Call No Man Your Father

Matthew 23:9 says, "Call no your father upon the earth, for one is your Father, which is in Heaven." Also, John 8:41 says that "we have one Father, even God."

This tells me that I should call no human being on the face of the earth, Father. But all good Roman Catholics do.

I assume that at some point you (and every other person on the face of this earth) called their male parent "father" or something similar. If we are to take the sentence literally, we may never refer to our male parent as "father", or even "dad", "daddy", etc. (these are all ways we have of referring to our biological male parent).

A closer look at the context of Matthew 23:9 reveals something else, though. The passage reads (from the RSV): But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ.

If we are to take this literally, we may never call a person "teacher". Extending this, we may never call a person "doctor," because it comes from the Latin word for "teacher." We may never use the honorifics "Mister," "Miss," or "Missus" (I'm assuming that's how you spell it - I've never actually spelled the word out before!) because they are colloquialized forms of the honorific "master." If we are to take this passage literally, there are many good protestants who are just as guilty as good Catholics. :-)

I think that Jesus was speaking in hyperbole - he was exaggerating to prove a point. The passage you cite is in the context of Jesus telling his disciples not to act as the Pharisees do - hoarding honor, demanding respect and reverence, putting down all others because they think they're better then everyone else because they are the "pure" ones, the ones who know how to act and how to pray and who have the inside track to God.

In this context there's many, many people, Catholic or not, Christian or not, who are spiritual Pharisees . . . but to pull that one verse and say Catholics shouldn't call priests "Father" . . . well . . . seems a bit much (unless we drop all of the other titles as well - master & teacher).

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo

Conscience & Authority

If I assess your answer correctly I hear you saying the final word regarding our faith and practice comes from:
1. A rightly informed conscience
2. The church (I assume you mean Roman Catholic)
3. The bishops
4. The Pope
Again if I am interpreting your meaning correctly a conscience would not be rightly informed unless it conforms to the opinions of the remaining three.

I'll quote myself (if you'll excuse the hubris):
Each person has the responsibility and the blessing to follow what they think is good, right, moral, ethical, etc. However, the Church doesn’t leave it there. It should be a properly informed conscience that directs each person's actions. "Properly informed" then becomes a catch-phrase that includes the following (not necessarily in order of importance): reading Scripture, listening to the teachings of the Magisterium of the Church (the Pope and/or a collective body of Bishops), praying for guidance from the Spirit on particular matters, listening to the stories told of our saints, discussing matters with trusted clergy/family/friends, and looking for guidance from secular authorities as needed (doctors, lawyers, psychologists, etc.).

So I would say that in my view of Catholicism one's conscience is the ultimate arbiter of authority. In most cases (99% of the time), that conscience will agree with the teaching authority of the Church and our Scriptures. But there will be times when a person's conscience will come in conflict with authority (the Spirit blows where it will) - in this case, our church affirms that in following your conscience you are following the still, small voice of the Spirit of God.

My belief, to state it briefly, is that the Bible, which I believe is God's inspired word, is the final authority in all matters of faith and practice. My question was not intended to be misleading nor tricky. My point in the question is this, it is next to impossible to reach any consensus of belief unless we are both using the same standard to determine what we believe. The scriptures are the final word for me because I believe they are God's word, the complete revelation of himself to us.

The Catholic position is that Scripture is indeed divinely inspired - but that doesn't mean that every single word and punctuation mark is set down by God. Here in America we even argue over which translation to use. Not to mention that the bible's we use are transliterations from 2,000 - 4,000 year old Greek & Hebrew . . . that's why, for Catholics, Scripture and Tradition form the cornerstones of faith, not Scripture alone. Also, maybe a semantic note, we look to Jesus as the complete revelation of God - the Bible, as with any literature, is full of different modes of writing (biography, song, poetry, history, myth, gospel,
etc.), and we need to distinguish between the different literary forms to try and interpret it correctly.

Trying to proof-text a particular belief straight from Scripture is not always productive - I've previously referenced Matthew 25 where Jesus specifically states that it is our actions which determine heaven or hell - whatsoever you do the least of my people, that you do unto me. Jesus also warns that at the judgment there will be those who shout out "Lord, Lord" and are told: I know you not. Also, it would seem that since the Protestant community is so fractured, it’s impossible to say that there is one standard to determine belief – otherwise, all Bible-based Christians would believe the same thing – it still comes down to a matter of interpretation, except instead of a Pope and Magisterium leading the discussion you have countless individuals all trying to (ahistorically in some cases) figure out what particular passages mean.

Having said that, I do believe that an intimate relationship with Jesus is needed - we gain everything in establishing this relationship with our brother and savior. But I also believe that for the majority of believers, that relationship is lived out and nourished within the context of a community - Acts specifically states that salvation was found through Jesus, but that Jesus was found only in and through the early Christian community. In contemporary Catholic theological terms, we talk of the Church being a sacrament of Christ, meaning that the Church is the tangible, visible presence of Jesus in the world, as Jesus was the sacrament of God when he walked the earth, being the tangible, visible presence of God on earth.

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo

PETA

I subscribe to the This is True mailing list. The last issue had a story about PETA, which I followed to the website. You can view the pages here and here after reading the story below.

The following story is from This is True dated 17 July 2005. It is Copyright 2005 Randy Cassingham, all rights reserved, and reprinted here with permission:

"Ethical" Defined

After more than 100 dead dogs were dumped in a trash dumpster over four weeks, police in Ahoskie, N.C., kept an eye on the trash receptacle behind a supermarket. Sure enough, a van drove up and officers watched the occupants throw in heavy plastic bags. They detained the two people in the van and found 18 dead dogs in plastic bags in the dumpster, including puppies; 13 more dead dogs were still in the van. Police say the van is registered to the headquarters of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and the two occupants, Andrew B. Cook, 24, and Adria Joy Hinkle, 27, identified themselves as PETA employees. An autopsy performed on one of the dogs found it was healthy before it was killed. Police say PETA has been picking up the animals -- alive -- from North Carolina animal shelters, promising to find them good homes. Cook and Hinkle have been charged with 62 felony counts of animal cruelty. In response to the arrests PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said it's against the group's policy for employees to dump animals in the trash, but "that for some animals in North Carolina, there is no kinder option than euthanasia." (Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald) ...Oops, my mistake: that's "Playing God" Defined.

In his author's notes section, Cassingham had more to say about this story:

The more I learn about PETA, the less I think of them. The story of them killing animals isn't even unusual. According to PETA's own filings, in 2004 PETA killed 86.3 percent of the animals entrusted to its care -- a number that's rising, not falling. Meanwhile, the SPCA in PETA's home town (Norfolk, Va.) was able to find loving homes for 73 percent of the animals put in its care. A shortage of funds? Nope: last year PETA took in $29 million in tax-exempt donations. It simply has other priorities for the funds, like funding terrorism (yes, really). But don't take my word for it: I got my figures from http://www.PETAkillsAnimals.com -- and they have copies of PETA's state and federal filings to back it up. The bottom line: if you donate money to PETA because you think they care for and about animals, you need to think some more. PETA literally yells and screams about how others "kill animals" but this is how they operate? Pathetic.

And you know what I wonder? PETA's official count of animals they kill is 86.3 percent. But if they're going around picking up animals, killing them while they drive around and not even giving them a chance to be adopted, and then destroying the evidence by dumping the bodies in the trash, are those deaths being reported? My guess: no. While 86.3 percent is awful, the actual number is probably much, much higher. How dare they lecture anyone about the "ethical" treatment of animals!

(This is True is a weekly column featuring weird-but-true news stories from around the world, and has been published since 1994. Click the link for info about free subscriptions.)

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo

My World Famous Potato Salad ® (tm)

I enjoy cooking, and one of the things I love to make (that people love to eat!) is my potato salad. It’s my own recipe, and several people have asked for it, so here you go - my World Famous Potato Salad ® (tm) – enjoy :)

Ingredient / Supply List:

• 5 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes (or any “gold” potato)
• 1 dozen large eggs
• Sea Salt
• McCormick Vegetable Supreme Seasoning
• McCormick Herbes de Provence
• Mayonnaise (1/2 Cup to 1 cup; I prefer HEB brand Mayo)
• Large Pot (for potatoes)
• Smaller pot (for eggs)
• Mixing Spatula or spoon
• Large Bowl
• Spoon for Mayo

(Please note that these instructions will be vague in some places) :)

1. In a large pot bring water to boil (I think I use a 2 Quart pot filled about 1/2 way with water; just make sure the pot is large enough to accomodate all the potatoes and still have room for the water to boil). Add a generous amount of Herbes de Provence to the water (or any herb blend – I like to infuse some flavor into the potatoes as they boil), as well as some Sea Salt to taste (or any kind of salt – potatoes are good at soaking up salt – but I prefer Sea Salt for the milder flavor and trace minerals that refined salt loses; if you need some iodine in your diet, they also sell Iodized Sea Salt, but I prefer the one you have to grind).

2. In a smaller pot, add 12 eggs and cover the eggs with about an inch of water. Bring them to a boil as well.

3. As both of these pots are starting to boil, wash and cube your potatoes. Make the cubes about bite-size, not too small or too large. I don’t skin the potatoes (gold potatoes tend to have a thin skin), but you can if you’d prefer. Add the potatoes to the pot as you continue to cube them.

4. Once the eggs have started boiling move the temperature down to simmer and keep them there for 10 minutes. When the time is finished, drain the boiling water down the sink and flush the eggs with cool water for about 5 minutes. (I tend to just leave the pot with the water running into in). (By the way, cooling your eggs like this before you peel them makes it easier to peel them) :)

5. Check on your potatoes – boil them until they are soft (but not falling apart – about 10-15 minutes should do it, depending on how large the cubes are).

6. Drain your potatoes and move them to a large container. Make sure it’s large enough to accommodate all of the potatoes, as well as the eggs, and still give you room to mix them once you add the mayonnaise.

7. Take your eggs and hit them on a hard surface three times – once on top, once on the bottom, and once on the side. Peel your way from the pointiest end to the roundest end carefully. They should peel well :)

8. Slice or cube your eggs (I use an egg slicer, but a sharp knife works, too) and put them on top of the potatoes. (If you’re worried about cholesterol use less eggs, or take out half the yokes before you slice them)

9. Add about a cup of mayonnaise (more or less depending on how creamy you want them) and then gently stir with a mixing spatula. Once it looks well stirred add in generous amounts of Vegetable Supreme seasoning and keep stirring. Also, add in more salt to taste.

10. I’ve added in shredded cheese and bacon to them before, both of which add a nice touch (and make them taste like loaded baked potatoes). You can add in any other things you like as well (pickles, celery, black olives, onion, mustard, etc.), but for a basic potato salad this works every time.

And that’s it – delicious potato salad for any time. Let me know if any of you try it! :)

Blessings & Peace,
Hugo

Authority Again

Continuing my post from a few weeks back :)

Catholic teaching has been, from our earilest time as a community of followers of the Way, to listen to the voice of our pastors, wether that's the earliest Apostles, the men appointed by them, or their eventual succesors. Scripture (in terms of the New Testament) did not enter the picture until after Paul started writing it. Then the other epistles came in, then the Gospels & Acts. It may come down to Scriptural interpretation - we had a community of believers (the Church) before we had a written document (Scriptures) of our belief. Even then, the canon of Scripture was chosen by the body of believers and ratified by the chosen few who were deacons, preists, pastors, bishops, etc.

I do not wish for the following to be taken as a judgment but rather an honest assessment based upon the personal relationship I know and am experiencing with Christ within myself. I do not see how an acceptable compromise on this issue can be reached between what is in your heart and where your church stands if a new birth as scripture discusses has occurred in your life. I would see your struggle being identical with that of Martin Luther who concluded that if Romans 1:17 "The Just shall live by faith," was true then how could he continue to practice the demands of his church, and chose to remove himself from it. I welcome continued discussion on the subject.

Martin Luther rallied against a form of Catholicism that never officially existed - selling indulgences/entrance into heaven, preaching that it was *only* through works that one could be saved, etc. We had many over zealous pastors, preachers, bishops and cardinals who saw a great way to make a quick buck and went for it. Some were passionate and honest in their preaching, but they still distorted what they thought to be Church teaching. Since the Second Vatican Council in the 1960's much of official Catholic doctrine has validated some of the concerns Martin Luther so famously posted on that Church door.

Be that as it may, the demands the Church makes are baseline demands - attend Mass on Sundays, celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once a year, make some time during the year to fast and abstain, pray, etc. The Church demands these things in an effort to remind us of our call to holiness - to remind us that as followers of Christ we should act as Christ would - praying often, fasting, striving to lead a life that is without blemish, loving in thought, word and deed, etc. It's an institution, so it finds institutional ways to call us to be more like Christ.

I'm reminded of retreats - on a retreat we make time and space to step away from our day-to-day lives and have peak experiences - transfiguration moments - which can't last forever. The Church, through it's long existence, has found certain elements to be important to the life of a believer (prayer, Scripture, almsgiving, fasting, community celebrations, periods of purgation, etc.) - so she calls her children to follow these. Some don't, some chaff under the assault on their "individuality" and "freedom," some hesitantly accept, some perform them only outwardly . . . but some respond to them, and are called to a deeper relationship with Jesus.

It's for that reason alone that the Church continues to call forth to the community of believers to respond in certain ways - to develop and nurture a deep and abiding love of God.

So yeah, I will rail against the Church and assert the primacy of my individual conscience . . . and the Church officially agrees with me. The Church will continuously remind me, however, that the things I am called to are good . . and they have been around for millenia . . . and in my individual freedom of choice, I should at least attempt the disciplines that the greatest of our Christian saints & martyrs have used time and time again to nourish themselves and ascend to the heights of holiness.

Blessings & Peace,

Hugo