November 2005 Archives

Be sure to take a look at this week's Catholic Carnival. There are several excellent posts in the Carnival, some are very interesting for non-Catholics as well.

God bless,
Jay

This is kind of a fascinating question to me. Christians have always known that the Chronicles of Narnia are overtly Christian in the best way. They were written by C.S. Lewis, who is as well known for his non-fiction Christian books as he is for the Chronicles of Narnia. But apparently Disney, in a throwback to their recent years under Michael Eisner, is not promoting the Christian realities behind The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Instead, they’re assuming Christians know and trying not to scare of non-Christians (did they miss the gross sales of The Passion of Christ?).

To go off on a quick sidenote: If you are a Christian parent, I highly recommend the novels for children. They do an excellent job of explaining Christian theology in a simple, interesting way for kids.

To summarize the story, four children find a way to the mystical city of Narnia (kind of an alternate universe), where animals talk and magic is common. One of the children, Edmund, represents humanity and betrays his friends as well as Aslan, the Lion-king of Narnia. In the end, Aslan sacrifices his life for Edmond, despite the betrayal. And Aslan, as the Christ-figure, is resurrected. There is also a Satan character, the White Witch, whose powers provide interesting parallels with the powers of the devil. And the human capacity to change their ways is evident as is the power of forgiveness. Overall, the movie could provide a great catalyst for children seeking to understand the nature of Christianity.

Is this a Christian tale? Absolutely. And Disney did hire a director that could pull off the Christian aspects of the film rather well. If it does come across as it should, this is a film we should get out and support – there are six other books in this series (some prequels) that could be made. And it would be another great way to show the potential demand for authentic Christian movies.

God bless,
Jay

Just a quick note to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. We all have so much to thank God for and this holiday provides us the perfect opportunity.

I also wanted to suggest to you that there is no such thing as a coincidence. God put you in your family for a reason. Perhaps you were put there to tell the other members about God. Every family has the practical atheists or outright non-believers: tomorrow is the perfect day be a Christian example to them. If conversation turns the right way (and it should, since we all should pray before meals), take the time to tell them about Jesus. Remember, it is the Holy Spirit’s job to convert their hearts, our job is just to bring it up.

God bless,
Jay

PS – Be sure to check out the newest Catholic Carnival during your time of rest. It’s an excellent roundup of Christian thought throughout the blogosphere.

First Things has an interesting article up called God on the Internet. It's a pretty good overall look at the variety of online religious sites - and it does hit on "Godblogs", which are religious blogs like this one. My favorite paragraph?

Unlike the big corporate sites, Godblogs have smaller readerships, ranging anywhere from Fructus Ventris, a blog run by a midwife, which gets about 115 page-views a day, to Amy Welborn’s Open Book, which gets nearly twelve thousand. (In the world of Godblogs, more than two thousand page-views a day makes you a fairly heavy hitter.)

Why? For over a year we've been above 2,000 pageviews a day - last month we averaged 4,400 a day. Just makes me feel like we're doing something (not everyone would agree on what) right.

Anyway, check out the article - it's worth a minute of your time (it does cover non-Catholic sites also, but has a mostly Catholic slant).

God bless,
Jay

PS - Hat tip to Fructus Ventris, who even got a mention!

Joachim has once again graced our lowly site and posted an excellent refute to comments made by a fellow blogger. After reading Joachim's comment I felt it worthy of being a post in and of itself. If you wish to review the entire dialogue you can find it at:

10 Questions for "Bible Christians"

Kaffinator,

I have come to give Matthew some assistance in the debate on the correlation of Sacred Scripture with Church Tradition.

From reading your posts, it is clear that you, the “Kaffinator,” believe in “Scripture Alone” as the means to attain salvation, and, therefore, consequently you believe that Sacred Tradition and the Catholic Church are “not necessary.” However, your arguments for “Scripture Alone” are insufficient in so much as you misinterpret Scripture, and misunderstand what the Church means by Tradition.

What is Tradition?

In this debate it is important to understand what the Catholic Church means by Tradition. Contrary to the belief of numerous persons outside and even within the Church, the term, “Tradition,” does not refer to legends or mythological accounts, nor does it encompass transitory customs or practices which may change, as circumstances warrant, such as styles of priestly dress, particular forms of devotion to saints, liturgical rubrics or even “avoiding to take a bath for a full week after baptism.” Sacred or Apostolic Tradition consists of the teachings that the apostles passed on orally through their preaching. It is true that a majority of these teachings overlap with those contained in Scripture, but the mode of their transmission is different.

Jesus and the Apostles were Pro-Tradition

Fundamentalists say Jesus condemned tradition. They note that Jesus said, "And why do you transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?" (Matt. 15:3) (Mark 7:9 is parallel). Paul warned, "See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to Christ" (Col. 2:8). But these verses merely condemn erroneous human traditions, not truths which were handed down orally and entrusted to the Church by the apostles (Sacred Tradition) which is to be distinguished from human traditions or customs. Let’s look at Matthew 15:6–9, "So by these traditions of yours you have made God’s laws ineffectual. You hypocrites, it was a true prophecy that Isaiah made of you, when he said, ‘This people does me honor with its lips, but its heart is far from me. Their worship is in vain, for the doctrines they teach are the commandments of men.’" Jesus was not condemning all traditions, only those that made God’s word void. In this case, it was a matter of the Pharisees feigning the dedication of their goods to the Temple so they could avoid using them to support their aged parents. By doing this, they dodged the commandment to "Honor your father and your mother" (Ex. 20:12). Kaffinator, granted you are correct in saying that Jesus used and instructed with passages from the Old Testament often, but He also instructed His followers to abide by traditions that are not contrary to God’s commandments, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice" (Matt. 23:2–3).

What Fundamentalists and Evangelicals often do, unfortunately, is see the word "tradition" in Matthew 15:3, Mark 7:9 or Colossians 2:8 or elsewhere and conclude that anything termed a "tradition" is to be rejected. They fail to see that the term is used in a different sense, as in 1 Corinthians 11:2 and 2 Thessalonians 2:15, to describe what should be believed. Jesus did not condemn all traditions; he condemned only erroneous traditions, whether doctrines or practices, that undermined Christian truths. The rest, as the apostles taught, were to be obeyed. Paul commanded the Thessalonians to adhere to all the traditions he had given them, whether oral or written.

The Bible denies that it alone is sufficient as the complete rule of faith. Paul says that much Christian teaching is to be found in the tradition which is handed down by word of mouth (2 Tim. 2:2). He instructs us to "stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter" (2 Thess. 2:15).

This oral teaching was accepted by Christians, just as they accepted the written teaching compiled in Sacred Scripture that came to them years later. Jesus instructed his disciples: "He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me" (Luke 10:16). The Church, in the persons of the apostles, was given by Christ the authority to teach; the Church would be his representative. He commissioned them, saying, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Matt. 28:19).

How would the apostle make disciples of all the nations? By giving everyone they met a Bible? No, but by preaching, by oral instruction: "So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ" (Rom. 10:17). The Church would always be the living teacher. It is a serious error to limit "Christ’s word" to the written word only or to suggest that all his teachings were reduced to writing. The Bible nowhere supports either notion.

I stumbled upon this article recently and I felt that it adequately addresses this common misunderstanding held by many Protestants. It also sheds some light on just how active the Catholic Church has been in making Sacred Scripture available to all. For the full text of this series follow this link: Catholics and the BibleEnjoy!

It is the wish of the Church that her children should know the Bible.

In the Past. Pre-reformation literature is satu¬rated with Bible quotations. Much that is left to us consists either of books of the Bible or breviaries which are almost wholly made up of Scripture. The sermon literature of the Middle Ages was a mosaic of Scripture texts. Preachers used the Bible much more than is customary today in any pulpit. Half an hour’s perusal of the sermons of a Bernard or a Bonaventure shows us that the preachers almost thought in Scripture texts. For those who could not read, the Church moreover, provided a knowledge of the Bible by means of mystery plays, illustrated editions of parts or the whole of it the paintings, sculptures, and stained glass windows of her churches: the statuary of one great cathedral is known as the Bible of Amiens. Of the Bible in pictures, the Synod of Arras (1025) said: "The illiterate contemplated in the lineaments of painting what they, having never learnt to read could not discern in writing."

To the man of the Middle Ages the Bible was a living reality.

In the Present. Priests are obliged to read Scripture in their Office, or daily prayers, for about an hour and a half every day.

The laity are more than encouraged, they are urged to read the Bible. By Pius VI (1778), bv Pius VII (1820), they were earnestly exhorted to read it, by Leo XIII a special blessing was given to all who would read the Gospels for at least a quarter of an hour daily. Benedict XV (himself the founder of the Society of St. Jerome for distributing the Gospels in Italian, which sells great numbers every year sent, by the Cardinal Secretary of State, the following message to the Catholic Truth Society:

"It was with no little gladness of heart that the Holy Father learned of the work of the Society and of its diligence in spreading far and wide copies of the Holy Gospels, as well as of the other books of the Holy Scriptures, and in multiplying them so as to reach all men of good will. Most lovingly therefore his Holiness blesses all who have put their hand to this very excellent work; and he earnestly exhorts them to persevere with ardor in so holy an enterprise."

In an age when many chose to create their own code of ethics, of right and wrong, of good and evil, I thought it would be appropriate to reflect on virtue. What is virtue? Why is virtue necessary? Are there different virtues? As a "cradle Catholic" I grew up learning about the theological virtues, the moral virtues, and the cardinal virtues (also included in the moral virtues).

Before we consider the different virtues it is appropriate that we consider what Sacred Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church have to say about virtue in general:

1803 "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."62

A virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of himself. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all his sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions.

The goal of a virtuous life is to become like God.63
----------------------------------------------------------------------
62 Phil 4:8.
63 St. Gregory of Nyssa, De beatitudinibus, 1:PG 44,1200D.

Virtue, finding its origin in God, directs us back to God, to being and living as God's wills. The life of virtue is our imitation of Christ.

Yet even before the Incarnation we find this disposition towards the "good" as well as an understanding of the effects of virtue, Aristotle in his work Ethics stated:

...for the virtue of any being is that which makes its possessor good and also makes his work good.

Likewise, throughout the Old Testament we repeatedly hear the call to virtue. Yet in Christ the virtuous life was made new through His grace. The Catechism has this to say about the relationship between the virtues and grace:

1810 Human virtues acquired by education, by deliberate acts and by a perseverance ever-renewed in repeated efforts are purified and elevated by divine grace. With God's help, they forge character and give facility in the practice of the good. The virtuous man is happy to practice them.

1811 It is not easy for man, wounded by sin, to maintain moral balance. Christ's gift of salvation offers us the grace necessary to persevere in the pursuit of the virtues. Everyone should always ask for this grace of light and strength, frequent the sacraments, cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and follow his calls to love what is good and shun evil.

So what are these virtues that we are to pursue? Why are they important?

This week’s posts felt very personal to me. They included reviews of favorite books, personal reflections pondered over while considering monastery life, and several looks at our lives and our families. This has probably been my favorite Carnival to date because of the personal nature of the posts . . . enjoy:

What is Leisure? at Heart Speaks to Heart takes a look at Leisure, the Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper. Both the book and the post are a worthwhile read – especially in our day.

Generative Thought at la nouvelle theologie asks, “What generates culture?” and explores the things that move people . . .

Uniformity vs. Unity at Kicking Over My Traces explores Pope Benedict XVI’s analysis of the differences between Uniformity and Unity. Thought-provoking.

Sirach 22 at Dunmoose the Ageless offers us some reflective questions on the passage cited and ends with a recommendation we all can enjoy.

Song of Song's: A Husband's Commentary at HerbEly offers a take on a recent article in America magazine on sex and marriage.

What’s in a (Masculine) Name? at Our Word and Welcome to It points out that words mean things. Our Lord gave us very specific words to use when talking about Him. Unfortunately, not everyone wants to use those words - and in failing to use them, we can completely change the meaning of what is said.

God’s Family at HMS Blog gives us an excellent reflection on the meaning of Jesus’ promises to those who give up everything for him and for the Gospel.

Adventures in finding a parish out of town at Ramblings of a GOP Soccer Mom recounts her experiences at a wonderful parish in Alexandria, Virginia while out of town.

Gene Robinson: A mixed message hides the deeper truth at Angry in the Great White North analyzes the meaning behind Angican Bishop Gene Robinson’s recent comments on the Catholic Church’s position on homosexuality in the priesthood.

Approaching God as a Child at Happy Catholic offer us her personal revelation that came about when reading a blog post and an email. Good stuff!

One foot at a Time at emergentpdx struggles with “coming out.” It’s not what you think, but something I had issues with as well: when to tell non-Catholic friends and family that you are converting.

Tales from Ecclesiology at Crusader of Justice tells us two anecdotes from a rather enjoyable lecture this past week.

Integrity and Wisdom at A Penitent Blogger reflects on what wisdom requires – even in the Information Age.

Movie Review: Millions at Living Catholicism takes a look at the recent movie that involves a young boy who has visions of Saints in his daily life.

Denomination-hopping As State Transitions at Ales Rarus explores whether church-shopping can be modeled with state transition equations.

Hope you enjoyed it!

God bless,
Jay

Go see this week's Catholic Carnival at the inviting bearing blog. As always, the posts are sure to make you think, pray, and change.

Also, I know some have had problems posting recently. I believe I've fixed the problem, but if you have an issue, let me know. We get literally thousands of spam posts a day, typically for gambling, perscription drugs, or obscene sites. So the filter helps control this for us. But occasionally a word gets filtered that stops a lot of posts. I did change the filter so that it will tell you why the post was blocked, so that might help is well. Any problems, just email me at jay [at] deoomnisgloria [d0t] com

God bless,
Jay

We have a lot of questions asked of us here at DeoOmnisGloria.com and naturally so. I thought it would be interesting to post what I would consider to be some of the best questions to ask Protestant friends, when the opportunity presents itself, to make them think about what they believe in terms of Sacred Scripture, Authority, and Church History. These questions come from Stephen Ray's site, Defenders of the Catholic Faith. His article, Why I Am A Catholic is worth reading as well.

1) Where did Jesus give instructions that the Christian faith should be based exclusively on a book?

2) Other than the specific command to John to pen the Revelation, where did Jesus tell His apostles to write anything down and compile it into an authoritative book?

3) Where in the New Testament do the apostles tell future generations that the Christian faith will be based solely on a book?

4) If the meaning of the Bible is so clear—so easily interpreted—and if the Holy Spirit leads every Christian to interpret it for themselves, then why are there so many different Protestant denominations, and millions of individual Protestants, all interpreting the Bible differently?

5) How did the early Church evangelize and overthrow the Roman Empire, survive and prosper almost 350 years, without knowing for sure which books belong in the canon of Scripture?

6) Who in the Church had the authority to determine which books belonged in the New Testament canon and to make this decision binding on all Christians? If nobody has this authority, then can I remove or add books to the canon on my own authority?

7) Why do Protestant scholars recognize the early Church councils at Hippo and Carthage as the first instances in which the New Testament canon was officially ratified, but ignore the fact that those same councils ratified the Old Testament canon used by the Catholic Church today but abandoned by Protestants at the Reformation?

8) If the early Church believed in sola Scriptura, why do the creeds of the early Church always say “we believe in the Holy Catholic Church,” and not “we believe in Holy Scripture”?

9) The time interval between the Resurrection and the establishment of the New Testament canon in AD 382 is roughly the same as the interval between the arrival of the Mayflower in America and the present day. Therefore, since the early Christians had no defined New Testament for almost four hundred years, how did they practice sola Scriptura?

10) If Christianity is a “book religion,” how did it flourish during the first 1500 years of Church history when the vast majority of people were illiterate?

In Christ,
Joe