Thursday, March 3, 2016

Isaiah, Chapter 51, verse 7

Hear me, you who know justice, you people who have my teaching at heart: Do not fear the reproach of others; remain firm at their reviling’s.

What is God’s justice and what teaching should we have at heart?

The Old Testament established the seven laws of Noah, or the Noahide Laws which were given by God as binding on all of humanity. Any person who adheres to these is regarded as righteous and is assured a place in the world to come.

These laws are:

1.      Do Not Deny God

2.      Do Not Blaspheme God

3.      Do Not Murder

4.      Do Not Engage in Incestuous, Adulterous or Homosexual Relationships.

5.      Do Not Steal

6.      Do Not Eat of a Live Animal (Note: today is world wildlife day) Some people read books in order to find God. Yet there is a great book, the very appearance of created things. Look above you; look below you! Note it; read it! God, whom you wish to find, never wrote that book with ink. Instead, he set before your eyes the things that he had made. Can you ask for a louder voice than that? Why, heaven and earth cry out to you: “God made me!” St. Augustine.
7.      Establish Functioning Courts of Law

Jesus said to his disciples; “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” (Mt. 5:17)

Confession[1]

Quo Vadis?

In the beginning God asks Adam, Where are you? Adam had sinned and so he hid from God? After Cain killed Able God asked him, “Where is your brother? Yet again according to catholic tradition Saint Peter was fleeing from crucifixion in Rome at the hands of the government, and along the road outside the city he meets the risen Jesus and this time it is Peter who asks the question in Latin "Quo vadis?", to which Jesus replies, "Romam eo iterum crucifigi" ("I am going to Rome to be crucified again"). Peter thereby gains the courage to continue his ministry and returns to the city, to eventually be martyred by being crucified upside-down. Confession is our own turning like Peter around to walk with our Lord: to carry our cross with Him and to suffer with Him if need be. Confession is something you do with your mouth and with your mind, heart and actions. Confession should always be individual, spoken and specific. It is customary for devout Catholics to go to confession frequently and the saints have recommended that we go at least once a month. Yet in recent years some parishes have seen a decline in the number of confessions. It is not that we are having a decline in sin; it is because our hearts have become worldly. Will we have the hearts to see our Lord as He passes us by and even say to Him “Quo Vadis”: have we become so worldly that we have lost a sense of sin? Has our no fault culture convinced us to keep walking in the opposite direction of our Lord thinking “I’m OK, you’re OK, no matter what choices we have made. Yes, God loves us just the way we are, but he loves us too much to keep us fat, dumb and happy. We need to experience his forgiveness so that we can heal, and grow.

Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, for I am gracious and merciful. (Jl. 2:12-13)

“It is better to confess one’s sins than to harden one’s heart.” (Pope St. Clement I)

In Sedona there is a statue is called “Quo Vadis” (Where are you going?) that is located in the garden of the St. John Vianney Catholic Church. 180 St. John Vianney Lane, Sedona AZ

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[1] Hahn, Scott, Signs of Life; 40 Catholic Customs and their biblical roots. Chap. 28. Confession.