Category: Apologetics

How are the gospel authors different?

The evangelists Mark and Luke both speak from their own perspectives, which helps better express the complex truth about Jesus.

While they may agree about the facts of Jesus’ life, the authors of the four gospels have different interests and perspectives.

Matthew has a particular interest in Jewish concerns, Luke has a particular interest in Gentile concerns, etc.

But sometimes the differences between them come out in more personal ways.

Tuesday’s gospel reading contains a particularly striking illustration of that.

 

Mark on Doctors

Tuesday’s Gospel reading contains the passage from Mark 5 dealing with the woman with the flow of blood. You know, the one who is healed by sneaking up and touching Jesus’ clothing.

In Mark’s account of the event, we read:

And there was a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse [Mark 5:25-26].

Ouch! Harsh.

Physicians had caused this woman a lot of suffering, they took all her money, and she got worse rather than better.

Not a positive commentary on the medical profession.

 

Some Truth

The comment would have resonated with many people in Mark’s day, for the state of the medical profession was primitive.

Doctors might be well meaning, but they had nothing like the tools we do today.

Even just a few centuries ago, one physician (my memory fails me on precisely who) made the ironic statement that medicine amounts to making the patient comfortable while nature takes its course.

Yikes!

And even today there are many situations that are not treatable or not easily treatable. We’re only at the dawn of effective medicine (that is, if we don’t ruin the future course of medicine by making the development of new cures uneconomical).

 

A Matter of Perspective

While it wouldn’t be surprising for many patients in Mark’s day to share his outlook on doctors, there is one group that you could count on to have a significantly different perspective.

KEEP READING.

If you’re sick, does that mean you don’t have enough faith in God?

Can you receive medical treatment when you're sick? Or does that indicate a lack of faith?
According to some Christians, we shouldn’t ever be sick. If we ever are sick, it represents a failure on our part.

We haven’t had enough faith, they may say, for if we had perfect faith, God would heal us.

Some would see going to the doctor as a sign of bad or weak faith.

It would be nice if we could be healed, instantly, of any sickness or infirmity.

It would also be a great evangelization tool, if people saw Christians never got sick.

But the fact is that God allows sickness in our lives.

In fact, I’ve been sick for the last week with a bad cold, but I’m feeling better.

At least I’m feeling enough better to make this video, and I thought I’d to one about sickness.

Here are some biblical reasons why being sick does not indicate a lack of faith, and why it’s okay to go to the doctor.

(Click here to watch the video on YouTube.)

 

What Now?

If you like the information I’ve presented here, you should join my Secret Information Club.

If you’re not familiar with it, the Secret Information Club is a free service that I operate by email.

I send out information on a variety of fascinating topics connected with the Catholic faith.

In fact, the very first thing you’ll get if you sign up is information about what Pope Benedict says about the book of Revelation.

He has a lot of interesting things to say!

If you’d like to find out what they are, just sign up at www.SecretInfoClub.com or use this handy sign-up form:

Just email me at jimmy@secretinfoclub.com if you have any difficulty.

In the meantime, what do you think?

Will we have free will in heaven?

Will we have free will in heaven?

Will we have free will in heaven?

If so, does that mean we might sin and fall again?

If not, what kind of free will would we have there?

And if God can harmonize our free will and sinlessness in heaven, why doesn’t he do so in this life?

Here are some thoughts . . .

 

A Robot “Loves” Me. Big Deal.

NOTE: This is part of a series on the problem of evil. Click here to read the previous posts in the series.

In a previous post, we looked at a common answer to the problem of evil–that God allows sin and the suffering it causes to exist because the only way to eliminate them would be to eliminate free will.

Without free will, according to this view, something important would be lost.

If we didn’t freely choose good–to freely love God and love our fellow human beings–then these actions would lose something very important.

It would be like being “loved” by a robot–a being programmed to do nothing else.

  

The Love of the Saints

What about the saints in heaven? They don’t sin. Does that make their love less valuable?

KEEP READING.

Was Jesus Dissing His Mother When He Called Her “Woman”?

At the wedding at Cana, Jesus told Mary: "Woman, how does your concern affect me?" Was he showing disrespect to her?

At the wedding at Cana, Jesus turns to Mary and says, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.”

Sounds disrespectful, doesn’t it?

Or at least you could take it that way.

But Jesus wasn’t being disrespectful at all.

Here’s the story . . .

 

Pronoun Trouble

First, the translation “How does your concern affect me?” (John 2:4 in the NAB:RE) is not a literal rendering of what Jesus says in Greek.

Word-for-word, what he says is “What to me and to you?”

In context, Mary has just come up to him and informed Jesus that the people running the wedding have no wine, so you might literally translate his response as “What [is that] to me and to you?” In other words: “What does that have to do with us?”

He’s not dissing her. He’s putting the two of them–both of them–in a special category together and questioning the relevance of the fact that people outside this category don’t have wine. He’s saying that it’s not the responsibility of the two of them to make sure they have wine.

But that’s lost if you take the Greek pronoun that means “to you” (soi) and obliterate it in translation.

 

“Woman”

Part of what makes it sound like Jesus might be dissing his mother is the fact that he refers to her as “woman.”

We don’t talk to women like that today–not if we respect them, and certainly not our own mothers.

But the connotations–of respect, disrespect, or other things–that a word has in a given language are quite subtle, and we can’t impose the connotations that a word has in our own language on another.

Consider: Suppose, in English, we replaced “woman” with a term that means basically the same thing but with better connotations.

For example, the word “lady” or “ma’am.”

Suddenly what Jesus says sounds a lot more respectful.

In British circles, “lady” has distinctly noble overtones (it’s the female counterpart to the noble honorific “lord”).

And even in demotic America, a son can say, “Yes, ma’am” to his mother and mean it entirely respectfully.

So what can we learn about the connotations of “woman” as a form of address in Jesus’ time?

KEEP READING.

Why does God allow sin and suffering?

Why does God allow evil to exist? Why is there sin and suffering in the world? And, what's love got to do with it?

The most perplexing problem in apologetics is the problem of evil: Why would an all-good, all-powerful God allow evil to exist?

There is a real mystery here, and we can only give partial answers.

Here are some of mine . . .

 

Two Kinds of Evil

We need to recognize that there is more than one kind of evil.

When we use the word “evil,” we often mean moral evil (sin), but historically it was frequently used for other things, such as suffering.

These two forms of evil are linked: It is a sin to cause needless suffering, for example.

This brings us to an important question . . .

 

Could God Stop These Evils?

Yes. God is omnipotent. He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.

Without his action, the universe would never have come into existence, and without his continued action, it would cease to exist or go “to nothing” (Latin, ad nihilum–where we get “annihilate”).

God could have prevented all sin and suffering by not creating the universe.

And he could end all sin and suffering simply by allowing the universe to cease to exist.

You might call this “the Annihilation Solution.”

So what doesn’t he?

KEEP READING.

The Biblical Hero Who . . . Killed His Daughter???

Jephthah made a tragic vow, and to fulfill it, he would have to kill his daughter. What are we to make of this?

The book of Hebrews has a whole chapter about Old Testament men (and women) who achieved great things by faith.

One of them had his daughter killed–as a human sacrifice.

What are we to make of this?

 

Hebrews on Jephthah

Hebrews 11 celebrates various Old Testament figures who had faith in God and did amazing things. Toward the end of the chapter, we read:

And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets–who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions . . . [Heb. 11:32-33].

It continues in the same vein.

The point is: These men, together with some notable women the chapter also mentions, did amazing things as a result of their faith.

One of the people mentioned in this passage is Jephthah.

Who was he?

 

The Stage Is Set

The stage for Jephthah’s first appearance is set in Judges 10, where we read about how the Israelites have been worshipping foreign gods and, as a result, they have become oppressed by a group of foreigners: the Ammonites.

The Israelites repent, and God is moved to have mercy on them.

So God will make sure that they are delivered from the persecution, but what historical form will this deliverance take?

The leaders of Gilead (part of the territory of Israel) start consulting about how they can free themselves from the Ammonite oppression.

Specifically, they decide that if they can find a man to lead the fight against the Ammonites, they’re willing to let him be the leader of Gilead.

 

Meet Jephthah

Turning the corner into chapter 11, we meet Jephthah:

[1] Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior, but he was the son of a harlot. Gilead was the father of Jephthah.
[2] And Gilead’s wife also bore him sons; and when his wife’s sons grew up, they thrust Jephthah out, and said to him, “You shall not inherit in our father’s house; for you are the son of another woman.”
[3] Then Jephthah fled from his brothers, and dwelt in the land of Tob; and worthless fellows collected round Jephthah, and went raiding with him.

So already, Jephthah has had a hard life. Think about his family situation!

He’s the son of a prostitute, but his father took him (as a boy) to dwell in his own house anyway, with the sons of his wife.

Ouch! Think about how painful that must have been for everyone involved!

Then when his half-brothers are grown up, the legitimate sons drive Jephthah out so that he can’t inherit anything (meaning: he leaves penniless or close to it).

Jephthah then descends into a life of banditry.

So: Hard life. Social and familial outcast. Enters a life of crime.

But he does have one thing that people need . . .

KEEP READING.

Can Demons Be Saved?

Wouldn’t it be nice is the devil and his angels all repented, stopped doing evil in the world, and turned back to God so that they could be saved?

But can something like this really happen? What is the biblical evidence and how does the Church understand this question?

If you like the information I’ve presented here, you should join my Secret Information Club.

If you’re not familiar with it, the Secret Information Club is a free service that I operate by email.

I send out information on a variety of fascinating topics connected with the Catholic faith.

In fact, the very first thing you’ll get if you sign up is information about what Pope Benedict says about the book of Revelation.

He has a lot of interesting things to say!

If you’d like to find out what they are, just sign up at www.SecretInfoClub.com or use this handy sign-up form:

Just email me at jimmy@secretinfoclub.com if you have any difficulty.

In the meantime, what do you think?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

9 Things You Need to Know About Epiphany

The magi followed the star and found Baby Jesus. What are we to make of this mysterious event, and does it mean astrology is okay?

On January 6 the Church celebrates the feast of “Epiphany.”

This feast commemorates the mysterious visit of the magi to the Baby Jesus.

Who were the magi? What led them to visit Jesus? And what lessons should we–and shouldn’t we!–learn from this incident?

Here are nine things you should know . . .

 

1. What does the word “Epiphany” mean?

“Epiphany” means “manifestation.”

It comes from Greek roots that mean “to show, to display” (phainein) and “on, to” (epi-).

An epiphany is thus a time when something is shown, displayed, or manifested to an audience.

 

2. What is the feast of the Epiphany about?

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

The Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, Son of God and Saviour of the world. the great feast of Epiphany celebrates the adoration of Jesus by the wise men (magi) from the East, together with his baptism in the Jordan and the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee.

In the magi, representatives of the neighbouring pagan religions, the Gospel sees the first-fruits of the nations, who welcome the good news of salvation through the Incarnation.

The magi’s coming to Jerusalem in order to pay homage to the king of the Jews shows that they seek in Israel, in the messianic light of the star of David, the one who will be king of the nations.

Their coming means that pagans can discover Jesus and worship him as Son of God and Saviour of the world only by turning towards the Jews and receiving from them the messianic promise as contained in the Old Testament.

The Epiphany shows that “the full number of the nations” now takes its “place in the family of the patriarchs”, and acquires Israelitica dignitas (is made “worthy of the heritage of Israel”) [CCC 528].

 

3. When is Epiphany celebrated?

KEEP READING.

Did the slaughter of the innocents really happen?

Matthew records that Herod the Great slaughtered the holy innocents in his efforts to kill Jesus. Did this even actually happen?

On December 28, the Church commemorates the slaughter of the holy innocents.

These are the baby boys in Bethlehem that Herod the Great had slaughtered in an attempt to kill the Baby Jesus.

But many people today challenge the idea that this ever took place.

“We have no record of it!” they say.

Actually, we do . . .

 

Who Was Herod the Great?

Herod the Great was the king of Judea at the time Jesus was born.

He had the title “king,” but he was not an independent ruler. Instead, he was a client king of the Roman empire who had been named “King of the Jews” by the Roman Senate.

This meant that he was a local ruler who ultimately answered to Rome and who owed his throne to the Roman Senate.

Religiously, Herod was a Jew, but ethnically, he was descended from a neighboring people, the Idumeans. They had been forcibly converted to Judaism in the time of the Maccabees (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 13:9:1).

As a ruler, he built a lot of things–fortresses, aqueducts, theaters, etc. Undertaking major public works projects was one of the ways that rulers in the ancient world built a legacy for themselves.

His most famous building projects was the Temple in Jerusalem, which he began dramatically expanding.

He also had another side . . .

 

Paranoid and Bloodthirsty

KEEP READING.

How to understand the “Christmas Proclamation”

Many parishes will have the "Christmas Proclamation" before Midnight Mass. What is this proclamation and how can we understand what it says about when Jesus was born?

If you attended Mass on Christmas Eve, you may have heard the “Christmas proclamation.”

This is a beautiful, poetic announcement of the birth of Christ.

It says when Jesus was born, dating it from nine different events.

But the ways that they dated events in the ancient world are different than the ones we use today.

Here’s how you can understand the Christmas proclamation when you hear it read . . .

 

About the Christmas Proclamation

Scott Richert notes:

This Proclamation of the Birth of Christ comes from the Roman Martyrology, the official listing of the saints celebrated by the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. Traditionally, it has been read on Christmas Eve, before the celebration of Midnight Mass. It situates the Nativity of Christ within the context of salvation history, making reference not only to biblical events but also to the Greek and Roman worlds. The coming of Christ at Christmas, then, is seen as the summit of both sacred and secular history.

In the 1980’s, Pope John Paul II restored the Proclamation of the Birth of Christ to the papal celebration of Midnight Mass. (It had been removed during the reform of the liturgy.) Many parishes have followed the Holy Father’s lead [SOURCE].

The rubrics for the Christmas proclamation state:

The announcement of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord from the Roman Martyrology draws upon Sacred Scripture to declare in a formal way the birth of Christ.  It begins with creation and relates the birth of the Lord to the major events and personages of sacred and secular history.  The particular events contained in the announcement help pastorally to situate the birth of Jesus in the context of salvation history.

This text, The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, may be chanted or recited, most appropriately on December 24, during the celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours.  It may also be chanted or recited before the beginning of Christmas Mass during the Night.  It may not replace any part of the Mass.

 

The Proclamation Begins

The proclamation begins by solemnly announcing the day on which the birth of Christ is traditionally celebrated:

The Twenty-fifth Day of December

It then tells us in which year this occurred, dating it in nine different ways. . . .

 

1. From the Creation of the World

The proclamation first dates the birth of Christ relative to the creation of the world:

when ages beyond number had run their course
from the creation of the world,
when God in the beginning created heaven and earth,
and formed man in his own likeness;

This offers a non-specific date. It is merely after “ages beyond number.”

The traditional version of the proclamation is much more specific: It says “In the five thousand one hundred and ninety-ninth year of the creation of the world.”

This follows an ancient system of reckoning that differs from the Ussher chronology (developed by the Anglican archbishop, James Ussher, 1581-1656), which held that the world began in 4004 B.C.

The currently approved English translation, however, avoids mentioning any specific number of years.

 

2. From the Great Flood

KEEP READING.