Matt Fradd's Blog, page 8

Is Jesus Just a Spinoff From Pagan Gods?

Many atheists and agnostics argue that Jesus can’t be God because there are too many similarities between Him and pagan gods we find in the religions of ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and northern Europe.

This idea has been around for a while, but it gained traction from the hit 2007 documentary “Zeitgeist.” The movie has received millions of views on YouTube alone and caused many Christians to question their faith.

Is Jesus really a mythical being, another version of the other pagan gods we don’t worship?

The answer, thankfully, is no.

Many of the supposed similarities between Jesus and pagan gods are false.
For example, numerous skeptics of Christianity say that the Egyptian god Horus was born on Dec. 25 of a virgin, just like Jesus. The problem is, we possess a lot of ancient Egyptian records and not one of them says that Horus was born on that day. Also, his mother was not a virgin. The myth clearly indicates that she had sexual relations and conceived Horus shortly thereafter.

Some skeptics claim that Horus’ father, Osiris, was resurrected after being killed. It is true that the original myth claims that he came back to life, but not to live on earth the way Jesus did. Rather, Osiris went to the underworld to become the lord of the dead. That’s hardly a real resurrection!

Therefore, take any supposed “parallel” between Jesus and the pagan gods with skepticism. Many simply aren’t true.

There are some similarities between Jesus and other gods.
Jesus is God, so we shouldn’t be surprised to find godlike qualities shared by Him and mythical deities. By definition, gods are more powerful and intelligent than humans, so many can do the same superhuman feats.

The question shouldn’t be whether Jesus is like other gods, but rather, “Is He the true God?” The answer is yes. The New Testament documents are among the best sources found in the ancient world for any topic.

You are not subscribing to a pagan myth by believing in Jesus. Our Lord has far more that is unique about Him than anything He shares with the pagan gods.

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Why You Can’t Deny That Mary Is the Mother of God

Many Protestants view Catholic devotion to Mary as borderline idolatrous. But if you dig deeper into the Church’s teachings on the Blessed Mother, you’ll discover that they actually protect our beliefs about Christ.

As an example, let’s examine our belief that Mary is the Mother of God, an idea many non-Catholic Christians reject.

To be clear, the Catholic Church doesn’t teach that Our Lady gave birth to God in the sense that she preceded God or is greater than Him. Rather, she is His Mother because Christ is one divine person with two natures. Mary didn’t give Jesus His divinity — only His humanity — but that human nature was assumed by a divine person.

Reject this belief and you start to see the Christological doctrines crumble. We see this firsthand in Protestant Walter Martin’s “Kingdom of the Cults.” First published in 1965, this classic has sold hundreds of thousands of copies and influenced the theology of many Protestants.

In denying Mary as Mother of God, Martin ends up denying Jesus’ eternal sonship, saying that such a teaching is not present in Scripture. He asserts that sonship applies to situations involving time, change, and humanity so, therefore, Jesus’ divine sonship in relation to God the Father is a Catholic invention. To Martin, Jesus became a son when He took on flesh.

Martin not only lost Mary, he lost Jesus, positing a Lord and Savior that many Protestants wouldn’t recognize. To be fair, many non-Catholic Christians reject our Marian beliefs but have not thought out the logical consequences of doing so.

Martin goes further, noting that he doesn’t see God the Father referred to as the Eternal Father anywhere in the Bible. Now he becomes confused about who God is. Of course, this affects his understanding of the relations between the Persons of the Holy Trinity.

If you care about preserving the truth about Jesus, then embrace the truths about His mother. The dogmas and doctrines surrounding her protect a most central belief of our Christian faith — the nature of God Himself. Far from exalting Mary to God, our devotion only makes us know and love God as He has revealed Himself.

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Do You Have a Vocation?

You’ve probably met people who clearly have a calling from God and are living that divine summons. For example, a holy, effective missionary who is winning souls in a distant land.

Maybe that made you wonder, “Do I have a vocation? How would I even tell?”

Yes, you do have a call from God, even though it may not be as dramatic as taking the Gospel to a dangerous place where missionaries are martyred. It may be starting a family, which, as ordinary as it sounds, involves a lot of heroic sacrifice.

God makes each of us with a particular end in mind — communion with Him — and gives us a unique path to tread, which is our vocation.

Here are some tips for discerning your call.

Don’t make the process too mystical.
God probably isn’t going to give you a supernatural experience that reveals your vocation. That does happen from time to time, but it’s rare. God may have appeared to St. Paul and blinded him, but thankfully you’ll probably not go through that.

Discernment stems from your prudent reflection on the gifts God has given you, the people He has surrounded you with, and the places He takes you.

Follow the human way to discern your vocation.
Start with your inclinations. Some people are contemplative, others more active. Some are good with their hands, and others are natural teachers. Your natural interests and tendencies can help you understand what God might be calling you to do.

These inclinations aren’t enough to reveal your vocation, though. They need to be elevated by the virtues, especially prudence. The more you grow in virtue, the more spontaneously you will incline toward your vocation.

Prudence is one of the most important virtues in discernment. It is the exercise of right reason concerning things to be done. The prudent person considers the many paths before them and enlightens their mind as to which way they should go.

So be at peace. Stop looking for voices from heaven or elevated feelings. God is revealing your vocation to you through the ordinary operation of your mind and heart. It could help to talk to a spiritual director to sort out the sometimes contradictory desires you have.

Always remember that God planted the seeds of His call in you. So long as you are faithful, He’ll grow them into something beautiful!

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Why C.S. Lewis Never Became Catholic

C.S. Lewis is beloved by Catholics and Protestants for his accessible yet deep works elucidating the Christian faith and defending it from detractors.

Lewis focused on defending what he called “Mere Christianity.” By that he meant the beliefs that nearly all Christians hold in common, including the Trinity and the Incarnation.

Technically, Lewis was Protestant- a member of the Church of England. But many readers have noticed that his writings seem more Catholic than the works of other Protestants.

For example, he postulated the existence of a version of Purgatory. Catholics believe in Purgatory; Protestants do not. Lewis also favored the idea of sacramental confession — a “popish” idea to the spiritual descendants of the Reformers. Near his death, he seemed increasingly open to the idea of seven sacraments.

Lewis seemed so close to crossing the Tiber and joining the Catholic Church, but he never took the plunge. Why?

Here’s one possible answer.

He didn’t live long enough.
G.K. Chesterton wrote a book about William Blake where he answered the question of why Blake never became Catholic. Chesterton said that he didn’t live long enough.

What did Chesterton mean? He claimed that if every man lived a thousand years, he would become either a nihilistic atheist or a member of the Catholic Church. While Chesterton did think that Blake had some erroneous ideas, he recognized that he was on the right road, moving toward the Catholic Church. He simply didn’t live long enough to make it there.

The same can be said of Lewis. A review of his writings shows a man going in the right direction. Lewis fell away from his Christian faith in his youth and later returned with help from J.R.R. Tolkien. His life from that point shows a progressive understanding and appreciation of the central truths of the Christian faith and, as mentioned, an entertaining of ideas more Catholic than Protestant.

Lewis’ late secretary Walter Hooper said that he personally believed that Lewis would have become Catholic had he lived longer. He pointed out that Lewis wouldn’t have liked the increasing liberalism in Anglicanism we’ve witnessed over the past several decades and that he would have realized that his “Mere Christianity” found its fullest expression in Catholicism.

Of course, all of this is conjecture. Still, we can appreciate Lewis’ contributions to Christian discourse in our time.

 

Image: Aronsyne, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

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Is the Eucharist Merely a Symbol?

Many Protestants believe that the Eucharist is merely a symbol of Christ, not our Lord Himself. (Some believe in a modified version of the Real Presence that is weaker than the Catholic Church’s.)

In this, they stand in opposition to the early Church. Let’s see what some voices from the past said about the Holy Eucharist.

The Church Fathers believed that the Eucharist is Jesus.
St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Smyrnaeans [A.D. 110]
“Take note of those who hold heterodox opinions on the grace of Jesus Christ which has come to us, and see how contrary their opinions are to the mind of God. . . .They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which that Father, in his goodness, raised up again. They who deny the gift of God are perishing in their disputes.”

St. Justin Martyr, First Apology [A.D. 151]
“For not as common bread nor common drink do we receive these; but since Jesus Christ our Savior was made incarnate by the word of God and had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so too, as we have been taught, the food which has been made into the Eucharist by the Eucharistic prayer set down by him, and by the change of which our blood and flesh is nurtured, is both the flesh and the blood of that incarnated Jesus.”

St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies [circa A.D. 180]
“He has declared the cup, a part of creation, to be his own blood, from which he causes our blood to flow; and the bread, a part of creation, he has established as his own body, from which he gives increase unto our bodies.”

Before moving on to some later Church fathers, notice how early the dates are on the above quotes. St. Ignatius of Antioch purportedly knew the Apostle John. He certainly learned much of the faith from others who knew Christ and the Apostles.

The dates are significant since some Protestants say that the Catholic Church was invented around the time of Constantine in the fourth century. These Church fathers show that Catholic beliefs go all the way back to the early days of the Church.

St. Athanasius, To the Newly Baptized [early fourth century]
“This bread and this wine, so long as the prayers and supplications have not taken place, remain simply what they are. But after the great prayers and holy supplications have been sent forth, the Word comes down into the bread and wine — and thus is His Body confected.”

St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures [circa A.D. 350]
For just as the bread and the wine of the Eucharist before the holy invocation of the adorable Trinity were simple bread and wine, but the invocation having been made, the bread becomes the Body of Christ and the wine the Blood of Christ.

Many more quotes from the early Church could be given, but then this post would go on for pages. As we see, the early Church had a clear understanding that the Eucharist is really Christ’s body and blood. Protestants today should re-examine their beliefs in light of the teaching of those who sat at the feet of the Apostles and their early successors.

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Why Be Catholic Instead of Orthodox?

Times are tough in the Catholic Church. A large number of Catholics don’t fully practice their faith. Many priests spew heresy and celebrate irreverent liturgies. The pope makes statements that — rather than clarifying the faith — leave us more confused about what Catholicism actually teaches.

Many Catholics have had enough of Rome and have sought refuge in the Orthodox Churches. Orthodox Christians appear more firmly rooted in Tradition, while Catholics (especially Roman Catholics) have seemingly compromised too much with the modern world.

But is Orthodoxy really a valid option for Catholics? Here’s why the answer is a firm “no.”

Orthodoxy is more ethnic than universal.
The different branches of Orthodoxy are defined by their ethnicity. Divisions include Russian, Greek, and Serbian, and each is self-governing. Our friend Dr. Scott Hahn has referred to this phenomenon as “denomi-nationalism” (as in denominations defined by nationalism) and noted it’s too similar to Protestant denominations.

God’s Old Covenant with the Jewish people was based on ethnicity. But under the New Covenant, Christ established a universal Church that would reach beyond the boundaries of ethnicity and nation. The pope would be the visible head of this worldwide body.

But one may argue, “Isn’t the pope the head of the Roman Catholic Church? How is that different from, say, the Russian Orthodox Church?”

The pope is based in Rome, but he doesn’t have to be Roman. Pope St. John Paul II was Polish. Pope Francis is from Argentina. Keep in mind the pope isn’t just the bishop of Rome; He’s the ruler of the worldwide Church.

It’s true that the Roman Rite was influenced by ancient Roman customs. But the pope is also head of different Eastern Churches that — unlike the Orthodox — have maintained communion with him. These Eastern Churches recognize there’s an ecclesial unity that’s greater than ethnic ties or country of origin.

We are naturally loyal to those most like us. Christ calls us to a higher level of connection in the Church, where people from every nation, ethnicity, and race come together to praise their Creator. As St. Paul eloquently put it in Galatians 3:28, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

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Does Jesus Dislike the Rosary and Other Repetitive Prayers?

In Matthew 6:7 (King James Version), Jesus says, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”

Many Protestants accuse Catholics of violating this command when they pray the rosary. After all, the rosary includes 53 Hail Marys!

Do the rosary and similar long prayers qualify as “vain repetitions”? No and here’s why.

“Vain repetitions” is not an accurate translation.
The King James Version interprets the Greek word battalagesete as “vain repetitions.” A better translation is “stammering.” Jesus tells us not to pray like the pagans, babbling on to get God’s attention.

Jesus doesn’t condemn repetition.
Many ancient pagans believed they had to pray for a long time to get the gods’ attention. If their prayers fell short, they wouldn’t be answered.

Jesus condemns this superstition, but nowhere does He condemn repetitive prayers. Don’t pray the rosary believing it’s the only way to get God’s attention. Pray it with devotion and submission to God’s will, knowing that it’s the purity of your intention — not the length — that matters.

The Bible contains repetitive prayers.
Psalm 136 repeats the refrain “for his steadfast love endures forever” over two dozen times. Given that the Holy Spirit inspired all of Scripture, this is a case of a divinely sanctioned repetitive prayer.

The key to any prayer — long or short — is love. Don’t let guilt motivate you to say long prayers. Treat your longer prayers as a loving conversation. Spouses in love never tire of repeating fond expressions to each other.

Sometimes a short prayer or even a sigh to God is all you need.

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If Jesus Is Our Mediator, Why Do We Need Priests?

In 1 Timothy 2:5, St. Paul says, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

Many Protestants whip out this verse when challenging Catholics on the priesthood. After all, Catholics claim that priests can forgive sins and communicate God’s grace. Isn’t this distracting us from Christ?

To answer this question, let’s start by considering a tasty pumpkin pie.

The pie versus the participation model of mediation.
Imagine a pie divided into six slices. If you take a slice for yourself, someone else misses out on that piece.

Protestants view mediation in a similar way: If you confess your sins to a priest, you’re taking away from Jesus’ mercy. For Protestants, it’s Jesus or the priest. It’s a zero-sum game.

The Catholic view on mediation is based on the participation paradigm. When the priest absolves you from your sins in Confession, it’s Jesus absolving you through the words and gestures of the priest.

God can forgive sins on His own, but He wants us to participate in His great plan of salvation. We are supporting actors in this drama, not passive observers. Priests play a role more closely involved with Jesus’ saving actions.

We need priests because we are soul and body.
God wants to reach us in a way appropriate to the nature He gave us. We each have a physical body and a spiritual soul. As St. Thomas Aquinas affirms, all our knowledge originates from sense knowledge. We rely on the knowledge acquired by our five senses even to understand spiritual realities. (Try imagining God without any sort of image. Bet you can’t! And no, imagining only a black or white canvas doesn’t count because those are still images.)

God communicates spiritual gifts to us through the physical world, whether that be the words of absolution from a priest, the Eucharist, or the baptismal waters. If a priest says, “Your sins are forgiven,” you can be confident that God has truly freed you from them.

Ultimately, priests are a sign of Christ’s nearness to us. He’s not content to reign in heaven out of our sight. He comes to us through the words and gestures of the priest and, ultimately, through the Eucharist consecrated by His power through the hands of His ministers.

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Why Do We Fast and Abstain?

Lent is here again. For most Catholics, that means fasting and abstaining on the appointed days during this season.

Many Catholics follow the Church’s fasting and abstinence rules without thinking about the spiritual significance. Our culture emphasizes fasting for its physical benefits, but there are also spiritual fruits.

Let’s get clear on what fasting and abstinence are and how they help us grow closer to God.

What’s the difference between fasting and abstaining?
Many people confuse these two terms. Fasting is eating less or avoiding food for longer periods of time than normal. The Church defines it as limiting yourself to one full meal a day, with the option of having two smaller “meals” that together don’t equal a full meal.

For example, you could have a muffin in the morning, a full serving of pasta at lunch, and an apple at night. Typically, there’s no eating between meals.

Abstinence means avoiding meat and some seafood. (Most seafood is allowed on days of abstinence.)

Fasting and abstinence help you grow in virtue.
These two Lenten practices relate to the cardinal virtue of temperance, by which we moderate our enjoyment of sense pleasures. God created a sense of pleasure for our enjoyment, but since Adam and Eve’s fall our drive for food, drink, and sex has gotten out of whack. We have to intentionally rein in these desires so they don’t enslave us and take God’s place as Lord of our hearts.

Interestingly enough, controlling these instincts often leads to a more wholesome and greater enjoyment of them. Nothing tastes as good as a meal after a full fasting day! Let these instincts rule us, however, and they become cruel overlords.

What if you struggle to fast and abstain?
Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s better to follow the Church’s minimal requirements rather than feel as if you’ve failed. If you want to pursue a more rigorous schedule of fasting and abstinence, you need to work up to it. Consider talking with a spiritual director to ensure you’re not taking on more than you can handle.

Accept the suffering that comes from fasting and abstinence.
Whether you follow or go beyond the Church’s minimal requirements, you’re going to suffer for your sacrifices. Embrace the feeling and offer it to God, who asks so little of you compared to the agony of His Son on the cross.

Suffering is fertile soil that leads to the growth of divine life in us. This Lent, let’s make a special effort to embrace our sacrifices with openness and love.

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What Does It Mean to “Offer It Up”?

One of the most stereotypical Catholic expressions is “offer it up.” You may hear these words after a painful ordeal, maybe something as simple as stubbing your toe, or a life-altering event, such as losing your job or being diagnosed with a disease.

You may roll your eyes when you hear this expression because it sounds dismissive. It may make you feel that the person saying it isn’t interested in helping you solve (or even listen to) your problem.

On the contrary, offering up your suffering is actually a superpower given to you by God to help save your soul and the souls of others.

Let’s unpack the rich meaning of this phrase.

You can choose to suffer to help others carry their burdens.
Let’s examine it first from a natural perspective and then a supernatural one.

In the natural order, you can better the lives of others in many different ways. For example, you can teach, encourage, or correct them. You can better the lives of others also by sharing their burdens. For example, you can care for a friend who is sick.

You can also share supernatural burdens.
In the order of grace, God allows you to take on others’ burdens to help them get to heaven. Suffering is a result of sin — we have to undergo punishment to purify ourselves. By suffering, you’re able to make satisfaction for your neighbor’s sins.

There’s no guarantee that your action will convert the person you are praying or suffering for. Although they may resist God’s grace, suffering for them will change you by helping you become a more loving and giving person.

How to handle suffering.
On its own, suffering is not a good thing. We only glorify it insofar as it helps us conform our hearts to God and contribute to our neighbor’s salvation.

But suffering is an unavoidable part of life. Rather than pretending it doesn’t exist, you need to learn how to love God through it. Suffering doesn’t come from our Lord, but He makes use of it to purify you of everything that separates you from Him.

The goal is to understand “offer it up” as an invitation to greater love. Let’s start this Lent with a renewed desire to give more of ourselves to God and our fellow human beings.

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