William Hemsworth's Blog, page 106

Book Review: God Moments by Orlando Javien Jr.

Many, if not all of us, wear many hats.  I myself am a husband, father, catechist, apologist, author, Ph.D. student, and I also work 40 hours per week.  Orlando Javien Jr. the author of God Moments, is also a man of many hats.  He is also a catechist, Catholic speaker, author, and also works full time.  This book is a journey and testimony of his faith, and it is one that we can all relate to in one way or another.

In this book Orlando recalls many stories of faith and how these “God Moments” led him to where he is now.  The stories are relatable, funny, and pack a punch.  Though it is an autobiography of sorts, it reads like a devotional and there is something in every chapter that will challenge you to live a deeper faith.

Though this is Orlando’s story, the way he tells it makes it easy to place yourself there as well.  This is not an easy accomplishment for an author to do in a work such as this, but Orlando pulls it off with ease.  God is at the center of every story, and though there are many lessons to be learned in the book, this may be the central one.  Christ must be at the center of our lives and everything we do.  If you want to check this book out here is the link on Amazon.

Whatever You Do

William Hemsworth

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”-Colossians 3:17

Today in the United States we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday.  It is a time to remember all of the blessings that the Lord has given to us.  We remember our families, shelter, employment, and pretty much anything else.

Though we have been blessed with immeasurable blessings there are times when we look on the negative side of things.  Whether we felt cheated about something, or felt we deserved that promotion at work.  Sometimes we may not give it our all as a result.  We must remember that everything we do can be offered up to the Lord, and as a result should be giving it our all.  By giving it our all, even in the toughest of circumstances, Jesus will be glorified and those around you will see…

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Praying at the Bricks

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing J.M. Kraemer of The Lego Church Project. We discuss how he got started with the project, the challenges, and the rewards. He also talks about how it is a prayer and a tool for evangelization. It was a fun interview. Learn more about the project at https://www.facebook.com/LegoChurchProject/.

Relationships And The Four Last Things

William Hemsworth

When studying grace, we see that it is not only a free gift from God, but that it has a strong relationship with other aspects of soteriology.  What is the relationship between freedom, grace, divine foreknowledge, predestination, and perseverance as they pertain to the Four Last Things?  The relationship between all aspects are intertwined, but it starts with grace.  This understanding is important when it comes to the four last things which are death, judgment, heaven, and hell.

As previously stated grace is a free gift from God.  As with any gift we can either accept it or we can reject it.  When we make the choice to accept grace we then have true freedom.  The supernatural grace given to us leads us to even greater freedom.  Regarding this Charles Journet writes, “It is not only God and man, grace and freedom, but God through man, grace through freedom, that…

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Lonergan and The Law of the Cross

William Hemsworth

Bernard Lonergan was a Jesuit priest and one of the most influential Catholic thinkers in the twentieth century.  In an effort help others understand the redemption he proposes a theory called the Law of the Cross.  Lonergan looked to the development of western culture and developed his theology to include human science and degradation of human value.  Regarding this William Loewe writes, “it invites theology to enrich itself with the discoveries of the empirical and human sciences and of historical consciousness; more grimly, it presents the cultural crisis engendered by the deterioration of the objective status of meaning and value” (Loewe 162).  Lonergan proposes that Christian faith is the example that changed the world.

The goal of humanity is to make the world a better place.  In short, we want to humanize everything.  This does not mean that are seeking to get rid of God, but that we are seeking…

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Praying with Bricks with J.M. Kraemer of The Lego Church Project

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-qse2t-c91566

This week I had the pleasure of interviewing J.M. Kraemer of The Lego Church Project.  We discuss how he got started with the project, the challenges, and the rewards.  He also talks about how it is a prayer and a tool for evangelization.  It was a fun interview.  Learn more about the project at https://www.facebook.com/LegoChurchProject/.

Book Review: I’m Catholic, Now What?

As a convert to the Catholic Church it was an honor to read and review this book.  I went through the RCIA program a couple times and it served to answer my basic questions.  However, I was lost for the most part because there were still many other questions I had and I wasn’t sure where to get involved.

Shaun McAfee, the founder of epicpew.com, recently released a fantastic book titled I’m Catholic, Now What?  This book is relatable for any convert who has ever come into the church.  It serves to answer those extra questions, and gives direction on where to go as far as resources go.  This book gives guidance on accepted translations of the scriptures, tips on how to read the catechism, brief explanations on apologetics issues, and explains the little things we do with in the church (such as genuflecting).

This book is a great refresher for those of us who have been in the church for a while, those who may be considering entering the church, or for those who want to understand what Catholicism is.  Shaun has went above and beyond with this work, and the results are simply phenomenal.  Do yourself a favor an check this book out if you get the opportunity.  The chapters are short, to the point, but are packed with great information.  The ultimate reference book on catholic practice for converts is here.

What Happens At Mass

I was recently honored to once again contribute to The Simple Catholic.  Below is the article and here is the link to Matthew’s site to read it in its entirety.  Check it out and subscribe.  He is doing amazing work!

 

When we attend Mass, we are entering a holy place in which a miracle takes place.  Not only are we present when the basic elements of bread and wine are transubstantiated to the body and blood of Christ, but those at Mass are transported in a mystical way to a heavenly banquet.  Though the reception of communion happens a few prayers after the Canon is complete, it is vital from a theological and catechetical perspective.  With Christ present with his church, the Bridegroom has come for His bride.

After commingling of the body and blood the Priest tells those present to behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  This is the praise of the angels and those in Heaven as seen in Revelation 19.  In Revelation 19:9 and Angel told St. John. “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb” (NRSV).

At this point in Mass the priest is passing on this wedding announcement from Heaven.  Like a groom at a wedding, our Lord calls to us and wants to have an intimate relationship with his bride.  He does this by giving himself, his own body and blood, as a way to show his eternal commitment to us.  Like a bride we process down towards our groom to be united with him.

In the Eucharist we are united with Christ not only spiritually, but physically.  Being united with the flesh of Christ is the most personal thing we will be able to experience (Augustine 469).

The Old Testament book of Song of Songs has very vivid imagery between a man and wife symbolizes the love that Christ has for His church.  One passage that is particularly relevant to the Wedding Supper of the lamb is Song of Songs 1:2 which states, “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth” (NRSV)!  This is exactly what St. Ambrose says happens during the reception of the Eucharist (Ambrose 354).

The second person of the blessed Trinity has forgiven us of our sin and unites himself with us with his very body.  The Wedding Supper of the Lamb is a taste of the heavenly worship that we will experience in eternity and unites us with the church suffering and church triumphant in heavenly praise.

Next time you are at Mass take that extra moment to thank Christ for the very gift of himself.  Take the time to realize that we are worshiping the King of the universe alongside those who have gone before us in the faith.

There is much more happening at Mass than meets the eye.  It is a place where a true miracle happens, ordinary bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ.  Let us not merely go through the notions, but truly understand what is happening.

Do you want to transform the church?  It begins with understanding what is happening at Mass and who we are receiving in the Holy Eucharist.  I leave you with the following quote from St. Ambrose for further meditation:

Perhaps you will say “I see something else, how is it that you assert that I receive the body of Christ?”

And this is the point that remains for us to prove. What evidence shall we make use of?  Let us prove that this is not what nature made, but what the blessing consecrated, and the power of blessing is greater than that of nature, because by blessing nature itself is changed.

God bless you all!

The Biblical Basis for Confession

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-v57ch-c802fb

This week’s episode is from my appearance on Gary Michuta’s “Hands on Apologetics’ radio program.  In this episode we discuss what confession is, its biblical basis, why we need it, and its role in my conversion.  To learn more about Gary visit his website at http://www.handsonapologetics.com

Book Review: Why I Am Catholic (And You Should Be Too)

Right off the bat I have a confession to make. I am running way behind when it comes to book reviews, but I promise to get caught up in the next couple weeks. I am getting back in the saddle with reviews with Brandon Vogt’s newest book titled Why I Am Catholic (And You Should Be Too). Brandon is a popular blogger, speaker, and is the Content Director for Bishop Robert Barron’s Word on Fire.

As a self professed theology and apologetics nerd I was excited for the opportunity to review this book. Brandon is a convert and he writes from a convert’s perspective. From the onset describes that becoming Catholic is the only rebellion left. As a convert myself I echo this because, like Brandon, it was the last thing that I wanted to be.

In Part 1 of the book Brandon goes into some reasons for the existence of God. To be fair, many books have been written on this topic alone, but Brandon does a great job in describing the arguments in a truncated amount of pages. Along with those arguments are arguments for the claims of Christ’s divinity and the fact that he started a church. Part II describes the good that the church has done through the ages. This includes the building up of western society in many of the systems that we tale for granted today, such as hospitals and universities. Part III discusses the beauty within the church, not just in the buildings, liturgy, and instruments used. Beauty is also in creation and man created in the image of God. This argument alone is worth the cost of the book in my opinion.

Overall, the book is well written and provides for the basic arguments of the faith. In some spots there isn’t as much depth as may be desired, but Brandon includes a ton of information on the faith in a short period. This book would be good for a Christian who is considering the Catholic church or a catholic that may be doubting some of the claims. It would be beneficial to check out.

[Note: This book was provided free of charge from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]