Dan Martin's RCIA BLOG 2019
With the new year of RCIA upon us and with my work schedule preventing me from being able to participate in RCIA classes, I thought I’d write a blog here in the parish web site so I can throw in my two cents worth every week so here goes, I hope to not be too long winded or long typed.
Sacraments: Jan 20, 2019
As we move from the Christmas season towards Lent the RCIA calendar has its focus on the Sacramental life of the Church. While there are many God fearing Christians who do not seem to think sacraments are important, to me Sacraments are gigantic in my walk of life. For one thing Jesus gave us the Sacraments as a way to experience Him, to revel in His Real Presence. When you factor in the reality of the Communion of Saints, the Sacraments not only give us access to Jesus, but to anyone in that oneness of Jesus. So that means since I am one with Jesus thru the Sacraments, and my brother 3000 miles away is one with Jesus thru the Sacraments, guess what, that means I can experience a oneness with my brother as well. Also too anyone who has gone before us, experiencing oneness with Jesus in Heaven, therefore means I can experience oneness with anyone in Heaven as well. All part of the Family of God which is not limited to time, nor space, nor era. Oneness in the family with Jesus as our ultimate Patriarch watching over us all and keeping us together. Now that’s what Church really is, isn’t it?
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
As we move from the Christmas season towards Lent the RCIA calendar has its focus on the Sacramental life of the Church. While there are many God fearing Christians who do not seem to think sacraments are important, to me Sacraments are gigantic in my walk of life. For one thing Jesus gave us the Sacraments as a way to experience Him, to revel in His Real Presence. When you factor in the reality of the Communion of Saints, the Sacraments not only give us access to Jesus, but to anyone in that oneness of Jesus. So that means since I am one with Jesus thru the Sacraments, and my brother 3000 miles away is one with Jesus thru the Sacraments, guess what, that means I can experience a oneness with my brother as well. Also too anyone who has gone before us, experiencing oneness with Jesus in Heaven, therefore means I can experience oneness with anyone in Heaven as well. All part of the Family of God which is not limited to time, nor space, nor era. Oneness in the family with Jesus as our ultimate Patriarch watching over us all and keeping us together. Now that’s what Church really is, isn’t it?
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
Epiphany: Jan 6, 2019
Ah here we are, Epiphany of the Lord. A wonderful event that indicates Jesus is not only Messiah of the Chosen People but really the Messiah of the Universe. It is interesting that this event, showing the manifestation of God among us, occurs before the Presentation in the Temple, showing the manifestation of God among the Chosen People. The feast of the Presentation will be in a week. There’s a theory that the Magi were also here to invite Jesus to study philosophy in their part of the world as a young adult. Given that the time between ages 12 and 30 Jesus did achieve his education and was a Rabbi, he could well have spent some of that time enriching his horizons and preparing himself for the ultimate mission. Anyway you look at it, today is significant in that the whole universe recognizes Jesus as it’s Savior, Messiah, and King. We welcome God among us to teach us and show us the way to Heaven.
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
Ah here we are, Epiphany of the Lord. A wonderful event that indicates Jesus is not only Messiah of the Chosen People but really the Messiah of the Universe. It is interesting that this event, showing the manifestation of God among us, occurs before the Presentation in the Temple, showing the manifestation of God among the Chosen People. The feast of the Presentation will be in a week. There’s a theory that the Magi were also here to invite Jesus to study philosophy in their part of the world as a young adult. Given that the time between ages 12 and 30 Jesus did achieve his education and was a Rabbi, he could well have spent some of that time enriching his horizons and preparing himself for the ultimate mission. Anyway you look at it, today is significant in that the whole universe recognizes Jesus as it’s Savior, Messiah, and King. We welcome God among us to teach us and show us the way to Heaven.
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
Advent 4th Week: Dec 23, 2018
With RCIA in the Christmas break I thought I’d share an observation. As many of you know I also maintain a portion of the Parish website and I like to keep the main page according to the theme of the week. As I was scouring over the internet searching for a picture of Mary and Joseph approaching Bethlehem I was disturbed at the pictures I was looking at. Every one I saw included the Star of David in the night sky. Now the Star of David is a wonderful part of the Christmas story but it has nothing to do with Mary and Joseph trekking from Nazareth to Bethlehem. They knew where they were going and why … as descendants of David they went to the town of David to register for the census for taxation purposes to Rome. The Star represents the search for Jesus, the new King, the Hope for mankind, the true Shepherd of his people. Therefore the shepherds watching their flock saw the star, and the Magi saw the star, and that Star guided them and us to Jesus. So as a result I picked a picture of Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem instead, didn’t quite match my vision, but close enough. Interestingly enough, everyone staying at the Inn in Bethlehem was also a descendant of David, there for the same reason. That means they were all cousins, family, you’d think one of them would have shared their room … Just Sayin’
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
With RCIA in the Christmas break I thought I’d share an observation. As many of you know I also maintain a portion of the Parish website and I like to keep the main page according to the theme of the week. As I was scouring over the internet searching for a picture of Mary and Joseph approaching Bethlehem I was disturbed at the pictures I was looking at. Every one I saw included the Star of David in the night sky. Now the Star of David is a wonderful part of the Christmas story but it has nothing to do with Mary and Joseph trekking from Nazareth to Bethlehem. They knew where they were going and why … as descendants of David they went to the town of David to register for the census for taxation purposes to Rome. The Star represents the search for Jesus, the new King, the Hope for mankind, the true Shepherd of his people. Therefore the shepherds watching their flock saw the star, and the Magi saw the star, and that Star guided them and us to Jesus. So as a result I picked a picture of Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem instead, didn’t quite match my vision, but close enough. Interestingly enough, everyone staying at the Inn in Bethlehem was also a descendant of David, there for the same reason. That means they were all cousins, family, you’d think one of them would have shared their room … Just Sayin’
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
Holy Mary Mother of God: Dec 9, 2018
The theme of RCIA this week is the Blessed Virgin Mary. This, also being the 2nd week of Advent we are reminded of John the Baptist as the voice crying in the wilderness preparing us for the adult coming of Christ to begin his ministry. “Prepare the way of the Lord and make straight his paths” as the Gospel of Luke tells us. It’s kind of interesting don’t you think that the Blessed Mother by her very existence is the embodiment of those very words. From her very conception into being, she has prepared herself for the coming of the Lord and lived her life making straight his paths. She is called the new
Eve, Mother of the human race, created by God to be his Mother. She is called the new Ark of the Covenant, the very vessel that contains God and therefore gives God to the world. What a wonderful example we have of this wonderful Ever-Blessed Mother dedicating her life giving us her Son and now by her Ever-Presence in Heaven continually telling us of her Son and to “Prepare the way of the Lord, and make straight his paths.”
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
The theme of RCIA this week is the Blessed Virgin Mary. This, also being the 2nd week of Advent we are reminded of John the Baptist as the voice crying in the wilderness preparing us for the adult coming of Christ to begin his ministry. “Prepare the way of the Lord and make straight his paths” as the Gospel of Luke tells us. It’s kind of interesting don’t you think that the Blessed Mother by her very existence is the embodiment of those very words. From her very conception into being, she has prepared herself for the coming of the Lord and lived her life making straight his paths. She is called the new
Eve, Mother of the human race, created by God to be his Mother. She is called the new Ark of the Covenant, the very vessel that contains God and therefore gives God to the world. What a wonderful example we have of this wonderful Ever-Blessed Mother dedicating her life giving us her Son and now by her Ever-Presence in Heaven continually telling us of her Son and to “Prepare the way of the Lord, and make straight his paths.”
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
Apostolic: Nov 25, 2018
This week as RCIA resumes the theme is the four marks of the Catholic Church. One aspect that stands to me as remarkable is the idea that the Church is Apostolic. What that means is that as the Church spread and grew in the first centuries there was one steadfast rule. That rule is wherever you happened to be to Worship, that assembly had to be connected to an Apostle. There were many groups that formed in the early days, rumors of churches founded by Joseph of Arimathea and Mary of Magdala and Lazarus. If any of these groups were not directly connected to the Apostles they quickly fell into heresy. Some groups formed but were brought in to the fold by the Apostles and stayed connected thereafter. One of the reasons why Paul’s letters were written was for that purpose, to keep all the assemblies connected and consistent. The entire new testament of Scripture was composed to that purpose as well. One of the truly wonderful aspects of the Church is that same connection still exists today, keeping all of us Christians connected and consistent is what makes the Church Catholic. So not only does the Family of God keep us connected to those in Heaven, but to all Christians throughout the world. Yes it’s a big family indeed and there’s always room for more.
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
This week as RCIA resumes the theme is the four marks of the Catholic Church. One aspect that stands to me as remarkable is the idea that the Church is Apostolic. What that means is that as the Church spread and grew in the first centuries there was one steadfast rule. That rule is wherever you happened to be to Worship, that assembly had to be connected to an Apostle. There were many groups that formed in the early days, rumors of churches founded by Joseph of Arimathea and Mary of Magdala and Lazarus. If any of these groups were not directly connected to the Apostles they quickly fell into heresy. Some groups formed but were brought in to the fold by the Apostles and stayed connected thereafter. One of the reasons why Paul’s letters were written was for that purpose, to keep all the assemblies connected and consistent. The entire new testament of Scripture was composed to that purpose as well. One of the truly wonderful aspects of the Church is that same connection still exists today, keeping all of us Christians connected and consistent is what makes the Church Catholic. So not only does the Family of God keep us connected to those in Heaven, but to all Christians throughout the world. Yes it’s a big family indeed and there’s always room for more.
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
Let Go and Let God: Nov 11, 2018
This week the first reading tells us of Elijah coming to a widow who was on her last bits of flour and oil. She was convinced her last bit would feed her and her son one more time then they would die. Elijah assured her that not only would she be able to feed the three of them but that God would not allow the jar to go empty. The jar indeed did not go empty and the three of them were able to eat for a year. The statement Let Go and Let God is a phrase commonly used in Alcoholics Anonymous and man what a difficult phrase that can be. Struggling to put food on the table for our families when finances get tight can be some of the most challenging times in our lives. The stress that comes with it can strain the strongest of families. The hardest part is learning to relax and allow the Lord to provide. As Elijah told the widow to not be afraid that’s our message, don’t be afraid. I know my message is to simply shut up and get out of the way and allow the Lord to do his thing. Oh what a challenge that can be, but a challenge none the less. So as we all go through these stressful times lets all pray for each other to Get out of the Way and allow the Lord to provide.
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
This week the first reading tells us of Elijah coming to a widow who was on her last bits of flour and oil. She was convinced her last bit would feed her and her son one more time then they would die. Elijah assured her that not only would she be able to feed the three of them but that God would not allow the jar to go empty. The jar indeed did not go empty and the three of them were able to eat for a year. The statement Let Go and Let God is a phrase commonly used in Alcoholics Anonymous and man what a difficult phrase that can be. Struggling to put food on the table for our families when finances get tight can be some of the most challenging times in our lives. The stress that comes with it can strain the strongest of families. The hardest part is learning to relax and allow the Lord to provide. As Elijah told the widow to not be afraid that’s our message, don’t be afraid. I know my message is to simply shut up and get out of the way and allow the Lord to do his thing. Oh what a challenge that can be, but a challenge none the less. So as we all go through these stressful times lets all pray for each other to Get out of the Way and allow the Lord to provide.
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
The Family of God: Nov 4, 2018
This past week we celebrated three holidays. The first one was Halloween, a terrifically pagan celebration that has its roots in the Catholic “All Hallows Eve” as in the night before the second holiday “All Hallows Day” or All Saints Day. The third holiday is “All Souls Day.” All three remind us of what the Catholic Church is. That is by definition the Universal Family of God, or the Universal Body of Christ. This concept of family is also not just uniquely Christian, it is part of our tradition passed on by our elder brothers and sisters in the faith, the people of Israel, the Chosen People. And like with all families, living or dead, together or separate, you’re always connected and are always family. Like all families the doors of communication are always open and communication is always available. I’m not sure why many of our protestant brothers and sisters seem to think that Church means only living on earth. They are missing out on such a powerful element of our Christianity. In the coming weeks and months of the RCIA process we’ll dig more and more deeply into this powerful element as we begin to talk about the Mass, the Sacraments, Prayer and devotionals, and all that the Christian faith is really all about. Just know this, with our strive for Holiness, we always work towards building and strengthening our connection not only to Jesus, but to each other as well here in the Universal Family of God.
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
This past week we celebrated three holidays. The first one was Halloween, a terrifically pagan celebration that has its roots in the Catholic “All Hallows Eve” as in the night before the second holiday “All Hallows Day” or All Saints Day. The third holiday is “All Souls Day.” All three remind us of what the Catholic Church is. That is by definition the Universal Family of God, or the Universal Body of Christ. This concept of family is also not just uniquely Christian, it is part of our tradition passed on by our elder brothers and sisters in the faith, the people of Israel, the Chosen People. And like with all families, living or dead, together or separate, you’re always connected and are always family. Like all families the doors of communication are always open and communication is always available. I’m not sure why many of our protestant brothers and sisters seem to think that Church means only living on earth. They are missing out on such a powerful element of our Christianity. In the coming weeks and months of the RCIA process we’ll dig more and more deeply into this powerful element as we begin to talk about the Mass, the Sacraments, Prayer and devotionals, and all that the Christian faith is really all about. Just know this, with our strive for Holiness, we always work towards building and strengthening our connection not only to Jesus, but to each other as well here in the Universal Family of God.
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
Sacred Scripture: Oct 29, 2018
There’s a new term in political circles these days. That term is called originalism. This is a term that describes how modern people interpret the American founding documents. That is to follow the original intent and meaning of those documents and apply that intent and meaning to modern times. Now this is different than those who somehow believe those writers had modern times in mind and somehow were writing to us instead of their own readers of those times. I am proud to say that our Catholic Church looks at scripture in the same manner. Remember last week my theme was “We didn’t make this stuff up” and scripture writers didn’t make up their stuff either. All New Testament scripture was written by Catholics in the light of Catholic teaching which is the same teaching that exists today. I remember one of my mentor Priests giving the advice on how Catholics are to interpret scripture. He said to follow four rules: #1 Who wrote it, #2 When did he write it, #3 To whom was he writing it for, and finally #4 Why did he feel the need to write it. What’s amazing is when you follow these rules it’s easy to figure out why “Corinthians” isn’t quite the same as “Romans” and “Matthew” isn’t quite the same as “John” and how some Catholic teachings are silent in scripture. It is amazing to know that scripture was written to assist in Catholic teaching to the intended reading audience, simple as that. I myself am very thankful that that teaching has survived the ages, and allows scripture to make sense in an era where scripture is often used to promote heretical agendas causing confusion and doubt. I feel very confident I can trust in what the Catholic Church teaches us and has given us the Sacred Scripture to assist in that trust.
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
There’s a new term in political circles these days. That term is called originalism. This is a term that describes how modern people interpret the American founding documents. That is to follow the original intent and meaning of those documents and apply that intent and meaning to modern times. Now this is different than those who somehow believe those writers had modern times in mind and somehow were writing to us instead of their own readers of those times. I am proud to say that our Catholic Church looks at scripture in the same manner. Remember last week my theme was “We didn’t make this stuff up” and scripture writers didn’t make up their stuff either. All New Testament scripture was written by Catholics in the light of Catholic teaching which is the same teaching that exists today. I remember one of my mentor Priests giving the advice on how Catholics are to interpret scripture. He said to follow four rules: #1 Who wrote it, #2 When did he write it, #3 To whom was he writing it for, and finally #4 Why did he feel the need to write it. What’s amazing is when you follow these rules it’s easy to figure out why “Corinthians” isn’t quite the same as “Romans” and “Matthew” isn’t quite the same as “John” and how some Catholic teachings are silent in scripture. It is amazing to know that scripture was written to assist in Catholic teaching to the intended reading audience, simple as that. I myself am very thankful that that teaching has survived the ages, and allows scripture to make sense in an era where scripture is often used to promote heretical agendas causing confusion and doubt. I feel very confident I can trust in what the Catholic Church teaches us and has given us the Sacred Scripture to assist in that trust.
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
Divine Revelation: Oct 21, 2018
One of the many criticisms Christians and people of Faith in general hear from non-believers has to do with rules to follow and methods of control and things like that. Quite often there’s an accusation similar to the statement, “Somebody somewhere decided to make up some stuff in order to place controls over groups of people for the purpose of gaining wealth and eventually to take over the world.” Have you heard this? I certainly have heard it and from multiple sources, including in an RCIA class in the past. I have a family member who firmly believes this, not necessarily from his own thought, but what was taught to him in his family. To be honest it does sound reasonable, problem is, if it were true what would the World be like? The western world, while not directly Christian, is based on Judeo-Christian (meaning through Christian and Jewish history) ethics. When you see a stop sign while driving, do you stop because it is the law, or do you stop because it’s the right thing to do? What we know is this; no one made any of this stuff up. Everything we know and share comes from God. It was God who communicated with Adam and Eve, Noah, and Abraham, and throughout salvation history and then ultimately communicated by sending his only son Jesus to live with us and walk with us and show us the way to be in ultimate oneness with him. The Church is clear on teaching that Divine Revelation concluded with Jesus, meaning all we need to know can be learned from Jesus. Also meaning that no new teaching exists and any such new teaching is automatically considered heresy. What New Testament Scripture, Church Father’s writings, and Church Documents are, are simply new ways of explaining the teachings of Jesus to fit the times of those writings. It’s mind bending to consider the incredible Gift from God of analogy to read the Scripture letters of St. Paul, molding the teachings of Jesus to fit the many groups of people and leaders he wrote to in the first century. The bottom line is we human beings aren’t that smart, we didn’t make this stuff up.
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
One of the many criticisms Christians and people of Faith in general hear from non-believers has to do with rules to follow and methods of control and things like that. Quite often there’s an accusation similar to the statement, “Somebody somewhere decided to make up some stuff in order to place controls over groups of people for the purpose of gaining wealth and eventually to take over the world.” Have you heard this? I certainly have heard it and from multiple sources, including in an RCIA class in the past. I have a family member who firmly believes this, not necessarily from his own thought, but what was taught to him in his family. To be honest it does sound reasonable, problem is, if it were true what would the World be like? The western world, while not directly Christian, is based on Judeo-Christian (meaning through Christian and Jewish history) ethics. When you see a stop sign while driving, do you stop because it is the law, or do you stop because it’s the right thing to do? What we know is this; no one made any of this stuff up. Everything we know and share comes from God. It was God who communicated with Adam and Eve, Noah, and Abraham, and throughout salvation history and then ultimately communicated by sending his only son Jesus to live with us and walk with us and show us the way to be in ultimate oneness with him. The Church is clear on teaching that Divine Revelation concluded with Jesus, meaning all we need to know can be learned from Jesus. Also meaning that no new teaching exists and any such new teaching is automatically considered heresy. What New Testament Scripture, Church Father’s writings, and Church Documents are, are simply new ways of explaining the teachings of Jesus to fit the times of those writings. It’s mind bending to consider the incredible Gift from God of analogy to read the Scripture letters of St. Paul, molding the teachings of Jesus to fit the many groups of people and leaders he wrote to in the first century. The bottom line is we human beings aren’t that smart, we didn’t make this stuff up.
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
Sign of the Cross: Oct 14, 2018
With the RCIA season coming in to full swing. Now the classes get a bit more Catholic in nature. This week’s class centers around the teaching of the Mystery of the Trinity. That is one God in three Persons and an extra emphasis on the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity. The Trinity is part of that ponderment of our lives, meaning we will ponder it our entire lives knowing we’ll never get a real grasp of it, part of being comfortable with Mystery, we Catholics must be. The story goes of Augustine walking along the beach and observing a young boy with a pail pouring ocean water into a small hole he had created up the beach. Augustine saw this and asked the boy, “What are you doing?” The boy replied, “I’m going to pour the entire ocean into this hole.” To which Augustine commented, “You’ll never be able to pour the entire ocean into that hole.” Then he walked along further down the beach and then heard the boy say, “And you’ll also never fully understand the Mystery of the Trinity.” Augustine spun around and saw no one there. From the earliest times in the Church Christians have pondered this wonderful Mystery and also from the earliest times have expressed a communication of Trinitarian belief in the gesture of the Sign of the Cross. The combination of remembering what Jesus did for us on the Cross and expressing our recognition of the Holy Trinity has been a part of Christian practice from the very early days. In parts of the world where Christianity had to be kept in secret for fear of their lives it was a quiet sign of our identity, sort of a secret handshake if you will. Along with most Traditions once you start it, it remains with us forever. In future blogs I’ll mention a few more of these traditions. So as you make the Sign of the Cross, think of my patron Saint Peter Canal in Australia approaching a group of islanders to whom he had preached to many years prior, but wasn’t sure about, upon making the Sign of the Cross saw one of the group make the same Sign in return, say to himself “WHEW! Christians!”
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
With the RCIA season coming in to full swing. Now the classes get a bit more Catholic in nature. This week’s class centers around the teaching of the Mystery of the Trinity. That is one God in three Persons and an extra emphasis on the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity. The Trinity is part of that ponderment of our lives, meaning we will ponder it our entire lives knowing we’ll never get a real grasp of it, part of being comfortable with Mystery, we Catholics must be. The story goes of Augustine walking along the beach and observing a young boy with a pail pouring ocean water into a small hole he had created up the beach. Augustine saw this and asked the boy, “What are you doing?” The boy replied, “I’m going to pour the entire ocean into this hole.” To which Augustine commented, “You’ll never be able to pour the entire ocean into that hole.” Then he walked along further down the beach and then heard the boy say, “And you’ll also never fully understand the Mystery of the Trinity.” Augustine spun around and saw no one there. From the earliest times in the Church Christians have pondered this wonderful Mystery and also from the earliest times have expressed a communication of Trinitarian belief in the gesture of the Sign of the Cross. The combination of remembering what Jesus did for us on the Cross and expressing our recognition of the Holy Trinity has been a part of Christian practice from the very early days. In parts of the world where Christianity had to be kept in secret for fear of their lives it was a quiet sign of our identity, sort of a secret handshake if you will. Along with most Traditions once you start it, it remains with us forever. In future blogs I’ll mention a few more of these traditions. So as you make the Sign of the Cross, think of my patron Saint Peter Canal in Australia approaching a group of islanders to whom he had preached to many years prior, but wasn’t sure about, upon making the Sign of the Cross saw one of the group make the same Sign in return, say to himself “WHEW! Christians!”
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
Incarnation of Jesus: Oct 7, 2018
OK I’ll admit it, last week was certainly too long for a blog. This week’s two cents worth has to do with an argument we hear about all the time. Now we do know Jesus came to the world to be with us and to teach us and to show us what it takes to be one with Him. We also know that in order for perfection to come into the world, He had to come through a perfect vessel, the sinless Virgin Mary. While all of this seems fundamental in Catholic teaching we still hear an argument made, even through some Catholic sources. That argument is “Did Jesus always know He was God?” You’ll hear some argue that he did not until … and then they’ll say an event like the Miracle at Cana, or discussion with Elders at age 12 in the Temple, or the Transfiguration, and so on and so on. Well for anyone who may believe this I got news for ya, Jesus knew He was God from day one, Mary and Joseph know He was God from day one, Elizabeth and Zechariah knew He was God from day one, Simeon and Anna of the Temple knew He was God from day one, John the Baptist knew He was God from day one, and finally the official teaching of the Church is that He was God from day one. And when I say day one, I mean, as it’s defined in the Nicene Creed “Born of the Father before all ages” as well it should be for the 2nd Person of the Holy Trinity. While many are entitled to their opinion, it doesn’t make them correct. In fact I believe that the cousins Jesus and John the Baptist must have had many discussions about the events to come long before the meeting in the river Jordan. So I’ll finish my two cents worth with the simple statement “Jesus is God” Nuff said.
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
OK I’ll admit it, last week was certainly too long for a blog. This week’s two cents worth has to do with an argument we hear about all the time. Now we do know Jesus came to the world to be with us and to teach us and to show us what it takes to be one with Him. We also know that in order for perfection to come into the world, He had to come through a perfect vessel, the sinless Virgin Mary. While all of this seems fundamental in Catholic teaching we still hear an argument made, even through some Catholic sources. That argument is “Did Jesus always know He was God?” You’ll hear some argue that he did not until … and then they’ll say an event like the Miracle at Cana, or discussion with Elders at age 12 in the Temple, or the Transfiguration, and so on and so on. Well for anyone who may believe this I got news for ya, Jesus knew He was God from day one, Mary and Joseph know He was God from day one, Elizabeth and Zechariah knew He was God from day one, Simeon and Anna of the Temple knew He was God from day one, John the Baptist knew He was God from day one, and finally the official teaching of the Church is that He was God from day one. And when I say day one, I mean, as it’s defined in the Nicene Creed “Born of the Father before all ages” as well it should be for the 2nd Person of the Holy Trinity. While many are entitled to their opinion, it doesn’t make them correct. In fact I believe that the cousins Jesus and John the Baptist must have had many discussions about the events to come long before the meeting in the river Jordan. So I’ll finish my two cents worth with the simple statement “Jesus is God” Nuff said.
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
Original Sin: Sept 30, 2018
I’ve heard it said many times over the years that one element to becoming a Catholic is that you have to be comfortable with mystery. That is, while any subject may be taught and understood with confidence, no one but God, or anyone in Heaven, will ever have a full grasp of that subject. The entire idea of Original Sin is one such mystery that has baffled the brightest of minds throughout the centuries. I myself have struggled with this greatly over the years. The whole idea that one sin, eating the forbidden fruit, burdened us all forever with this sin. Sin is defined as turning away from God or a separation from God. So what did I do to warrant this separation anyway? I can remember asking this question many times over the years, never feeling comfortable with answers I was getting. I must admit it was the Star Trek in me that helped me with getting to a better comfort with this mystery. Let’s look at a brief synopsis of the story from the Book of Genesis. First there was Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden living and experiencing a total one-ness with God, in constant communication and connectedness with Him. Then the event happened and everything changed. The connectedness was ended and they were thrown out of the Garden of Eden into the world we live in today. While communication is still possible it is no longer automatic. While God can still choose whom to be connected with, like Noah, Abraham, Moses, The Blessed Mother, Prophets and more, nothing is automatic anymore. It took Star Trek thinking outside the box concerning time and space and universes and such to give me an inkling of how it all works. My understanding now is that God simply changed the universe at the prime moment of the Original Sin. So instead of living in Heaven on Earth as in the Garden, now Heaven is the state of total connectedness and the universe is, well, not. It wasn’t just the earth that changed but the entire universe, the entire time and space existence that resulted from the Big Bang that lost the connection. So while we are created perfect and in total Union with God in Heaven, when we are born into this universe, we are born into the separated state. While that all sounds quite grim, we do have a means of restoring our connectedness with God. That’s why the Son of God, Jesus Christ came into the world. He came to give us the means of restoring our connectedness. Knowing Jesus, serving Jesus, and experiencing Jesus through the Sacraments gives us that connectedness, which is how I define Holiness, and restoring that Heaven on Earth as best as we can given the universe in which we live. Our life as Catholics is all about that connectedness as we look forward to the total one-ness we will experience with God and each other in Heaven. Sorry I got long typed, I’ll try to be better in the weeks to come … Dan
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
I’ve heard it said many times over the years that one element to becoming a Catholic is that you have to be comfortable with mystery. That is, while any subject may be taught and understood with confidence, no one but God, or anyone in Heaven, will ever have a full grasp of that subject. The entire idea of Original Sin is one such mystery that has baffled the brightest of minds throughout the centuries. I myself have struggled with this greatly over the years. The whole idea that one sin, eating the forbidden fruit, burdened us all forever with this sin. Sin is defined as turning away from God or a separation from God. So what did I do to warrant this separation anyway? I can remember asking this question many times over the years, never feeling comfortable with answers I was getting. I must admit it was the Star Trek in me that helped me with getting to a better comfort with this mystery. Let’s look at a brief synopsis of the story from the Book of Genesis. First there was Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden living and experiencing a total one-ness with God, in constant communication and connectedness with Him. Then the event happened and everything changed. The connectedness was ended and they were thrown out of the Garden of Eden into the world we live in today. While communication is still possible it is no longer automatic. While God can still choose whom to be connected with, like Noah, Abraham, Moses, The Blessed Mother, Prophets and more, nothing is automatic anymore. It took Star Trek thinking outside the box concerning time and space and universes and such to give me an inkling of how it all works. My understanding now is that God simply changed the universe at the prime moment of the Original Sin. So instead of living in Heaven on Earth as in the Garden, now Heaven is the state of total connectedness and the universe is, well, not. It wasn’t just the earth that changed but the entire universe, the entire time and space existence that resulted from the Big Bang that lost the connection. So while we are created perfect and in total Union with God in Heaven, when we are born into this universe, we are born into the separated state. While that all sounds quite grim, we do have a means of restoring our connectedness with God. That’s why the Son of God, Jesus Christ came into the world. He came to give us the means of restoring our connectedness. Knowing Jesus, serving Jesus, and experiencing Jesus through the Sacraments gives us that connectedness, which is how I define Holiness, and restoring that Heaven on Earth as best as we can given the universe in which we live. Our life as Catholics is all about that connectedness as we look forward to the total one-ness we will experience with God and each other in Heaven. Sorry I got long typed, I’ll try to be better in the weeks to come … Dan
Feedback email: dan@mcacribbage.com
Existence of God: Sept 23, 2018
Talking about the Existence of God and Nature of God, coming in to the Church RCIA candidates usually come from different perspectives. Some are Baptized in other traditions, some are not Baptized at all, some are not validly Baptized, and of course some are Baptized Catholic but have not finished their initiation. Whatever the background may be, there’s almost always one perspective in common, that is a belief in God. While Hollywood would have us believe that God does not exist, the character Sheldon Cooper of “The Big Bang Theory” regularly ridicules God and religion as something trivial and a waste of time and energy, the fact truly is that the scientific community generally professes a belief in God, certainly at least in Intelligent Design of the Universe. In fact over 92% of Americans profess to a belief in God. The Humanistic society we live in does not tell us God doesn’t exist, rather that God is no longer important. The real battle we face as Christians is the relevance of God in our daily lives. I, for one, wouldn’t know how to live without my relationship with Jesus being smack dab in the middle of my life and the lives of my family members. I have a very difficult time understanding how anyone can live their daily lives without it. So what I’m going to leave this blog with today is a statement I truly believe in. To me the definition of the term evolution is the Will of God and the Work of the Holy Spirit in the Universe today. The very proof that God exists is that the Universe exists. Albert Einstein said in his interview to defect to the US “I do Believe God created the Universe. It’s my job to figure out how he did it”
Feedback: email me at dan@mcacribbage.com
Talking about the Existence of God and Nature of God, coming in to the Church RCIA candidates usually come from different perspectives. Some are Baptized in other traditions, some are not Baptized at all, some are not validly Baptized, and of course some are Baptized Catholic but have not finished their initiation. Whatever the background may be, there’s almost always one perspective in common, that is a belief in God. While Hollywood would have us believe that God does not exist, the character Sheldon Cooper of “The Big Bang Theory” regularly ridicules God and religion as something trivial and a waste of time and energy, the fact truly is that the scientific community generally professes a belief in God, certainly at least in Intelligent Design of the Universe. In fact over 92% of Americans profess to a belief in God. The Humanistic society we live in does not tell us God doesn’t exist, rather that God is no longer important. The real battle we face as Christians is the relevance of God in our daily lives. I, for one, wouldn’t know how to live without my relationship with Jesus being smack dab in the middle of my life and the lives of my family members. I have a very difficult time understanding how anyone can live their daily lives without it. So what I’m going to leave this blog with today is a statement I truly believe in. To me the definition of the term evolution is the Will of God and the Work of the Holy Spirit in the Universe today. The very proof that God exists is that the Universe exists. Albert Einstein said in his interview to defect to the US “I do Believe God created the Universe. It’s my job to figure out how he did it”
Feedback: email me at dan@mcacribbage.com
