The Son (The Creed)

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,

The only Begotten Son of God,

Born of the Father before all ages.

God from God, Light from Light,

True God from true God,

Begotten not made, consubstantial with the Father;

Through Him all things were made.

 

 

When Jesus explained the Mystery of His passion and the Eucharist after the multiplication of the loaves, His disciples complained. "This teaching is hard; who can accept it?" (John 6:60) Though they were talking about transfiguration, they could have just as easily been speaking of the doctrine of the Son.

 

Belief in the Son is indeed "hard." It is what separates Christians from Jews and Gentiles alike. Christ is a definitive truth. He is a decisive truth. In the book of Revelation, we read of the "stamped image" of the Beast that identifies servants of the apostate (Revelation 13:16.) The Teaching of Christ is so decisive that a mark "on their right hand or their foreheads" separates unbelievers from the believers. This Truth divides the "wheat" from the "chaff" (Matthew 3:12.) The "wise" from the "foolish" (Matthew 25:2.)

 

It is believed that the revelation of the Son caused the Fall of Lucifer and his rebel angels. The Devil could not accept the hypostasis of God and man because of his damning pride. Instead, he said "I will exalt my throne above the stars of God" (Isaiah 14:2.) Satan rejected God's reign because of the difficulty of this doctrine. How much more decisive will it be among men?

 

Perhaps one way to measure the importance of a truth is to see how many errors try to pervert it. And indeed there are many heresies that spread lies about the Son.

 

That is why we need the Creed, to separate truth from untruth.

 

Jesus is "the only Begotten Son of God." Through adoption, because of the Passion, we are all "children of God" (Galatians 3:26.) But we are also the creation of God's hands. A father does not mold his child out of clay or paint him into existence. But this is part of our relationship with God, Maker and Made. Not so with the Son. He was "begotten, not made." The child is the fruit of his parent's love. The Son is the fruit of the Father's love.

 

Furthermore, it is important to understand that the union of the Father and the Son is timeless. The idea that the Father exist4ed before the Son is heretical. "In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God: and the Word was God" (John 1:1.) This eternal relationship and unity of the paternal and filial persons of the Trinity is so important that John begins his Gospel by expounding it.

 

The Catechism tells us that "Christians are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: not in their names." (CCC 233)

 

This "teaching" is indeed "hard." Our mortal and limited intelligences cannot comprehend this transcendental metaphysical reality. How can One Being be Father and Son at the same time? Relying purely on human intelligence will only lead us astray.

 

We accept this teaching as an article of faith. Faith is believing in that which the senses cannot perceive. It does not take faith to believe that the sky is blue or that the sun will rise in the morning. These things we have physical evidence of. It takes faith to believe in the Holy Trinity, One God. Augustine tells us that "faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe."

 

Brothers and sisters, believe in the Son. It is not enough to simply profess a vague spiritual Being in the sky that might possibly judge the things that we do. Have faith in the Son, Jesus Christ. Have faith and you will receive "the reward of this faith," everlasting life.

 

One of the disputes between Catholics and Protestants is over the respective necessities of faith and works. The Protestants claim that faith alone is necessary for salvation. They look to St. Paul when he writes "a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law." (Romans 3:28) But they are arguing a moot point. St. Paul was not inspired by the Holy Spirit to write about a faith that is impotent and inactive. "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:20.) St. Paul wrote about a living, expressed faith.

 

Believing in the Son is more than checking off a list of doctrines that you profess with your lips because you have to. You must profess the Truth with your life. If you truly believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God, your life will be changed. You will not be content with living in sin. You will not be able to see a fellow man suffering without seeing the suffering of Christ mirrored within them.

 

All too often we see examples of dead faith! People who thank God with their lips while doing the Devil's work with their hands. Abortionists who pray for the fruit of their professions. Clergy who support same-sex marriage. Politicians who "make wicked laws" that "oppress the poor in judgement and do violence to the cause of the humble" (Isaiah 10:1-2.) Faith in the Son is incompatible faith.

 

Faith in Jesus Christ does not tolerate sin.

 

So be like the Saints who lived their faith in the world, in persecution, in martyrdom.

 

May your faith be alive and well. May it bear great fruit.

 

DEUS VULT!

God the Father (The Creed)

I believe in one God,

The Father Almighty

Maker of Heaven and Earth

Of all things visible and invisible.

The Nicene Creed begins with our most essential belief. We believe in God. One God. Our faith rejects the senseless abyss of atheism and the pantheon of foolish gods. We believe in a Creator God, a God who existed when “the earth was void and empty,” (Genesis 1:2) a God who willed the Universe into existence, the Architect “of all things visible and invisible.

Furthermore, we do not believe in the impotent Watchmaker of Deism. God does not sit back and watch human history as if it were a soap opera, He takes an active role. “Are not my words as a fire, saith the Lord: as a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29)

The work of God began with Creation, which culminated in the making of man. “”God created man to his own image.” (Genesis 1:27) We owe to God every breath that we take, knowing that it is His will that sustains us.

God saved Noah from the flood. He established the covenant with Abraham, “I will make my covenant with thee: and I will multiply thee exceedingly,” (Genesis 17:2) and He established the Law with Moses, “I will give thee tables of stone, and the law, and the commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.” (Exodus 24:12)

These mighty deeds were in the aspect of the First Person of the Holy Trinity, which is affirmed in the Creed. God the Father is truly almighty: “Thy right hand, O Lord, is magnified in strength.” (Exodus 15:2) This was the prayer of the Israelites after being delivered from the hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians by the parting and then the returning waters of the Red Sea.

I think that the Father portion of the Trinity is overlooked too easily today. We prefer Jesus, the social justice worker, to Jesus, Son of the Father. We have overlooked the Lord who “is a jealous God.” (Nahum 1:2)

The first commandment given to Moses affirmed the identity of God. “I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt not have strange gods before me.” (Exodus 20:2-3) The Creed tells us that we believe in “one God.” As I have written many times, idolatry is one of the most prevalent sins. We like to think that the worshipping of idols is a sin that only the ancients committed. Just because only the few and the insane worship statues of Beelzebub or Baal, does not mean that we do not have our own “graven images.”  How many have set up altars to their own popularity, iPhones, careers, relationships or bodies? Anything that you love more than God is an idol. It is not a question of time, but rather of priority. If you would deny God or reject the teachings of the Church for the sake of the things of the world, you are engaged in idolatry. This is not without its consequences. God the Father loves his people so much that he is “jealous” with his love. He cannot stand anything coming between us and His love.

“And I will throw down your altars, and your idols shall be broken in pieces.” (Ezekiel 6:4)

God punished the people of Israel for their fickleness. Their hearts were divided (Hosea 10:2) between the covenant God made with Abraham and the popularity of local gods. In His infinite justice, He exiled them from their promised land, forcing them to live among strangers. “Our inheritance is turned to aliens: our houses to strangers.” (Lamentations 5:1)  All of this was to show them the wrongness of their way.

One of the characteristics of the Father is His justice, the justice that brought the Flood, the justice that alienated the Israelites from their home, the justice that merited the Death of the Son on a Cross.

The Father is also majestic. He appeared to Moses in burning flame as “the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,” (Exodus 3:6) as “I am who am.” (Exodus 3:14). The majesty of the Father was such that “Moses hid his face.”

Like Moses, we need to bow down in humility before our Lord. The Creed begins where it ought to, with the First Person of the Trinity. Our human nature is at once eclipsed by God the Father’s might, by He who “is with me as a strong warrior.” (Jeremiah 20:11)

DEUS VOLT!

The Creed

We recite it at every Mass. It is the product of two Councils of the Catholic Church. It contains the summary of our faith, the truth.

If we were playing Jeopardy, answer would be: What is the Nicene Creed?

Now though the Creed is said at every Mass, repetition does not always coincide with understanding. It is easy to say the same words every week without truly taking those words to heart. In the Creed, we find the substance, the meat of our faith.

How well do you know the Creed? Your answer determines how well you know the faith.

The next several posts will focus on the Truth contained within the Creed. This first post will review the history behind the Creed.

Though we know it as the Nicene Creed, its correct name is the Nicene-Constantinople Creed. The formula of the creed originated from the Council of Nicaea and was finalized through the Council of Constantinople.

The Council of Nicaea was the first ecumenical council of the Catholic Church and was invoked in 325 AD to counter the dangers of the Arian heresy. The first form of the Nicene Creed appeared in the Profession of Faith which began the text of the Council. It was meant to clearly enumerate the beliefs of the Catholic Church. The early form of the Creed was followed by a specific denouncement of the Arian heresy.

"And those who say 'there once was when He was not,' and 'before He was begotten He was not,' and that He came to be from things that were not, or from another hypostasis or substance, affirming that the Son of God is subject to change or alteration, these the Catholic and apostolic Church anathematizes."

In short, the Church refuted the claims of the Arians that Jesus was not "consubstantial with the Father." They defended the nature of the hypostasis, the union of Divine and human natures in Christ, against the attacks of the heretics. The Creed originated as a defense of the Truth.

The Council of Constantinople in 381 finalized the Nicene Creed. Surviving records of the Council
begin with an affirmation of the truth found in the Creed.

"The profession of faith of the holy fathers who gathered in Nicaea in Bithynia is not to be abrogated, but is to remain in force. Every heresy is to be anathematized...."

The Creed is a shield. It is a guide. It is the Truth.

We live in an age that reduces the Truth to opinion. The lie of relativism tells you that you can believe whatever you want to. It teaches that lies can be the Truth, if only you want them to be. But in the Creed, there is no relativism. There is no lie.

We find in the Creed the beautiful Truth of God, the Truth of our faith. I hope that you will enjoy the next several posts which will examine the Creed in detail in order to promote a greater understanding of what we as Catholics believe.



DEUS VOLT!

True Feminism

Do not believe the voices of unreason that say the Church restricts the rights of women.

Critics of the Catholic Church are quick to claim that there is a "war on women," especially when abortion is involved. They look at the Church's stance on abortion, birth control, and exclusion of women from the priesthood and call it oppression, as if the Hierarchy of the Catholic Church had actually conspired to do so!

This attack on the Church, this calumny, is one of the most frequent levied against the rock of Christ. But it is entirely contrary to the reality of our faith. The attitude of the Catholic Church towards women is not the watered-down talking points of the movement that calls itself feminist. It is an attitude of honor and reverence for the true nature of womanhood. It is true feminism.

"Male and female he created them." (Genesis 1:27) Feminists like to believe that there are no differences between men and women. Not only is this a rejection of God's design, it is a reduction of the value of women instead of, as the feminists believe, a reach for equality. There are inherent differences between man and woman. As our knowledge of the human body increases, we are continuously finding more and more differences between the ways men and women function.

The most obvious difference between them, however, is quite obvious. Men cannot bear children. God created women to be capable of giving birth. Therefore, the idea of motherhood is central to our understanding of what it means to be a woman.

Motherhood is a gift from God. Feminists think it to be a curse. Their insistence on abortion and birth control is a rejection of that gift. This is a grave error. What is more beautiful than a newborn child? Fighting for an end to abortion is not an attack against women. It is a defense of womanhood. Abortion leaves scars. It hurts woman far more than it "helps" them.

Motherhood is central to the beauty of women. While men tend to be physically stronger, to women is given singular grace and beauty. Men are the protectors. Women are the treasure they protect. One of the central tenants of the medieval code of chivalry, the definition of manliness, was to respect the honor of women.

This does not degrade women. It celebrates them.

The exclusion of women from the priesthood is not a decision that was made by the Church. Once more, there is no anti-woman conspiracy. The priesthood was founded upon the example and teachings of Jesus Christ. The Sacrament of Holy Orders, whereby men become priests, was instituted at the Last Supper. When He said "this is my body," (Mark 14:22) Christ was instructing the Twelve. They became the inheritors of the order of Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18). They became the new sons of Aaron, keepers of the new manna, the Eucharist (Exodus 16:33-34). Though Jesus had women followers: Mary Magdalene, Mary of Cleophas, and his own mother Mary, He did not grant them induction into His sacred priesthood. That was His decision, based upon the fundamental differences between men and women.

But women are in no way excluded from the operation of the Catholic Church. Religious sisters are the bulwark of our faith. Their prayers and works of mercy help to sustain the Church. Often, their hands are the hands of Christ in the most destitute places on Earth.

Some of the greatest Saints and martyrs of the faith are women. What Saint is more honored and venerated than Mary Mother of God? And many of Mary's visitations were to female saints like Bernadette. St. Theresa of Avila graced us with her mystical writings. St. Catherine of Sienna brought the Papacy back to Rome. St. Faustina's Diary reminded the world of Christ's mercy in a century when it was desperately needed. Blessed Mother Theresa (soon to be Saint) lived out the works of mercy in abject poverty with constant joy.

The Catholic Church is not prejudiced against women. It respects their true nature. Feminism does not. The Church refuses to ignore the motherhood that is essential to the nature of womanhood. It honors women for who they are.


DEUS VOLT!

How to be a Pro-Life Warrior

Let us herald in this new year, not with a dropping ball or trumpeting revelry, but with a fierce and furious battle cry. Brothers and sisters, we are at war. We fight against the tyranny of sin and culture of death. We fight against the elements of our society that make the taking of innocent life morally permissible. Not just permissible, but something done for the sake of convenience! The crime of abortion cannot be allowed to continue any longer. It cannot be tolerated!

This war will not be won by sitting on the sidelines. Lukewarm arms will not carry the day. Arrayed against us are hordes of demons and a host of deluded souls who call themselves pro-choice, but who would more aptly be named pro-death. Our foes are no push-overs. They are, however, deceived. They have accepted the lies of Satan and this world. "It's just a fetus," they say, "a woman should be able to do what she wants to with her body."

But they are wrong! At the point of conception there is life, human life that is separate and distinct from the body of the mother. This is a truth that we must fight for. In this post, we will look at how to do so. Every Catholic is called to be a pro-life warrior. The horrific reality of abortion is not something that any true Catholic can ignore. It is not a reality that you can idly cluck your tongue at.

These 11 points will teach you how to arm yourself for the fight that we have at our hands, a fight that we cannot abandon until it is won.

    1) PRAY

Prayer is the foundation and sustenance of the spiritual life. It is our source of strength in these times of blood and woe. Prayer is our source of courage in this battle. We must kneel before the Lord and ask that His strength might replace our own.

There are two things that we must pray for as pro-life warriors. First of all, we must entrust to God the souls of the unborn, both those who have died, those who will die, and those who can yet be saved. Pray that the Blessed Virgin will extend her mantle around the children who are yet to be born into this world. For it is the tragic reality that we will not be able to save every child. This is not a battle that can be won in a day, and babies are murdered every hour.

But God is infinitely merciful, and when it comes down to it, the best thing that we can do is pray.

The second thing that defenders of the unborn must pray for is a quick and speedy end to the practice of abortion. It is a scourge upon our land that must be eradicated. Soldiers of God must be found down on their knees in fervent prayer for an end to the evil of abortion. God can do more for the hearts and minds that must be changed than we could ever do on our own.

    2)  STUDY SACRED SCRIPTURE

God, our Great General and Lord in this fight, has given us a manual of tactics, the Bible. Neglecting the Scriptures is a recipe for defeat. St. Jerome wrote that "ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." In God's written revelation to us, we find words of encouragement and exhortation. When weary, turn to the sublime beauty of the Psalms. When despairing, reflect upon Job's endurance in suffering. When discouraged, read the Prophets and the Book of Revelation ton find the promise of eventual victory. When you feel alone, the first letter of John reminds us of God's love for each one of us and the words of the Prophet Jeremiah remind us of the truth that we fight for: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you." (Jeremiah 2:5)

In the Bible, and especially the Gospels, the reason for our belief can be found. Only a bitter soul can read the Word of God and remain unmoved and uninspired.

    3) FREQUENT THE SACRAMENTS

The definition of the Sacraments is visible signs of invisible grace instituted by Christ. Everyone should remember that from Sunday school. Pro-life warriors must sustain themselves with the Body and Blood of Christ. It is the "source and summit of our faith." The Eucharist is our bunker in this war. It is the greatest sign of God's love for us, the love that makes all life sacred.

But receive the Sacrament worthily! Taking the Body and Blood of God in a state of serious sin is a grievous blasphemy. Therefore let the Confessional be your shelter from the tumults of this world and your own baseness. It is very difficult indeed to Confess too frequently.

Use Confession like the Christian warriors of old. "The French rise up and on their feet stand close; all of their sins are shriven and made whole... all are now ready into the field to go." (The Song of Roland, 90) On the eve of every battle, they sought Divine forgiveness so that they would not have to fear death. We are far less likely to face Saracen swords while protesting abortion. Nevertheless, it is right and fitting that we frequently rely upon the Sacraments that we might remain pure and righteous warriors of God.

    4) TAKE SEMPER VITAE AS YOUR MOTTO

We fight for the lives of the unborn because we believe in the sanctity of life, every life, from conception to a natural death. As we take on the forces of this anti-culture, we must keep "Semper Vitae" as our motto - Always Life. We must defend life at every stage, whether attacked with abortion or euthanasia. Do not fall into the error of taking a life in order to save it. Engaging in acts of violence against Planned Parenthood and other providers of abortion violates the very Truth that we fight for. Ends do not justify means.

    5) LEARN THE ARGUMENTS

A pro-life warrior is not a soldier of steel. They are defenders of the Truth. Our weapons consist of arguments, apologetics, and the passion of our faith. In order to truly engage in this fight, you must study evidence to use as arms. Learn why we can be confident in the righteousness of our cause. The arguments are simple. The Truth often is. Conception creates life. Without conception, there is no life. Barring human interference or tragic circumstances, the child will grow and develop in the womb before being born. At no point are the fruits of our sexuality not a human child. Abortion unequivocally takes a human life.

Your reply to "It's the woman's body" should be an emphatic "No!" It is the child's body! Planned Parenthood does not sell the parts of women, they sell baby parts! Those are not parts of the mother that they discard so callously, those are the products of their murder! The corpse of a child! Murder is not justifiable for the sake of convenience! Not ever.

Learn the arguments that you might defend the truth of Semper Vitae.

    6) BE BOLD

The times that we live in are no occasions for the faint of heart or the lukewarm. Defenders of the unborn must be outspoken. We cannot give the foes of life any quarter. Never let their lies go unchallenged!
The rot of the pro-choice ideology has spread deep. You'll find it almost everywhere, from the schools to the workplace to the city streets. Therefore, let the world find a pro-life warrior just as frequently. Shout Semper Vitae from the rooftops.

Never allow your voice to be drowned out by the cravens who accept infanticide. St. Pope John Paul II famously said "Be not afraid." Be bold men and women of God. Do not fear persecution for the sake of the unborn. Embrace it. "Count it all joy." (James 1:2) Holding back in the field of battle might mean comfort and convenience for you, but it means death for even more children. St. Augustine wrote that we should "pray as if everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you." Never let it be said that the courage we find in God is insufficient for our weak and tepid souls.

    7) CHALLENGE LEADERS

For the more than forty years since Roe v Wade, we have been forced to watch the innocents be slaughtered upon the altars of our corruption. Just as the evil of abortion was brought forth upon our land by a Supreme Court decision, it can be removed by a Supreme Court decision. While seeking to change the cultural conditions that allow abortion to be considered allowable, we must simultaneously seek to change the political conditions that make it legal.

Remember that the ranks of the pro-life movement are by no means thin. It is estimated that about 800,000 people attended the March for Life in DC last year. What if a mere tenth of that number were to write letters to their Congressional representatives? What if we were to flood the Capitol with letters and petitions and phone-calls? We could drown out the discordant howling of our opponents with a righteous defense of the unborn.

Go to opencongress.org. It has a listing of the representatives in both houses of Congress for your ZIP code. You'll find their phone-number, mailing address, and email. Demonstrates your support for the pro-life movement. Show your representatives, be they Republican, Democrat, or Independent, that the abortion wars are not yet over. We live in a country where the power is supposed to reside in the people. Prove to them that abortion is something you refuse to accept as citizens of this great nation.

    8) BE PRO-LIFE ON SOCIAL MEDIA

It seems that town halls and public meetings have all moved to the Internet. Therefore, let there be no need to search for pro-life warriors in the binary realm. There are pro-life pages and profiles on every form of social media. Show those who "follow" or "friend" you that you reject the status quo on abortion. Unsurprisingly, there are lots of pro-choice pages and profiles as well. Give the enemy no quarter! When you find a comment that denies the humanity of the unborn or justifies their murder, do not let it go unchallenged. While avoiding being a "troll" who delights in conflict for its own sake, do not be a lukewarm soul when it comes to how you express your faith online.

    9) ORGANIZE

"For when two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20)

This is not a battle that can be won by individuals. The slaughterhouse that is Planned Parenthood will only be toppled by a unified Militia Christi. Fighting alone will only lead you astray. Gather together, warriors of Christ, and find strength in your numbers.

There are innumerable pro-life groups and organizations across the country: National Right to Life, Pro-Life Action League, Students for Life, etc... Or you can even create your own group of like-minded opponents of abortion. Gather your true friends around you. Form a system of support so that you will not find companionship lacking in this fight. Only by standing together can this war be won.

    10) DONATE

Sometimes your job, health, or other factors can keep you from being a frontline warrior. Not everyone is made to be a foot soldier. There are still ways you can help. Planned Parenthood currently receives about half a million dollars every year from the federal government. Their "non-profit" coffers overflow. You will find that the National Right to Life, for instance, does not receive such enormous sums from Washington. And this is not a fight without a cost. It is expensive to produce materials, organize marches, and hire lobbyists.

It is not tacky to ask for money. It is not corrupt. It is practical. In addition to your actions and words, you can fight the scourge of abortion with your wallet. Jesus told the young man (Luke 18:22) to sell all that he had. What will you do to ensure that not one more child is denied a chance for life?

    11) NO COMPROMISE WITH THE EVIL OF ABORTION

We must finally refuse to bow to the whims of the culture of death. Complacency and compromise make us complicit in their sin. May God have mercy on those craven souls that place exceptions upon their pro-life stances. Allowing abortion in some cases but not in others is a depraved position because it recognizes the murderous reality of abortion, but still accepts its use as long as the circumstances are "right." Murdering a child is no less a crime is no less a crime when that child was conceived in incest or rape!



Give your foes no quarter. Never compromise your convictions for convenience! Do not let the sword rest in your hands until abortion has been wiped off of the face of the earth and every child has a chance to live!

Semper Vitae


DEUS VOLT!

Followers of the Star

It is the most wonderful time of the year. In just two days, we will celebrate the remembrance of the Incarnation of Christ. This is a time for love and a time for cheer. For a short season, we are a little more gracious, a little more compassionate towards out family and neighbors. We give each other gifts, not in a spirit of materialism or worldliness, but always keeping before us the true image of Christmas, that of the Savior made flesh and born humbly unto us. It is good to indulge in the merrymaking of this season. We can drink a little more eggnog and eat a few more cookies than is strictly good for us. We can pause for a moment in our ever more busy lives to listen to a Christmas carol or two.

That being said, Christmas is above all else a time for remembrance. Just as we might distract ourselves from the ways of this world by watching a classic movie like "It's a Wonderful Life" or "White Christmas," we should immerse ourselves within what happened in Bethlehem so long ago, the "word that has come to pass which the Lord hath shown to us" (Luke 2:15). With the same sense of wonder with which we as children waited for Santa and his sleigh, let us gaze upon the infant King, the Godhead on Earth, the Word made flesh and dwelling among us.

When Jesus was born, "there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem" (Matthews 2:1). Arriving in the domain of Herod, these learned magi appeared before him and asked "Where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East and have come to adore him (Matthew 2:2).

In a way, these magi were the earliest followers of Jesus. Unlike His first disciples, the magi did not know Him by word of mouth or by hearing him speak. When they found him, Christ was not yet old enough to talk and yet his Kingliness was both inherent and apparent. The magi knew him by His star.

These magi were likely skilled astronomers from Persia. In those times it was believed that when a new king was born his star would appear in the sky. Calling Him king of the Jews, perhaps the wise men were also familiar with the prophecy of Numbers 24:17 - "a star shall rise out of Jacob and a scepter shall spring up from Israel."

In the verbiage of our times, the magi would be considered scientists and academia. Their knowledge was so great that it was often mistaken for magic. These men were true seekers of the truth. They were no pseudo-scientists who would rather appear on TV than study the intricacies of the external world. Bill Nye, Neil De Grasse Tyson and their ilk are more apt to mock Christians and pursue progressive social agendas than pursue the truth. They are nothing like the magi.

Why did the wise men travel so far? Why did they traverse hundreds, maybe even thousands of miles just because of what they saw in the sky? We can ask much the same questions about the saints. Why did they live in die by a law contrary to that of the world? Why did they give up the things of this world and even more often than not their lives simply for a creed?

Both questions have the same answer. Because it is more than a star and more than a creed. The magi and the saints searched for the same thing: Jesus. Both came "to adore him." These wise men from the East were not looking for a merely political figure. Their gifts demonstrate this fact. Gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, and myrrh for a sacrificial lamb.

Finding the King and His star, the magi were "overjoyed." Despite all their earthly power and domain, despite their knowledge and studies that gave them powers beyond that of normal men, the wise men "prostrated themselves" at the feet of the child on Mary's lap. They worshiped the King born of a virgin. Human reason and power knelt before the Throne of the Incarnation.

The magi were truly "wise men." They searched for and found the promised heir of David, Jesus Christ of whose kingdom their is no end. But what can we learn from these searchers? Is there anything that we can take away from the actions of these men who lived two millennia before us?

We find ourselves in this season, in the same position as the wise men. We have been led into the foothills of Judea. The star is in the sky. But what are we going to do? The meaning of the star was no secret. Herod's scribes and chief priests were able to explain its significance to him easily enough. Why then was it only the wise men who came searching for Jesus when so many others could see the star in the sky? The shepherds came, yes, but only after an angelic host appeared in front of them, singing celestial hymns. The wise men did not need to see the angels. They believed.

We can see the star, but are we followers of it? The existence of God is as evident as the stars in the sky. There is no such thing as a true atheist. It is impossible. No human being can absolutely deny the existence of God. It is a truth that we cannot run from.

But faith is more than the Creed we say at every Mass. It is more than simply accepting the existence of God. Faith needs to be alive in order to function. It needs to be expressed through its sister virtues of love and hope. In a letter to the Emperor Gratian, St. Ambrose wrote "Faith, therefore, august Sovereign, must not be a mere matter of performance, for it is written, The zeal of your house has devoured me. Let us then with faithful spirit and devout mind call upon Jesus our Lord, let us believe that He is God." This Christmas season, let us be more than idle stargazers. Let us be followers of the star just as the wise men were. Let us be followers of Jesus Christ.

Let us pray for the same faith that led the magi to the scene of the Nativity when the Son of God, the Word, assumed our flesh so that He might die for our sins. Let us pray for the same willingness to subjugate the things of this world to the will and Majesty of God.

Unwrap those presents from beneath the tree. Celebrate with your family. Go to Mass on Christmas (and hopefully every Sunday and holy day of obligation). Above all else, be followers of God. Reject being lukewarm in the spirit, that tepid and tasteless condition that finds no favor with God. Be rather on fire with love of God. Let your love be something that consumes your soul. Let it be something that consumes your life. Be ye faithful unto death and always submitting to the will of God.

Deus Volt!

Living in the World

Life is hard. C'est la vie as the French would say. The world is not perfect, far from it. People get hurt, they lose their jobs, their families, their lives, their faiths. Terrorists, natural disasters, and accidents kill innocent people, good people. In case you want to be depressed, just turn on the news. All of this and more. Our times are tough.

That is not to say that every age does not have problems of its own. At least we don't have to deal with the Black Death or marauding Vikings. Our generation, however, has a few problems of our own that are particularly troubling. Part of it is technology. Part of it is culture. All of it is bad.

We have been given an opportunity that no people in history have ever been given. In the space of a decade, the amount of data and information that we have access to has exponentially increased. In a matter of seconds, you can find just about anything you need to know. Want to know who the foreign minister of Austria was in 1815? That's easy, its Metternich. Need to know the Mandarin word for pig? Done, its zhu. It's that easy.

Technology is not all bad. Nothing is inherently evil. The advancement of our age allows for an unprecedented level of global connectedness and information. The problem is that we abuse this power just as we abused the tree of knowledge of good and evil in Eden.

What do we do with this wealth of information that is literally at our fingertips? We play games. In the space of a few days, a new application can spread across the country and even the world. Games and apps, whistles and bells, all of the bright colors and sounds, they're all so distracting. It can even become addicting. How many times have you been at a restaurant and seen someone playing a game on their phone instead of talking to the person sitting in front of them? How many hours are wasted tapping a screen that could have been spent forging better relationships, praying, or following your vocation?

Bingewatching is even worse. Netflix has become synonymous with sloth. We consume an incredible amount of TV, streamed or otherwise. And how much of it is good for us? There is only a handful of shows that are not utterly morally corrupt. All too often, television glamourizes sex and violence. It normalizes homosexual attractions and deviant behavior. Rather recently, the show, Scandal, had an episode that featured the main character getting an abortion for the sake of convenience - on the screen. It was little less than a long advertisement for Planned Parenthood. Pay attention to what you watch! The eyes are the windows to the soul. Windows work both ways.

And these are the tame things that the world distracts us with! The number of people, adults and children, men and women, who are addicted to Internet pornography is insane. You can find images of violence, terrorism, abuse, and anything you could possibly think of all too easily. Drugs run through our streets, ruining families and lives. Underage, premarital sex has become a veritable fact of life. Abortion is called a "right." Sexual perversity in the form of homosexual "marriage" has been legalized. Every single day, people lie and steal and hurt each other. When will it end?

It is hard not to fall into despair seeing the hardness of our times. We hope for distraction, a way out of the pain and the hurt of the world that we find ourselves in. And that is the doorway for the very lies of the world we try to run from. The world offers us distractions from itself that only leads us deeper and deeper into sin. Deeper and deeper into darkness. There is so much noise in this world that it is nearly impossible to think straight.

As a Christian, one of the hardest things to do is live within the world. We walk an edge, the line between earth and heaven. Our stewardship of this earth is not something to be forgotten. God has given Himself to us through the True Presence in the Eucharist, but He also appears to us in the form of our neighbors. "Amen: I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me." Matthew 25:45.

At the same time, we cannot forget that we were made for heaven. "Our hearts are restless until they rest in you." St. Augustine said. This is our challenge: to be children of God while on His earth.

This is a challenge that Jesus Himself lived and breathed. For "we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15.

Jesus knew exactly how hard life is. He ate and dined with the lowly of the world - prostitutes and tax collectors - instead of the celebrities of His age - the Pharisees and Sadducees. His friend Lazarus died when he was away. He was betrayed and abandoned by His closest friends at the time He needed them the most. When He died on the Cross, the thousands that heard Him preach were gone or were now mocking Him. He felt the cruel sting of the lash. He felt the weight of the tree as it bore down upon His shoulders. The earthly ministry of Christ was no vacation. It was life in all of its vivid colors.

How do we live in the world? There's an easy answer. Live as Jesus Christ lived. Actually following the way of Christ, now that's the hard part.

We have been blessed with more information than all ages past. Some of that information is actually knowledge. Use it! No one has an excuse for not being able to find the Teachings of Christ and His Saints. While technology can be a gateway to sin, it can also be a tool for holiness. There are apps where you can find the Holy Bible, the Roman Missal, and the spiritual writings of holy men and women who lived this life and walked this road before us.

In this life, we must have one foot in Earth and the other in Heaven. Mental prayer is a great way to connect to God while remaining an active part of the world. Simple prayers, the Our Father and the Hail Mary, can counteract the distractions of the world by turning our eyes to God. "Say the Holy Rosary. Blessed be that monotony of Hail Mary's that purifies the monotony of sins!" Speaking of the saints, St. Josemaria Escriva is an excellent model of faith for this day and age. His "Way" is both accessible and profound. It is a truly life changing work.

 With every breath you take, whisper "Jesus my Savior." How hard will it be for you to fall into sin when you have Christ's name on your lips every second of the day?

Yes, life can be hard. But it can also be great. Remember that Jesus has already won the war and do not despair. Death has already been conquered. We must now find the strength by God to live out our lives as Jesus would. Through us, Jesus can walk the earth once more. That is the will of God. That is how to live in the world.

Deus Vult!