Pat Arensberg: God desires to be the father of all

“Since Christ died for all, and since all men are in fact called to one and the same destiny, which is divine, we must hold that the Holy Spirit offers to all the possibility of being made partakers, in a way known to God, of the Paschal mystery.”  -CCC #1260

Since, as we discussed in yesterday’s blog, God is eternally Father he is continually seeking to invite all men and women to be his adopted sons and daughters.  That is why Jesus commanded that the Church should go forth, “and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”  (Matthew 28:19-20)  He wishes to extend his familial invitation to all.  That’s how he rolls.

Now, we believe that Baptism is necessary for salvation, because Jesus said so in John chapter 3.  But the Catechism reminds us that, “God has bound salvation to the sacrament of Baptism, but he himself is not bound by his sacraments.” (CCC #1257)  We believe that the desire for Baptism can bring about the fruits of Baptism without being a sacrament.  (see CCC #1258 and see Luke 23:42-43 and the Good Thief receiving the promise of salvation without being sacramentally baptized).

But what about those who do not know Christ, or the Gospel, or know anything about the Church?  And what about babies who die without baptism?  You really should read the Cathechism #’s 1260-1261 and Lumen Gentium #16, but in summary:  one can be saved by the power of Christ even if they do not know Christ.  This can be only if the ignorance is through no fault of their own and that they would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known.  Only God can make that judgment.  We entrust them to the mercy of God, and do all in our power to bring people to the saving waters of Baptism.

About Pat Arensberg Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

Pat Arensberg: Father from all eternity

“Jesus revealed that God is Father in an unheard-of sense; he is Father not only in being Creator; he is eternally Father in relation to his only Son, who is eternally Son only in relation to his Father:”  -CCC #240

In the Old Testament, as we have seen, God is sometimes referred to as a father in relation to his Chosen People.  This is, in and of itself, a pretty radical difference from every other religion in the world.  We have all grown up in a culture that has breathed the air of Judeo-Christian thought, so we are accustomed to the image of God as Father.  But, in the Middle-East and the Far East this is a foreign concept.  Jesus takes the Jewish notion of God’s Fatherhood another step, back eternally.

Jesus shows us that the Creator did not become Father at the birth of the nation Israel, or even back when he created our first parents.  Rather, the first member of the Holy Trinity was Father from all eternity.  The Church teaches that the Divine Word proceeds from the Father from all eternity.  Jesus told us, “No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”  In other words, the relationship between those two members of the Blessed Trinity is best described as a Father-Son relationship without reference to humanity.  The eternal relationship is paternal.

It is really difficult for the human mind to understand that the Son proceeds from the Father without arriving at a conclusion that the Father caused or created the Son.  But, we must remember that eternity is not just a really, really, really long time; eternity is existence without the presence of time.  Before God created the universe and time (which understanding the Big Bang Theory proves) there was no time.  So, things did not follow in a linear sequence of cause-effect.

About Pat Arensberg Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

Pat Arensberg: God's loving care

“By calling God ‘Father,’ the language of faith indicates two main things: that God is the first origin of everything and transcendent authority; and that he is at the same time goodness and loving care for all his children.”  -CCC # 239

Yesterday, we looked at the fact that God is the source and origin of all things.  Today, I would like to focus on the loving care he has for his children.  The Old Testament refers to God as Father in many ways, but each of them seem a little less intimate than what Jesus teaches.  In Deuteronomy 32:6 God is referred to as “father” because he is the creator.  In Exodus 4:22 it speaks of Israel (the nation) as being the son of God.  These are not exactly intimate titles.  The fatherhood as understood in the Old Testament is corporate, but not really personal.  

Jesus, on the contrary, tells us to call God our daddy.  It seems to me that in many ways Jesus is attempting to remind us of the relationship we had with the Father in the Garden of Eden.  God walked with Adam and Eve.  They knew God as a loving and intimate Father.  Sin caused humanity to forget that.  Jesus comes to make things new, and perhaps the most important teaching he brought with him is the reminder of who we were in the beginning.  We were in a unique loving relationship with our Creator.

Jesus comes to remind us, but he also comes to bring the grace of restoration.  We could not mend the gap created by our sin.  Jesus could.  He teaches us to call God our Father and then he dies on the cross and leaves the sacrament of Baptism with the power to accomplish of divine adoption.  He teaches it, and then provides the means to accomplish it!

About Pat Arensberg Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

Pat Arensberg: We call God Father I

“I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.” –Nicene Creed

We profess faith in a God who is the almighty Father.  He is the ultimate source of all things.  We profess faith that there are realities that we cannot see (and we don’t mean the air; we mean spiritual and “non-corporeal” realities).  We know that our Father in heaven is the source of all physical reality and all spiritual and non-material reality.  You know, I am struck at the number of phrases we use that we don’t really understand.  So, for example, we believe that God is our ultimate source and that without him we would cease to be.  We believe that he is “Being” or “Existence” and that we would cease to “be” or “exist” without him.  But have you ever stopped and wondered what matter is?  I mean, in former times people categorized all things into four categories (earth, wind, fire and water).  As science progressed we learned to identify matter at the atomic level (hydrogen, oxygen, helium, etc.).  Then we advance further and began to ask what atoms were made of, “Well, protons, neutrons and electrons,” was the answer that came.  Ok, but what are protons and neutrons made of?  Well, I have heard that it is called “quarks.”  But, what are quarks made of?  And, when science tells me what a quark is made of I already have my next question ready to go…”What is ____________ made of?”

It seems to me that at the heart of matter is a mystery that points to our Creator, Our Father, who is the source of all things visible and invisible.  What, ultimately is matter?  It seems to me that every time science progresses another step forward into the building blocks of matter it only deepens the mystery.

About Pat Arensberg Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

Pat Arensberg: Introduction to God the Father

“Original sin is, above all, an attempt to abolish the fatherhood of God.”  -paraphrase of John Paul II in Crossing the Threshold of Hope

Ok, I know that the above phrase demands an explanation.  Unfortunately, it is an explanation I don’t have the space to offer in this blog.  Suffice it to say, that Adam and Eve were not tempted by a piece of fruit.  Fundamentally, they rejected that God was their loving father and believed the serpent who said God was trying to keep them down.  Want more about that?  Call my office to schedule a talk on the Theology of the Body of John Paul.

Now, we all know that God the Creator does not have a body.  But, when asked by his disciples for the best way to pray Jesus taught them and us to call the Creator, “Our Father.”  So, while he is certainly not male Jesus told us to relate to the Creator as our daddy.  We will discuss that concept in much more detail this week.  For now, let me offer a couple of simple thoughts.  

There are two ways for a toddler to ascend the stairs in their home.  One is to struggle one stair at time.  I have watched my own children do this.  The other way is for them to stop crawling, look to their daddy and put their arms in the air (asking with their actions to be carried).  My children have done this to me too.  As a human father, with all of my weakness and imperfection, I can’t resist it.  I pick them up and carry them close to my breast to the summit of the stairs.  Our heavenly daddy wants us to do the same.

Second, and now I address the fathers in particular, bring your “A” game!  Your children are learning from you what their heavenly Father is like.  You better be as loving and unselfish as possible with His children that are on loan to you.  He will ask you at the end of your life, “How well have you loved my children?”

About Pat Arensberg Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

Pat Arensberg: Is Church teaching in the Bible?

Does the Catholic Church maintain beliefs and practices that are not in the Bible?

Well, let us recall from the beginning of this course that the Bible is not the sole rule of faith, nor is it the sole means of Divine Revelation.  As Catholics we believe that God reveals himself through Scripture and Tradition of the Church (see January 30th’s blog).  So, yes it is certainly possible that there are practices that are not in the Bible.  But, the same is true in every Church.  I mean, there were no electronic microphones mentioned in the Bible yet all Churches use them.

However, there is no practice in the Catholic Church that can contradict Scripture.  Truth cannot contradict truth.  God cannot reveal himself one way in Scripture and reveal something else through the Church.  As we have seen over the last few days, it is certainly possible that a practice or teaching of the Church seems to contradict Scripture.  I can tell you though, I have investigated so many of those and in each case it becomes clear that the Scripture is being misinterpreted or twisted, or the translation causes misunderstanding.

In fact, what I have found is that the Catholic Church seems to be the most Biblical Church around.  Read the Acts of the Apostles and Paul’s letters and you find a group of people celebrating the Lord’s Supper.  You find them laying hands and ordaining new clergy, anointing the sick and baptizing entire households.  You find priests and bishops in positions of authority.  If you look at some of the things Jesus said you find that the Catholic Church seems to be one of the only ones to remember them.  For example, he tells people that when he is taken away his followers will fast (see Mark 2).  How many Churches require fasting on Good Friday?  Jesus tells his followers that anyone who divorces his wife and marries another is committing adultery; a very unpopular teaching to be sure (see Matthew 19).  How many Churches hold to this unpopular teaching?  You get the point.

About Pat Arensberg Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

Pat Arensberg: Must Scripture be taken literally?

“Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing, he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.”  -Genesis 2:2

People often ask, “Do I have to believe everything that is in the Bible?”  Well, sometimes before we can answer a question we have to clarify some things.  During the trial of Galileo a prominent Cardinal and theologian offered his opinion about the possibility that the earth moved and that the sun stood still.  Specifically, he was discussing how to interpret Scriptural passages that seem to contradict this.  St. Robert Bellarmine wrote, "then one would have to proceed with great care in explaining the Scriptures that appear contrary; and say rather that we do not understand them, than that what is demonstrated is false."

This remains a very good Catholic answer today.  Bellarmine is saying that Scripture must be accepted and valued, but that it is possible that we humans can in fact misunderstand the message that the Holy Spirit intended to communicate.  We discussed this a bit yesterday.  History is replete with examples of people not letting the Holy Spirit continue to work in the life of the Church.  Look, the Holy Spirit is the ultimate Author and therefore we must continue to rely on the Church which is vivified by that same Holy Spirit for authentic interpretation.  

Remember that we read Scripture on two levels, the literal and the spiritual.  We don’t have to take every detail as literal truth, but the words that God chooses to communicate with his people are significant.  Also, recall that some books are meant to be taken as literal or historical documents while other books are not.  The Gospels for example are documents that really do communicate what Jesus said and did while he walked on earth.

About Pat Arensberg Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

Pat Arensberg: Is it true that Catholics don't read the Bible?

“Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”  -St. Jerome

Today we are beginning the end of the first course of the Bishops’ Curriculum Framework.  Each course ends with a series of objections to the Church teaching and an answer.  So, for the next week or so we will be answering these challenges.

The first challenged raised goes something like this, “Is it true that Catholics do not use or read the Bible?”  One of the first things that I have to say is that we must remember that there is a distinction between the Church’s official teaching and the way many of us live.  Polls indicate, for example, some large number of people disagree with the Church’s teaching on contraception and act on that.  Would it be accurate to say that the Church teaches contraception is ok?  Of course not.  We would say that many people do not follow the teaching.  The same logic applies here, at least to some degree.  I think that we Catholics do not read the Bible enough and are woefully ignorant of our Book.  But this does not mean that the Church endorses that.

The principle act of worship in the Catholic Church is the celebration of the Eucharist, and that celebration is teaming with Scripture.  I am not just talking about two readings, a reading from the book of Psalms, plus a Gospel; I am talking about the Gloria, the Sanctus, the Our Father, much of the Eucharistic Prayer, the Lamb of God, etc…  The Mass is chock-full of Scripture.  We should stop and listen to it and open our hearts to it.

Additionally, all other prayer forms in the Church focus on and use Scripture extensively.  Most notably is the “Divine Office”.  This is a beautiful form of prayer that clergy are obligated to pray multiple times a day.  The Office is almost exclusively a meditation on the Psalms.  This Office is also called the “Prayer of the Church.”

Catholics are also becoming much more active about organizing Bible studies, but we sure could do a better job of incorporating Scripture into our lives.

About Pat Arensberg Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

Pat Arensberg: John 6, part 2

“As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.”  -John 6:66

Many things can be said, but I would like to start with the end first.  The crowd took Jesus literally.  When Jesus did not correct this literal interpretation and explain what “he really meant” they figured he was nuts.  As a result of them taking Jesus literally, they left him.  Why didn’t he stop them and correct them?  In fact, after they leave he turns to the 12 who were left (seems like the whole crowd left).  Jesus does not explain the “real” meaning of what he had been teaching.  Rather, he simply asks them if they are going to leave over this notion too.  Simon Peter’s answer is really quite remarkable.  Knowing that Jesus has just told the crowd that they have to literally eat his flesh and drink his blood, and not knowing how this would be fulfilled in the Eucharist Peter says, “Master, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”  To paraphrase, “Jesus, I really don’t know what you are talking about, but if you tell me I have to gnaw on your flesh then I will.”  I imaging there was great relief at the Last Supper when Jesus turned the bread and wine into his body and blood.

But, I got a bit ahead of myself, huh?  The end of the chapter sure seems to be very strong evidence that Jesus means it quite literally, but is there anything else?  Yes.  On Monday, I would like to give a bit of a blow by blow summary of what is happening in John 6, and then on Tuesday I will argue that if we know that God is love and that humans are body and soul, then we should actually expect something like the Eucharist.  Stay tuned, and have a great weekend!

About Pat Arensberg Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

Pat Arensberg: John 6, part 1

“Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.  For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”  -John 6:53-56

Ok, so this is pretty simple.  If Jesus literally means that we have to eat his flesh and drink his blood then each Christian needs to ask themself, “How am I fulfilling this command?”  And the answer will be that they cannot fulfill this requirement without becoming Catholic.  If, on the other hand, Jesus is only speaking figuratively in this passage then I think the Catholic teaching about the Eucharist is virtually indefensible and should be rejected.  Simple, but there is a lot at stake.

Before tomorrow’s blog, please read John 6 in its entirety.  Then reread 6:22-71, and ask yourself, “Does he seem to be speaking literally or figuratively?”  One clue that we often look for to determine if someone is speaking literally or figuratively is this, “Is what they are saying possible?”  So when Jackie Gleason warns Alice that he is going to “Send her to the moon,” with one of his famous “pow, right in the kisser” threats we know he is speaking figuratively.  It is not possible for his to accomplish this.  This normal criteria must be set aside when evaluating Jesus’ words because he is capable of the impossible.  For example, when he says the he will be raised on the third day, he was speaking literally even though such a thing was ‘not possible.’  When he told the paralytic to rise, pick up his mat and walk he meant literally to do so, again even though this was not possible.  So, read John 6 asking yourself the voice Jesus is using, but set aside the notion that it must be figurative since it is not literally possible for all of us to eat his flesh.

About Pat Arensberg Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

Pat Arensberg: Have you been born again?

“Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.”  -John 3:5

I love it when people ask me if I have been “born again”.  I always answer, “Absolutely!”  They are often amazed because they were asking because they know I am Catholic.  In response their stunned silence I explain to them that I have been born again of water and Spirit.  Then I ask them, “When you were born again, was there water involved?”  Because if not it seems to me that they have not yet been born again the way Jesus describes it.

As Catholics we believe that Baptism is the way we are born again.  Jesus is very clear that we must be born again of water and Spirit.   I have also been asked, “Have you been Baptized in the Holy Spirit.”  Again, I answer, “Absolutely!”  When the priest or deacon pours water on the head of a child or immerses someone in the water he pronounces these words, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”  The person has then been born again of water and Spirit.  The water is the visible sign of the invisible reality of the spiritual reality.

Baptism is necessary to enter the kingdom, so what about people who die without celebrating the Sacrament of Baptism?  Is there any hope for their salvation?  Well, let us remember that God normally mediates his graces through the Sacraments, but he can give his grace without using the Sacraments (see for example Lk 23:43 where Jesus tells the Good Thief that he will be in paradise even though the man was not baptized with water in the Sacrament).  Let us also remember to very careful about this point:  the Sacraments are not optional.  We must approach the Sacraments.  It is just important to note that God can, in extraordinary circumstances, operate outside of them.  I would strongly encourage you to you the Catechism of the Catholic Church #’s 1257-1261 for more.

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About Pat Arensberg Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

Pat Arensberg: Wedding at Cana

“When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’  Jesus said to her, ’Woman, how does your concern affect me?  My hour has not yet come.’”  -John 2:3-4

I have heard this Scripture quoted to “prove” that Mary had no special relationship with Jesus and that it was silly or blasphemous for Catholics to honor her as we do.  It seems to me that if one tries to use this passage to make that point then we need to find a new messiah because this one just sinned.  If Jesus is disrespecting his mother by calling her “woman” then hasn’t he violated the 4th Commandment?  If Jesus were walking the earth today and said this in English then our separated brethren might have a point.  (In fact, I really chuckle when I picture my wife telling my 10 year old son that his room is messy and him replying, “Woman, how does your concern affect me?)  

Obviously, as Christians we cannot accept the possibility that Jesus sinned, so we must find out what is really going on here (or as Paul Harvey might have said, the “rest of the story”).  Just as sin entered the world through a man and a woman, so too salvation comes through the obedience of a man and a woman; this does not mean Mary is God or anything silly like that.  But it does mean that she had to be obedient to the Father’s will in order for Jesus to enter the world incarnate.  Mary is the new Eve, or the new woman.  Jesus is addressing her as such.  I also find it interesting that Jesus is not going to begin his mission until Mary tells him to.  He is an obedient son, and he loves his mother.  He knows how the story is going to end and the sorrow it will cause his mommy.  He will not move forward until he knows that she is ready.

I am over space for this blog, so one very brief thought:  I love Mary’s advice to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.”  This is Mary’s role in our lives.  She bids us to do whatever Jesus tells us to do.

About Pat Arensberg Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

Pat Arensberg: Be Perfect

“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.  Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be proclaimed on the housetops.”  -Luke 12:2-3

Ouch!  I don’t know about you, but I am a sinner.  I really don’t want all of my sins proclaimed from the housetops.  And this brings us to a very primary matter that is a difference between Catholic theology and most protestant theology.  Specifically, the question of human anthropology needs to be addressed.  Are we basically good, but fallen, or are we completely depraved by virtue of the fall?  Catholic theology says we are basically good, but fallen.  Further, it teaches us that Christ came to make all things new.  Our eternal destiny is to be perfect as the Father is perfect (see Matthew 5:48).  

We are much less embarrassed by a sin that we have overcome than by a sin that still has power over us.  A recovering alcoholic who has been sober for many years actually sees the sins of their past life as something that they are proud to have overcome with the help of Christ.  They are much less embarrassed by the sin.  An alcoholic who is not sober is much more affected by the sin and the publication of the sin.  My point is this, when we are perfected our deeds of darkness no longer have power over us.  They will be seen as stepping stones to the Father.  But this is only possible if we are in fact perfected.  Thus the need for purgatory.  I am not perfect.  If I go to heaven without being perfected my sin still has a certain power over me.  God wants so much more for me than that.  He wants me to live in freedom.  Thank you God!!

About Pat Arensberg Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

Pat Arensberg: Simeon's Prophecy

“Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”  Luke 2:34-35

Where did we get the idea that being a Christian would be easy?  This child, Jesus, will be a sign that will be contradicted.  That was true 2,000 years ago and it is true today.  People who live in darkness do not want light shone on them and their actions (getting ahead of myself a little bit since John uses this image a lot).  There really is no middle ground with Jesus.  He either is the Messiah, the son of the Living God or he is a fraud (crazy or lying).  Our response to his life is either that we are all in or that we are all out.  We cannot say, “Well he was a good man and I accept a lot of what he taught.”  He was one of three things, a liar, a nut or God.  I don’t listen to anything from the lips of liars and nuts, and I obey everything from God.

Simeon goes on in the above quoted prophecy to tell Mary that a sword (of sorrow) would pierce her heart, so that the hearts of many may be revealed.  I cannot imagine the sorrow of Mary as she stood at the foot of the Cross.  Her beloved son was dying.  And not only was he her son, he was God, and she had such a pure and complete love for God.

As the new people of Israel, the new people of the promise made so long ago; we have to ask ourselves the question, “Is Jesus going to be our rise or our fall?”  

About Pat Arensberg Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

Pat Arensberg: Hail Mary

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb,…”  -Luke 1:40

Did you know that virtually the entire first half of the “Hail Mary” is taken directly from Scripture and part of it is ascribed directly to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit?

When the Gabriel appeared to her he said, “Hail (Mary) favored one.”  This can also be translated as full of grace.  He continues, “the Lord is with you.”  So, “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you” is simply Luke 1:28 with Mary’s name inserted so we know who we are talking about.

After the encounter with Gabriel, Mary goes to visit her relative, Elizabeth.  When Elizabeth hears Mary’s greeting the infant leaps in the womb.  John the Baptist, who is the last and greatest prophet is already at work proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is at hand.  And isn’t it interesting that it he recognized the Incarnate Word through the voice of Mary.  But I digress….

Luke tells us that Elizabeth was filled with the holy Spirit (1:41) and she cried out in a loud voice “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” (Luke 1:42)  We add the name of that fruit, “Jesus” to the prayer.  So, the entire first half of the “Hail Mary” is just a meditation on Luke chapter 1.  The second half of the prayer reminds us that Mary is the mother of the divine person of Jesus, and thus the mother of God himself.  It then asks her to pray for us to her son.

It is also interesting to note that when we pray the rosary we meditate on the life of Jesus Christ and those things that relate to our salvation.  While we meditate on that we repeat Scripture over and over and over in the form of the Hail Mary and in the form of the Our Father.  

About Pat Arensberg Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

Pat Arensberg: Mary's Virginal Intent

“How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?”  -Luke 1:34

I believe, although this is certainly not taught authoritatively by the Church, that Mary was planning to remain a virgin even though she was betrothed to Joseph.  We may take up the issue of why she would be married if intending to remain a virgin, but for now let us simply say that there were no convents and people could not survive alone.  There was no Winn Dixie to run to for groceries.

I am struck by the tense of the verbs in the discussion between Mary and Gabriel.  He comes to a woman who is engaged to be married and tells her that she will get pregnant (in the future).  Her answer is, in essence, “Wait a minute.  How can that happen (in the future) since I am a virgin?”  She clearly gets the connection between sex and pregnancy.  She clearly does not understand how she is going to get pregnant in the future.  

Look if the angel told her, “Mary, behold you are with child” her question would make sense.  She was a virgin at that point.  But the angel points to a future time when a pregnancy would occur.  If a girl who was engaged to be married was visited by an angel and told that she would bear a son and that son would become the president, she would have many questions.  But, I would be willing to bet that she would not ask how she was supposed to get pregnant.  The assumption would be that she would get pregnant with her husband.  Mary’s question, I would argue, points to an intention to remain a virgin even after her wedding to St. Joseph.  

In a certain respect the issue is a moot point.  As soon as Mary became pregnant by the power of the Most High she belonged to him in a spousal way, and was therefore off limits to Joseph.  We know that Mary remained perpetually a virgin, and this truth is because of transcendence of the Incarnate Word.  

About Pat Arensberg Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

Pat Arensberg: Contrast Mary and Zechariah

“Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.”  -Luke 1:12

So, I am trying to limit each blog to pretty close to 300 words.  It may take me a couple of blogs to thoroughly discuss the topic at hand.  My thesis is this:  I think that we can establish that Mary was planning to remain a virgin even though she was betrothed to Joseph.  Now, many theologians who are way smarter than me disagree with this premise.  However, many theologians who are way smarter than me agree.  In the end what really matters is that we do believe that Mary DID remain a virgin for her entire life.

I would like then today to make some general observations about Zechariah and Mary.  Did you notice that there is a real parallel in the language that Luke uses, and yet there are some very distinct differences.  Zechariah’s reaction is fear (1:12).  Mary is troubled by lofty greeting that the angel gave her (1:29), but she was not afraid.    In response to the angel’s proclamation of the good news Zechariah asks for a sign and doubts that God can accomplish this miracle because of his age and the age of Elizabeth (1:18).  Mary’s question does not display doubt, but rather asks the question of how the pregnancy will occur because, “I have no relations with a man?” (1:34)  We know that Mary’s question was a “how” question and not one that displayed a lack of faith because she is given an answer to her question (1:35) while Zechariah is punished for his unbelief (1:20)

I love Mary’s answer, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word.” (1:38)  We are all called to be the handmaid of the Lord.  We all have a task from God that only we can fulfill.  In the words of the Blues Brothers, “We are on a mission from God.”  

Tomorrow I would like to make the case about Mary planning to remain a virgin.

About Pat Arensberg Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

Pat Arensberg: Introduction of Luke

“Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him.  But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard.’”  -Luke 1:12-13
“But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.  Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son…’”  -Luke 1:29-31

I think it would do much good to stop reading this blog right now and go read Luke 1:5-25 and compare and contrast it with Luke 1:26-38.  In both cases an angel appears with a great message about a miraculous conception that will take place.  In both cases the person to who the angel appears has questions.  In one case the person who questioned is struck mute, and in the other case the person has their question answered.

Is this a case of injustice, or is there something fundamentally different about the questions?  Can this tell us anything about Zechariah or Mary?  I am going to spend a considerable amount of time looking at these two passages next week.  I invite you to spend the weekend with these two passages.  Read each of them a few times today and a few times tomorrow.  Maybe read one in isolation and picture the scene and try to imagine what Mary or Zechariah felt or was thinking.  Later, read the other and do the same thing.  Invite the Holy Spirit to speak to you in the silence of your heart as you contemplate these two scenes.  Have a great weekend, and I will begin delving into these on Monday.

About Pat Arensberg Patrick Arensberg is the Director of Religious Education for the Archdiocese of Mobile. Previously, he taught for 17 years at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School, where he served as Chairman of the Theology Department. He attended the Gregorian University in Rome and holds an M.A. in Theology from Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans. He is married to Connie and they live in Mobile with their 5 children.

Pat Arensberg: Introduction to Luke's Gospel

“Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you…”  -Luke 1:1-3

Thus begins the third of the Synoptic Gospels.  It would not take a rocket scientist, nor a Doctor of the Church, to figure out that Luke’s Gospel was written after Matthew and Mark.  Scholars estimate that Luke’s Gospel was composed between 80 and 90 a.d.  Again, the most relevant aspect of the dating is that it was written within the life time of many of the eyewitnesses to the events recorded.  Most historians will accept the account of an historical event from antiquity even if it is written many generations after the event.  Many accounts of ancient battles that historians accept are written a century or more after the battle being described.  The Gospels were all written within the lifetime of the witnesses and are therefore very valuable documents from an historical perspective.

Luke’s Gospel has, by far, the most detail about the infancy of Jesus.  Some scholars posit that Our Lady was a source for Luke.  In fact, one such clue is, “He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.” (Luke 2:51)  For me, the most striking portions of Luke’s Gospel are in fact the infancy narratives.  We will spend some time tomorrow and next week looking at some of the things that we can learn from those.

Pat Arensberg: The Longer Ending

“When he had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.”  -Mark 16:9

Did you ever notice that at the end of Mark’s Gospel there is about half of a chapter called : The Longer Ending?  Apparently, in the some ancient manuscripts Mark’s Gospel ended at verse 8.  Most scholars would argue that the last 10 verses were written by “another hand”.  The most important point to remember is that these last verses are in fact inspired by the Holy Spirit and are canonical.  The Holy Spirit works in wondrous ways!  We know that the entirety of the Gospel is inspired, but we don’t know how or through whom.  God’s inspiration is not usually really simple.  He works through his people with their cooperation.  And he does the same thing in our lives!

It is said that God can draw straight with crooked lines.  He works in our lives, even though that usually means working through the messes we make or the messes that other people make.  God can do it.  Sometimes when we cannot see how God can possibly be involved in a certain situation or how he can bring good out of it…boom… it happens.  His marvelous love shines through our weakness.  So, when I see that a few verses of Mark’s Gospel may have been penned by another hand; it does not bother me it all.  God so often works like that.

It also helps to note that these last few verses are certainly ancient.  As early as the second century they are quoted as part of Mark’s Gospel.