David O'Brien: Mystics in our Midst

So many extraordinary things are happening around our Archdiocese. God is working, bringing new life. Sometimes that new life comes from parts of our faith family that we don’t hear much about except for the negative news on TV. Such is the case with the Catholic Hispanic community.

Marta Gale, a catechetical leader at a local parish who works in a local hospital reminded me of the many ways our Hispanic Catholics are a blessing to our community.

"I did a series of four talks on how to pray with the scriptures, Lectio Divina," she explained. "A Hispanic woman approached me afterwards and said they have been looking for this for two years and asked if I could do this in Spanish." Marta, an immigrant herself to this country, responded, "I could probably do it better in Spanish."

Thus began a new group of Hispanic men and women who are gathering regularly for instruction, ministry formation and intense periods of prayer and silent meditation on the scriptures.

Gathering every other week, twelve to twenty people have invested in this process of spiritual growth through Lectio Divina for the past two years.

"We do Lectio Divina because the early Christians grew in holiness praying this way," says Marta. "The more you do Lectio Divina the more you see the revealing word of God in your life and you can change your values to Gospel values."

Each session begins with enthroning the bible followed by a short introduction by Marta to give a historical and narrative context for the scriptures to be read. Music is then used to calm people’s minds and candles are lit to engage the senses. Someone reads the Gospel and then the group sits in total silence and total darkness for 20-30 minutes.

"In our culture today it is very hard to quiet our brains and allow God to speak to us. Lectio Divina is one way to learn to listen to God’s voice by prayerfully sitting with the scriptures," asserts Marta.

"We are like monks or Quakers," she jokes.

The focus is on the words of scripture and how God is speaking to them in their hearts. This ancient practice of meditation is a time honored discipline that leads to knowledge of God and knowledge of self.

"When you grow in self-knowledge, you grow in knowledge of God," offers Marta. "Seeking and discovering is what we are doing in Lectio Divina."

She adds: "We need to keep that silence because that is when we hear God; that is when the Holy Spirit will work."

Some who come fall asleep in the darkness and silence. "I just tell them that it’s ok. Maybe this isn’t the right time for them for this."

Since the group began, they have taken two silent weekend retreats. The first retreat was held in someone’s house. "That is the way the early Christians did it, in a house," recounts Marta.

Each retreat has been a mix between an Ignatian silent retreat and a Cursillo. Following each conference, the retreatants are given 60 minutes of silence with questions.

"The silence is essential for the retreat but afterwards we speak to one another about what God is saying," she describes. "It’s so important to hear from one another, to learn to share like that, growing in trust, facing our humanity even at painful levels and to experience the support of a group that is coming together in this way around prayer and the scriptures."

"We have to walk with each other," Marta admits. "There are wounds that can be healed when we walk together."

On the last day of the retreats, Marta challenges the people to become pastoral agents who are centered in Christ and living the mystery of Christ.

"I call it ‘la mystica personal’," Marta explains. "The goal is to create pastoral agents for the Hispanic community."

"I remember when I studied theology I read a piece from Fr. Karl Rahner where he said that if your pastoral agents are not mystics then they are not pastoral agents. We have to find that mysticism that is centered in Christ in order to do ministry."

Imagine that! Mystics right here in our midst. Even more exciting is to realize that these mystics are just like you and me-workers, students, parents, parishioners, lay people trying to find God in their everyday lives. They are seeking God for themselves and for the purpose of serving the greater community. Sounds like discipleship to me.

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.

Pat Arensberg: You are rock

“And so I [Jesus] say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.”  -Matthew 16:18

There is very much at work in Matthew 16:13-20, and I will try to deal with it all in a very brief manner.  First, do you notice that the answers as to who Jesus is are all wrong?  The world misunderstands who Jesus is and it is only when the matter is referred to the Church that we get the right answer.  And, in fact, it is precisely when Peter speaks that we get the answer; his fellow Apostles are silent.

Second, notice that Peter has received a special grace from the Father.  It is not by mere flesh and blood (or human wisdom) that Peter knows.  It is because the Father has given him this special grace. As Catholics we believe that this special charism continues with Peter’s successor, the Pope.

Jesus then called Simon “the Rock” or Peter.  This was not a personal name at the time.  It was not at all common for persons to change names at the time, and this is a very significant moment.  It signifies that Simon’s role in salvation history is dramatically changing.  He is now the rock on which Jesus will build his church.  Much is often made by non-Catholics about the fact that in Greek (which the Gospel is originally written in) the word petrus (Peter) has a connotation of a small rock.  I have been told by them that Jesus is really trying to make Peter’s role smaller than we are making it out to be.

I would answer in a few ways.  First, this doesn’t pass my “smell” test.  It doesn’t seem to fit the context that Jesus is make a small deal out of Peter; that just doesn’t smell right.  Second, we should note that Greek nouns have gender.  Petrus is masculine.  Matthew could have chosen petra the feminine form of the noun and avoided the connotation of small stone, but then he would be calling Simon a girl!  Third, many scholars argue that this distinction was largely abandoned in the dialect of Greek in which Matthew wrote his Gospel.  Fourth, we must recall that when Jesus spoke to Peter he was not speaking Greek anyway; he would have been speaking Aramaic and he would have called Simon kepha.  This has no connotation of small rock.

Tomorrow, I will look at the promise of Papal infallibility that is in this passage.  

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: Gospel of Matthew

“When he [Jesus] saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.  He began to teach them, …” –Matthew 5:1-2a
Perhaps the most famous scene in Matthew’s Gospel is the Sermon on the Mount which begins in chapter 5.  Scholars debate the date of the writing of this Gospel.  The ancient Church held it to have been the first Gospel written.  Since we know that Mark’s Gospel was composed shortly before 70 a.d. we can deduce that Matthew’s was written prior to that date.  Most modern scholars argue that Mark was written first and the Matthew’s Gospel should be dated to just after 70 a.d.  Some very recent scholarship is suggestive of the earlier date, but ultimately I don’t think it matters for our purposes.  We know it was composed about the year 70 a.d.

Matthew’s primary audience was a Jewish one.  He strove to show Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies (see for example Matthew 1:22-23 and how this is a fulfillment of the prophet Isaiah chapter 7).  The Gospel of Matthew is full of such quotations of prophecies being fulfilled.  He also strove to show Jesus as the giver of the New Law, the new Moses if you will.  The Sermon on the Mount is meant to invoke images for the Jews of Moses giving the law from Mount Sinai.

One of the most important Scripture verses for a Catholic to have memorized is Matthew 16:18.  It is the verse where Peter is told that Jesus will build his Church on the Rock who is Peter.  A somewhat careful examination of this Scripture is in order, and will be the subject of tomorrow’s blog.  For today, suffice it to say that if I am looking for the Church that Jesus Christ founded I should look for the one with Peter as its foundational rock.

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: Synoptic Gospels

“The Gospels were written by men who were among the first to have the faith and wanted to share it with others.”

Today we begin to look briefly at specific Gospels, but first we must acknowledge that three of the Gospels share a great deal while one Gospel is very different in character and events chosen to describe.  The three that are similar are Matthew, Mark and Luke.  These are called “synoptic” Gospels because they are so much alike.  Synoptic is Greek for “appear together” because one can make a chart of the three and find great similarities.  The Gospel that is written very differently is the Gospel of John.

Tomorrow we will begin to look specifically at Matthew’s Gospel, but today a word about the Gospels in general.  The dating of the Gospels is an inexact science.  There were no publishers to put the date on the first few pages.  Scholars use various methods to date the Gospels.  They look for other authors to quote the Gospel.  If an author who died in 89 a.d. quotes Matthew’s Gospel then it is a sure bet that Matthew’s Gospel was written before 89 a.d.  Another clue they can look for is evidence that the author is aware of significant historical events.  For example, if an author is aware that Barrack Obama succeeded President Bush, then we can be sure that the book was written after 2008.  Scholars may also look at elements of the language that an author uses to help date the work.  This blog is not meant to be a scholarly debate on the exact dating of each Gospel.  Suffice it to say that there is some minor disagreement among scholars as to the exact dates for a couple of the Gospels, but all agree that the Gospels are all written before the year 100 a.d.  This is significant because eyewitnesses to the events would have still been alive to refute any falsehood in the stories had there been any.

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.

Todd Sylvester: True foundation

I was playing blocks recently with my three year old. He loves to build tall towers and knock them down (it’s great to be a boy!). But he was getting frustrated because his towers were not getting very high before they would fall down. He noticed quickly that MY towers were much taller. Finally he said, “You build the bottom and I’ll make them high.”
    
I smiled as I formed the foundations of each tower knowing that he asked for exactly what I want to do for his LIFE. As his father, I am called to build the foundation. Some of his tower designs were very different from what I would build- crazy shapes and colors- sometimes a bit unstable- but the foundations were solid.
    
As long as my children are built on Christ and His Church, then wherever God may lead them in the full spectrum of life, I need not fear that they will ever be lost, because their FOUNDATION is true.  1Cor. 3:11

About Todd Sylvester Todd Sylvester has worked in Church Ministry for almost 20 years. His love for Christ in the Eucharist is evident as he strives to lead his wife and ten children to the heavenly banquet. Todd is a writer, singer/songwriter, radio show host, teacher, and above all else, Lover of God. His child-like perspective is not only poignant, but helps reveal the reality of God in our everyday living.

Pat Arensberg: Why fast?

“Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?  The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”  -Mark 9:15

Why do Catholics fast?  Well, first and foremost because Jesus said we would.  In fact, if I were looking for which group of Christians were the ones that Jesus left behind, one of the things that I would look for is fasting.  But, why did Jesus fast and why does he want us to fast?

We all learned when we were little children that, “God is love.”  Now, that is easy enough to say, but not so easy to understand.  I do love, but it is something I do.  God does not love; he is love.  One could ponder that for a lifetime.  But, what is love?  Well, I don’t know exactly, but I can identify some characteristics (see 1 Corinthians 13).  I know that love does not seek its own interests, but puts the beloved first.  I know that love bears all things and endures all things.  I know that love is not just a feeling then; it is about dying to self and putting someone else above me or ahead of me.  Love involves suffering precisely because I have to die to myself.  When we fast we are practicing this virtue.  In fact, when we fast for someone else it is a powerful form of prayer (parents, fast for your children and spouses, fast for each other).  When we fast we are dying to self out of love for another.

By the way, there are lots of ways to fast.  We are required to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and the Church defines that fast as having one regular and two small meals, no snacks in between.  But we can fast additionally by giving up coffee, or soft drinks, or alcoholic beverages.  We can fast by giving up an hour of our time to read to our children or by giving up watching t.v.  Any act of self-denial is a form of fasting. 

About Pat ArensbergPatrick 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: Lent

“The New Law practices the acts of religion: almsgiving, prayer and fasting, directing them to the ‘Father who sees in secret,’ in contrast with the desire to ‘be seen by men.’” –CCC #1969

Most of us are probably aware that Mardi Gras means “Fat Tuesday.”  We are also probably aware that it is connected with the season of lent.  We are people who feast and fast.  The day before lent began was a time to empty the house of the things we were going to give up.    Thus, it also became a time to indulge one last time in those things.  This evolved (or devolved) into an entire season of feasting before the fasting begins.  

But Lent is not just about fasting.  It is also about prayer and almsgiving.  We should focus on all three.  They should fuel each other.  My fasting should be supported by my prayer.  My fasting should also help my prayer by helping me to remember to hunger for intimacy with God.  It should also make me more keenly aware of the suffering of my brothers and sisters who are in need.  Perhaps, what I give up in my fast can also be given somehow to those who are in greater need.

I would like to encourage each of you to make your Lenten resolutions.  They should include what you are going to give up (fasting), what extra attention you may give your prayer life (most especially, if you could make it to daily Mass), and how you are going to give alms.  Make sure that your resolutions are concrete.  Don’t tell yourself, “I am going to pray more.”  How will you know if you have done that?  Rather, say something like, “I am going to make it to Mass on Mondays and to Stations of the Cross on Fridays.”  Make sure that your resolutions are challenging (don’t give up lima beans!), but make sure that the resolutions are reachable or realistic.

Tomorrow, I would like to discuss why we fast before returning to our normal curriculum for this blog.

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: 3 Stages of the Gospels

“We can distinguish three stages in the formation of the Gospels:”  -CCC #126

The Gospels did not fall from the sky.  God uses parents to be co-creators with him in the transmission of human life.  So too, he used many humans to help transmit the Gospel message and the written Gospels in particular.  It is important to remember that which has already been said, namely, that the Scriptures contain all of what God wanted taught and nothing more.  Human involvement, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, does not compromise this.  

So, the Gospel message can be seen in three distinct stages:

1. The life and teaching of Jesus.  The first moments of the Gospel are those when the Incarnate Word himself was here among us.  Jesus proclaimed that the Kingdom of God was at hand.  
2. Oral Tradition.  After Jesus was taken up to heaven his followers proclaimed the good news to all the land.  This preaching was enlivened by the reception of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  This oral teaching authentically passed on the Gospel.  In fact, it was the only “Gospel” that the first generation of Christians had.  It was about 30 years or more before an inspired Gospel was written.
3. The written Gospels.  The authors selected which events to include in their written Gospel.  They chose from oral sources and written sources to craft their authentic and accurate story about Jesus.  These written accounts have subsequently been copied and handed on for later generations.  There are adequate ancient manuscripts for various parts of the world to establish that the Gospels we have are in fact the Gospels originally written.

Have a great weekend and Happy Mardi Gras.  The next blog will come out on Ash Wednesday.  In that blog I am going to talk a bit about Mardi Gras and lent before returning to our curriculum.

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.

Men of St. Joseph release statement on HHS mandate and religious liberty

The Men of St. Joseph stand in full support of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops in their opposition to Obama’s HHS mandate and the so-called compromise to the mandate.

We view the HHS demands to be an assault on our religious liberty and 1st Amendment rights. The Obama administration has overstepped its bounds in mandating Catholic employers and individuals to offer heath care "benefits" that include abortion causing drugs, contraceptives, and procedures that we as Catholics find morally objectionable.

The Men of St. Joseph is a Catholic lay association of the faithful. Our purpose is to instill holiness in men and facilitate spiritual leadership in family and community life.

For more information on the Men of St. Joseph, please visit www.menofstjoseph.com.

Bishop Lori: The Parable of the Kosher Deli

Testimony of Most Reverend William E. Lori Bishop of Bridgeport

On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform United States House of Representatives

February 16, 2012

Thank you, Mr. Chairman and distinguished members of the Committee, for the opportunity to testify today.

For my testimony today, I would like to tell a story. Let’s call it, “The Parable of the Kosher Deli.”

Once upon a time, a new law is proposed, so that any business that serves food must serve pork. There is a narrow exception for kosher catering halls attached to synagogues, since they serve mostly members of that synagogue, but kosher delicatessens are still subject to the mandate.

The Orthodox Jewish community—whose members run kosher delis and many other restaurants and grocers besides—expresses its outrage at the new government mandate. And they are joined by others who have no problem eating pork—not just the many Jews who eat pork, but people of all faiths—because these others recognize the threat to the principle of religious liberty. They recognize as well the practical impact of the damage to that principle. They know that, if the mandate stands, they might be the next ones forced—under threat of severe government sanction—to violate their most deeply held beliefs, especially their unpopular beliefs.

Meanwhile, those who support the mandate respond, “But pork is good for you. It is, after all, the other white meat.” Other supporters add, “So many Jews eat pork, and those who don’t should just get with the times.” Still others say, “Those Orthodox are just trying to impose their beliefs on everyone else.”

But in our hypothetical, those arguments fail in the public debate, because people widely recognize the following.

First, although people may reasonably debate whether pork is good for you, that’s not the question posed by the nationwide pork mandate. Instead, the mandate generates the question whether people who believe—even if they believe in error—that pork is not good for you, should be forced by government to serve pork within their very own institutions. In a nation committed to religious liberty and diversity, the answer, of course, is no.

Second, the fact that some (or even most) Jews eat pork is simply irrelevant. The fact remains that some Jews do not—and they do not out of their most deeply held religious convictions. Does the fact that large majorities in society—even large majorities within the protesting religious community—reject a particular religious belief make it permissible for the government to weigh in on one side of that dispute? Does it allow government to punish that minority belief with its coercive power? In a nation committed to religious liberty and diversity, the answer, of course, is no.

Third, the charge that the Orthodox Jews are imposing their beliefs on others has it exactly backwards. Again, the question generated by a government mandate is whether the government will impose its belief that eating pork is good on objecting Orthodox Jews. Meanwhile, there is no imposition at all on the freedom of those who want to eat pork. That is, they are subject to no government interference at all in their choice to eat pork, and pork is ubiquitous and cheap, available at the overwhelming majority of restaurants and grocers. Indeed, some pork producers and retailers, and even the government itself, are so eager to promote the eating of pork, that they sometimes give pork away for free.

In this context, the question is this: can a customer come to a kosher deli, demand to be served a ham sandwich, and if refused, bring down severe government sanction on the deli. In a nation committed to religious liberty and diversity, the answer, of course, is no.

So in our hypothetical story, because the hypothetical nation is indeed committed to religious liberty and diversity, these arguments carry the day.

In response, those proposing the new law claim to hear and understand the concerns of kosher deli owners, and offer them a new “accommodation.” You are free to call yourself a kosher deli; you are free not to place ham sandwiches on your menu; you are free not to be the person to prepare the sandwich and hand it over the counter to the customer. But we will force your meat supplier to set up a kiosk on your premises, and to offer, prepare, and serve ham sandwiches to all of your customers, free of charge to them. And when you get your monthly bill from your meat supplier, it will include the cost of any of the “free” ham sandwiches that your customers may accept. And you will, of course, be required to pay that bill.

Some who supported the deli owners initially began to celebrate the fact that ham sandwiches didn’t need to be on the menu, and didn’t need to be prepared or served by the deli itself. But on closer examination, they noticed three troubling things. First, all kosher delis will still be forced to pay for the ham sandwiches. Second, many of the kosher delis’ meat suppliers, themselves, are forbidden in conscience from offering, preparing, or serving pork to anyone. Third, there are many kosher delis that are their own meat supplier, so the mandate to offer, prepare, and serve the ham sandwich still falls on them.

This story has a happy ending. The government recognized that it is absurd for someone to come into a kosher deli and demand a ham sandwich; that it is beyond absurd for that private demand to be backed with the coercive power of the state; that it is downright surreal to apply this coercive power when the customer can get the same sandwich cheaply, or even free, just a few doors down.

The question before the United States government—right now—is whether the story of our own Church institutions that serve the public, and that are threatened by the HHS mandate, will end happily too. Will our nation continue to be one committed to religious liberty and diversity? We urge, in the strongest possible terms, that the answer must be yes. We urge you, in the strongest possible terms, to answer the same way.

Thank you for your attention.

Pat Arensberg: The Gospels

“The four Gospels occupy a central place because Christ Jesus is their center.”  -CCC #139

While it is true that all of Scripture is about Jesus Christ, the Gospels have him as their subject in an unveiled way.  It is also true that the Gospels are, in a sense, biographies of Jesus.  As such, we should expect to find a great deal of similarity.  But, it should also not surprise us to find some differences.  Like any biography, the author will select those events that will make his or her central point with the audience they are targeting.

For example, Matthew’s Gospel is written primarily for an audience of Christians who were formerly Jews.  He therefore may choose events and notice details about those events that see Christ as the new Moses or the fulfillment of Judaism.  Someone writing to a group of Christians who were not from a Jewish background, like Mark’s Gospel, would have a very different process for deciding which events to include and which details were most important to emphasize.

The Gospels are biographies, but they are so much more.  They are invitations to faith in Jesus as the Christ.  The human authors and the divine author are communicating the things that Jesus really said and did while on earth, but they do so with an eye to conversion of our hearts.  Jesus himself performed many signs and did wonders, but he always did them to establish his authority to teach.  The Gospels do much the same.  They tell the story, but not to amaze us with the cool things that Jesus did.  Rather, the Gospels mean to invite us to accept Jesus and his redemptive work.

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.

Todd Sylvester: Lasting Impressions

When my 20 year old son was only a few months old, we took him to Mass on a Sunday and sat near the front (I know, pretty daring). When he started to make those familiar distracting noises, instead of immediately bringing him to the back, I simply kissed him. Miraculously, it silenced him. He just smiled back at me. So I kissed him again. I took the opportunity to kiss him on his forehead and eyes and cheeks until he finally fell asleep.
   
After Mass, as we were walking out, a large man stepped directly in front of me. He had red eyes and looked very intimidating. “Excuse me,” he said. “Yes,” I answered taking a half step back. “I was watching you during Mass. The way you were loving on that baby. I’ve never been loved like that my whole life.” Then he quickly turned and walked away. I’ve never seen him again.
   
I think of that encounter often. It reminds me of what this broken world truly needs…LOVE. Let us take the gift of today and reach out with what we all have the opportunity to give…LOVE!

About Todd Sylvester Todd Sylvester has worked in Church Ministry for almost 20 years. His love for Christ in the Eucharist is evident as he strives to lead his wife and ten children to the heavenly banquet. Todd is a writer, singer/songwriter, radio show host, teacher, and above all else, Lover of God. His child-like perspective is not only poignant, but helps reveal the reality of God in our everyday living.

Pat Arensberg: The New Testament

“The Word of God, which is the power of God for salvation to everyone who has faith, is set forth and displays its power in a most wonderful way in the writings of the New Testament”  -Dei Verbum #17

The New Testament is comprised of 27 books.  They are Gospels, Acts of the Apostles, Epistles (letters) and the Book of Revelation.  While all of Scripture has Jesus as the center, the New Testament has him at the center in a more overt way.  There is no veil in the New Testament like we might find in the Old.  

The Catholic Church teaches that Divine Revelation is complete in the person of Jesus Christ.  God has nothing left to reveal of himself to us.  So, with the death of the last Apostle we consider revelation completed.  But, the Church continues to grow in knowledge of what (and more importantly WHO) has been revealed.  Imagine that I were to take a book and flip through every page of that book for your eyes to behold.  Imagine that I then began quizzing you with very specific questions about the content.  Seems unfair, right?  There is no way you could have grasped the book’s contents in such a short exposition.  However, the revelation of that book is complete.  There is nothing in the book that has not been revealed.  You may go back and study the book; you may even read commentaries on the book by others, but none of it is really “new revelation.”

The same is true of Christ.  He has been revealed completely, but we human beings are still gaining insights into what that means and who he is.  Our faith will continue to grow as we grow in knowledge about our beloved.  But there will be no new revelation, just a deeper understanding.

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.

Brian Caufield: A Lourdes Miracle

My firstborn son was healed of a heart ailment as an infant at the Marian Shrine in Lourdes. Every year on February 11, which just passed, I am prompted to meditate on this fact.

Stephen, now 11 years old, was born more than seven weeks premature on the feast day of St. Padre Pio (who was a Blessed at the time). He spent 10 days in the neonatal ICU, where they detected a heart murmur. Tests revealed a mild coarctation. If you are like my wife and I were at the time, the word is unfamiliar. Coarctation is a narrowing of the aorta, a condition that restricts blood flow and could lead to hypertension and stroke.

We got a second opinion, with the same diagnosis, and our son was scheduled for surgery at 7 months of age. By God’s grace, we were accepted for a pilgrimage to Lourdes with the Knights of Malta, who each year charter a plane to bring sick children and their parents to the place where St. Bernadette Soubirous saw the Blessed Mother and unearthed a stream of healing water.

We got little Stephen a passport, flew to Lourdes with the wonderful assistance of the Knights and Dame of Malta, and immersed ourselves in the grace of the famous shrine. My wife dipped him in the frigid water on two occasions, splashing extra water on his chest for good measure and we prayed for healing. We also took part in a healing Mass, an amazing candlelight procession, a visit to St. Bernadette’s little home (cachot) and many other activities during our week in Lourdes.

My wife had the distinct feeling that something had changed with our son. I was not sure, and thought that her hopeful emotions were natural for a mother who had gone through a high-risk pregnancy and an emergency delivery.
We returned home and a few days later had an appointment with the pediatric cardiologist, who performed the usual tests, this time in preparation for surgery. When he finished, he spoke little and said that he would call us later. We were puzzled and concerned.
Had things gotten worse?

The cardiologist called that evening to say that he was taking Stephen off the surgery list for now. Too stunned to think, I told him not to be let our hesitance sway him; we wanted the best for our son’s health. The doctor explained that the tests that day showed a marked improvement. He didn’t say anything after the exam because he wanted to consult with colleagues before breaking the good news.

“Is this the miracle we prayed for at Lourdes?” I asked.
He said that as a doctor he didn’t deal in miracles, but he had never seen such a rapid improvement of this condition.

Over the months, the coarctation continued to improved, so that a year later, a specialist at one of the nation’s top hospitals said he could not detect any evidence of the condition.
Stephen was healed. Now he’s a fast runner, a Little Leaguer with a good batting eye and a Boy Scout who can hike five miles and more.

The only explanation is Lourdes.

I tell this story to inspire faith and hope in others. Not everybody who goes to Lourdes receives a physical healing. But everyone is healed in some way, spiritually, emotionally, mentally.
Please join me in thanking the Blessed Mother for her intercession before God, for all the graces she bestows on souls and bodies.

Let us give glory to God.


Reprinted with permission of the Catholic News Agency


Brian Caulfield is editor of the website Fathers for Good, an initiative by the Knights of Columbus that features regular articles, videos and other multimedia on the subject of Christian fatherhood. A father of two young boys, Brian writes on the spiritual truths found in daily life and the issues men face while striving to live out their vocation.

Pat Arensberg: Preview of the Old Testament

“Christians venerate the Old Testament as true Word of God.”  -CCC #123

Jesus Christ is the unique Word of God.  He is revealed in the Old Testament.  This revelation was often veiled from the eyes of the people of the time.  The entire Old Testament is God preparing his people for Christ.  He met them where they were.  It is like a parent teaching a child.  When I hear a parent tell a child not to “talk to strangers” I know the full truth that the parent is not yet ready to reveal to the child.  There are some really sick and bad people in the world that may try to hurt you in very despicable ways.  Well, we don’t tell our 4 year olds that.  As they grow older we might mention “bad guys” or hurting people.  But it is not until the child has grown to full stature that the full truth becomes clear.

Now, this example is a bit negative, but the same dynamic is at work.  God is constantly revealing the Word and indeed his own inner life, but he does so gently and as his people were ready for it.  The Old Testament should be viewed through this lens.

The Old Testament is also a love story, one that finds its “happy ending” in the New Testament.  Time and time again God made covenants with man, and time and time again we rejected these.  The Old Testament tells this sad tale.  In the end, God sends his own son to seal a new and permanent covenant.  This is called the New Testament and we will begin to consider it tomorrow.

The Old Testament is comprised of the Pentateuch (the first 5 books), historical books, wisdom books and prophetic books.  Attached with this blog is an outline of the history of salvation along with which books of the Bible deal with those stories.

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.