2016 will turn out to be the most significant year of my spiritual life. I have come home! This is new and exciting as I have rediscovered what my spiritual home is really like. I wrote a blog about it a couple of weeks before. As this year draws to an end, I reflect on a number of important areas in which I have grown - worship, prayer, scripture and church teaching, faith and work, and most importantly the grace of God which came upon me when I first received Baptism, and now through the sacraments of Confession and the Holy Eucharist. Life is at its best!
In today's scripture reading of Revelation 21, I am reminded of what is the best yet to come - the New Heaven and the New Earth!
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:1-4)
These first few verses of Revelation 21 describe the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecies in Isaiah 65:17-25 and Isaiah 25:8. What I learned today is that the new heaven and new earth began when Jesus was born and will be completely fulfilled when He comes again. That's why the Advent was celebrated for Christ's Second Coming as well as His birth (First Coming). For the first time in my faith journey I finally understand what I should expect when my life on earth ends based on the church's authoritative teaching on the subject. I also understand more fully why my colleague Dr. David McCann was so joyful when he was looking forward to his death a few weeks before he passed.
This is a 4 minute explanation by Tim Staples (one of my new favorite teachers) of what the New Heaven and New Earth is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=BGVeK047pZ4
Or you can watch it here: http://www.catholic.com/video/what-is-the-new-earth-and-the-new-heaven-in-revelations
So 2016 is the year I rediscovered the New Heaven and the New Earth also. I am in it! And the best is yet to come! Praise God!! Now there is a great reason to celebrate. I don't think I am going to watch the balloon drop in New York Times Square. I am going to spend time with church friends to give thanks as well as to remind myself I am one year closer to my heavenly home!
p.s. I just picked up Peter Kreeft's book "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Heaven". I am going to finish reading it today or tomorrow.
Friday 30 December 2016
Friday 23 December 2016
A God of Wrath or of Mercy?
You cannot read today's scripture passages (Nahum 1-3; Revelation 14) without getting an uneasy feeling that God is a God of wrath. In Nahum 1:2 the prophet Nahum the Elkoshite had this to say concerning the city of Nineveh (in the Book of Jonah, this great city is described as a wicked city worthy of destruction - Jonah 1:2):
"The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance on his foes
and vents his wrath against his enemies."
He further said,
"Who can withstand his indignation?
Who can endure his fierce anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire;
the rocks are shattered before him." (Nahum 1:6)
And in the Book of Revelation, concerning anyone who worships the beast (Satan):
A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” (Revelation 14:9-11)
The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. (Revelation 14:19)
It's helpful to read Dr. Robert Stackpole's answer to the question posted on this blog. And I quote:
"Let's start by defining what God's anger is not, and could never be. Holy Scripture and the Catholic Tradition do not mean by God's "wrath" and "anger" that He has a bad temper that needs to be appeased before He can be merciful to us, or that He "feels" angry with us at times, and needs to be "calmed down" by our repentance!
God does not have changing feelings or attitudes. If there are passages in Scripture that seem to imply that He does, these need to be understood as metaphorical ways of speaking about God's total opposition to evil and total support of all good. The First Vatican Council stated clearly that God is "almighty, eternal ... infinite in intelligence, in will, and in all perfection ... absolutely simple and immutable ... of supreme beatitude in and from Himself."
"Immutable" means unchangeable, in that He radiates every "perfection" at every moment, and dwells in infinite "beatitude" or, in other words, infinite joy. This also means that God does not have a strict and vengeful side to His personality that needs to be "bought off" before He can be merciful to us. God has no "sides" to His character at all. Hard as this may be for us (as finite creatures) to understand, God is always infinitely perfect in every way, perfectly merciful AND perfectly just in everything that He does. In fact, all his perfections are manifest in His every action.
Now that we know what God's anger is not, let's try to define what it is: the divine perfection of "justice," a justice by which He permits the self-destructive effects of sin and evil to run their course, thereby rendering to the sinner his due. In other words, God's "wrath" means that if we are stubbornly evil and impenitent, He will permit our sins to have their inevitable destructive (and especially self-destructive) effects upon our bodies and souls."
"That is why the catechism defines "hell" as essentially "a state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed" (1033). As Father Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, explained in the book Pillars of Fire in My Soul: The Spirituality of St. Faustina (Marian Press, 2003): God is totally opposed to all evil, and sends His lightning bolts to oppose it (so to speak), yet we cling by our sins to the lightning rod of evil, and then complain that He is a God of wrath!"
The apostle Paul says it this way:
"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." (Romans 1:18-20)
Habakkuk 3:2
"Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy."
And the prophet Jeremiah reminded us:
"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail." (Lamentations 3:22)
"The Lord is a jealous and avenging God;
the Lord takes vengeance and is filled with wrath.
The Lord takes vengeance on his foes
and vents his wrath against his enemies."
He further said,
"Who can withstand his indignation?
Who can endure his fierce anger?
His wrath is poured out like fire;
the rocks are shattered before him." (Nahum 1:6)
And in the Book of Revelation, concerning anyone who worships the beast (Satan):
A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” (Revelation 14:9-11)
The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath. (Revelation 14:19)
It's helpful to read Dr. Robert Stackpole's answer to the question posted on this blog. And I quote:
"Let's start by defining what God's anger is not, and could never be. Holy Scripture and the Catholic Tradition do not mean by God's "wrath" and "anger" that He has a bad temper that needs to be appeased before He can be merciful to us, or that He "feels" angry with us at times, and needs to be "calmed down" by our repentance!
God does not have changing feelings or attitudes. If there are passages in Scripture that seem to imply that He does, these need to be understood as metaphorical ways of speaking about God's total opposition to evil and total support of all good. The First Vatican Council stated clearly that God is "almighty, eternal ... infinite in intelligence, in will, and in all perfection ... absolutely simple and immutable ... of supreme beatitude in and from Himself."
"Immutable" means unchangeable, in that He radiates every "perfection" at every moment, and dwells in infinite "beatitude" or, in other words, infinite joy. This also means that God does not have a strict and vengeful side to His personality that needs to be "bought off" before He can be merciful to us. God has no "sides" to His character at all. Hard as this may be for us (as finite creatures) to understand, God is always infinitely perfect in every way, perfectly merciful AND perfectly just in everything that He does. In fact, all his perfections are manifest in His every action.
Now that we know what God's anger is not, let's try to define what it is: the divine perfection of "justice," a justice by which He permits the self-destructive effects of sin and evil to run their course, thereby rendering to the sinner his due. In other words, God's "wrath" means that if we are stubbornly evil and impenitent, He will permit our sins to have their inevitable destructive (and especially self-destructive) effects upon our bodies and souls."
"That is why the catechism defines "hell" as essentially "a state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed" (1033). As Father Seraphim Michalenko, MIC, explained in the book Pillars of Fire in My Soul: The Spirituality of St. Faustina (Marian Press, 2003): God is totally opposed to all evil, and sends His lightning bolts to oppose it (so to speak), yet we cling by our sins to the lightning rod of evil, and then complain that He is a God of wrath!"
The apostle Paul says it this way:
"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse." (Romans 1:18-20)
Habakkuk 3:2
"Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy."
And the prophet Jeremiah reminded us:
"Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail." (Lamentations 3:22)
Friday 16 December 2016
Seek the Lord and Live!
Today's scripture reading (Amos 4-6; Revelation 7 - from Bible in a Year reading plan) and Daily Readings (Isaiah 56:1-3a, 6-8; Psalms 67; John 5:33-36) at the Mass this morning have a lot in common. Isaiah 56:6-7 is particularly encouraging:
And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord
to minister to him,
to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
and who hold fast to my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations.”
That's why the Psalmist (in Psalm 67:3-5) exploded in joyful celebration:
May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth.
May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
On the other hand, the prophet Amos sent a dire warning to God's people, who despite having the knowledge of God and His Presence, did not seek righteousness and uphold justice. Their religious practices would amount to nothing (Amos 5:21-24)!
“I hate, I despise your religious festivals;
your assemblies are a stench to me.
Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
So the Lord admonished them (through His prophet) with these words (Amos 5:4-7):
“Seek me and live;
do not seek Bethel,
do not go to Gilgal,
do not journey to Beersheba.
For Gilgal will surely go into exile,
and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.”
Seek the Lord and live,
or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire;
it will devour them,
and Bethel will have no one to quench it.
There are those who turn justice into bitterness
and cast righteousness to the ground.
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. (1 Corinthians 10:11)
When I participated in the Holy Eucharist and the adoration of the Holy Sacrament this morning, I was blessed by Jesus' Presence and was nourished by His Body. I am reminded of St. Paul's teaching:
"Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf. Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?... So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved." (1 Corinthians 10:16-22; 31-33)
So this is why I am blessed... so I can bless others! I can go through the motion of attending Mass and being religious. But if my life isn't changed and poured out for others, the Lord is not pleased! Oh Lord Jesus, help me to seek and find You in all of these - that I might live as You intended for me to live, that the world may know of your love and blessings!
And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord
to minister to him,
to love the name of the Lord,
and to be his servants,
all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it
and who hold fast to my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain
and give them joy in my house of prayer.
Their burnt offerings and sacrifices
will be accepted on my altar;
for my house will be called
a house of prayer for all nations.”
That's why the Psalmist (in Psalm 67:3-5) exploded in joyful celebration:
May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
May the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you rule the peoples with equity
and guide the nations of the earth.
May the peoples praise you, God;
may all the peoples praise you.
On the other hand, the prophet Amos sent a dire warning to God's people, who despite having the knowledge of God and His Presence, did not seek righteousness and uphold justice. Their religious practices would amount to nothing (Amos 5:21-24)!
“I hate, I despise your religious festivals;
your assemblies are a stench to me.
Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings,
I will not accept them.
Though you bring choice fellowship offerings,
I will have no regard for them.
Away with the noise of your songs!
I will not listen to the music of your harps.
But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!
So the Lord admonished them (through His prophet) with these words (Amos 5:4-7):
“Seek me and live;
do not seek Bethel,
do not go to Gilgal,
do not journey to Beersheba.
For Gilgal will surely go into exile,
and Bethel will be reduced to nothing.”
Seek the Lord and live,
or he will sweep through the tribes of Joseph like a fire;
it will devour them,
and Bethel will have no one to quench it.
There are those who turn justice into bitterness
and cast righteousness to the ground.
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. (1 Corinthians 10:11)
When I participated in the Holy Eucharist and the adoration of the Holy Sacrament this morning, I was blessed by Jesus' Presence and was nourished by His Body. I am reminded of St. Paul's teaching:
"Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf. Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar? Do I mean then that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord’s table and the table of demons. Are we trying to arouse the Lord’s jealousy? Are we stronger than he?... So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved." (1 Corinthians 10:16-22; 31-33)
So this is why I am blessed... so I can bless others! I can go through the motion of attending Mass and being religious. But if my life isn't changed and poured out for others, the Lord is not pleased! Oh Lord Jesus, help me to seek and find You in all of these - that I might live as You intended for me to live, that the world may know of your love and blessings!
Monday 12 December 2016
Why I'm Catholic
I chose the title of the post carefully. I didn't want to say Why I'm "a" Catholic and not "a" Protestant. I am not a "Convert" - i.e. from Protestantism to Catholicism. I am what the Catholic would call a "Revert". You see, I was baptized into the Catholic Church at the age of 12. Then I drifted away and lived a life without Christ for quite a while. In 1977 I rediscovered my Christian faith through the Chinese United Church in Ottawa, Canada. My Christian faith was nurtured by many protestant churches along the way, wherever I relocated because of my study or my work. The list of churches (and their denominational affiliation) included the Chinese Gospel Church in Toronto (Associated Gospel Churches), the St. Andrew's Anglican Church in Hong Kong (Anglican Communion), the Westmount Baptist Church in Montreal (Baptist World Alliance), Philpott Memorial Church (Associated Gospel Churches) in Hamilton, and finally The Meeting House in Ancaster (Brethren in Christ). I was greatly blessed by the teaching and fellowship of believers in all these churches.
Then something gradually changed. It was my wife who started to hunger and thirst for more inner transformation. She found Jesus' Presence in the Holy Communion in a way that she had not experienced before. She started going to a local Anglican Church on Wednesday mornings in addition to the Sunday service at the Meeting House in order to receive Holy Communion regularly. And then one day she decided to attend Mass at St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church, and as they say, the rest is history. She was greatly attracted to the Catholic faith. She was always a great reader and a learner. She took a couple of courses at Redeemer University College the last couple of years. Although the subjects were related to (Christian) Philosophy, she found the teaching from the early Church Fathers (like St . Augustine) fascinating. She also found authors who were essentially Catholic Converts extremely helpful to her understanding of her own faith. Among such authors was Dr. Peter Kreeft.
Also during the last few years her conviction on Pro-Life issues became even stronger. With the Euthanasia Law passed in Canada in June 2016 she felt the need to get more involved. So it was God's most amazing providence that we found ourselves attending the Canadian Federation of Catholic Physicians conference in Ottawa. The main speaker was Dr. Peter Kreeft! There we had the most wonderful fellowship with believers who shared the same call to uphold human dignity in our work place.
I have since been going to Mass with my wife at St. Ann's parish. I often attend Mass at least 2-3 times a week. In fact, while I was on vacation to Hong Kong and later while attending a conference in Vancouver I couldn't help desiring to attend Mass every day while I was away from home! I even found a Mass at the Pearson airport while I waited for my flight! I truly found the Mass of the Universal Church (that's what the word Catholic means) very encouraging - whether it was in a small village chapel or a world class city cathedral, I found myself drawn to Christ's presence in the Holy Eucharist. Also surprisingly I found the ministry of the Word very helpful. The priests may be very different but I found the same Spirit at work everywhere. I said "surprisingly" because I had always thought that Catholics placed very little emphasis on the Bible but I was wrong. My wife and I have found so many solid Catholic teachers who not only teach from scripture, but also from traditions handed down by the Apostles (Apostolic succession), church fathers and saints for over 2000 years.
I have discovered solid biblical answers to many of my misconceived understanding of the Catholic belief. These are but a few with answers I have found helpful:
The Church is ultimately one, holy, catholic, and apostolic in her deepest and ultimate identity, because it is in her that "the Kingdom of heaven," the "Reign of God," already exists and will be fulfilled at the end of time. The kingdom has come in the person of Christ and grows mysteriously in the hearts of those incorporated into him, until its full eschatological manifestation. Then all those he has redeemed and made "holy and blameless before him in love," will be gathered together as the one People of God, the "Bride of the Lamb," "the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God." For "the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."
Taken from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 865)
Then something gradually changed. It was my wife who started to hunger and thirst for more inner transformation. She found Jesus' Presence in the Holy Communion in a way that she had not experienced before. She started going to a local Anglican Church on Wednesday mornings in addition to the Sunday service at the Meeting House in order to receive Holy Communion regularly. And then one day she decided to attend Mass at St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church, and as they say, the rest is history. She was greatly attracted to the Catholic faith. She was always a great reader and a learner. She took a couple of courses at Redeemer University College the last couple of years. Although the subjects were related to (Christian) Philosophy, she found the teaching from the early Church Fathers (like St . Augustine) fascinating. She also found authors who were essentially Catholic Converts extremely helpful to her understanding of her own faith. Among such authors was Dr. Peter Kreeft.
Also during the last few years her conviction on Pro-Life issues became even stronger. With the Euthanasia Law passed in Canada in June 2016 she felt the need to get more involved. So it was God's most amazing providence that we found ourselves attending the Canadian Federation of Catholic Physicians conference in Ottawa. The main speaker was Dr. Peter Kreeft! There we had the most wonderful fellowship with believers who shared the same call to uphold human dignity in our work place.
I have since been going to Mass with my wife at St. Ann's parish. I often attend Mass at least 2-3 times a week. In fact, while I was on vacation to Hong Kong and later while attending a conference in Vancouver I couldn't help desiring to attend Mass every day while I was away from home! I even found a Mass at the Pearson airport while I waited for my flight! I truly found the Mass of the Universal Church (that's what the word Catholic means) very encouraging - whether it was in a small village chapel or a world class city cathedral, I found myself drawn to Christ's presence in the Holy Eucharist. Also surprisingly I found the ministry of the Word very helpful. The priests may be very different but I found the same Spirit at work everywhere. I said "surprisingly" because I had always thought that Catholics placed very little emphasis on the Bible but I was wrong. My wife and I have found so many solid Catholic teachers who not only teach from scripture, but also from traditions handed down by the Apostles (Apostolic succession), church fathers and saints for over 2000 years.
I have discovered solid biblical answers to many of my misconceived understanding of the Catholic belief. These are but a few with answers I have found helpful:
- By Scripture Alone (Sola Scriptura) - when I hear a new teaching I always asked - where in the Bible can you find this? Well it depends on who is interpreting the bible! In all the years of Bible Study I have discovered many different interpretations of the same passage in scripture. Who holds the authority to interpreting the bible? This explanation by Dr. David Anders has been very helpful to clear the confusion.
- By Faith Alone (Sola Fide) - coming from a Calvinistic background, it has been very important for me to believe in being saved by faith alone. But I understand that not all protestants agree on this. The struggle between trusting that God alone can save me but also the need to work out my salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12) has always been very real to me. I now discover that there are many layers to the doctrine of salvation. Here is a very good summary from Catholic Answers.
- Praying to Mary and the saints - this is perhaps one of the most beautiful discoveries since coming back to the Catholic church. How I love Mary and the many wonderful saints of the past who are available to help me to become a better version of myself. They are truly my best advocates to pray on my behalf. I ask my friends to pray for me often, why wouldn't I ask these most righteous people to do the same? There are many great answers to this question online. Here is one that cleared up my confusion.
- Purgatory and what will happen to me when I die - I must say I wasn't so sure given the many answers I got from the many denominational interpretation of heaven and hell, and end times. I now completely embrace the idea that when I see Jesus face to face (1 Corinthians 13), I will be perfectly holy (more than just being forgiven) to worship and enjoy Him forever. The fires of purgatory serves to purify me for that very day. And I now know that I can still pray for those who have fallen asleep! Tim Staples has a very good answer on this.
The Church is ultimately one, holy, catholic, and apostolic in her deepest and ultimate identity, because it is in her that "the Kingdom of heaven," the "Reign of God," already exists and will be fulfilled at the end of time. The kingdom has come in the person of Christ and grows mysteriously in the hearts of those incorporated into him, until its full eschatological manifestation. Then all those he has redeemed and made "holy and blameless before him in love," will be gathered together as the one People of God, the "Bride of the Lamb," "the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God." For "the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."
Taken from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 865)
Friday 9 December 2016
A Call to Persevere
I told my wife yesterday that I am running my last marathon! Unlike the previous marathons I ran, which involved running 42Km in the race, this last marathon involves running a spiritual race all the way to my last breath. Like running a physical marathon, the last 10Km is usually the hardest. I will be extremely tired. My calves are in knots. The side stitches (muscle spasms of the diaphragm) are constantly calling me to quit! Spiritual marathon is similar. There are constant doubts - am I going to make it to the end? My struggle with sins becomes more rather than less. Oh "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?" (Romans 7:24). The Letter from Jude which I read this morning is a "Call to Persevere"! Let me quote the last part (Jude 1:17-23):
"But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh."
Yes what is happening in our times is nothing new - pro-choice vs pro-life (isn't it funny that the church always teaches that God loves us enough to give us free-choice - so God is really pro-choice!); yes, these scoffers will always follow their own ungodly desires. They will attempt to divide the body of Christ, telling us we are bigots, homophobic, we are out of sync with our times etc. And what does Jude remind me to do? I am to keep myself in God's love as I run till my last breath! I am to focus on building up my holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit. But I am still in the world! So I am to be merciful to those who doubt and save a few souls from the eternal fire of hell. Stay pure even when I am exercising my ministry of mercy, else I may be tempted. Holy fear is always good!
"Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:25)
Hey I am not running alone! And I am not running with my own strength either! I saw this girl in the 2006 New York Marathon. It's a good reminder running my last marathon! (The scripture reference is from Philippians 4:13; *26.2 - that is the number of miles in a marathon, or 42.2Km)
Jesus reminded us that "But he who endures to the end shall be saved." (Matthews 24:13)
See you at the finish line!
"But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit. But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt; save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear—hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh."
Yes what is happening in our times is nothing new - pro-choice vs pro-life (isn't it funny that the church always teaches that God loves us enough to give us free-choice - so God is really pro-choice!); yes, these scoffers will always follow their own ungodly desires. They will attempt to divide the body of Christ, telling us we are bigots, homophobic, we are out of sync with our times etc. And what does Jude remind me to do? I am to keep myself in God's love as I run till my last breath! I am to focus on building up my holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit. But I am still in the world! So I am to be merciful to those who doubt and save a few souls from the eternal fire of hell. Stay pure even when I am exercising my ministry of mercy, else I may be tempted. Holy fear is always good!
"Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!" (Romans 7:25)
Hey I am not running alone! And I am not running with my own strength either! I saw this girl in the 2006 New York Marathon. It's a good reminder running my last marathon! (The scripture reference is from Philippians 4:13; *26.2 - that is the number of miles in a marathon, or 42.2Km)
Jesus reminded us that "But he who endures to the end shall be saved." (Matthews 24:13)
See you at the finish line!
Friday 2 December 2016
We are meant to be saints!
For the past three days I had been reading 2 Peter. I am trying to become more familiar with the Catholics teaching on the apostle Peter. So this is what I am going to do today. I discovered this really good Catholic commentary by Daniel Keating (I also discovered a wealth of commentaries from this CDSS site).
It is quite refreshing to read the Editor's Preface:
"The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord. . . All the preaching of the Church should be nourished and governed by Sacred Scripture. For in the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them; and the power and goodness in the word of God is so great that it stands as the support and energy of the Church, the strength of faith for her sons and daughters, the food of the soul, a pure and perennial fountain of spiritual life." Second Vatican Council, Dei Verbum 21
The Editors further noted, "Since Vatican Council II, there has been an increasing hunger among Catholics to study Scripture in depth and in a way that reveals its relationship to liturgy, evangelization, catechesis, theology, and personal and communal life." Coming from an evangelical background this is very heart warming as scripture had always been such an important part of my spiritual upbringing.
Further more, the Editors explained, "Central to our approach are the principles taught by Vatican II: first, the use of historical and literary methods to discern what the biblical authors intended to express; second, prayerful theological reflection to understand the sacred text “in accord with the same Spirit by whom it was written”—that is, in light of the content and unity of the whole Scripture, the living tradition of the Church, and the analogy of faith" (Dei Verbum 12)
So what have I learned from 2 Peter? Here is a short list of learning points from the first few verse of chapter 1 alone:
It is quite refreshing to read the Editor's Preface:
"The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures just as she venerates the body of the Lord. . . All the preaching of the Church should be nourished and governed by Sacred Scripture. For in the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven meets His children with great love and speaks with them; and the power and goodness in the word of God is so great that it stands as the support and energy of the Church, the strength of faith for her sons and daughters, the food of the soul, a pure and perennial fountain of spiritual life." Second Vatican Council, Dei Verbum 21
The Editors further noted, "Since Vatican Council II, there has been an increasing hunger among Catholics to study Scripture in depth and in a way that reveals its relationship to liturgy, evangelization, catechesis, theology, and personal and communal life." Coming from an evangelical background this is very heart warming as scripture had always been such an important part of my spiritual upbringing.
Further more, the Editors explained, "Central to our approach are the principles taught by Vatican II: first, the use of historical and literary methods to discern what the biblical authors intended to express; second, prayerful theological reflection to understand the sacred text “in accord with the same Spirit by whom it was written”—that is, in light of the content and unity of the whole Scripture, the living tradition of the Church, and the analogy of faith" (Dei Verbum 12)
So what have I learned from 2 Peter? Here is a short list of learning points from the first few verse of chapter 1 alone:
- There are questions about the authorship and the similarity between 2 Peter (especially chapter 2) and the Book of Jude. The explanation in the commentary is a very good read. Yes, 2 Peter has a lot of God-inspired teaching relevant to me today.
- The existence of false teachers are just as real then as it is today. The ideas and practices that St Peter had to confront have striking resemblance to our own day. When was the last time I heard that God's judgement was not real so all kinds of sexual immorality in the name of specious freedom are all around us. One of the greatest needs in the church today is to recapture the lively sense of Christ's presence and promise of his return.
- 2 Peter presents us with a marvelous promise of divine power. It says to us clearly: we are called to nothing less than a share in the divine nature: "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." (2 Peter 1:3-4) We are meant to be saints! This is explained clearly in the Catechism CCC 51 and 460. God's power comes to us through the knowledge of Christ who called us by his own glory and excellence.
- "Therefore, my brothers and sisters, make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 1:10-11) The lesson is that I often expect too little from my faith in Jesus. I underestimate what God wants to do for me and what he wants me to do for him. I see my faith as a set of demands, as a bar that I must clear, and so I try a little harder and hope to jump a little higher. But what Peter is telling me today is that God has already given me freely all that I need to live for him. And the goal is nothing less than becoming "partaker of the divine nature".
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