Stephen K. Ray's Blog, page 73

Israel 7: Capernaum, Boat Ride, Sites around the Sea

Started out with Mass at the House of St. Peter (and Jesus) in Capernaum. Always amazing to have Mass at the place where Jesus said “Eat My Flesh, and Drink My Blood“. The readings for the Gospel are always John Chapter 6!

I gave my talk “Defending the Eucharist“ and gave everyone time to explore the site, pray and to take pictures.

From there we went to the Ancient Boat, or the Jesus Boat, and saw the remains of a boat from 2000 years ago. Then we went on the sea on a real boat where Amer and I shared with everyone. Amer the parable “There are Two Seas in Palestine” and me my experience of fishing all night with two Jewish fisherman.

Lunch at Pilger House with excellent Saint Peters Fish like that eaten Jesus and the apostles. Then to Tabgha, the multiplication of loaves and fish and the Primacy of Peter – the Mensa Christi of John 21. I gave my talk their diving into John 21.

Everyone had three hours free this afternoon at the hotel for swimming and resting and fellowship. The rest of the day and evening was free.

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Holy Sites – What is Holy Ground?

Click on the page below for the PDF of the two-page article

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Israel 6: Transfiguration, Cana, Nazareth

First full day in Israel, we started at the Mount of Transfiguration. Always a favorite, especially the ride up and down in the taxis through the switchbacks.

Then to Cana of Galilee, where we renewed our marriage vows, and I gave my talk on John’s Gospel, and the story of the wedding the miracle of water into wine.

Them to Nazareth for the Church of the Annunciation for Mass. Glorious dinner looking out over the city of Nazareth. Enjoy!

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Jews as Proof of God’s Existence & Faithfulness

Since we are starting our pilgrimage today through the land of Israel, I thought it appropriate to share my perspective on the Jews as proof of God’s existence. We are now walking on the land of the Jewish Mary and Jesus. It is amazing to stand on the very land God gave to Abraham 4,000 years ago when he established his new people Israel.

Winston Churchill wrote “Some people like the Jews, and some do not. But no thoughtful man can deny the fact that they are, beyond any question, the most formidable and the most remarkable race which has appeared in the world.“

(PICTURE: Jewish soldiers get their first glimpse of the Western Wall)

He is absolutely right! I have often said they are remarkable people — gifted in a special way and blessed by God. They had no homeland for 2,000 years yet held together and thrived no matter how scattered they were or how terribly persecuted. Like cream, they always rise to the top.

Where are the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites? They disappeared; yet even though scattered over the face of the earth (called the Diaspora) the Jews have survived, remained intact, and have thrived. God made promises to Abraham that his seed would be unable to be counted — as the sand on the shore and the stars in the heavens.

Remarking on the Jews, of which he was one, St. Paul wrote: “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” ( Rom 11:29). These gifts and calling are readily apparent even now, 4,000 years later. I have always thought the existence of the Jews and their incredible impact on civilization — even though their numbers are relatively small — is a convincing proof of the existence of God and to his faithfulness.

Imagine, there are only 14 million Jews in the whole world, yet look at the huge and disproportionate impact they exert on our society.

I was recently in a bookstore buying a pile of books on Jewish culture and history — the better to understand the Bible and the roots of Christianity. The woman at the counter was surprised and asked if I was a Jew. I said, “Not by ethnicity, but certainly by affinity since I am a Catholic. I love the Jewish people and spend a lot of time in Israel.” She looked around, hesitating, and then said quietly, “I’m Jewish.”

I smiled and reached out my hand to shake hers. I said, “Congratulations. You are one of the great proofs of God’s existence. I envy you.” She was shocked — “No one has ever congratulated me for being Jewish before,” she said.

Our late Pope referred to the Jewish people as our elder brothers — and so they are. It might be just a story, though it may also be true, that once when the Pope and the head Rabbi of Rome were going into St. Peters, the Rabbi motioned for the Pope to step in first. But the Pope stopped and gestured for the Rabbi to precede him saying, “The Old Testament first!”

There was great wisdom here. The Bible is Jewish. Only one biblical writer was a gentile and the Old Testament is 90% of what we carry in the book called the Bible. The New Testament only makes up 1/10th of the book. The Church may be the branches and the fruit, but the roots and truck of our tree are certainly Jewish.

And considering those who hate the Jews, I love the little ditty that goes like this: “How odd of God to choose the Jews, but odder still are those who choose the Jewish God and hate the Jew.”

Below is a very moving rendition of Ani Ma’amim sung magnificently at a huge Orthodox Jewish gathering. Ani Ma’amim consists of thirteen lines, each beginning with the phrase “Ani ma’amin be-emunah shelemah” (“I believe with full faith”). They are professing faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Many Jews recite Ani Ma’amin at the conclusion of their morning prayers. In some communities, Yigdal is also recited on the Shabbat and holidays after the evening service.

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Jordan 5: Baptismal Site of Jesus, Jordan Vally, Arrivals in Israel

Today is our final day in the country of Jordan and we arrived in Israel later today. We started the day at the baptismal site of Jesus at the Jordan River, where we celebrated Mass, renewed our baptismal vows, and I gave my talk on Being Born Again.

We saw the Hill of Elijah where he was assumed into heaven in a fiery chariot. From there we had lunch on the bus and drove north along the Jordan River until we crossed over the river into Israel, and arrived at our Ron Beach Hotel on the Sea of Galilee.

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Jordan 5: Baptism Site of Jesus, north thru Jordan Valley, Arrivals into Israel

Today is our final day in the country of Jordan and we arrived in Israel later today. We started the day at the baptismal site of Jesus at the Jordan River, where we celebrated Mass, renewed our baptismal vows, and I gave my talk on Being Born Again.

We saw the Hill of Elijah where he was assumed into heaven in a fiery chariot. From there we had lunch on the bus and drove north along the Jordan River until we crossed over the river into Israel, and arrived at our Ron Beach Hotel on the Sea of Galilee.

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Baptists, were you right to leave the Catholic Church?

There are two large parishes in beautiful churches up in the farm country of Michigan. Several of their people have left to become Baptists and other “flavors” of Protestantism. They all joined Protestant Bible studies or had a religious experience that convinced them the Catholic Church was wrong. Then they began attempting to pull others out of the church.

Several years ago we had a meeting. The priests had received a letter from a gentleman named Dean (and I sincerely mean “gentleman” since he was polite and a pleasure to talk with) demanding answers to a series of questions directed against them. He was convinced that Catholic teaching and practice were wrong and unbiblical and it seemed he convinced a number of people to follow him.

I was invited to come out last evening to answer their questions — or rather — their charges and criticisms. There were about eight Catholics and about twenty Protestants—mostly Fundamentalists—one even referring to the ridiculous and thoroughly discredited “Trail of Blood” as his source and authority for understanding Church history.

As a whole, they were a nice group of people but it did not take long to realize that their claim to be “Bible-only” Christians was sincere but very incorrect. They thought they followed the Bible alone but in reality, they were steeped in traditions and teachings of Fundamentalism which does not allow them to read the Bible objectively. Fundamentalist tradition is like a pair of glasses through which everything is understood and colored — including the Bible.

It happens with other groups too. If an uncatechized Catholic agrees to listen to the Jehovah’s Witnesses and go to their meetings and Bible studies, pretty soon the Catholic begins to see clearly the JW’s doctrines in the Bible: “Oh, you are right! Jesus is not God; there is no trinity; there is no hell!” And it makes perfect sense to them. With their new “Jehovah’s Witness glasses” on they see it all very clearly now.

Fundamentalists are no different. They invite unsuspecting Catholics to their Bible studies and out to lunch and before long the under-catechized Catholic trades his Catholic glasses for a pair of Fundamentalist glasses and begins to say, “Oh, I see! The Bible does not teach sacraments; the word pope is not in here, etc. etc. . . . “ It amazes me that they can’t see what is happening to them. they have not read the Bible objectively first — no, no! They have swallowed the new tradition hook, line and sinker and now they read the Bible through the glasses or lense of their new tradition — a recently invented one too, by the way.

And the more they hate the Catholic Church — the more vocal they are about it — the more loved and accepted they are in their new anti-Catholic community.

Anyway, I think the Protestants originally expected to “expose the errors of Catholicism” and vindicate their leaving the Church. They expected to wash over us like a tidal wave, but that is not what happened. The Catholic position dominated the evening and I even felt a little sorry and embarrassed for them in the end. The tidal wave went differently than they expected.

We tried to be kind and charitable throughout the evening and I think we were very successful. Most of them were also charitable, but there was some visible anger and frustration in a few.

They were a typical Fundamentalist bunch. They rattled off the same old misconceptions about Church teaching, misquoted the Bible over and over again, and had no systematic theology or training other then their immersion in Fundamentalist tradition. Virtually all of them were “ex-Catholics” who didn’t know their Catholic faith to begin with. They were easy prey for the Protestant evangelists. Their ignorance of Scripture and Catholicism was very obvious from the comments and questions fielded last night…

For the whole article about this exciting evening, click here.

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Jordan 4: Amazing Petra!

We woke up to the sun shining on the mountains outside our breakfast window at the Marriott Hotel in Petra Jordan. Right before our eyes was the tomb of Aaron, the high priest, the brother of Moses, on the top of Mount Hor (Num 20:22-28).

Then we took our tour of Petra which has to be seen to be believed. Pictures and videos do NOT do it justice. We had a wonderful time walking through the cavernous corridor and arriving around the last curve to see the magnificent Treasury.

A lot of pictures taken of camels and donkeys drinking of Bedouin tea and coffee, and eye-popping views and scenes. Many people took the golf carts back up the corridor to return to the visitor center, our bus and lunch.

After a 2.5 hour drive north we arrived at Our Lady of Peace Center for a lovely Mass, surrounded by paintings of the Holy Land and biblical themes. Since it was November 8, the day for the elections in the United States, Fr. Frans gave a powerful homily on the importance of voting our Catholic faith and for LIFE. We arrived at the Dead Sea and checked in at the Marriott Hotel Resort.

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The Cross and the Crucifix: A Study in their meaning and usage (responding to a Protestant)

Since today we are at the place in the Jordan where the children of Israel made a bronze serpent — seemingly in contradiction to the command of God to make no images — I thought it good to share this letter I sent to a Protestant friend a while back.

Dear Protestant Friend:

You display a bare cross in your homes; we display the cross and the crucifix. What is the difference and why? The cross is an upright post with a crossbeam in the shape of a “T”. A crucifix is the same, but it has Christ’s body (corpus) attached to the cross. As an Evangelical Protestant, I rejected the crucifix—Christ was no longer on the cross but had ascended to heaven.

So why do I now tremble in love at the site of a crucifix? Let’s examine the history and issues surrounding the two.

I will start with the Old Testament and the Jews’ use of images and prohibition of idols. I know in advance that it is not a thorough study, but it will give a general overview of the issues. I will try to provide a brief overview of the Cross and the Crucifix, the origin, the history, and the differing perspectives of Catholics and Protestants. It will try to catch the historical flow and include the pertinent points. The outline is as follows:

1. The Three Main Protestant Objections to the Crucifix
2. Images and Gods in the Old Testament
3. Images and Images of Christ in the New Testament
4. The Cross in the First Centuries
5. The Crucifix Enters the Picture
6. The “Reformation” and Iconoclasm
7. Modern Anti-Catholics and the Crucifix
8. Ecumenical Considerations

The Three Main Protestant Objections to the Crucifix

Let me begin by defining “Protestant” as used in this article. First, it is used to describe the first Reformers who tore down crucifixes and crosses in the first years of the Reformation; and second, it refers to general American Evangelical-type Protestants. Granted there are many Anglican and “high” Luthers and others that do not object to the crucifix or other Christian symbolism. With that behind us, let’s begin.

The first major objection of the Protestant regarding the crucifix (an image of Christ on the cross) is that Christ is no longer on the cross—He has risen. I was raised with this observation and my friend would ridicule the Catholic traditions. My friend also challenged us when we first became Catholics, commenting, “We serve a risen Christ, not one that is still on the cross.” Unfortunately for them, since childhood my mother had valued her beautiful Christmas crèche scene. I asked the obvious: “Do you serve the risen Christ or one still in the manger?” (I also had to comment on the cute little statue of Our Lady standing over the plastic baby Jesus, along with the animals.)

Second, Protestants see the image of Christ on the cross as a violation of the command to make no graven image. The Reformers were big on this. Protestants now utilize plain crosses in their “churches,” on their walls, and around their necks, just as they have pictures of Jesus (always with soft skin and melodrama) on their walls. (I was raised with this feminine Jesus presiding, ever so romantically, over our dinner table.

After spending time in the Holy Land, driving through the Judean wilderness, and ascending Mount Tabor, which he and his disciples frequented, I doubt he was so dainty and delicate; he probably had calves like a bear and smelled a bit like one as well.) However, at the turn of this century, the Protestant churches (excluding Lutheran) were still pretty much opposed to the display of the cross, even the bare cross. The bare cross was not in wide use until recently, though current Protestants don’t know their own history on the matter and that their predecessors opposed it as much as they did the Crucifix.

Third, they object to the Crucifix because it is Catholic and to condone or display the Crucifix is to make a statement in favor of Catholicism. No one of the “Reformed” persuasion would want to be identified as a Catholic. A bare cross seems to be generic, which is what most Protestants like–generic Christianity–with no history to criticize or Church to obey.

Images and Gods in the Old Testament

Since the people in the olden ages worshiped idols made of earthly materials [Endnote 1], God forbade the children of Israel to possess such “gods”. “Then God spoke all these words, saying, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God’” (Ex 20:1-3).

Even while God was inscribing these Words on the tablets of stone, the Israelites were violating His command. “Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it into a molten calf; and they said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt’” (Ex. 32:34). We know that it was not the image itself, which was the problem. It was the making of an image that was considered to be a god and the subsequent worship of the image as a god.

For the whole article, click here.

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Jordan 3: Nebo, Madaba, Machaerus, Petra

Everyone knows what a Bucket List is. Well, today a lot of folks checked off a big item on their Bucket List, which was visiting Petra. Actually, we just arrived late this evening, but tomorrow morning is the walk back into the exotic and unbelievably beautiful city of Petra built out of rock.

But before we arrived there, we drove to Mount Nebo where Moses looked out over the land after his people Israel had been exiled for 440 years in Egypt. He died there. Lots more about that in the movie.

Then we went to the biblical city of Madaba to see the ancient mosaic map of the holy Land, visiting a Mosaic shop and factory and eating lunch at our guide’s boutique restaurant which is one of the finest in the country and patronized by discerning foreign tourists. Wait till you see the “Upside Down” lunch we ate with a locally brewed beer by a Christian entrepreneur.

Then to Herod’ Fortress of Machaerus, where John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded. Then the interesting drive through the deserts of southern Jordan to arrive at Petra, where we checked into our Marriott Hotel and had a great dinner. Enjoy!

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