Medical Aspects of the Crucifiction: What He Endured For Us.

Every year, I post this during Holy Week as we journey with Christ to His Cross and resurrection. It has always been my most popular post of the year in terms of hits, which shows us that Jesus is more relevant in our age than ever before.  We live in a time where it has been revealed that our foundations were built on sand and the storm that is buffeting us all is showing us we need to get to work building on solid ground. Thus people are searching for Truth. May this be of help in finding the Truth, which is a person, Jesus Christ.

Compiled by David Terasaka, M.D. ©1996. All Rights Reserved, David Terasaka, M.D. However, permission is hereby granted to copy and distribute free of charge for non-commercial purposes only.

Heb 12:2 - "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

In the last few hours of Jesus' life what did He endure, and what shame did He suffer?

EXCRUCIATE: to cause great agony, torment

Latin : ex : out of, from cruciate : cross

"from the cross"

The tone of this presentation can best be summarized in the word "excruciate", (the root of the word "excruciating") which refers to something which causes great agony or torment. The Latin roots of the word are :"ex", meaning from or out of, and "cruciate", meaning cross. The word "excruciate" comes from the Latin for "from, or out of, the cross".(Websters)

GENERAL OVERVIEW

Jesus spent the last hours before the crucifixion at several places in Jerusalem. He started the evening in the Upper Room, in southwest Jerusalem. At the Last Supper, He told the disciples that His body and His blood were to be given for them.(Matt 26: 26-29) He went outside of the city to the Garden of Gethesemane. He was then arrested and brought back to the to the palace of the High Priest. where He was questioned by Annas, a former High Priest, and Caiaphas, Annas' son in law . Afterwards, He was tried by the Sanhedrin, and found to be guilty of blasphemy by proclaiming Himself the Son of God. He was sentenced to the death penalty. Since only the Romans were able to execute criminals, He was sent to Pontius Pilate at the Antonia Fortress. Pilate, not finding anything wrong, sent Him to King Herod , who returned Him back to Pilate. Pilate, submitting to the pressure of the crowd, then ordered that Jesus be flogged and crucified. He was finally led out of the city walls to be crucified at Calvary.

THE HEALTH OF JESUS AND DEMANDS OF THE ORDEAL

It is reasonable to assume that Jesus was in good health prior to the ordeal that He faced in the hours before His death. Having been a carpenter and traveling throughout the land during His ministry would have required that He would be in good physical condition. Before the crucifixion, however, He was forced to walk 2.5 miles over a sleepless night, during which He suffered great anguish through His six trials, was mocked, ridiculed and severely beaten, and was abandoned by His friends and Father. (Edwards)

THE UPPER ROOM OR CENACULUM

The ordeal began in an upper room of a house at what we now call the Last Supper, where Jesus, in giving the first communion, predicted that His body and blood would be given.(Matt 26:17-29) Today in Jerusalem, one can visit the Cenacle or Cenaculum (Latin for dining hall), a room which is built over what is believed to be the site of the Upper Room, (Kollek) which was located on the southwestern aspect of the old city.

GETHESEMANE : oil press

Luke 22:44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

"the Spirit of God ....crushed"

From the upper room, Jesus went outside of the city walls where he spent time in prayer at the Garden of Gethesemane. The garden has many ancient olive trees today, some of which may have grown from the roots of the trees that were present in Jesus' time. (All trees in and around Jerusalem were cut down when the Romans conquered the city in 70 A.D. Olive trees can regenerate from their roots and live for thousands of years.) The name "Gethesemane", comes from the Hebrew Gat Shmanim, meaning "oil press" (Kollek). Since "oil" is used in the Bible to symbolize the Holy Spirit, it may be said that the garden is where "the Spirit of God was crushed".(Missler). It was here that Jesus agonized in prayer over what was to occur. It is significant that this is the only place in the KJV where the word "agony" is mentioned.(Strong's concordance) The Greek word for agony means to be "engaged in combat" (Pink) Jesus agonizes over what He is to go through, feeling that He is at the point of death.(Mark14:34) Yet He prays, "Not my will, but thine be done."

Of medical significance is that Luke mentions Him as having sweat like blood. The medical term for this, "hemohidrosis" or "hematidrosis" has been seen in patients who have experienced, extreme stress or shock to their systems. (Edwards) The capillaries around the sweat pores become fragile and leak blood into the sweat. A case history is recorded in which a young girl who had a fear of air raids in WW1 developed the condition after a gas explosion occurred in the house next door.(Scott)) Another report mentions a nun who, as she was threatened with death by the swords of the enemy soldiers," was so terrified that she bled from every part of her body and died of hemorrhage in the sight of her assailants."(Grafenberg) As a memorial to Jesus' ordeal, a church which now stands in Gethesemane is known as the Church of the Agony. (also called the Church of the Nations because many nations donated money to its construction.(Kollek)

ABANDONED BY MAN

Matthew 26:56: "Then all the disciples deserted him and fled."

Psa 22:11: "Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help."

While in Gethesemane, Jesus is betrayed by Judas and arrested by the Jews. His disciples all desert Him, even at the expense of running away naked (Mark 14:51-52). He is bound (John 18:12) then brought back to the city to the court of the High Priest, which is located near the Upper room.

ILLEGAL ASPECTS OF THE TRIAL OF JESUS

Following are some of the illegal aspects of the trial of Jesus:
Trials could occur only in the regular meeting places of the Sanhedrin (not in the palace of the High Priest)
Trials could not occur on the eve of the Sabbath or Feast Days or at night
A sentence of 'guilty' might only be pronounced on the day following the trial
THE ISSUE OF WITNESSES

Deut 19:15: "One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses."

Deut 17:6: "On the testimony of two or three witnesses a man shall be put to death, but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of only one witness."

Mark 14:56: "Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree."

While in the court of the High Priest, He was questioned by Annas (John 18:13) and struck by a soldier (John 18: 22). He was then brought to Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin. who sought to put Jesus to death by the false testimony of many witnesses. The witnesses brought against Him did not agree. By the law, no one could be put to death without the agreement of two or three witnesses. Although the witnesses did not agree, He was found guilty of blasphemy when He told them of His identity as the Son of God. He was sentenced to death. Jesus suffered ridicule from the palace guards, who spat on Him, beat Him and slapped Him on the face.(Mark 14:65.) During the trial, Peter denies Him three times. The proceedings of Jesus' trial violated many of the laws of His society. Among some of the other broken laws were:(Bucklin)

Any arrest could not be made at night.
The time and date of the trial were illegal because it took place at night and on the eve of the Sabbath. This time precluded any chance for the required adjournment to the next day in the event of a conviction.
The Sanhedrin was without authority to instigate charges. It was only supposed to investigate charges brought before it. In Jesus' trial, the court itself formulated the charges.
The charges against Jesus were changed during the trial. He was initially charged with blasphemy based upon His statement that He would be able to destroy and rebuild the Temple of God within three days, as well as His claim to be the Son of God. When He was brought before Pilate, the charge was that Jesus was a King and did not advocate paying taxes to the Romans.
As stated above, the requirement of two witnesses in agreement to merit the death penalty was not met.
The court did not meet in the regular meeting place of the Sanhedrin, as required by Jewish law.
Christ was not permitted a defense. Under Jewish law, an exhaustive search into the facts presented by the witnesses should have occurred.
The Sanhedrin pronounced the death sentence. Under law, the Sanhedrin were not allowed to convict and put the death sentence into effect. (John 18:31)
Today, one can visit the palace of the High Priest. where one can stand in the midst of the ruins of the courtyard. A model of the structure in Jesus' time is available for viewing.

PILATE'S VERDICT

Mark 15:15 - "Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified."

The Sanhedrin met early the next morning and sentenced Him to death. (Matthew 27:1) Because the Jews were not, and the Romans were, able to carry out an execution, Jesus was brought before Pilate. The charge was now changed to an allegation that Jesus claimed to be King and forbade the nation to pay taxes to Caesar. (Luke 23:5) In spite of all the charges, Pilate finds nothing wrong. He sends Jesus to Herod. Jesus is speechless before Herod, except to affirm that He is King of the Jews. Herod sends Him back to Pilate. Pilate is unable to convince the crowds of Jesus' innocence and orders Jesus to be put to death. Some sources state that it was Roman law that a criminal that was to be crucified had to be flogged first.(McDowell) Others believe that Jesus was flogged first by Pilate in the hope of getting Him off with a lighter punishment .(Davis) In spite of his efforts, the Jews allow Barabbas to be released and demand that Jesus be crucified, even crying that ,"His blood be on us and on our children!" (Matthew 27:25) Pilate hands Jesus over to be flogged and crucified.

It is at this point that Jesus suffers a severe physical beating. (Edwards) During a flogging, a victim was tied to a post, leaving his back entirely exposed. The Romans used a whip, called a flagrum or flagellum which consisted of small pieces of bone and metal attached to a number of leather strands. The number of strikes is not recorded in the gospels. The number of blows in Jewish law was set in Deuteronomy 25:3 at forty, but later reduced to 39 to prevent excessive blows by a counting error. (Holmans). The victim often died from the beating. (39 hits were believed to bring the criminal to "one from death".) Roman law did not put any limits on the number of blows given. (McDowell) During the flogging, the skin was stripped from the back, exposing a bloody mass of muscle and bone ("hamburger " : Metherall). Extreme blood loss occurred from this beating, weakening the victim. perhaps to the point of being unconscious.

ROMAN SOLDIERS MOCK AND BEAT JESUS

Matthew 27:28-30 (The soldiers) stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said. They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. Jesus was then beaten by the Roman soldiers. In mockery, they dressed Him in what was probably the cloak of a Roman officer, which was colored dark purple or scarlet .(Amplified Bible) He also wore the crown of thorns. Unlike the traditional crown which is depicted by an open ring, the actual crown of thorns may have covered the entire scalp.(Lumpkin) The thorns may have been 1 to 2 inches long. The gospels state that the Roman soldiers continued to beat Jesus on the head. The blows would drive the thorns into the scalp (one of the most vascular areas of the body) and forehead, causing severe bleeding.

THE CROWN OF THORNS AND THE ROBE

Genesis 3:17-18: "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field."Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool." The significance of the scarlet robe and crown of thorns is to emphasize Jesus' taking the sins of the world upon His body. The Bible describes sin by the color of scarlet (Is 1:18) and that thorns first appeared after the fall, as a sign of the curse. Thus, the articles that He wore are symbols to show that Jesus took on the sins (and the curse) of the world upon Himself. It is not clear that He wore the crown of thorns on the cross. Matthew describes that the Romans removed His clothes after the beating, and that they put His own clothes back on Him. (Matt 27:31)

THE SEVERITY OF THE BEATING

Isaiah 50:6: "I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting."
Isaiah 52:14: "..... Just as there were many who were appalled at him -- his appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness--"

The severity of the beating is not detailed in the gospels. However, in the book of Isaiah, it suggests that the Romans pulled out His beard.(Isaiah 50:8) . It is also mentions that Jesus was beaten so severely that His form did not look like that of "a son of a man" i.e. that of a human being. The literal translation of the verse reads, "So marred from the form of man was His aspect, that His appearance was not as that of a son of a man." People were appalled to look at Him (Isaiah 52:13). His disfigurement may explain why He was not easily recognized in His post resurrection appearances.(Missler) Today, one can visit a site known as the Lithostrotos, traditionally believed to be the floor of the Antonio Fortress.(although recent excavations may cast doubt on this theory (Gonen)) The floor is marked for games once played by the Roman soldiers

From the beating, Jesus walked on a path, now known as the Via Dolorosa or the "way of suffering", to be crucified at Golgotha. The total distance has been estimated at 650 yards. (Edwards). A narrow street of stone, it was probably surrounded by markets in Jesus' time. He was led through the crowded streets carrying the crossbar of the cross(called a patibulum) across His shoulders. The crossbar probably weighed between 80 to 110 pounds. He was surrounded by a guard of Roman soldiers, one of which carried a titulus, a sign which announced His crime of being "the King of the Jews" in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. On the way, He was unable to carry the cross. Some theorize that he may have fallen while going down the steps of the Antonio Fortress. A fall with the heavy patibulum on His back may have led to a contusion of the heart, predisposing His heart to rupture on the cross. (Ball) Simon of Cyrene (currently North Africa (Tripoli)), who apparently was affected by these events, was summoned to help.

The present Via Dolorosa was marked in the 16th century as the route over which Christ was led to His crucifixion.(Magi) As is the location of Calvary, the true location of the Via Dolorosa is disputed. Much tradition as to what happened to Jesus is encountered on the Via Dolorosa today. There are 14 stations of 'events' that occurred and 9 churches on the way today. The stations of the cross were established in the 1800's. (Magi) Today, there is one section of the path where one can walk on the stones which were used during Jesus time.

SUFFERING ON THE CROSS

Psalm 22:16-17: Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me."
The crucifixion event is prophesied in several places throughout the Old Testament. One of the most striking is recorded in Isaiah 52:13 ,where it says that , "My servant will act wisely (or prosper) .He will be raised and lifted up and greatly exalted." In John 3, Jesus talks about His fulfillment of that prophecy when He says, "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life." He refers to the events recorded in Numbers 21:6-9. The Lord had sent a plague of fiery serpents on the people of Israel and they bit the people so that many of the people died. After the people confessed their sin to Moses, the Lord for gave them by having a bronze serpent made. Bronze is a symbol for judgment and the serpent is a symbol of the curse. Whoever was bitten by a serpent and then looked at the bronze serpent, was saved from death.. These verses are prophecies that point to the crucifixion, in the Jesus would be (lifted up ) on the cross for the judgment of sin, so that whoever believed in Him should not die (an eternal death), but live an eternal life. II Cor 5 :21 amplifies this point, in that "He (the Father) made Him who knew no sin (the Son) to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."(Pink) It is interesting that the sign of Aesculapius which is the symbol of the medical profession today, had its roots from the making of the bronze serpent.(Metherall) Indeed, Jesus is the healer of all! Jesus is led to the place of the skull (Latin Calvary, Aramaic :Golgotha) to be crucified. The actual location of Calvary is also in dispute. At the end of the Via Dolorosa, there is a "T intersection". If one turns left, we go to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. If one turns to the right, one goes to Gordon's Calvary. The Church of the Holy sepulcher has long been believed to be the traditional site of the crucifixion.

Gordon's Calvary has a possible prophetic reason for being the actual site of the crucifixion .In Genesis 22, Abraham is tested by God to sacrifice Isaac on the top of a mountain. Realizing that he is acting out a prophecy, that "God Himself will provide a Lamb" , Abraham calls the place of the event "Jehovah Jireh", meaning "In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen." If we take this as a prophetic event of Jesus' death, then Jesus' died on the high ground of Jerusalem. Gordon's Calvary is the highest point of Jerusalem, 777 meters above sea level.(Missler: Map from Israel tour book) Today, at Gordon's Calvary, caves in the rock are situated which give the site the appearance of a skull.

Jesus was then crucified. Crucifixion was a practice that originated with the Persians and was later passed on to the Carthaginians and the Phoenicians. The Romans perfected it as a method of execution which caused maximal pain and suffering over a period of time. Those crucified included slaves, provincials and the lowest types of criminals. Roman citizens, except perhaps for soldiers who deserted, were not subjected to this treatment. (McDowell)

The crucifixion site "was purposely chosen to be outside the city walls because the Law forbade such within the city walls...for sanitary reasons ... the crucified body was sometimes left to rot on the cross and serve as a disgrace, a convincing warning and deterrent to passers by." (Johnson) Sometimes, the subject was eaten while alive and still on the cross by wild beasts. (Lipsius)

The procedure of crucifixion may be summarized as follows. The patibulum was put on the ground and the victim laid upon it. Nails, about 7 inches long and with a diameter of 1 cm ( roughly 3/8 of an inch) were driven in the wrists .

The points would go into the vicinity of the median nerve, causing shocks of pain to radiate through the arms. It was possible to place the nails between the bones so that no fractures (or broken bones) occurred. Studies have shown that nails were probably driven through the small bones of the wrist, since nails in the palms of the hand would not support the weight of a body. In ancient terminology, the wrist was considered to be part of the hand. (Davis) Standing at the crucifixion sites would be upright posts, called stipes, standing about 7 feet high.(Edwards) In the center of the stipes was a crude seat, called a sedile or sedulum, which served a support for the victim. The patibulum was then lifted on to the stipes. The feet were then nailed to the stipes. To allow for this, the knees had to be bent and rotated laterally, being left in a very uncomfortable position. The titulus was hung above the victim's head.

There were several different types of crosses used during crucifixion. In Jesus' time, it was most likely that the cross used was a T shaped (or tau cross,), not the popular Latin, or t shaped cross which is accepted today.(Lumpkin)

PHYSICAL SUFFERING ON THE CROSS

Psalm 22:14-15: "I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death."
Having suffered from the beatings and flogging, Jesus suffered from severe hypovolemia from the loss of blood. The verses above describe His dehydrated state and loss of His strength.

When the cross was erected upright, there was tremendous strain put on the wrists, arms and shoulders, resulting in a dislocation of the shoulder and elbow joints.(Metherall) The arms, being held up and outward, held the rib cage in a fixed end inspiratory position which made it extremely difficult to exhale, and impossible to take a full breath. The victim would only be able to take very shallow breaths.(This may explain why Jesus made very short statements while on the cross). As time passed, the muscles, from the loss of blood, last of oxygen and the fixed position of the body, would undergo severe cramps and spasmodic contractions

ABANDONED BY GOD -- SPIRITUAL DEATH

Matthew 27:46: "About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?'--which means, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

With the sin of the world upon Him, Jesus suffered spiritual death (separation from the Father ). Isaiah 59:2 says that sins cause a separation from God, and that He hides His face from you so that He does not hear. The Father must turn away from His Beloved Son on the cross. For the first time, Jesus does not address God as His Father.(Courson)

DEATH BY CRUCIFIXION : SLOW SUFFOCATION

Shallowness of breathing causes small areas of lung collapse.
Decreased oxygen and increased carbon dioxide causes acidic conditions in the tissues.
Fluid builds up in the lungs. Makes situation in step 2 worse.
Heart is stressed and eventually fails.
The slow process of suffering and resulting death during a crucifixion may be summarized as follows:

"...it appears likely that the mechanism of death in crucifixion was suffocation. The chain of events which ultimately led to suffocation are as follows: With the weight of the body being supported by the sedulum, the arms were pulled upward. This caused the intercostal and pectoral muscles to be stretched. Furthermore, movement of these muscles was opposed by the weight of the body. With the muscles of respiration thus stretched, the respiratory bellows became relatively fixed. As dyspnea developed and pain in the wrists and arms increased, the victim was forced to raise the body off the sedulum, thereby transferring the weight of the body to the feet. Respirations became easier, but with the weight of the body being exerted on the feet, pain in the feet and legs mounted. When the pain became unbearable, the victim again slumped down on the sedulum with the weight of the body pulling on the wrists and again stretching the intercostal muscles. Thus, the victim alternated between lifting his body off the sedulum in order to breathe and slumping down on the sedulum to relieve pain in the feet. Eventually , he became exhausted or lapsed into unconsciousness so that he could no longer lift his body off the sedulum. In this position, with the respiratory muscles essentially paralyzed, the victim suffocated and died. (DePasquale and Burch)

Due to the shallow breathing, the victim's lungs begin to collapse in small areas. causing hypoxia and hypercarbia. A respiratory acidosis, with lack of compensation by the kidneys due to the loss of blood from the numerous beatings, resulted in an increased strain on the heart, which beats faster to compensate. Fluid builds up in the lungs. . Under the stress of hypoxia and acidosis the heart eventually fails. There are several different theories on the actual cause of death. One theory states that there was a filling of the pericardium with fluid, which put a fatal strain on the ability of the heart to pump blood (Lumpkin). Another theory states that Jesus died of cardiac rupture." (Bergsma) The actual cause of Jesus' death, however, "may have been multifactorial and related primarily to hypovolemic shock, exhaustion asphyxia and perhaps acute heart failure."(Edwards) A fatal cardiac arrhythmia may have caused the final terminal event. (Johnson, Edwards)

A LAST DRINK OF WINE VINEGAR

John 19:29-30 "A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips." When he had received the drink, Jesus said, `It is finished'. "With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."

Having suffered severe blood losses from His numerous beatings and thus in a dehydrated state, Jesus, in one of His final statements, said "I thirst." He was offered 2 drinks on the cross. The first, which He refused, was a drugged wine (mixed with myrrh). He chose to face death without a clouded mind. Edersheim writes:

"It was a merciful Jewish practice to give to those led to execution a draught of strong wine mixed with myrrh so as to deaden consciousness" (Mass Sem 2.9; Bemid. R. 10). This charitable office was performed at the cost of, if not by, an association of women in Jerusalem (Sanh. 43a). The draught was offered to Jesus when He reached Golgotha. But having tasted it....He would not drink it. ....He would meet Death, even in his sternest and fiercest mood, and conquer by submitting to the full....(p.880).

The second drink, which He accepts moments before His death, is described as a wine vinegar. Two points are important to note. The drink was given on the "stalk of a hyssop plant". Remember that these events occurred at the Feast of the Passover. During this feast, (Exod 12:22) hyssop was used to apply the blood of the Passover lamb to the wooden doorposts of the Jews. It is interesting the end of this hyssop stalk pointed to the blood of the Perfect Lamb which was applied to the wooden cross for the salvation of all mankind. (Barclay) In addition, the wine vinegar is a product of fermentation, which is made from grape juice and yeast. The word literally means "that which is soured" and is related to the Hebrew term for "that which is leavened". (Holmans) Yeast or leaven, is a Biblical symbol of sin. When Jesus took this drink, (i.e. a drink which was "leavened") it is thus symbolic of His taking the sins of the world into His body.

CELEBRATION OF THE OPPOSITION
SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Psalm 22:12-13: "Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. Roaring lions tearing their prey open their mouths wide against me."

While He was on the cross, darkness covered the land (noon to three p.m.). Jesus, in Luke 22:53, associates those who arrested Him with the power of darkness. Where were the evil forces while Jesus was on the cross? The verses above from Psalm 22 seem out of place when first read. There seems to be no mention of "bulls" and "lions" around the cross. The verses, however, have a deeper meaning.(Courson) Bashan was an area to the east of the Jordan River which was famous for its fertility. Cattle were raised there which grew to enormous sizes. The people there worshipped demon spirits (associated with Baal) within the cattle. In 1 Pet 5:8, Satan is described as "a roaring lion...seeking those who he may devour" These verses are thus suggestive of the spiritual activity of Satan and his demons, celebrating as Jesus was suffering on the cross.

JESUS LAID DOWN HIS LIFE

John 10:17-18 "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

>Luke 23:46 "Jesus called out with a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit'." When he had said this, he breathed his last.

The average time of suffering before death by crucifixion is stated to be about 2-4 days(Tenney), although there are reported cases where the victims lived for 9 days.(Lipsius) The actual causes of death by crucifixion were multifactorial, one of the most significant would have been the severity of the scourging. (Edwards) Jesus died a quick physical death (Pilate was surprised that He had died so soon.(Mark 15:44)). While many of the physical signs preceding death were present, one possibility is that Jesus did not die by physical factors which ended His ability to live, but that He gave up His life of His own accord. His last statement, "Into your hands I commit my Spirit" seems to show that Jesus' death occurred by giving Himself up. In John 10, He states that only He has the power to lay down His life. He proved His power over death by His resurrection. Truly, God is the one who has power over life and death

DEATH BY CRUCIFIXION:

HASTENED by the breaking of the legs, so that the victim could not push up to take a good breath.

>John 19:32-33: The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.

CONFIRMED by a spear thrust into the right side of the heart.

John 19:34: Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. Death in crucifixion was hastened by the breaking of the legs of the victim. This procedure, called crurifracture, prevented the ability of the victim to take in a good breath. Death would quickly occur from suffocation. In Jesus' case, He died quickly and did not have His legs broken. Jesus fulfills one of the prophetic requirements of the Passover Lamb, that not a bone shall be broken.(Exodus 12:46, John 19:36)

To confirm that a victim was dead, the Romans inflicted a spear wound through the right side of the heart. When pierced, a sudden flow of blood and water came Jesus' body . The medical significance of the blood and water has been a matter of debate. One theory states that Jesus died of a massive myocardial infarction, in which the heart ruptured (Bergsma) which may have resulted from His falling while carrying the cross. (Ball) Another theory states that Jesus' heart was surrounded by fluid in the pericardium, which constricted the heart and caused death.(Davis) The physical stresses of crucifixion may have produced a fatal cardiac arrhythmia. (Johnson)

The stated order of "blood and water" may not necessarily indicate the order of appearance, but rather the relative prominence of each fluid. In this case, a spear through the right side of the heart would allow the pleural fluid (fluid built up in the lungs) to escape first, followed by a flow of blood from the wall of the right ventricle.(Edwards) The important fact is that the medical evidence supports that Jesus did die a physical death.

The story, of course, does not end here. The greatest event that separates Jesus from all others is the fact that He rose again and lives today. He intercedes for those who follow Him at the right hand of the Father.(Heb 7:25)

APPEARANCE IN HEAVEN

Revelation 5:6: Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.

In eternity, Jesus will bear the marks of His crucifixion. Rev 5:6 suggests that He appears in heaven with the marks as a Lamb "looking as if it had been slain". We know that when He appeared to Thomas that He bore the scars of the nails and the spear in His side.(John 20:26-28) It is also worth considering reasons as to why He was not immediately recognized after His resurrection. In John 21:12, it is stated that the disciples did "not dare to ask Him His identity, because they knew that it was the Lord." It is possible that His resurrection body still has the marks of His beatings. "The body of His glorification will be the body of His humiliation." (Missler)

Are we ready to meet Him? What have we done with what He has given to us?. Today, He encourages us to consider the cost of the cross and to apply it to our own lives.

FOLLOWING JESUS CHRIST

Luke 9:23: Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

When He was on earth, Jesus stated that , "If any man would come after me, let him take up his cross daily and follow me." (Luke 9:23) As we have seen, in Jesus' time it meant going to your death, giving up and separating yourself from all that you had.......your rights, your friends, your body and blood and even your "god", to follow Him.

We are challenged by the example of Simon of Cyrene. Scripture mentions Him as being the father of Alexander and Rufus.(Mark 15:21) Rufus ("a choice man in the Lord") and Simon's wife were both addressed by Paul in his letter to the Roman church. (Romans 16:13) Here was a man, who indeed carried the cross...and made an impact for Christ in eternity. What commitment are you willing to make to Him now?

The Bible, God's Word (II Timothy 3:16-17), relates how God once had a personal relationship with man. God would talk and relate to man, just as you might relate to your best friend. God created man to give him a meaningful and purposeful life.

Man chose to go his own way by disobeying God. (This applies to all men as in Romans 3:23). This disobedience, called sin, caused a break in the relationship between man and God. If a man casually seeks a relationship with God by his own efforts (religion), he will find nothing, because sin has broken the communication. (Isaiah 59:2)

Christianity is the story of God sacrificing His Son to restore a relationship that was broken. As stated in the above text, Jesus gave up His life to pay for the sins of mankind and taking the punishment for the sin upon Himself. Because He gave His life on the cross, any one who believes in Him will have a restoration of a personal relationship with God. Jesus Himself claimed to be the only way to God (John 14:6) and only by the knowledge of God through Jesus Christ can man have a meaningful and purposeful life.(John 10:10)

God desires that all men come to know Him in a personal way. If you have never received Jesus' gift of Himself for your sins , or have any doubts to how you can have a meaningful and purposeful life by the kinowledge of God through Jesus Christ, you can start by praying a simple prayer, such as:

Dear Lord Jesus. Thank you for dying on the cross for me. I confess that I am a sinner before God. I acknowledge that by your death and sacrifice that you have paid the penalty of my sins for me. Please come into my heart and become the Lord of my life.As you gave your life, I give my life to you. I will take up my cross and follow you, not as I will, but to follow Your perfect will for my life. In Jesus Name, Amen.

References:

Ball, D. A. "The Crucifixion and Death of a Man Called Jesus". J Miss St Med Assoc 30(3): 77-83, 1989.

Barclay, William. "The Gospel of John Volume 2" Westminister Press, Philadelphia, Pa.,. 1975.

Bergsma, Stuart. "Did Jesus Die of a Broken Heart?". The Calvin Forum, 14:165, 1948.

Bible, Amplified version. Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1964.

Bucklin, R.. "The Legal and Medical Aspects of the Trial and Death of Christ". Med Sci Law. 10:14-26, 1970.

Courson, Jon. "Why Psalms 22?" (tape) Firefighters for Christ, Westminister California.

Davis, C.T. "The Crucifixion of Jesus :The Passion of Christ from a Medical Point of View". Ariz Med 22:183-187, 1965.

DePasquale, N. P. and Burch, G.E. "Death by Crucifixion", Am Heart J 66(3):. 434-435, 1963.

Edersheim, A. "TheLife and Times of Jesus the Messiah". Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. Peabody, Massachusetts, 1993.

Edwards, W.D., Gabel, W.J and Hosmer, F.E. "On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ." JAMA. 255 (11), pp. 1455-1463, 1986.

Gonen, R. "Biblical Holy Places : an illustrated guide",Palphot Ltd. Israel 1994

Grafenberg, J. S.."Observ.Medic.," Lib.III. p.458.

Holman's Bible Dictionary, Holman Bible Publishers, 1991.

Johnson, C.."Medicaland Cardiological Aspects of the Passion and Crucifixion of Jesus, the Christ", Bol Asoc Med P Rico 70 (3) :97-102, 1978.

Kollek, T. and Dowley, T. , "Next Year in Jerusalem", Harvest House, Eugene, Oregon, 1995.

Lipsius, Justus. "De Cruce. Libri tres, ad sacram profanamque historiam utiles. (3rd part Tom III. Opera Omnia. Antwerp, 1614)

Lumpkin,R.."The Physical Suffering of Christ", J Med Assoc Ala 47: 8-10, 1978.

Magi, G. "Israel". Casa Editrice Bonechi, Florence, Italy, 1992.

McDowell, J. "The Resurrection Factor". Campus Crusade for Christ, Nashville, Tenn., 1981.

Metherall, A.. "Christ's Physical Suffering" (Tape) Firefighters for Christ , Westminister, Ca.

Missler, C. "Isaiah 53" (Tape) Firefighters for Christ, Westminister, Ca.

Missler, C. "Israel Tour Book" 1995 Edition.

Pink, A. "The Seven Sayings of the Saviour on the Cross", Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1958.

Scott, C.T. "A Case of Haematidrosis", Br Med J .1: 532-533, 1918.

Strong, J. "Strong's Concordance", MacDonald Pub Co., McLean, Va.

Tenney, S.M. "On Death By Crucifixion", Am Heart J .68(2) :286-287, 1964.

Websters Dictionary, Grosset and Dunlap, New York, 1974.

Curious About Jesus and His Church? Don’t Just hear About It, Come LIVE It During Holy Week!

This is addressed primarily to those who are curious about what Christianity is all about, those who are considering conversion, and to those of you who have friends or family who are looking into Jesus. 

If you have ever asked "Just who are these Christians and what do they believe and why?"  This week provides the single best opportunity to find out first hand by taking a step  back into history and  experience the passion week of Christ, as Christians have been doing, exactly the same way for nigh on 2000 years. 

So if you are curious, or serious about Jesus, it will be well worth it to set aside some time over the next 10 days or so and get to a Catholic Church, where you will potentially begin a life changing journey.

It all begins on Sunday. It’s proper name is Passion Sunday, but more commonly known as Palm Sunday.  As you walk in to the Church, you will be given Palm leaves.  The Mass begins with a re-enactment of the scene where Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, and was greeted by the people waving palm leaves and spreading their cloaks on the ground to welcome the Messiah. The same people who cried out Hosanna! On Palm Sunday, will, less than a week later call for His crucifixion.
The readings come next. First one reading from the Old Testament and one from the Pauline letters as usual. The Gospel is usually read by the Priest or Deacon only. On this occasion, all present participate. The Priest will assume the role of Jesus, and some of the lectors will play other roles, while the people are the ones who take on the role of the masses who attended Jesus trial before Roman Proconsul Pontius Pilate.   As I said earlier, we relive it.  The Readings are: Isaiah 50: 4-7, Psalm 22,  Philippians 2:6-11  and the Gospel is  Luke 22:14-23:56.
Then there is the Sacrifice of the Mass itself, which is done at every Sunday  Mass. We recall the last Supper, and all baptized Catholics who are in a state of Grace  may receive the Eucharist, which we believe is actually the Body, Blood, and Divinity of Jesus Christ Himself.  More on this later.
I would first like to take a moment to explain briefly what is meant by “In a state of grace”.  All Catholics are required to confess their sins to a Priest, who is there “in Persona Christi” .In Other words Christ is there in the person of the priest who hears your confession, and absolves it.  Catholics MUST confess at least once a year, preferably during Lent to remain in a state of Grace. 
I thought it important to let curious non-Catholics know that even though they are not Catholic, they may still receive the Sacrament of Confession from a priest, and the absolution that comes with it.  What they may NOT do is receive the Body and Blood of Christ.  That comes when you are received into the Church. Hold that thought for later in this post.
When the Eucharist is distributed, you have two choice. You may remain in your seat and observe, or, and I highly recommend this, you may approach the priest like the others, but instead of receiving the host, cross your arms over your chest and bow your head, and the Priest will give you a blessing.
Then the Mass is ended, and the people dismissed.

On the Thursday following Palm Sunday, the Easter Triduum begins. The Easter Triduum is one Mass, not three, spread over three days.

Let us begin with Holy Thursday, aka Maundy Thursday.   At this part of the Mass we relive the Last Supper, and the institution of the sacrament of Holy Orders. This is when Jesus Washed the feet of His disciples, and in so doing ordained them to the Priesthood.  After the readings (Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14, Psalm 116,I Corinthians 11:23-26 & the Gospel , John 13:1-15)  and homily, twelve men from the Parish, representing the disciples will come up and be seated around the altar, and the Priest , in the role of Jesus will wash and dry one foot of each of the men.  Often some of the men asked will be those to be received into the Church on Saturday’s Easter Vigil. 

After this is done, the sacrifice of the mass will take place. After which, the church will be filled with incense, and the Eucharist will then be carried through the church in a procession where it will be exposed for adoration, either in the church itself, or adoration chapel, if the church has one.  Worshippers are encouraged to spend some time in adoration over the next 24 hours.  The priest will lead the procession of the Eucharist through the church, He will wear a special colourful robe, and will hold the Eucharist under the robe. An umbrella will be held over his head.
The people form an honour guard for the Eucharist, which you will remember IS the Body of Christ. 
The people are dismissed, but there is no declaration that the Mass is ended. It resumes on Friday, at 3:00PM.

 

That being said, there is much happening at many parishes in the interim.  Many Parishes will have a silent  procession through the streets carrying a cross.  Some parishes even get together with other parishes in the area, and sometimes even other Christian communities, and will follow a path where stops are made in front of the various churches, where a prayer is said, a part of the passion is recalled, and Hymn sung, then on to the next. 
Some Parishes pray the stations of the cross at the church.  Some will have their youth groups put on Passion plays either around noon, or in the evening.  In any case, there will be plenty of opportunity to learn and experience it.

The Good Friday part of the Mass always begins Friday at 3:00 PM, for that is the hour at which Christ died. The trial, and Passion of Christ is relived through the reading of scripture (Isaiah 52:13-53:12, Psalm 31, Hebrews 4: 14-16, 5:7-8 and the Gospel: John 19:1-19:42) , once again with the participation of the laity. Then Silence, and Jesus is laid in the tomb.

This is followed by the prayers of the Faithful which in this case is much longer than usual, and is universal. That is to say ALL the congregations in the world will pray for exactly the same  10 intentions:

1) For The Church

2) For the Pope

3) For the Clergy and Laity of the Church

4) For those preparing for baptism

5) For the Unity of Christians

6)  For The Jewish people

7) For those who do not believe in Christ

8) For Those who do not believe in God

9) For All in Public office

10) For those in special need  This is followed by the procession of the cross, where a Crucifix is brought in and we acknowledge that “This is the wood of the cross, on which hung the Saviour of the World” .
The cross is then placed in front of the Altar, and after the Eucharist  (There is no Eucharistic prayer, rather hosts consecrated the night before are used)  is distributed, the people are invited to venerate the cross, and then file out quietly.

On Saturday, it is Easter Vigil. We enter a darkened church. The black paper placed over the doors and windows remains in place. Everyone is given a candle as they come in, and the fire is blessed, and the Paschal candle is prepared and lit, the candle is then processed through the church, and the peoples’ candles are lit from it.  and Jesus is declared risen from e dead. Bells ring, there is great rejoicing, and the Gloria is sung for the first time since the Mass before Ash Wednesday which kicked off Lent.  The readings begin, and these are usually the history of Salvation which carry us right through to Jesus.  The readings This year (The Catholic Church operates on a three year rotation of scriptures ) are: Genesis 1:1-2-2, Psalm 104, Genesis 2: 1-18, Exodus 14:15-31,15:20 followed by The Canticle to the Lord from Ex. 15, Isaiah 54:5-14, Psalm 30, Isaiah 55: 1:11 followed by a responsorial Canticle from Isaiah 12, Baruch 3:9-15,32-4:4, Psalm 19, Ezekiel 36:16-17, 18—28, Psalm 42, Psalm 51. Romans 6:3-11 Psalm 118, and then the Gospel: Luke 24:-1-12.

Then the catechumens, the people who have been studying and discerning for several months will be received into the church., and with them we renew our own baptismal promises.  This is followed by the celebration of the Eucharist, which the Newly confirmed members of the church will receive for the first time.

So… What’s next?   If you are still considering receiving Christ as Saviour and being e=received into His Church, the next step is to speak to A priest or Deacon who will place themselves at your disposal to answer your questions and get you started.   It would be good to buy a catechism, and a Bible and to read both regularly, and to seek answers to questions arising from your reading.  Involve yourself in the  parish community.  You are accepted, and welcome, and the people will help you in your journey.  And Sign up for RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults)   this is required for all those coming into the Church who have not been baptized or confirmed.  It  begins in October and carries on through until you are received into full communion.  They meet once a week, and instruct you in the faith, and what the church teaches.  And help guide you in your discernment in terms of whether the Catholic Church is for you or not, for you are expected to accept ALL that the church teaches. 

The Catechism: a Timely Gift from JPII for the New Evangelization

It was as if he knew what lay ahead in the brave new world that would come after his passing. A relativistic world with limited attention span, coarse manners, situational ethics, dominated by existentialism, anger and indifference.  St. Pope John Paul II decided in 1985 that it was time that all the teachings of the magisterium of the Catholic Church be laid down in crystal clear , easy to understand language so that all Catholics would have the guidance of the 2000 years of Church experience at their fingertips.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church was completed in 1992, an was first published in French. The First English version came out in the USA in 1994.
John Paul II was born in Poland, which was overrun first by the Nazis and then by the Communists in his lifetime. Both regimes were militantly atheistic and attempted to stamp out the Church in Poland.  Under such a sustained siege, Catholics in Poland knew they were living on the edge, and contended for their faith, and as a result, at great personal risk the teachings of the Church were passed on among the people who treasured them like the pearl of great price they are.  It was al they had to hold on to.

During that same period in the democratic western countries where there was total freedom of religion and worship, it was taken for granted, and became more of a peripheral thing  among a very large part of the population, as consumerism and secularism began to gain a foothold. By the 1970’s, such Catholics as there were, at least among the ones born after the Second World War, it was clear they did not know what the Catholic Church actually taught.

The former Archbishop of Krakow, who spearheaded the promulgation of the faith in communist Poland set out as Pope to provide the means for people to once again become familiar with what the church teaches so they could order their lives according to it, and  in so doing have a positive impact on society for Christ. 

While this wonderful tool John Paul II has bequeathed us is widely available, and indeed has a place in many Catholic homes, like the Bible, few people have actually studied it, and there has likely never been a time when knowledge of its contents has been more needed.

Since the Catechism was first conceived by John Paul II in 1985, society has only become more secular, technological and consumerist. and since his death in 2005, technology and the pace of life have only accelerated- and exponentially.  With social media and the Internet, a lie can spread around the world in minutes and more often than not, the lies are about Jesus Christ and His Church,  and they need to be corrected, and contested by the truth of what the Church actually teaches, or the lies and distortions become the truth in the minds of many, and even more will fall away fro the true faith.

Therefore, it is OUR responsibility as Catholics  to know what the church teaches, and to speak it and teach it with authority. The only way we are going to learn it is by understanding that our Catholicism is NOT just a peripheral part of our lives, but needs to guide every aspect of them. We need to know what the church teaches and why, if we are to contend with the powerful forces of secularism. This is not optional it is our responsibility.   In order to live a life that will attract others, we have to know what Jesus taught, and live it out as it is meant to be, and to that properly we must go straight to the source and get it first hand , not from the media,  politicians or others who will twist the teachings to fit their agenda.  And the only way we can counter such people who hold most of the positions of power in the west right now, is to know and be sure of the truth.

In the west, we are under a tyranny right now, though many don’t know it, as there are not soldiers walking the streets with guns and bayonets. We don’t, at this point have to worry about a knock on the door in the middle of the night and being taken off to God knows where.  It is a soft tyranny, but tyranny nonetheless, and its goal, as has been the goal of all tyrannies past and present, is to replace the God of the Bible with the State.   So the questions we each need to answer are:

 

1: Do we acknowledge that all is NOT well, and that our faith is under as much a threat from the authorities, though in different form as it was in John Paul II’s  Poland?


2: if we accept that premise, do we love our Lord and the Church he established and left us to defend it, by arming ourselves with the truth, and being prepared to contend for that faith?

In this soft Tyranny, that i mentioned earlier, life can be relatively smooth and easy for anyone who decides to become a cog in he machinery of the secularist consumer society they are building for us. Play the game by their rules, and you will be left alone to work, acquire, upgrade and dispose of a wide range of material goods, you will be entertained by what they provide for you, and go through these motions until either you die, or- the way things are headed- euthanized when your usefulness to their system has run out. 
Or if you choose to Love the Lord,  you will find an ever increasingly difficult road ahead. Employment will be denied in some cases, terminated in others, or you may be faced with either compliance with immorality, or leaving your profession, and likely have other barriers put up too.  You will be ridiculed as old fashioned, and perhaps one day, targeted for physical persecution.  You will always be offered the “out| of burning incense before the emperor, but at the cost of your eternal soul.
That is the choice we and our children will be called to make if things continue as they are.  And only those who KNOW and love the Lord will take the narrow road.
That being said, w can postpone that day as long as we are teaching he truth an building the foundations of a just society based on those teachings, but eventually there will come a time when only a remnant will be left to stand against  evil until the return of Christ, but know that even these will be called to stand firm and help save souls until the moment He returns.
Those who Love Jesus will find they must choose he hard road. Choosing the easy road is rejection of Christ. It is a declaration that one either hates him, or is completely indifferent to Him, and it is said that indifference is worse than hate.

 

3: Are prepared to undertake the intellectual , spiritual and physical rigour that engaging in such a war entails?
It is essential that  we train ourselves mentally, physically and above all spiritually for this war. It is a spiritual war, which is fought both in the spiritual real, and plays out here on earth as well.  We need to pray, individually and collectively, we need to know what the Church teaches, and teach it to others, one person at a time, we need to be strong enough to run the race , straight to the finish line, not letting up at all, running as it to win, for only one shall attain the prize. We must use the bodies we have been given, and provide proper stewardship for them, according to what we were each given.
We need to train our minds thoroughly. The Catholic Church boasts an intellectual history like no other. Catholics have been leaders in science, philanthropy, literature, arts, music, medicine, and just about every field imaginable.  And today,  insofar as that tradition remains, we are now being systematically excluded from many of these fields.   Meanwhile for the last 40 + years,  the culture has become so dumbed down that many people, regardless of faith are now incapable of originality and critical thinking.   God Himself gave us the capacity to excel in all these fields, he gave us the ability to reason, so that we can know and defend our faith, and enhance the lives of others. It was the church who started the hospitals , and universities from which we are now being excluded because of our faith, particularly the moral stands we must take.
We must reclaim his ground, buy reading and learning scripture and the catechism, learning how to think things through so as to be able to debate them in a winsome way.
In the cesspool the world of music has become, we must produce quality , uplifting music of hope and reverence again.  We complain the Internet is full of filth, and it is, but it exists as a tool for us to gett our message out too. We should not resist it, but rather embrace it with a vengeance and us it to advance good instead of evil.   We need to elevate the concept of literature form merely a form of entertainment to a means of pointing people to spiritual truths and asking serious questions about life.  Can we start producing the kinds of works of moral and intellectual rigour that Dickens, Tolkien, Dostoevsky, Shakespeare,  CS Lewis and others would produce? I believe we are called to elevate the culture.  But we must engage, and dig in for the long haul.
There are some contemporary authors whose work ranks with the aforementioned masters, one of the more notable being Michael D. O'Brien, whose books I highly recommend.

4: What are  the steps we can all take no matter who we are or where we are in life in order to win?

 

a) All of us can and must get a copy of the catechism. It is sold in all major book stores.  I have rarely walked into a thrift store which sells used books and not found a copy of the catechism there, and most of them have sadly, never been opened.   the Catechism of the Catholic Church is available in its entirety, with not one word omitted online.
b) We must all  own and read our Bibles. Daily. The Bible will help us understand the catechism, and vice versa.
c))Establish a solid prayer life.  This means being constantly in tune with the Holy Spirit and approach all our decisions in a prayerful manner.  It is also highly recommended to cultivate the Blessed Virgin Mary, who will join her prayers with ours, and intercede on our behalf. In other words pray the rosary regularly.
d) Build community with other committed believers. This is a war that cannot be fought effectively alone.

 

5: Finally, are we at the point where the only acceptable outcome is victory, where losing is not an option? 
One of the great diseases that affects our society in general these days is a general Apathy. if a task looks too challenging, we often just throw up our hands and say “to hell with it”.   Sadly, the words “to hell with it” often turn out to be deadly accurate, in the sense that we are here to proclaim Christ , His Church, and its teachings in order to save people from hell. and when we become defeatist, we take ourselves off the spiritual  battlefield, and leave others to an eternity in hell, because by giving up we are deserting.   We are saying " I can’t win, it’s too much for me". That’s absolutely right. it IS too much for each of us. but it is NOT too much for Christ, so when we don’t believe that He’s in control, and will use us in this war, then we are , in effect calling into question His deity.
He has told us what the outcome is going to be. He wins, and in so doing we win along with Him.  So we need to TRUST and OBEY, and we find the means to do so in the Bible, the catechism, and in prayer& the sacraments.

What Pope Francis Actually Said, and What The Catholic Church Teaches on Immigration

The news cycle today has been dominated by media-distorted reporting on what Pope Francis said concerning US presidential candidate Donald Trump.  Here is what the Pope actually told reporters on the plane that  ignited the media firestorm.

Earlier today, CNN and other news outlets spent a half hour speculating on the charge that Pope Francis suggested that Donald Trump was not a Christian. This was all done before the networks aired actual audio or video of the pope's remarks. The pope was asked about Trump's accusation that this pope was very political. The pope spoke in Italian. Here is the English translation from ABC:

"Thank god he said I was a politician because Aristotle defined the human person as “animal politicus.” So at least I am a human person. As to whether I am a pawn, well, maybe. I don’t know. I’ll leave that up to your judgment and that of the people. And then, a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the Gospel. As far as to what you said about whether I would advise you to vote or not to vote, I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian is he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give him the benefit of the doubt."

 

Here is what the Church actually teaches on the rights and responsibilities of immigrants and the host countries. My comments follow.: (italics mine)

CCC 2241:The more prosperous nations are obliged to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and means of livelihood which he cannot find in his own country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him....

Political authorities for the sake of he common good  for which they are responsible may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to juridical conditions especially with regard to immigrants duties toward their country of adoption.
Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them.to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens.

In other words, according to the teaching of the Catholic Church itself, a nation has the right to set the terms under which a person may be received, and the person emigrating has the responsibility to respect and live by the ways of the host nation. It is a balance between rights and responsibilities of all parties.

That is to say, follow the path to immigration and citizenship that exist in the host country's laws. Come in legally. Do not slip across the border in the middle of the night , and then live and work underground. The immigrant undertakes to work legally and pay his/her fair share of taxes, and participate in the civic and social life of the nation. The immigrant shall make an effort to assimilate themsleves into the mainstreaam of that country's fabric. That means  NO LA RAZA or other such groups which seek to set up a parallel society within. An immigrant shall also undertake to learn the language of that country, and not demand that they be served in theirs. We invite them to offer us the good things about their culture and to share in ours. To give each other the gift of mutual enrichment.

We are a welcoming society and have always been, but until recently there was very little problem with illegal immigration, coupled with lack of desire to assimilate. The USA and Canada have been built on immigration, and will continue to be , but it must be done in an orderly fashion, and with people who will be grateful, and will immediately assimilate and contribute, or that welcome will be worn out. 

What if it Was Your Spouse?

Blogger Tim Challies asks this awkward question and makes the case that we would not tolerate it for a moment if it was our husband or wife engaging in the now obligatory sex scene(s) in most of today's Hollywood movies, and by extension, neither should we watch such films.  

For one thing, it's no surprise why so many Hollywood marriages do not last.  The pressure to participate in such scenes is intense, and can often make the difference in terms of getting a part (and a paycheque) or not.

I can't think of a single circumstance where a scene involving nudity or simulated sex is necessary. While relating  such an incident may be integral to the telling of the story, it could easily be done by implying an incident happened, which is often more powerful than showing everything acted out.
Sex on the silver screen is , sorry to say, nothing more than gratuitous titillation, aimed at getting mostly young males to buy tickets. That being said, the genre that includes 50 Shades, or other "chick flicks" use such scenes on a more relational level to hook many women in. While the kind of porn that appeals to women is different than what men like, it is by no means less pernicious.
Jim Caviezel and Eduardo Verastigui will not participate in such scenes, nor will they kiss a woman on the lips on film either.

Genesis 11: Old testament Survey

Genesis 11: The Tower of Babel  and the line o Shem down to Abraham.

 

Most of us are at least familiar with the story of the Tower of Babel, and many have seen Pieter Bruegel’s painting (below) of the monstrous ziggurat that the people of Babel, a city founded by Nimrod, as we saw in the previous post.  The actual story of this ambitious project is part of what we will be looking at today as we recap Genesis 11..

 

A Ziggurat , according to Merriam-Webster is an ancient Mesopotamian temple tower consisting of a lofty pyramidal structure built in successive stages with outside staircases and a shrine at the top; also :  a structure or object of similar form.  The Tower of Babel was to have been the Ziggurat of all Ziggurats. Kind of like a religious Burj Al Khalifa on the plain of Shinar.

What follows is a clear demonstration that God sees a great deal of danger in any kind of one world government.  At that time, all people spoke the same language. They had decided together to build this ziggurat, which is a pagan religious building, one that would reach up to heaven, so they could make a name for themselves.

In verse 5, Jerusalem Bible, it reads “ Now Yahweh came down from heaven to see the town and the tower that the sons of man had built. “So, they are all a single people with the same language!” said Yahweh. “This is but the start of their undertakings! There will be nothing too hard for them to do.  Come, let US go down and confuse their language on the spot so that they can no longer understand one another.”  Yahweh scattered them thence over the whole face of the earth and they stopped building the town.

I want to put a parentheses in here and point out that when God made his decision to confuse the language and scatter the people, he referred to Himself as US. Once again, the concept of a triune Godhead emerges in the the text of the Old Testament.

Now why would God be so upset about the people building such a tower and then achieving anything they wanted to?  It was actually an act of mercy on His part. He was well aware that they would cease to consider Him, much less rely on Him. In so doing, a structure would emerge, where they would fall into servitude, eventually to one man, and would follow their own whims to their destruction, and that of others. It would be so easy, as we have seen in history for one man to sweep everyone up, and have them worship him, instead of Yahweh.

In the song “God Part 3” Christian Singer songwriter Larry Norman penned the words  “I don’t believe in Esperanto, or the dreams of Babylon, If we all spoke the same language, long ago we would have built the bomb.” .

Today we are coming close to a world where English , as opposed to Esperanto has become the global common language. Technology has exploded, and we are beginning to see that good intentions notwithstanding (as many of the people of Babel no doubt had) th world is moving into a period where a dominant culture is emerging and may very well become a universal culture, manipulated by a very select few, and as history has shown, in such cases, attempts are made for one man to deify himself, and God’s people are always marginalized and persecuted.  We shall see examples of this in the Books of Daniel and II Maccabees as we move through this survey.

The rest of the chapter is devoted to yet another section of  genealogy. Shem, the eldest, and seemingly most favoured son of Noah’s line is laid out for us, and the way it is done illustrates God’s making good on His promise to reduce human lifespans.  If we look back at chapter 6, we will see that God decides to cut the human lifespan down from often over 900 years to eventually the range of 120 years. They would become fathers much earlier too.  I am going to go through this list for a couple of reasons. First, this is the line from which Joseph and Mary came from, and thus, the line of Jesus. Second, Abraham would become he father of the Jewish People, through whom God would progressively reveal Himself to the world.  and third,  because it illustrates how God carried  out His promise in chapter 6 when he resolved to reduce lifespans. Noah lived a total of 950 years as we saw in Chapter 9 and fathered Shem , Ham and Japheth beginning in his 500th year. His son Shem, as we shall see would begin the trend of diminishing lifespans, and earlier fatherhood, and the trend accelerates quickly. Verse 10 in the Jerusalem Bible tells us:  When Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arpachshad. Shem lived 500 years, and became the father of sons and daughters. In verse 12, we learn that  When Arpachshad  was 35 years old, he became the father of Shelah. After the birth of Shelah, Arpachshad lived 403 years and became the father of sons and daughters. When we do the math, we see that Arpachshad died 38 years after Shem, His father.in Verse 14 i says that Shelah was 30 years old when he became the father of Eber. After the birth of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and became the father of sons and daughters.  The math on this one shows that Shelah died 30 years after his father. Then Eber was 34 years old when his son Peleg was born, and would live another 430 years after Peleg was born. Now here’s where we start seeing a precipitous decline in lifespan. Peleg became the father of Reu when he was 30 years old, which means that his father  Eber would have been 64 at that time.  We are told that Peleg lived 209 years after the birth of Reu (and had other offspring) so when Peleg died, his father Eber would have been 273 years old while Peleg’s son Reu would have been 179 at the time,of Peleg’s passing Now Reu was 30 years old when he became the father of Serug , and Reu would live 207 years after Serug was born, which would mean that Serug would have been 149 when his grandfather  Peleg died and when Eber his great grandfather was 273 years old. Reu would live another 58 years after the death of Peleg, so at the time of Reu’s death, his grandfather Eber would have still been living at the age of 331. Serug, became the father of Nahor when he was 30 years old. Therefore at the time of Peleg’s passing, Nahor would have been 119 Serug lives 200 years after the birth of Nahor, which means he would have died  at the age of 230. Poor old Eber , though would have now watched 4 generations of his offspring die, as he would have been 412 when Serug passed on.  We are told that Nahor lived a total of 148 years, which indicates that Serug would have buried him, 52 years before his own death, with Eber now looking at 5 generations predeceasing him. Nahor became he father of Terah at age 29. he would live 119 yeas after the birth of Terah.  Terah became a father at age 70, and his sons were Abram (eventually to become the great patriarch Abraham) Nahor and Haran.  Terah would have been 98 when Nahor passed away, and at that point  Abram and his brothers would have been born, while Serug and  Old Eber were still alive. Eber did not have to bury Terah, as Terah lived to the age of 205.

 

As stated earlier, Terah had two other sons in addition to Abram. These were Nahor, whose descendants will play a bog role later, and Haran, who died while they still lived in Ur of the Chaldeans, which is in modern day Iraq. While there, Abram married Sarai, who was barren, and Nahor married Milcah.  Haran had been married and became the father of Lot, who will be featured prominently in the next chapters, and whose descendants  also  play a major role.

The chapter ends with Terah, with Abram, Sarai and Lot in tow, moving on from Ur of the Chaldeans to a place called Haran where Terah would spend he rest of his days. But for Abram, the journey had only just begun. Though He did not know it at the time, God had huge plans for him.

Previous post: Genesis 6-10

Next Post: Genesis 12

The First Rosary

Not only is this funny and cute, it also succeeds in explaining what the Rosary is.

 

Now here is how you actually pray the Rosary.

 

Join the Rosary Confraternity

Genesis 6-10: Old Testament Survey

Genesis 6-10: The story of Noah, the Flood, and His Descendants

 

We left off last time with the introduction of Noah and his family, and now we will go over one of the best known stories of the Bible, the story of Noah, the great flood and the ark. Te chapter begins with a passage about the “sons of God”  marrying with the daughters of man, and God is obviously displeased, and decides  that He cannot abide with flesh forever, and at that point reaches the decision that the lifespan of man  should be reduced to 120 years or so.   Reference is made to “the Nephilim” which has been the source of much speculation by scholars and theologians. Some have said they may be the progeny of men and angels, while others say they were merely an ethnic group which is obviously  much taller and larger than others.  We do not know for sure. The only Biblical references are here in genesis 6 and later in the Book of Numbers, chapter 13, and neither of the passages can definitely tell us who or what they really were.  A brief explanation of this can be found in this video, and again, the Church has no official teaching on who they were.

What is crystal clear is that God is running out of patience with a world population that is Godless and unruly. Cas the NRSV puts it (Gen 6:5) “The Lord Saw that the Wickedness of humankind was great in the earth and that every inclination of their hearts was only evil, continually.”

What an indictment.

 

Verse 6: “And the Lord was sorry that He had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart.”

Those of us who are parents know how it stings to the core of our being when our children walk in direct disobedience to us and to God, of who are ungrateful, , so we can get some inkling of God’s grief.

Thus God was ready to abandon the project of life on earth that He had created...but for one righteous man and his family. Enter Noah, the one man whose heart was right, and who pleased God. 

Thus God spoke to Noah and disclosed his decision to start over on planet earth.  He instructed Noah that he was to build an ark which would accommodate  ,Noah, his wife, , his three sons Shem Japheth and Ham, and their wives, as well as two or more  of each kind of animal, one of each gender, as well as insects and different types of food, for supplies, and for planting of seeds after the flood. God also gave Noah very specific instructions on how he was to build the ark, the types of materials to be used, the measurements  and the design.  This may have been a test of his obedience.  It is also a foreshadowing of the Ark of the Covenant which we will read about when we get to Exodus.

Chapter 7: in Chapter 7, God repeated His instructions to Noah about the animals he if to bring, with different instructions about clean and unclean animals and repeats his decision to blot out every living thing on earth not in the ark, and announces  that it will rain for 40 days and 40 nights

 

And so it came to pass. The waters burst out from the earth, and fell from the sky, and the earth began its cleansing, as the waters washed over the earth for 150 days.

 

Chapter 8:  After 150 days, the winds began to blow and the waters subsided. The fountains of the earth stopped , as did the rains. As the waters subsided, Noah sent out a dove   to get some idea as to whether they would soon be able to settle on the earth. Finding no place it returned. 7 days later he sent the dove out again, and this time it returned with an olive leaf, so Noah knew that they would not have to wait much longer,. Seven days later, Noah sent the dove out again, and this time the dove had returned, and then he knew the ordeal would soon be over.

 

The Ark had settles in the region of Ararat, which is on the border of modern Armenia and Turkey, and God commanded Noah to leave the Ark, and  set the animals free according to their kind, so that life on earth could begin anew. Noah offered burnt offerings on an altar he had made, and then in Chapter 9  God affirmed that he would never again destroy the whole earth as he had done by a flood, and declared that when He sees a bow in the sky, He will remember His covenant.

They don;’t call it original sin for nothing. It did not take very long for mayhem to begin again.  Noah planted vineyards, and one night got very, very drunk and passed out naked.  His son Ham showed utter disrespect for his father by first not doing anything about his father’s embarrassing situation, and then publicizing it to his brothers Shem and Japheth, who were horrified and then with their backs turned so they would not look upon Noah’s nakedness, covered him up.  When Noah learned about it the next day, he pronounced a curse on Ham, who was the father of Canaan, which would become the father of the nations that occupied the Holy land which was called Canaan. Once again we see the importance of the genealogies, as in Chapter 10 it explains  the nations that descended from Shem , Japheth and Ham.   Noah’s curse was that Canaan would be cursed and would be the slave to his brothers.

So Chapter 10, lists the nations that descended from the three sons of Noah.  Some of the names of the nations that descended from the sons of Shem Ham and Japheth  are recognizable, others are not, so I am providing this chart to illustrate who is descended from whom.

As for Ham , the punishment did  not come as a lightning bolt form the sky.  The Bible tells us that his son Cush became the father of-among others, a man named Nimrod who became very powerful indeed. Nimrod was said to be a mighty  hunter and a great ruler who built Babel Which we shall read more about in the next instalment) , and Nineveh (which will also figure prominently later) , and other places which stretched all over Mesopotamia and Assyria.   He was also the father of Egypt, and Put (Libya)  and the Philistines ( a perpetual thorn in Israel’s side.  Canaan , the son who was to bear the brunt of the curse, became the father of Sidon, Heth, the Jebusites, Hivites  and others we shall hear more about later. Ham’s descendants would also establish such cities as Sodom and Gomorrah.

It is Shem’s line that will be the one that is most significant, as  anyone who reads the first chapter of Mathew would recognize: Shem became the father of Arpachshad, who became the father of Shelah, who became the father of Eber, who became the father of Peleg, who became the ancestor of Abraham, Jacob, and  Judah... the ancestor of Jesus

 

Previous Post: Genesis 4-5
Next Post:  Genesis 11

Genesis 4-5 : Old testament Survey

Genesis 4: The First Sibling Rivalry

 

And so, as per genesis 3, Eve was to know the pain of Childbirth. She first bore a son named Cain, who was followed by another son, known as Abel  CAin and  Abel grew up, and Cain became a tiller of the soil, while Abel plied his trade as a shepherd.

The time came where they were to sacrifice to the God of heir father, and this is where the trouble began.  Cain showed up with some vegetables from his crop to offer.   While Abel brought the first born of his flock.  God accepted Abel’s sacrifice , but not Cain’s.

Why would that be, considering both men sacrificed from the fruits of their labours? what kind of God would do that kind of thing?

The first possible answer to that question can be prefaced by the old cliché: “The devil’s in the details”

So let’s look at how the story is framed:

Genesis 4 3: (Jerusalem Bible) “Time passed and Cain brought some of the produce of the soil as an offering for Yahweh, while Abel for his part brought the first born of his flock and some of the fat as well. Yahweh looked with favour on Abel and his offering. But he did not look with favour on Cain and his offfering and Cain was very angry and downcast.  Yahweh asked Cain, ‘why are you so angry and downcast? If you are well disposed ought you not lift up your head? But if you are ill disposed, is not sin at the door like a crouching beast hungering for you, which you must master?’”

The implication here is that Abel obediently presented the first born of his flock AND a little something extra, which would indicate he was giving out f a genuinely grateful heart that sought after God, while Cain appears to be giving grudgingly out of a sense of obligation. There is no indication  that the sacrifice he brought  was the first fruits of his harvest.   Weight is given to this interpretation because it seems that God was gently admonishing him, and encouraging him to look at his heart and his attitude.

 

The other angle here, and I give less weight to it, is that Abel’s sacrifice was a blood offering, as if he knew that it required a blood sacrifice to atone for his sins.  The reason I give that less eight, is that it had not yet been revealed at that point that blood sacrifice was required.  that comes later as we will see.   If this is the case, then Cain’s sacrifice would not have been acceptable because it was not a blood sacrifice. As we shall see later when sacrifices are dealt with in more detail, Cain would have been expected to sell some of his produce and use the money to buy an animal for sacrifice.

 

This brings us to the point where we need to explain the concept of “Progressive Revelation” which is what the Bible is.  God progressively reveals himself to and through the Jewish people whom He chose for Himself for that purpose.  It should also be explained that  we are not to look upon the Jews as better or worse than any other people , but rather as the people through whom God chose to reveal Himself.  Some of the actions we shall read about as we move along in this survey would certainly indicate they were no less sinners than anyone else. Had God chosen any other people, The Chinese, the Afghans or whoever, the story would have been similar as the hearts of all men are sinful. Who can know it?

Sadly for Cain,  he chose poorly. he did not heed God’s admonishment, and instead resented his brother Abel and slew him by luring him out to the open country and killing him. 

 

Cain thought , like many of us, that he was too “small potatoes” for God to really pay attention to him, but God called him out and asked him (verse 9) “Where is your brother Abel” to which he replied as i he didn’t know “Am I my brother’s keeper?” . Then God put the facts of the case in very strong language  (verse 10) “What Have you done?” Yahweh asked. “Listen to the sound of your brother’s blood , crying out to me from the ground that has opened up its mouth to receive your brother’s blood at your hands”..... tthen sentence was pronounced immediately “ When you till the ground it shall no longer yield you any of its produce. You shall be a fugitive, and a wanderer over the earth” .
Cain saw he had a tough road to hie ahead of him. He would live out the rest of his days as a beggar, a scavenger and a fugitive.  He pleaded for some mercy, and found it. He told God that his life would be in danger, and God put a ark on him, we do not know what it was, that would prevent whoever might come across him from striking him down.  He then went and settled, we are told, in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

At some point in his life, Cain had married, and had established a town which he named after his firstborn , and possibly only, son, Enoch.  The rest of the chapter goes into the genealogy of Cain’s line until the time of Noah. 
Many people get lost in the Old testament and give up because of the confusing genealogies, but I would urge  people to read them as they are an important part of the progressive revelation  of God, which all builds up to the coming of Christ in the New testament, and can help establish that  Jesus was very real, as we can actually trace his ancestors all the way back to Adam.
Cain’s descendants are listed in verses 17-24, and you can read about them for yourself.  8 generations down we come to a man named Tubal-Cain who is said to have discovered metallurgy, and he is worthy of mention, because his sister, Naamah is also mentioned. Though the Bible does not make the claim, some Jewish rabbinical and theological sources have said they believe Naamah may have been the wife of Noah, and Noah’s wife, whoever she may have actually been, was a redeemed woman as she was one of the survivors of the flood.  Why would this be an important detail?  It would indicate that even the line of Cain could receive redemption by God’s mercy.

The chapter closes with Adam “knowing” Eve once more and eve giving birth to a third son, whom hey named Seth.  and we learn that Seth lived into adulthood, and his line continued with a son named Enosh.

Genesis 5 is one long genealogy  which picks up at Enosh, and then introduces all of what were to be Jesus direct paternal ancestors down to Noah and his sons  It gives the name of the son of note, and the age at which that son was born, and how many years thereafter the man lived in each case, except that of Enoch, of whom it was said “walked with God” and became the father of Methuselah whose claim to fame is being the oldest man who ever lived (969 years). Enoch’s case is special, since it was said, again that he walked with God, then he vanished, because God took him.  A foreshadowing of the prophet Elijah, perhaps?  The chapter ends with Noah reaching the age of 500 years, and then fathering Shem, Japheth and Ham.

Previous post: Genesis 3
Next Post: Genesis 6-10

Genesis 3: Old Testament Survey

Genesis 3: The Fall & original Sin

This is a survey of the books of the Old Testament. I will not be doing a chapter and verse, line by line analysis, but rather a general survey with the goal of introducing these books ad what they are all about to Catholics (and anyone else) who have not yet undertaken to read them for themselves, as many Catholics have told me is the case with them The goal is to demonstrate how the Old Testament is relevant to the New testament, and to the teachings of the Church itself. Above all, I hope to  pique interest and encourage people to read the Old Testament for themselves, and be able to understand it in iys proper context. Today, we look at Genesis 3.   To look at others in this series, there will be links to each one in the sidebar


Genesis Chapter 3 sets the stage for the rest of the Bible.  Adam and Eve have the perfect life in the garden of Eden. No work, all peace and pleasure, and total freedom... Except in one matter, they were told they could eat of any tree in the Garden except the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil.

So along comes a character who is introduced as “The Serpent”.  We do not know if he was actually a snake in the sense we know them today, but he was apparently a very beautiful and subtle creature. What we do know is that the Serpent was a manifestation, of and possibly indwelling of the evil one himself, Satan. 

He approached Eve, and suggested that she try the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. When eve protested, and told her that they had ben told that they would die if hey ate of the fruit of that tree, the serpent came back and told her that she surely would not die, and that besides, God did no want them to eat of it because it would them just like Him, all knowing, in fact a god!.

 

So Eve was convinced and took a bite of the fruit, and then encouraged Adam to give it a try since it tasted so good. 

So what’s the point in all this?  Satan is working today with us, from a very old playbook.   When it comes to our being enticed to sin, is the temptation often packaged and sold to us as God being something of a tyrant and holding back from us something we would REALLY enjoy?

It also shows us how the devil mixes a little truth into every lie.  The fruit probably DID look appealing and no doubt tasted great when they first ate it. No doubt Adam was convinced because Eve was standing there before Him very much alive, so he discounted God’s admonishment that eating it would cause him to die.
But like in our time when we are tempted into sin, w convince ourselves that it’s not really THAT bad or dangerous, and what’s wrong with a little fun every now and then? And then when we do , quite often there is no immediate consequence. And voila! like lobsters we fall into the trap.

Let’s see how that all worked out for Adam & Eve. Shortly thereafter , they realized they were naked and covered themselves up, whereas they had hitherto gone about naked without any shame.  And then, worst of all, they fell out of fellowship with God.
The Bible has it that God is walking through he garden, and calls out to Adam asking where he is.  Adam knew he had disobeyed and thereby broken fellowship and hid.   Is that not what we do when we know we’ve done wrong, hiding from whomever we had harmed? Don’t we even try to delude ourselves we can hide from God too?

When the moment if reckoning came, when God confronted them on their sin, Eve blamed the serpent, and Adam tried to pass the buck to Eve.   We see this behaviour in our children, and also practice it ourselves to an extent.

And so, sentence was passed.  Death (The wages of sin is death) .  They were not slain on the spot, but learned that indeed, they would eventually die.  “From the dust you came, to the dust you shall return”. Henceforth mankind would eventually die, and moreover, they were now unfit to live in such a Holy place, and were expelled from Eden, where they would henceforth earn their sustenance through toil, while Eve would know the pain of childbirth.  this is the penalty for original sin, which would then be passed down through the generations .  And it is because of this that we need a redeemer. .
A guard was placed around Eden so that no one could ever enter there without the permission of God. The couple were provided with clothing made by God Himself, and thus Adam and Eve became the first of a long line of exiled children.

Previous Post: Genesis 1-2

Next Post: Genesis 4-5

Mexico: Still the Most Dangerous Place to be a Priest

It’s almost as if President Plutarco Calles never really went away. Mexico is still , today, the most dangerous place in the world to be a Catholic Priest. Though Calles himself, author of a massive crackdown on Roman Catholicism in Mexico in the 1920’s, and his Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) are nothing more than bad memories, the drug lords of Mexico are not targeting priests for daring to speak out against their atrocities.

It is into this environment that the most senior priest of all, Pope Francis will walk into shortly, in order to confront the human rights abuses of the drug lords, and the cult of Santa Muerte.  Latin America may be one of the most Catholic regions in the world, yet it is also by far, the most violent region on earth, in large part due to the drug trade, and of course the political violence that has plagued the region since it was first settled by Europeans. and also the poverty which comes from the political corruption that permeated nearly all governments there with the possible exceptions of Costa Rica, Belize and Chile.

 

Catholic clergy has long been caught in the crossfire. From the time of Presidents Obregon and Calles in Mexico whose persecution of Catholicism eventually led to the War of the Cristeros, (Immortalized in the movie "For Greater Glory" ) to the military juntas of the seventies and eighties such as the Somoza regime in Nicaragua and the monsters who ruled El Salvador who murdered Oscar Romero, The church has always stood in the way by speaking out against abuses of human rights.   Today it is the drug lords who are challenging the church for the souls of the people.

It is time we in the west became more aware of what is happening to our brothers and sisters in Christ in this region of the world,  and take steps to bring it to an end.

 

It always comes down to “What can we do about it?”

Here are some things all of us can do to help.

 

1) First and foremost pray.  Prayer, especially the Rosary is the strongest weapon we have.  We need to start with the premise that ALL of the evil in the world is spiritual in origin,  Paul said that we fight not against flesh and blood, but against powers and principalities.  So the war is essentially spiritual in nature, between Christ and antichrist, and plays itself out in the physical realm in which we live.

2) While taking care of the spiritual angle in this war, we must also tackle the realities of the physical battlefield where all this is playing out in our lives.  There would be no drug trade if there was not a lucrative market for the drugs themselves.  Much of that market is in the western world and plays itself out in our streets, and in our homes, so this battle, and the plight of Latin America is our problem as much as theirs. We are all in it together.  One reason why drugs are so rampant in our society is because of the emptiness of secular consumerism.  God, who used to be paramount in the lives of most individuals, and was considered carefully by our political and business institutions, has been pushed aside.  Drugs are the result of spiritual emptiness, and how it renders life meaningless.  The manifestation of Satan’s empty promises, as it were.   This is why the New Evangelization is so important. We need to call fallen away Catholics back to the Church, so they can be reunited with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, and the full power of the Holy Spirit.  If we can do that, and make the Church a place of healing again, we can beat the drug lords and put them out of business.  The same things can be used to stop human trafficking.  Hearts and minds must be changed. 

 

3) You may think I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.... goes a line in a famous song, but there is truth in that. allow me to go back in history a bit.  England was an unholy mess in the 18th and early 19h centuries. It was by no means the prim and proper society that we are led by many to believe it was.  Alcoholism was rampant... poverty, slavery, child labour.  Reading the works of Charles Dickens gives one some insights into what life was for most of the people. It is also brought to life in the engravings of artist William Hogarth.

And yet, Christians worked-and prayed- and things such as slavery,  child labour and rampant alcoholism were overcome to an extent.

4) I mentioned Dickens and Hogarth, and Wilberforce (even though not by name) and they give us some indications of some ways we can win hearts and minds.  Dickens’  books stirred the nation into consciousness of the evils the lower classes were having to live with. Hogarth brought to light other ills in society, and Wilberforce, a one time atheist who had a conversion, worked tirelessly  and with great unpopularity to end slavery.  At this point, our society looks very much like “Jolly Olde Englande” of old.  An increasingly coarsening and Godless culture.  One reason this is so, is because we have allowed ourselves, as Christians to be pushed out of the popular culture.   What if we started writing great literature again? and producing meaningful art? And entering politics in order to reclaim that realm? And the media?  Were not most of the great composers of the renaissance motivated by their faith?
We have allowed ourselves to be pushed off into our own little worlds where we produce Christian books, Christian music and Christian journalism, which is b and large not read  by the culture at large.
What we need to do is to be able to write great novels where our message gets out and hearts are changed, because hey are read by the population at large.  Tolkien , Chesterton and Lewis were able to do this in heir time, and we need to do so in our time.  What good does it do if no one is reading or listening?
The culture has indeed been coarsened, and it is now time to refine it again, It has been done before, and it can be done today. One step at a time, but relentlessly and continuously, at every level.

5)  Purism is a big part of the problem.  We have withdrawn from much in the culture because to get involved in politics, the media, or reaching out in the culture means that we just move ahead incrementally, and take some water in our wine, and reclaim the culture the same way it was taken away from us, an inch at a time.

If we can take some of these steps, we can help our brothers and sisters and their priests  to get the message out in their country, as we will have helped weaken their oppressors by cleaning up the mess we have allowed to be created in our own back yard. Stop he drugs, stop he unethical business practices (ie dealing with companies that engage in unethical labour practices) and to help the poor and oppressed get a hand up to make it on their own in a society that will find itself increasingly unable to stop them .

Law enforcement on our side other border will have to play a role, but their effectiveness is also influenced by the  direction of he culture and the body politic.  So it really comes down to the New Evangelization.

We need to know what Jesus taught, and to walk he talk.  That is how we can best help. In other words, authenticity.

Genesis 1-2: Old testament Survey

This is a survey of the books of the Old Testament. I will not be doing a chapter and verse, line by line analysis, but rather a general survey with the goal of introducing these books ad what they are all about to Catholics (and anyone else) who have not yet undertaken to read them for themselves, as many Catholics have told me is the case with them The goal is to demonstrate how the Old Testament is relevant to the New testament, and to the teachings of the Church itself. Above all, I hope to  pique interest and encourage people to read the Old Testament for themselves, and be able to understand it in iys proper context. Today, we look at Genesis 1-2.   To look at others in this series, there will be links to each one in the sidebar .

Genesis 1-2.  In The Beginning.....

The First Chapter in the Book of Genesis, which is generally attributed to Moses deals with  the story of creation.  Two versions are presented.  They are both consistent with one another, although told quite differently.  Also in the first chapter we are introduced to the Trinity. Yes, God reveals that the Godhead is a Trinity, right there in Genesis 1:Verse 2:"...and the SPIRIT of God was moving over the face of the waters" (RSV) & "...God's SPIRIT hovered over the water" (Jerusalem Bible)  26 :”Let US make humankind in OUR image, according to OUR likeness” (NRSV), which right there implies that God had a human person as part of His nature.

 

The first story of creation itself, whether one chooses to accept it as a literal chronological account of a series of events whereby it happened over a 7 day period of 24 hour days, or whether it was allegorically referring to what God did in his position outside of time, does not matter as much as the clear presentation that A) God created the earth, and all that is in it, the heavens themselves, as well as man and beast, and B) gave man dominion over he earth, and all that is in it and C) expected that He would have a persona relationship with man, in which He would be acknowledged as Father and Lord, and all worship and glory would go to Him, and that His creation and its resources  were to be something for man to enjoy and for which he was to provide responsible stewardship.

 

The second account of creation found in Chapter 2 centers more on the creation of man, and the role God intended for him in His creation.  Adam, the first man (The word Adam in Hebrew means “Man”) was placed in a garden created, planted and nurtured by God within certain boundaries, and He tests man’s willingness to be subservient to Him, and walk in His way, bu planting one tree, the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil, and tells man that he is free to do anything, except to eat the fruit of that one tree.  and then he charges Adam with the task of naming all the animals.  So the second account again hits at God’s ultimate sovereignty, and the limits and boundaries he sets for man, His greatest creation, and man’s dominion over creation and stewardship of it.  The structure He intends in hierarchical, with freedom of will.  God also creates a companion for man. A complementary being who is to be his partner and helpmate in life, who is taken from his own flesh and bone, which sets the stage for God’s plan for marriage,and its indissolubility that is where a couple become one as in bone and flesh, because of a work f God.  Verse 24 reasd: “ Therefore a Man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and they are become one flesh.” (NRSV). And they lived happily ever after.... for a while anyway....

Next Post: Genesis 3

Pope to Confront Mexicans over Santa Muerte Cult

The latest instalment of the James Bond franchise “Spectre” opens up in Mexico City amidst the chaos of the revelry of the festival of Santa Muerte in Mexico City.  This massive and riotous celebration of this death cult is something most people outside of Central America had never heard of before Bond brought it to the big screen in all its debauchery.

 

 

It seems Pope Francis  is going to try to do something about it in his upcoming visit to Mexico. Santa Muerte became an unofficial “folk saint” (NOT recognized by the church in the 1830’s when Spanish images of the Grim reaper were adapted, and Santa Muerte became a craze among many Mexicans, who prayed to her for intercession and favours,   The Church reacted and stamped it out quickly, destroying chaplets dedicated to her, as well as festivals.  Santa Muerte surfaced again in the 1940’s with a vengeance and has since become one of the fastest growing cults in the Americas.

 

in 2001, a woman named Enriqueta Romero brought her Santa Muerte statue to an Altar in the Tepito neighbourhood of Mexico City and since then people have been coming daily to pray to her.   Romero says she remains a devout Catholic.  (Catholic Online) .

 

A quote from Sra. Romero will provide some insights into what can happen when a heresy takes on a life of its own:

"On one hand I have God, and on the other I have Death. And when I die, God will tell the skinny one to take Dona Queta away. How great that the pope is coming. Glory be to God. How great that he is coming to give us many blessings." (Catholic Online)

 

Sra. Romero appears to be in for a big surprise. While  Pope Francis may be coming to give blessings, he is expected  call out and condemn the devotion to the false “saint” whose very essence stands foursquare in opposition to everything the Church teaches in it’s pro-life worldview, not to mention scriptures many warnings about participating in necromancy  (Communication with the dead).

 

Here is another article which goes into some more detail as to the extent that this false “saint”’s tentacles have penetrated into Mexican society.  Some parents have had their children baptised by a priestess of Santa Muerte right after their Catholic baptism.  Others pray to her for forgiveness, after believing they have been  punished by injuries by her for their sins.  Her appeal transcends all demographics in Mexican society, and is spreading throughout Central and South America  rapidly.  Enriqueta Vargas, who erected a 72’ Fiberglass statue and temple to this abomination in 2007 has also officiated over baptisms and weddings.  (some disturbing images of this statue and some of the worship around it can be found here)

 

Most Mexicans who participate in this cultish false worship (an estimated 12 million people, making it the fastest growing cult in the Americas)  also remain(in their minds) devout Catholics.  In fact one man asked Sra. Vargas whether he could Worship both the “Our Lady of Guadalupe” Icon and that of Santa Muerte, and she told him that was fine.  The Vatican has declared Santa Muerte to be blasphemous. 

 

Santa Muerte is also reportedly very popular among the drug cartels currently ravaging Mexico.

 

Among other things, part of Pope Francis’ trip to Mexico will involve confronting Mexicans about the worship of this macabre figure who  has been the target of 4 condemnations by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi in recent years.