 and ends only 15 minutes before Mass.

I was also able to switch days with another driver named Jerry. I'll have Sundays off beginning that day and am picking up Tuesdays. He was wanting to get a weekday off, so this works for both of us.

Here's a photo of Our Lady of Sorrows:

I have to keep looking for a parish

Well, I attended the Mass at St. Peter's this past Sunday morning. I not terribly impressed with the Novus Ordo Mass. It also turns out that they won't be holding an RCIA class this year.

However, a parish called Our Lady of the Rosary in Dayton, which is aligned with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, offers the Latin Mass. It's only 30-odd miles from my home and they offer noontime weekday Masses. I've sent off a registration form and hopefully their priest, Fr. Mark, will contact me soon.