SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

BY PETER CANISIUS MICHAEL DAVID KANG

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day the whole Church celebrates together the great occasion of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrating one of the four great Marian Dogmas of the Church, namely the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God, Mary. What does this Immaculate Conception actually mean, brothers and sisters in Christ? Quite a few of us still do not have the right understanding of what this celebration and event actually means.

We celebrate this Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary on the eighth day of December, and it is related to another celebration, exactly nine months later, on the eighth day of September, that is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is where people often confuse between the term ‘nativity’ and ‘conception’. While the former means birth, that is the moment when a baby is born into the world, out of his or her mother’s womb, the latter means the moment when life is conceived, from a father and a mother, in the womb of the mother, which is ideally nine months before the date of birth, as in humans pregnancy lasts for approximately nine months.

Therefore, today’s celebration of the Immaculate Conception of Mary focuses on that very important, unique and pivotal moment when Mary, the Mother of God and the Mother of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, was conceived in the womb of her mother, St. Anne, as the child of her parents, St. Joachim and St. Anne. And the word ‘Immaculate’ has the meaning of pure and blameless, referring to the state in which Mary was conceived, free from the taints and corruptions of original sin.

Why is this significant, brothers and sisters in Christ? First, let us all examine what is this original sin that has just been mentioned. For those who are not sure what original sin is all about, it is the original and first sin of our ancestors’ disobedience as elaborated in our first reading today from the Book of Genesis. Surely all of us know the story of how Satan, in the form of a snake, tempted Eve, the first woman and companion of the first man, Adam, to eat of the fruits of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

The Lord had specifically ordered man not to eat of the fruits of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but Satan tempted them with many false promises of power and knowledge, glory and greatness, saying that if man were to eat of the fruits they would be like God and they would not perish unlike what the Lord had said. And through these sweet lies and tempting words, Satan led mankind down the path of disobedience, and through disobedience, sin entered into the hearts, minds and souls of man.

Ever since then, our human nature had been tainted by the corruption of sin, this original sin of Adam and Eve, the disobedience of man against their Creator, Lord and Master. They opened the floodgates that allowed sin to enter into us and enslave us, ruling over us and having dominion over us. And it was also because of sin that we have been cast out of the Gardens of Eden and having to endure suffering in the world, and eventually death.

Thus, through temptation, the first man and woman fell into sin and brought the whole race of mankind into sin and death. This is what original sin is all about. But if we notice, just as the Lord proclaimed the punishment due to sin in our first reading today, He also proclaimed at the same time, what would happen in the far future, that God would save His people and crush Satan who caused man to fall.

He said that while Satan would ‘strike at the heel of man’, meaning that all these while he has been trying hard to destroy us, by means of persuasion, coercion, trickery and temptations, but through the Woman, God will defeat Satan, and the Woman shall crush the head of Satan, a figurative expression of what would come to fulfilment in Mary and her Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

And therefore, yes, Mary is the Woman mentioned by God, as the one through whom God would send His deliverance to His beloved people. Despite all of our sins, God’s love for us still endures, and that is why, He is willing to lift us up from our downfallen state, and He always seeks to be reconciled with us and to forgive us all our many sins. He did it all by sending none other than His own Begotten Son, the Word of God and the Son, into this world.

And the Word was made Flesh, according to the Gospel of St. John, and dwelled among man, and this is our core belief, that God Himself has assumed the body and essence of man, our human nature, that in the person of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, exist two distinct yet inseparable natures of divine and human. And as all humans are, He is to be born of a mother, and this mother is none other than Mary.

However, because this Man is not just like any other man but God Himself incarnate in the flesh, there can be no taints or corruption of sin around Him. This can also be alluded commonly in the Ark of the Covenant of the time of the Old Testament and ancient Israel, where the Ark of the Covenant bears the Law of God, the tablets of the Ten Commandments, the heavenly manna and the rod of Aaron, as the symbol of God’s presence among His people.

If we refer to the Books of Exodus and other books of the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant was made of the most precious materials available to man, and it was hallowed and blessed by God, placed in the holiest part of the Tent of Meeting before the Temple of Jerusalem was built, and then in the Holy of Holies of the Temple. When the Ark was transported during the time of king David, one of the priests who accidentally touched the Ark was struck down, highlighting just how holy and special that Ark was.

And imagine then that there is this New Ark, crafted by the hands of God Himself, a Woman, prepared specially for this very purpose of containing the New Covenant between God and mankind. Christ, through His Passion, suffering and death has established that New Covenant between God and man, and because of that, His mother, Mary in whose womb the Lord dwelled for nine months before His birth at Christmas, is truly the New Ark of the Covenant, far greater than the old Ark of the Covenant.

That is why, coupled with the fact that God cannot coexist with sin and no sin can be in the presence of God, the Lord specifically set Mary aside from among all other sons and daughters of mankind, and by a singular grace, according to the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception, Mary was preserved from original sin, and was conceived without any taints of sin at all, free from that original sin and therefore is ‘Immaculate’ from the moment of her conception, right through her birth, and according to our faith, she remained free from sin and in perfect state of grace throughout her life.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, in Mary we have seen the coming of the Saviour, through her Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, born from her womb, she who is the New Ark of the Covenant, pure and blameless. And she is the terror of Satan and the demons, as through her, the Lord’s promise of Satan’s defeat has come true, crushing the head and pride of this wicked devil. But not only that, brothers and sisters in Christ, but Mary through her faith and complete obedience to God has shown us what we ourselves need to do as Christians in our lives.

Why is that so? That is because we must not forget that we ourselves are the Temples of the Holy Spirit, the Houses of God’s Holy Presence. We have received the Lord into ourselves, especially through the Eucharist, the Lord in His own Most Precious Body and Blood, His very essence into ourselves. Mary has kept herself faithful and she has devoted herself completely to the Lord, throughout her life, as challenging and difficult it had been for her. If she could do it, then we can do our best to follow in her examples too.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we celebrate in today’s great celebration of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, let us all therefore rejoice because God’s salvation has come to us through Mary, our beloved Mother, by her Son Jesus Christ. And through her example as the New Ark of the Covenant, let us all as God’s holy people, also be faithful in our own respective lives, that we show exemplary Christian attitudes and actions at all times, in our world today.

O Most Holy and Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, New Ark of the Covenant and the Immaculate Conception, pray for us all your sons and daughters who are sinners, and guide us all to your Son, Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Help us to follow the Lord and remain faithful to Him as you have done. May God bless us always, and may He strengthen us in our faith, now and forevermore. Amen.

If God made us to become saints, how can we do so?

Q. If God made us to become saints, how can we do so?

A. This is a question we should all ask ourselves every day of our lives!  However, the answer to this question is never ending.

It’s true, we are made to be saints.  God made us to be one with Him forever in Heaven.  We call this holiness, sanctity, or saintliness. But how do we do so?

First, we seek the truth.  Truth is discovered by faith.  Faith is not just believing in something we cannot know for sure.  It’s not just wishful thinking. Faith is knowledge. Certain knowledge.  And we ultimately obtain faith by allowing God to speak to our inner conscience and reveal that which is true.  This happens when two things are present. First, we engage our minds in the truth such as in the Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the teachings of the saints, etc.  Second, reading the truth is not enough.  We also need the “gift” of faith, meaning that when we hear the truth, God needs to confirm this truth as “true” in our conscience. God’s voice first revealed the truth through the Scripture, the Church or the saint, but then God tells us, interiorly, that this is His Truth.  When this happens, we must believe. When this happens, we are gifted with faith. We know, with deep interior certitude, that which God revealed.

Second, this process of coming to know the truth in faith is strengthened by prayer.  When we pray, it’s like adding fuel to a fire. The fire, which is faith, grows in intensity.  As it grows in intensity, we grow in faith.

Third, we must live what we come to know through faith.  This is an act of our will. When we choose to live the faith we come to know, we grow in charity, holiness and saintliness.  We become saints.

Though this is a greatly simplified explanation of the path to holiness, hopefully it points you in the right direction.

(Taken from My Catholic Faith)

What would be a reason for me to get into purgatory?

Q. What would be a reason for me to get into purgatory?

A. Let’s start with the painful truth.  The only way to enter into the full glory and splendor of the Beatific Vision, thus seeing God face to face and being in perfect communion with Him, is to be forgiven of every sin AND to be purified of every attachment to sin.  This is a glorious invitation and a demanding endeavor!

Purgation of all sin and all attachment to sin is not an option.  Only when we are perfect in every way will we be ready to enter into what saints have called “Divine Union” or “Mystical Marriage.”  Think of it this way: If you are attached to sin in your life, even the smallest imperfection, that attachment cannot enter into the presence of God.  God is all holy and pure love. God wants you to be in union with Him, but He will not accept your sinful attachments.

The first step is forgiveness.  But that’s the easy part. God, in His mercy, will forgive us of our sins if we are sorry and ask for forgiveness.  But the second step is to then become completely detached from all remnants of sin. For example, if you have a habit of being critical of others in your speech and you confess this, then you can be assured you are forgiven of all past sins of being critical.  But forgiveness does not mean you have been purified of the “attachment” you have to that sin. In this case, an attachment to the sin if being critical is the disordered tendency to be critical. An attachment is different from a temptation. An attachment is more of a habit you voluntarily formed.

Purgation is the process of breaking every sinful habit you have and detaching from all habitual sins and even imperfections so that you can be attached to God and His holy will alone.  But how on Earth do you do this? In the end, you don’t do it by yourself. Instead, you allow God to come into your soul and purify it of all sinful habits and attachments. And that will hurt!  But it will be a purifying hurt and will be freeing.

Purgatory refers to the purification process of all attachments we still have when we die.  Ideally, we would go through the process of purification here on Earth, before death, so as to enjoy Divine Union here and now and not only in Heaven.  But when we do not complete the process here on Earth, Purgatory will complete this process after death.

If that sounds gloomy, it’s not.  It’s beautiful when understood and embraced.

 

(From the Catholic Faith)

Is it OK to have rosary hanging over rear view mirrors in cars?

Q. I’ve seen people hang rosaries over the rear view mirrors in their cars and a few of them wear them around their necks. Is it OK to do that?

A. First of all, let me give a simple answer and say that I think these practices are fine. I’ve seen many rosaries hanging from rear view mirrors of people who are quite devout and love our Lord and His Blessed Mother. For them I believe it is a way of letting their love for Mary show forth for all to see. I think the same would be said for those who have worn them around the neck. So I think that if someone chooses to do either of these practices they are most likely doing it out of a devotion to and love for our Blessed Mother. Personally I do not hang the rosary from my mirror or wear it around my neck but I always have it in my pocket. And at night I sleep with it wrapped around my wrist. I suppose that keeping the rosary close to us is similar to wearing a cross or scapular or like hanging a sacred picture in our room. Rosaries are blessed objects so, for that reason, are good to have around.

With that said I think it must also be said that the Rosary is, first and foremost, an instrument of prayer. And I suggest to you that it is one of the best prayers we can pray. Rather than explain the Rosary in my words, allow me to offer you some of my favorite quotes from the great saints regarding the rosary.

“Never will anyone who says his Rosary every day be led astray. This is a statement that I would gladly sign with my blood.” St. Louis de Montfort

“Of all prayers the rosary is the most beautiful and the richest in graces…love the Rosary and recite it every day with devotion.”  St. Pope Pius X

“How beautiful is the family that recites the Rosary every evening.” St. Pope John Paul II

“The Rosary is my favorite prayer. A marvelous prayer! Marvelous in its simplicity and its depth.” St. Pope John Paul II

“The Rosary is a priceless treasure inspired by God.” St. Louis de Montfort

“There is no surer means of calling down God’s blessings upon the family… than the daily recitation of the Rosary.” Pope Pius XII

“The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer and the most efficacious means of attaining eternal life. It is the remedy for all our evils, the root of all our blessings. There is no more excellent way of praying.” Pope Leo XIII

“Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world.” Pope Blessed Pius IX

If you desire peace in your hearts, in your homes, and in your country, assemble each evening to recite the Rosary. Let not even one day pass without saying it, no matter how burdened you may be with many cares and labors.” Pope Pius XI

“Our Lady has never refused me a grace through the recitation of the rosary.” St. (Padre) Pio of Pietrelcina

“The greatest method of praying is to pray the Rosary.” St. Francis de Sales

“One day, through the Rosary and the Scapular, Our Lady will save the world.” St. Dominic

(Taken from My Catholic Faith)

Do devotions to Mary and praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet have any biblical foundation?

Q. Do devotions to Mary and praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet have any biblical foundation?

A. That depends upon what you mean by a biblical foundation.  Strictly speaking, the Bible does not explicitly say, “Pray the rosary and other devotions to Mary.” Nor does it explicitly say, “Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet.”  But, of course, that’s a somewhat obvious answer.  The real answer to your question has to do with the biblical foundation to those practices.  So let’s take a look at that.

Regarding devotion to Mary, there are numerous ways that devotion to her is found in the Bible.  Here are some of those ways.

First, the Rosary, which is the most common devotion to our Blessed Mother, is primarily Scriptural.  On each bead of the rosary we pray the words of the Angel Gabriel to Mary, as well as the words of St. Elizabeth to Mary.  “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.”  And, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb” (Luke 1:26-46).  Additionally, we pray the “Our Father” prayer which is directly from Jesus and pray the “Glory Be” prayer which is echoed in Scripture numerous ways.  So, yes, the Rosary is very Biblical in that sense.  We are primarily repeating certain Scriptures.  Additionally, in praying the Rosary we are to meditate upon one of twenty different Scriptural stories during each of the twenty decades.  So the prayers are Scriptural and the meditations are Scriptural.

Second, devotion to Mary in general comes to us from the fact that Jesus lived the Fourth Commandment perfectly.  That Commandment says, “Honor your father and mother.”   Jesus honored His mother perfectly and we are to imitate Jesus in all He does.  Therefore, we are to honor His mother, too.

Third, at the Cross Jesus said to the Apostle John, “Behold, your mother.”  And in giving Mary to John, the Church has always seen that Mary is given to all of us.  We are all to behold our mother in the person of Mary.

Fourth, Jesus gave Peter the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven and said that whatever he binds on earth is bound in Heaven (Matthew 16:19).  He gave Peter the gift of infallibly leading the Church into all truth.  We believe that this gift of infallible teaching did not stop with Peter but was passed on through the ages to all his successors whom we call the popes.  And these popes have definitively taught, in countless ages, the value of honoring our Blessed Mother.  So though this last point is not a direct biblical call to honor our Blessed Mother, it is an indirect Biblical command through the teaching of the Church founded by Christ in the Scriptures.

There are also numerous ways in which Mary is spoken of in the Old and New Testaments which would require a book to detail it all.  But hopefully the few thoughts above help.

Regarding the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the same basic principles apply.  Though this Chaplet is not mentioned in Scripture, the message and meditations are deeply Scriptural in every way.  “For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.”  This is the heart of the Chaplet and it is at the heart of the Gospel message.  In truth, there could not be a more Scriptural based prayer than this.  The Scriptures reveal God’s mercy, His gift of salvation and our need for it. The Scriptures point to Jesus’ saving sacrifice as the source of salvation and this Chaplet acknowledges that truth and calls upon that grace.  So, yes, it is very Scriptural.

The last point to make is this.  Be sure to use the Bible in the way it was written.  It was not written as a strict and complete road-map which answers every question directly.  Yes, it does answer every question and gives us the necessary message of salvation.  It is the fullness of revelation from God.  But Jesus never said to us, “Here is my Bible.  Follow it and only it.  Do not do anything that is not explicitly spoken of in these pages.”  No, what Jesus did is to start His Church through the foundation of the Apostles.  And from that Church the Bible was also given.  But the Bible must always be read in union with the Church and Her teachings through the ages.

Why did God choose Mary to be the mother of Jesus?

Q. Why did God choose Mary to be the mother of Jesus? Why was she so young?

A. These two questions are actually hard to answer with accuracy.  In many ways, the answers remain a mystery. But here are some thoughts.

From a theological perspective we can say that God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus because she, herself, was the Immaculate Conception.  This means that she was the only fitting mother for God in the flesh. Mary was conceived in the womb of her mother in a miraculous way in that she was conceived without sin.  God chose to bestow upon her a “preservative grace,” meaning, God preserved her from all stain of sin, including Original Sin, at the moment of her creation in the womb of her mother.  Of course, He did this so that she would be a fitting vessel for God the Son to become incarnate in her womb. The grace that preserved her came from the Cross of her Son Jesus, but it transcended time so as to free her at the moment of her conception.  Thus, her Son was her Savior even though He had not yet been born in time. If that’s confusing, try to ponder it for a while. It’s a great mystery of faith and a deep one also.

Additionally, Mary chose to remain free from sin throughout her life.  Just as Adam and Eve were born without sin, so was Mary. But unlike Adam and Eve, Mary never freely chose to sin throughout her life.  This made her the perfect vessel for the Son of God. Her body and soul were perfect making her the perfect instrument.

But this only answers your question from one perspective.  You may also be wondering, “But why Mary?” This is a question that is hard, if not impossible, to answer.  It’s most likely a matter of God’s mysterious will. Perhaps God, who can see all things and knows all people even before they are born, looked at all women from all time and saw that Mary was the one who would never freely choose to sin.  And perhaps for that reason God chose to gift her with the Immaculate Conception. But this is ultimately a mystery of faith that will be revealed only in Heaven.

As for your second question, “Why was she so young,” this may be easier to answer from a historical perspective.  Today, in the twenty-first century, it’s uncommon for a fifteen-year-old girl to marry and have a child. But it wasn’t that way back then.  When Mary had Jesus, she was not seen as being a dependent child but as a young woman ready to start a family. So it’s always important to try to understand the culture of the time when considering questions of history.

(taken from My Catholic Faith)

How Many Children Mary Had?

Q. How Many Children Mary Had

Q. Did Mary the mother of Jesus Christ, have other children after Jesus?

A. The short answer to this question is “No.”  But let’s explore further.

Most likely you are asking this question because some Scripture passages seem to suggest that Jesus had brothers and sisters.  For example, here are two such passages:

Mark 6:3 – Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?”

Matthew 13:55-56 – Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? Are not his sisters all with us?

So should we conclude from these passages that Jesus had brothers and sisters in a literal way, meaning Mary and Joseph had other children in addition to Jesus? Certainly not.

Below is a brief answer to this question that is taken from Chapter 3 – The God-Man and His Mother of the book My Catholic Faith!

The Virgin Mother

Scripture is quite clear that Mary conceived Jesus in a virginal way – by the Holy Spirit. Additionally, it is the constant teaching of the Church that she always retained her virginity. She had no other children and never engaged in the marital act with Joseph. Sometimes this is confusing since there are references in the Scriptures to Jesus’ brothers and sisters. But this language was commonly used in reference to cousins. So this shouldn’t confuse us if we understand the language of the time. In fact this is still a common practice in other cultures of our day. For example, those from various African countries commonly refer to those within their own village as their brother or sister when they are with them outside of that village. It was God’s plan that Mary only have one Son for various reasons. It was especially so because of the fact that we are all called to become brothers and sisters of Christ through spiritual adoption. Therefore, if Jesus had blood brothers or sisters it would have undermined his spiritual brotherhood with them. It would have made their relationship with Jesus different. But God desires this deeper spiritual relationship with all people. Mary is the only blood relation to Jesus, thus, she shares a special bond with Him that no one else does. But it had to be that way if God was to become true man.Interestingly, though, even Mary’s deepest bond with Jesus does not come as a result of her physical blood relationship. It comes, first and foremost, by her spiritual motherhood. She is united with her Son primarily by her perfect faith and obedience. It is this bond that surpasses the natural one.

Do Animals Go to Heaven?

Q. Do Animals Go to Heaven?

A.  This is a commonly asked question by children and youth.  It seems that the deep affection people have for their pets leads them to a strong desire for a “yes” to this question.  So the answer is…”yes,” “maybe,” “not exactly,” and “you can hope!”

This is a difficult question that does not have a clear and absolute answer. Therefore, any of the answers above could be correct.  However, let’s offer some clarity and possibilities regarding the afterlife and animals.

First of all, when we humans die right now, that is, when we die in this age in history before Jesus returns to establish “The new Heavens and Earth,” we believe that our body and soul separate.  The body dies and is “laid to rest” until Jesus returns in all His glory and brings about the resurrection of the body.  Until then, the body is dead.  However, the spirit of humans lives on.  Our spirit cannot die and, thus, Heaven (or Purgatory or Hell) await our spirits after earthly death.  Only humans, angels and God have eternal spirits.  Animals do not.  Therefore, for now, when an animal dies it is dead and there is no spirit that lives on in Heaven.

But wait just a moment!  There is hope that your pet, and all creatures, will rise again.  How and why?  The reason you can have this hope is because from the very beginning of time, in the original state of holiness (the Garden of Eden) it appears there were animals.  So, even though animals do not have eternal spirits, they are physical and have what we may call an animal soul.  An animal soul does die when the animal dies but there is no telling what may happen at the resurrection of the dead!  When Jesus returns in all His glory and all humans rise from the dead will animals and all living creatures also rise?  This is something you can hope for.

Furthermore, Isaiah 11:6 speaks prophetically about this new age to come.  And in that passage it says, “Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them.”  So is this a literal statement?  Is it proof that animals will rise?  Or is it just symbolic and figurative?  Hard to tell.  However, for that reason it is worth having hope that animals will have some share in the new Heavens and Earth to come!

(Taken from my Catholic Life)

If Adam and Eve Didn’t Sin, Would Jesus Still Die?

 

Q. If Adam and Eve Didn’t Sin, Would Jesus Still Die?

Q. If Adam and Eve didn’t eat the fruit, would Jesus still die on the cross?

A. No.  Jesus’ death was because of our sin.  Therefore, had sin never entered the world, Jesus would not have had to die.  This question, however, can only be answered in a “theoretical” way since Adam, Eve, and all of us did sin.  

Though this question is difficult to answer in a short and simplified way, let’s consider an analogy.  Let’s say that your parents ate poison. The result of this poison is death. The only cure for this poison is to receive a transfusion of new and healthy blood from someone not affected.  By analogy, you could say that Jesus entered the world without any effects of this “poison” so that He could offer the divine “transfusion” to Adam and Eve and all their descendants affected by the poison of sin.  Thus, the blood of Jesus is what heals us as we receive this blood poured forth from the Sacrifice of the Cross. We receive His saving blood by accepting Him into our lives, especially through the Sacraments and faith.

But this question brings up another more interesting question.  If Adam and Eve (and all us who descended from them) never sinned, would God the Son have become human?  Would He have taken on human flesh through the Incarnation by the Virgin Mary?

Though the death of Jesus was on account of our sin, His Incarnation (becoming human) was not solely so that He could die for our sin.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that one of the primary reasons for His Incarnation was “in order to save us by reconciling us with God,” but it also identifies three other reasons:  “so that thus we might know God’s love” “to be our model of holiness”; and “to make us ‘partakers of the divine nature’” (See CCC #457-460).

Therefore, it is speculated by some that even if there was no sin, God would have become flesh so as to fulfill these other effects of the Incarnation.  Perhaps that’s a bit deep and is only speculation, but it’s beautiful to reflect upon nonetheless!

Why did Adam eat the apple?

 

Q. Why Did Adam Eat the Apple?

Q. Why did Adam eat the apple?

A. The simple answer is that he was persuaded by the serpent (the devil) that eating the apple would be to his benefit.  That he would “become like God” if he ate it. Sadly, Adam believed this lie and chose to disobey God who told him not to eat it. This was the first sin and resulted in humanity falling from what we call Original Innocence. But to give a more thorough explanation, let’s consider the entire story in a broader way.

First of all, did Adam actually eat the apple?  Perhaps, but perhaps not. It’s important to understand that this story is not to read in a “literal” way.  But that doesn’t mean it’s not true. A good explanation of this comes from Cardinal Ratzinger in his book “In the Beginning …: A Catholic Understanding of the Story of Creation and the Fall” (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing).  In that book, Cardinal Ratzinger (who later became Pope Benedict XVI) stated, “It has become clear that the biblical creation narratives represent another way of speaking about reality than that with which we are familiar from physics and biology.”  He went on to explain that these stories “represent truth in the way that symbols do — just as, for example, a Gothic window gives us a deep insight into reality, thanks to the effects of light that it produces and to the figures that is portrays.” In other words, the story of Adam and Eve is true, but not necessarily in the way a science book is.  A science book presents truth in a literal way, explaining the physical truths as they are in this world. The story of Adam and Eve presents truth in the form of a symbolic narrative. Whether or not Adam actually ate the apple in the literal way explained in that symbolic narrative is not important. What is important is the truth that narrative presents.

So what is the truth it presents?  It presents us with the fact that our first parents turned from God in disobedience.  The consequence was a fall from the original state of innocence and union with God that they were made for.  Therefore, the answer remains that Adam “ate the fruit” for selfish motivations because he believed the lie that disobeying God was better for him.  He was selfish and failed to trust the truth of God.

(Taken from My Catholic Life)

All Souls Day - An Article

All Souls Day

The earthly Church prays for the Church in Purgatory in hope of a reunion in Heaven

Every country has a civic feast day dedicated to soldiers who died for the nation. Every country has a tomb of the unknown soldier where an honor guard stands solemnly erect near an unnamed hero whose grave represents all the unknowns who never walked off the ship to hug their wife, who never met their parents at the airport and drove home. All Souls Day is like such Memorial Days and Tombs of the Unknown. Because of the Church’s ancient pedigree, timeless customs, and unmatched role in shaping cultures, it is more apt to say, though, that civic customs and ceremonies imitate the Church’s practice rather than the opposite.

The Feast of All Souls is the Catholic Memorial Day. Today the Church commemorates the souls of all the baptized who have died and yet who do not yet enjoy life with God in heaven. It is Catholic teaching that souls needing post-death purification can benefit from the prayers, alms, sacrifices, and Mass offerings of souls on earth. The Old Testament recounts the Jewish belief that the deceased benefit from temple sacrifice made on their behalf (2 Maccabees 12:42–46). Continuing this Semitic practice, prayers for the dead were offered by Christians from the very earliest years of the Church. The walls of the Christian catacombs of Rome were crowded with innumerable marble plaques in succinct Latin praying for the dead. There has never been a time when the Church has not commemorated, remembered, and prayed for the dead.

Few die with their souls so perfectly purified from sin and imperfection that they proceed directly to the Beatific Vision. No one is prepared for a ten thousand amp light to shine into their eyeballs the moment they awake. Nor at the moment of death would most be prepared for the intense light of God Himself to gaze into our imperfect souls. We would simply not be ready for such a holy searchlight examining our every dark corner. The soul first needs to be purified. Its sins must first be burned away in the fire of God’s merciful love. This is purgatory. It is the ante-chamber of heaven, the place of waiting and preparation where the soul is readied to enter and absorb the whitest of God’s light. But souls in purgatory have no free will or ability to atone by themselves for themselves. They depend on us. They advance in purification due to our prayers and offerings for them. This is why we pray for the dead and offer Masses for their advancement into heaven.

The Feast of All Souls, then, is much more than a spiritual family reunion where we visit the graves of our ancestors and recall with a tear all the good times. All Souls Day longs for a deeper bond, for an ultimate reunion with God at the head of the family in heaven with all His saints and angels. The dark arts of pagandom understand well the role the dead play in the imagination of the living. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, zombies and witches surface in many cultures on this day. They manifest a frustrated, non-Christian longing for the afterlife. These characters are the living dead who inhabit the middle ground between earthly life and ultimate death. The undead, the forever young, the “after life but before judgment” souls lust after the flesh and blood of the living to preserve their immortality. In this imaginary world, death feeds on the sacrifice of life, especially young and beautiful life, so that dark powers can slake their thirst.

Today we put such fiction to the side and mobilize Christian prayer and sacrifice for Christian souls on a Christian Feast. Through the Sacraments, grace, redemptive suffering, alms giving, good deeds and fasting we move through the shadowlands of occult fiction, horror movies, and vampire legends. The hidden land of the dead is not just beyond the edge of the woods, or in the dark of night after the last ember of the campfire goes black and cold. The Church offers mystery enough for everyone. The deathly battle of good and evil, of devils against angels, of sin against grace, of the cross against temptation, is not fiction. It’s as serious as cancer. In this supernatural arena, souls hang in the balance, with heaven or hell, eternal life or eternal death, resting on the scales. Today we put our fingers on that scale and tip the balance in favor of those we love who have gone before us.

All Holy Souls, our prayers and Mass offerings are directed to you this day, in the hope that what we do on earth may benefit your advancement toward a fully divine life in heaven where you may, in turn, pray that we may one day join you there.

All Saints Day

All Saints Day

Heaven is populated with uncanonized holy men and women known to God alone

Martyrs were so revered in the early Church that their places and dates of death were sanctified by the candles, prayers, and votive offerings of the faithful grateful for their witness. So many were the martyrs, though, that by the early fourth-century it became impossible to solemnize each individually on the Church’s crowded calendar. There thus arose, over centuries, and in different ways in different regions, the custom of commemorating the memory of all the holy ones on one specific day of the year. By the early eighth-century, a Feast of All Saints was celebrated in Rome on November 1. The Feast was extended to the entire Church in the next century.

The universal sanctoral calendar of the Catholic Church is like a saint’s All-Star team. Only the most talented make the cut. There are many more canonized saints besides those on the universal calendar. Some saints are commemorated only locally or regionally, others are historically obscure, and still others did not give a sufficiently universal witness to merit inclusion on the Church’s universal calendar. The Church defines a saint as a soul enjoying the Beatific Vision in heaven. So, besides the famous saints found on the universal calendar and the lesser-known saints not on that calendar, there are still many more souls in heaven not officially recognized as saints at all. These are the saints we celebrate in a particular way today.

The Solemnity of All Saints commemorates all those holy men, women, children, martyrs, confessors and unknown others who lived lives of such holiness that upon death they either entered directly into God’s presence in heaven or duly purified their soul of every imperfection in purgatory before then advancing into His presence. All-Star saints such as Saint Augustine and Saint Francis of Assisi stand shoulder to shoulder in heaven with forgotten grandmas, quiet uncles, and unknown martyrs. These unrecognized but holy souls did not convert entire tribes, found religious communities, or have their bones crushed by the jaws of lions in the arena. Maybe they just kept their mouth shut when they had just the right words to humiliate a family member. Magnanimity. Perhaps they cooked dinner night after night for their family out of a sense of duty, while they gazed out the kitchen window, dreaming of another life far away doing greater deeds. Humility. Or maybe they refused to cooperate with an immoral boss and lost their job, never to recover financially, their dreams ruined for a principled stance. Fortitude.

The dense population of heaven is unknown to us on earth, but not to God, the audience of One we should most desire to please. There are as many pathways to God as there are people, since God wants to make a project of each and every one of us. All the saints lived heroic lives in their own unique ways. Some were the steeple to the village, seen by all and inspiring others to greatness. But most saints had lower profiles. They were more like the squat stone blocks forming the church’s foundation, silently holding up the entire structure. They received little notice or credit despite buttressing the entire building. Without their support the church, and all of its flash, would collapse. Today we commemorate those silent and sturdy ones who, without cease and without complaint, buttressed the family, the marriage, the parish, the Church, the community, the faith. Among the communion of saints are some few illustrious citizens whose virtues sparkle on their special days. But today we honor, remember, and seek to imitate that broader population of heaven never raised to the public altars but who offered their lives in quiet ways to God. They received the Body of Christ and lived His teachings in an exemplary manner in season and out of season until all seasons converged and God called them back to Himself.

All holy men and women, so close to us yet still so far, gather our prayers to yourselves and intercede in heaven on our behalf. May our holy desires be accomplished through that chorus of prayers you constantly present to the Father surrounded by all His angels in heaven.

Ten Commandments of Intercession

Ten Commandments of Intercession

Intercession may be the ultimate ministry in God's plan of salvation. Jesus forever lives to make intercession for us (Heb 7:25). He lived a simple life in Nazareth for thirty years and had a public ministry for three years. And now He has been interceding for us for almost two thousand years. That may tell us something of the inestimable importance of intercession.

The Church teaches that the intercession of the saints in heaven is "their most exalted service to God's plan" (Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC], 2683) — no matter how great was their work on earth. St. Dominic taught on his death bed: "Do not weep, for I shall be more useful to you after my death and I shall help you then more effectively than during my life" (CCC, 956).

One of many kinds of prayer is the prayer of petition. Intercession is a form of petition (CCC, 2634). It is petitioning God in the place of another person (see Ez 22:30, 13:5; Ps 106:23; CCC, 2741). Intercession implies that a person is unable or unwilling to petition God on his own behalf (Rm 8:26) and that the Lord sometimes permits us to substitute for others in prayer. Because God has given us authority (Gn 1:28) that He will not usurp, and because He will not usually impose His blessings on us, intercession makes a great difference. We don't receive because we don't ask (Jas 4:3). Intercession often is the difference between life and death, war and peace, healing or sickness, success or failure.

Protestants, Catholics, evangelicals, and charismatics all agree that intercession is God's urgent call to His people at this moment in history. Some maintain that Jesus' mother Mary has been repeatedly sent during this century to encourage us to intercede. We may be on the threshold of a golden age of intercession. Let us intercede to the maximum.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF INTERCESSION

1. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy strength" (Dt 6:5, our translation).
2. Thou shalt have God choose each member of an intercessory prayer group.
3. Thou shalt not intercede without first hearing God.
4. Thou shalt be as specific as possible.
5. Thou shalt have expectant faith.
6. Thou shalt love thy enemies.
7. Thou shalt expect spiritual warfare.
8. Thou shalt commit thyself to intercede for a set period of time.
9. Thou shalt change thy life-style.
10. Thou shalt not be too rigid about some of these guidelines.

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy strength" (Dt 6:5; Mt 22:37; Mk 12:30; Lk 10:27; our translation).

Intercession is not a matter of saying the right words but of having the right heart. If we love the Lord with all our heart, we have the right heart.

Furthermore, if Jesus is our Lord, we can hear Him (Jn 8:47; 18:37). The Lord will baptize us in the Holy Spirit (Mk 1:8), Who will teach us everything, remind us, and guide us to all truth (Jn 14:26; 16:13). Under Jesus' lordship, Jesus either originates every event or makes all things work together for the good of those who love Him (Rm 8:28). Under these circumstances, every happening, phone call, meeting, or conversation is a call to intercede. Under Jesus' lordship, His callings to intercede are self-evident.

THE SECOND COMMANDMENT

Thou shalt have God choose each member of an intercessory prayer group.

We want to motivate you to set up an intercessory prayer group. A good intercessory prayer group can be more used of God than some governments, corporations, or churches. An intercessory prayer group can direct the course of world events, prevent wars, change elections, and transform the world. Because intercessory prayer groups can be extremely powerful, they are a great threat to the devil, who will try to hinder their development. Therefore, we must have God form the group by handpicking each participant. Although all Christians are called to intercede, not all are called to be members of any intercessory prayer group. The group is usually small. Unity in this group is crucial so that the participants will be of one mind (Mt 18:19). The Lord often limits the number of participants in any intercessory prayer group, as He decreased the number of soldiers in Gideon's army (Jgs 7:4) and put the people out of the room before raising Jairus' daughter (Mk 5:40). However, there should be enough people in the group so as to have several gifts of the Spirit active in the group.

THE THIRD COMMANDMENT

Thou shalt not intercede without first hearing God.

When we petition God, we do not inform or persuade Him. He already knows what we need (Mt 6:8, 32), and He loves us much more than we love ourselves. When we intercede, it is God Who persuades and informs us. We're not putting words in His mouth; He's putting them in ours.

To help you hear God, begin an intercessory prayer time with praise. Pray in the Spirit. As you pray in another language, God may give you His word for your intercession. Fix your eyes on the Lord and let Him clear the air of your own preoccupations. Be slow to speak but quick to hear (Jas 1:19). "Where words are many, sin is not wanting; but he who restrains his lips does well" (Prv 10:19). Don't be afraid to be quiet or even bored. Occasionally, you may not intercede at all because you do not know God's will. Let the Lord speak to you through His word and seek prophecy above all else (see 1 Cor 14:1). Intercession is lip-reading Jesus, the great Intercessor and eternal High Priest. (See our pamphlet, Hearing God.)

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT

Thou shalt be as specific as possible.

It is often good to write down our intercessions. This may force us to be more specific. We should keep asking God questions about our prayer intention in order to get all the specifics He wants to reveal. For example, it's usually not wise merely to pray for God to "bless" someone. Specifically, what blessing does God want to give at this time? We should not pray for people in general, but for certain people. If God tells us, we should mention the people by name. Let's not pray for intercessions to be fulfilled "in God's time," but let's find out what God's time is. "Will not God then do justice to His chosen who call out to Him day and night? Will He delay long over them, do your suppose?" (Lk 18:7) Often God does not want us to pray generically for "His will to be done." Let's ask Him what His will is, and then pray for that. If we're too lazy or spiritually deaf to find out God's will, we should not try to live with this or adapt our prayer to this situation by praying in generalities. We should challenge ourselves to grow in hearing God. This is His will for us. For example, a good intercessory prayer may be: "I intercede for Sally to forgive Tom for what he did last Monday. Lord, may Sally repent and forgive before 3 PM this afternoon." Of course, sometimes we don't know the details of our intercessory prayer because God isn't telling us. It isn't because we're not listening. However, most of the time we can be more specific.

Many times our intercessions are so general there is no way to recognize the answer to our prayer. Especially at the early stages of intercessory ministry, it is important to see the connection between our intercessions and the unfolding of events.

THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT

Thou shalt have expectant faith.

Intercessors need the spiritual gift of faith to move mountains (1 Cor 12:9; Mt 17:20). When some use the term "expectant faith," they often just mean better faith or a faith one step up from doubt. By "expectant faith," we mean international, world-vision faith. "The intercession of Christians recognizes no boundaries: 'for all men, for kings and all who are in high positions' for persecutors, for the salvation of those who reject the Gospel' " (CCC, 2636). Intercessory prayer groups should expect to deal in international affairs, affect the election of world leaders, and affect the course of world events. After interceding for John's mother-in-law and the car to be repaired, it is not unusual for us to be led by the Lord from the local to the international. Intercessory prayer groups can be called to intercede for China, the Muslim nations, Russia, the World Bank, etc. Just think: possibly two elderly ladies sitting in the back of a church in Iowa may be "calling the shots" for world affairs. "God chose those whom the world considers absurd to shame the wise; He singled out the weak of this world to shame the strong" (1 Cor 1:27).

THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT

Thou shalt love thy enemies.

Although we need faith to intercede, love may be even more important. When we intercede, we take another person's place. Sometimes people don't take their own places in prayer because we all have our human limitations. At other times, we sin and are unfaithful in our prayer responsibilities. Intercessors fill the gap (Ez 22:30) and suffer because of others' weaknesses or sinful lack of responsibility. Intercessors naturally get tired of doing other people's jobs. We have enough to do without having to make up for others' lack of prayer. Intercessors are often unjustly burdened. Consequently, there's a fine line between interceding and cursing the persons for whom we're interceding (Nm 11:14; Jer 15:11, 15). Those for whom we intercede can easily become our enemies. We take their places but are usually not appreciated. Sometimes we are even persecuted by the persons whose burdens we carry in intercession. To be great intercessors, we must love our enemies, or we will refuse some of our most important intercessory opportunities. "In intercession he who prays looks 'not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others,' even to the point of praying for those who do him harm" (CCC, 2635).

THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT

Thou shalt expect spiritual warfare.

Because intercession is so powerful and of international and eternal significance, it is a tremendous threat to the devil. The devil will even contest your reading of this teaching. Only by God's grace have you been able to read this far. Great intercessors need some kind of intercessory prayer group not only for the power that comes with the use of more spiritual gifts, but also for protection from the evil one. An intercessory prayer group is a major offensive against the evil one. We must be ready to fight, rally the troops, and not be foolish enough to go it alone.

Furthermore, we must repent of sin so as not to give the devil an opportunity to infiltrate our lives and sabotage the movement of the Spirit in our intercession. We owe it to God, ourselves, the body of Christ, and those who will be affected by our intercession to go to Confession at least monthly. Because of our sinfulness, we will have casualties in the ministry of intercession, but these will be minimized by Christian community life and repentance from sin.

THE EIGHTH COMMANDMENT

Thou shalt commit thyself to intercede for a set period of time.

Because intercession often entails heavy-duty spiritual warfare, we will feel like quitting. This will prevent us from fully devoting ourselves to the work of intercession. Furthermore, it sometimes takes years for an intercessory prayer group to grow in unity, prophecy, and faith so as to be a world- force. In the military, soldiers usually commit themselves for four years. Intercessory prayer warriors need to commit themselves for a set time to an intercessory prayer group. We're not fit for the kingdom if we keep looking back after having put our hand to the plow of intercession (Lk 9:62).

In addition to long-term commitment, intercessors need to specify certain times each day for intercession. Traditionally, morning and evening have been used as special intercessory times. We intercede repeatedly throughout the day and even during the night, but we need set aside certain times to focus on intercessory needs.

THE NINTH COMMANDMENT

Thou shalt change thy life-style.

Intercession involves work, pain, and spiritual warfare. It is not an avocation but a vocation. Intercessors are "on call" twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, with no retirement. Because of these demands, intercessors find they have to simplify their life-style (see 1 Pt 2:11), crucify their flesh with its passions and desires (Gal 5:24), and follow the Spirit's lead in opposing the flesh (Gal 5:17).

The life-style of a widow seems to be especially appropriate for the intercessory ministry (1 Tm 5:5). Also, those homebound, sick, or elderly often have a good opportunity to devote themselves to intercession. Jobs which include mundane tasks (e.g., factory work or truck driving) often leave workers free to intercede. Intercession is such an important ministry that some choose to be celibate or to take a lower paying job to have a life-style more appropriate to their ministry of intercession. Whether a person is willing to make life-style decisions often makes the difference between a mediocre or a great intercessory ministry.

THE TENTH COMMANDMENT

Thou shalt not be too rigid about some of these guidelines.

What we have shared in this pamphlet is based on the Holy Spirit's wisdom expressed in God's word. It is confirmed by the experiences of many intercessors. Therefore, we ask you to take seriously these "ten commandments." However, while some of these guidelines are absolute (e.g., the first and sixth commandments), others admit of exceptions. For example, sometimes God calls for general prayers, spiritual warfare is not so intense, or a fast-talker is a good intercessor. However, these are exceptions. Let the Holy Spirit be your Guide (Jn 16:13). "The Spirit too helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us" (Rm 8:26).

CONCLUSION

Jesus said: "I solemnly assure you, the man who has faith in Me will do the works I do, and greater far than these. Why? Because I go to the Father, and whatever you ask in My name I will do" (Jn 14:12-13). Evagrius Ponticus has taught: "Do not be troubled if you do not immediately receive from God what you ask Him; for He desires to do something even greater for you" (CCC, 2737). One of our greatest privileges and responsibilities is to share in Jesus' intercessory ministry. In this write-up we seek to motivate all believers to intercede to the maximum. We encourage the formation of intercessory prayer groups, and we wish to help such groups persevere in intercession until Jesus' final coming. Finally, ask God for permission to intercede that this write-up bear a hundredfold harvest.

(First published on June 8, 2002 by Presentation Ministries)