Protestants heed

Every three years on the Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time, we hear Matthew’s gospel where Jesus gives Peter the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven (Matt 16:13-20), and a parallel passage from Isaiah where the key of the House of David is given to Eliakim (Isaiah 22:19-23).  As a catechist for OCIA, I often refer to these Scripture readings to explain where the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church gets her authority.    

Our society today has a problem with authority, especially the authority of the Catholic Church.  Convincing people, including Catholics, to accept the magisterial authority of the Church is critical when evangelizing, as evidenced by how many Catholics disagree with some teachings, such as contraception and the right to life.  

The passage in Isaiah shows the hierarchal authority in the House of David.  David was anointed King over the tribe of Judah, from which Jesus would descend.  In the Davidic kingdom was an office called the master of the palace who governs the day to day operation.  The office might be analogous to a Prime Minister.  England has a king, but the Prime Minister heads the government.

In the passage from Isaiah, Shebna was removed from the office and replaced by Eliakim, who was given authority over the House of David.  The Lord placed the key of the House of David on Eliakim’s shoulder saying when he opens, no one shall shut, when he shuts, no one shall open. In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus give Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, saying whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose will be loosed in heaven. 

There is no doubt that Jesus was giving Peter authority over His Church, much like parents might give a babysitter authority over their children in their absence.  Jesus knew he could not leave his Church orphaned after His ascension and before the His second coming.  He continued the ministerial priesthood, headed by Peter, to offer His sacrifice on the altar in order that we may participate by eating His flesh and drinking His blood as He commanded.  As in the Old Covenant Paschal sacrifice, the offering is not complete until the lamb is consumed.  The once and for all sacrifice of Jesus Christ is made present on the altar in the Holy Eucharist and we participate in that sacrifice when we consume the Lamb of God. 

This authority of the Church is later extended in Matt 18:15-20 when Jesus addresses a situation where a brother refuses to listen.  In effect, He says if all else fails, take the dispute to the Church, and if the brother even refuses to listen to the Church, treat him as a Gentile or tax collector.  He then says, “Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”  How can anyone read Matthew’s gospel and not believe Jesus established an authoritative Church? And if that is not enough, “He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” (Luke 10:16)

Isaiah 22:19-23

19 I will thrust you from your office, and you will be cast down from your station. 20 In that day I will call my servant Eli′akim the son of Hilki′ah, 21 and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your girdle on him, and will commit your authority to his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. 22 And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. 23 And I will fasten him like a peg in a sure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father’s house.

Matthew 16-13-20

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesare′a Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Eli′jah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”[a] 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”[b] 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter,[c] and on this rock[d] I will build my church, and the powers of death[e] shall not prevail against it.[f] 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,[g] and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.

Matthew 18:15-20

15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.[i] 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

One for the Aged

 A time will come when every man must take a bow to the silent applause of a choir of angels, sit down, and wait to be called.  Those of us who are enjoying good health in our twilight years realize that calling could come at any moment.  A medical emergency, an accidental fall, or any number of unforeseen calamities could bring an immediate end to living comfortably in our own homes.  It is an inevitable reality we do not like to think about.

Preparing for the inevitable means having our “affairs” in order, perhaps writing or updating a will, buying cemetery plots and making pre-planned funeral arrangements.  It could mean letting go of some long-held possessions that would be treasured by someone entrusted to their care.  It could also mean discarding items that hold no sentimental value to anyone else.  Someone will need to clean up after us someday.  That is not a pleasant job, so making it easier is a loving thing to do. 

I have a shed filled with junk I never use, file cabinets with instruction manuals for appliances that no longer exist, an attic with boxes from my mother’s house after she died twenty-seven years ago.  I saved them because they reminded me of my childhood with mom and dad, but they will mean nothing to anyone but me.  

Our aging bodies will eventually remind us of our mortality.  Those aches and pains gradually break us down.  Our souls, however, do not age and therefore, we need to be reminded to prepare our souls for immortality.  Once our body and soul separate, our fate is sealed.  The particular judgement will determine our final destination and how we will spend eternity.  

We likely spend too much time worrying about our bodies and not enough time tending to our souls.  Do we make more trips to the doctor’s office than we do the confessional?  Of whose care are we in most need, the general practitioner or the Divine Physician?  Something to think about. 

Happy 250th

When I was going to Catholic school in the 1950’s, the nuns made us memorize the Baltimore Catechism, word for word.  I still remember much of it today.  That was how we were taught our Catholic faith.  The problem is that we didn’t really understand what we were memorizing.  We simply parroted the responses to each of the questions.

Years later, many of my former classmates no longer practicing Catholics.  Those of us who remain in the Church were generally formed in the faith later in life.  I firmly believe that anyone who truly knows their Catholic faith would never leave it. 

At some point in my early education, I was also required to learn the Declaration of Independence.  Like the catechism, I did not fully grasp the significance of the words I was saying at the time.  My motivation was to successfully pass the test and get the grade.

The celebration of the Birthday of our great nation this month has brought the Declaration of Independence to the forefront again.  Two hundred fifty years later, these words are more relevant than ever.  In a world where God is often denied or dismissed, the Declaration of Independence is predicated on the belief that our rights come from God and not from the government.  

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  

These words mean much more to me now than they did when I first learned them. Our rights come from God and the role of the government is to secure these rights.  When rights come from the desires of men, they become malleable.  They are anything but secure.  We are a nation built on Christian principles.  Without God, our foundation is shaky.  Thomas Jefferson understood this and expressed it so eloquently.  I did not understand as a child.  Many adults do not understand today.  

Intelligence questions

Pope Leo XIV just published his first encyclical titled Magnifica Humanitas (Magnificent Humanity) on safeguarding the human person in the time of artificial intelligence.  The pope believes technology could reduce our human dignity.  By replacing people with machines, the value of work would be diminished causing us to lose our sense of purpose.  

The encyclical is quite lengthy.  As a good Catholic, I wanted to read it, but I lack sufficient intelligence of my own to grasp some of his concerns.  As a society, we seem to be in fear of artificial intelligence without fully understanding what it is or how it will affect our lives.  The encyclical is apparently intended to make us aware of the dangers.

In our area, people are fighting against the construction of data centers that are apparently needed to support artificial intelligence.  These are huge buildings containing servers that hold data, I assume.  Considering the tremendous computing power and storage contained in my little iPhone, I cannot even imagine what all these data centers can do.  They also consume huge quantities of water for cooling purposes which some people believe will compromise our water supplies.  To determine the validity of these concerns, I can go online to find answers, but they will likely be generated by artificial intelligence which may be a bit biased.  To be honest, I lack sufficient intelligence to ask an intelligent question about artificial intelligence..  

Instead of worrying about all of the bad things Pope Leo is concerned about, what about the possibility of artificial intelligence (AI) doing good things?  To what extent Is artificial intelligence able to reason?  If AI is truly intelligent, would it not always seek the truth? Suppose AI learns all of the ancient languages of the world, the definition of each word, how that word was used over the centuries in different contexts, and how those words were assembled in various ages to express ideas.  Suppose AI becomes capable of reconstructing the past with enough precision to eliminate debate over meanings and interpretations of history.

What if AI learns to filter out the bias that taints every opinion of imperfect men?  What if AI can instantly distinguish fact from fiction?  What if AI finds solutions to every conflict, and cures for every disease?  What if AI analyzes and verifies the Summa Theologica work of Thomas Aquinas?  What if AI learns the benefit of being oriented to the good and thereby steers mankind toward God?  What if AI learns to seek the gifts of the Holy Spirit?  What if AI settles all debate of the interpretation of Scripture, clearly showing the Catholic Church to be divinely instituted by Jesus Christ, true God and true man?  What if AI leads the whole world to Jesus and His Church?  Would the entire world convert?  Probably not, but Imagine the possibilities!

Age of Reason

My youngest grandson made his First Holy Communion on Mother’s Day along with two other boys in our small parish.  He is eight years old, and according to the church norm, has reached the age of reason.  Generally speaking, the age of reason is when a child is old enough to understand the difference between right and wrong.  I am not sure what behavioral signs to look for when determining whether a child has reached this level of maturity.  Just two days prior, we had to apply ice to his lip because he accidentally hit himself in the face with a stick.  

The Code of Canon Law (CIC 11) says, “Merely ecclesiastical laws bind those who have been baptized in the Catholic Church or received into it, possess the efficient use of reason, and, unless the law expressly provides otherwise, have completed seven years of age.”  This simply means children under the age of seven are not bound by church law.  It does not mean when a child reaches age seven, he or she is automatically able to reason.  And it certainly does not mean a child of seven is necessarily ready to receive first Holy Communion.  The age of reason is different from the age of comprehension.  

Discerning the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist is difficult for many adults, let alone a seven year-old.  I believe my grandson is above average intelligence for his age.  I sometimes watch him during Mass and think he is not really dialed in.  He fidgets, looks around at his siblings, and appears to be distracted.  I often think what the nuns would have done had I behaved that way in Catholic school.  That little smack on the back of the head always got my attention.  

A seven year-old may not be ready to receive Our Lord, but in Luke 18:16, Jesus says, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God.”  With that in mind, I should stop worrying about my grandson’s preparedness when receiving the Holy Eucharist, and rather worry about my own.  Jesus wants the children to come to Him even if they do not fully understand what happens at the Consecration.  Guide them as best we can, but let us not stand in their way.

Small talk

I was a teenager when Neil Armstrong did the first moonwalk.  Having been fascinated by the space race during my youth in the 1960’s, I have been following the Artemis II moon fly-by this month. The photos of the moon’s surface are interesting, but somewhat monotonous.  Aside from size and shape, craters pretty much all look alike.  More thought-provoking to me are the photos of our planet earth.  

How beautifully peaceful the world looks from a few hundred thousand miles away.  One would never imagine what goes on down here on the surface.  Wars, fighting, political turmoil, bullying, hate and all kinds of violence are shrouded in the marbled beauty visible from far away.  

While the moon may seem distant to us, our entire solar system appears microscopic in the immensity of the universe.  Imagine our sun being viewed by aliens a few lightyears away.  It might appear as a dimly lit star with our earth imperceptible.  They might view us earthlings as we view bacteria.  How insignificant might our lives seem in comparison.  

If our civilization learned to appreciate how tiny and fragile we are, would the turmoil of this world cease?  The desire for power and domination seems pointless considering the brief time we have to spend here.  What is this power so many people crave?  Worldly power is short-lived and meaningless.

Most of us Americans are blessed to live our brief lives in peace and comfort.  Rather than appreciate what we have, we often choose to wallow in self-pity.  I have been following the YouTube adventures of two sisters who survived a harrowing escape from their hellish lives in North Korea by crossing the Tumen River into China.  They settled in South Korea and are now touring the United States experiencing freedom previously unknown to them under the Kim regime.  How fortunate we are to live in this country despite its many flaws.  We should all spend less time complaining and humbly thank God for what we have.