Go and Do What?

BY DAVID O’BRIEN

At the end of Mass, the priest or deacon dismisses us with the words: "Ite, missa est", or as we are used to hearing "Go in peace to love and serve the Lord (and one another)." These words are as much a dismissal as a commissioning to live what we have received in Holy Communion.

We get the English word "mass" from the Latin "missa" which means "to be sent", implying that we are being given a mission every week at church. (CCC #1332)

Each Sunday we gather to worship, acknowledge our sinfulness, hear God’s word, join our lives to the sacrifice of the Lord on the altar, seek peace with one another and receive the Body and Blood of Christ. To all this we respond "Amen, so be it" and the Church says to us: "Good. Now get out of here and bring God’s love to a world so desperately in need of it."

This mission is made even more obvious with the new phrases to be introduced in Advent with the New Roman Missal. "Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord," and "Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life."

So, if our mission is to announce the Gospel, what does that mean concretely?

When Jesus explained what it meant to live His gospel message, He said: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, freedom to those in bondage, sight to the blind, liberty to the oppressed and a year of favor from the Lord." (Lk 4:18-19)

According to Jesus then, announcing the gospel has something to do with how we choose to live together in the world. The mission goes beyond our personal spiritual growth and learning church teaching. It even exceeds what goes on at our parishes. It is about living like Christ and bringing His priorities to society.

This is the hardest part of our faith, taking Jesus seriously and actually doing what He says in the real world. It is much easier to focus on our own relationship with God or to invest our efforts into learning about the faith. But, as good as those things are, the Church doesn’t let us get away with stopping there.

Every Sunday we are reminded that the Gospel drives us beyond ourselves, our families and our personal concerns. To receive Christ on Sunday is to join Him in His mission.

"Go", we are told. The mission is out there.

From biblical times until today, this has been our magnifi cent Catholic worldview.

In the 4th century, St. John Chrysostom wrote: "Do you wish to honor the body of Christ? Do not ignore him when he is naked."

Pope Benedict XVI insisted that "a Eucharist which does not pass over into the concrete practice of love is intrinsically fragmented" (Deus Caritas Est, #14). He adds that this "food of truth demands that we denounce inhumane situations" such as violence, poverty, inequality and exploitation (Sacramentum Caritatis, #90).

Pope John Paul II, who calls the Mass "the school of active love for neighbor" (Dominicae Cenae, #6), said the Eucharist "increases, rather than lessens, our sense of responsibility for the world today".

Our Sunday worship is where we practice living as God intended from the beginning. We partner with creation- water, fi re, bread, wine, candles, flowers, ashes, etc.-in praise and worship of the Almighty. We are one family in Christ, responsible to and for one another -black, white, Asian, Hispanic, seniors, children, singles, married, conservative, liberal, well off and those living on government assistance. And we give glory to God, our Father and creator, from whom all good things come.

Mass is like a dress rehearsal for heaven because it calls us to build "a world fully in harmony with God’s plan" (JPII, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, #20).

This experience of communion each Sunday is what gives us hope to face the complex problems in the world and in our everyday lives.

So go! Announce this gospel of hope! Glorify the Lord by your life! Go become what you have received so that the world may know that Christ is not dead and buried. He is alive! And He is sending out missionaries from every Catholic parish every Sunday to bring the His sacred, loving heart to a hurting world.

About David O’Brien David O’Brien is the Associate Director of Religious Education for Lay Ministry for the Archdiocese of Mobile. His column, Everyday Faith, appears regularly in the archdiocesan newspaper, the Catholic Week. Email David at dobrien@mobilearchdiocese.org.

Is the use of Latin in the Liturgy a turnoff?

BY JOHN MARTIGNONI

Question:
I have been attending a Catholic Church in the diocese in which the priest and congregation sing some of the parts in Latin.  I am curious as to why the Catholic Church is bringing this back and in some parishes even saying the mass entirely in Latin.  It appears that the Church is going back to traditionalism.  How does this (Latin) entice new people to the Catholic faith?  If I were looking for a Christian faith to join and visited a parish with Latin, I would take Catholicism off my list.  I, myself, have considered looking elsewhere for a new faith because of this.  Shouldn’t the church be looking forward and seeking out modern ways to entice newcomers?  To many outsiders, the Catholic Mass is already very dry and boring with all of its prayers through Mass, let alone adding in Latin.  Please advise and help me understand the Latin importance in this modern age.    

Answer:
There are a number of things here that I would like to address, so it seems that this will undoubtedly be a two or three part response.  First of all, I am very concerned that you would look elsewhere for “a new faith,” because Latin is being used more often in the liturgy.  The question I would ask you is this: On what do you base your faith?  Either you believe that the Catholic Church has the fullness of the truth, or you don’t.  I believe the Catholic Church does indeed have the fullness of the truth, as given to us by Jesus Christ through His Apostles, so if the Church started using Tuareg, Aramaic, ancient Greek, Taushiro, Kaixana, or even Klingon, in the liturgy, I would still be Catholic, because my faith is not based on the language or languages used by the Church in its liturgy.  It is based upon Jesus Christ and His truth.

So, if you believe the Catholic Church has the fullness of the faith as given by Jesus Christ to His Apostles, and as transmitted by those same Apostles to their successors, the Bishops, and to us by the Bishops, guided by the Holy Spirit, down through the centuries, then could singing a few prayers in Latin really cause you to walk away from the truth of Jesus Christ?  Conversely, if you do not believe the Catholic Church has the fullness of the truth as given to us by Jesus, then you need to either examine more closely the claims of the Church, or you need to go in search of that church that does indeed have the fullness of the truth of Jesus Christ.  You see, Jesus founded a church, and the church Jesus founded does not have partial truth or half truth, it has the whole truth and nothing but the truth.  And, if the Catholic Church doesn’t have the fullness of the truth, then it is not the Church founded by Jesus, and you need to be out there looking for the church that was.  So, you really need to think about and pray about, what exactly it is you base your faith on.
 
Now, regarding the Latin.  I’ll be honest and say that I am not necessarily a big fan of the Latin language, either.  Yet, even though it is being used more in the liturgy, I am still Catholic.  I’m also not a big fan of bad singing, bad homilies, bad theology, or bad liturgy, and I have experienced plenty of all of those things at one or more of the parishes I’ve been in during the 22 years since I’ve come back into the Church.  Yet, I am still Catholic.  I am also not a big fan of the oftentimes unnecessary use of extraordinary ministers at Communion, the general lack of reverence at Mass, the lack of modesty in dress at Mass, and don’t even get me started on the state of catechetics and evangelization in the Church.  Yet, I am still Catholic.  And, you know what, I have never ever liked the whole sign of peace thing.  Yet, I am still Catholic.  

In other words, things are not the way that I necessarily would like them to be in the Church, either.  Well, too bad for me.  So, am I going to leave the Eucharist, the Sacraments, the true priesthood, the Communion of Saints, the Vicar of Christ, and possibly jeopardize my eternal salvation because of all of these things that I don’t like?  I don’t think so.  The truth is the truth, and to stick with the truth oftentimes requires sacrifices – sometimes big sacrifices, and sometimes small sacrifices.  

Whenever something goes on in the Church that I don’t like, all I have to do is look at the Crucifix and I think to myself, “I guess He didn’t much like being nailed to a cross, either, did He?”  And my problems get put in their proper perspective.

Next week: Why Latin?

About John Martignoni John Martignoni is the Director of the Office of Evangelization for the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama and also the President of the Bible Christian Society. John's column, Apologetics 101, appears regularly in the diocesan newspaper, the One Voice.  If you have a question about the Catholic Faith, please send an email to: jmartignoni@bhmdiocese.org.  And check out John's free audio and written apologetics materials at: www.biblechristiansociety.com.

Is Drinking Alcohol a Sin?

BY JOHN MARTIGNONI

Question:
I need some help. Sometimes when I share my Catholic faith with people, they mention to me that Catholics like to drink alcohol and how wrong that is.  How do I respond to this?

Answer:
I would ask them to tell you where in the Scriptures does it say anything about drinking alcohol being wrong? Quick answer: it doesn't. It says getting drunk is wrong, but it doesn't say merely drinking is wrong. In fact, it tells us just the opposite:

1 Tim 3:8, "Deacons likewise must be serious, not double-tongued, not addicted to much wine..." Obviously, it is okay for them to drink some wine, they just cannot be addicted to "much" wine.  Moderation is the key.

1 Tim 4:4, "For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving." The materials from which alcohol is made are all natural materials made by God.

1 Tim 5:23, "No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments." Timothy is ordered to drink wine.

All 3 accounts of the Last Supper in Matthew, Mark, and Luke have Jesus and the Apostles drinking wine (the "fruit of the vine").

Jesus' first miracle was to turn some 120-180 gallons of water into wine (John 2:3-10) for folks to drink. And, it was better wine than any of the wine that had already been served at that particular wedding.

Matthew 15:10-11, "Hear and understand, not what goes into the mouth defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth..."

Luke 7:33-34, "For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine; and you say, 'He has a demon.'  The Son of Man has come eating and drinking; and you say, 'Behold, a glutton and a drunkard..." Now, what do you think Jesus was drinking that they would have called Him a drunkard?  Grape juice?  I don't think so.

Now, this is not to say that He was a drunkard - obviously He wasn't. But, the only way someone could even begin to make that case would be if He was known to drink wine.  You could not even falsely accuse someone of being a drunkard if they only drank grape juice.

In other words, Scripture gives strong testament to the fact that merely drinking alcohol is not a sin, but getting drunk on alcohol is.

About John Martignoni John Martignoni is the Director of the Office of Evangelization for the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama and also the President of the Bible Christian Society. John's column, Apologetics 101, appears regularly in the diocesan newspaper, the One Voice.  If you have a question about the Catholic Faith, please send an email to: jmartignoni@bhmdiocese.org.  And check out John's free audio and written apologetics materials at: www.biblechristiansociety.com.

Bear One Another’s Burdens

BY DAVID O'BRIEN

Probably you have seen or heard about the Amish practice of barn building. As I understand it, if someone in the Amish community experiences a fi re and loses their barn, the entire town will be there in no time to erect a new one. The Amish know that they can count on each other in times of need. What one family cannot handle alone is shared amongst all the families of the community. In fact, one of the reasons the Amish continue to live without many of the "must have" modern conveniences is that their lives are filled by and full of community.

Now compare that to the way most of us live. Many of us don’t know our neighbors and we certainly wouldn't expect them to run to our aid if we had a problem. If we asked anyone for help, it would be immediate family members or maybe a trusted friend.

Some people in crisis turn to social service agencies or depend on insurances companies. That is ok but institutions, despite the important role they play, can never provide that personal care and support that nourishes the soul in crisis.

I know families that have gone into foreclosure and were evicted before anyone on their street knew they were struggling. People fall sick, spouses leave each other, children get into serious trouble and nobody knows. We are so cut off from one another.

Of course it doesn’t have to be this way. I can’t imagine this is what Jesus had in mind for us. But how do we break out of this ever narrowing, painfully isolating world of individualism and self-sufficiency? How do we learn how to live in such a way that we are not so alone?

Two examples come to mind.

Some time ago I looked into having surgery for a problem I had. The procedure was not covered by my insurance so I emailed a Catholic surgeon to ask for guidance. He generously offered to do the surgery in exchange for a donation to a Catholic charity for the amount of the procedure. I raised the funds through Catholic friends and family (tax deductible), the doctor donated his expertise and the Catholic charity received a substantial contribution. Everyone walked away richer for the experience.

Another example I heard about involves health insurance. Three different Christian organizations- Samaritan Ministries, Medi-Share and Christian Healthcare Ministries-have created an alternative to buying insurance.

Based on Galatians 6:2 which says: "Bear one another’s burdens, and so you will fulfill the law of Christ," these ministries invite Christians to pool their resources to pay for medical bills that exceed the means of an individual family. So if a member experiences a need that is more than they can handle, the Body of Christ rises up to help them through this emergency. Think of it as Amish barn building for medical crises.

But because these are Christian ministries and not insurance plans, members send personal letters, scripture quotes, words of encouragement and prayers along with the checks. The idea is that our needs cannot be met by money alone. We long to know that we are not alone and that others are willing to help in our moments of frailty.

Moreover, this approach moves us away from the insurance mentality of "I pay for this expensive insurance and I demand the services I’ve bought" to "I am in need, O Lord, please help." And the help comes from fellow believers, whose letters remind us that God will provide and God is the ultimate source of healing.

Radical, isn’t it. Too good to be true? I wonder. Why can’t we learn from the Amish and begin to move towards needing and trusting one another? Would it really kill us to risk that someone might care enough to throw us a rope when we are drowning?

About David O’Brien David O’Brien is the Associate Director of Religious Education for Lay Ministry for the Archdiocese of Mobile. His column, Everyday Faith, appears regularly in the archdiocesan newspaper, the Catholic Week. Email David at dobrien@mobilearchdiocese.org.

Eternal Life: Gift or Reward? Part Three.

BY JOHN MARTIGNONI


Question:
An Evangelical friend of mine said the Catholic Church goes against the Bible because it teaches that a person can earn, or “merit,” eternal life as a reward for good works, while the Bible says eternal life is a free and unmerited gift of God to the believer. He quoted the following from the Council of Trent to make his point: “To those who work well right to the end and keep their trust in God, eternal life should be held out, both as a grace promised in his mercy through Jesus Christ to the children of God, and as a reward to be faithfully bestowed, on the promise of God himself, for their good works and merits,” while the Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved by faith…not because of works,” (Eph 2:8-9). Did the Council of Trent really say that and does the Church actually teach that we can “earn” eternal life by our works?

Answer:
(Cont’d from last week)…As we see above, a quote is taken from the Council of Trent to attempt to make the point that the Catholic Church teaches that salvation is essentially based on our works alone, vs. the Evangelical position of salvation by faith alone.

The first thing to note is that the quote cited above (from ch. 16 of Trent’s “Decree on Justification”), states very clearly that eternal life is “both a grace promised in [God’s] mercy through Jesus Christ…and a reward to be faithfully bestowed…for their good works and merits.” In other words, this quote states that salvation is both and gift and a reward - we receive salvation as a free gift by the grace of God, through faith, but we also merit salvation by our works. (The last two columns have explained how and why that is not a contradiction.)

To try and use the Council of Trent to say that the Catholic Church teaches a “works salvation,” one must necessarily misinterpret anything they quote from Trent, as the example above shows. Also, one must ignore some very clear and unambiguous statements from the Council of Trent on justification. For example, in ch. 8 of the “Decree on Justification,” it says this: “We are therefore said to be justified by faith, because ‘faith is the beginning of human salvation,’ the foundation and root of all justification, ‘without which it is impossible to please God,’ [Heb 11:6] and to come to the fellowship of His sons; and are, therefore, said to be justified gratuitously, because none of those things which precede justification, whether faith or works, merit the grace itself of justification.”

Trent states, very clearly, that our justification is gratuitous – a free gift from God (through our Baptism) – because nothing which precedes it – whether faith or works - can merit the grace of justification. Only after we have been justified, only after we have been “saved,” can we then “merit” because it is only then that we are members of the Body of Christ, and Christ is “at work in [us], both to will and to work for His good pleasure,” (Phil 2:13). Christ works in us and through us, but He can only do so with our cooperation, and that cooperation, of our own free will, is what allows us to merit…by the grace of God.

Furthermore, our merit, or reward, is not based on something that God owes us for our good works, as we could never do anything that would be equivalent to the reward of eternal life; rather it is based on His promise to us of salvation if we follow His will for our lives. We are able to merit based solely on His Word to us.

The Scripture verses (Eph 2:8-9) quoted above by the “Evangelical friend,” are used in an attempt to prove the Evangelical belief of salvation by faith alone. Those verses say, “For by grace you have been saved by faith…not because of works,” and they seem, at first glance, to support the Evangelical position. But, there’s a problem here - verse 10 often gets forgotten: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” Catholics agree 100% with Eph 2:8-9, that we have been saved by grace through faith, and not because of works. The quote I cited from

Trent states that very thing. But, we also agree 100% with verse 10, that God has prepared a set of works for each one of us, that we should walk in them. It is God’s will, in other words, that we each do the good works He has prepared for us beforehand.

And, if we don’t do these works…if we don’t do God’s will for our lives…does our faith alone still save us? What does Scripture say? Matthew 7:21, “Not every one who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father Who is in Heaven.” Salvation, as the Church teaches and the Scriptures plainly show, is by both faith and works, and all by the grace of God.

About John Martignoni John Martignoni is the Director of the Office of Evangelization for the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama and also the President of the Bible Christian Society. John's column, Apologetics 101, appears regularly in the diocesan newspaper, the One Voice.  If you have a question about the Catholic Faith, please send an email to: jmartignoni@bhmdiocese.org.  And check out John's free audio and written apologetics materials at: www.biblechristiansociety.com.

Fire Prevention

BY ALLEN HUNT

This week, it's Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore. More American marriages are on fire than ever before, and adultery continues to be at the top of reasons why. When it comes to marital fires, the best strategy is prevention.

The 3 Fire Prevention tools - to keep you or your spouse from straying

 1) Appreciate - remember John Gottman's rule that positive interactions need to outnumber negative by a ratio of 5:1. This remarkable nugget of research revealed that a healthy marriage is rooted in a basic formula: 5 times as many compliments, smiles, pats, kisses on the cheek, and words of encouragement as there are rolled eyes, harsh words, criticisms, etc.. 5 positive interactions for every 1 negative interaction. This ratio explains why so many spouses feel "unappreciated." As the relationship ages, we often forget to say "thank you," or "you really do a great job." We take each other for granted, distance sets in, and then straying becomes more attractive as the spouse meets someone who offers appreciation and a sense of being valued. 

2) Communicate - never underestimate the power of talking to each other. Communicating goes hand in hand with Appreciating. Affairs often occur when men feel like "she doesn't understand me or care." Again, it is easy to ignore basic communication as the relationship ages. Take time to talk. A simple way to do this is to be sure to eat at least one meal together per day. That time is building a small investment, little by little, day by day, to maintain the basic communication in the marriage. Sexual intimacy also contributes to this. It is an important part of emotional communication and connection for men. If you are having trouble communicating with each other, get help. Get help sooner than later because the longer you wait, the harder it will be to begin communicating again. Frustration and pain will be buried, and the lines will be blocked.

 3) Remember - remember what attracted you to your spouse in the first place. When you are feeling distant or frustrated, remember why you fell in love with her at the start. Her eyes, her sense of humor, or her creative mind. Whatever it is. Remember that - and tell her.  The same is true for women: tell him you are proud of him and that he has validated why you found him so attractive in the first place. 

These 3 Fire Prevention tools are not guarantees but they dramatically reduce the likelihood of affairs. Time proven, simple, and virtually free. 

Choose these three and you choose well.

About Allen Hunt Allen Hunt is a former Senior Pastor of an evangelical mega-church. He became Catholic in 2008 and now partners with Matthew Kelly to serve as the Vice-President for Strategy and Content at the Dynamic Catholic Institute. Allen is a speaker, writer, and radio host on News Talk WSB in Atlanta. He is the author of Confessions of a Mega-Church Pastor: How I Discovered the Hidden Treasures of the Catholic Church.

Eternal Life: Gift or Reward? Part Two.

BY JOHN MARTIGNONI


Question:
An Evangelical friend of mine said the Catholic Church goes against the Bible because it teaches that a person can earn, or “merit,” eternal life as a reward for good works, while the Bible says eternal life is a free and unmerited gift of God to the believer. He quoted the following from the Council of Trent to make his point: “To those who work well right to the end and keep their trust in God, eternal life should be held out, both as a grace promised in his mercy through Jesus Christ to the children of God, and as a reward to be faithfully bestowed, on the promise of God himself, for their good works and merits,” while the Bible says, “For by grace you have been saved by faith…not because of works,” (Eph 2:8-9). Did the Council of Trent really say that and does the Church actually teach that we can “earn” eternal life by our works?

Answer:
Continuing with this same question from last week, this week I will show how it is not a contradiction to say that eternal life is both a free gift and a reward. I am going to quote from a couple of Bible passages to show that what the Church teaches in this area is not some “man-made” teaching of the Catholic Church, but is indeed what Scripture very clearly teaches.

The first passage I want to cite is the Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:14-30. In this parable we see that the master freely gives each of three servants a portion of his property as he prepares to go on a journey. The first two servants do something with what the master has given them. They earned a return on what the master had entrusted them with. And to each of these two, the master, upon his return, said, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much; enter into the joy of your master.”

What do we see here? We see two servants who enter into their master’s joy as a reward for their labor. So, the servants received something from the master that was freely given to them. They then took what was freely given and made a return on it. Did they earn entrance into their master’s joy based solely on what the master had given? No. So, entrance into their master’s joy involved two parts: 1) receiving something from the master; and 2) earning a return on what they were freely given by the master. Those who say we enter into our master’s joy (Heaven; eternal life) because of what the master gives us alone (salvation by faith alone), have a big problem when it comes to this Scripture passage.

Furthermore, what happens to the third servant? He, too, received a free gift from the master. Did that free gift alone allow him to enter into his master’s joy? No! The master returned and upon seeing that the servant had earned no return on what he had given him, said to him, “You wicked and slothful servant…I should have received my own with interest,” (Mt 25:26-27). And what happened to the wicked and slothful servant who had done nothing with what his master gave him? He was cast “into the outer darkness; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.”

And this from John 6:27, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you.” This verse fits perfectly with Catholic teaching on merit and with the Parable of the Talents referenced above. Jesus does indeed “give” us the food which endures to eternal life – just as the master gave his three servants the talents - but He also very clearly says that we have to labor for that food. Contradiction? Absolutely not! We have to be just like the “good and faithful servant,” who received a free gift from his master without doing a thing to “earn” it, but then had to go and do something with what his master gave him in order to enter into his master’s joy.

Catholic teaching, perfectly supported by Scripture, says that we are freely justified (saved), through faith, by Jesus Christ when we are baptized. We can do nothing before reception of this free gift, whether faith or works, to “merit” our initial justification through Baptism. But, once we are given this gift, we have to do something (good works) with it. The good works are rightly said to be ours, even though we do them in union with Christ – Christ working in us and through us – by His grace, because we do them of our own free will. Thus, we can be said to truly “merit” the reward of eternal life.

Romans 2:6-7, “For He will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing [good works] seek for glory and honor and immortality, He will give eternal life.”

About John Martignoni John Martignoni is the Director of the Office of Evangelization for the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama and also the President of the Bible Christian Society. John's column, Apologetics 101, appears regularly in the diocesan newspaper, the One Voice.  If you have a question about the Catholic Faith, please send an email to: jmartignoni@bhmdiocese.org.  And check out John's free audio and written apologetics materials at: www.biblechristiansociety.com.