http://catholicboard.com The Understanding the Scriptures Podcast takes you to a real Wednesday evening Bible course at Saint Mary, Immaculate Conception Parish in Brenham, Texas. The parish website may be reached at BrenhamCatholic [dot] org. By subscribing to this podcast, you will be empowered to join in our 30-session Bible course that runs from Genesis to Revelation titled: Understanding the Scriptures! This podcast is a presentation of CatholicBoard [dot] com. CatholicBoard provides multimedia presentations on the Catholic faith. It also serves as an online resource for parish staff, volunteers, and catechists who wish to implement or enhance adult faith formation on the parish level. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:16:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.6 en ©Carson Weber 2003-2006 carson@catholicboard.com (Carson Weber) carson@catholicboard.com Catholic 1440 catholic, catechesis, catechetics, catechism, christian, bible, scripture, jesus A Complete Course on Bible Study The Understanding the Scriptures Podcast takes you to a real Wednesday evening Bible course at Saint Mary, Immaculate Conception Parish in Brenham, Texas. The parish website may be reached at BrenhamCatholic [dot] org. By subscribing to this podcast, you will be empowered to join in our 30-session Bible course that runs from Genesis to Revelation titled: Understanding the Scriptures! This podcast is a presentation of CatholicBoard [dot] com. CatholicBoard provides multimedia presentations on the Catholic faith. It also serves as an online resource for parish staff, volunteers, and catechists who wish to implement or enhance adult faith formation on the parish level. Carson Weber Carson Weber carson@catholicboard.com No no http://catholicboard.com/images/uts_podcast_144x144.jpg http://catholicboard.com 144 144 http://catholicboard.com/2008/07/04/7608-might-through-meekness/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/07/04/7608-might-through-meekness/#comments Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:12:35 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/07/04/7608-might-through-meekness/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/07/04/7608-might-through-meekness/feed/ The Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) The Prophet Zechariah says in today’s liturgy: “Rejoice heartily … See, your king shall come to you, a ... The Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) The Prophet Zechariah says in today’s liturgy: “Rejoice heartily … See, your king shall come to you, a just savior is he, meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt.” (Zech 9:9) He depicts the future restoration of Jerusalem under the Messiah: Israel’s king. In saying so, Zechariah tells us that the Messiah will come not as a conquering warrior but in lowliness, in meekness, in peace. This is unlike the previous kings of Israel who rode in chariots and on horses. In fact, Matthew saw a literal fulfillment of his prophecy when Jesus entered Jerusalem (Cf. Matthew 21:1-5). So what’s the point? The point is paramount! In Jesus’ day, the Jews were expecting for the coming Messiah to be a political warrior, a mighty king, who would overthrow the Romans with might and sword, allowing Israel to become a worldly, political kingdom as of old when Solomon sat upon the throne. Not so, says Zechariah. For, the restoration of the Kingdom of Israel will be significantly different. Jesus alludes to Zechariah’s description of “meek” in today’s Gospel as he describes himself as “meek and humble of heart” (Mt 11:29). To be meek means to be (1) patient and (2) long-suffering. Today’s psalm depicts this theme: “The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in love. The LORD is good to all, compassionate to every creature … The LORD supports all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down” (Psalm 145). Jesus is humility incarnate; quite a distance from the proud and arrogant rulers of this world. The countenance of God is manifested wholly and entirely in the person of Jesus. When we look at Jesus, we see the very nature of God himself: divine mercy. His rule is extended, not in might and force, but in humble submission to the will of the Father, loving to the point of pouring out one’s own life upon the bloodied cross, in the face of scorn and ridicule. In today’s second reading, Saint Paul minces no words. He clearly outlines the responsibility of the Christian to pursue holiness: “If you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” (Rom 8:13). The Christian life is simple. It consists in becoming other Christs. That is, we allow the Spirit of God – the Holy Spirit, the very life of Jesus Christ – to change our very selves. We cast off the old self, the mightily proud nature, and we clothe ourselves with the humility of long-suffering, of patience, of virtuous love to the point of abandonment of self for the sake of the other. This is Jesus’ path. This is the Christian program of life. Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/27/62908-to-welcome-an-apostle/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/27/62908-to-welcome-an-apostle/#comments Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:41:38 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/27/62908-to-welcome-an-apostle/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/27/62908-to-welcome-an-apostle/feed/ The Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) We are familiar with many stories from the Old and New Testaments such as Jonah and the whale, ... The Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) We are familiar with many stories from the Old and New Testaments such as Jonah and the whale, Moses splitting the Red Sea, God giving his Law at Mt. Sinai, Peter walking on water, the multiplication of the loaves, et cetera. Yet, how many of us are familiar with the other multiple and yet nourishing stories in Scripture such as the one given to us in today’s first reading taken from the OT? The Catechism says, “The Church forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus by frequent reading of the divine Scripture” (#33). Taken from 2 Kings 4:8-16, this passage tells of the Shunnamite woman who welcomed the prophet Elisha {eh-LISH-uh} with warm hospitality. In Hebrew, his name means: “My God is salvation.” Eventually, her reward was the generosity of God through the gift of a son. If we heard only what is said in the liturgy today, we wouldn’t get the second half of the story. This is where our personal reading of the Bible can go a long way and give us further insight. Eventually, this same son unexpectedly died in his mother’s lap (2 Kgs 4:20) after a mysterious headache. His mother then sought out Elisha at Mount Carmel who then traveled with her back to her house to miraculously bring life back to the boy. Right after this healing, Elisha multiplies loaves of bread (vs. 42-44). Jesus fulfills the Old Testament. He is the New Adam, the New David, the New Joshua, the New Moses, and yes, even the New Elisha. Like Elisha, Jesus raised the dead to life by raising Jairus’ daughter (Mt 9:18-26) and multiplying the 5 loaves and 2 fish (Mt 14:13-21). Eventually, Jesus would suffer, die, resurrect, and then ascend into heaven and continue his work through the ministry of his Apostles whom he sends out (In Greek, apostolos means “one who is sent”) as well as through the bishops who succeed the Apostles. When Jesus was preparing the Apostles through his instruction, he says in today’s Gospel, “Whoever receives you, receives me” and “Whoever receives a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward” (Mt 10:40-41), alluding to the story of Elisha and the Shunnamite woman. When we welcome the words of the Apostles and the instruction of their successors, the Bishops of the Catholic Church, we act like the Shunnamite woman and grant hospitality not just to men, but to Jesus himself. Our reward is that of new life, as was the case of the boy born to the Shunnamite woman. Truly, the Church proclaims the word of God in our own day. Shall we welcome it with great hospitality, or will we disregard it, closing the way to our reward? Jesus wishes to make our joy complete, if only we receive his word with humility and allow it to transform our lives. Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/20/62208-stand-firm-in-the-faith/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/20/62208-stand-firm-in-the-faith/#comments Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:00:36 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/20/62208-stand-firm-in-the-faith/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/20/62208-stand-firm-in-the-faith/feed/ The Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) In the first reading, we listen to the Prophet Jeremiah, who was given the task by God to ... The Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) In the first reading, we listen to the Prophet Jeremiah, who was given the task by God to bring about moral reform among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. At one point, idolatry became widespread among his peers and he strongly denounced this immorality, constantly calling his kinsmen back to worship of the one true God. Arrest, imprisonment, and public disgrace were Jeremiah’s lot as he carried out his prophetic vocation. However, Jeremiah continued to proclaim the message he was given: that the nation’s lack of conversion would seal its own doom and Jerusalem would ultimately be destroyed by the foreign power of the Babylonians. Ultimately, Jeremiah’s predictions were vindicated as the king of Babylon (Nebuchadnezzar) captured Jerusalem and sent its citizens into exile, and even destroyed the entire city along with the Temple! This background information helps put this seemingly puzzling first reading into context. The theme? God is faithful and will vindicate the righteous. We are called to be patient in God’s promises, expressing and living out the virtue of long-suffering as we follow what we know to be right, even if the world scoffs at us and considers our way of life backward and archaic. In today’s Gospel, Jesus asks for his disciples to have great courage in the face of impending persecution. “Therefore, do not be afraid of them” (Mt 10:26) is our Lord’s exhortation. “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body … rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna” (v. 28). Here, our Lord reveals our true enemy: Satan. Do you fear bodily death? Have no fear, for we all will die bodily one day! Rather, fear the eternal pains of hellfire and resist what is even more deadly: mortal sin! In the second reading, like that of Jeremiah, St. Paul implicitly convicts his Jewish brethren of their own sinfulness. This isn’t evident on the surface, but is discernible if one analyzes what Paul says carefully. Paul writes: “Sin is not accounted when there is no law. But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of Adam’s sin” (Romans 5:13-14). The pattern of Adam’s sin is that Adam sinned once God’s law was revealed to Adam. Israel had sinned in the same way as Adam. God delivered his law to Israel – as was the case with Adam – and then Israel sinned in knowledge of the law. Much of Romans consists of Paul convincing his Jewish brethren of their own transgression of God’s law and need of salvation, of repentance. Paul’s words mirror the Book of Jeremiah. Will we repent of our sin, or will we be destroyed by the death of sin? This is the question we must answer with every day of our lives. Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/18/examining-the-shroud-of-turin/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/18/examining-the-shroud-of-turin/#comments Thu, 19 Jun 2008 03:53:04 +0000 Carson Weber Catholic Answers Live http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/18/examining-the-shroud-of-turin/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/18/examining-the-shroud-of-turin/feed/ On June 12, 2008, John Iannone was interviewed on Catholic Answers LIVE radio. He is the author of The Mystery of the Shroud of ... On June 12, 2008, John Iannone was interviewed on Catholic Answers LIVE radio. He is the author of The Mystery of the Shroud of Turin: New Scientific Evidence (Alba House, 1998), a book that examines the famous "Shroud of Turin," which some claim to be the actual ancient burial cloth of Jesus. In this interview, Iannone discusses the remarkable, unexplainable, and mysterious qualities scientists have discovered in their multiple examinations of the Shroud. Is the Shroud a medieval hoax - a unique forgery - or might it possibly be the actual cloth that enshrouded Jesus when he was buried in the garden tomb nearly two-thousand years ago? You'll be fascinated by what you discover in this unique episode of Catholic Answers LIVE! Examining the Shroud of Turin [audio:http://media.libsyn.com/media/catholicboard/john_Iannone_shroud_turin.mp3] Catholic Answers Live Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/13/exorcism-and-the-church-militant/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/13/exorcism-and-the-church-militant/#comments Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:01:51 +0000 Carson Weber Catholic Answers Live http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/13/exorcism-and-the-church-militant/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/13/exorcism-and-the-church-militant/feed/ On April 4, 2008, Fr. Thomas Euteneuer (EYE-ten-our) was interviewed on Catholic Answers LIVE radio to discuss the reality of Satan, his demons, demonic oppression, ... On April 4, 2008, Fr. Thomas Euteneuer (EYE-ten-our) was interviewed on Catholic Answers LIVE radio to discuss the reality of Satan, his demons, demonic oppression, obsession, and possession. Fr. Euteneuer is an exorcist and brings a wealth of experience and wisdom to the table in this incredibly fascinating and educational radio hour. In this episode of Catholic Answers LIVE, you will learn the difference between deliverance and exorcism and the reality of the occult as well as the Church's very important ministry of delivering people from the devil's influence. Fr. Euteneuer is also the president of Human Life International, the world's largest pro-life organization. Exorcism and the Church Militant [audio:http://media.libsyn.com/media/catholicboard/fr_thomas_exorcism.mp3] Catholic Answers Live Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/13/61508-a-kingdom-of-priests/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/13/61508-a-kingdom-of-priests/#comments Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:00:20 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/13/61508-a-kingdom-of-priests/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/13/61508-a-kingdom-of-priests/feed/ The Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) After we get through the first book of the Bible, we have encountered different events such as the ... The Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) After we get through the first book of the Bible, we have encountered different events such as the Act of Creation, the Fall of Mankind into Sin, and the effort made by God to gather to himself a people that would bring his holiness and truth to the rest of mankind. Today’s first reading is taken from the second book of the Bible: Exodus. Israel has just been rescued from its slavery to the Egyptians by being led across the Red Sea, as it was miraculously parted. And now, Israel has been led to a place named Mt. Sinai (a.k.a. Mt. Horeb) where God made a covenant with Israel through the covenant mediator of Moses. God had determined Israel’s vocation to be “a kingdom of priests, a holy nation” (Ex 19:6). This covenant required Israel to rule through priestly sacrifice. By the selfless witness of Israel, the rest of fallen humanity was to be reconciled to God. But Israel failed soon enough. Then, they failed again… and again! Ultimately, Israel would fail in its vocation: to rule through priestly sacrifice. God was setting Israel and the rest of humanity up for what he was going to ultimately accomplish. Through the saving work of his Son, Jesus Christ, God himself would become the perfect Israelite and fulfill Israel’s vocation himself. In the second reading, St. Paul wrote to the Romans, “while we were sinners Christ died for us” (5:8). In the person of Jesus, God became the priest and ruled through priestly sacrifice. The result of this sacrifice is reconciliation with God for the whole world, precisely what Israel was called to be from the beginning! So what about us, the followers of Jesus Christ? You would think that since Jesus took on Israel’s vocation and fulfilled it as a Priest-King, all we would have to do is simply accept this work of his and merely stand back as recipients of this salvific work. But no! The redeemed, the Church, those who have had this reconciliation applied to their lives, are an extension of the Incarnation. The Catholic Church is a communion, (Latin: communio) of saved humanity that is to serve as the instrument whereby this once-for-all work of Jesus is extended and made real in the flesh of those who take on his life through Holy Baptism. The Church is both kingly and priestly because it is Christ’s Mystical Body. Christ’s once-for-all work of redemption is made present through the priestly self-sacrificial rule of his Mystical Body: the Catholic Church. By uniting our prayers, our suffering, our acts of charity, to the redemption of Christ made present in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the redemption is spread to the rest of the world, to all the nations, and the Church finds her increase, her growth. Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/06/6808-identity-check-faith-matters/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/06/6808-identity-check-faith-matters/#comments Fri, 06 Jun 2008 15:00:46 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/06/6808-identity-check-faith-matters/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/06/06/6808-identity-check-faith-matters/feed/ The Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Today’s first reading, taken from the Old Testament, is a prophecy against the divided Kingdom of Israel and ... The Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Today’s first reading, taken from the Old Testament, is a prophecy against the divided Kingdom of Israel and the empty piety popular among the Israelites. The prophet Hosea compares this piety to the morning dew that passes away in the heat of the afternoon. The Church selected this passage from Hosea 6:3-6 to give us a sort of identity check. Is our piety like that of the Israelites? Is it simply a morning prayer or limited to our attendance at Sunday Mass? Is our devotion to God driven by the inner force of a faith that loves God above all things, including even what we drive and the clothes we wear? Or, are we simply Christians on the surface, waiting to get out of the Sunday liturgy so we can be the first in line at the local popular restaurant? The psalm that follows rebukes those Israelites whose worship lacks personal faithfulness, yet is full of animal sacrifice. God says, “Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Offer praise as your sacrifice to God; fulfill your vows to the Most High. Then call on me in time of distress; I will rescue you, and you shall honor me” (Ps 50:13-15). Ritual presupposes faith. We are then presented with two Biblical role models of heroic faith. The second reading recounts what St. Paul wrote to the Catholic Church in Rome (Romans 4:18-25) where he presents the awesome faith of Abraham who “believed, hoping against hope … he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God.” The Gospel written by St. Matthew in Matthew 9:9-13 recounts his own conversion as a mini-biography. Matthew simply “got up and followed” Jesus, a complete act of self-surrender and faithfulness to the Lord who simply said, “Follow me.” The Catholic idea of faith is best described as how a child trusts and relates to his father. Dad provides; he protects; his arms provide a resting place of comfort. An infant’s dependence upon its father is total. There’s an innate, natural confident reliance and surrender. This concept comes from the lips of Jesus, who is the total, complete self-revelation of God the Father. The Catechism of the Catholic Church has this to say: Faith is certain. It is more certain than all human knowledge because it is founded on the very word of God who cannot lie. To be sure, revealed truths can seem obscure to human reason and experience, but the certainty that the divine light gives is greater than that which the light of natural reason gives. 10,000 difficulties do not make one doubt.(#157) For the very reason that our Heavenly Father is all good, all loving, all true, and all holy, we know with complete certainty that whatever he says or asks of us is absolutely trustworthy. Our Catholic Faith rests upon a foundation more solid than a rock. Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/29/6108-the-logic-of-the-covenant/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/29/6108-the-logic-of-the-covenant/#comments Fri, 30 May 2008 04:28:53 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/29/6108-the-logic-of-the-covenant/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/29/6108-the-logic-of-the-covenant/feed/ The Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) We’ve all heard of the Old and New Testaments, but what does the word "testament" mean? It ... The Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) We’ve all heard of the Old and New Testaments, but what does the word "testament" mean? It comes from the Latin word testamentum, which is the Latin term for “covenant.” So, what we really mean is the Old and New Covenants. This is important because it helps to shed light on today’s lectionary readings taken from Deuteronomy 11, Psalm 31, Romans 3, Matthew 7. In the first reading, Moses says, “I set before you here, this day, a blessing and a curse: a blessing for obeying the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I enjoin on your today; a curse if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord, your God” (Dt 11:26-28). A covenant always has terms by which to keep the covenant. If one keeps the covenant, he is blessed by God. If he should fail, he receives the covenant curses or judgments. The terms of this Old Covenant are what we call the “Mosaic Law” because this law was given by God to Israel through the mediator of Moses. The problem with the Old Covenant is that Israel fell into idolatry over and over again, which brought Israel under the curses of the covenant, which are given in great detail in the Book of Deuteronomy. So, Israel had to be delivered from the Old Covenant altogether. In the second reading, St. Paul exclaims God’s mercy: “All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God. They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his blood. For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law” (Rom 3:23-25). Here, St. Paul is responding to the Jew who believes he is righteous before God because he’s an ethnic Jew and has the Mosaic Law. This paragraph is a part of a much larger argument, wherein St. Paul shows how the Jew is actually much more culpable (guilty) than the Gentile (a non-Jew) because he has been given the Law, yet he sins against it. This places the Jew in a conundrum. He’s subject to the covenant curses and needs a redeemer, a deliverer… a savior. In baptism, the Jew dies with Christ and therefore is delivered from the Old Covenant. He rises to new life as baptism brings the Jew into the New Covenant (See Romans 7:1-6). This doesn’t leave the Gentile in the clear, however, because the Gentile has the moral law of God written on his heart, and when he sins against his conscience, he too is guilty and in need of Jesus. In the Gospel, Jesus emphasizes the importance of faithfulness, which is the way one keeps covenant with God in the New Covenant. If one is unfaithful he will receive the covenant curse of eternal hell (See Matthew 7:21-27). Faithfulness is required of us by the New Covenant, and if we respond faithfully to God’s initiative, his grace, the blessing of heaven awaits us. Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/22/52508-corpus-christi-sunday/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/22/52508-corpus-christi-sunday/#comments Thu, 22 May 2008 15:00:29 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/22/52508-corpus-christi-sunday/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/22/52508-corpus-christi-sunday/feed/ Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - Corpus Christi Sunday (Year A) This Sunday is known as “Corpus Christi Sunday” because it is the Solemnity ... Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ - Corpus Christi Sunday (Year A) This Sunday is known as “Corpus Christi Sunday” because it is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Corpus is Latin for “Body,” and Christi is Latin for Christ. So, Corpus Christi is Body of Christ. The focus today is on the invisible miracle that occurs at each and every Mass celebrated in every age in any corner of the world. During the Eucharistic Prayer, the gifts of bread and wine upon the altar are changed into the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ! Ordinary bread that nourishes our natural life becomes the Eternal Bread of Life that nourishes the soul unto eternal life. As we need carbohydrates to survive this wilderness of ordinary life, so devout reception of the Eucharist forgives us of our sins, gives us growth in the supernatural life of grace, and enables us to overcome the spiritual battles we face as children of God. A major event in the Old Testament that prefigured this heavenly gift of the Eucharist is recounted in the first reading from Deuteronomy 8:2-3,14-16. While in the desert wilderness, Israel was fed by a miraculous food known as manna (Hebrew for “What is it?”). Today’s Gospel is taken from John 6:51-58, which comes from after 6:49-50, where Jesus said: “Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die.” Then, today, we listen to Jesus say, “The bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (v. 51). The Jews in Jesus’ audience knew full well what Jesus meant. They took him at his word, literally, and replied, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” At this juncture, Jesus made a huge political blunder. Right when he could have clarified how his words were to be taken as metaphor – and saved face – Jesus further reiterated the literal meaning of his promise. What’s even more fascinating is that Jesus switches Greek words for “eat” from phago to trogo. He replied: Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat [phago] the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats [trogo] my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Whatever eats [trogo] my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. (John 6:53-56) The significance of this verb switch is this: While both verbs mean “to eat,” phago was used in the ordinary sense of people eating a meal, and it could be used in a metaphorical sense. However, trogo was a much more literal verb with the connotation of “to gnaw” or “to munch,” and was not used metaphorically. Jesus promised the gift of his very own body and blood and he makes good on that promise in the Holy Eucharist. Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/16/51808-the-central-truth-of-our-faith/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/16/51808-the-central-truth-of-our-faith/#comments Fri, 16 May 2008 14:59:04 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/16/51808-the-central-truth-of-our-faith/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/16/51808-the-central-truth-of-our-faith/feed/ Most Holy Trinity Sunday (Year A) Pope John XXII (1316-1334) ordered that the entire church celebrate the feast for the Holy Trinity on the Sunday after ... Most Holy Trinity Sunday (Year A) Pope John XXII (1316-1334) ordered that the entire church celebrate the feast for the Holy Trinity on the Sunday after Pentecost Sunday, and Pope St. Pius X raised the event to the dignity of a solemnity in the beginning of the Twentieth Century. On this great solemnity, we focus upon and jubilantly celebrate the central truth of our shared faith: that God, in and of himself, from all of eternity, is not a solitude, but a divine family of persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If we were to imagine revealed truth in the image of a spider web, the Trinity is at the very center. Lest we be misunderstood, we believe in only one God. Yet, this one God is dynamic. This one God is a Trinity: an eternal life composed of three persons sharing this divine life. With feeble intellects, it’s extremely difficult to imagine three persons sharing one nature… a nature that is invisible, spiritual, and uncreated. Yet, it’s difficult to imagine how our bodies are composed of trillions of atoms – electrons spinning around nuclei. We know the latter by means of science. The former is known by divine revelation. Before God created, before God redeemed, before God sanctified, God was not Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. These terms describe God’s relation to creation, but not who God is in and of himself. Before, during and after these events, God is eternally Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Hence, we pray: “Glory be to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning is now and will be forever. Amen!” In this prayer, we echo the praise of Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego in today’s psalm (cf. Dn 52-56). God the Father eternally begets God the Son. Today, the Son is begotten, and tomorrow, the Son will be begotten. This “sonship” is outside of time and is fiercely real. This begetting is not physical, and there is no sexuality within God. To think that God is a male because we call him “Father” is just as much of a heresy as to think that God is female. The Father eternally loves the Son, giving him all but his fatherhood. Likewise, for all eternity, the Son returns this act of divine love by mirroring the Father. He offers himself in a complete self-gift of love back to the Father. This love is so intense, so real, that it isn’t simply an impersonal force, but a person equal to the Father and to the Son: the Holy Spirit. This divine life is mirrored in Holy Matrimony wherein the love of two is so real that 9 months later, we give it a name. In the Incarnation, the Son took on our humanity so that we may become children of God – sons in the Son as St. Thomas Aquinas put it. In baptism, we are born into the supernatural family of the Holy Trinity! Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/09/51108-pondering-pentecost/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/09/51108-pondering-pentecost/#comments Fri, 09 May 2008 16:00:25 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/09/51108-pondering-pentecost/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/09/51108-pondering-pentecost/feed/ Pentecost Sunday (Year A) Pentecost... What an odd name. And, it isn’t originally a Christian feast. It’s actually an Israelite celebration of when the ... Pentecost Sunday (Year A) Pentecost... What an odd name. And, it isn’t originally a Christian feast. It’s actually an Israelite celebration of when the Mosaic Law (also called the “Torah”) was given to Israel by God through the figure of Moses at Mount Sinai (Exodus 34:22). Another name for Pentecost is the “Feast of Weeks.” You see, Israel was released from slavery to Pharaoh in Egypt. 50 days later, God formed a covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai in the desert, and the Law given is the Law of the Covenant – the stipulations of the covenant. The term Pentecost basically means Fiftieth, referring to this 50th day after Passover. Jesus fulfills the Old Testament. His words and deeds bring fulfillment to the Law and the prophets, to the old feast days and ceremonial observances. The Four Evangelists – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – are careful to show how this is so. They’re concerned with how Jesus is really and truly the reality to which the Old Testament points to and prepares for. When it was time for the Jewish celebration of Passover, Jesus (at the Last Supper) indicated that it is he who is the paschal victim: the unblemished lamb that is to be sacrificed so that Israel might be freed from slavery to sin. So, Jesus fulfills Passover by becoming the definitive paschal lamb. For 40 days after the Resurrection, Jesus spent this time with his Apostles, explaining to them the Kingdom of God, and then on Ascension Thursday, he ascended into heaven to reign as King over his Catholic Church. For 9 days, his disciples prayed a novena in the Upper Room for the sending of the Spirit, and on the 50th day – that is, during the celebration of the Feast of Pentecost – God gave his Law once again, as of old, but this time, the New Law of the New Covenant was given: the Holy Spirit ! In Christianity, we do not have a written law. Christianity is not moralism. Let me repeat that once again. Christianity is not a life lived upon the principal of doing this and avoiding that. Unfortunately, all too often Christianity is misrepresented as such, as if the 10 Commandments are how we “be Christian”. Far from it, or to be more precise, far above it! In the New Covenant, the Law – the terms by which the covenant is kept – is not written on tablets but on human hearts, through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. This new principle by which man lives – the very Life of God present in the human soul – enables man to live a life far more profound and deep than mere “commandment keeping.” Rather, this life is relational. God has truly become our Father and his Holy Life, merely prefigured by the Law, is now ours. Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/02/5408-ascending-to-the-throne/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/02/5408-ascending-to-the-throne/#comments Fri, 02 May 2008 16:00:37 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/02/5408-ascending-to-the-throne/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/05/02/5408-ascending-to-the-throne/feed/ The Solemnity of the Ascension (Year A) St. Luke records in his Acts of the Apostles what we hear today in the first reading. He ... The Solemnity of the Ascension (Year A) St. Luke records in his Acts of the Apostles what we hear today in the first reading. He tells us of an event that is part of the Paschal Mystery of Jesus the Christ. This event is the Ascension: “he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight” (Acts 1:9). On Good Friday, Jesus died upon the Cross. His divinity remained united to his human body upon the cross and within the tomb. His divinity also remained united to his human soul, which descended into the abode of the dead to preach to “the souls in prison” (See 1 Peter 3:18-22) who were awaiting the Messiah. On Easter Sunday, Jesus’ body and soul were reunited in the Resurrection and gloriously transformed! For 40 days, Jesus appeared to the apostles he had chosen, “speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). That is, after Jesus resurrected from the dead, he spent a good 5 ½ weeks on earth with his apostles. On Ascension Thursday, Jesus ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father (See Ephesians 1:20, which is part of the second reading). This is an idiom that means: “to be enthroned as king.” This is why today we sing the psalm response: “God mounts his throne to shouts of joy!” (Psalm 47:6). On Pentecost Sunday (which we will celebrate next Sunday), Jesus answered the disciples’ novena (nine days of prayer) with the gift of the Holy Spirit who was given to the newborn Church, the Kingdom of God on earth, so that it might grow, spread, and flourish to unite all of humanity with God through Jesus Christ. Finally, in today’s Gospel, we discover the magnificent authority Jesus has given to his Church. Right at the end of St. Matthew’s Gospel (28:16-20), just before Jesus’ Ascension, Jesus gave all authority to the eleven remaining Apostles. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me … I am with you always.” This Great Commission, given to the Apostles, is just how Jesus extends his reign: though the bishops who are successors to the Apostles! This reign is further extended through those priests who receive authority by the bishops. This authority is so powerful that an early bishop, martyr, and disciple of St. John the Apostle wrote: Indeed, when you submit to the bishop as you would to Jesus Christ, it is clear to me that you are living not in the manner of men but as Jesus Christ, who died for us, that through faith in his death you might escape dying. It is necessary, therefore—and such is your practice that you do nothing without the bishop, and that you be subject also to the presbytery, as to the apostles of Jesus Christ our hope, in whom we shall be found, if we live in him. (St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Trallians, Chapter 2). The Church is a holy kingdom with true authority. Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/25/42708-mission-made-possible/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/25/42708-mission-made-possible/#comments Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:00:04 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/25/42708-mission-made-possible/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/25/42708-mission-made-possible/feed/ The Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year A) In today’s first reading (Acts 8:5-8, 14-17), we witness the conferral of two sacraments. Last week, we read of ... The Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year A) In today’s first reading (Acts 8:5-8, 14-17), we witness the conferral of two sacraments. Last week, we read of the appointment and ordination of the first 7 deacons. This week, one of those deacons by the name of Philip “went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed Christ to them.” He then baptized those who believed (See Acts 8:12). However, this wasn’t enough. The apostles in Jerusalem sent Peter and John to Samaria so that they could administer the second sacrament of initiation: Confirmation. “Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.” So what happens in Confirmation? Some have made the mistake of equating this sacrament with graduation from religious education. Others have made the mistake of thinking this sacrament is one’s choice to become Catholic, one’s choice to remain a Catholic, or one’s public declaration that they are now Catholic. In baptism, one becomes a Catholic Christian. That is, one becomes a Christian who practices his Christian faith in communion with the same Church that Jesus established and continues to build day by day. After being baptized, the Christian resolves daily to live out this baptismal calling as a disciple of Jesus. Whenever we make the Sign of the Cross, we renew our baptism. So what is Confirmation? It is what the minister says when administering the sacrament: “Be sealed with the Gift of the Holy Spirit” (See Ephesians 1:13 4:30). The Catechism says: “the effect of the Sacrament of Confirmation is the special outpouring of the Holy Spirit as once granted to the apostles on the day of Pentecost” (no. 1302). The Catechism goes on further to explain that Confirmation “gives us a special strength of the Holy Spirit to spread and defend the faith by word and action as true witnesses of Christ, to confess the name of Christ boldly, and never to be ashamed of the Cross” (no. 1303). This is precisely what we witness the Christians doing in the Acts of the Apostles after the event at Pentecost! Confirmation enables us to carry out St. Peter’s words in the second reading (1 Peter 3:15-18): “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” Christ knew that the task of evangelization would be a difficult one, and he didn’t leave us helpless. His gift of this powerful sacrament enables us to accomplish what we could not otherwise accomplish by our own meager efforts. In today’s Gospel (John 14:115-21), Jesus calls the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of truth” who “will be in you.” The Spirit first enables us to become holy, to be sanctified in Christ Jesus. Secondly, he enables us to defend and spread the truth that saves, and that truth is not an abstract body of concepts, but a person: Jesus Christ. Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/18/did-jesus-really-rise-from-the-dead/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/18/did-jesus-really-rise-from-the-dead/#comments Fri, 18 Apr 2008 22:44:56 +0000 Carson Weber Resources http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/18/did-jesus-really-rise-from-the-dead/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/18/did-jesus-really-rise-from-the-dead/feed/ A powerful new DVD! Featuring: Jesuit Father Mitch Pacwa Johnnette Benkovic Craig Blomberg, Ph.D. Craig Evans, Ph.D. Tim Gray, Ph.D. Gary Habermas, Ph.D. Edward Sri, Ph.D. Jesuit Father Ronald Tacelli Ben Witherington III, Ph.D. If Ch A powerful new DVD! Featuring: Jesuit Father Mitch Pacwa Johnnette Benkovic Craig Blomberg, Ph.D. Craig Evans, Ph.D. Tim Gray, Ph.D. Gary Habermas, Ph.D. Edward Sri, Ph.D. Jesuit Father Ronald Tacelli Ben Witherington III, Ph.D. If Christ has not been raised, said the Apostle Paul, Christian faith is in vain. The Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is not an incidental or minor aspect of Christianity. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, Christianity is certainly false. Skeptics have long tried to show that there was no Resurrection. Today, there has been a resurgence of attacks on this central truth of Christianity. Some people claim that the followers of Jesus fabricated the Resurrection. Others argue that the disciples hallucinated or had a “vision” of their dead master, which they confused with a truly risen Jesus. Others still suggest that the Resurrection was a myth or that the apostles may have seen a “spirit” or witnessed a “spiritual resurrection” that had nothing to do with an empty tomb and the transformation of Jesus’ dead body. Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead? carefully scrutinizes the historical evidence. Rather than accept Christian belief blindly, top scholars and biblical historians critically examine alternative explanations. In the end, they show why it is a matter of sound reason as well as faith to affirm what the early Church proclaimed: Jesus is risen. A fascinating, fast-paced, exciting exploration of Jesus’ fate, Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead? shows how Jesus’ Resurrection has consequences for every one of us. Order it now for only $19.95 by clicking here Resources Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/18/42008-a-royal-priesthood/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/18/42008-a-royal-priesthood/#comments Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:00:53 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/18/42008-a-royal-priesthood/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/18/42008-a-royal-priesthood/feed/ The Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year A) Jesus is the Lord of his Church and the teacher of all: after his ascension into heaven, he teaches, ... The Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year A) Jesus is the Lord of his Church and the teacher of all: after his ascension into heaven, he teaches, sanctifies, and governs Christians through the ministry of the apostles initially, and after the apostles’ deaths, through the ministry of their successors, the bishops. In the second reading taken from 1 Peter 2:4-9, St. Peter emphasizes the common priesthood of the laity. In baptism, every Christian is made a priest through an intimate union with Jesus Christ. Yet, this requires us to ask the question, “What exactly is a priest?” Well, priests are priests insofar as they offer sacrifice, which is the unique activity of priests that distinguishes them. All Christians are to offer everything their lives entail back to God the Father through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit as a spiritual sacrifice. Every little work, every little suffering, every little problem in life may be offered to the Father in union with Jesus for the salvation of ourselves and others – for an increase in personal holiness. This continual priestly offering of our lives to God the Father culminates in the Mass when we unite ourselves with the sacrifice of Jesus. In fact, during the offertory when the bread and wine are carried to the sanctuary, we are to be silently offering ourselves spiritually in union with those gifts. Our lay priestly role both needs and is supported by those ministerial priests who are ordained by the laying on of the hands. These men offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the person of Christ the Head and are assisted by the deacons. The first reading (Acts 6:1-7) tells of the appointment and ordination of the first seven deacons. “They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid hands on them.” Today’s Gospel comes from John 14:1-12, wherein Jesus is shown to be the fullness of God’s revelation. Jesus proclaims: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” and “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” As our High Priest, Jesus offers himself as the perfect sacrifice acceptable to God the Father. It is only by way of Jesus that any human being will ever enter heaven and experience the eternal, divine life of God. God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth: that is, of Christ Jesus. Christ must be proclaimed to all nations and individuals, so that this revelation may reach to the ends of the earth. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #74) In the Old Testament, Israel had Aaron and his sons as its high priests, the Levites as ministerial priests, and yet all of Israel was called to be a royal priesthood. This threefold configuration prefigured the New Israel: the Catholic Church, which consists of (1) our High Priest, (2) the ministerial priesthood and (3) the common priesthood. Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/11/41308-good-shepherd-sunday/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/11/41308-good-shepherd-sunday/#comments Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:00:54 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/11/41308-good-shepherd-sunday/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/11/41308-good-shepherd-sunday/feed/ The Fourth Sunday of Easter (Year A) Today is the Fourth Sunday of Easter, and we continue our reading of the Book of Acts of the ... The Fourth Sunday of Easter (Year A) Today is the Fourth Sunday of Easter, and we continue our reading of the Book of Acts of the Apostles, which we have been reading from since Easter Sunday. This book, placed in the Bible right after the Four Gospels (after John’s Gospel, specifically), is actually the second half of one book. Originally, the Gospel of Luke was attached to Acts of the Apostles. The Gospel of Luke came first and then Acts of the Apostles is the rest of the story from St. Luke’s point of view. So, when you’re at home reading your Bible (I know all of you are doing this, right?), read St. Luke’s Gospel then immediately read Acts of the Apostles. In our Bibles, John’s Gospel is placed between the two (in order to put the Gospels together), which artificially separates what was originally together: Luke Acts. What’s so interesting about Acts of the Apostles is that in it, Luke uses the same phrases and words for the Church that he used in his Gospel for Jesus. He does this intentionally, in order to show us that the Church is an extension of the Incarnation. That is, in the Catholic Church (which is the same Church as the Church in Acts of the Apostles – only our Church is that old with the pope succeeding St. Peter), the life of Jesus is continued. The Church is truly the Mystical Body of Christ. It is in the Church that Jesus continues to preach, teach, govern, heal, and sanctify. Jesus established the Church in order to bring all men and women to eternal life: into communion with God the Father through Jesus, the Eternal Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit. Pope John Paul II put it this way: “God has entered human history so that through his Son, we might be drawn into his own divine life!” Did you catch that? The purpose of the Church is to bring the world to eternal life: the life of the Trinity! Every year, the Gospel for this Fourth Sunday of Easter is taken from the 10th Chapter of the Gospel of John, which is where Jesus refers to himself as “the good shepherd” (10:11), so this Sunday is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday. Today, we listen to Jesus say: “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” (10:10). Jesus also tells us that the shepherd “walks ahead of [the sheep] and the sheep follow him because they recognize his voice” (10:4). Jesus has walked ahead of us through suffering, through death, and into the new life of the resurrection! The Church pairs John 10:1-10 with 1 Peter 2:20-25 because Peter speaks of how we are to “follow in his footsteps” by suffering for the good without complaint and living for righteousness. Finally, Peter calls Jesus “the shepherd and guardian of your souls” (v. 25). Our shepherd speaks to us daily in the divine Scriptures. Do we value that voice and adhere to it with our lives? Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/04/4608-the-breaking-of-the-bread/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/04/4608-the-breaking-of-the-bread/#comments Fri, 04 Apr 2008 16:00:03 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/04/4608-the-breaking-of-the-bread/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/04/04/4608-the-breaking-of-the-bread/feed/ The Third Sunday of Easter (Year A) Today’s Gospel was written for Christians who attend Sunday Mass, and while Saint Luke recorded his Gospel, he kept ... The Third Sunday of Easter (Year A) Today’s Gospel was written for Christians who attend Sunday Mass, and while Saint Luke recorded his Gospel, he kept this in mind and planted various hints and clues in what he wrote that we can pick up on. The account of the Appearance on the Road to Emmaus is structured upon the Mass. First of all, Luke records that this appearance took place on “the first day of the week” (24:1, 13), which is Sunday, the day that Christians gathered to celebrate the Eucharist because that is the day when Jesus rose from the dead in the Resurrection. Secondly, Jesus “interpreted to them what referred to him in all the scriptures” (v. 27), which is exactly what happens in the first half of the Mass: the Liturgy of the Word. First, we read from both the Old and the New Testaments, and the readings are correlated so that we see how the New fulfills the Old. Then, the priest gives a homily in order to show how this is the case, how the Paschal Mystery of Jesus Christ expressed in the Gospel and the New Testament readings is the fulfillment of the history of Israel and the rest of mankind, which is recounted in the Old Testament. For example, today we listen to St. Peter use Psalm 16 in reference to the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2:22-28). Then, Luke recounts how this experience of the traveling disciples of the risen Christ culminates in their sharing a meal with him. Just as at the Last Supper and as in Mass, Jesus “took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them” (v. 30). Luke describes this experience as “the breaking of the bread” (v. 35), which is an early Christian name for the Mass. Jesus is made known to the disciples in the breaking of the bread, so says Luke. This is the second half of the Mass: the Liturgy of the Eucharist. With this in mind, do the words of the disciples ring true for you when they said, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the scriptures to us?” Do you listen carefully to the readings proclaimed at the ambo by the readers, and if so, are you able to understand how the readings fit together in harmony? Are the Scriptures opened up to us in the homilies our pastors preach? Do our hearts burn within us at Mass, wherein we get excited about God’s inspired Word – so much so that we desire to own and read a Bible in the privacy of our homes? More importantly, do we recognize Jesus in “the breaking of the bread,” which is the Eucharist? Each time that you and I approach the sacred host in the communion line and say “Amen” to “The Body of Christ,” we acknowledge that we are consuming the very Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus! Let us make our “Amen” in truth and sincerity. Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/03/30/33008-the-divine-mercy/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/03/30/33008-the-divine-mercy/#comments Sun, 30 Mar 2008 19:09:55 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/03/30/33008-the-divine-mercy/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/03/30/33008-the-divine-mercy/feed/ The Second Sunday of Easter (Year A) On April 30, 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized St. Faustina Kowalska (b. 1905; d. 1938): a Polish nun, ... The Second Sunday of Easter (Year A) On April 30, 2000, Pope John Paul II canonized St. Faustina Kowalska (b. 1905; d. 1938): a Polish nun, mystic, and visionary who wrote a diary recounting her mystical experiences. This diary focuses upon the crucial theme of the abundant mercy of God in and through the person and work of Jesus Christ. In it, St. Faustina tells us of something Jesus communicated to her concerning the Second Sunday of Easter: On that day, the very depths of my tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of my mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day, all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. (#699) When Pope John Paul II canonized St. Faustina, he designated the 2nd Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday in the General Roman Calendar. In fact, he died during the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday in 2005. It should be of no surprise to us that the liturgical readings we are fed by Mother Church on this Sunday follow the theme of the Divine Mercy. The first reading from Acts 2:42-47 tells of the communal life of the first Christian community in Jerusalem following Pentecost. They devoted themselves to doctrine, charity, liturgy, and fervent prayer (Not coincidentally, the Four Pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church): “to the teaching of the apostles, to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread, and to the prayers.” This fervent charismatic community grew in number daily: “And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” We respond to this first reading with Psalm 118, wherein we acclaim, “His mercy endures forever!” three times. The second reading (1 Peter 1:3-9) and the Gospel (John 20:19-31) both combine the theme of the great mercy of God through the forgiveness of sins with the theme of believing although we have not personally seen the glory of the Lord as the first apostles did. As God “breathed into [Adam’s] nostrils the breath of life and Adam became a living being” (Gen 2:7), so in the Upper Room, Jesus “breathed on [the apostles] and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained'” (John 20:22-23). While Adam forsook the supernatural life of grace he was given by God, Jesus the New Adam abundantly bestows mercy and the divine life of the Spirit upon those reborn in him. Today in the here and now, the Lord “desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). “Behold, now is the acceptable time! Behold, now is the day of salvation!” (2 Cor 6:2) Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/03/20/32308-the-claim-that-demands-a-choice/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/03/20/32308-the-claim-that-demands-a-choice/#comments Fri, 21 Mar 2008 03:32:00 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/03/20/32308-the-claim-that-demands-a-choice/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/03/20/32308-the-claim-that-demands-a-choice/feed/ Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday (Year A) A little less than 20 centuries ago, a man walked the roads of a small Roman outpost with great ... Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday (Year A) A little less than 20 centuries ago, a man walked the roads of a small Roman outpost with great miraculous power and he claimed to be God. As C.S. Lewis has remarked in his famous book, Mere Christianity, either Jesus was an absolute madman or he is who he claims to be: the very Lord of the universe, the king who demands our total allegiance. There is no third option available when one looks at the evidence. In the suffering of Jesus, in the bodily resurrection of Jesus – wherein his body was completely transformed into a new, resurrected, and glorified body – in Jesus’ ascension into heaven and enthronement as King of Heaven and of Earth, you and I are presented with two options in all of our freedom. We are asked to make a definitive choice in the face of Jesus’ claim. Either (1) our purpose for gathering on Easter Sunday does not exist and we might as well have been mowing the lawn or sleeping in, or (2) Jesus is who he said he is and the tomb is empty; Jesus has risen, and he now reigns. If the second option is indeed true, then everything changes. In fact, the way we view reality, the way we live our lives, the meaning of “Church” and everything that religion entails becomes the central most important and defining point of our lives. I believe that all the evidence points us to the second option, an option that remains a choice, a choice for you, a choice for me. So, make a choice and boldly make it. For either Jesus is a failed claimant to the throne or he is the Lord of everything! The Easter Vigil is celebrated after sundown on Saturday night, and throughout the world, the Church receives into her bosom those who have chosen to respond positively to the reality of Jesus. For this reason, the Scriptural readings for both the Vigil and Sunday proper are filled with baptismal imagery. In the Vigil, we hear of the Spirit hovering above the waters of creation (Genesis 1:2); the cry of the prophet Isaiah: “All you who are thirsty, come to the water!” (Isaiah 55:1); the promise of God through the prophet Ezekiel: “I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities”; and the sacramental effect of baptism as well as the implications that has for one’s life in the words of Saint Paul (Romans 6:3-11). On Easter Sunday, we listen to St. Peter recall the baptism of our Lord, wherein “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the holy Spirit and power” (Acts 10:38). Why all the fuss over baptism at Easter and not at another point in the liturgical year? Because baptism is the principal means by which the fruits of the Resurrection are given to humanity, by which we die to sin and rise to new life in Jesus (See Romans 6:4). Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/03/14/31608-he-emptied-himself/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/03/14/31608-he-emptied-himself/#comments Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:00:41 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/03/14/31608-he-emptied-himself/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/03/14/31608-he-emptied-himself/feed/ Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion (Year A) In today’s first reading (Isaiah 50:4-7), Isaiah foretells of the famous Suffering Servant. Speaking in the first person, ... Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion (Year A) In today’s first reading (Isaiah 50:4-7), Isaiah foretells of the famous Suffering Servant. Speaking in the first person, Isaiah wrote: “I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord God is my help; I am not disgraced” (v. 6-7). The theme given is redemptive suffering. It is through a suffering accepted out of supreme love that this Suffering Servant figure will redeem (a word meaning “to purchase back”) and restore Israel, which has been divided, punished, and exiled due to Israel’s continued idolatry in the face of a loving and constant God. Isaiah tells us that this redemption is not just for Israel, but for the rest of the nations as well, including you and me. When the time of fulfillment comes, God will do something extraordinary and unexpected. He will take on human flesh and fulfill the vocation of Israel! God will become the suffering servant, a light to the world, our Savior and Redeemer. It is this time and this great work of God that we continue to ponder and remember in the many other readings of today’s Liturgy of the Word, which begins with the Procession with Palms. In Philippians 2:6-11, St. Paul gives what is perhaps an early Christian hymn that we know of today as the Canticle of Kenosis. “He emptied himself … coming in human likeness … he humbled himself becoming obedient even unto death.” Kenosis is a Greek word taken from the Greek verb kenoo, which Paul uses in this passage and is rendered in the English as “emptied.” This hymn proclaims how God stooped from the lofty height of the heavens and down into our lowly human condition to save us in Jesus Christ. If you listen closely to the responsorial psalm and the very long Gospel narrative taken from Matthew 26:14 to 27:66, you will see how St. Matthew carefully shows Psalm 22 to be fulfilled in the Passion of Jesus. So, for example, compare the following two passages: All who see me scoff at me; they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads: “He relied on the Lord; let him deliver him, let him rescue him, if he loves him.” (Ps 22:8-9) Likewise, the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him and said, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. So he is the king of Israel! Let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now is he wants him.” (Mt 7:41-43) See how the readings fit together seamlessly? Christ is at the heart of the Psalms, which served Israel as its official hymnal in the Temple liturgy. God prepared his family for Jesus through their daily prayer back then. Today, God prepares us for eternal life through the readings and prayers we experience today at Mass. Are you paying close attention with attentive ears? Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/03/09/i-believe/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/03/09/i-believe/#comments Sun, 09 Mar 2008 15:00:45 +0000 Carson Weber Life Teen Video http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/05/i-believe/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/03/09/i-believe/feed/ [flv:http://media.libsyn.com/media/catholicboard/apostlesCreed.flv http://catholicboard.com/images/apostles_creed.jpg 480 340] [flv:http://media.libsyn.com/media/catholicboard/apostlesCreed.flv http://catholicboard.com/images/apostles_creed.jpg 480 340] Life Teen Video Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/03/07/3908-resurrection-and-restoration/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/03/07/3908-resurrection-and-restoration/#comments Fri, 07 Mar 2008 16:00:22 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/03/07/3908-resurrection-and-restoration/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/03/07/3908-resurrection-and-restoration/feed/ The Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year A) Today’s readings, though given in the midst of Lent, pertain to the theme of resurrection. They were chosen ... The Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year A) Today’s readings, though given in the midst of Lent, pertain to the theme of resurrection. They were chosen because they pertain especially to those who are preparing to be received into the Church at Easter. One of the underlying and main themes of the Major and Minor Prophets is that of a future event wherein God will restore Israel under the descendant of David. The prophet Ezekiel depicts this event in terms of the resurrection of the body in the first reading taken from Ezekiel 37:12-14: “when I open your graves and have you rise from them, O my people; I will put my spirit in you that you may live.” Israel will be re-gathered or restored from among the Gentiles, and this great event is foretold by means of the metaphor of a corporate resurrection that involves the giving of God’s Spirit. The New Testament clearly intends to show how this long-awaited restoration began with the ministry of Jesus and continues through the ministry of the Church – by way of the apostles and their successors. In the Gospel (John 11:1-45), Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead to fulfill Ezekiel 37. This miracle served as a mouthful of prophetic significance for a Jew living in the 1st century. It is like saying: “Israel is being restored! David’s royal descendant is in our midst!” Jesus then declares: “I am the resurrection and the life” because Lazarus’ bodily resuscitation points forward to an even greater resurrection: when Jesus will not merely receive a resuscitation but much, much more: a transformed, incorruptible body by the power of the Holy Spirit. It is that resurrection, which will save us from our sins, which will justify us before the Father. In the second reading (Romans 8:8-11), St. Paul says, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God indwells you.” The former are what we would call “in a state of sin.” They do not have sanctifying grace; they are dead in their transgressions. The latter group has received the Spirit of God in baptism (see Romans 6:3-4), and they are inwardly members of the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ. They have not lost sanctifying grace through mortal sin (See 1 John 5:16-17) or have done so and then re-entered the state of grace through the Sacrament of Reconciliation (See John 20:21-23). The raising of Lazarus speaks of what will happen to the unbaptized elect and the baptized candidates for full communion this Easter. They will receive new life in the Holy Sacraments. They will be mystically incorporated into the Family of God by means of the Holy Spirit. Their sins will be forgiven, and they will receive new life in Christ Jesus their Lord. Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/29/3208-purification-and-enlightenment/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/29/3208-purification-and-enlightenment/#comments Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:00:09 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/29/3208-purification-and-enlightenment/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/29/3208-purification-and-enlightenment/feed/ The Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year A) Have you ever wondered where the whole idea of “Messiah” came from? Its origins are found in today’s ... The Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year A) Have you ever wondered where the whole idea of “Messiah” came from? Its origins are found in today’s first reading from 1 Samuel 16 when the prophet Samuel was sent by God to anoint one of the eight sons of Jesse to become the king of Israel. God said, “Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have chosen my king from among his sons” (v. 1). When Samuel found Jesse’s son, David, whom God had chosen to be king, Samuel took “the horn of oil in hand” and “anointed him in the midst of his brothers” (v. 16). “Messiah” is the Hebrew word for “the anointed one,” and in the Old Testament, men were made into kings through this royal anointing. According to Israelite thought, the title Messiah was equivalent to King. The psalm we sing is taken from Psalm 23, which was written by King David himself! In this psalm, we both hear and pray, “You anoint my head with oil” (v. 5). In the Gospel of John (9:1-41), Jesus is shown to be the fulfillment of the Jewish feast of Hanukkah, which is also known as the Festival of Lights – an eight-day celebration commemorating the Second Century B.C. rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt. This festival is observed by the lighting of the eight-candle Menorah. One candle is lit each night, progressing to the eighth on the final night. Jesus is the “light of the world” (v. 5). He rose from the dead on the eighth day of the Jewish week: Sunday! John the Evangelist tells of Jesus healing “a man blind from birth” (v. 1). Jesus performed this healing in a very curious way: “he spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and smeared the clay on his eyes” (v. 6). The Greek word translated as “smeared” (epichrio) literally means “anointed.” This same verb is used again later in the same passage when this blind beggar gave testimony: “The man called Jesus made clay and anointed (epichrio) my eyes” (v. 11). Jesus opened this man’s eyes to natural light through this anointing to say what his Paschal Mystery (i.e. Suffering, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension) does for humanity supernaturally. We are blind beggars, wounded by the darkness of sin. Through the royal anointing of Baptism and Confirmation, Jesus unites us with his saving mystery, delivering us from sin and uniting us with “God [who] is light.” (2 John 1:5). The result has a real, lasting impact in our lives as Paul proclaims in the first reading: “Brothers and sisters: You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8-10). Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/22/22408-the-missing-peace/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/22/22408-the-missing-peace/#comments Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:00:31 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/22/21708-the-missing-peace/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/22/22408-the-missing-peace/feed/ The Third Sunday of Lent (Year A) Today is the Third Sunday of Lent, and the Gospel is from St. John’s account of the encounter between ... The Third Sunday of Lent (Year A) Today is the Third Sunday of Lent, and the Gospel is from St. John’s account of the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well (4:5-42). John, in portraying the conversation between Jesus and this woman at the well, draws heavily from the Old Testament in order to demonstrate the reality of who Jesus is and what he has come to accomplish. First, we need to review a bit of history to see what is happening here. In 930 B.C., after the death of King David’s son, Solomon, the Israelite Kingdom split into two factious kingdoms: (1) the Southern Kingdom of Judah with its capital at Jerusalem and (2) the Northern Kingdom of Israel with its capital at Samaria. Due to the unrepentant idolatry of the later kingdom, in 722 B.C. the foreign power of Assyria was allowed by God to conquer the Northern Kingdom of Israel and send these Israelites into exile. You can read about this in 2 Kings 17: “The king of Assyria took Samaria and deported the Israelites to Assyria” (v. 6). Later in the same chapter, we read: “The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the Israelites” (v. 24). Thereafter, the inhabitants of the region north of Judea – known as Samaria – were a mixed breed of foreign peoples and those northern Israelites who escaped exportation and were left in the land. In 2 Kings 17:29-34, we read about the gods which these five foreign peoples brought with them to Samaria. This same passage tells us that the Samaritans worshipped both the one true God as well as their own pagan gods. In the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus says to this woman: “You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one you are with now is not your husband.” The original readers of John’s Gospel would have known that it was at a well where Jacob, Isaac, and Moses met their future wives. In fact, we are told that Jesus met her at “Jacob’s well” (John 4:6). John shows himself to be a master literary artist and theologian by carefully scripting his Gospel to show us that Jesus himself is the bridegroom (Cf. John 3:29). The Samaritans have had five husbands – pagan gods apart from the one true God. As God come in the flesh, Jesus offers himself as groom to not only the Jews but even the Samaritans who were despised by the Jews. Jesus offers the gift of reconciliation by means of his Holy Spirit poured out in baptism (Cf. Romans 5:1-8). He unites what has been divided. In Jesus, world peace finds its source. As the saying goes: “Know Jesus, know peace. No Jesus, no peace.” Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/15/21708-listen-to-him/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/15/21708-listen-to-him/#comments Fri, 15 Feb 2008 16:00:06 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/15/2908-all-his-works-are-trustworthy/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/15/21708-listen-to-him/feed/ The Second Sunday of Lent (Year A) On this Second Sunday of Lent, the first reading taken from Genesis 12:1-4 is paramount to understanding the course ... The Second Sunday of Lent (Year A) On this Second Sunday of Lent, the first reading taken from Genesis 12:1-4 is paramount to understanding the course of Salvation History. Much like an abstract, this passage serves as a summary or a thesis of all God plans to do with humanity after that point in time. In this critical passage, God made three promises to the patriarch Abram (whose name was later changed by God to Abraham). The first promise is: “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you.” God made good on this promise when he formed the nation Israel under Moses and the Mosaic Covenant. To better understand the second promise: “I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing,” the reader would need to know that “I will make your name great" is a Hebrew idiom for “I will give you a dynasty.” In Hebrew and Old Testament thought, one’s name is made great when he is given kingship and his sons reign after him in succession. As an example, the names of Bourbon, Hapsburg, and Windsor were made great, for they were all European royal dynasties. This second promise was fulfilled when God anointed David as king over Israel through the Davidic Covenant in 2 Samuel 7. Through that covenant, Israel grew in status from a nation to a royal kingdom with David and his sons reigning over that kingdom. The third and final promise God made to Abram is “all the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you.” This promise extends beyond Israel and to the Gentiles – those who were not ethnically Israelites. It is through Jesus Christ and the New Covenant that the Kingdom of Israel is joined to the Gentiles within the Church and this promise finds fulfillment… Jesus and his Catholic Church are promised in this one small verse! “He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works, but according to his own design.” (2 Tim 1:8-10) These words of St. Paul in the second reading remind us to avoid the temptation to conform the word of God and the divine design to our misguided desires. Instead, we would do best to conform our minds, hearts, and wills to God’s design. His design (as we saw in the first reading) culminates in the unique person and work of Jesus Christ – God among us. In today’s Gospel account of the Transfiguration (Mt 17:1-9), God the Father says of Jesus: “Listen to him.” How can we listen if we do not open our hearts in silent prayer before the God who loves us more than we love ourselves? Lent is a time for us to fast from words and images and to create spaces of silence so that we can open our hearts to the true Word, the true Image of God. Turn off the television, the computer, the radio, and sit quietly in the presence of Jesus. Listen to him. Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/08/our-audience-is-growing/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/08/our-audience-is-growing/#comments Fri, 08 Feb 2008 20:26:53 +0000 Carson Weber News http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/08/our-audience-is-growing/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/08/our-audience-is-growing/feed/ Over 100 episodes of the Understanding the Scriptures Podcast are being downloaded each day with over 3,900 individuals (verified by way of unique IP addresses) ... Over 100 episodes of the Understanding the Scriptures Podcast are being downloaded each day with over 3,900 individuals (verified by way of unique IP addresses) having listened in. In addition, the website blog (what you're reading right now) has grown from 745 unique viewers in January of 2007 to almost 2,000 in January of 2008. Has the CatholicBoard.com apostolate been beneficial to you? We'd love to hear your comments. To give us feedback, click "Comments" just below the title of this post. News Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/08/21008-our-annual-lent-remover/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/08/21008-our-annual-lent-remover/#comments Fri, 08 Feb 2008 16:00:56 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/08/21008-our-annual-lent-remover/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/08/21008-our-annual-lent-remover/feed/ The First Sunday of Lent (Year A) Today is the First Sunday of Lent, a season that began on Ash Wednesday and lasts until the Mass ... The First Sunday of Lent (Year A) Today is the First Sunday of Lent, a season that began on Ash Wednesday and lasts until the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday: that Thursday before Easter Sunday. Lent is a Teutonic (i.e. German) word that originally meant: “spring season.” It is time for our yearly, intense spring cleaning of the soul. We put our penitential lives in full gear (which should already be in gear as a part of our normal, day-to-day Christian life) so as to subdue our weakened flesh and put it to the service of the Spirit. We accomplish this with that healthy billow pad of penance - the three main forms of which are (1) Prayer, (2) Fasting, and (3) Acts of Charity such as Almsgiving. Now that we have entered Lent, our Scriptural gaze in the Liturgy of the Word focuses specifically on sin, our redemption from the slavery of sin through the salvific events in the life of Jesus, and putting on the “new nature” (Ephesians 4:24) by fighting the flesh with the weapon of the Spirit whom we received in baptism. Taken from Genesis 2 3, the first reading recounts how man was endowed from the beginning with sanctifying grace: “the LORD God … blew into his nostrils the breath of life and so man became a living being.” This was a significant part of man’s creation, which the animals lacked. It also recounts the Fall of Man, wherein humanity (this is what the Hebrew word ‘adam means) died spiritually and lost this abundant gift of sanctifying grace. Original Sin is essentially not a positive mark on the soul, but instead, an absence of sanctifying grace in the soul. Man must be reborn! The responsorial psalm is taken from the famous penitential psalm of King David after “his affair with Bathsheba” (Psalm 51:2) wherein David repented with his whole heart. William James, a famous Harvard philosopher, once said, “I would sin like David if only I could repent like David!” The second reading gives St. Paul’s exhortation to the Church in Rome, when he compared Jesus with Adam. In Jesus, what happened in Adam is undone: “For just as through the disobedience of one person the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19). In the two-thousand year old Christian tradition (which is distinctively Catholic), when we receive the gift of justification won by Jesus through the instrument of holy baptism, this justification is more than just a mere acquittal in a courtroom setting… In fact, it is the very reception of sanctifying grace by which we are “made righteous.” That is what this holy season of Lent is all about. We focus upon repenting from our sinful ways and embracing the gift of God’s amazing grace. Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/01/2308-god-alone-satisfies/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/01/2308-god-alone-satisfies/#comments Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:00:04 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/01/2308-god-alone-satisfies/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/02/01/2308-god-alone-satisfies/feed/ The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) In today’s first reading, we listen to the prophet Zephaniah speak against a corrupt Jerusalem. In his ... The Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) In today’s first reading, we listen to the prophet Zephaniah speak against a corrupt Jerusalem. In his time, which was in the 600’s B.C., religious practices completely alien to the pure monotheism taught by Moses flourished as men embraced old idolatries and worshiped objects such as the sun, moon, and stars. Against this idolatry, the prophet commands his fellow Israelites to seek God in humility because impending doom is surely to come upon Jerusalem as punishment for such widespread idolatry. In 587 B.C., Jerusalem and its glorious Temple were indeed completely destroyed by the Babylonian armies. The inhabitants within and around Jerusalem were then sent into exile to Babylon. This begins the Babylonian captivity. While the LORD does indeed punish sin, he also promises mercy: “But I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD” (Zeph 3:12). As a sort of redemptive punishment, the Babylonian captivity taught the exiled Israelites to hope in the LORD alone. Not in astrology. Not in material goods. Not in any other power or force other than the One who sustains everything in being through his divine providence. The exile taught Israel to be humble, to be servant-like… basically, to embrace a holy way of life. Jesus – the eternal Son of God made man – lived out Israel’s vocation perfectly in complete submission to God the Father as Israel was supposed to do all along. It is through this perfect and divinely lived human life of Jesus that we are saved. He accomplished in human flesh what we could never attain on our own. In and through our Christian Baptism, Jesus then gives us his own divine life and empowers us to become holy. So far, we have seen that God punishes the sin of prideful idolatry so as to humble his children, to lead them into his own beatitude. In the Gospel (Matthew 5:1-12), Jesus proclaims the Beatitudes, which are blessings given to those who exhibit humility of heart. Today’s lesson has been summed up beautifully in the words of St. Augustine in his famous Confessions: How is it, then, that I seek you, Lord? Since in seeking you, my God, I seek a happy life, let me seek you so that my soul may live, for my body draws life from my soul and my soul draws life from you. (10:20) “God alone satisfies,” said St. Thomas Aquinas. Our ultimate joy rests in (1) recognizing our poverty, (2) falling from the artificial protection of personal pride, and (3) growing in an honest, prayer-filled relationship with God through Jesus Christ in the Holy Spirit. This is the timeless, tried and true lesson of the Saints. It is also the message our world so badly needs to hear. Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/26/faith-and-works/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/26/faith-and-works/#comments Sat, 26 Jan 2008 18:17:37 +0000 Carson Weber Life Teen Video http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/26/faith-and-works/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/26/faith-and-works/feed/ [flv:http://media.libsyn.com/media/catholicboard/MikeGormley_FaithAndWorks.flv http://catholicboard.com/images/mike_gormley_faith_works.jpg 480 340] [flv:http://media.libsyn.com/media/catholicboard/MikeGormley_FaithAndWorks.flv http://catholicboard.com/images/mike_gormley_faith_works.jpg 480 340] Life Teen Video Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/25/12708-putting-together-the-pieces/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/25/12708-putting-together-the-pieces/#comments Fri, 25 Jan 2008 14:00:04 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/25/putting-together-the-pieces/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/25/12708-putting-together-the-pieces/feed/ The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) A central theme that permeates the prophets in the Old Testament is that of exile and restoration. ... The Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) A central theme that permeates the prophets in the Old Testament is that of exile and restoration. To grasp this theme, one must be familiar with the family story of Israel, which is our same family story as Christians. The story goes like this: A man named Jacob was renamed by God with the new name “Israel.” This man, Israel, had twelve sons, from whom descended twelve tribes. These twelve loosely-knit tribes formed a unified kingdom under a man after God’s own heart: King David. However, due to sin, this kingdom split into two divided, factious kingdoms when David’s son: Solomon died. They are known as (1) the Northern Kingdom of Israel with 10 tribes and (2) The Southern Kingdom of Judah with 2 tribes. Around the year 722 B.C., the King of Assyria (named Sennacherib) conquered and exiled the inhabitants of the Northern Kingdom of Israel. Thereafter, these 10 tribes of Israel were nowhere to be found. So, today they are popularly known as the “Ten Lost Tribes.” Sennacherib knew how to utterly defeat a people who found their strength in their racial makeup. He had Israel intermix and intermarry among the surrounding nations (i.e., the “Gentiles”). In doing so, these 10 tribes lost their racial, national identity. However, the Southern Kingdom of Judah survived a while longer. In 586 B.C., Babylon conquered the Southern Kingdom and sent them into exile. When these exiled Judah-ites were finally allowed to return to the Holy Land, they were known as “Jews” (taken from “Judah”), but the Jews were only 2/12 of Israel! For, the other 10/12 of Israel were scattered among the Gentiles. This background is essential to understanding today’s Liturgy of the Word. The Prophet Isaiah speaks of how Assyria began conquering Israel in the northernmost regions of Zebulun and Naphtali. Simultaneously, he promises a future restoration – an undoing of this exile. In today’s Gospel, Matthew recounts where Jesus began his public ministry… at an extremely strategic location: Capernaum, which is a town that lied within the tribal region of Naphtali. What is the significance? Well, what would you say is the key to good business for a gas station? Location, location, location! Jesus is fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy. Jesus begins to restore Israel, all 12 tribes of Israel, as Israel’s King, where Israel began to be conquered and deported! Jesus is saying: “Isaiah’s promise of a future redeemer has come. I am that redeemer. I am the Son of David, the conquering King. I have come to take you out of exile and restore you to glory greater than that of Solomon.” Jesus took up his throne at the resurrection to unite Jew with Gentile, simultaneously restoring the twelve tribes in his Church. Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/18/12008-not-your-ordinary-church/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/18/12008-not-your-ordinary-church/#comments Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:00:21 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/18/12008-not-your-ordinary-church/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/18/12008-not-your-ordinary-church/feed/ The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Today’s first reading from Isaiah (49:3, 5-6) speaks of God’s servant… a mysterious figure that in hindsight, we ... The Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Today’s first reading from Isaiah (49:3, 5-6) speaks of God’s servant… a mysterious figure that in hindsight, we now know is fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. Through this servant, the broken and divided kingdom of Israel will be reunited with the nations (those who are not Israelites, from every other nation). It is too little, the Lord says, for you to be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth. (Is 49:6) In the time of Jesus, only 3 of the original 12 tribes of Israel were among those called “Jews” (those from Judah, Benjamin, and Levi) because the other tribes – before Isaiah came onto the scene – had split off and formed their own kingdom, which was eventually destroyed and exiled by Assyria to the surrounding Gentile nations. These tribes were then intermixed and intermarried among the Gentiles in such a way that they eventually lost their identity as Israelites. In order to re-gather and restore all 12 tribes of Israel (and not just his contemporary kinsmen, the Jews), Jesus must be made known among the Gentiles (a word meaning “nations”), among whom the other lost tribes were scattered centuries ago! God’s covenant promises to Israel turn out to be the very instrument by which the whole world is saved! Of course, God knew this all along. Divine providence, in its inscrutable ways, works for our good in ways that we could never have dreamed (Cf. Romans 8:28). In the Gospel today, St. John the Baptist declares the colorblind nature of our redemption: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (Jn 1:29). In the New Covenant, anyone who is baptized receives the gift of adoption into God’s family. No longer is this privilege marked out by one’s racial heritage. In like manner, one should be a Catholic not because his or her parents were Catholic, but because Catholicism is true, because of the personal decision to embrace Jesus Christ as the King of kings, the Lord of lords. Faith is a personal act – the free response of the human person to the initiative of God who reveals himself. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 166) In the Catholic Church – God’s covenant family – Israel is redeemed in union with all the nations. Humanity is restored once again as a united international family. Every family shares a name and a nature. In the Church, we share the name of the Blessed Trinity as we sign ourselves: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We drink of the same Spirit, who gives to us a new nature in baptism and ever renews that nature through the other sacraments, especially in the Holy Eucharist. Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/13/11308-the-baptism-of-jesus/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/13/11308-the-baptism-of-jesus/#comments Sun, 13 Jan 2008 20:13:30 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/13/11308-the-baptism-of-jesus/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/13/11308-the-baptism-of-jesus/feed/ The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Year A) Christmas officially ends today as we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord even though the shopping ... The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord (Year A) Christmas officially ends today as we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord even though the shopping malls would have us think that Christmas ended as the sun rose on December 26th. The epiphany (manifestation) of Jesus has been celebrated throughout this season of the liturgical calendar. Christ was manifested in his nativity, by his first miracle at the Wedding of Cana, and through the supernatural events surrounding his monumental baptism in the Jordan River by St. John the Baptist. In a sense, the Epiphany culminates with today’s great feast. Our first reading today comes from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. Speaking for God, Isaiah proclaims that the coming Messiah will be an anointed servant: Thus says the Lord: “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit" (Isaiah 42:1) We hear the Prophet’s words echoed as Jesus is baptized. In the Gospel today, Saint Matthew the Evangelist records this momentous event: After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Mt 3:16-17) This anointing of Jesus with the Holy Spirit, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophesy, is what makes Jesus the Messiah or Christ. Messiah or Christ, meaning “the anointed one,” is what Jesus becomes through this event. Jesus is anointed with the Spirit to accomplish three roles: (1) High Priest, (2) Prophet, and (3) Heavenly King. As Christians, when we were baptized, we were at that time anointed with the Holy Spirit as priest, prophet, and king to share in the life and vocation of Jesus the Christ. We are to make of our life a complete self-sacrifice, offered in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Our witness to Jesus and his teaching among our family, friends, and coworkers fulfills our vocation as prophet. And, when we extend the reign of the King by submitting our lives and everything they entail – even our sexuality and finances – to the Lordship of Jesus, we extend the reign of Messiah Jesus. As we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we recall a real, historical event in the life of Christ. This event is made present to us in the baptismal liturgy, for the liturgy extends the Paschal Mystery into our midst and allows us to partake in the saving events in the life of Christ through the sacraments. So, we are not merely calling to mind an anecdotal story from the past. Much more, this historical event has far-reaching implications for each and every one of our lives… if we allow it to have that impact upon us. Sunday Scripture Commentaries Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/12/wherewho-are-you/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/12/wherewho-are-you/#comments Sat, 12 Jan 2008 14:00:47 +0000 Carson Weber Podcasts http://catholicboard.com/2007/03/23/wherewho-are-you/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/12/wherewho-are-you/feed/ 1:59 Tell us about yourself on CatholicBoard.com This post is for those who are subscribed to the Understanding the Scriptures podcast. We have many, many, many podcast subscribers from all over the world. Where are you? Who are you? This is the place where you can contribute by clicking "comments" (it's in small gray letters just under the title of this post). Tell us about yourself. Tell us where you live. Leave feedback. It's your turn to speak out... Podcasts Carson Weber no No http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/06/1608-manifestation-of-the-messiah/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/06/1608-manifestation-of-the-messiah/#comments Sun, 06 Jan 2008 14:00:36 +0000 Carson Weber Sunday Scripture Commentaries http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/06/1608-manifestation-of-the-messiah/ http://catholicboard.com/2008/01/06/1608-manifestation-of-the-messiah/feed/ The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (Year A) Originally in the East, Christmas was celebrated on January 6, and in the West, it was ... The Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (Year A) Originally in the East, Christmas was celebrated on January 6, and in the West, it was celebrated on December 25. With time, the Church decided to keep both dates and to focus upon different themes on these two days. On Dec. 25, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord. On January 6, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. Epiphany comes from the Greek epiphaneia, which literally means “manifestation”. The first part of the word – epi – means “forth” and the second part of the word – phaneia – means “to show”. Taken together, the word means “to show forth” or “to manifest.” We can see why the Church has chosen this word as a title for today’s solemnity when we look at the first reading taken from the Prophet Isaiah: “Your light has come … upon you the Lord shines and over you appears his glory. Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance … Your sons come from afar … the wealth of nations shall be brought to you … All from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the Lord.” (Isaiah 60:1-6). When the glory of God is made manifest in the Christ child, in Jesus born of Mary, Old Testament prophecy is fulfilled; salvation is made manifest not only for Israel, but also for all of the other Gentile nations represented by the visiting Magi. Salvation is not exclusively reserved for Israel: God’s chosen people. This is the theme of the second reading (Eph. 3:2-6). There is an old Rabbinical saying: “If anyone learns anything from the magi, let him be accursed.” Why is that? Well, the magi were foreign magicians who dabbled in the black arts, using gold, frankincense, and myrrh in their magical incantations. These were men who knew the stars through astrology. In the Biblical narrative, we’re witnessing far more than foreign kings bearing gifts for the King of kings. We see men laying down their idolatrous ways at the feet of the one true God! Here, we see the first Christian evangelization at work. Jesus evangelizes even from his crib! The psalm response we sing