What Not to Wear: Oscars Edition

Tonight’s Oscars will feature plenty of worrying about clothing, as celebrities walk the red carpet and hope their wardrobe doesn’t – uh, malfunction – in the eyes of the critics and fashionistas watching worldwide. A far cry from the attitude the Lord espouses in today’s Gospel:

Jesus said to his disciples: “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink,
or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why are you anxious about clothes? Learn from the way the wild flowers grow. They do not work or spin. But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor
 was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’
or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’
All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”

I’ve gotta admit, this Gospel’s for me. I’ve been a chronic worrier all my life (I get it from my mom). But our heavenly Father wants us to remember we’re children of the King. As Francis Fernandez reminds us in his magnificent devotional series, In Conversation with God, Christ’s followers must adopt a refreshingly different – and freeing – perspective:

Tomorrow “as yet is not.” If it comes, it will be more wonderful than we could ever dream, because our Father God has prepared it to sanctify us…We will be victorious!

“Do not be anxious”…Fruitless worry does not cancel out the misfortune we dread, but foolishly goes out to meet it. We shoulder a burden without yet having received the grace God would give to enable us to carry it…above all, we fail to trust in the Providence God exercises over every situation in life. In the First Reading of today’s Mass our Lord asks us in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Can a woman forget her child at the breast, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you” (Is 49:15)…(Jesus) says, “it is I; have no fear” (Matt 14:27).

We may not be clothed like Solomon, or arrayed in the latest red carpet fashions, but one thing the children of God need never wear is a look of worry.

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The Biblical Basis for Infant Baptism

I cringed inside when I saw the YouTube video. A friend of mine was getting baptized – for a second time. Why would he do that, you ask? He would explain during the video. The clip was from a testimony he gave just before getting rebaptized in a non-Catholic congregation. He spoke of how his original baptism in the Catholic Church had occurred when he was a mere infant. He had obviously had no choice in that matter – and what’s more, he called infant baptism “unbiblical”. But this second baptism would be of his own volition, and would prove his own personal commitment to Christ.

I cringed because this second baptism, unbeknownst to him, was ineffectual. Baptism is an unrepeatable sacrament. But I also had to laugh, because I had made the same mistake. Like my friend, I had grown up Catholic, but was poorly catechized. I, too, had left the Catholic Church at approximately the same age as this friend – in my early 20s. And I, too, had been rebaptized in a non-Catholic setting, affirming that “believer’s baptism”, as it is known, was the correct praxis. I, too, had made the same speech about how unbiblical infant baptism was. But little did I know.

In today’s Gospel reading at Mass, we have one of the scriptural proofs for infant baptism:

People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.” Then he embraced the children and blessed them, placing his hands on them.

– Mark 10:13-16

Infant baptism is done in the Catholic Church because we refuse to prevent children from coming to Christ. This is for many reasons, but I will highlight only two, lest this blog post become a small book:

1. The Covenant includes children, and

2. They need it.

1. The Covenant includes children. In the Old Covenant, children were included in God’s family, Israel. All male children entered the Covenant by means of circumcision. The New Covenant people of God are incorporated into his family by means of baptism, which replaces circumcision. This is why Saint Peter preaches at Pentecost, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children…” (Acts 2:38-39, emphasis mine). Entire households were baptized in the early Church as a matter of course (cf. Acts 16:15, 33; 18:8; 1 Cor 1:16).

2. They need it.

Born with a fallen human nature and tainted by original sin, children also have need of the new birth in Baptism to be freed from the power of darkness and brought into the realm of the freedom of the children of God, to which all men are called. The sheer gratuitousness of the grace of salvation is particularly manifest in infant Baptism. The Church and the parents would deny a child the priceless grace of becoming a child of God were they not to confer Baptism shortly after birth.

– Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1250

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The Authority of the Pope in the Early Church

Today is the feast of the Chair of Peter, celebrating the enduring office of the Papacy that Jesus entrusted to the Church in Matthew 16, John 21, and elsewhere. Non-Catholics often question the Church’s interpretation of these Scriptures, but there’s no denying the reality of papal primacy in how the early Church actually operated in history. The praxis of the early Church from the beginning is eloquent testimony that the Catholic interpretation of the Petrine ministry is the original one.

A great example of this is an incident that arose during the reign of Pope Victor I, circa 198 AD. Some bishops in the Eastern wing of the Catholic Church had been celebrating Easter on a different date than what had been the norm in the West. Pope Victor threatened to excommunicate these prelates from Asia Minor, unless they fell back in line with the Roman celebration of Easter.

Some questioned aspects of Pope Victor’s decision – the great Saint Irenaeus, author of the apologetic masterwork, Against Heresies, for one. But no one questioned his authority to do such a thing – not even the Eastern bishops themselves. The fact that they didn’t is damaging to the non-Catholic view that the Church’s bishops have no leader among themselves. Just as surely as Peter was the captain of the Apostolic band, his successor, the Pope, has always been the leader of his fellow bishops.

As Irenaeus himself so eloquently put it,

Since, however, it would be very tedious in such a volume as this, to reckon up the successions (the apostolic succession of bishops) of all the Churches, we do put to confusion all those who, in whatever manner, whether by an evil self-pleasing, by vainglory, or by blindness and perverse opinion, assemble in unauthorized meetings; (we do this) by indicating that tradition derived from the apostles, of the very great, the very ancient, and universally known Church founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious apostles, Peter and Paul; as also (by indicating) the faith preached to men, which comes down to our time by means of the successions of the bishops.

For it is a matter of necessity that every Church should agree with this Church (Rome) on account of its preeminent authority, that is, the faithful everywhere…

– Against Heresies, 3, 3, 2

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Babbling Tongues, Tongues of Fire

Tower of BabelToday’s Old Testament Mass reading from Genesis features the famous building of the tower of Babel in an attempt to reach heaven by human power. God stops them by confusing their language, scattering them to the ends of the earth (Genesis 11:8-9).

Scholars have long noted that the account of Pentecost in Acts 2 is a reversal of the Babel event: People gathered from the ends of the earth in Jerusalem heard the Word of God proclaimed in their own language. They, in turn, were sent back to the four corners of the world, to proclaim the one message in many tongues. Why? So that humanity can truly be united as one (in the universal Church) on the journey toward heaven.

The difference? In Genesis people tried, as many still do today through various religious approaches, to reach God by dint of their own power and effort. Such an enterprise is doomed to failure. Pentecost proves, just as the Incarnation did, the difference of Christianity: God has descended, seeking us. We must not believe in our pride that we deserve heaven. We must stop trying to “make a name for ourselves” (Genesis 11:4). We must recognize this fact in all humility: there is only one name that matters – Jesus, the Christ. “There is no other name under heaven…by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

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Sacramental Healing

Jesus healing a blind manToday’s Gospel reading at Mass cites a unique incident from Jesus’ career: a two-stage healing.

When Jesus and his disciples arrived at Bethsaida,
people brought to him a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him.
He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village.
Putting spittle on his eyes he laid his hands on the man and asked,
“Do you see anything?”
Looking up the man replied, “I see people looking like trees and walking.”
Then he laid hands on the man’s eyes a second time and he saw clearly;
his sight was restored and he could see everything distinctly.
Then he sent him home and said, “Do not even go into the village” (Mark 8:22-26).

There are two things we can learn from this:

1. This is more historical proof of Jesus as a wonderworker. No Christian is going to make up an account about Jesus’ healing not quite “working” the first time, especially when so many of Jesus’ miraculous deeds (healings, exorcisms, nature miracles) happen instantaneously, at his word, even from a distance. This smacks of authenticity and eyewitness detail. Furthermore, this is more evidence that the evangelists didn’t feel free to “invent” incidents from the life of Christ, or feel free to “edit” accounts of Jesus’ life that were passed on by tradents and collected into the Gospels. If that were the case, this account would have almost certainly been “cleaned up” by the evangelist, with the healing working at once.

2. This is a “sacramental” healing. Jesus didn’t need to take spittle and use that to heal the man’s vision. But the fact that he did shows that God can use matter to communicate his grace – that is, his very life. This should be obvious when considering the Incarnation itself. The body of Christ communicated, and was the very vehicle, of the life of God on earth. And Christ continues to communicate his healing powers through the sacraments of the Catholic Church. The sacraments each take ordinary, physical materials – water, bread, wine, oil – and, in the case of marriage, the very bodies of the spouses themselves – to communicate the life-giving power of God. The Eucharist, of course, is the greatest of all sacraments, because, as Saint Thomas aquinas once said, in all the other sacraments, the power of Christ is present; in the Eucharist, Christ himself is present – Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity.

The sacraments of the Church bring the power to see life and eternity – all of reality – in ever clearer and sharper focus. Like the blind man, we don’t always see this clearly at first, even after receiving the sacraments. We have to go “outside the village” and never go back in, like Christ led out the blind man – we must leave our old ways behind. And, as Saint Jerome taught, the “spittle” of Christ, which represents his word, his teaching, must be applied to our lives – that is, obeyed – for the healing of our lives to be complete.

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Being “Abel” to Love God on Valentine’s Day

The Sacred Heart of JesusToday’s Mass readings remind us of the importance of loving God. How appropriate that they happen to fall on Valentine’s Day, for God’s love, poured out in the blood and water flowing from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, is the greatest experience of love we can ever hope to know. And such love can only be repaid with love. But stepping into the arena of love has it’s dangers, and this is even true in the relationship between God and humanity.

Daring to love can incite jealousy. The First Reading, from Genesis, speaks of the offering of Abel, firstborn son of Adam, made for love of God. This gift was far more pleasing to God than that of Abel’s brother, Cain. We all know what happened: Cain, in a fit of jealousy, murdered his own brother. The Church Fathers remind us that Abel was a type, or prefigurement, of Christ: he, like Jesus, was a shepherd (cf. John 10); he offered a sacrifice acceptable to the Lord (Jesus’ offering was his very self on the cross); and his blood was shed on the ground as he was murdered. The jealousy of the religious establishment of his day contributed to Jesus’ death.

Daring to love can also mean risking rejection. Today’s Gospel portrays Jesus as a sort of jilted lover:

The Pharisees came forward and began to argue with Jesus,
seeking from him a sign from heaven to test him.
He sighed from the depth of his spirit and said,
“Why does this generation seek a sign?
Amen, I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation.”
Then he left them, got into the boat again,
and went off to the other shore.

– Mark 8:11-13

Truth be told, Jesus had already given more than enough signs by this point: healings, exorcisms, miracles. Just think of the feeding miracles! Just before this incident recorded in Mark 8, Jesus had fed 4,000 people (not counting the women and children), with seven loaves and a few small fish. Dinner and a show, as it were, perfect for Valentine’s day!

But the constant demand for miracles caused Jesus to sigh with deep disappointment. I’m sure at that point he felt a lot like a lover who is being used by his beloved. We have to love Jesus Christ for who he is, not what he can do for us. The constant demand for the miraculous indicates a selfishness and superficiality in the relationship, always asking for more proof of love when more than enough evidence exists already.

In the parallel account of this event in Matthew, Jesus says, “An evil an adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Mt 12:40). “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). That Jesus died for our sins and rose again should be proof enough of his love for us. For our part, we only need to remember that love can only be repaid with love. And love is deeds, not words.

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Understanding the Creation Accounts in Genesis

Creation in GenesisPope John XXIII, before he was elected Pontiff, served as a diplomat. One evening, he was introduced at a function to a rather scantily clad woman.  “Here”, the future Pope said to her, “Why not take a bite from this apple?” The lady looked at him quizzically. He responded, “If you eat it, perhaps, like Eve, your eyes will be opened and you will realize you are naked!”

The Old Testament readings at Mass these days have been selected from Genesis. They deal with the origins of man and woman, nakedness and fig leaves, good and evil.  There are several things we as Catholics need to understand about this book, and one of them is this:

The first three chapters of Genesis deals with the creation of the world from a poetic perspective.

Now, before anyone asks, I want to get one thing straight: the Bible contains real history. The Gospels, for example – biographies of the life of Jesus, who truly lived and died and rose again on planet earth. The Acts of the Apostles – the history of the early Church. There are, of course, many historical books of the Old Testament as well.

A key to biblical interpretation is this: understand the genre that you are reading. You don’t read poetry (Like the Song of Solomon) as you would a historical narrative.  The problem with Genesis is that it is a hybrid of history and poetry (the first three chapters on Creation).

Catholics don’t run into the same sort of problems that some non-Catholic Christians do in dealing with creation from a scientific perspective (i.e. the young-earth theory, creation in six literal days, etc.). We see no conflict between faith and science. Some of the greatest scientists in the world were Catholics. A great number of craters on the moon, for example, are named for Jesuit scientist-priests who discovered them.

Science only describes how things work in God’s creation. But it can’t tell you the whys – the reason for our existence, and that of everything else. Genesis 1-3 does exactly that, using poetry. Genesis 1-3 is not a scientific document, or a documentary on how God created the universe and humanity. We know that it isn’t, for one simple reason (and there are more): the writer or writers of Genesis weren’t there, “in the beginning” to take notes!

But poetry can also communicate God’s truth, just as history can.

Christopher West, who has written so extensively on Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, has a great way of explaining this: He says that there’s a big difference between what an optometrist (a scientist) tells you when looking in your eyes, and what your lover tells you when doing the same thing – unless, of course, you’re in love with your optometrist! But what both are seeing is true – just from different perspectives.

The writer of Genesis was a lover who sees the deep truths of why God made the world – and us. It was so that we could be in relationship with him.

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You Can Vote for Me in the About.com Finals!

About.com Awards featuring The New Mass appAnd so it begins….I really can’t believe it, but I’m a finalist in four categories in the About.com Catholicism Reader’s Choice Awards! It’s so easy to vote, and it only takes a moment. I’d be so grateful if you would vote for me in the following categories:

Best Catholic iPhone app: The New Mass

Best Catholic blog: The Faith Explained with Cale Clarke

Best Catholic to follow on Twitter: @CaleClarke

Best Catholic Facebook Page: The Faith Explained

You can click on any of the above hyperlinks to start voting, or go to this url:

http://catholicism.about.com/od/thechurchintheworld/ss/2011-About-Com-Catholicism-Readers-Choice-Awards-Finalists.htm

Have fun, and, as always, thank you, thank you, thank you for all your support. Without you these pages simply wouldn’t exist!

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The Faith of BlackBerry CEO Mike Lazaridis

Mike Lazaridis, co-CEO, RIMAlthough I’m an iPhone developer, I’ve always admired the BlackBerry and the company that created it, Research in Motion (RIM). Considering the two co-CEOs, Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, are fellow Canadians, how could I not? And a recent book has now shed some intriguing light on the faith of  the “Father of the BlackBerry”, Mike Lazaridis.

BlackBerry: The Inside Story of Research in Motion, by Rod McQueen, offers some fascinating anectodes about the history of both Waterloo, Ontario based RIM, and its leaders. Religion had a part to play in the whole saga from the very beginning. Mike Lazaridis was born in Turkey in 1961 to a family of Greek ancestry. As Christians, they were forced to flee the country due to a wave of religious persecution that broke out when Mike was only three. After a brief stay in Germany, the Lazaridis family sailed to a permanent home in Canada.

In recent years, Lazaridis has famously founded the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo. A think-tank of sorts, the best and the brightest in the field are invited to research theoretical physics, funded by generous donations by Lazaridis (who personally donated $100 million) and others. A fascinating anecdote in the book that takes place at a Christmas dinner for Perimeter’s board of directors at the Lazaridis’ home:

The wine was poured, but the soup was not yet served as the guests turned toward their host, who had on the table in front of him a small lectern holding a Bible. Lazaridis read a selected passage, picked out some key words, and then wove them into a five-minute homily to the assembled about physics and faith. “He is a sincere Christian and not afraid to show his Christianity”, said Ken Cork. “He’s a Christian in the sense of the instruction in the Bible – love one another – and he does. That’s part of why RIM’s such a great company. When he reads the Bible he’s not a politician trying to make a point. he’s trying to raise up his audience by reading something to them that’s uplifting. He’s pursuing the high road to get to the high goal. To him, religion is practical and that’s quite different from the politically activist type of religion.”

In this regard, Lazaridis – the engineer who is fascinated by physics – follows in famous footsteps. Einstein argued that nature could not possibly be a random place; there must be an underlying reality that causes the particles that make up our world to have defined positions and known speeds. “God does not play dice with the universe”, Einstein famously said, a concept with which countless others have been wrestling ever since.”

– “BlackBerry”, p. 226

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Vote for Me in the About.com Awards!

Hi Everybody! There’s one day left to vote for me for the About.com Catholic Reader’s Choice Awards! If you enjoy what you read in these pages, or if you like The New Mass app, I’d really appreciate it if you could nominate me for the following categories (feel free to cut and paste)!

Your Nominee for Best Catholic Blog (Name, URL): The Faith Explained with Cale Clarke, www.thefaithexplained.com

Your Nominee for Best Catholic Website (Name, URL): The Faith Explained with Cale Clarke, www.thefaithexplained.com

Your Nominee for Best Catholic iPhone App: The New Mass

Your Nominee for Best Catholic to Follow on Twitter (Name, Twitter username): Cale Clarke, CaleClarke

Your Nominee for Best Catholic Facebook Page (page name, URL): http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Faith-Explained/144059372270922

You can register your votes here!

Thanks again, folks!

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