St. Augustine Commentary on Gospel for Today (Mark 2: 23-28)

Today's Gospel is from Mark 2:23-28 and is as follows:

23 One sabbath he was going through the grainfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. 24And the Pharisees said to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?" 25And he said to them, "Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26how he entered the house of God, when Abi'athar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?" 27And he said to them, "The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; 28so the Son of man is lord even of the sabbath."

One commentary on this passage from a Catholic Church Father is from St. Augustine of Hippo, who lived in the 4th and 5th centuries. He wrote:

"The Lord, therefore, who is the Lord of the Sabbath, and who made man, and not the Sabbath for man, has power to do what He will with His own, and to dispense with the observance of the Sabbath, in order to do good to man. For He Himself is the true rest of the faithful, in whom we cease from our own works, as the Apostle says (Heb. 4:10), and are refreshed by the works of God."

In this commentary, St. Augustine emphasizes that Jesus, as the Son of Man and Lord of the Sabbath, has the authority to disregard the Sabbath laws in order to help people. He also references Hebrews 4:10, which states that the faithful will find rest in Jesus, rather than in the observance of the Sabbath.

Give us this day our DAILY bread? Could it mean more?

I was reading some Twitter posts and came across something very interesting, something I had never heard before. It was the Lord's prayer from the Douay-Reims Bible, the traditional English Catholic Bible from 1582.

I was intrigued. Why is it translated that way? Normally, the word used there is "daily", but they are using "supersubstantial". So, of course, I Googled it, and was amazed. There was a very thorough article on the subject explaining it.

Here's a few takeaways from the article:

• The Greek word used in the Gospel in two places (Luke 11:3 & Matthew 6:11) is "epiousios".
• Not only are these the only places in the Bible where this word is used, they are the only places in all of literature!
• The word was, in fact, invented by the Gospel writers and is derived from the root words "epi" meaning over or above and "ousia" meaning being, essence, or substance.

The word "ousia" is also found in such words as homoousia which describing the fact that Jesus Christ, the second person of the Holy Trinity, is of the same substance as God the Father, the first person of the Holy Trinity (i.e. 1 God, 3 persons).

The translation of "supersubstantial" is apt in this circumstance.

St. Jerome, who first translated the Bible from Greek to Latin, uses the word "daily" in one context for the word and supersubstantial in another. Yet, St. Jerome himself stated:

“We can also understand supersubstantial bread in another sense as bread that is above all substances and surpasses all creatures.”

Clearly, this is a reference to the Holy Eucharist. If it were meant simply as "daily" as in something you pray for each day, then they would have used a pre-existing word such as "hemera" which means daily. They intended for the word to mean something more. Plus, they specifically used the word bread. They didn't say food or sustenance, or anything other word, but bread.

Given those pieces of information, it seems clear they intended something very special and unique in the prayer. They are referring to bread, but bread whose substance is "above" or "beyond", something supernatural. Well, that accurately describes the Eucharist. Appearance of bread, but in substance, something greater, something supernatural. Specifically, the body and blood of Christ.

To read the full, very interesting article, please click here.

What is the difference between Christians and Catholics?

As a Catholic, I really dislike this question. Unfortunately it's a very common one. I am assuming that 99% of people who ask this question are not doing so maliciously or with any ill-will whatsoever. It actually makes sense. When someone says they are "Christian" generally it means a non-Catholic / non-Orthodox Christian, especially if said by someone in the United States or Canada.

I remember one time when I and my now wife were in Europe doing a tour and someone asked me this very question. I have heard it in other instances in various different ways. But this isn't just a blog about why I dislike this question, I will also attempt to the best of my ability to actually answer it!

But first, why do I dislike it? As you can probably tell, I primarily dislike this question because of the question implied within it. If you ask the "difference" between two things, it automatically implies they are, in fact, different. If I said what is the difference between an apple and an orange, it would imply those are two separate entities. If, however, one entity subsumed the other within its definition, the question would seem odd at best.

Imagine for example asking "What is the difference between a Canadian and a person?" or "What is the difference between a cell phone and technology?"

Those would seem like strange, almost unanswerable questions. It reminds me of the court room question of "Do you still beat your wife?" If answered with either "yes" or "no", it would imply the person being questioned was at some point guilty. So, the question's baseline premise must be rejected. That's exactly what I am saying with the above question. I reject the initial premise upon which it is based.

A properly phrased question in this case would be "What is the difference between non-Catholic Christians and Catholic Christians?" I know that's a bit bulky, but it maintains an important point: that Catholics are Christians. This is something which must be emphasized. Catholics are 100% Christians. In fact, we would say we are the truest and most complete form of Christianity. It would make more sense to ask "What is the difference between a Christian and a Protestant?" Even though it would make more sense, I'm not saying it does make sense. Most Protestants, in my estimation, would meet the criteria for being called Christian.

So, having said that enormous pre-amble, let's get into what actually sets Catholics apart from others who call themselves Christians?

I cannot really offer a complete and exhaustive list of differences between the two, but I can offer some observations and some of my own personal knowledge on the subject. To list every single difference would take volumes. These are just some that I thought of. If there are others you think are important, please feel free to list them in the comments. Again, this isn't meant to be an exhaustive list. Also, I may not explain everything perfectly in precise theological language.

One thing I find great about the Catholic Church is that it is very open and transparent on its teachings. If you want to know what the Church believes, you just have to look it up. One of the best sources it the Catechism. There are different versions, and not everything has the same level of authority in its teaching, but it gives you a great idea. Many people accuse Catholics of believing certain things even when they don't. There doesn't need to be any confusion. What we teach is available and knowable by anyone.

Not everything I mention here will differentiate the Catholic Church from all other Christian communities in every way. With thousands of denominations, it would be hard to find a particular doctrine not shared by one or more of them.

Sacraments
The Catholic Church has seven sacraments.

The sacraments are “efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us” (CCC 1131). In other words, a sacrament is a sacred and visible sign that is instituted by Jesus to give us grace, an undeserved gift from God. (See also CCC 1084).

These seven sacraments are the following:

Sacraments of initiation

• Baptism
• Confirmation
• Eucharist

Sacraments of healing

• Penance
• Anointing of the Sick

Sacraments of service

• Holy Orders
• Matrimony 

In Catholic theology, these sacraments impart grace, which is a free gift from God. The efficacy of the sacraments do not depend on the disposition of the person receiving them. Some of the sacraments are necessary for salvation, such as baptism, and in the case of committing a mortal sin, penance. All of the sacraments bring us closer to God. These are not merely symbolic gesture or symbols, but truly bring God's grace to us.

In some Christian denominations, there are only 2 sacraments instead of 7, and they are not considered necessary for salvation. In some cases, they are seen as merely symbolic.

Priesthood
In order to have the sacraments, the Catholic Church must have a priesthood. Although all Christians, in a certain sense, are priests, prophets, and kings, there is also a special clergy designated by God to perform various sacraments, primarily the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Priests are seen as the spiritual helpers of bishops who are spiritual successors of the Apostles. In theory, each bishop can trace his lineage all the way back to one of the original 12 apostles.

Priests take a vow of celibacy which is a matter of discipline rather than doctrine. On top of this, they make a vow of obedience and in some cases (particularly with religious priests) a vow of poverty. By "religious" priest, I mean a priest belonging to a particular religious order, as opposed to a diocesan priest.

Other Christians do not have the priesthood, especially not a ministerial one. This is a huge difference. Although, for example, both Catholics and Protestants celebrate a form of service or liturgy, Protestants view what is happening in a completely different way. The primary purpose of the Mass is to consecrate the Eucharist, which is an unbloody re-presentation of the eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. It makes present his perfect atonement and allows us to do as he commanded when he said "do this in memory of me".

Most Protestant Christians do not believe in the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament (the Eucharist) and therefore they may infrequently or never have a communion service which they see as symbolic. The primary purpose of a Protestant service is to pray and hear a sermon.

This is an important distinction. As mentioned, even though many families, both Protestant and Catholic, go to their respective churches on Sunday for a service, the intention and idea behind both is dramatically different. There are, however, commonalities, such as Bible readings and a sermon, although Protestant sermons, being the central aspect of a Sunday service, can be much longer than a Catholic homily which generally lasts between 5 to 15 minutes.

Scripture and Tradition
Another big differentiator between non-Catholic and Catholic Christians is their views on Scripture and Tradition. Within Catholicism, both are seen as equal sources of belief and doctrine. However, there is some misunderstanding which must be clarified.

When the Church speaks of "Tradition", it does not simply mean things that are traditional.

The catechism really says it best, so I will quote it here:

The Tradition here in question comes from the apostles and hands on what they received from Jesus' teaching and example and what they learned from the Holy Spirit. The first generation of Christians did not yet have a written New Testament, and the New Testament itself demonstrates the process of living Tradition.

Tradition is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions, born in the local churches over time. These are the particular forms, adapted to different places and times, in which the great Tradition is expressed. In the light of Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified or even abandoned under the guidance of the Church's Magisterium.

Of note, Tradition is not something that is just simply "made up", it comes from the apostles and is transmitted through time. As the catechism explains, the apostles didn't yet have the Bible as we know it today. That didn't come about until the mid-300s or so. There was much debate about which books were in the Bible and so on. Therefore, one could say the Bible came from the Church and not the other way around.

Of course, this is not the view of non-Catholic Christians. Most of them would describe themselves as Bible-alone Christians or Sola Scriptura. This belief, in my opinion, seems to stem from the idea that the Church is not a visible structure with a hierarchy, but rather more a collection of believers. Because of this, it would be impossible to identify the true "Tradition" or the handing down of doctrine and belief from a particular source. It is also a Protestant belief that each individual Christian has the ability to interpret Scripture on his or her own, there is no Magisterium, which is the teaching authority of the Church in Catholicism. The "Tradition" of Catholic teaching simply could not exist in Protestantism. 

Saints
Of course, all Christians believe in saints. Saints are quite simply those who are in heaven. The difference in belief comes from our approach to them. Catholics believe we can ask Saints in heaven to intercede for us, which means we ask them to pray for us. It's important to note, we always ask them to pray to God on our behalf. We are not praying to them as a substitution for God, as if we are deciding: Should I pray to God or to a saint today?

That's important to know. Many people ask why Catholics don't just "go straight to God"? Why have all these middlemen? First, I would say we often DO go straight to God and this is not discouraged in any way. Secondly, asking others to pray for us is something everyone does. We may ask a relative or friend to keep us in their prayers. This goes for Catholics and non-Catholics. The difference is Catholics will ask not only relatives and friends but also saints in heaven.

There are a couple of reasons for this. First of all, we believe in the communion of saints, meaning we are all kind of in this together. Saints are close to God and are virtuous, holy and filled with grace. They are currently experiencing the beatific vision. Their intercessory prayer is powerful. As Catholics, we believe that saints can hear our prayers and bring them to God.

Purgatory and Indulgences

Purgatory in Catholic theology is a place of purification which those who are saved must spend time in order to purge or cleanse vice or attachment to sin before entering Heaven. We are told that nothing impure can enter heaven. Purgatory are for those who die in a state of grace, meaning in friendship with God, but must first be purified before entering into the beatific vision.

To me, purgatory is congruent with God's mercy. Instead of saying a person must have absolutely no attachment to sin or any disordered desires, God says a person must be in friendship with him at the time of death and that he will cleanse them of any leftover vices before they can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Protestants do not explicitly believe in any form of purgatory for the most part. I did, however, discover that many Protestants believe in a sort of cleansing prior to entering Heaven, the difference is that it takes place instantaneously unlike in Catholic theology.

Because of our beliefs surrounding purgatory, we have other beliefs which correspond as well, such as indulgences. An indulgence is the remission of the temporal punishment due to sin. This is best explained with an example. If you steal $1000 from someone and then God forgives you for doing so, you must still, to the best of your ability, repay the amount to that person. You must make restitution. It would not be sufficient to say "well God has forgiven me, no further action necessary." This type of "repayment" cannot always take place. How could one repay gluttony, lust, sloth, etc. It's not always clear the exact "value" of these things. That's where indulgences come in. Indulgences can be granted for various actions such as prayers and fasting. Special indulgences are granted by the Church for various specific tasks such as praying at a cemetery during All Souls Day or participating in a Novena. These actions purify us and detach us from sin.

Indulgences get a little more complicated. There are some which are partial and others which are complete or plenary, meaning they either remit some or all of the temporal punishment due to sin (temporal indicating the effects of sin other than eternal consequences). One of the conditions to receive a plenary indulgence is detachment from sin, meaning we are not drawn to a particular sin. That's a big ask. If these cannot be achieved, and a person dies in God's favor, he may have to spend time in Purgatory.

🙏

There are dozens of other differences between Catholicism and non-Catholic Christianity. We could go on and on, but the above at least gives an idea. I did not provide proof, either Biblical or other, for the above, but they are certainly there. I just wanted to provide the differences, not necessarily prove them.

Hope this helps answer the question many people have asked over the years. If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to put them in the comments section.

Have a great day and God Bless You.

A Shocking Bible Verse about Demonic Possession (Mark 5: 1-20)

Mosaic of the exorcism of the Gerasene demoniac from the Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna, dating to the sixth century AD (Source: Wikipedia)

I was at Mass a few days ago, and heard what I found to be a rather shocking Bible passage. I had heard it before but perhaps I had not paid attention to all the details contained within it. It was about a man who was possessed by demons, more specifically "Legion". It is recounted in Mark 5. When I heard the details I was somewhat shocked. I knew there was a possessed man whom Jesus exorcised and the demons ran into some swine and into the ocean. That much I knew, but I wasn't aware of the entire back story. Let's break it down.

I will post the entire passage from the Bible down below. But I just want to summarize in my own words. First of all, there is a demon-possessed man from Gerasene.

Where is Gerasene?

I looked up the location of "Gerasene", i.e. where is someone from is they are a Gerasene. Wikipedia says the following:

[The] "country of the Gergesenes/Gadarenes/Gerasenes" in the New Testament Gospels refers to some location on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. The name is derived from either a lakeside village, Gergesa, the next larger city, Gadara, or the best-known city in the region, Gerasa.

It shows the following picture. Of note, it is in the region of the Decapolis (a group of ten cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire in the southeastern Levant in the first centuries BC and AD.) 

So this is where the man was from.

"Lived among the tombs."
Wait, what? He "lived among the tombs."? What does this even mean? He just lived in a graveyard among tombs. Such a strange way to live. Just imagine for a moment a man living in a graveyard all day long. Where does he get food? Where does he sleep? It's so mysterious. Why was he there? I feel he is there because the demons liked to be there around all the death.

"No one could bind him any more, even with a chain."
Wow. "No one" could bind him? That's rather incredible. It seems they had put much effort into constraining this man. His demon-possession seems to have given him extra-human strength. It's another sign of possession. To have this kind of unhuman strength, to be able to break free of fetters and chains? Think about that, it would take physical power many times greater than even the strongest man possesses. Truly incredible strength. Again, this came from the demon possession, which goes to show the power of this type of Satanic interference. This was not mere mental illness. No mentally ill person just suddenly has the strength of 10 or 20 men. This definitely fits the criteria for possession. If you look into some indicators sought out by exorcists, one of them is super-human ability such as impossible strength or ability to know things that are essentially unknowable.

"Bruising himself with stones"

Without all the other factors, this part would seem to indicate some form of self-harm mental illness. However, given the totality of the situation, it is another indicator of Satan's power over this man and his actions. The devil caused him to injure himself. What could this mean? Well, we know evil does damage to us in general, and this is just a more direct and obvious example of it. It is also a sign of possession. God wants to restore and heal us, the Devil wants to harm us and especially wants us to harm ourselves.

"He ran and worshiped him"

Despite his possession, the man immediately recognized Jesus Christ and ran towards him. This was the action and will of the man, who was hidden by his possession, the interior person. Deep down this man sought liberation from this oppression, and upon recognizing Jesus Christ, could do nothing else but run to him like a trusting child. Never doubt or question the power of Our Lord, no matter how strong it seems evil influences are around you.

"My name is Legion"

What does this name indicate? Fr. Hardon, a renowned Catholic scholar, wrote "Some of the possessed were controlled by several demons (Mark 12:43). In one case so many devils possessed a man that their name was Legion."

In Rome, a "legion" was the largest army division. It numbered approximately 5000 men. A legion was further broken down as follows (thanks to http://www.primaryhomeworkhelp.co.uk/romans/legion.html):

Contubernium: consisted of 8 men.

Centuria: (century) was made up of 10 contubernium with a total of 80 men commanded by a centurion.

Cohorts: (cohort) included 6 centurie, a total of 480 men.

Legio: (Legion) consisted of 10 cohorts, about 5,000 men.

    Eques Legionis: Each legio had a cavarly unit of 120 attached to them.

That was just a little side note there. But it shows the gravity of the situation. It's like saying he was possessed by 5,000 demons. But more important than showing the power of the demons, it shows the power of Christ to overcome evil. No amount is even a tiny blip to Christ. As some saint once put it, God's mercy is like a raging furnace into which a tiny drop of water is thrown. The tiny drop of water represents even the most serious sins.

"And he begged him eagerly not to send them out of the country."

I honestly do not know what is meant by this, I could not find anything on it. Who is begging him? Why is this being asked? If anyone knows, please comment below!

“Send us to the swine, let us enter them.”

The evil spirits are begging Jesus to send them into the swine. So, Jesus orders them to do so and 2,000 swine run into the sea and are drown. I believe the reason for this is that the demons cannot stand being in the presence of Jesus Christ. They would rather be anywhere else. This is why exorcisms are carried out in the name of Our Lord. The "legion" of demons is begging to be gone from the presence of Our Lord. See, although demons chose to oppose Christ, they are still subject to him, as the Bible says at the name of Jesus EVERY knee shall bend, including those on Earth, in Purgatory, in Heaven and in Hell. They may not want to, but they have no choice.

After this, the herdsmen who were there, ran to tell people from the city what had happened. They all came to see Jesus after this. It indicates they were "afraid". This is a common reaction in the Bible. Usually it's because the power of God is so great that people are overcome with righteous fear of the Lord. It's not a small thing which has occurred and people are enthralled.

However, the passage goes on to say the people demanded Jesus Christ leave their village. What a strange reaction. The only thing I can think of is that people seemed suspicious even when apparently good things happened, such as the casting out of demons. In one part of the Gospel, Jesus even addresses this by asking if God can act against himself, and whether a person who brings healing and miracles can be coming from a bad place? Later, he says those who are not against him are for him. He reminds us also that we will know a person by their fruit. Yet, people in this case are suspicious, with one exception.

The one exception to the suspicion is the man who was healed. He is now clothed and "in his right mind". He asks Jesus to be his follower. Jesus refuses and instead tells the man to go into the Decapolis (see above), and preach what Christ had done for him. They say "all men marveled".

This is a very interesting passage in the Bible. So many contrasts. It's interesting that people are suspicious and tell Christ to leave, but when the man goes into the major cities "all men marveled". What a difference in reaction. Perhaps the people were not willing to believe this man, whom they had known for so many years, was healed by this humble carpenter. It's kind of like when Jesus says a prophet is not accepted by those closest to him. Although the people closest to the possessed man were reluctant and suspicious, those outside the town were much more open to hearing about the miracle which had happened.

Overall, this is an interesting and very powerful part of the Gospel!

Here is the full verse in the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE):

Mark 5: 1-20

Jesus Heals the Gerasene Demoniac

5 They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Ger′asenes.[a] 2 And when he had come out of the boat, there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 who lived among the tombs; and no one could bind him any more, even with a chain; 4 for he had often been bound with fetters and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the fetters he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out, and bruising himself with stones. 6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped him; 7 and crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” 8 For he had said to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” 9 And Jesus[b] asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion; for we are many.” 10 And he begged him eagerly not to send them out of the country. 11 Now a great herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside; 12 and they begged him, “Send us to the swine, let us enter them.” 13 So he gave them leave. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and were drowned in the sea.

14 The herdsmen fled, and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. 15 And they came to Jesus, and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. 16 And those who had seen it told what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine. 17 And they began to beg Jesus[c] to depart from their neighborhood. 18 And as he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. 19 But he refused, and said to him, “Go home to your friends, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decap′olis how much Jesus had done for him; and all men marveled.

Study Questions and Answers Genesis 7 to 9 to Complement Fr. Mike Schmitz's Podcast Bible in a Year

Study Questions and Answers Genesis 7-9 to Complement Fr. Mike Schmitz's Podcast Bible in a Year

For how long did it rain in Noah's Ark? 40 days

How long did the waters remain upon the earth in Genesis? 150 days

On what which mountain did the ark land? Mount Ar-arat

What is the covenant God makes with Noah? That he will never again flood the earth

What is the sign God gives of him covenant? The rainbow

Who is the Noah covenant made with? "Between me and you and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the Earth."

Who are the sons of Noah? Shem, Ham, and Japeth

Who does Noah curse when he wakes up? Canaan, son of Ham

Who does Noah bless when he wakes up? He blesses Japeth and Shem

At what age did Noah die? 950

Why did Noah curse Canaan? Canaan was born of the incest of Ham with Noah's wife (Ham's mother).

Study Questions and Answers Genesis 6 to Complement Fr. Mike Schmitz's Podcast Bible in a Year

Genesis 6 Study Questions:

These are study questions I wrote myself to complement Fr. Mike Schmitz's excellent series on the Bible in a Year.

Who are referred to as Sons of God? Descendants of Seth

In which book does Noah's Ark appear? Genesis 6

What are the dimensions of the ark? 300 x 50 x 30 cubits

Study Questions and Answers Genesis 5 to Complement Fr. Mike Schmitz's Podcast Bible in a Year

I have been listening to and following Fr. Mike Schmitz's Bible in a Year Podcast. See my article about it here. 

What I would like to do is, as a follow-up, post some questions and answers in a trivia style for people who are following the program.

So, here is my first for Genesis 5. I do not have it done for Genesis 1-4 yet.

Genesis 5:

How old was Adam when Seth was born? 130

How old was Adam when he died? 930

How old was Seth when he died? 912

How old was Jared when he died? 962

How old was Methuselah when he died? 969

From whom does Noah Descend? Seth

What are the two lines in Genesis? Sethite Line and Cainite Line

Who was the father of Noah? La'mech

Congratulations Fr. Mike Schmitz on the #1 Podcast [links included]!

Fr. Mike Schmitz, or as I like to say The Don Draper of Catholicism, has a podcast now being produced by Ascension Press called The Bible in a Year. As the name suggests, if you follow his plan, you can read the entire Bible in one year. This is a very valuable resource and goal! When I heard about this last year, I was very excited. It runs from January 1 to December 31, 2021.

There is a free podcast and guide that goes with this. I can express how happy I am that Fr. Mike Schmitz, a very orthodox priest, is providing this to us free of charge.

The podcast can be found in several places.

Bible in a Year Podcast Direct links:

Google

Spotify

Apple

To get the accompanying guide for the year, click here.

#1 Podcast:

This podcast has become so popular that it is the #1 Podcast on Apple iTunes. What an amazing accomplishment! It just shows how thirsty people are for such an amazing resource! Don't hesitate to check it out today. If you haven't started already, no worries, just read up to today's section and you'll be all set. It only started a few days ago.

Living Life Through the Lens of Scripture (and Podcast Announcement!)

This is the program I will be partaking in starting in January. I think it can be very valuable. Fr. Mike Schmitz goes a great job of summarizing the need for such a program.

Ask and it is Given

Please allow me to apologize for not posting here in a couple of days. Here is my next post. Please tell someone about me! :)

There is so much truth to everything spoken by Christ in the Gospels. Sometimes we do not even realize how true it is, and like an onion, what appears on one level can be looked at more deeply to reveal even deeper truths. One of these is being revealed to me over the past several weeks and months. The lesson is "ask and it is given". This is truer than you may first believe.

I have some friends, and a few are very close to me. My girlfriend is my best friend. The other day for the Chrism Mass on Tuesday, I invited my friend to come with me. He is not Catholic and had never been to a Catholic Mass. He didn't attend church services with his family either. But I decided to invite him anyway. To my surprise, he came! Also, I invited my Muslim friend, and again to my surprise, she came as well. They both came along with my girlfriend. This was truly a great blessing. I asked, and they came. It was given.

Many times we do not realize the power of this. We shy away from asking people questions for fear of the answer, but if you never ask, you will not be able to get a positive answer either. I decided to try this again with another friend. He recently went through a rough time and broke his marriage engagement because of something his fiancee had done. He was hurting and wanted to meet some friends. So last night I met with him, along with some other friends. Today, I called him and asked if he'd like to go to Good Friday service. He said he would not be ready in time, so I asked about the Stations of the Cross tonight at 7. He said if he did not have a meeting he would go.

In none of these cases was it obvious that they would go with me. I, in fact, would have assumed each time that they would reject the idea. I would have placed my money on that bet, but I would have lost every time.

Get out there and as John Paul II said, "Be not afraid"!

Science reveals one mother of humanity, calls her Eve

As often happens, science is now coming to understand a truth which has been proclaimed by people of God for centuries. In this case, I refer to new evidence which shows that all humanity came from a single mother. Sound familiar? Of course this single mother is Eve, and even in the scientific community, this discovery is termed "Mitochondrial Eve". After analysing human mitochondria, which is a small part of the cell, scientists found that we all descended from a single female.

There are some misconceptions about Adam and Eve. We have to sift through the myths to find the truth. We do not assert, as Catholics, that the two first humans were actually named Adam and Eve. Adam means earth or ground because we believe God formed Adam from the Earth. Eve means life of living one. Much of the accounts of Adam and Eve use metaphorical language to explain situations. For example, the fruit on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was not necessarily literal fruit, but rather some form of disobedience.

There are many things though that we are obliged to believe. We must believe that there were two first parents. At first, this might seem hard to accept, but if we think about it a bit, we will find it isn't. First of all, we have certain characteristics that animals do not have, not even a little. We have a rational soul. No animal has a partially rational soul. Therefore, this is infused in our soul and makes us unique. Even if you believe in evolution, it is still possible that there were humanoids but that they did not possess a rational soul, and that God infused a rational soul into the first true man and the first true woman. Now, as this article states, we have evidence that there indeed was, according to science, a single first mother.

Another fact we must accept is that the first couple disobeyed God and were expelled from the Garden of Eden, and through this we inherited original sin. This necessitated Christ's coming and dying for us to bridge the gap between us and Heaven because we cannot get to Heaven alone.

For a much more detailed treatment of the topic of Adam, Eve and Evolution, please see the Catholic Answers Tract here: http://www.catholic.com/library/Adam_Eve_and_Evolution.asp

Ash Wednesday is Today: Day of Repentence

For Christians, and specifically Catholics, today is Ash Wednesday and marks the first day of Lent, a time of repentence and fasting. Today is especially marked for fasting, as only one full meal and two smaller meals not equally the one meal in size are permitted to be eaten. Also, Catholics are obligied to abstain from meat.

At mass today, Catholics will receive a cross on their foreheads using ashes. This comes from the Biblical practice of people covering themselves in ashes as penitents. Also, a mark on the forehead represents ownership, so a cross represents that we are servants of Christ.

The following information is very valuable, and is from Jimmy Akin, from Catholic Answers Live:

On the first day of Lent, this signing is done with ashes because they are a biblical symbol of mourning and penance. In Bible times the custom was to fast, wear sackcloth, sit in dust and ashes, and put dust and ashes on one's head (cf. 1 Sam. 4:12; 2 Sam. 1:20, 13:19, 15:32). Ashes also symbolize death and so remind us of our mortality. When the priest uses his thumb to sign one of the faithful with the ashes and says, "Remember, man, that thou art dust and unto dust thou shalt return," he is echoing God's address to Adam (Gen. 3:19; cf. Job 34:15; Ps. 90:3, 104:29; Eccles. 3:20). This phrase also echoes the words at a Catholic burial, "Ashes to ashes; dust to dust," which is based on God's words to Adam in Genesis 3 and Abraham's confession, "I am nothing but dust and ashes" (Gen. 18:27).

Catholics are not required to have their foreheads signed with ashes. It is, though, strongly advised as a visible spiritual reminder that encourages us to adopt an attitude of prayer, repentance, and humility.

Neither is Ash Wednesday a holy day of obligation. Holy days are either commemorations of particular events (such as the birth of Christ), particular people (such as Jesus' earthly father, Joseph), or important theological concepts (such as the Kingship of Christ). Ash Wednesday does not commemorate any event and could be said only indirectly to commemorate a Person (Christ), since it is the beginning of preparation for the greater celebrations of Christ's saving work that follow. However, attending Mass is a fitting way to mark the beginning of penitential season of Lent. Also, it is a day of fast and abstinence.

Anti-Catholicism on the Internet

The Internet is a great place of collaboration, where people from all walks of life, social status, or country, can come together to speak on various issues. The Internet connects the world like never before, and a lot of information is available. But not all information is accurate, and may even be deceitful. One of the worse problems on the Internet is that of Anti-Catholicism. In this short essay, I will explore this issue, and ways to view the problem.

The Internet does not know who is using it. You could be a Gandhi or Mother Teresa, or you could be a full-blown member of the Ku Klux Klan. The thing about the internet though, is that you do not get a biography of the person who made the website you are visiting. And even if you do, the person himself made it, so it could very possibly be skewed. Do not take anyone's word for things on the Internet unless you completely trust that person.

Anti-Catholicism is rampant on the Internet, and there are even communities which revolve around spreading lies about the Catholic Faith. The problem is that when one person distorts the truth, especially if they do it in a very grevious way, others quickly use the information to spread propaganda. Some spread these lies unwittingly, because they actually believe them.

Some sites are set up to look like they are somehow helping Catholics... they claim they want to "rescue" Catholics, or show Catholics the "correct path". They like to use the Bible to show Catholics why what they believe is wrong. Do they not realize that the Bible is a book written by and for Catholics, preserved through the centuries by Catholics who believe it in its entirety? Even Martin Luther, the pre-eminent anti-Catholic admitted to this fact.

My advice for people who encounter anti-Catholic information is to do your homework. Do not accept these people's claims at face value, find out the real information yourself. All the doctrines, dogmas, and disciplines of the Catholic religion are freely available at the library or the Internet. Catholics are not shy about what they believe, nor do they ever try to hide it. It's out in the open for everyone to see. Like Bishop Fulton J. Sheen once said, not a hundred people disagree with the Catholic Church, but millions disagree with what they wrongly believe to be the Catholics Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, which was promulgated by the Pope, is a sure way of knowing what Catholics believe. Think about if you were having a debate with someone on, say, being vegetarian. You were against being vegetarian, and the other was debating for being vegetarian. Would it make sense if your opponent who was debating for vegetarianism was a staunch anti-vegetarian? Or would it make more sense to debate an actual vegetarian? Obviously, it makes more sense to debate the actual vegetarian. This is the same as with Catholicism.

Another question is, who do you ask? I admit that you cannot necessarily ask any regular Catholic what they Catholic Church believes. They may or may not know, and if you ask in a confrontational way, they may not know how to respond to your questions. The best thing to do is to go straight to the source. Go to the Vatican.va website, or Catholic.com, or check out the Catechism. These are the best ways to get information.

Finally, be careful of people who seem like they could be Catholic, but in actually are not. I am speaking mostly of schismatics and heretics. Some like to say they are Catholic, but in actuality are not. The best way to know if someone is truly Catholic is to find out their relationship with Pope Benedict XVI. If they say they are in full union with the Bishop of Rome, and submit to his authority, then you have a safe bet that you can trust their information. But be careful. Some schismatic groups may claim they listen to the Pope, but find out the name of "their" Pope. There is only one. Some schismatic groups claim another man, besides Benedict XVI, as their Pope, but this man is a mockery to the real Papacy established by Christ.

As you use these tips, I pray that, with the grace of God, you can navigate away from lies and toward the Truth of the Catholic Faith.

The Books in the Bible

There are 8 books which are in the Catholic Bible, which are not in the Protestant Bible. The books, known by Protestants as the Apocrypha, have been part of the official canon of books of the Bible since the Canon was created hundreds of years ago, around the year 380. This is when the councils of the early church decided definitively which books belonged in the Bible, ie were inspired by God, and which did not. It was during the Protestant reformation that Martin Luther and others removed these 8 books, which all Christians up until that point considered part of the Bible, and which 80% today consider part of the Bible.The correct term for these books is the deuterocanonical books, and the other books in the Old Testament are known as the protocanonical books. Luther removed these books because they were in opposition to his new theology, which he and some other people invented around this time. However, despite removing this portion of the True Bible, Catholic teaching can be fully supported using Protestant Bibles, including the King James Version.By the way, the Bible nowhere teaches sola scriptura, or Bible alone. This was also invented around the time of Luther. It says hold fast to the traditions which you have been taught. Also, the Bible says the Church is the foundation and bulwark of the Truth, not the Bible. Plus, the canon, or collection, of books which are in the Bible, was decided by the Church. The Bible does not contain a list of books that belong in it, therefore it relies on an outside authority to declare this. Catholics believe in the authority of Scripture and Tradition, which is a fully Biblical way of look at things.If you would like more information on this or other topics related to Christianity or Catholicism, please email me at philinaberdeen@gmail.com or go to holymotherchurch.blogspot.com Thank you very much and I look forward to hearing from you soon.