Christmas Reflection: That's My King

Part II
That's My King

In this Christmas season of the Church, we ought to spend time rediscovering Jesus. Who is this God-man? What did he do? Why should we love him? Why is our Church founded and grounded in him? Look for a series of posts leading up to the Epiphany on January 6 that reawaken our love for Christ and the Church.

Today, soak in this sermon from Dr. S. M. Lockridge.

Christmas Reflection: Who is Jesus?

Christmas Reflection: Who is Jesus?
Part I
Evening Reflection by Fr. James Martin, SJ

In this Christmas season of the Church, we ought to spend time rediscovering Jesus. Who is this God-man? What did he do? Why should we love him? Why is our Church founded and grounded in him? Look for a series of posts leading up to the Epiphany on January 6 that reawaken our love for Christ and the Church.

Who is Jesus? Your Internally Displaced, Homeless, Refugee, Poor, Low-Class, Jewish, Palestinian, Uneducated, Possibly Illiterate, Dark-Skinned Savior.

Remember that the person whose birth we celebrate at Christmas was born to an internally displaced couple, that is, people who were forced to be on the move within their own country. At the time of the boy's birth, perhaps for a few days or weeks, Mary and Joseph were also homeless. With no place to stay, they found shelter in either a stable or a cave. Soon, they would become full-fledged refugees, that is, people crossing the border of another country, in this case Egypt, out of fear of, in this case, violence. Remember that when we're talking about IDs, Mary and Joseph had none. And when we're talking about borders, Mary and Joseph crossed one. Twice, actually. On their way into Egypt and then when they returned to Galilee. Overall, they knew what it was like to be seeking shelter far from home.

The boy was a Jew. As were Mary and Joseph. As was the boy's entire extended family. As, by the way, were all the apostles. They lived in what was called Palestine by the Romans, who occupied the territory. So Mary, Joseph and Jesus all knew political oppression.

They knew poverty, too. Joseph's trade was, most likely in the eyes of those at the time, seen as "low class." The Greek used by the Gospels to describe his profession is "tekton," which is more accurately translated not as carpenter, but craftsman, handyman, or even day laborer. The occupation probably didn't garner much respect, and was seen as ranking below the peasantry, since the "tekton" didn't have the benefit of a plot of land.

The family was from a minuscule town. Nazareth was both poor and small, with only about 200 to 400 inhabitants in Jesus's time. Jesus's hometown, in other words, could have likely fit into your local church. The Apostle Nathanael mocks it when he hears where Jesus is from. "Can anything good come from Nazareth?," he says. Some scholars believe this was a saying popular at the time, perhaps a common put down Jesus's place of origin, and Jesus.

While Jesus may been able to read (many scholars believe that when he quoted Scripture, he was not reading it, but doing it from memory--in his oral culture) it is almost certain that neither Mary or Joseph could. None of the three could be considered "educated." Indeed, most scholars believe Jesus was probably illiterate.

Jesus also would have looked nothing like what we see on 99% Christmas cards, or 99% of Christmas creches, or 99% of Christmas movies. Nor would Mary and Joseph. Nor would Elizabeth, Zechariah, Anna, Simeon, John the Baptist, or any figures from the stories of his birth.

It's impossible to know exactly what they looked like, but they were surely much darker skinned than what we see in 99% of portraits. A few years ago, scientists reconstructed the face of a man from around Jesus's time, using remains of several people from first-century Palestine (seen here). Somewhat ridiculously, the reconstruction was touted as the "Face of Jesus," which is like digging up skulls from a Mount Vernon graveyard from around the time of George Washington, using them as the basis for reconstruction, and saying, this is the "Face of George Washington."

But it's not so ridiculous in that the facial reconstruction reminds us what people of Jesus's time and his family's ethnicity looked like in general. And, again, it is much closer to the look of people in the modern Middle Eastern than modern Europe or the United States. He certainly wasn't white.

So to recap:

Internally displaced.
Homeless for a time.
Full-fledged refugee.
Poor.
Low-class occupation.
Jewish.
Palestinian.
Uneducated.
Possibly illiterate.
Dark skinned.

In other words, a lot of the categories people tend to demonize today. So when discussions about anyone from any of those categories come up, and you wonder about the Christian thing to do, remember who Jesus Christ really was.

Family of 12 Paradies the 12 Days of Christmas

Wait until the end. It's worth it for their reply to the "strangers" in the song.

1 in 4 UK Parents Don’t Teach Kids Religion Fearing It’ll Make Them Outcasts

By Editor at ChurchPop.com

A new survey found that nearly a quarter of United Kingdom parents don’t teach their children any religion due to a fear that it would make their children outcasts at school.

The survey was carried out by the organization ComRes and commissioned by Theos, a religious and social affairs think tank.

Another reason given by about a fourth of parents in the UK was that their children “may have questions I could not answer.”

Only about 40% of parents said they had ever talked to their children about religion, while nearly 1 in 5 said it was “not my role as a parent to pass on my beliefs to my children.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is very clear that Christian parents have a responsibility to raise their children up in the faith:

“Through the grace of the sacrament of marriage, parents receive the responsibility and privilege of evangelizing their children. Parents should initiate their children at an early age into the mysteries of the faith of which they are the “first heralds” for their children. […] Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God.” (CCC 2225-2226)

10 Tips on the Art and Craft of Evangelization

 

By Joe Heschmeyer
ShamelessPopery.com (See it in original form here)

Are you interested in sharing the faith more? Are you worried that you don’t know how to answer your co-workers’ and friends’ questions? 1 Peter 3:15 calls us to “always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence; and keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are abused, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.” That’s a tall order. Here are ten tips that might help.

1. Apologetics takes practice
Apologetics and evangelization are a bit like dancing. You can read all about it, you can even watch other people do it, but if you’re ever going to get good at it you’ve got to get out there and actually do it. And don’t get discouraged if you’re not great at it at first.

2. Win the person, not the argument.
There’s no point in “winning” the argument and being technically correct, if you’ve done so in a way that ostracizes and alienates the other person. J. Budziszewski has a series of good tips for doing this: I highly recommend this video. It changed how I talked to (and thought about) non-Catholics and non-believers.

In short, try to figure out why the person is asking the question(s) that they are. Often you can answer objection after objection, but you never get to the root reason they won’t accept the faith, Christ, etc. Only when you understand where they are coming from can you truly help them and know how to go forward with the discussion.

3. Consider sources of authority.
In this same vein of knowing the person you’re trying to reach, know what the person will accept. If a daily Mass-going Catholic questions you about a particular doctrine, it might be enough simply to point them to the relevant paragraph in the Catechism, or the pertinent papal document. But if the same question is being asked by an atheist, you’re going to have to look to an authority (reason, natural law, something) that they will accept. Jesus went out of his way to answer the Sadducees only from the Torah because he knew they only would accept it.

4. Charity is more important than the perfect answer.
You’re inviting a person to the faith, into a relationship with Jesus: remember, you’re trying to win the person, not the argument. If you’re in it to win the argument, you’re in it for your ego, not their salvation. Given that, being a jerk and winning the argument gets you nowhere (nor does it help them).

But this has some important implications. It means that even if you’re not great at apologetics, even if you can never remember chapter and verse in the heat of the moment, even if you’re the worst debater in the world, you can still be an effective evangelist simply by being loving. Think about how successful the Mormons are. Theologically, their system doesn’t make a ton of sense, and they actively avoid theological debates, but they’re incredibly nice. They tend to be wonderful to be around. The world is filled with broken, hurting people who are hungry for healing and for God. Sometimes, your Christlike attitude towards them can show them the Answer that they’re looking for a lot more effectively than a bunch of syllogisms.

And look, this isn’t some perk: it’s an essential part of evangelization. Remember 1 Peter 3:15-16, which I quoted above? Peter tells us to evangelize “with gentleness and reverence,” and with a clear conscience. If we fail to do this, we’ve simply failed to live out the Gospel’s commands.

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12 Most Important Metrics for your Child’s (and your) Education

By Matthew Warner
Flocknote.com

We worry a lot about “education” in this country. On a political level we bicker and argue about why one state’s math scores are higher than another’s. And at home, we put our kids through a heck of a lot (and we sacrifice a lot) to make sure they pass their tests, know how to read and write, and can regurgitate their multiplication tables. We even stress about whether they are able to do so at the right age, or whether they are 6 months ahead or behind the other kids.

And all of that is important – but it’s nowhere near as important as a lot of other things in life that end up getting a lot less attention.

When my kids are grown, it won’t really matter if they got an A or a B in 7th grade history. It won’t really matter how far they can hit a baseball. It won’t really even matter much if they’ve made a lot of money or been “successful” according to the world. What will matter much more is this:

1. Are they humble – not that they think less of themselves, but that they think of themselves less.
2. Do they know how to be loved – are they humble and secure enough to be vulnerable.
3. Are they at peace – which means knowing who they are.
4. Are they filled with joy – because they live with a hope that transcends this short life.
5. Do they know they are small – that the world is not about them.
6. Do they know they are giants – that, to somebody, they mean the whole world.
7. Are they adventurous – willing to embrace a faith that will take them beyond the prison of their own limits.
8. Are they imaginative – able to see that the best parts of life cannot be measured or touched.
9. Do they embrace the moment – knowing that the present moment is the only moment they’ll ever have.
10. Are they virtuous – aspiring to the best parts of their nature.
11. Do they know how to give generously – because to give of yourself is the only way to find yourself.
12. Do they know how to love – because this is what they were made to do (and because I’ve shown them by loving them every day unconditionally and by introducing them to a God who loves them perfectly).

This is what I’d like my kids to learn. This is what “success” looks like. This is what I’d like them to “want to be when they grow up.” Everything else with the classes and the homework and the tests and the career path is all bonus.

You can earn a college degree without learning a single one of these things – and these are far more important life lessons. But, ultimately, if my kids don’t learn them, it’s nobody’s fault but mine.

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Three Myths about the Sacrament of Confirmation

This article comes from ChurchPop.com. See it in its original form here.

Is Confirmation the most misunderstood Sacrament? Here are three of the most common misconceptions:

Myth 1: The recipient is confirming, as an adult, the faith they received as a child

Actually, it’s precisely the opposite: rather than the sacrament being about the recipient confirming something, it’s about God confirming the recipient, completing baptismal grace and strengthening them with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

In other words, Confirmation is not something we do for God, but something God does to us.

Myth 2: Only adults can receive Confirmation

Confirmation can actually be given to infants, as is the practice is in the East, usually immediately after Baptism. It’s been a long-standing practice in the West to only give the sacrament to those who have attained the age of reason, but that is not an absolute requirement for the Sacrament. (CCC 1290-1292)

This makes the problem with the first myth more apparent.

Myth 3: Confirmation is a capstone to one’s faith

In fact, the Confirmation ceremony is a commissioning: once confirmed and strengthened with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the recipient is “more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith, both by word and by deed, as true witnesses of Christ.” (LG 11)

So, far from “being done” with their faith, confirmed Catholics are supposed to be out there boldly preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Wouldn’t it be great if that we lived out?

24 Unstoppable Catholic Women Doing Amazing Things for God

By Becky Roach, Catholic Link

Have you ever heard it said that the Catholic Church oppresses women? Many are quick to pass judgment on what they think is the truth of the Catholic faith. In reality, the opposite is true. The Catholic Church esteems women and calls us to live out the beauty of our femininity in a way that brings glory and honor to God.

Today, we have compiled a list of 24 inspiring Catholic women that show there is no oppression going on in the Chuch. This list includes women that range in age, location, occupation, and stage in life. They are a diverse group that proves the Catholic Church calls women to be active in sharing the faith. These women lead conferences, write books, and travel the word sharing the Good News of Christ. Many have founded apostolates that are impacting thousands of people each day.

I want to note that I purposely did not include any religious sisters. Of course, there are many outstanding consecrated women doing great things for the Lord (and we will present a list of those women soon!), but this list is focused specifically on those women involved in lay apostolates. This was done to prove to the critics that ALL women in the Catholic faith can and do work to further the Kingdom of God.

1. Helen Alvare
Helen is a professor of Law at George Mason University. She frequently speaks about family planning and has written a book titled, "Breaking Through: Catholic Women Speak for Themselves." (http://amzn.to/2c3qtHl)

2. Rachel Balducci
Rachel Balducci is a blogger (http://testosterhome.net), newspaper columnist, and author. She often writes about parenting issues and the faith. Check out her book, "How Do You Tuck In A Superhero." (http://amzn.to/2cgLpyh)

Click here to see the complete list.