According to the teaching of the Catholic Church, Jesus has two separate natures, human and divine, united within His one Person. Therefore, He is both God and man at the same time. This is what enabled Him to die and atone for us - His dual nature. The other reason was that He was perfect, the most holy, perfect man that ever lived. He was sinless.
Although Jesus was perfect, Jesus was also human. He understood our faults, failings and saw them in others. Jesus was accustomed very much to life as we know it. While He may not have had cars and subways in his day, He was accustomed to manual labour and the sweaty smell of men (remember that He was a carpenter). He was also accustomed to intellectualism and both its merits and its many failings - remember that He debated with Israel's finest and sharpest lawyers in the temple.
Jesus also felt human emotion. When Lazarus, his friend, died Jesus wept. (John 11:35, the shortest single bible verse). Was Jesus scared before He died? I bet He was. Surely. He cried tears of blood! (Luke 22:39-46). Yet, obiediently, He modeled the way for us by obeying his heavenly father.
Our Christian culture sometimes, quite regrettably, porrays and overly stern and judgemental view of God. While this is true in the sense that God wishes us to turn from our sins and not willfully engage in sin, He loves us. Always. He said to the woman caught in adultery - in the very act - "Neither do I condemn you. Go, and sin no more." He forgave Peter, who became an apostate and denied Him thrice. He even made Peter the first Pope! He will always forgive us, as long as we are sincerely sorry and come to him with a humble heart.
Jesus is God, and God is love.
Recommended further reading/watching:
-The Passion of the Christ (movie) starring Jim Caviezel and directed by Mel Gibson
-A Life of Jesus by Shusaku Endo
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Jesus - Who is He?
Who is Jesus? There is so much confusion about Him in the world today. To atheists, agnostics and others, He was simply a carpenter from Nazareth in Israel who was crucified by the Romans for revolting. To the never-ending line of self proclaimed gurus and self-made spiritual coaches today, He is just one in a long queue of saviors sent to the world.
To us Catholics, and most other Chistian groups, Jesus is the one Savior sent from God to save mankind from their sins. According to the Bible and Christian Doctrine, Jesus died on the Cross to atone for our sins through the sacrifice of Himself. However, to Christians, Jesus is not just someone sent by God, but also-at the same time-God Incarnate (God made into flesh). According to the Catholic Church, this means that he has two separate yet united natures: human and divine. He was also sinless. He did not sin, and so could die on the Cross to redeem us from our sins.
What is necessary to be "valid" for this redemption? Firstly: all who genuinely know the Good News of the Lord and the news of his salvation must ask God to take away their sins, and believe (having faith) in Jesus and his death on the Cross. Secondly (and this is where the teaching of the Catholic and Protestant churches differs), they need to live and act out their faith by at least trying to keep from sin and engaging in good works. (James 2:20, "Faith without works is dead").
To us Catholics, and most other Chistian groups, Jesus is the one Savior sent from God to save mankind from their sins. According to the Bible and Christian Doctrine, Jesus died on the Cross to atone for our sins through the sacrifice of Himself. However, to Christians, Jesus is not just someone sent by God, but also-at the same time-God Incarnate (God made into flesh). According to the Catholic Church, this means that he has two separate yet united natures: human and divine. He was also sinless. He did not sin, and so could die on the Cross to redeem us from our sins.
What is necessary to be "valid" for this redemption? Firstly: all who genuinely know the Good News of the Lord and the news of his salvation must ask God to take away their sins, and believe (having faith) in Jesus and his death on the Cross. Secondly (and this is where the teaching of the Catholic and Protestant churches differs), they need to live and act out their faith by at least trying to keep from sin and engaging in good works. (James 2:20, "Faith without works is dead").
Quotes 1
Here are some quotes I dug up. They spoke to me in their own way and I hope they speak to you too.
The wild worship of lawlessness and the materialist worship of law end in the same void. Nietzsche scales staggering mountains, but he turns up ultimately in Tibet. He sits down beside Tolstoy in the land of nothing and Nirvana. They are both helpless — one because he must not grasp anything, and the other because he must not let go of anything. The Tolstoyan's will is frozen by an instinct that all special actions are evil. But the Nietzscheite's will is quite equally frozen by his view that all special actions are good; for if all special actions are good, none of them are special. They stand at the crossroads, and one hates all the roads and the other likes all the roads. The result is — well, some things are not hard to calculate. They stand at the cross-roads.
-G.K Chesterton
"Ought history to hide the faults of men and Orders? It was not after this fashion that the Saints laid open the scandals of their times... God indeed has conferred upon His Church the prerogative of infallibility, but to none of her members has He granted immunity from sin. Peter was a sinner and a renegade, and God has been at pains to have that fact recorded in the Gospels".
-Jean-Baptise Henri Lacordaire, O.P.
"But after all it seems to me that Catholicism is not a solo, but a symphony… If I have trust in Catholicism, it is because I find in it much more possibility than in any other religion for representing the full symphony of humanity. The other religions have almost no fullness; they have but solo parts. Only Catholicism can present the full symphony".
-Shusaku Endo
The wild worship of lawlessness and the materialist worship of law end in the same void. Nietzsche scales staggering mountains, but he turns up ultimately in Tibet. He sits down beside Tolstoy in the land of nothing and Nirvana. They are both helpless — one because he must not grasp anything, and the other because he must not let go of anything. The Tolstoyan's will is frozen by an instinct that all special actions are evil. But the Nietzscheite's will is quite equally frozen by his view that all special actions are good; for if all special actions are good, none of them are special. They stand at the crossroads, and one hates all the roads and the other likes all the roads. The result is — well, some things are not hard to calculate. They stand at the cross-roads.
-G.K Chesterton
"Ought history to hide the faults of men and Orders? It was not after this fashion that the Saints laid open the scandals of their times... God indeed has conferred upon His Church the prerogative of infallibility, but to none of her members has He granted immunity from sin. Peter was a sinner and a renegade, and God has been at pains to have that fact recorded in the Gospels".
-Jean-Baptise Henri Lacordaire, O.P.
"But after all it seems to me that Catholicism is not a solo, but a symphony… If I have trust in Catholicism, it is because I find in it much more possibility than in any other religion for representing the full symphony of humanity. The other religions have almost no fullness; they have but solo parts. Only Catholicism can present the full symphony".
-Shusaku Endo
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
St. Francis and the Sultan
This is an account of St. Francis meeting with the Sultan. It gives a powerful message of peace and hope for all of us, Christians and Muslims, and by extension, all peoples.
"Francis was sick of the fighting. Sick of war being waged in the name of the Prince of Peace. He left Assisi for the lands of the Crusades. He would demand an audience with the Sultan. He would explain everything, the merciful teachings of Christ. On behalf of his Muslim brothers, the Sultan would forgive Francis' Christian brothers. He would be so moved that he would lay down his arms and follow Christ.
Malik al-Kamil had heard about the Poor One of Assisi. Having spent his life learning the mystical side of Islam, the Sultan saw Francis as a fellow Sufi. It would not take much to awaken his Christian brother, who would remember his true nature and embrace Islam.
"As'salaam alaykum, Peace be upon you", the Sultan greeted when Francis entered his tent.
"Alaykum as'salaam, May God's peace be upon you too," Francis answered.
Francis knelt before Malik.
"Tell me about your faith," said the Sultan. "I wish to know what lights a heart such as yours on fire."
Francis spoke with a rush of passion and joy, anguish and acceptance. Malik listened with gratitude and respect. At last, the Sultan whispered, "La ilahha, il allah". The Friar echoed "There is no God but God".
"Muhammadah rasulullah," Malik added. "And Muhammad is his messenger".
Francis smiled. "And Jesus is his word made flesh."
The Sultan hugged Francis. "I'm afraid today is not my day to become a Christian," Malik said, though your faith is beautiful."
"Nor will I convert to Islam," Francis said, though your Prophet seems to understand the teachings of my Lord.
"Thank you for your wisdom," said the Sultan. "You are always welcome here. Pray for me, my brother, and farewell."
(From The Admonitions, V)
What this beautiful story shows is the way for religious harmony. We must always believe in our faith and not every faith, as some do, but we must never force it on others. Our job is always to "propose, not impose".
We should never treat bringing others into our respective faiths as some sort of race. It is a journey, for them and for us. Even the Quran says "There is no compulsion in matters of faith..." (Surah al-Baqarah: 256). The Church teaches something similar.
"Francis was sick of the fighting. Sick of war being waged in the name of the Prince of Peace. He left Assisi for the lands of the Crusades. He would demand an audience with the Sultan. He would explain everything, the merciful teachings of Christ. On behalf of his Muslim brothers, the Sultan would forgive Francis' Christian brothers. He would be so moved that he would lay down his arms and follow Christ.
Malik al-Kamil had heard about the Poor One of Assisi. Having spent his life learning the mystical side of Islam, the Sultan saw Francis as a fellow Sufi. It would not take much to awaken his Christian brother, who would remember his true nature and embrace Islam.
"As'salaam alaykum, Peace be upon you", the Sultan greeted when Francis entered his tent.
"Alaykum as'salaam, May God's peace be upon you too," Francis answered.
Francis knelt before Malik.
"Tell me about your faith," said the Sultan. "I wish to know what lights a heart such as yours on fire."
Francis spoke with a rush of passion and joy, anguish and acceptance. Malik listened with gratitude and respect. At last, the Sultan whispered, "La ilahha, il allah". The Friar echoed "There is no God but God".
"Muhammadah rasulullah," Malik added. "And Muhammad is his messenger".
Francis smiled. "And Jesus is his word made flesh."
The Sultan hugged Francis. "I'm afraid today is not my day to become a Christian," Malik said, though your faith is beautiful."
"Nor will I convert to Islam," Francis said, though your Prophet seems to understand the teachings of my Lord.
"Thank you for your wisdom," said the Sultan. "You are always welcome here. Pray for me, my brother, and farewell."
(From The Admonitions, V)
What this beautiful story shows is the way for religious harmony. We must always believe in our faith and not every faith, as some do, but we must never force it on others. Our job is always to "propose, not impose".
We should never treat bringing others into our respective faiths as some sort of race. It is a journey, for them and for us. Even the Quran says "There is no compulsion in matters of faith..." (Surah al-Baqarah: 256). The Church teaches something similar.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Why Christianity?
Part 1
Many people often ask: why Christianity? Look at all the Christians killing each other in the world today and in the past! Look at the Inquisition, the Crusades and all the atrocities committed by Christians!
That may be true, but the truth is that the same can be said for any religion. Muslims have had their own inquisitions and mass killings (many modern and past Islamic states), Jews have killed and murdered many (after the founding of Christianity), Hindus have rioted and lynched Christians and Muslims (India), and Buddhist and Confucian mobs have killed Christians and Muslims (16th century Japan and modern Xinjiang). Protestant Chrisitians too are not exempt. They have burned Catholics at the stake (under England's Elizabeth I) and many believe that the Iraq war was a form of Protestant crusade.
Others, in response to the above ask: then why religion?
In response, I point you to the Marxist and communist philosophies. Marxism and Communism had many good underlying principles, but one of their core philosophies was to eradicate all religion. What happened eventually were brutal, systematic persecutions of religious believers (USSR, China, North Korea, etc). Eventually, the principles of Marxism and Communism became so twisted and corrupted, and many communist regimes carried out systematic destruction of “disloyal” people (Khmer Rouge regime, USSR, etc).
Even the French Revolution, which was supposed to create an atheist and “humanist” state, culminated in the Great Terror, led by Maximiien Robespierre, who murdered many innocent members of the clergy, ordinary people and “people dangerous to the Republic” (in reality, Robbispiere’s political enemies).
However, when one truly examines the principles of any religion or philosophy, from Christianity to Islam to Buddhism to humanism and Marxism, teach, or attempt to teach, people to be good and kind human beings.
If everyone was perfect enough to live by any of the pure versions of these philosophies, the world would be a much better, even if not perfect place.
Yet people, due to their original sin and conspicuence (inclination towards evil) fall short of the high ideals preached to them and even twist these ideals to their own ends. The result is that all of us, rich or poor, Christian or Muslim, Jew or Sikh, have sin on our hands and in our heart.
Part 2
God is perfect. And being perfect, he cannot stand for sin or impurity in his Kingdom. No matter how much we mortals sometimes try our best to strive towards perfection, we often fall short and into evil and sin. Often, we give up, even.
But wait: how do we know that humanity has a natural instinct to strive towards the perfection of a perfect Lord, in spite even of their tendency to sin? How do we know that most humans, deep, deep down, want to be perfect?
Let us refer to the works of the great theologian, Thomas Aquinas. He observes that in no human culture is oppression considered good, cowardice considered wonderful and idiocy considered excellent. Despite the fact that humans disregard these ideals and often distort them, the fact remains: these ideals are present. The strife for perfection spans the human experience. This would make sense when put together with the teachings of Sacred Scripture, that we are made in God’s image.
Therefore, returning to the main discussion, we can see that a perfect God would not be able, by nature, to stand imperfection in his kingdom.
So are we stuck in this dark abyss? Forever?
The answer is no, for we also have a merciful Lord. Christianity teaches that he sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins, to atone for them and by that, to forgive us. This atonement covers all that we ourselves cannot atone for. Although this does not mean we do not face the temporal (physical) consequences of sin, it means that we are forgiven.
However he also expects us to do our part. We have to at least try to be good and caring men and women. We have to put effort into trying to change for the better, and we will have to pay the physical consequences for our sin. Yet, even when we, by virtue of our imperfect nature, fail at this, God understands, and he has forgiven us.
Part 3
But what of those who have never heard this message? What of those whom missionaries cannot reach? Are they all, through no fault of their own, doomed to eternal damnation?
The answer is no. God is not so unfair as to judge people according to a law they are genuinely not aware of. Unlike with human judiciaries, genuine and unintentional ignorance is a defence with God because he alone can see what truly lies in a man’s heart. For these people, they will be judged according only to the standard that they were aware of.
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