The Tomb of Jesus – No Bones About It

How many people are deeply grounded in their faith today? I say “grounded” meaning educated in matters of faith, well versed in the Scriptures, Early Church Fathers, Ecclesial History? How many at least know to reach for the Catechism when a question arises? Not many, it would seem. I say this not in a condescending way. We’re not all called to be teachers, scholars, canon lawyers. And the truth is, we don’t need degrees in theology to have faith (thank God). But we are, all of us, called to be witnesses… we are called to receive the gift of faith.

We should all “be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope…” (1 Peter 3:15). Especially, I would add, in the wake of recent findings claiming to have found the One Whom the Bible said “is no longer here.”

So, we should talk about this at the water coolers and through the Internet and at dinner tables. The key here, as St. Peter cautioned, is to do it “with gentleness and reverence.” I must admit I had my “cranky pants” on yesterday, for so many it seems were either distracted, confused, defensive, perplexed, or exultant at the recent announcement of a supposed find that will “shake the core of Christianity.”

In the words of the late, great Pope John Paul II, we must “chill.”

“You Catholics are just scared it might be true!”

Well, no. I’m just annoyed at the lack of originality in the claims, which if really investigated, hold no water. I’m still a little sarcastic today because the media never seems to consider, with everything else it’s willing to consider (Jesus was a woman, Jesus was an alien, Jesus was a magician, Jesus never existed, Jesus was married and had children, thanks Anthony Sacramone!), the fact that Jesus might NOT be in that tomb and might really be the Son of God! What if He really did it? Really rose from the dead? Not “spiritually” but completely! Body and soul! What then CNN?

So we believers get a little annoyed. Just as St. Paul had his cranky pants on when he wrote “O stupid Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?…. Are you so stupid? … Did you experience so many things in vain?” (Of course he had a cranky toga I guess, not cranky pants. Hey, when we’re pants invented anyway?)

Catholics and other orthodox Christians believe that Jesus really did it. He rose in His BODY to save us from our sins. Now, why is this so key? I’ll tell ya later. I have to go to work, dang it!

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Inspiration for the New Evangelization
http://www.missionmoment.org

And Now for Some Real History…

Wow there’s been alot of words spit out about the tomb of Jesus in the last 72 hours. Here’s some more. It’s about the Holy Sepulchre, previously known as the tomb of Jesus.

From New Advent:
Holy Sepulchre refers to the tomb in which the Body of Jesus Christ was laid after His death upon the Cross. The Evangelists tell us that it was Joseph of Arimathea’s own new monument, which he had hewn out of a rock, and that it was closed by a great stone rolled to the door (Matthew 27:60; Mark 15:46; Luke 23:53). It was in a garden in the place of the Crucifixion, and was nigh to the Cross (John 19:41, 42) which was erected outside the walls of Jerusalem, in the place called Calvary (Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:20; John 19:17; cf. Hebrews 13:12), but close to the city (John 19:20) and by a street (Matthew 27:39; Mark 15:29)….. read more here

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Inspiration for the New Evangelization
http://www.missionmoment.org

Getting Rid of Jesus – Part 2

Jesus Family Tomb Believed Found
Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News

Feb. 25, 2007 — New scientific evidence, including DNA analysis conducted at one of the world’s foremost molecular genetics laboratories, as well as studies by leading scholars, suggests a 2,000-year-old Jerusalem tomb could have once held the remains of Jesus of Nazareth and his family. The findings also suggest that Jesus and Mary Magdalene might have produced a son named Judah. The DNA findings, alongside statistical conclusions made about the artifacts — originally excavated in 1980 — open a potentially significant chapter in Biblical archaeological history.
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Potentially significant? Yes, I would say “yes, that would be potentially significant.”

Let’s see what St. Paul says about this stuff: “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then empty is our preaching; empty, too, your faith.” (that’s the potentially significant part) “…For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins.” (1 Corinthians 13-17)

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be still in my sins. I don’t like my sins. I don’t think you want to be stuck in your sins with no power to escape either.
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Back to this news bit about “Jesus’ Tomb”

A documentary presenting the evidence, “The Lost Tomb of Jesus,” will premiere on the Discovery Channel on March 4 at 9 p.m. EST. On their website, they post some murky “theological considerations” that try to wiggle through this pretty controversial piece:

From the Discovery Channel – Resurrection: It is a matter of Christian faith that Jesus of Nazareth was resurrected from the dead three days after his crucifixion circa 30 C.E. This is a central tenet of Christian theology, repeated in all four Gospels. The Lost Tomb of Jesus does not challenge this belief.

(ok, how’s that work)

In the Gospel of Matthew (28:12) it states that a rumor was circulating in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion. This story holds that Jesus’ body was moved by his disciples from the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, where he was temporarily buried. Ostensibly, his remains were taken to a permanent family tomb. Though Matthew calls this rumor a lie circulated by the high priests, it appears in his Gospel as one of the stories surrounding Jesus’ disappearance from the initial tomb where he was buried. Even if Jesus’ body was moved from one tomb to another, however, that does not mean that he could not have been resurrected from the second tomb. Belief in the resurrection is based not on which tomb he was buried in, but on alleged sightings of Jesus that occurred after his burial and documented in the Gospels.

(OK, there’s loads of twisted speculation there)

Ascension: It is also a matter of Christian faith that after his resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven. Some Christians believe that this was a spiritual ascension, i.e., his mortal remains were left behind.

(Who? Wha’? What Christians are these?)

Other Christians believe that he ascended with his body to heaven. If Jesus’ mortal remains have been found, this would contradict the idea of a physical ascension but not the idea of a spiritual ascension. The latter is consistent with Christian theology.”

(Uh… no, that would NOT be consistent with Christian theology even a little bit.)

This is fun. We’re talking about Jesus in the media again! I haven’t had so much fun defending Crucified Love since the DaVinci Code! Remember that one?

Tomorrow’s post we will unpack why it is so KEY that Jesus REALLY physically rose from the dead, and how that rising in His BODY is what saves us, remakes us, redeems, and resurrects us. It’s all about the BODY, America. It’s all about the BODY! I’ll share my favorite John Updike poem too. Who’s excited out there? I’m excited! This is what it’s all about! I wish we had cable so we could watch the Discovery Channel. No I don’t.

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.”
– G. K. Chesterton

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Inspiration for the New Evangelization
http://www.missionmoment.org

Spoon Trick

Brilliant and rustic slide guitar piece. From a film called Karoo Kitaar Blues that traces the almost forgotten folk music of remote regions of South Africa. Songwriter David Kramer and slide guitarist Hannes Coetzee move throughout the film, into the rugged landscape of Namaqualand and the Great Karoo weaving music and interviews with a host of violinists, guitarists, piano accordionists and mouth organ players who play what Kramer calls the Karoo Blues. This South African man above may not have been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but he sure can play guitar with that spoon… in his mouth.

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Inspiration for the New Evangelization
http://www.missionmoment.org

Getting Rid of Jesus

Oh boy, I’ll be blogging on this some more, but the quick “heads up” if you haven’t already heard… The producer of the epic blockbuster Titanic, James Cameron and his director, Simcha Jacobovici, are making a movie that claims Jesus didn’t rise from the dead. Yup. The film proposes that his burial cave was discovered just outside of Jerusalem. Here’s my favorite part; Jesus had a son with Mary Magdelene. No way!

World, please hearken to this bit of a blog.

It’s all been tried before. In Matthew’s gospel, immediately following the most incredible event in human history, greedy, arrogant people who’d rather be gods than have a God to obey, tried to get rid of Jesus:

“And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. They assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’ And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy (him) and keep you out of trouble.” The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present (day).”
– Matthew 28:4-16

Why? Why didn’t they embrace the possibility that all of our dreams, hopes, and desires that death be conquered and suffering triumphed over could be true? Why the cover-up, the fear, the conspiracy theories?! Why press on in the vain attempt to save ourselves? Stay tuned, there’s alot more to unpack in this one!

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Inspiration for the New Evangelization
http://www.missionmoment.org

"Yes Virginia, There is a Devil."

Wow. An intense gospel for this first Sunday of Lent. If we let ourselves really hear this one, picturing this encounter between the Son of God and the Prince of Darkness, it should give us chills.

But I suppose these Boogie Man stories about the Devil are just stories, aren’t they? I mean, the Devil? Come on, it’s 2007! A red cape, horns, pitchfork, sinister laugh…. Haven’t we decided that the temptation of Jesus was really just a psychosomatic projection of the inner doubt in his messianic identity? A hallucinogenic epiphenominalism brought on by the desert heat and a lack of nutrients?

For many of us living in this pluralistic society, where we’re encouraged to paint our own truth and happiness in shades of moral grey, this showdown between good and evil is a bold black and white. The devil is real? Are you serious? Yes, the Church teaches…. very.

The temptation of Jesus by Lucifer in Luke 4:1-13 gives us a much needed dose of reality, supernatural reality. It’s actually key to a right understanding of ourselves and the universe. The existence of Satan, his very entrance right at the dawn of creation, adds a crucial piece to the jigsaw puzzle of our broken humanity. It puts forth an answer to the problem of evil, shedding light on other questions about who we are and what makes us tick, why there’s suffering in the world, and why bad things happen to good (and bad) people.

“Evil is still terribly present to us today. We witness manifestations of evil that often exceed our ability to understand; we are deeply disturbed and speechless when faced with certain events reported by the news. The consoling message that flows from the reflections we have made thus far is that there is in our midst one who is “stronger” than evil.”

So said Fr. Cantalamessa just yesterday in Rome, where he serves as the Pope’s official preacher and retreat master to the curia. He continues in his homily on this Sunday’s gospel: “Some people experience in their lives or in their homes the presence of evil that seems to be diabolical in origin. Sometimes it certainly is – we know of the spread of satanic sects and rites in our society, especially among young people – but it is difficult in particular cases to determine whether we are truly dealing with Satan or with pathological disturbances. Fortunately, we do not have to be certain of the causes. The thing to do is to cling to Christ in faith, to call on his name, and to participate in the sacraments.”

Jesus always had His eyes on the prize in Luke’s gospel. He always turned His gaze to the Father. That’s the answer for us regarding all temptation to selfishness and to evil; look to God, for our lives only make sense in light of Him Who is our origin, He Who is All Good. And we need to acknowledge too that there is a battle going on, a war within our hearts. We’ll get no where in the struggle to be saints if we ignore the fact that there is a struggle. There is an enemy. And the man-made wars in our world pale in comparison to this war. The stakes are higher when immortal souls are on the line.

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For an excellent article on the Problem of Evil, read Peter Kreeft’s short essay.

To read Fr. Cantalamessa’s entire homily on Zenit.org, visit here.

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Inspiration for the New Evangelization
http://www.missionmoment.org

It’s Time for the Spiritual Olympics!

(The sound of trumpets, booming drums…)

In a world locked in laziness, on a people weighed down by cookies and creme-filled donuts, a light of hope dawns. Yes, it’s LENT, otherwise known as… the Spiritual Olympics!

That’s right America! The 40 days of You-Know-What are glaring up at us from our crumb-covered, soda-stained desktop calendars. The opening ceremonies have already begun, we’ve been stamped (on the forehead) and now we have complete access to the Olympic stadium. Here are some suggestions on how to secure a * medal for yourself:

BRONZE IS STILL BEAUTIFUL
It’s basic but bold. Try cutting some of those ties, those seemingly thin cords that might actually be holding you prisoner to yourself. Is it always ME first? Do I ALWAYS have to put in my opinion, seeming to listen to others but actually just waiting until they’re done talking so I can talk?

SETTLE FOR SILVER
Try letting go of the preciousssss, the one thing you feel you’re entitled to every day without thinking. Unplug it, turn it off, clear it away. (Is it TV? Constantly checking e-mail? A latest news fixation? Radio crowding out the silence?)

GO FOR THE GOLD
Now we’re talking… If you want this Spiritual Olympiad to be a real life-changer, then step up to the plate for this one. In the midst of all of the activity of this season, the “stuff” we hope to work on, the extra prayers, stations of the cross, fasting, blah blah blah, this one shines above the rest. The secret to getting the GOLD? Do nothing. Stop. Surrender. Put your hands up in the air and let yourself become vulnerable before the Mystery of God. Be open and barren as a desert. This is the toughest event by far; the great emptying of self. The letting go, even of the idea of doing lots of good things. In the words of the late, great Pope John Paul II, “Ours is a time of continual movement which often leads to restlessness, with the risk of “doing for the sake of doing”. We must resist this temptation by trying “to be” before trying “to do”. ” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 15)

You may get the jitters for a time, but hang in there. The desert of Lent is detox for the soul. It’s main purpose is to allow us to finally loosen our tightened fists and let Love in. “From the point of view of the Christian faith, man comes in the profoundest sense to himself not through what he does but through what he accepts. He must wait for the gift of love, and love can only be received as a gift… And one cannot become wholly man in any other way than by being loved, by letting oneself be loved…”
– Pope Benedict XVI

So there it is. The greatest challenge in this season is for us to be able to say to God, not “Look what I have done for You!” but to say with Mary “Be it done unto me according to your word.”

Happy Lent!

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* DISCLAIMER: None of the dynamic Lenten Olympic events listed above would be possible without the sweet influx of grace. We can’t do it alone, but God won’t save us alone either. It’s the Catholic combo of a grace-inspiring, person-perspiring, human-divine collaboration. Grace inflates, inundates, inspires and builds on our human nature. God takes our yes (and even our half-hearted maybe) and makes it something extraordinary.

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Inspiration for the New Evangelization
http://www.missionmoment.org

Just Passin’ Through – Ash Wednesday Meditation

It’s not by coincidence that our ancestors in the faith were a Pilgrim People, wandering for 40 years through the Sinai Peninsula. Their journey through the desert, both literal and historical, is relevant to us today, as a parable that’s allegorical.

All of life is a kind of purification; a breaking of the self that’s meant to blossom into selflessness, a stripping away of all encumbrances. Life is meant to be a walk that turns into a run, the crossing over of a Red Sea of suffering and slavery to a new birth; it’s a darkened and dangerous path that breaks open into fertile fields of supernatural milk and honey.

As the great sculptor Michelangelo once said, “beauty is the purgation of superfluities.” The desert has a way of cleansing us of excess clutter. We must travel light or trudge behind! The nomadic life and the daily manna of the Children of Israel are all reminders for us not to settle down in this world. Even the Presence of God, the Tabernacle in the Wilderness, was always on the move, never stagnant. Today the very word we use to describe ourselves as members of a parish, “parishioners,” retains that ancient meaning of movement and unsettledness: “paroikos” is the Greek word that translates as pilgrim and\or exile. We’re strangers in a strange land, or at least we should feel so.

Enter the Evil One….

If the truth about our destiny is that we are meant to pass through this world on the way to the next, what would the devil’s strategy be? To nail us down to earth, of course! Cut the strings to Heaven. To cloud the mind of any metaphor, musing, or memory of that Other World and get us down to the serious business of busyness here and now. Such was the advice given by Screwtape, C.S. Lewis’ senior devil who trains his nephew in the art of tempting humans (read the book “Screwtape Letters” for some amazing insights into these murky waters).

“Prosperity knits a man to the world,” says the demon, “He feels that he is ‘finding his place in it,’ while really it is finding its place in him. His increasing reputation, his widening circle of acquaintances, his sense of importance, the growing pressure of absorbing and agreeable work, build up in him a sense of being really at home on Earth, which is just what we want.”

The Antidote

In short, the key in life is to “keep on keepin’ on.” Walk the walk! When the fiery serpents bit the People in the wilderness, it was because they stopped walking and started whining. If we are to remember our destiny, keep a clear head about us, and not settle too deeply into the soil of this world, we should keep our minds on things of heaven. We should look up! Look to those things that are above, as St. Paul says. The Devil hates that, hates every breeze that flows from heaven.

“Even if we contrive to keep them ignorant of explicit religion,” Screwtape continues, “the incalculable winds of fantasy and music and poetry — the mere face of a girl, the song of a bird, or the sight of a horizon — are always blowing our whole structure away… The Enemy, having oddly destined these mere animals to life in His own eternal world, has guarded them pretty effectively from the danger of feeling at home anywhere else. That is why we must wish for long life to our patients; seventy years is not a day too much for the difficult task of unraveling their souls from heaven and building up a firm attachment to the Earth…”

Let’s take fair warning from these words. Let’s look up! Keep moving! Never settle only for earth when heaven is offered! Look up and see your redemption near at hand in every sweet sacrament and sign here below; in music, poetry, prayers and the people who point us up! But don’t stop just yet. The journey of Lent is about reading the signs rightly, and nothing says “Home” but Heaven.

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Inspiration for the New Evangelization
http://www.missionmoment.org

Fat Tuesday and Stuff

A wee bit of Catholic Trivia from the folks at American Catholic:

“Mardi Gras… has grown in popularity in recent years as a raucous, sometimes hedonistic event. But its roots lie in the Christian calendar, as the “last hurrah” before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday. That’s why the enormous party in New Orleans, for example, ends abruptly at midnight on Tuesday, with battalions of streetsweepers pushing the crowds out of the French Quarter towards home.

Mardi Gras literally means “Fat Tuesday” in French. The name comes from the tradition of slaughtering and feasting upon a fattened calf on the last day of Carnival…. Carnival comes from the Latin words carne vale, meaning “farewell to the flesh.”

The day is also known as Shrove Tuesday (from “to shrive,” or hear confessions), Pancake Tuesday and fetter Dienstag. The custom of making pancakes comes from the need to use up fat, eggs and dairy before the fasting and abstinence of Lent begins.”

Tomorrow begins our Spiritual Olympics! So buck up, America! Here we go! Farewell french fries! Ciao chocolate! Auf weidersehen Pepsi! Hello holy discipline! Let’s get spiritually toned up!

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Inspiration for the New Evangelization
http://www.missionmoment.org

From the Inside Lookin’ Out

With all the words thrown around about the relevance of the Church today, who knows what faith is really all about? And where will the clearest picture come from that allows others to make a full ascent? Von Balthasar nails it in the quote below; demonstrating the fact that Christianity can only be fully understood (as much as the Mystery of a Person can be understood) from the “inside” – from the vantage point of the person who has entered beyond the veil in the relationship with Jesus. All other assessments, insights, and impressions are as clear as a call made from a balcony seat when the play is as tight as an inch.

“Christian truth… can be discerned only from within, in being carried out in faith and action, not from outside, from a box seat in the theater. Nor by a partial identification (with the reservations that implies), but only out of a total, universal, and, therefore, catholic identification with God’s ways in the flesh.”
– Fr. Hans Urs Von Balthasar

So if we want to know what faith in Jesus looks like, we should put our faith in Jesus. We should take the leap. Make the plunge. Dive in head first, by an act of the will, and heart too, by an act of love.

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Inspiration for the New Evangelization
http://www.missionmoment.org