Archive for month: June, 2010

In yesterday’s Gospel reading at Mass, Jesus talks about what’s become known as the Golden Rule:

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the Law and the Prophets” (Matt 7:12).

Which brings to mind that silly poster put out by a so-called “Catholic” organization, which attempts to show that all religions teach something like the Golden Rule. The point seems to be that all religions are pretty much the same.

The only problem is, it’s not true.

Catholicism actually teaches that it is unique among all religions – and what is unique is not a what, but a who – Jesus Christ, who said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:6). That’s either true or it isn’t.

But as for the Golden Rule: Jesus’ version is much different and more challenging than the version presented by other faiths. Their versions say something to the effect of, “Don’t do to others what you wouldn’t want them to do to you”. In other words, it’s a negative command.

As author Philip Yancey has noted, Jesus’ version, “Do unto others”, is far more open-ended and challenging.

One of the chief criticisms leveled at Catholics regarding the Dogma of the Assumption of Mary is that “it’s not in the Bible!”

Well, that may not be the case, as Revelation 12 clearly stated that “a great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars…she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron…”

Three guesses as to who the woman and her child are.

However, I will grant that the actual event of the Assumption is not in Scripture – that is, there isn’t a detailed account of Mary being taken up into heaven, body and soul, at the end of her earthly life. But that doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen.

Consider the last verse of the Gospel of John: “But there are also many other things which Jesus did; were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” If that’s true of Jesus’ life, no doubt it’s true for Mary’s also.

But today’s scripture reading at Mass from 1 Kings 2 is also important, because, along with the case of Enoch in Genesis (“he walked with God, and was no more, because God took him”), the “assumption” of the prophet Elijah, body and soul, into heaven in a chariot of fire proves that not only could God do such a thing as assume a saint like Mary into heaven, but that he has done so on at least two other occasions in the past.

Could he? Could God do it? Of course he can – otherwise he wouldn’t be omnipotent. Did he? Of course he did – and his infallibly established Magisterium (teaching office) has confirmed it.