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We all know the book, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," but have you ever read "The Magician's Nephew?" It's the first book in the series and it tells you how Narnia came to be. My family is reading it together in the evenings right now and there are parts that are very similar to the Genesis creation story. For example, Aslan sings things into existence. Once Aslan is finished, he calls animals from the earth and ends up talking to them. Two children- Digory and Polly--and a cabby can hear Aslan and the other animals speak. They have no fear and Digory wants to talk to Aslan. Another person in the newly-formed Narnia is Uncle Andrew, Digory's uncle. He is a selfish, shameful man and he can't hear Aslan talk or sing. To him, Aslan sounds like he is roaring, which consequently makes him afraid of Aslan. Uncle Andrew sees him as a violent beast set on devouring him. When you come at the Bible without love or a desire to understand God, all you will "hear" or read is an angry God. If someone comes to the Bible simply to find ways to attack Christians or prove Christianity wrong, the Bible will only "roar" at you. The Salvation story will be utterly missed and all will be like clanging gongs. Digory and Polly are able to hear Aslan because they are not hardened by prejudice to goodness and truth, as Uncle Andrew is. Therefore, they have eyes and ears that see more of the fullness of who Aslan is and what they see is not threatening or disagreeable. Grace is what is needed to understand God more and more, Catholic Pilgrims. Grace and love. Without these, all you will hear are roars. Have a blessed Thursday.
Continue ReadingThe Holy Spirit cannot give different people different truths. Years ago, my husband and I were speaking with someone who is Protestant and my husband asked the person, "How do you know that your interpretation of Scripture is correct?" "The Holy Spirit tells me." "But, see, you and I disagree on what it says. I would say that my interpretation was guided by the Holy Spirit, too, but we can't both be right then. How do you know you are right?" "I just do." This isn't a good answer. There are numerous beliefs as to what Baptism is and what it does. The Holy Spirit cannot and will not guide people to different conclusions when it comes to matters of the Faith. Either one person is wrong, the other is, all are wrong, or one is right. What stands out to you in Scripture, what speaks to your soul a particular day, what moves you to contemplation, these are all things that the Holy Spirit can guide you to that may be different from one person to the next. But on what is the Truth of morality, doctrine, and interpretation of Scripture, these are not open to everyone having their own truth or the Holy Spirit sending mixed messages. Christ built one Church--He did not intend for numerous churches that believe different things. That is contrary to the what Jesus taught and what makes sense. He built ONE church upon the rock of Peter and He promised the gates of Hell would not prevail against it. He did not leave us to just figure it out the Faith on our own. No, He sent the Holy Spirit to guide, instruct, and protect His Church. Individual interpretation is dangerous and has led to numerous denominations and confusion, Catholic Pilgrims. There has to be an entity that is guided by the Advocate and it is always wise to start at the beginning and look to who has Apostolic succession. The Catholic Church has the fullness of truth and that is how we are assured of what is right when it comes to issues of morality, doctrine and Scriptural interpretation. It's not because I say so, it's because Christ's Church says so. Live the Faith boldly and travel well this Wednesday.
Continue ReadingOne of the things that blew my mind when I was on the path to converting to Catholicism was the discovery that the Apostles did not have a compiled Bible to work with or refer to. I had never really wondered where we got the canon of Scripture. It fell out of the sky was my best guess. The head teacher, who I help, for OCIA, told the class this year, “The Bible does not insist upon itself.” Meaning, there’s not one letter or book that says, “This book is to be included one day in the canon of Scripture.” No letter or book insists that it must be included. If nothing in the Bible insists upon itself, that means that it had to be compiled. There had to be debates and arguments about what would be added and what wouldn’t. The compiled Bible didn’t come about until nearly 300 years after the last Apostle died. So, what did the Apostles do without Scripture? They didn’t have the New Testament. There are some who preach that Scripture alone is the only way we can know the truths of our Faith. But, today in our first reading from Acts, we see the Apostles and elders making a decision without a compiled Bible. What we see is the teaching authority—the Magisterium—of the Church at work. They decided with help from the Holy Spirit that Gentiles don’t have to be circumcised to be saved. Once they’ve made the decision, they write letters to believers in far off places, and send representatives to delivery the message. Scripture, the Magisterium, and Tradition: These are the pillars of the Catholic Church, Catholic Pilgrims. We are blessed to belong to the Church that recognizes the importance of all three. Have a blessed Sunday.
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