Why would they ask Paul to pay for the four men who are going to be taking vows?
Why would he agree to this?
What?! He came and I *missed* it?!!
Okay, the New Testament zebras are still tromping around Thessalonica. Here is our grazing ground for the day:
We ask you, brothers, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling with him, not to be shaken out of your minds suddenly, or to be alarmed either by a “spirit,” or by an oral statement, or by a letter allegedly from us to the effect that the day of the Lord is at hand. Let no one deceive you in any way. For unless the apostasy comes first and the lawless one is revealed, the one doomed to perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god and object of worship, so as to seat himself in the temple of God, claiming that he is a god — do you not recall that while I was still with you I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. But the one who restrains is to do so only for the present, until he is removed from the scene. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord [Jesus] will kill with the breath of his mouth and render powerless by the manifestation of his coming, the one whose coming springs from the power of Satan in every mighty deed and in signs and wonders that lie, and in every wicked deceit for those who are perishing because they have not accepted the love of truth so that they may be saved. Therefore, God is sending them a deceiving power so that they may believe the lie, that all who have not believed the truth but have approved wrongdoing may be condemned. (2 Thes 2:1-12)
What in the world is going on here?
This sounds to me to be like some of the other apocalyptic literature, what with the apostasy and the lawless one being revealed [the antichrist?], and also with the one being restrained (isn’t there something about Satan being allowed to act, but on a leash?)
I like, too, the distinction that Paul is making here. He talks of those who “have not accepted the love of truth so that they may be saved.” It seems to me that he is talking here about the necessity of changing your life so as to live in Truth in order to be saved. It doesn’t say, those who have accepted Christ as Lord and Messiah so that they may be saved, so it must mean that more is necessary. What is the love of Truth, then? I think it is more than merely knowing Truth. For example, I can know the 10 Commandments and still fail to obey them. But if I love the 10 Commandments, then I will incorporate them into my life, my being. They will not be seen as an oppressive yoke, but rather a freedom. To love Truth is to embrace it. So, those who “have not accepted the love of truth” are those who have failed to embrace Christ, whether or not they profess him as Lord.
The other notable thing is that Paul is telling them to not worry about people proclaiming the end times. Those who have heard Paul proclaim the Gospel know what will precede the parousia of the Lord.
I think additionally, there is a connection between these two thoughts. Those who do not truly love the Truth would be frightened and scrambling to try and atone for the way they have been living their life if the Second Coming were suddenly announced. However, true disciples of Christ would already be following a path of righteousness and would have nothing to fear. So, live well, for we know not the hour, and He will come like a thief in the night.
Gifts of the Holy Spirit
- Image by CadyLy via Flickr
I went to the Fellowship of St. Paul meeting last night, not knowing exactly what to expect. I suppose my initial expectation was that it would be a little like the Life in the Spirit seminar that I attended at St. A’s and OLGC earlier in the year, especially since this month’s meeting included a panel that would be speaking on the gift of tongues and indicated that there would be an opportunity for people to be prayed over who wanted the gift.
After Life in the Spirit, everyone focused on the gift of tongues. “Did you get it? Did you speak in tongues?” It was all anyone asked about. They had made sure to say that there were many gifts of the Spirit and that not everyone received the same gifts. I concluded that perhaps I just wasn’t one of the people to receive the gift of tongues.
I made a few friends upon arriving at the Seminary and saw several other friends there, which helped me feel more welcome and comfortable. We started off with praise and worship (singing), which was quite like Steve and Lynn’s Fisherman’s Net prayer group, so it felt familiar and I liked it. The fact that they sung songs which I knew was helpful, too. Luckily, I sat next to a man who thought that I had a decent singing voice. 🙂
Next, we had a panel of people speak about the gift of tongues. Dr. Williamson gave an introduction to the gift of tongues, including describing three uses of the gift: as a sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit, to build up the Church when used in conjunction with the gift of prophecy, and as a gift for personal prayer. Carol shared with us some personal experiences, especially healings, related to her gift of tongues and praying in the Spirit. The priest from England, Fr. Gerard I believe, was quite funny and had some good analogies like relating this gift to laughter and how it wells up from within you but how you have control over it to an extent and can choose when to start laughing and when to stop. He also related the experience of being in a community of people praying in the Spirit to being at a football (soccer) game, where people would be cheering and chanting and making noise — and how many people go to the games more for that atmosphere, rather than for the game itself (of this, I am so guilty!).
We then spent some time in prayer, led by Fr. Gerard on guitar.
We broke in to small groups, and I joined Dr. Williamson’s group, as he said that he would offer Q&A for people who still had some questions. I wanted to listen to the various questions and answers, but didn’t particularly have any of my own. I ended up getting busted for not asking anything, which was a little surprising as I wasn’t aware that I had a reputation for being particularly garrulous. One of the guys in the small group asked the question about people receiving different gifts, and maybe not everyone would receive this particular gift. The answer given was one that really makes me think. He said that while people are given various gifts, it is suggested in Scripture that the gifts of tongues and of prophesy seem to be general gifts given to all. The problem with many people is not that they do not have the gift, but that they do not use it and nurture it.
Huh.
Well, if I have been given a gift by God, don’t I then have a responsibility to use that gift? It sounds like I have another area of spiritual growth to explore.
This meeting has also helped me related to our separated brethren, in particular communities like the Pentecostals, where it seems like everyone in the congregation speaks in tongues. It has always been a mystery to me that — if everyone is given different gifts of the Holy Spirit — how can you have a congregation where everyone has the same gift? The idea that it is a general gift given to all…well, that explains it quite nicely. 🙂
May We All Be One
Love craves unity.
We are physical beings as well as spiritual beings.
For these reasons, tangible expressions of love are so necessary. It is not enough that I am told that I am loved, but I need to see it, hear it and feel it. I need that hug, that kiss, that hand on my shoulder. We have an inborn need to profoundly connect with other people.
I was reminded of this by my latest reading:
Brothers, when we were bereft of you for a short time, in person, not in heart, we were all the more eager in our great desire to see you in person. (1 Thes 2:17)
It is not only other human persons for which we have this desire for unity but, most of all, for God. Which is why God gave us the sacraments, so that we can, tangibly, come into contact with Him. Through the sacraments, we can concretely encounter and interact with Christ. In Reconciliation, we can not only know that we are forgiven, but we can hear it said, “I absolve you….” In the Anointing of the Sick, our sick bodies are touched and the oil remains as a reminder of the healing freely given. In the Eucharist, it is Christ Himself whom we take into our bodies under the appearance of bread and wine. God effects in us the very unity which we crave. Would that we truly come to know what it is that He is doing.
In addition to this idea of tangible unity, the other thing this verse brings to my mind is the idea of intercessory prayer. I truly believe that prayer unites people. As I pray for you, my heart is softened toward you and I become better able to love you as God loves you. I believe this is why Paul says, “…we were bereft of you…in person, not in heart.” While they may have been physically separated, Paul continued to remember them, and not just in abstract recollections of memory, but — because heart in Paul’s day meant something more like the center of your will, rather than the center of your emotions — remembered them in prayer, where he was actively willing for their good.
Which brings me back to:
I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. (John 17:20-21)
In Thanksgiving for Their Faith
Okay, starting a new series: Reflections on Paul. I have a class on Pauline literature at the Seminary this semester, and we are being asked to keep a journal of our response to Scripture, both spiritually and intellectually. And, of course, I will share with you! 🙂
We are starting with 1 Thessalonians. It didn’t take me very long before I reached something to comment upon:
We give thanks to God always for all of you, remembering you in our prayers, unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father, knowing, brothers loved by God, how you were chosen. (1 Thes 1:2-4, NAB)
I had marked this passage in my Bible with a little note, and it strikes me the same way today. It’s Paul’s prayer on behalf of himself, Silvanus/Silas and Timothy to the church in Thessalonica, but this is also my prayer for my priests.
I have this vocation/charism to be an intercessor, and have a particular focus on priests. In a particular way, I have been called to be an intercessor for one specific priest. Something similar to the idea of spiritual motherhood (I’ll provide the link to that Vatican article in a little bit, when I look it up), perhaps, or maybe as St. Thérèse of Lisieux prayed for her two priests.
Paul talks about how he prays unceasingly for the Thessalonians, and in a similar way, I pray unceasingly for my priest. Sometimes I find this humorous, how he is always on my mind in prayer. It seems like any difficulty that I may run into in the course of my day, I use this as prayer for him. E.g. If I am driving and notice that it’s icy out, I will pray that he is protected while on the roads — that God keeps him safe. If I am tired or stressed, I pray that he find rest, comfort, strength, perseverance and God’s grace to handle his duties and projects. That God would renew him and give him His peace. That he would be given moments throughout the day where he can get away from the daily pressures and find respite and rejuvenation in the Lord. That he would be inspired to continue to run the race well and find a “second wind.” That all of his frustrations would be turned into joy, knowing that he is doing the Will of God. That he may see Christ in all the people that he encounters on this day.
Paul calls the Thessalonians “brothers loved by God.” This is so true regarding my priest. God speaks to me about him more than He speaks to me about any other person. Sometimes, I’ll happen to be driving past church and He will tell me, “Right now, my son is here with Me. Spending time with Me.” You should hear Him. He is so thrilled. He loves it when His children spend time with Him. It just encourages me that much more to spend time in front of the Eucharist in Adoration. Praying for my priest and my priests. That insight into His Heart and His Love for His children expands my own heart, and somehow helps me to love better.
“How you were chosen.” Vocation. The calling of God. I love this. My vocation, in a way, is to support vocations. Particularly, those called to Holy Orders and to the presbyterate. There’s no question that my heart has been changed by God. That he has made me in such a way that this calling that I have — this intercession, this preference for priests — gives me joy and draws me closer to Him the more I engage in and answer my calling. I was chosen for those who have been chosen. There is a great responsibility there, but also a great comfort, to know that you have been chosen by God for a particular task. Perhaps because of my unique calling, two of my favorite Masses are Chrism Mass and Presbyteral Ordination. I cannot tell you how awesome those Masses are, but only encourage you to attend one, if you get the chance.
Thank You, Lord, for their call, for their faith…and for mine.
Self-Awareness
When does life begin?
That has got to be one of the most important questions of the day. I posit that this occurs quite early.
The female egg and the male sperm are haploid cells belonging to each person. They have a function and belong to the organism, yet they are not of themselves a unique organism. Their DNA, although haploid, is identical with that of the person. Their function is to unite: the egg works to chemically attract the sperm, and the sperm works to get to the egg. “If fertilization is not accomplished, the oocyte typically ceases to be within twenty-four hours after ovulation; and sperm degenerate within two to five days.”[1]
Once the first sperm enters the egg, the entire scenario changes. Now, you have a new entity with its unique genetic code. How do we know this? Because it is in some way self-aware of the fact that it is now different, and reacts chemically for the protection of the new organism. This is known as the egg cortical reaction.
When the sperm fuses with the egg plasma membrane, it causes a local increase in cytosolic Ca2+, which spreads through the cell in a wave… There is evidence that the Ca2+ wave or oscillations are induced by a protein that is introduced into the egg by the sperm, but the nature of the protein is unknown. The Ca2+ wave or oscillations activate the egg to begin development [Development of what? Of the new organism], and they initiate the cortical reaction, in which the cortical granules release their contents by exocytosis… The contents of the cortical granules include various enzymes that are released by the cortical reaction and change the structure of the zona pellucida. The altered zona becomes “hardened,” so that sperm no longer bind to it, and it therefore provides a block to polyspermy.[2]
“…there now appears to be a distinct organism directing its own processes of growth and development… The [egg cortical reaction] especially seems characteristic of a new organism, whose existence depends upon a structural barrier to outside forces, rather than of a gamete cell, whose existence is fundamentally oriented toward uniting with another gamete…”[3]
[1] Robert P. George and Christopher Tollefsen, Embryo: A Defense of Human Life (New York: Doubleday, 2008), 36.
[2] Bruce Alberts et al., Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th ed., (New York: Garland Science, 2002), http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK26843/ (accessed November 28, 2010).
[3] George and Tollefsen, Embryo, 38-39.
What Kind of Logic is This?!?
From Embryo: A Defense of Human Life by Robert P. George and Christopher Tollefsen
[There is a] claim made by some supporters of embryo-destructive research that because early-stage embryos can split into identical twins, they are not yet individuals or determinate human beings. (Pg. 22)
I don’t think this conclusion necessarily follows.
The only thing the twinning phenomenon changes is how many persons there are, not whether it’s a human person.
Why We Tell the Story
Is anyone else daunted at the challenge we are all called to? Of evangelization? Proclaiming the Gospel to all the world?
Oddly enough, I gain inspiration to do this from one of my favorite musicals: Once on this Island, which I was introduced to in high school (which happens to be polytheistic in presentation). In particular from the closing song, “Why We Tell the Story”:
And she stands against the lightning and the thunder
And she shelters and protects us from above
And she fills us with the power and the wonder
Of her loveAnd this is why
We tell the story
Why we tell the storyWhy we tell the story
Why we tell the storyIf you listen very hard you hear her call us
To come share with her our laughter and our tears
And there’s mysteries and miracles befall us
Through the yearsWe tell the story
We tell the story!Life is why
We tell the story
Pain is why
We tell the story
Love is why
We tell the story
Grief is why
We tell the story
Hope is why
We tell the story
Faith is why
We tell the story
You are why
We tell the story
Why we tell the story
Why we tell the story
Why we tell the storySo I hope that you will tell this tale tomorrow
It will help your heart remember and relive
It will help you feel the anger and the sorrow
And forgiveFor all the ones we leave
And we believe
Our lives become
The stories that we weave
I find resonance in this song of the Christian life. There is joy, sorrow, pain, grief, and hope. Stories connect us to each other and stories teach us. Why do we proclaim the Gospel? To help others live this life well. To grab people by their hearts and impart the faith which saves.
What does this song highlight for me?
There is a God who fills us with the power and the wonder of His love.
A God who calls us to share with Him our laughter and our tears. Our prayer should be sincere and intimate, and not reserved for those times when we feel pious, but perhaps especially when we are not, or when we do not feel like praying.
The Gospel has relevance for every aspect of life.
The Gospel is the reason for our hope and our faith.
We need to keep ever before us His passion, which He suffered on our account, and to forgive those who have wronged us.
But perhaps most of all, because our lives do become the stories that we weave. What we say, what we repeat, what we choose to expose ourselves to… all these things shape us into the person we are. We are what we repeatedly do. What stories am I incorporating into myself and sharing with others?
It also contains a fundamental truth of the interconnectedness of all human persons. We are made for relationship and we are made to uphold and uplift each other.
So, why do we tell the story?
YOU are why!
🙂
Halloween 2010
I love Halloween! It’s so much fun to dress up…and then, there’s the candy! 🙂
I actually managed to buy pumpkins early this year (instead of stealing from children and knocking over little old ladies on Devil’s Night to get some pumpkins).
I let my brother, who is my personal pumpkin carver (and who is WAY AWESOME at this), have free reign over this year’s theme. I ended up getting Freddy and Jason! Sweet! Look at them, aren’t they great?!
Lindsay and I celebrated the evening by meeting up with Erwin at a bar which was having a costume contest. I left before the judging, but Lindsay won 2nd place! 🙂
Here’s Lindsay in her SuperGirl costume (This outfit is rated PG-13):
And this is one tough chick! Look! She’s not even afraid when confronted by PacMan…and he’s notorious for how much he eats! 🙂
Everyone knows that superheroes congregate at bars, so when Captain America arrived, we knew it was time for a photo op! 🙂 This is the two of them looking fierce:
And at the end of the night, Bo Peep went home to count her sheep — to make sure she hadn’t lost any….
Birmingham in October
Today was a beautiful day. Terry and I decided to take some pictures while we walked around Birmingham.
I loved the colors of the leaves on the trees!
Some of the neighbors had decorated for Halloween. Oddly enough, one had a little statue of me. They must have caught me on a day I didn’t go to Mass and hadn’t been to Starbucks yet. 😛
Then, a bunch of random photosniping:
And there was this:
We walked over to the little park they had downtown. In the middle, there was this odd statue. I’m not sure what the significance of the sculpture is, but I like to call it, “Here, honey, I’m throwing you to the birds….”
And just look at all these cute kids in their Halloween costumes! 🙂
My only question…
What IS this??!?
Paroxysm of Giggles / Critical Mass 