When writing Who Do You Say That I Am? Encountering Christ in the Gospel of Matthew, I was consciously not trying to write anything “new”; instead, I firmly believe that any interpretation of Scripture must be grounded in our Tradition and consistent with the teachings of the Church. After all, the same Spirit that inspired the Bible also has guided the Church through the centuries.

Pope Benedict made exactly this point recently to the Pontifical Biblical Institute:

One of the biggest controversies within the Orthodox Church here in United States is the issue of a united “American Orthodox Church”. Traditionally, Orthodox missionaries will go to a country and establish a mission church there. After some time, that church will become independent from the “Mother Church”, forming a national church such as the Russian Orthodox Church or the Bulgarian Orthodox Church or the Romanian Orthodox Church. Note that when I say “independent” I don’t mean that the new church has a different belief system than the mother church, just that it is its own jurisdiction now. All the Orthodox Churches are united in the faith but they each have their own governing structure. (There is a great resource available online which describes the history of each church here).

However, this is not what has happened in America. Here we have the presence of just about every Orthodox Church in the world, so we have the phenomenon of dozens of Orthodox churches in our major cities, all under different jurisdictions. We even have the Orthodox Church in America, which originated with the Russian Orthodox Church, but despite its name is just one more Orthodox body in America. There are a number of reasons for this situation, and there are many Orthodox in this country who want to unify all the American Orthodox churches into one juridical body. Back in 1994 there was a serious attempt for this to happen, but it was quickly quashed by the Ecumencial Patriarch for reasons I’ll admit I don’t understand.

Now another effort is underway and many are hoping that this one will be more successful than the last. One thing I’m impressed with is that Metropolitan Jonah, the head of the OCA, seems to be supportive of this effort even though it may mean the suppression of his own Church. That takes a good dose of humility.

As a Catholic I don’t really have any skin in this game, but I do support the efforts of those trying to unify the Orthodox churches in America. It seems to be consistent with their history and it also will give them a stronger voice for traditional Christianity in our society, something that is sorely needed.

Pray for those involved in these efforts that they might be lead by the Holy Spirit towards a unified church in this country.

I have been involved with Internet discussions and apologetics for a very long time, at least in Internet terms. I remember debating a man from the Netherlands via email about Catholic theology in 1992, before I was even officially received into the Catholic Church. Considering “Internet years” are somewhat like dog years, I figure that’s 119 years of online debates and discussions (and it even feels like more sometimes). Over that time I have developed some rules of engagement for Internet apostolate that might be helpful for others.

1) Always remember the superiority of the real world over the virtual world.

If you are spending more time interacting with people over the Internet than you do in the real world, then you need to seriously curtail your online activity. God made us physical beings and we cannot replace physical interaction with virtual interaction. It’s just not the same.

2) Your salvation is more important than your involvement on the Internet.

If frequenting a blog or forum disturbs your peace and makes you anxious, uncharitable and/or unkind to those around you, you should simply stop going to that blog or forum. I have had to abandon certain forums and blogs because I found myself too upset with those I encountered there. It is better to simply walk away.

3) Don’t ever say anything on the Internet that you wouldn’t say in person.

This is a pretty common suggestion, but it is very true. If you wouldn’t call someone a putz to their face, don’t call them that online (and if you would call them that to their face, perhaps you need to see your confessor).

4) Don’t write anything in anger.

If you write a post or comment on a blog or on a forum in anger, be sure to preview it before posting. Then delete it.

5) Don’t stereotype people.

It is very easy to stereotype the people we “meet” over the Internet. If someone says he likes the Traditional Latin Mass, don’t assume that he is an “angry Traditionalist” who rejects Vatican II completely. If someone says something supportive of Rush Limbaugh, don’t assume she supports everything he espouses. The truth is that most people don’t fall into nice and neat categories. I remember encountering a person online who was devoted to the Latin Mass but also supported liberal Democrat politicians. Remember to just debate actual arguments raised, not positions you assume the person also holds. Don’t think you actually know people you only encounter online. You don’t.

6) Take at least one day off a week from the Internet.

Preferably Sunday. Remember that man was not made for the Internet, but the Internet for man. If you feel you need to be on the Internet every day, then you are showing signs of a dangerous addiction. This is unhealthy, even if the sites you go to are not harmful themselves.

7) Always assume the good intentions of others.

If someone writes something that could possibly be interpreted multiple ways, assume the best interpretation. I have seen countless examples of someone making a point, someone else misinterpreting it and attacking it, then a whole discussion ensues before the original poster returns to say that he never meant what he was accused of saying. Writing is a difficult task, and often what we write isn’t exactly what we mean. Give people the same benefit of the doubt that you want to be given.

8) Remember who the real Enemy is.

It’s not some heterodox blogger or pro-abortion advocate. It’s Satan. Those who do things that support his reign are slaves of Satan, and our duty is not to try to defeat them, but emancipate them and help them become sons of the True King. Yes, we must resist evil in all its forms, but those who advocate for evil need to be converted, not conquered.

9) Remember that God resists the proud.

Even when they are right. On the Internet you encounter people at all stage of their spiritual life. Many don’t know the first thing about the Faith yet still expound upon it. It is easy to look upon them like the Pharisee did to the Publican. Instead of quickly jumping in to tell them how they are wrong, first say a prayer for them and then gently lead them to a fuller understanding of the truth. I can guarantee that a prideful retort will do nothing other than turn them more away from an orthodox understanding of the Faith.

10) Don’t just go to Catholic sites.

Part of the history of Catholics in America is that we have often lived in ghettos, completely excluded from those outside the Church. It sometimes feels like we are returning to that on the Internet. We only go to Catholic sites and Catholic blogs and Catholic forums (and usually only those we agree with) and it gives us an unbalanced view of the world. I spent over four years as the only Catholic at a Protestant apologetics forum, and it was a very fruitful experience for me. Not only was I able to defend and explain the Catholic Faith to many who would never hear about it, I also learned a great deal from the Protestants at the site and honed my apologetic abilities. Obviously we shouldn’t visit immoral sites that might lead us into the near occasion of sin, but we should be salt and light on the Internet and bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all corners of the virtual world.

If you have any helpful rules of engagement you use, feel free to leave them in the comments!

Two interesting stories about relations between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, via the wonderful blog Eirenikon :

Bulgarian Orthodox Leader Affirms Desire for Unity

Archbishop Hilarion (Alfeev) on Catholic Sacraments

Catholics might read these stories with a somewhat “ho-hum” attitude, but they are both important. It is common in the Catholic Church for us to speak of reunion with the Orthodox like it is just around the corner and to easily acknowledge the validity of Orthodox sacraments. This is not the case in the East; they are, in general, much more hesitant in their ecumenical pronouncements. But the fact that Orthodox bishops are publicly desiring reunion “as soon as possible” and are acknowledging the validity of Catholic sacraments is a necessary step in the right direction. I still believe that reunion won’t occur for a long time (most likely long after I’ve left this place of exile), but it will only occur if we are moving in the right direction: towards each other instead of away from each other.

Imagine you are a boy around the age of 10. Your mom buys you a children’s book in which your name is plastered on the front cover and the character with your name is also a boy your age. Not only that, he is the hero of the book. Pretty cool, huh?

But then imagine that the book and its sequels goes on to sell about a bazillion copies around the world and everyone in the world now associates your name with that character. Not so cool anymore, is it?

Well, that is exactly what happened to this unfortunate young man.

I have four daughters, the oldest of whom will soon be entering her teenage years. In five years, three of my daughters will be teenagers at the same time! Unlike many parents, I am actually looking forward to their teen years, as it is a wonderful time in which they are becoming adults and hopefully growing in their spiritual lives.

However, I am under no illusions about the dangers of the teenage years in our society. Over the past fifty years, our culture has decided that during the teen years it is acceptable to behave in beastly ways without consequences. This especially applies to the area of sexual relations; it is assumed by many people that teens are just going to do “it”, so all a parent should worry about is protecting them from physical harm (with no regard for the psychological/spiritual/mental harm of pre-marital relations). We see this in the push for teenagers to learn about contraception, while ignoring the possibility of abstinence.

But this mindset has also entered the realm of vaccinations. There is now a standard vaccination pushed on pre-teen girls which is to protect against HPV – Human Papillomavirus. This is a sexually transmitted infection, and the assumption of the vaccination is that the vast majority of girls will be sexually active in their teen years, so they should be vaccinated to protect themselves against HPV. My wife has been adamant that we will not get this vaccination for our girls, and I found a great article called “Girls and Gardasil: The Protection Game” which details the reasons not to give it to our daughters. It really is worthwhile to read the whole article and it is difficult to just excerpt parts of it. But here are some of the opening paragraphs:

Most people would agree to vaccinating their children against infections that are generalised within the community so that everyone stands an equal chance of catching them – whooping cough and measles, for instance. But there is a new class of diseases that are increasingly being targeted by vaccine developers: sexually transmitted diseases such as Hepatitis B and cervical cancer, and this is where parents need to consider more carefully whether to immunise or not…

The argument advanced for vaccinating schoolchildren is that most will be sexually active by the time they are eighteen and will have caught the virus by their early twenties; therefore, to be effective, the vaccine has to be administered prior to sexual debut. While this may appeal to parents with a pragmatic approach to life’s challenges, parents who are looking at the overall formation of their children need to take other factors into consideration. They have probably already had conversations with their children about the importance of exercising sexual responsibility prior to marriage and, with luck, they have been demonstrating steadfast fidelity and mutual support in their own marriage.

Deciding that they need to vaccinate a daughter against a sexually transmitted disease seems like a vote of no confidence in the child’s ability to display sexual self-control or choose a like-minded husband. It is like saying to a child, “Eat healthy foods, don’t overindulge and you won’t become obese … but, just in case you can’t control yourself, we’ll give you gastric banding surgery in advance.” Child psychologists are agreed that children are good at spotting when parents give them contradictory messages – and may later use them as justification for their behaviour. A school-based programme adds a social message that early sexual intercourse is allowed, as long as one uses “protection”…

The question we should be asking is, do we base our family decisions on worst case scenarios or do we try to support our children by building a “best practice” ethos within the family? And, importantly, using worst case scenarios to justify vaccination against STDs does not take into account the other ways of preventing cervical cancer nor the possible side-effects of vaccination.

Do read the whole article, and if you have pre-teen girls think carefully when you are asked to give them this vaccination. Are you possibly straining a gnat but swallowing a camel?

Today is the anniversary of one of the most important events in Church history: on October 22nd, 451, the Council of Chalcedon published their declaration regarding the divinity and humanity of Christ:

Following the holy Fathers, we unanimously teach and confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ: the same perfect in divinity and perfect in humanity, the same truly God and truly man, composed of rational soul and body; consubstantial with the Father as to his divinity and consubstantial with us as to his humanity; “like us in all things but sin.” He was begotten from the Father before all ages as to his divinity and in these last days, for us and for our salvation, was born as to his humanity of the virgin Mary, the Mother of God.

We confess that one and the same Christ, Lord, and only-begotten Son, is to be acknowledged in two natures without confusion, change, division, or separation. The distinction between natures was never abolished by their union, but rather the character proper to each of the two natures was preserved as they came together in one person (prosopon) and one hypostasis. (emphasis added)

This decree, which was based on Pope Leo’s famous Tome, crystallized orthodox Christology and avoided the extremes which sought to either subsume Christ’s humanity into his divinity or deny his true divinity. Although today the declaration appears to be almost obvious in its simplicity, it was the result of over 120 years of debate, dating back to the Council of Nicea. I find it to be one of the most beautiful creedal statements every produced.

Chalcedon was also the last of the Four Great Councils, of which St. Gregory the Great said, “I confess that I receive and revere, like the four books of the holy Gospel, four Councils…for on them as on a cornerstone rises the structure of the holy faith”. The vast majority of Christians around the world accept these four councils as teaching the true faith, and theologians consider them to be the foundation for all orthodox theology regarding the Trinity and Christology.

Take some time today to thank the Holy Spirit for leading the Church to all truth, just as Christ promised He would (John 16:13).

A relic of St. Mary Magdalene, the “apostle to the apostles” is arriving in the United States today. The relic is a major piece of her tibia and is being brought here by Father Thomas Michelet, a French Dominican priest. This will be a wonderful opportunity for Americans to come into physical contact with one of the greatest saints of all time. Just think – this was the woman whom Jesus first appeared after his resurrection! I’m sure many graces will accompany the relic’s visit.

A full itinerary of where the relic is being taken can be found here.

St. Mary Magdalene, pray for us!

There is no question that one of the biggest divisions between Catholicism and Protestantism is the role of the Virgin Mary in God’s plan of salvation. When I was an Evangelical I didn’t understand why Catholics made such a fuss about Mary; she seemed to me to be a somewhat insignificant player in the drama of Christ’s life, one who was brought out every Christmas and then packed away until next year with the ornaments and candles.

As I drew closer to the Church, I put Mary on the back-burner. I knew I would have to deal with her sooner or later, but I figured I would deal with other items like purgatory, the role of the saints, papal authority, and the Eucharist first. But I always knew I would eventually have to settle in my mind what was Mary’s role in God’s divine plan. Eventually, I came to see her as essential to the redemption of mankind and the mother of disciples everywhere.

Fortunately, today there are Evangelicals who are taking seriously the role of Mary. Just a few weeks ago, the group Evangelicals and Catholics Together released a joint statement in which they discuss Mary and where they disagree and agree regarding her. I am fortunate to know one of the members of this group (Fr. Francis Martin) and it was fascinating to hear him talk about the document’s progress. They are involved with real ecumenism at ECT and we should pray for their ongoing efforts. Be sure to read the document on Mary linked above; it is worth the time and effort.

Our Lady, seat of wisdom, pray for us!

The recent announcement that the Pope has set up a way for large numbers of Anglicans to enter the Church has generated much excitement. One part of this new structure is that it will allow aspects of the Anglican liturgy to be preserved. We don’t know the details yet, but it will probably be something along the lines of the “Anglican Use” liturgy currently allowed in America.

The acceptance of Anglican aspects of the liturgy is possibly the most important part of this new structure, as the liturgy is the most important activity we as Christians can engage in. In the liturgy we encounter Jesus Christ directly – both in Word and in Sacrament – therefore how it is celebrated is very important. It is a wondrous privilege to be able to attend Mass and hear the Word of God in the Scriptures and receive the Word of God in the Eucharist. As Vatican II stated, it is the “source and summit” of our Christian lives.

The preservation of part of the Anglican liturgy in the Catholic Church also reflects the many beautiful and diverse forms of the liturgy. Over the centuries the celebration of the liturgy has never been a static thing, instead it has developed into many forms. The purpose of each development has been to draw people into a deeper participation and appreciation of what is occurring. Some developments have been more successful than others in achieving that purpose, but regardless of the form, in every liturgy we are worshiping the Almighty God and receiving His Son in sacramental form in the Eucharist. How incredible is that?!

All the various forms can be broken down into two main categories: Eastern and Western. In each of these two major groups, there are variations, although the variations in the West are much fewer than in the East.

In the West today, the main two forms of the liturgy are the Ordinary Form (aka “the Norvus Ordo”) which was instituted in the wake of Vatican II, and the Extraordinary Form (aka “the Latin Mass”) which has a long history but was standardized across almost the entire Western Church after the Council of Trent in the 16th century. The “Anglican Use” liturgy has also been available for some time here in the States, but it is celebrated in a very small number of places – but of course could be expanded greatly with the new Anglican structure just announced.

This is now twice in a few years that the Pope has liberalized a form of the liturgy within the Church that was rarely being celebrated. In 2007, Pope Benedict issued a motu proprio liberalizing the celebration of the Extraordinary Form. I think that was a great idea, as that liturgy has certain strengths, especially related to reverence during the liturgy, that too often have been neglected since the Norvus Ordo became the norm in the West. Also, I was excited to see that the first Extraordinary Form High Mass in 40 years was recently celebrated at St. Peter’s. I hope that the celebration of the Extraordinary Form becomes less “extraordinary” in the years to come; I hope the same regarding the Anglican Use liturgy.

In the East, there are many forms of the liturgy, but most are variations of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, the Liturgy of St. Basil, or the Liturgy of St. James. I highly recommend to any Western Catholic that they make an effort to attend an Eastern liturgy, either Eastern Catholic or Orthodox (note that an Eastern Catholic liturgy fulfills the Sunday obligation binding on Latin Catholics, but an Orthodox liturgy does not). An Eastern liturgy has the same basic structure as the Western forms, but its externals are VERY different. Two pages I recommend reading before attending an Eastern liturgy for the first time:

Twelve Things I Wish I’d Known…

For Visitors

Personally, I love all the forms of the liturgy when they are properly and reverently said. I find that each directs my thoughts and prayers towards a different aspect of God and His work. I also think the diversity of liturgies reflect the immensity of what the liturgy is doing; after all, having a direct encounter with God is so incredible that it is simply impossible for there to be only one way to do it.

If you are as interested in the liturgy as I am, here are a few recommended books from my own library:

• The Spirit of the Liturgy – Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger
• The Wellspring of Worship – Jean Corbon
• Eucharist – Louis Bouyer
• The Shape of the Liturgy – Dom Gregory Dix
• Theological Dimensions of the Liturgy – Dom Cyprian Vagaggini, O.S.B.
• The Bible and the Liturgy – Jean Danielou, S.J.

But of course, nothing beats personal experience – so make an effort to attend the liturgy in all its various forms!

When the history of the pontificate of Benedict XVI is written, I think one word will be used over and over: bold. This pope has been astonishingly bold in his outreach to disaffected Christians, especially those who are more traditionally-minded.

• He liberalized the use of the Latin Mass, against the wishes of many within the Church who thought that was a return to “pre-Conciliar” days.
• He lifted the excommunication of the leaders of the traditional Society of St. Pius X, even though in some ways these men didn’t seem to deserve such action.
• He has now created a canonical structure to receive Anglicans en masse into the Church, although many will say that this goes against “ecumenical progress”.
• Not content to just lift the excommunication of their leaders, he has begun discussions with the Society of St. Pius X with the purpose of their eventual reunion with the Church (possibly in the same format as the Anglicans – a “personal Ordinariate”).

There is no question that Pope Benedict desires greatly to bring as many souls back into the fold as possible, and he has taken decisive action to achieve that desire.

Pray for our Pope that he might continue to be given the strength to boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In today’s first reading, Paul is comparing the effects of Adam’s actions on the human race with the effects of Christ’s actions:

Brothers and sisters:
Through one man sin entered the world,
and through sin, death,
and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned.
If by that one person’s transgression the many died,
how much more did the grace of God
and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ
overflow for the many.
For if, by the transgression of the one,
death came to reign through that one,
how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
and the gift of justification
come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, just as through one transgression
condemnation came upon all,
so, through one righteous act
acquittal and life came to all.
For just as through the disobedience of one man
the many were made sinners,
so, through the obedience of the one
the many will be made righteous.
Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more,
so that, as sin reigned in death,
grace also might reign through justification
for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
(Rom 5:12, 15b, 17-19, 20b-21)

This beautiful passage uses typology to make the work of Christ more clear. Taking their cue from Paul, the Fathers of the Church loved to use typology to deepen their understanding of God’s work of salvation. By comparing (and contrasting) the work of Christ with the work of Adam, we see more clearly the tremendous work of grace which comes about through Christ’s obedience (and also the tremendous impact disobedience has on us). A few years ago I wrote a paper on “Adamic Typology” in the New Testament, which is just a fancy way of saying how the NT writers compared Adam and Christ. Here is an excerpt related to this passage from Romans:

This passage is quite structured, leading the reader to understand both how Adam and Christ correspond, and how they differ. Verses 12 and 18-19 show the correspondence: the actions of “one man” affect the whole of the human race. Adam’s actions introduce the passage in verse 12: “Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin.” Then in verse 18-19, Paul makes the comparison explicit: “Then as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” Thus, in both the case of Adam and Christ, it is the actions of “one man” (a term used 11 times in this passage) that impact all who follow that man. This is typical of Hebrew thought – “to see the whole contained in the beginning” (Allen 16). A Jewish writing from the late first century/early second century sees the relationship of Adam to all of humanity similarly to Paul; 4 Ezra 7:118 states, “O Adam, what have you done? For though it was you who sinned, the fall was not yours alone, but ours also who are your descendents” (cf. Dunn 89). Paul sees in each man the beginning of a stage of history – Adam as the beginning of human history, and Christ as the beginning of salvation history.

However, there is a divergence between the two, which is characteristic of typology – anti-type and type are not identical, rather one leads to a deeper understanding of the other, not only in how the two compare but also in how they contrast…

Adam’s one act effected all of humanity, as did Christ’s, but Christ’s action was more powerful than Adam’s. By being a gift of God, it overcomes the transgression of Adam and is able to prevail completely over that transgression. Amiot writes, “Paul has reminded us of our solidarity with Adam only in order to emphasize our contrasting solidarity with Christ, which is infinitely more efficacious because it sets in motion an infinitely greater force than that of sin and death.” (Amiot 71). If Paul had not made this explicit, it might be possible for the reader to think that the two actions have equal strength, setting up an unacceptable dualism contrary to Paul’s beliefs.

Thus, the pattern for Paul in this passage is quite clear: Adam’s disobedience leads to sin which results in death; Christ’s obedience leads to grace which results in eternal life. “For St. Paul, the act of the first man…had essentially been one of disobedience, drawing down upon him death, drawing all other men after him into sin and consequently, into death. But this sinister fruitfulness of the first sin in sin and death is surpassed by the fruitfulness in justice and life revealed by the obedience of Jesus.” (Bouyer 65). By invoking Adamic typology, Paul is able to further his overall argument in Romans 1-8 that humanity is lost, but through the actions of Christ, the human race is able to be justified and gain eternal life with God.

One of the best ways to deepen our understanding of the life and work of Jesus Christ is to compare and contrast it with other great Biblical figures, such as Adam, Isaac or David. By engaging in typology, we are able to come into a deeper encounter with our Lord in the pages of Scripture.

Today Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew is arriving in the United States for a pastoral visit. He will be here from October 20th to November 5th, visiting New Orleans, New York, Atlanta, and Washington, DC (full itinerary here). I heard His All Holiness speak in Baltimore in the late 1990’s and I was impressed with the man. I also have have been greatly impressed with his efforts to achieve a closer unity between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. I especially was touched at his participation in the opening of the Year of St. Paul with Pope Benedict back in 2008.

But what Bartholomew has become most known for in recent years is his environmental crusade. Many have been calling him the “Green Patriarch” because of his focus on this issue. In fact, the first item on Bartholomew’s agenda in the United States is to attend the “Religion, Science and The Environment Symposium” held in New Orleans. I do not have a problem with Christian leaders advocating a responsible use of our world’s resources (God knows that our country too often puts personal comfort above any other consideration when using the resources God gives us), but I do wish he would be more outspoken about other moral evils such as abortion, which ravages traditionally Orthodox countries.

Let us pray that Bartholomew’s visit is a time of great blessing for Orthodox Christians and that His All Holiness will have the courage to be a prophetic voice in the world.

Pope Benedict XVI has approved a structure for admitting large groups of Anglicans wishing to come into communion with the Catholic Church

The structure isn’t exactly a personal prelature, as I predicted, but it sounds awful close. It is a “Personal Ordinariate,” which will be similar to military dioceses (which personal prelatures are somewhat modeled after). This is incredibly wonderful news and I rejoice that Anglicans will have an easy way to enter into the Church in large numbers. I pray that many of these brothers and sisters – both from the Traditional Anglican Communion and from the worldwide Anglican communion – will soon enter into Peter’s barque and celebrate the Eucharist with us.

Everyone is speculating that tomorrow’s Vatican briefing “pertaining to the relationship with the Anglicans” will announce the reception of the members of the Traditional Anglican Communion into the Catholic Church. If this is true, I will dance a jig and sing praise to the Lord!

Here is my own prediction: they will announce that the TAC will become a personal prelature, à la Opus Dei, within the Church. Just a hunch, but we’ll know soon enough.