Why Only Pentecost?

Why do Catholics and mainstream Protestant denominations celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, but not the other festivals listed in Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16? Do we just "play favorites," simply ignoring or even rejecting Passover, Unleavened Bread, Trumpets, Atonement, and Tabernacles?

No. Keep in mind that we (at least Catholics) celebrate and meditate on key Christian events. We commemorate and rehearse things like the Annunciation; the Birth of Jesus; His Baptism; His Death, Burial, and Resurrection -- and the Descent of the Holy Spirit. We are obviously very Jesus-centered in our religion.

The Holy Spirit descended in a spectacular way on Pentecost. Not only did flames rest upon the heads of those who were waiting in obedience and praying with Mary, but the Spirit also lit a fire under their backsides, so to speak, and gave them power from on high to spread the gospel of Jesus and His kingdom to all nations in all the world. We celebrate, therefore, the gift of the Holy Spirit -- which is no small matter. There are innumerable lessons, teachings, and meditations to draw from Pentecost.

It is for the express Christian significance of Pentecost that we observe this day.

Israel's annual feasts
That's not to say the other Jewish festivals aren't "Christian" in a real sense. In these other holy days, there is a tremendous amount of symbolism that points us to Christ.

• Jesus is the "Lamb of God" not because of any physical resemblance, but because He, in the place of the Passover lamb, was our true sacrifice that truly forgives sin -- not in type or symbol, but in reality.
• St. Paul used imagery from the Feast of Unleavened Bread to illustrate the nature of sin (1 Corinthians 5:6-8).
• Trumpets were used, among other things, as calls to assembly and to announce war-making. As Christian soldiers, we can extract spiritual lessons from the Feast of Trumpets and recall that Jesus' return to earth and the resurrection of the saints will be announced with "trumpets."
• The Day of Atonement is fulfilled by Jesus who is our atonement. As the one Mediator and High Priest, He unites us with God.
• Just as Israel was to observe a festival that commemorated their living in temporary dwellings when they left Egypt, so we as Christians recognize that once we have left "Egypt" (sin), we are still sojourning in a land that is not our own. We are seeking a new country, a heavenly county, our "land of promise" -- "the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Hebrews 11:10).
  

While these days featured shadowy glimpses of Christian realities that were to come, they were also very Israel-centric, or "Jewish." They were harvest festivals that related to ancient Israel's times and circumstances and history. Since God chose Israel from among all the other nations of the earth for a certain purpose -- in preparation of the coming of Jesus -- then naturally the pre-Christian holy days that God gave them would be about their nation and their role in salvation history. In that way, these days are worthy of our attention.

Calling all men
With the coming of Christ, however, God is calling all men (not just the nation of Israel) to Himself. It all started with the man Abraham, then the clans that came from Abraham, then the nation of Israel. Finally, it culminated in Jesus, who, with His apostles, has shared God's revelation to all the earth. God is no longer dealing primarily with one nation among all nations; He is dealing with all peoples of the earth -- including those whose ancestors did not cross the Red Sea or inherit a land of promise!

The "universalization" of God's gift of salvation, as we see in the Acts 2 account of Pentecost, is why we observe that day. It is fundamental to Christianity. It marks the inauguration of the Church, the ethnically blind instrument God is using to reach His children. Once the Church reaches these children though the power of the Holy Spirit, they become part of the Church -- they become part of Jesus' Body. And perfect union with Jesus is our eternal destiny.

For the sake of argument, if Jesus had been conceived or born on Hanukkah -- the Festival of Lights -- then surely the Church today would be observing Hanukkah, pointing out that Jesus is the true Light of the world, the Light of life, and that we should let our Light shine before men to glorify the Father. It would be for these reasons that we would celebrate Hanukkuh -- not strictly because of the rededication of the Jewish temple, the commemoration of which being the day's original, primary focus.

As an interesting aside, apparently Jesus had no issue with an "extrabiblical" religious holiday such as Hanukkah, since He was walking about the temple on that day, speaking publicly (John 10:22-31). He did not speak against it, but rather spoke to the Jews about His miracles, which arguably could be connected to the fact that Hanukkah is associated with a miracle. ("The Temple in Jerusalem was purified, and the wicks of the Menorah miraculously burned for eight days with oil enough for only one day" -- Wikipedia.) Christian lessons could easily be expounded from this. But still, it is fundamentally "Jewish," even though it does carry spiritual lessons for all of us.

Keep your "Christian focus"
One unorthodox Christian publication recently began an article with these words:

Most professing Christians acknowledge just one of God's holy days -- Pentecost. . . . But what does it mean to them? To most, it is merely a celebration of the "birthday" of the church, or a time of changing the colors of their religious robes. But the real meaning goes deeper than this. Much deeper. Pentecost is rich with symbolism. Let's take a quick overview of this God-ordained day.

The article then goes on to explain the very Christian significance of this day that you and I already understand, but the writer represents one of several movements that insist we as Christians should be observing all the Jewish festivals, and that we are sinning if we don't. Also, they condemn as pagan and sinful our celebration of clearly Christian days, such as Christmas and Easter, because they "hide" the plan of God.

But, in fact, the opposite is true: Christmas and Easter plainly reveal monumental Christian events that are absolutely crucial -- and as central as central can be -- to God's plan for man. Focusing exclusively on the holy days of Israel and rejecting Christian holy days can lead to many theological deficiencies which, potentially, can distort the Christian message.

Note, also, how these same preachers and writers characterize Catholics (and mainstream Protestants) as "professing Christians" (not true ones) who blindly follow empty traditions and are superficially concerned with wearing right-colored robes. But you should know better than that.

They would have you limit your observances to shadows and not the realities. They would have you be like the hungry dog who only sniffs and looks at his master's finger, oblivious to the fact that the finger is pointing to a bowl of fresh-mixed Gravy Train.

Be prepared. Learn your Faith. Read the Bible. Read the Catechism. If you have questions about challenges to the Faith, search for answers. Ask someone who can shed light on these challenges.

Don't fall prey to false teachers. Instead, fall down and pray -- that you may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. And praise God for sending us His Holy Spirit, who was given to the Church two thousand years ago on the day of Pentecost.

Reading Pope's Book Scott-Free

On the same day last week, I received both Scott Hahn's new book (Reasons to Believe) and Pope Benedict's new book (Jesus of Nazareth) in the mail.

It's not hard to imagine why I haven't been blogging much during the spare time that I have.

I tried to read Hahn's book first, or at least at the same time as the pope's, because his is a breezy, interesting, and easy-to-read style -- as well as insightful -- and anything by Pope Benedict seems a little daunting. I wanted to "warm up" to it.

But now I've put Scott's book aside. B16's is so rich, yet accessible. I don't generally like the overused term, but this pope's latest book is "spiritual food," and it really hits the spot. It's a nutritious alternative to the junk that's been coming out for years about the so-called "historical Jesus" (who barely resembles the Jesus of faith in any way). The book's forward and introduction alone are well worth the money. I'm looking forward to getting deeper into this great work.

Since Christians believe that everything revolves around the truth of Jesus, it is good to occasionally knock down the false "Jesuses" that are fabricated from the minds of pseudo-intellectual unbelievers.

No, not just knock them down. Knock them out of the park!

And this theologian extraordinaire-turned-pope is just the heavy hitter to do it.

My "Accent"

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North   You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
The South
The Midland
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The West
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Idol Words: "Catholics Worship Statues!" (Part 1 of 3)

Instead of feeling inspired or lifted up, some anti-Catholic religious folks get a case of the "oogies" when they encounter religious icons and statues, believing them to be idols.

Having been raised in an anti-Catholic home, I recall as a young person seeing a portion of midnight Mass on television once, live from the Vatican. Seeing all those "graven images" was almost frightening, because I felt I was witnessing real-life, modern-day paganism -- the very practices God had hated and condemned for thousands of years since the beginning of human history. I thought I was peering into the sanctuary of Satan.

What I didn't understand, however -- but now do -- was that the commandment against making "graven images" is in the context of worshiping false gods. It is an extension of "You shall have no other gods before me."

Here it is in Exodus 20:2-5 (NKJV):

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

You shall have no other gods before Me.

You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them.

If you read this in a narrow, literalistic way, you might conclude that anything carved to look like something else violates the commandment. This would include anything from the decorative owl carvings I own to the national memorial at Mount Rushmore.


But when the commandment speaks of a "carved image," it is synonymous with an "idol" (the word used in the NIV). An idol is, or represents, a false god -- something that is worshiped in the place of the true God. That's why even Protestant churches teach that anything that comes between you and God (money, sex, fame, power, possessions, etc.) is your "idol."

Carved images were never strictly condemned in Scripture, not even in religious settings. Quite the opposite -- God commanded them to be used by the nation of Israel.

Four-Sentence Excerpt From Pope's New Book

A Christian friend of mine has a copy of Jesus of Nazareth, Pope Benedict XVI's first book as pope. I commented elsewhere about Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's previous books being difficult to understand, so I asked my friend how this one looked.

He emailed:

I've just read enough to see that it appears to be very readable. I think I'm going to like it a lot. Here's a little example of the good writing you'll find in the book:

But now we must listen more carefully to the text. It continues: "As the Scripture has said, 'Out of his body shall flow rivers of living water'" (Jn 7:38). Out of whose body? Since the earliest times there have been two different answers to this question.

Pretty clear writing, eh? It's pretty much that way all the way through, as best I can tell from just paging through and reading bits and pieces here and there. It's also very biblical. At times he sounds like an evangelical explaining what various scriptures mean.

It's not an extensive review, but it prompted me to order the book at Wal-Mart.com ($15.23 including tax and shipping).

Knowing that this would be his first title as Pope Benedict, maybe he hired some good editors to make it read in a more "Holy Father" style than a "seminary professor" style.

The Bible Does NOT Interpret the Bible

The word "interpret" is a dirty word to some Christian fundamentalists, believing that the Bible should never be "interpreted." Instead, they say "the Bible interprets the Bible."

I say that's silly. We have to interpret the Bible in order to understand it. If this sacred text is the object of interpretation, it cannot be the interpretor.

I believe certain Christians prefer to avoid speaking of "interpreting the Bible" because, ironically, they misinterpret 2 Peter 1:20,21:

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (NIV).

(Note: When isolated from its context, this is admittedly more confusing in the King James Version, which reads: "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.")

Peter is not saying, as some understand it, that the prophets in Scripture must not be interpreted; he's saying that the prophets didn't invent their own prophecies. They didn't write them based on how they interpreted events and situations of their time -- their prophecies were inspired directly by God.

But we still have to read and understand them -- that's what it means to "interpret"!

I Googled the phrase "bible interprets the bible," and, after skipping over the results from my former church tradition, I came across this dandy paragraph:

The text of Scripture must be interpreted by historical exegesis, taking an account of its literary forms and devices, letting Scripture interpret Scripture and not relying on the knowledge of man. The reason we should let the Scripture interpret itself is because the bible always tells the truth concerning everything it talks about, but man continually makes errors. If man interprets the bible then the interpretation is open to error, but if the bible interprets the bible, it will always be completely true. This is why the exegesis of passages is important, so that we know what the scripture is actually saying, contrary to what we think it is saying.

I appreciate what the writer intends to say; he just isn't saying it correctly. His first sentence contradicts itself. Read it again and try to make sense of it. How can a person insist on "not relying on the knowledge of man," and then proceed to use "historical exegesis," taking into account "literary forms and devices"?

The definition of exegesis is "critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text, esp. of the Bible." You can't escape "interpretation" by hiding behind the word "exegesis."

I am sure the writer -- and all those who claim not to "interpret" Scripture -- really means that we should not interpolate our own ideas into the Bible. In other words, we should read Scripture carefully, trying to avoid reading things into it that were not intended by the original author. That would be sloppy interpretation.

Our goal is correct interpretation. What we think Scripture is saying ought to match what it is actually saying.

How to Recite the Rosary

Since the Rosary has been on my mind lately, I'm posting this link so you can download and view the PDF file shown above. This document shows how to pray the Rosary. It's excellent for people who are unfamiliar with the Rosary but want to know the bare-bones mechanics of how it is prayed.

This document is free to copy and distribute, and it was created by the industrious people at New Advent.

The Rosary: A Chain of Events

I briefly discussed the Rosary before ("Not All Repetitions Are 'Vain'"), but I want to clarify another aspect of this cherished Catholic prayer.

The first time I arrived early for Mass and witnessed a large group of parishioners reciting the prayers of the Rosary in unison, it struck me as almost haunting. Everyone was kneeling, thumbing their beads, and vocalizing ready-made prayers in a collective monotone voice that echoed throughout the church.

I wasn't used to that at all. It sounded almost pagan . . . whatever "pagan" sounds like.

But it all makes sense when you realize what's really happening. The Rosary prayers are not to be empty-headed recitals -- but quite the opposite! They are to be prayed with a full head of gospel meditations! The one who is praying should (ideally) have his mind focused on one of the "mysteries" (i.e., revealed truths) of Christianity.

Thursdays, for example -- like today -- are typically set aside to meditate on the "luminous mysteries," which are events from Jesus' earthly ministry. They include:

1. The Baptism in the Jordan
2. The Wedding at Cana
3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
4. The Transfiguration
5. The Institution of the Eucharist

In other words, during the first set of the "Hail Mary" prayers, which an outside spectator may mistake as dull and vain, the pray-er in reality is heart-deep in meditation on Jesus' baptism in the Jordan.

He may be pondering the importance of baptism, and how it is the normal entry gate to salvation through Jesus Christ; he may be imagining how John the Baptizer must have felt baptizing the Lord; he may be "listening" to John's words, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world"; he could be placing himself at the scene, so to speak, to witness the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus as a dove, and listening to the words of the Father, whose words resounded from heaven: "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased"; he might be piecing together this baptism, which was done as our example, with the "born again" conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus -- found just two chapters later in the Gospel of John.

With just ten "Hail Marys" per mystery, time flies by quickly. I've caught myself going much more slowly when I notice I'm near the end. Oftentimes, the only way you know it's time to go to the next set (unless you want to continue that meditation) is when your fingers and thumb encounter the larger, "separator" bead. Then it's time for the next set -- that is, if you're ready to move along.

The reason the vocalized prayers sound either hurried or "dreary" to some is that the one who's praying is focused on the meditations and not on making colorful voice inflections. With practice, the combination of vocal prayer and meditative prayer has a way of harnessing your full attention.

Imagine the benefits of daily recitation of the Rosary. It's a prayerful rehearsal of the whole gospel story. Impure thoughts of any brand are replaced by the scenes of salvation history, revealed to us by Scripture and the Tradition of the Church.

What better way to purify your mind on a daily basis?

Save Over $10 on Offical U.S. Catechism

If you go to your bookstore to buy the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, you'll pay $24.95 plus tax (plus gasoline if you have to drive far to get it).

I got mine for a little over $15. You can, too, if you order by May 15.

I don't mean to sound like a cheesy salesman, but I know I would appreciate the tip:

Go to Adoremus Books to get it. Now, here's the catch -- you get $10 off if you sign up for a Google Checkout account. This discount is only good for first-time users of Google's answer to "PayPal."

Paying with Google Checkout brings the price to $14.95. If your total order is at least $25, you get free shipping. So I bought a 50-cent plastic ruler to bump it over $25 (before discount). That means my final cost was $15.45 -- saving at least $10 compared to driving to the book store.

My plastic ruler arrived broken, but I didn't complain. I was more interested in reading about the Eternal Ruler.

Sit, Stand, and Kneel (Rosary Army)

Spidey and His Web of Faith

(BEWARE: The following post may spoil the movie for you if you haven't seen it yet.)

Last night I watched Spider-Man 3. I give it all eight thumbs up -- not just for its amazing action, but for its Christian themes. I did some World Wide Web-crawling of my own, and apparently I'm not the only one who saw Christian elements within. In this movie, it's just plain obvious.

Spider-Man 2
When I saw Spider-Man 2, I detected what I thought to be Christian imagery. In this movie, the miracle-working Web-Head fell out of favor with the populace, the hearts of which were hardened against him.

But Spidey loved them while they were yet sinful citizens, and he was willing to sacrifice his life to save them from a train wreck. The method he employed to do this was with arms outstretched and his hands bound, enduring great pain and suffering by his own free will. Notice, too, the hole in the side of his costume.

True, this is all cruci-fiction, but there is nothing fictitious about what it portrays: the power of love. The passengers' ride on the Gospel Train was a turning point in the movie.

The Web-Slinger acted as a selfless savior. As shown in the picture, He was fully Spider-Man and fully Peter Parker, one person with two natures. He collapsed as if dead, and then "came back to life," as it were, when he regained consciousness before a host of witnesses in the train, who came back around to believe in him.

Spider-Man 3
In the third movie, which I just viewed, I saw Peter Parker acting out the Christian life.

Because of his successful crime-fighting career and all the accolades he received, Parker swelled with pride. This opened the door to sin's overpowering darkness, represented by the black, creepy-crawly extraterrestrial symbiote that enveloped him and increased his capacity for doing evil.

His conscience, however, was a law unto itself. Despite the gravity of his sins, something inside tugged at him. Finally, when he hit his low point (when he hit his beloved Mary Jane), he felt a strong conviction, realizing what kind of monster he had become.

When he stepped outside, he gazed upon the cross. This cross was at the top of a nearby church -- a Catholic church, I might add. He webbed his way up the church and sat prayerfully on the side of the church tower underneath the cross.


He then entered the structure and attempted to tear off the black "sin-biote" that had overtaken him. He was successful only during the sounding of church bells, which symbolize a call to worship.

It seemed odd -- but fascinating to me -- that, immediately following the church scene, Peter Parker basked in and found great comfort in taking a shower. It looked like a deliberate reference to the cleansing waters of baptism, after which his repentance continued to deepen.

Some time after Peter's sacramental shower, the real killer of Uncle Ben offered a confession of his murder to Peter. After the killer expressed remorse, both were in tears, and, as if serving a priestly function, Peter confidently spoke the words, "I forgive you." The killer went away knowing he was truly forgiven.

We also saw two people who died in the end: one who repented and one who did not:

1. Harry, who had been Spidey's enemy, changed his heart and became Peter's friend again. It turned out as was foreshadowed earlier in the film: he gave his life for Peter.
2. The other person, Brock (or "Venom"), loved the sin of the symbiote that attached itself to him after Peter had ridden himself of it. Brock had full opportunity to be freed from the symbiote, but as it was about to meet its end, Brock ran toward it and thereby shared in its fate of incineration -- a type of hell.

Even the shadiest of moviegoers find themselves at least inwardly rooting for Peter Parker to triumph over evil in all its forms, whether they be outside forces or internal temptations.

For no matter who we are, we all admire goodness and the integrity of truth. What not everyone realizes is that Jesus is the embodiment of truth, and that as Catholics we are blessed with the full revelation of that Truth.

As we reflect on this, we are provided with plenty of reasons to Marvel.

"Routine-istic"

I think she blended "routine" with "ritualistic."

My Filipino friend was explaining why she became Baptist after moving to America a few years ago as a lifelong Catholic, citing routine Catholic rituals that didn't hold her interest. Her parish went through the same old things week after week.

Her new Baptist church, on the other hand, studies the Word of God and offers a warmer, friendlier environment, she says in so many words.

For me, at least, it's hard to reason with someone wooed by the warmth of a good Southern Baptist church without sounding argumentative or academic. I understand that not everyone who betrays her Catholic Faith is a victim of the warm fuzzies, but for those who are, I'm at a loss for words. While there's little I can say, of course there's much I can pray.

Still, I consider what my friend said, and I end up explaining it to myself in a way I can understand. (It's all about "cultivating the Catholic conscience.")

First, the Catholic Church is the premiere "Bible Church." It's the Church that preserved the Bible, canonized the books of the Bible, and exists as the Church of the Bible. We are engaged visually by the biblical scenes portrayed in works of art. We are engaged auricularly as we hear the numerous readings that systematically work their way through the Word of God, the Bible. And, most importantly, we are engaged spiritually by literally communing with the Word of God through the Real Presence of the Eucharist.

If you're looking for a solid "Bible study" -- examining the depths of Holy Writ -- then there are many such Catholic Bible studies. It's just not the goal of the divine liturgy. Mass is a class, but for the spirit and not necessarily (although sometimes) for the intellect. That's what Wednesday- and Sunday-night Bible studies are for. You cannot read the works of Catholic writer and teacher Scott Hahn, for example, and claim that Catholics have little to offer those who hunger for in-depth Bible study.

If you're looking for social networking, you can go to any number of your parish's activities -- but Mass is not the live Catholic version of Yahoo!'s "Chat Central."

You can find friends and studies easily enough as a Catholic, but most importantly you get:

• All the sacraments, notably the Eucharist and Reconciliation
• Bishops and priests who are given authority to say Mass
• The pope, successor to St. Peter, the "rock" upon whom Christ built His Church, who shepherds the "Church militant" (i.e., the Church on earth)
• Authentic teaching handed down by the apostles, preserved and codified by the Church's Magesterium throughout its history

Yes, it's easy to get hooked on a religious feeling, but why not seek to be reeled in by the Truth who will set you free?

I'll pray that my friend returns to full communion with the Church, which, in obedience to Jesus' ancient instruction, goes through the "same old things week after week": celebrates Mass (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).