The Scattering of the Flock

After His Crucifixion our Lord appeared to His disciples on several occasions. One of these instances was on the Sea of Tiberias . Several of His disciples were unsuccessfully fishing until He instructed them to cast the net on the right side of the ship. It was then that they recognized Him. According to John’s Gospel there were seven in the group: “There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas, who is called Didymus, and Nathanael, who was of Cana of Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples” (John 21:2). As they sat around the fire eating the fish they’d caught, the Lord charged Peter to “Feed my lambs” (twice) and “Feed my sheep”. Six other disciples sat with Peter, but only Peter was given these instructions. Why?

“Thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.” (Matthew 16:18-19)

Through these words Jesus announces to all that Peter would lead the faithful after His death. As stated by the Catechism of Catholic Church, “Simon Peter holds the first place in the college of the Twelve; Jesus entrusted a unique mission to him. . . . His mission will be to keep this faith from every lapse and to strengthen his brothers in it.” (Catechism, 552) The catechism also teaches that “the power to ‘bind and loose’ connotes the authority to absolve sins, to pronounce doctrinal judgments, and to make disciplinary decisions in the Church” (Catechism 553). Thus, Peter becomes the first Bishop of Rome, the first Pope.

Why is this important today?

Today, The Telegraph, a daily newspaper in London , reports that “ Hardline Church leaders have formally declared the end of the worldwide Anglican Communion, saying they can no longer be associated with liberals who tolerate homosexual clergy. The traditionalists dealt a serious blow to Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, by claiming that he can no longer hold the Church together.” (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2153935/Hardline-archbishops-declare-Anglican-split.html)

The Archbishop of Canterbury does not hold the authority of the Pope. There is no central authority in the Episcopal Church, meaning there is nothing to stop rogue dioceses or movements from scattering the flock. Decisions are made jointly by bishops. Painfully, Archbishop Williams is learning that democracy may be great for governments, but not for religions. The “buck” needs to stop with someone. What is doctrine if there is nobody to enforce it? I am reminded of an adage I learned from one of my college professors: “Never accept ‘No’ from someone who can’t say ‘Yes’.” The liberals in the Episcopal Church have clearly learned this. Archbishop Williams is in no more of a position to strike down their changes than he is to install them as doctrine.

Once again the Holy Spirit-inspired wisdom of the Roman Catholic Church makes itself apparent.

Donald Tremblay

Misunderstanding Faith

On Tuesday Neil Beagley, a 16-year-old boy from a faith-healing family, died after refusing treatment for a medical condition. According to the Associated Press (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,368863,00.html), “’He likely had a congenital condition that constricted his urinary tract where the bladder empties into the urethra, and the condition of his organs indicates he had multiple blockages during his life,’ said Dr. Clifford Nelson, deputy state medical examiner for Clackamas County .” In Oregon anyone 14 years of age or older is allowed to refuse medical treatment. A few months ago a toddler cousin of Beagley’s (Ava Worthington) died when her parents allegedly refused to seek medical treatment for Ava’s “bronchial pneumonia and a blood infection”. The AP reports that both families are members of the Followers of Christ church.

Here is an example, a tragic example, of people who do not understand what Faith means. To ignore medical attention is no more a display of Faith than is standing in the passing lane of major Interstate highway and saying, “God will protect me”. These faith-healers are similar to the sects that handle poisonous snakes to “prove” their faith in God. Not only is this foolish, but it also violates the command Christ gave Satan following the Evil One’s final temptation in the wilderness:

And he brought him to Jerusalem , and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and he said to him: If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself from hence. 10 For it is written, that He hath given his angels charge over thee, that they keep thee. 11 And that in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest perhaps thou dash thy foot against a stone. 12 And Jesus answering, said to him: It is said: Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. (Luke 4:9-12)

The faith-healers and the snake handlers are actually guilty of pride. To test the Lord by not treating an illness or by handling poisonous snakes is to treat the Lord as if He is your servant. It is to act as if He is at your beck-and-call. Thus, you are the Lord and not He.

In addition, Catholicism teaches that the human body is the temple of the Spirit. As such, you have a responsibility to take care of it. Life is a gift from God, as are medical advancements. You are to cherish it as a gift. You wouldn’t be happy if through neglect someone destroyed the new car you bought them. It seems logical that the Lord would view your health in the same manner.

Unfortunately, it is too late for Neil Beagley and his 15-month old cousin Ava to learn this.

Donald Tremblay

A Different Take on a Biblical Passage

A family member sent me an interesting e-mail over the weekend. It referred to John 20:7 and the burial wrappings of Christ. Here is the biblical passage:

“And the napkin that had been about his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but apart, wrapped up into one place.”

I have always felt that John specified that the “napkin” was separated from the rest of the linen to show that Christ Himself was the one who removed the burial wrappings, as opposed to robbers who would have never taken the time to fold the linens. Robbers would have fled as soon as they got their hands on the body. But in the e-mail I received there is a different explanation for the folded napkin. I am not an expert in ancient Judaic customs so I cannot verify the accuracy of the information below. Yet, I think it is interesting and does sound plausible:

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition. When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, and then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating, and the servant would not dare touch that table, until the master was finished. Now if the master was done eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, and clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table. For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, 'I'm done'. But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because..........

The folded napkin meant, 'I'm coming back!'

Just something to reflect on.

Donald Tremblay

Tolerance Gone Wild

As Long As It’s Not Catholic

The Wall Street Journal published an interesting Op-Ed piece on Saturday, June 14 (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121339952713673705.html?mod=todays_us_opinion).

It was written by Minneapolis Star-Tribune columnist Katherine Kersten and it discusses the Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy in Inver Grove Heights , Minn. The charter school, which accepts public funds, was started by two imams--Asad Zaman and co-founder Hesham Hussein—both of whom “have held top positions with the Muslim American Society of Minnesota, and also with the school.”

Kersten reveals some disturbing facts about the school: “It shares a building with a mosque and the headquarters of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota. The cafeteria serves Halal food. Arabic is a required subject. There is a break for midday prayers.” Also, “On Fridays, many students join with Muslim teachers and attend religious services in the school's gym.”

Sounds an awful lot like a religious school, doesn’t it? Why then is the government subsidizing it? Well, in this politically correct environment, that is a dangerous question to ask, as Kersten learned: “I've written just two columns critical of the school for the Star Tribune. But that was enough for State Rep. Mindy Greiling, the chairman of the Minnesota House of Representatives' K-12 Finance Committee, to publicly call for me to be fired from the newspaper.”

After Kersten raised the issue the Minn Dept of Education investigated and ruled that the school is “breaking the law by holding Friday religious services on school grounds; that it should stop Muslim teachers' practice of praying with students at that service; and that it must provide bus transportation home before Islamic Studies classes let out.”

Although this is welcome news, Kersten raises a more important point, which is that nobody has questioned the school’s affiliation with a religious organization. As she argues, “It's a safe bet that if the school in question here were essentially a Catholic school, this wouldn't be a debate. Imagine a public charter located in the headquarters building of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis . Its principal is a priest and its board chairman is the archbishop. Catholic students there ‘are comfortable asking questions about their own religion.’ Latin is required, and the cafeteria serves fish during Lent. Students break for prayer and attend Mass during the school day, and buses leave only when after-school Catholic Catechism classes are over. Such a school would never open.”

Couldn’t have put it better myself. This is the society we live in today. We need more people like Kersten to expose these hypocrisies; otherwise, there’s little doubt that similar initiatives will emerge in other hot spots of “tolerance” like NY, CA, and Mass.

Donald Tremblay

Invest In Your Future . . . Eternity

Americans are always in search of investment opportunities, particularly during times like these when the U.S. economy is in, or near, a recession. The cost of living continues to escalate, causing us to worry about our current financial health and, even more, our retirement. Whether it is through 401Ks, IRAs, or pensions, we try and insulate ourselves from financial disaster. As Catholics it is important that we recognize our moral responsibilities as investors.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has posted on its website the guidelines that the Faithful should follow (http://www.usccb.org/finance/srig.shtml) when investing. After reviewing the guidelines a Catholic investor must use that knowledge to investigate the corporate practices of the companies they are considering doing business with. Do they take actions that run counter to Church doctrine or teachings?

For ex., on Feb 21, 2008, the AFA (American Family Association) released the “Top Ten Pro-Homosexual Sponsors on Television” (http://www.afa.net/monitoringwinter07.asp). The television shows considered by AFA were those with a homosexual lead or supporting character. A couple of the corporations may surprise you.

Other organizations similarly monitor the practices of corporations. For instance, several websites expose the companies that support abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. Other sites reveal the firms that manufacture their goods overseas using child labor. Whatever the issue of concern, there is information available about it and it is our responsibility as Catholics to find it. Admittedly, this can be time consuming, but luckily there are people who can direct us on the right path.

Luther King Capital Management (provider of the Aquinas Fund--http://www.aquinasfunds.com) and Invest Catholic (http://www.investcatholic.com) are two examples of groups who advertise that they help people invest according to Catholic principles. There are others. Find them. Speak to them. Take advantage of their knowledge. And remember, “It’s just business,” is not a valid reason for ignoring your Catholic responsibilities. There’s no such thing as separating your business from your Catholicism.

***Please be aware that I have never done business with either of the above mentioned companies, so I cannot personally vouch for their investment strategies or their commitment to honoring their mission statements. They are just examples***

Donald Tremblay

Perservere

In 1996 Justice Robert Bork wrote a best-selling book entitled, Slouching Towards Gomorrah. The synopsis on the book jacket reads, “In this New York Times best-selling book, Robert H. Bork, our country’s most distinguished conservative scholar offers a prophetic and unprecedented view of a culture in decline, a nation in such serious moral trouble that its very foundation is crumbling.” I often wonder whether the concept of Bork’s title is outdated—not because the arguments in his book don’t still apply, but because we have already reached Gomorrah

. Case in point:

WorldNetDaily.com has an article posted today about a new Colorado law that it says will levy penalties against people who criticize homosexuality outside Church walls (http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=66829)

In the article Focus on the Family analyst Bruce Hausknecht makes an excellent point when he states that one of the goals of laws such as these is to marginalize the Church: "They'll say, 'It's just a church.' It will allow gay activists to continue to marginalize Christians. They'll say, 'Keep it within your four walls. That's all.'" Hausknecht also acknowledges that "there are those who simply by publishing Christian materials could find themselves charged with a violation of this statute," he said.

Christ made it clear to His disciples that “You shall be hated by all men for my name's sake” (Luke 21:17). As Christians our very beliefs are anathema to society. And according to how the world judges victory, we are fighting a losing battle. Things will only continue to get worse as is made clear in The Catechism of the Catholic Church: “Before Christ’s second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers.” (The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 675) Why is this so? Because since it is Christ’s Church, it must endure the same persecution, death, and resurrection that He suffered: “The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection” (The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 677)

Nevertheless, despite the inevitability of the persecution we face, our responsibility as Catholic Christians is to defend the Word and win as many souls back to Christ as possible before the Final Judgment. For as Christ says, “It is impossible that scandals should not come: but woe to him through whom they come.” (Luke 17:1) The reality that evil is unavoidable in this world does not absolve us from battling against it. Yes, we are fighting a losing battle as the world defines victory, but our goals are different than the world’s goals. We seek to rescue souls for eternity, and each soul saved is a victory that is celebrated in Heaven.

Let’s persevere and focus on evangelizing one soul at a time.

Donald Tremblay

Go Forth

I was pleased to read on http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/205101?eng=y about the Vatican’s plans to prepare new guidelines for inter-religious dialogue. The subtitle of the article announces these welcome words, “Enough with the ceremonies. And more conviction in proclaiming the Gospel.”

Tolerance is the buzz word of our politically correct culture. We are obsessed with avoiding any appearance of imposing our beliefs on others. This misguided paranoia has infiltrated the Church and the Mystical Body of Christ to the degree that we Catholics have faltered in our responsibility to spread the Word. Many of us wear our Catholicism as if it is a Scarlet Letter.

We must remember that we are called to evangelize. And the word evangelize is not passive. It is active and it implies an aggressive, fervent attempt to bring people to Christ . . . particularly those who least want to hear it. In the above article Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran clearly expresses the responsibility all Catholics face:

"We know that the Holy Spirit works in every man and every woman, independently of his religious or spiritual creed. But on the other hand, we must proclaim that Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. God has revealed to us the truth about God and the truth about man, and for us this is the Good News. We cannot hide this truth under a bushel basket."

Let’s remember Christ’s final instruction to his apostles: “Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. (Matthew 28:19). Christ did not instruct that we go forth and teach his message to only some nations. He said ALL nations. His demand is clear: The Truth must be spread to the ends of the earth.

The Lord will tolerate nothing less.

Donald Tremblay