Greetings! I started a new blog called The Ever Blessed this past Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Check out its latest post. I will no longer be blogging @ Shmuelson. Godspeed and Ave Maria!

Happy Maundy Thursday! This evening, the Church celebrates the first liturgy of Holy Triduum—the Last Supper of our Lord. The primary focus of tonight’s liturgy is Christ’s perfecting of the Old Testament Passover sacrifice and meal by His establishing of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. He did this so that the Passover, which for thousands of years pointed to His sacrifice by remembering the exodus of the Israelites from the bonds of Egypt, can now point to His coming again by remembering the exodus of the world from the bonds of sin as effect of His sacrifice. Additionally, we also celebrate it as the beginning of the priesthood of the Church.

Those of you who subscribe to this blog may have noticed that I haven’t written anything in a while. This is because I haven’t really made the time to. Yep, I’ve got no other excuse really. On that note, I have wanted to set aside the time to write about something that I’ve noticed ever since I converted to Catholicism, and it has to do with communicants avoiding the cup of Christ’s Most Precious Blood during Holy Communion.

Now, let’s get some things straight here out of the gate. There are cases where the Blood of Christ may not be available to some communicants due to health concerns (alcoholics, people with allergies, etc.) or simply because the Eucharistic ministers may run out of the Body or Blood during Communion. Because of this the Church teaches,

Since Christ is sacramentally present under each of the species, communion under the species of bread alone makes it possible to receive all the fruit of Eucharistic grace. For pastoral reasons this manner of receiving communion has been legitimately established as the most common form in the Latin rite. But “the sign of communion is more complete when given under both kinds, since in that form the sign of the Eucharistic meal appears more clearly.” (General Instruction of the Roman Missal 240) This is the usual form of receiving communion in the Eastern rites. (1390, Catechism of the Catholic Church)

So, when you receive the Body or the Blood, you receive both the Body and the Blood, as well as His soul and divinity. Christ cannot be divided. If someone is allergic to gluten, they may receive the Blood of Christ and thereby receive the whole Eucharist. If someone is an alcoholic or allergic to wine, they may receive only the Body of Christ and thereby receive the whole Eucharist. If someone is allergic to gluten and is also an alcoholic, they may request gluten-free bread to be used at their parish as well as mustum in place of wine. If the two are not available, the faithful may make a spiritual communion, or in an act of faith and self-denial, receive communion anyways. Christ is wholly present in the Eucharist. If you receive Him worthily, you will not be condemned (1 Corinthians 11:27-29).

All of that being said, I’d like to discuss another reason that keeps people from receiving the Blood of Christ… germs. I’ve often seen/heard about the practice of not receiving the Blood of Christ as result of the fear of contracting germs or disease from other communicants that came to Mass sick. IMHO this sentiment seems very inconsistent with the Catholic faith.

Let’s imagine for a moment that you have been translated to the time of Christ and are one of His disciples—following Him through the lands of Judea and Samaria, hearing His teaching and seeing His Miracles, and all the while increasing in love for Him. Now imagine that a group of lepers start approaching and call out to Him, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13) and “if you will it, you can make me clean” (Mark 1:40). First of all, if you were aware of the reality that leprosy is and what it does to both the leper and people in proximity to the leper, you would probably run screaming. Leprosy is one of the most contagious and one of the most deadly diseases of all time. With this common understanding of leprosy, you now look to Christ who isn’t running away screaming. Instead, he is looking at the lepers with complete compassion, and it shows in the most sincere smile you have ever seen on His Holy Face, or on any face for that matter. Then you see Him approach the Lepers, and reaching out His hand He touches them and says, “I will it. Be clean!” (Mark 1:41). To your amazement, the lepers are healed, and our Master goes His way (which is incidentally your way now, as your faith has been encouraged by this miracle to continue to follow Him).

Now imagine that you are walking with our Master side-by-side and He motions to embrace you or bless you in some way by the laying on of His hands. What would you do? This man has just touched a very contagious person. Anti-bacterial/viral soap has not been invented yet, nor would it be completely preventative of stopping the spread of the disease. Would that even be on your mind? Would you stop Him out of disgust or fear of becoming a leper too? Would you quarantine Him? The answer is no. You would not. You would not stop Him because He is the Divine Physician and He is God. He knows what residual contagions He may or may not have contracted from the lepers, and even if it were possible that disease could cling to His holy and ever-healing hands, He would not transfer them to you. And, even if, by some act of His Divine Will He did wish to pass the disease to you, it is because He wills it! And we must obey His will because it is what’s best for us. But I tell you the truth, NONE of this would be on your mind because you have been offered an intimate encounter with Almighty God and you would not pass that up, even if your life were at stake.

Now, let’s come back to our present day. Presuppose something for me. Presuppose that when a Catholic Priest or Bishop says the words of consecration, “this is my body” and “this is my blood” that the whole Christ is present there in the bread and the wine and that they transform into His Body and Blood. Suppose that Jesus Christ Himself is there amongst us fully and completely just as He was to the people in the Gospel accounts—and in an intimate way. Yet this mode is more intimate than His human life on earth. He becomes the guest of our tabernacles, that is, of our bodies, and gives Himself to us as food for our souls. Presuppose you believe all of this, and in walks a leper—who is right in front of you in the communion line. Is your mind on the leper, or on the Christ of God? Well you don’t need to presuppose anything because Christ is truly and completely present in the Eucharist.  He won’t let any germs get you, just as He didn’t cause a massive outbreak of leprosy in Judea during the last three years of His earthly life. So, if you are capable, receive both His Body and His Blood tonight and your communion will be more complete.

Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar!

491 Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854: 

The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.

492 The “splendor of an entirely unique holiness” by which Mary is “enriched from the first instant of her conception” comes wholly from Christ: she is “redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son“. The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” and chose her “in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love”.

-Catechism of the Catholic Church

I came across this lovely variation of the Gloria Patri penned by St. John of Damascus and I thought I’d share it…

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Be my soul’s Defender, O God, for I step over many snares. Deliver me from them and save me, O Good One, in Thy love for man.

Now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Let us not silently hymn the most glorious Mother of God, holiest of holy Angels, but confess her with heart and mouth to be the Mother of God, for she truly bore God incarnate for us, and prays without ceasing for our souls. Amen.

As tactile beings with senses, we need to have this sort of dynamic in worshipping the invisible God. In the Mosaic covenant, the people of God fulfilled this commandment by building and adorning the tabernacle and temple, by carrying before them in a worshipful procession the ark of the covenant (which was also richly adorned), and by praying towards Jerusalem—each of these forms of veneration being appropriate to worshipping God’s particular presence in the Holy of Holies. In the new and everlasting covenant, the people of God fulfill this commandment in ways that are appropriate to God’s particular presence in His Incarnate and  Eternal Word, Jesus Christ. We venerate His virgin mother whose womb became His tabernacle; whose flesh became His flesh—the means by which He dwelt among us and accomplished our salvation. We venerate His saints in Heaven, who attained salvation through the infused dwelling of the Holy Spirit within each of them (being therefore temples of that same Holy Spirit). And, we venerate His tabernacles in the Churches and Cathedrals where He now dwells among us “to the end of the age” in the Most Holy Eucharist. We venerate His sanctuary, and therefore offer Him worship that is pleasing to Him

We will go into his tabernacle: we will adore in the place where his feet stood. Arise, O Lord, into your resting place: you and the ark, which you have sanctified. Let your priests be clothed with justice: and let your saints rejoice.

Psalm 132

During his recent trip to the U.K., Pope Benedict XVI beatified Cardinal John Henry Newman. I came across this quote of Newman’s on our Lady and found it very representative of why Catholics venerate Mary. Check it out below. And, if you are curious about the Beatification and Canonization process (the cause for Sainthood), follow this link for a comprehensive yet brief explanation.

Mary is exalted for the sake of Jesus. It was fitting that she, as being a creature, though the first of creatures, should have an office of ministration. She, as others, came into the world to do a work, she had a mission to fulfil; her grace and her glory are not for her own sake, but for her Maker’s; and to her is committed the custody of the Incarnation; this is her appointed office,—”A Virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and they shall call His Name Emmanuel”. As she was once on earth, and was personally the guardian of her Divine Child, as she carried Him in her womb, folded Him in her embrace, and suckled Him at her breast, so now, and to the latest hour of the Church, do her glories and the devotion paid her proclaim and define the right faith concerning Him as God and man.

–Blessed John Henry Newman

Blessed John Henry Newman, pray for us!

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

John 20:21-23

Where is that in Protestantism? Where is that even referenced or explained in the Protestant faiths? To understand this scripture better, let’s consider its context. This event occurs after Mary Magdalene encounters a man outside of the empty tomb of our Lord on the third day following His suffering and death. This man, whom she mistook for a gardener, turns out to be Christ and once she realizes this she cries out “Rabbo’ni!” which is Hebrew for “my teacher”. And being her Teacher, sure enough the first words out of our risen Lord’s mouth in this gospel account are words of teaching. “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go tell MY BRETHREN and say to them, I am ascending to my Father, and YOUR Father, to my God and YOUR God.”

There is a paradigm shift here in Jesus’ relationship with His Apostles, one that explains the ultimate reality of the power of His resurrection and the Church’s authority to forgive sins. Not only did the incarnation of Christ allow man to share in God’s friendship (John 15:15-17), but His resurrection allows us to be born anew as sons of the Father and brothers of the Son thereby becoming participants in the life of the Trinity. What is the life of the Trinity? It is the life of love (1 John 4:7-8), and therefore reconciliation—the forgiveness of sins.

Let’s return to the verse in question. Within the aforementioned context of becoming sons of God the Father and brethren of God the Son, our Lord appears to His apostles and gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit. Note that Christ is appearing to the 12 here before the Holy Spirit descends at Pentecost. There is a more specified gift of authority being given to the Apostles here then there will be in the more general or universal (or Catholic) gift to the entire Church at the Pentecost event. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Why did the Father send His Son into the world? In brief, to reconcile a fallen humanity to Himself. What power did the Son have in order to do so? The authority on earth to forgive sins (Mark 2:5-12). And with that, He breathed on them and said, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Again, I have to ask, where is that in Protestantism? The reality is, it’s not. It does exist, however, in……drumroll please……Catholicism. Throughout history, the gift of the Son’s reconciling authority has been preserved in the Catholic Church through ordination of her clergy—the successors of the apostles. And that authority, that gift of the Holy Spirit to forgive sins by virtue of Christ’s authority on earth to do so, and by virtue of His Sonship and ours, has not diminished in its capacity or power. It is the same power. The power of God’s only begotten Son: our Master, our Rabbi, and our Brother.

Well that’s it for the first two parts of this series. In the next section we will discuss participation in the life of Christ via baptism, sharing in His sufferings, and through Holy Communion. So stay tuned.

One thing that unites most Protestants and Catholics is our belief that the Bible is the inspired and inerrant word of God. Regarding this, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says,

“In Sacred Scripture, the Church constantly finds her nourishment and her strength, for she welcomes it not as a human word, ‘but as what it really is, the word of God.’ ‘In the sacred books, the Father who is in heaven comes lovingly to meet his children, and talks with them.’” (CCC, #104)

Yet the thing that still keeps us separated—one of many—is what we believe the modality of the Bible’s interpretation should be. For Catholics, the written word of God is interpreted by the magisterial teaching office of the Church, with the Pope at its head—who functions as the earthly representative of Christ, the living Word of God. In Protestant faiths on the other hand, interpretation is individualistic—on either the personal level or the congregational level. Ultimately, the Protestant modality only goes as far as, “if it agrees with what I believe the Bible says, I will affirm it as truth”. IMHO, the Protestant modality (i.e. Sola-Scriptura/personal interpretation) is inherently defective. It has a circulatory approach that often comes up inconsistent with church history, and sadly, with scripture itself. What I want to cover in this post, and in posts to follow, are those inconsistencies with scripture itself.

For this reason, I am calling this series, “Where is that in Protestantism?” as a Catholic retort to the common Protestant objection, “where is that in the Bible?”—a question that comes up often in dialogue between Protestants and Catholics. While Protestants use the Bible as their only rule of Faith, the Catholic Church says she does not derive all truths from Sacred Scripture alone. Therefore, there is a number of things found in Catholic teaching that are not literally found in the Protestant Bible. Yet, the challenge I would like to make is that there are a number of things in the Protestant Bible that are not literally found in Protestantism itself. This series will examine the parts of scripture that seem to fall on deaf ears in Protestantism… the parts that are in no way fulfilled by Protestant or Evangelical Bible churches, and so happen to disappear from their Bible altogether. In this post and the following one, we will consider the scriptural nature of the Church that Christ founded.

The first scriptural topic is a basic one. Here it is:

The Visible Oneness of the Church

1 Corinthians 1:10

I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.

Where is that in Protestantism? There are tens of thousands of Protestant denominations that exist today—which continue to grow and divide at an exponential rate yearly. I remember it happening often when I was a Protestant, whenever a family or a person had a disagreement with a congregation or its leader(s) that, out of personal interpretation, they would leave and start another “church” or leave and attend another “church”. For Protestantism therefore, this verse seems to carry little to no weight. Yet, in Catholicism, this verse finds complete fulfillment. There are no divisions in Catholicism when it comes to the one mind and purpose of the Gospel. Of course, there are some subjective cases with certain Catholics who may not agree with, and therefore not believe in, the entire teaching of the Catholic Church… but those persons aren’t completely Catholic in the full sense of the word. The word “Catholic” means universal. In order to be called “Catholic”, one must be in communion with the universal, or entire, Church and must profess to believe in the universality, or fullness, of the Faith. So yes, certain members of the Catholic Church, in their humanity, sometimes fall short of this scripture. But unlike Protestantism, the Catholic Church possesses the Sacrament of Reconciliation—a safety net to help prevent and repair divisions.

The next scriptural topic goes hand and hand with the previous one:

The Legislative Quality of the Church—Honey, where are the keys?

Matthew 16:18-19

And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Where is that in Protestantism? “Keys” are generally a symbol of authority. In the Old Testament specifically, this symbol was used to convey the transference of authority in the Davidic Kingship to a “second in command”, the royal steward, who would act in extension of the Messiah’s authority in his physical absence. See for instance Isaiah 22:20-24 which reads,

“In that day I will summon my servant, Eliakim son of Hilkiah. I will clothe him with your robe and fasten your sash around him and hand your authority over to him. He will be a father to those who live in Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David; what he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I will drive him like a peg into a firm place; he will be a seat of honor for the house of his father. All the glory of his family will hang on him: its offspring and offshoots–all its lesser vessels, from the bowls to all the jars.”

Contextually, this verse refers to the replacement of King Hezekiah’s original royal steward, Shebna, with Eliakim son of Hilkiah. To read more about Davidic stewardship and the meaning of “keys” in the Davidic kingdom read this post.

Additionally, the words “bind” and “loose” are legislative terms. Here, our Lord through Peter’s stewardship makes it possible for the Church’s earthly legislation to have full partnership with the will of Heaven (“whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven…”)… to the full effect that whoever hears the Church on earth will hear Christ, and whoever hears Christ will hear the One Who sent Christ (Luke 10:16). Through Peter’s stewardship, therefore, the Father’s will is done “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). When has a Protestant denomination ever legitimately and effectually legislated in a way that united its will to Heaven? Can Protestantism, with all of its divisions, truly ever claim to do so? Was this authority, given to Peter and the Apostles by our Lord, just something to be thrown away after the 12 Apostles died? Or was it intended to be a perpetuated reality of God’s Kingdom via apostolic succession?

Well, that’s it for the first post. In the next post, we’ll talk more about the scriptural nature of the Church… specifically regarding the forgiveness of sins.