Stephen K. Ray's Blog, page 50

2nd Interview with Al Kresta about Saints & Sites of Poland

https://www.catholicconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/SEG-4-1-Steve.mp3

Our group will soon arrive in Poland; we are here to greet them!

Here is the 2nd of 2 interviews between Steve Ray and Al Kresta on the amazing Catholic country of Poland. She has the richest heritage of modern saints in the 20th century including St. John Paul II, St. Maria Faustina and the Divine Mercy and St. Maximillian Kolbe. And don’t forget Edith Stein who died in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp.

We will walk in the footprints of these great saints and experience their country with all it’s beauty and history (not to mention great food and drink

We have an interactive map of the sites we will visit, a full itinerary and you can even watch the 90 minute video of our past pilgrimage to Poland HERE.

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My Defiant and Proud Declaration for My Few Remaining Years

Next year I will be 70 years old. It is a time to examine what I’ve done and what I will do if God grants me a few more decades. It is sobering to hit a milestone and realize that – at best – I will have about 15 strong years left, maybe twenty. (My dad died at 94, my mother at 100, but my older brother and sister both died at 80). What will I do with that time and how will I live my life?

I found the proclamation below written by Dr. Bob Moorehead and I edited it quite a bit to fit my own life and situation. Yes, I posted it a couple years ago, but thought on January 1 it is good to reaffirm and recommit. I hope you like it; I hope you join me.

MY PLEDGE AND DECLARATION
I am a part of a group of redeemed and committed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. The questions were posed and the answers given; the doubts have long vanished. Feelings are fleeting and fads are fading. Faith and reason direct me.

I’ve discovered the power of God, fallen in love with the Savior of the world. I’ve cast my lots with the King and his Kingdom – with Christ and his Church. I will live out my days in the heart of the Catholic Church. I am not the first to cross the Tiber; I won’t be the last. I am in good company.

I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure.  I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by faith in the present, learn by faith, love by patience, lift by prayer, and labor by power.

My pace is set, my gait is fast, my goal is Heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, deterred, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. 

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, whimper at persecution, faint at martyrdom, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, back up, let up, or shut up until I’ve preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I must go until He returns, give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes.

And when He comes to get His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. I will have my San Damiano Cross around my neck. My sins are forgiven, my soul is redeemed, my voice sings loudly. My colors will be clear for my flag waves high. I am Steve Ray and I am a Catholic Christian until the end.

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Think you know the Bible? Take the Benjamin Quiz

Take the Benjamin quiz!

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/6028722/jewish/Take-the-Benjamin-Quiz.htm

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Podcast Discussion of Authority, Conversion and the Catholic Church with Bryan Topham at Quest for Faith

Bryan and I had a delightful discussion of sola Scriptura, authority, Petrine succession, conversion and the Catholic Church.

Hope you enjoy it!

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Bible Quiz

Which of the following are NOT in the Bible?

•      Cleanliness is next to godliness
•      God helps those who help themselves
•      Confession is good for the soul
•      We are as prone to sin as sparks fly upward
•      Money is the root of all evil
•      Honesty is the best policy

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Jehovah’s Witnesses Came by Today

A dapper middle-aged man and an older black woman–both very nice, polite and full of smiles. The grandkids saw them coming and said, “Someone’s coming to the door; we don’t know who they are.”

One of their tacky little propoganda pieces

They always come at such inopportune times. I had just finished working around the house and was dripping with sweat. I opened the door before the knocked and greeted them with, “Good morning. Jehovah’s Witnesses I see. I have all of your books in my library.” The nice lady said, “Really? Are you a Jehovah’s Witness?” “No,” I said, ” I am a Catholic evangelist and I study your religion and others so I know how to share the true faith with you.”

They weren’t quite sure what to say so I kept talking, “I am sorry I am such a mess; otherwise I would invite you in. But I don’t have time to convert you right now; maybe some other time. In two hours I am on my way to Texas to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

She said, “I used to be a Catholic.” I said, “That is too bad. Many Catholics don’t know their truth of their faith and are tricked into leaving for other religions. It does not surprise me you used to be a Catholic.”

They smiled and tried to hand me their Watchtower Magazine entitled “Awake”. I held out my brochure–fair is fair. Knowing they are not allowed to take any material–especially from Catholics or Evangelicals–I said, “I’ll take your’s if you take mine.” She laughed uncomfortably but refused my offer.

Everyone that arrives here knows we are proud Catholics

I said, “I know you are not allowed to take my brochure. The Watchtower will not allow you to take or read any other literature.” No, no,” she laughed nervously again. “Oh yes,” I replied, “I know all about you and you are NOT allowed to touch this brochure I am handing you. I know your religion very well.”

They turned to leave and I politely said good-bye and “left the door open” for them to return. I don’t think they run into homes like ours very often.

Outside our front door are porcelain paintings of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. I pray that Our Lord and Lady will lead these good-intentioned people back to the truth of the Catholic Faith — because “it is later than they think.”

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Join the 500,000 who, like me, read The Loop every morning

I don’t always recommend News Feeds but this one I will recommend. I have been receiving and reading it for several years.

The Loop by CatholicVote gives an excellent summary of Catholic news for the day. It deals with the Vatican, US Politics, Saint of the Day, Catholic 101, Pro-life and LGBT. You have short paragraphs on about 12 topics interwoven with some fun stuff too.

You can scan it for the headlines in about 5 minutes, or take a deeper dive as you wish. Very faithfully Catholic, easy to read and you will be joining over 500,000 daily viewers.

CELEBRATING HALF-A-MILLION SUBSCRIBERS!!   This week, CatholicVote reached a major milestone for its daily news email the LOOP as the 500,000th subscriber joined the ranks of LOOPers. “This is a massive moment in Catholic media,” said LOOP founder and editor Joshua Mercer. “Not just for CatholicVote, but for all our ‘LOOPers’ who participate in the movement to counteract the mainstream media’s one-sided narrative with truth.” https://catholicvote.org/getloop/

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Feast Day of St. Martha, loved by Jesus

Martha is often given the short shrift. She lived with her brother Lazarus and her sister Mary in Bethany where Jesus lived when he was in the Jerusalem area. She worked hard, cared for people but was criticized by Jesus, or so it seems.

I don’t think Jesus was criticizing those who serve guests and take care of details. He was commenting on the nervousness, “worry and bother” that was causing Martha to miss the whole point of the gathering. Jesus was there and it is more important to spend time with him than in scuttling about in a nervous tizzy. Mary certainly helped too, but she was aware of the real import of the moment.

Bethany (picture above) is much bigger now than in Jesus’ day. Today it is an Arab town called El-Aziriye, after Lazarus. It was the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha.

The other picture is of me coming out of Lazarus’ Tomb. We have visited this tomb often. It is incredible to enter this tomb and then reemerge to read St. John 11 and the historical account of Jesus raising Lazarus from this very tomb.

This demonstrates again that the Bible is historical and accurate. The places mentioned in the Gospels still exist. On our pilgrimages, we visit, touch and pray at these sites. You can be proud to be a Catholic and confident in the Bible and the teaching of the Church!

To see these sites on DVD, get our Jesus, the Word Became Flesh where we visit Bethany, the home of Martha and Mary and the Tomb of Lazarus.

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Bible Translation Bias or Misinformation

Translating Holy Scripture is a necessary process by which the sacred text is provided in various languages, usually rendered from the original languages. Not all translations are created equal. Some result from one scholar’s work, others the work of a committee of scholars. Some are literal while others tend toward paraphrase. Translation resembles a sliding scale with each translation placed somewhere between the two opposite ends.

On one side of the scale are the literal translations, on the other the dynamic. The literal strives to achieve exact rendering of the original language with minimal concern for readability or modern idioms. The dynamic end of the scale attempts to provide a readable and easily understood text even if it moves away from the literal rendering of the original language. It attempts to relay the meaning more than the literal terminology.

Theological bias becomes increasingly possible the further a translation moves toward the dynamic end of the scale. It is inevitable that some interpretation is involved in translation. Some translators, to accommodate their theological persuasion, may emphasize denominational and theological points of view. Martin Luther provided a well-known example when he added the word “alone” to the word “faith” in his German translation of Romans.

An extreme example is the New World Translation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses which subverts the nature of Christ through translation. The RSV renders John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Teaching that Jesus Christ was a creature, and not the eternal Son of God, the Jehovah’s Witnesses translate the passage to conform to their heresy. Their New World Translation renders John 1:1 as, “In the beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god” although the article “a” is absent from the original Greek text. Many Protestant translations display a considerable doctrinal persuasion, even a bias against Catholicism.

Though nicely written and easily readable, the very popular New International Version is a good example. Though the NIV claims to be “international” and “transdenominational”, in reality the scholars were limited to five English speaking countries and the committee 1 was Protestant. The “denominations” excluded Catholic and Orthodox contributors though the Preface announces a desire to “avoid sectarian bias”. In contrast, the Catholic New American Bible included both Catholic and Protestant scholars.

What appears to be doctrinal bias is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:15. The word “traditions” is used to translate the Greek word paradosis by all major English translations. However, the NIV reads, “So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter (italics mine).” Instead of using St. Paul’s choice of paradosis (tradition, the handing down), the translators used the word “teaching” (Greek=didache). This tends to obscure the Catholic implications of the text. (See also 2 Cor. 11:2; 2 Thes 3:6.)

In Acts 1:20, the word translated as “bishoprick” in the KJV and “office” by most other translations, is the Greek word episkope from which we get our English word “episcopal”. Peter declares that a man must succeed to the office vacated by Judas. Seemingly, to avoiding the implications of apostolic succession, the NIV renders episkope as “place of leadership”. On the sliding scale of translations, this choice of words is really an Evangelical interpretation very close to the dynamic end of the scale, diminishing a foundational basis for the successive office of bishop.

A final example is James 2:24 where we read in almost every English translation, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone (RSV).” The NIV renders this verse as “You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone (italics mine).” Although the Greek word is clearly “works” (ergon), the translators of the NIV replaced it with “what he does”, obscuring the implications that seem contradictory to the Protestant doctrine of justification by “faith alone”.

Even with these examples, it must be mentioned that the NIV translation also has its surprises. According to So Many Versions?, the text and note on Matthew 16:18, stating that “Peter means rock”, is “rather surprising for a conservative [Protestant] version. The traditional conservative position is that “Peter” means a rolling stone”.

All translations contain some influence of theological persuasion. However, some are more blatant than others. Readers should be aware of the theological standpoint held by the translators. The Second Vatican Council proclaims “Since the Word of God should be accessible at all times, the Church by her authority and with maternal concern sees to it that suitable 2 and correct translations are made into different languages, especially from the original texts of the sacred books. And should the opportunity arise and the Church authorities approve, if these translations are produced in cooperation with the separated brethren as well, all Christians will be able to use them” (Dei Verbum, 22).

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Referenced Works: So Many Translations?, Sakae Kubo and Walter F. Specht, Zondervan Publishing House, 1983. p. 247.

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Suggested Reading:
Divino Afflante Spiritu (“Promotion of Biblical Studies”) by Pope Pius XII, St. Paul Books.
Dei Verbum (“Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation”), Second Vatican Council.
So Many Translations?, Sakae Kubo and Walter F. Specht, Zondervan Publishing House, 1983. p. 247.
The Translation Debate, Eugene H. Glassman, InterVarsity Press, 1981.
History of the English Bible, F. F. Bruce, Oxford University Press, 1978.

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Why you should take your kids with you on a pilgrimage

Why you should take your kids with you on a pilgrimage

Josephine McCaul – published on 07/17/23

Take inspiration from ‘The Miracle Club’ this summer and give your children the experience of a lifetime.

(Picture: one of our groups in Lourdes)

With the release of The Miracle Club last week, the pilgrimage site of Lourdes has garnered much attention in Hollywood and beyond.

For those who are not religious the movie has given them a little idea of how and why the site of a major Marian apparition in France is so meaningful to Catholics around the world — in fact it welcomes an incredible 5 million pilgrims a year.

The film also provides a great reminder for Catholics on the importance of going on a pilgrimage — even if it’s to a site that is more local — at least once in your life. And better still, to make sure you go with your kids.

Here’s why:

I grew up in a household with eight siblings. I was bang in the middle and watched my older sisters go off on various retreats and pilgrimages while I stayed at home with my little brothers and sisters.

A bus to Lourdes

I can distinctly remember the day my two older sisters both headed off on the school bus to Lourdes. We lived in London, and it was the first time my siblings had gone on a trip abroad — our previous trips back “home” to Ireland did not count, apparently.

The girls were excited and had packed their “Sunday Best” for when they reached Lourdes. I have a memory of my mother’s careful instructions to my sisters to ensure they were dressed correctly and respectfully while they were away.

I was very little at the time, but the one thing I can picture is the look on my sisters’ faces when they returned home safe and sound. They both had in their hands plastic statues of the Virgin Mary filled with holy water to give my mother.

Now having these statues in the house was almost as if we’d had a brick from the shrine itself at home. Nobody was allowed to touch them.

(Slight confession: I distinctly remember my older brother opening up a statue and accidentally pouring some of the holy water onto the floor. His remedy was to fill it back up with tap water, where it remained filled to the brim for many years.)

These statues were given due reverence for many years while we were growing up. It was only when their contents started to go green with algae that the statues were relegated to a cupboard.

Memories and regrets

When my parents moved out of the home many decades later, I came across the aging plastic statues and all those memories came flooding back. My sisters had gone to where Our Lady had appeared and I hadn’t, and that was a shame.

While I can’t remember what they had shared about the experience, or how they had felt, I do know that they had felt that they’d brought a little bit of Mary back to our home. And how lovely it must have been for them to offer this to our family.

So, if you are looking to go on a pilgrimage, please make sure to take your kids with you. And most certainly, if there are any little souvenirs you can bring back, let the kids buy them and bring a little spirit of the shrine you’ve visited into your family home.

If a pilgrimage for kids to Lourdes makes an impact on their lives, imagine the life-changing experience of visiting the Holy Land and walking with Mary and Jesus!

Every year we take a FAMILY CHRISTMAS Holy Land Pilgrimage. Join us with your children and grandchildren!

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