Monday, November 3, 2014

Love Your Neighbor

The two greatest commandments are to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:33, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:14, and James 2:8).  This also includes your enemies.  He who loves belongs to God for God is love.  As Christians, we love all people of different cultures and religions.  No where are we taught to love only the Christians.  All of mankind was created in the image and likeness of God; therefore we are linked to the entire human race regardless of that person's religion.  Even the Apostle Paul called the pagans in Athens "God's children" (See Acts 17:29).  This is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says regarding non-Christians:

The Church and non-Christians 
 
839 "Those who have not yet received the Gospel are related to the People of God in various ways."325

The relationship of the Church with the Jewish People. When she delves into her own mystery, the Church, the People of God in the New Covenant, discovers her link with the Jewish People,326 "the first to hear the Word of God."327 The Jewish faith, unlike other non-Christian religions, is already a response to God's revelation in the Old Covenant. To the Jews "belong the sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ",328 "for the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable."329

840 And when one considers the future, God's People of the Old Covenant and the new People of God tend towards similar goals: expectation of the coming (or the return) of the Messiah. But one awaits the return of the Messiah who died and rose from the dead and is recognized as Lord and Son of God; the other awaits the coming of a Messiah, whose features remain hidden till the end of time; and the latter waiting is accompanied by the drama of not knowing or of misunderstanding Christ Jesus.

841 The Church's relationship with the Muslims. "The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day."330

842 The Church's bond with non-Christian religions is in the first place the common origin and end of the human race:
All nations form but one community. This is so because all stem from the one stock which God created to people the entire earth, and also because all share a common destiny, namely God. His providence, evident goodness, and saving designs extend to all against the day when the elect are gathered together in the holy city. . .331
843 The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as "a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life."332

 844 In their religious behavior, however, men also display the limits and errors that disfigure the image of God in them:
Very often, deceived by the Evil One, men have become vain in their reasonings, and have exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and served the creature rather than the Creator. Or else, living and dying in this world without God, they are exposed to ultimate despair.333
845 To reunite all his children, scattered and led astray by sin, the Father willed to call the whole of humanity together into his Son's Church. The Church is the place where humanity must rediscover its unity and salvation. The Church is "the world reconciled." She is that bark which "in the full sail of the Lord's cross, by the breath of the Holy Spirit, navigates safely in this world." According to another image dear to the Church Fathers, she is prefigured by Noah's ark, which alone saves from the flood.334

Christ commanded His Church to spread the Gospel to all people so that they can be baptized into God's family and come to know Him.  However, it was never our place to judge the hearts and souls of men of other religions.  Can a Buddhist or an atheist be saved?  Who am I to judge their souls? 

The Nostra Aetate,  also does NOT contradict the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  In the Nostra Aetate, the Catholic Church examines her relationship with non-Christians.  Below is what the Nostra Aetate says of these non-Christian religions.  You can read the rest of the document in the Vatican website that I provided below: 

2. From ancient times down to the present, there is found among various peoples a certain perception of that hidden power which hovers over the course of things and over the events of human history; at times some indeed have come to the recognition of a Supreme Being, or even of a Father. This perception and recognition penetrates their lives with a profound religious sense.
 
Religions, however, that are bound up with an advanced culture have struggled to answer the same questions by means of more refined concepts and a more developed language. Thus in Hinduism, men contemplate the divine mystery and express it through an inexhaustible abundance of myths and through searching philosophical inquiry. They seek freedom from the anguish of our human condition either through ascetical practices or profound meditation or a flight to God with love and trust. Again, Buddhism, in its various forms, realizes the radical insufficiency of this changeable world; it teaches a way by which men, in a devout and confident spirit, may be able either to acquire the state of perfect liberation, or attain, by their own efforts or through higher help, supreme illumination. Likewise, other religions found everywhere try to counter the restlessness of the human heart, each in its own manner, by proposing "ways," comprising teachings, rules of life, and sacred rites. The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself.(4)
  
The Church, therefore, exhorts her sons, that through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, they recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found among these men.
   
3. The Church regards with esteem also the Moslems. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in Himself; merciful and all- powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth,(5) who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even His inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere Him as a prophet. They also honor Mary, His virgin Mother; at times they even call on her with devotion. In addition, they await the day of judgment when God will render their deserts to all those who have been raised up from the dead. Finally, they value the moral life and worship God especially through prayer, almsgiving and fasting.
   
Since in the course of centuries not a few quarrels and hostilities have arisen between Christians and Moslems, this sacred synod urges all to forget the past and to work sincerely for mutual understanding and to preserve as well as to promote together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom. 

Nostra Aetate   



12 comments:

  1. While it is quite true that we cannot judge the hearts of others, and cannot know the relationship that each has with God, we are also not able to assume that one is saved without belonging (in some way - perhaps mysteriously) to the Church. Our hope for salvation is in Christ alone, and no other.

    As Catholics we must always present this truth to others, who may be ignorant of the path to salvation.

    We need to be careful not to put too much importance on the "elements of truth and holiness" that may exist in other worldviews and religions, because this would be akin to being happy to be informed by our doctor that we are mostly free from cancer - or that we have "elements of health", when in fact our life is under threat by a tumor.

    We have a responsibility to admonish the sinner and to call out error when we see it - and this is entirely Catholic, provided we do so with love and compassion for the other, and with great faith and trust in God.

    "Can a Buddhist or an atheist be saved? Who am I to judge their souls?"

    We can hope that the answer is yes, a Buddhist or atheist can be saved. But their hope for salvation is small and precarious, and we should wish that they, and all people, could enjoy the sure hope of salvation that comes from the grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, through the Catholic Church.

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    1. Dear Anonymous at 1:43 pm,

      I agree with what you say here. We Catholics must go out and announce the Gospel of Christ to everyone so that all can come to know Jesus Christ. Our mission is to bring people to Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. :)

      I cited the Catechism of the Catholic Church on this in my post above:

      845 To reunite all his children, scattered and led astray by sin, the Father willed to call the whole of humanity together into his Son's Church. The Church is the place where humanity must rediscover its unity and salvation. The Church is "the world reconciled." She is that bark which "in the full sail of the Lord's cross, by the breath of the Holy Spirit, navigates safely in this world." According to another image dear to the Church Fathers, she is prefigured by Noah's ark, which alone saves from the flood.334


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    2. Now we see, supported by quotes from the Catechism, that God opens His arms to everyone! Whoever worships God belongs to God. So why would anyone want to exclude anyone else? Even a Muslim or Buddhist can be saved. So can’t a Jew be saved? Those who try to exclude the Jews from salvation are racists! They don't have any reason, because God is an all embracing God, He loves His own creation.

      The misunderstanding is that our God is the Holy Trinity and other religions are not Trinitarians. Some people say other religions only know God the Father and don't know or don't acknowledge God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. But this is not even true. The Old Testament prophets talk about the Spirit of God all the time. Now who is the Spirit of God if not the Holy Spirit? Then the charge is that Jews do not acknowledge Jesus as Messiah, because they do not know the Son. This is untrue as well. The prophets Ezekiel and Daniel prophesy a lot about the Son of Man, who is of course the Son of God. So do they know the Son or not? Well, they definitely know Him. They just do not call Him Jesus. But they do know God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, as well! One may employ different vocabulary to express the very old same thing: all the faithful of religions belong to the same God. Even if Jews do not call God Holy Trinity, they view the Trinitarian persons as emanating from YHWH, the Lord of Hosts, the only true God. That is the very meaning of the Holy Trinity!

      We read in the Book of Apocalypse that Jews are to be saved. Why? Because they are the chosen people of God! God loves His first chosen better than any other who came to Him later. Which father would not do so?! But God also gave us Gentiles an alternative way through Jesus Christ. The first chosen does not need alternative way because he has the original Promise. It is us Gentiles who needed the death of Jesus Christ on the cross so that we may be saved. We are those who caused Him to die through our sins, so God the Father may show mercy toward us and accept us as the younger brothers of His first chosen people, the Jews. We are the ones who are to be blamed for the death of Jesus, because we are those pagan idolaters who dwell and revel in sin. We had no hope until our Savior came around and transformed our lives. We are the only ones who needed conversion who needed God's immeasurable mercy.

      Those who want to exclude the Jews from salvation do not understand that the Jews are our elder brothers in faith, walking ahead of us and showing us the way toward God. Why do you refuse to be appreciative of this great mercy? You should not grumble and should not say angry things, because there is a pure light from God to follow that is ahead of you. Don't you see it yet?! It is not us who deserve to be saved, it is our elder brothers in faith who show us mercy and allow us to be included in their salvation through Jesus Christ, it is them who share their own heritage with us and with all mankind. Now, how great brothers we have in the faithful of God’s chosen people!

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    3. Oh dear, Ernie, you are so sadly misled. Did you read the excerpt from the catechism that Diana posted? I shall quote it again:

      "To reunite all his children, scattered and led astray by sin, the Father willed to call the whole of humanity together into his Son's Church."

      The Father willed to call the *whole of humanity* together into his Son's Church...

      What you say contradicts this.

      You say "We read in the Book of Apocalypse that Jews are to be saved. Why? Because they are the chosen people of God! God loves His first chosen better than any other who came to Him later. Which father would not do so?! "

      This is a warped view of fatherhood in my opinion, and I pity the father that loves his eldest child more than the rest. There are many examples in the Old Testament (I figure you like that best, Ernie) that demonstrate the ridiculousness of that statement. Abel was the younger son, but Cain, the elder son, did not offer the acceptable sacrifice while Abel did. The younger son again, Seth, became the progenitor of the righteous.

      Ishmael was older than Isaac, but Isaac received the blessing.
      Jacob was the younger twin, but received the blessing (in some unusual circumstances)
      Joseph was not the elder son but was most loved by his father.

      These fathers prefigured that the Jews would disinherit and that the a new stock would be grafted onto the root.

      The veil of the temple was rent when Jesus died on the cross.

      And so on.

      The position you espouse is not Christian, let alone Catholic, Ernie. I implore you to examine your understanding. See this link again and read carefully: http://catholicbridge.com/catholic/replacement_theology.php

      "We are the only ones who needed conversion who needed God's immeasurable mercy."

      So the Jews don't need conversion and God's mercy? Incredible! What about worldly or atheistic Jews. Are they saved because their forefathers were religious?

      "But God also gave us Gentiles an alternative way through Jesus Christ. The first chosen does not need alternative way because he has the original Promise."

      Don't you get it? The "original promise" is Jesus Christ, Our Lord and God!!

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    4. Dear Anonymous at 3:26 pm,

      I think it is ridiculous to imply that Cain represents the people of Israel. The lineage of Israel is neither Cain nor Abel. It started with Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve. The Jews have always worshiped the one true God all along. They are simply ignorant of His nature.

      According to Pope John Paul II, Israel IS our elder brother:

      “…the Church of Christ discovers her ‘bond’ with Judaism by ‘searching into her own mystery.’ The Jewish religion is not ‘extrinsic’ to us, but in a certain way is ‘intrinsic’ to our own religion. With Judaism, therefore, we have a relationship which we do not have with any other religion. You are our dearly beloved brothers and, in a certain way, it could be said that you are our elder brothers.” (Spiritual Pilgrimage, page 63).

      And according to Pope Francis, the Jewish people is STILL God's chosen people:

      There is a phrase from the Second Vatican Council that is essential: it says that God showed Himself to all men and rescues, first of all, the Chosen People. Since God is faithful to His promises, He did not reject them. The Church officially recognizes that the People of Israel continue to be the Chosen People. Nowhere does it say: "You lost the game, now it is our turn." It is a recognition of the People of Israel. That, I think, is the most courageous thing from Vatican II on the subject. (Jorge M. Bergoglio and Abraham Skorka, On Heaven and Earth [New York: Image, 2013], p. 188)

      The Holy Bible says that at the end of time, ALL the Jews will come to know Jesus Christ. They will know who He is because to this day, they are still waiting for Christ. At the end of the world, those Jews who were waiting for Christ will see Him in the end. In the meantime, the mission of the Church is to bring ALL people to Christ. Christ will then take care of the rest.

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    5. This is extremely peculiar! I grew up in learning decent Catholic doctrines and this is the reason I stick to my faith and my denomination! How can I allow mischievous theological innovations to pull my religion out from under my foot like a carpet? What kind of "theology" is trying to do this?

      "It is not us who deserve to be saved, it is our elder brothers in faith who show us mercy and allow us to be included in their salvation through Jesus Christ, it is them who share their own heritage with us and with all mankind. Now, how great brothers we have in the faithful of God’s chosen people!" If you have any doubt, here is the explanation: "We read in the Book of Apocalypse that Jews are to be saved. Why? Because they are the chosen people of God! God loves His first chosen better than any other who came to Him later. Which father would not do so?!"

      How can anyone write down these words in a decent "Catholic" blog that Diana claims her blog to be? Would the Jews truly exercise mercy on us, poor ignorant little brothers by allowing us "to be included in their salvation"? How could they control and make decision about this? Is this not in the authority of God the Almighty Father? Or what about Jesus Christ who did not "allow" us playing games, He simply SAVED US by his suffering, death and resurrection!? How about this, Ernie?!

      You say God loves the Jews better than Christians because we came later to Him. Where is this idea coming from?! By gosh, if we talk about favoritism of God, we are surely mistaken, big time! God does not play favoritism. All His creation is holy! He loves us all, each and every one of us! How could you deny that? We are not just poor unloved little brothers who need our elder brothers to exercise mercy on us, so that we do not perish in our misery. We are the flock of God, the Church of His Son Jesus Christ! Why are you trying to make fun of things holy in the eye of the believer? You cannot strip us from our innermost emotional bond to our all good and all loving Heavenly Father!

      We are under attack because we defend the decent doctrines of our Catholic faith that we had grown up into. But we simply cannot subscribe these dubious theological innovations, either if it comes from individual invention or from a new ecclesiastical group. Sorry, it is not us here, old fashioned parishioners, who need to prove ourselves. The burden of proof is on the innovator.

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  2. Here lays a trap......to think that we can by ourselves got out and proclaim the Good News. We find in scriptures.....go and proclaim my word and if you have to speak.

    to proclaim is not easy for anyone....the grace to do so comes from not from ourselves but from a higher power. A mother.....a father proclaims by example to their children....many instances not saying a word but at every instance children are seeing either parents living in spirit or whatever.

    Do you need to be a catechist to proclaim? Some think so....but nothing could be further from the truth as we are all called to proclaim the Word.

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  3. This is quite disturbing. Frenchie, one of the arch-conservatives in the Junglewatch group of Tim's friends is pretty openly admitting the anti-Semitic sentiment Diana is talking about. No wonder Frenchie is in friendly exchange of views with who other but "voice-of-faith", who is putting forward more combustive material over there than he is showing us here! What a hypocrite. Read this, it is pure trash.

    Frenchie says in the Jungle: "The Jewish symbolisms and the Masonic rituals are but the tip of a bigger iceberg. The most troubling thing for me is the idea of the "chosen people" which is at the core of the Talmudist's teaching. This super-imposition of images, between the Jews as chosen people, and the followers of Kikko as their latest converts is almost sickening. This profoundly racist, racialist and religious elitist movement goes against all the teachings of Christ himself. It goes against some of the founding principles of our Church, and as such cannot be viewed any other way as an all out attack against its own being."

    Now, Frenchie is calling the idea of chosen people "Talmudist" whatever this means in his vocabulary. Hello!? Frenchie and all Jungle dwellers, wake up! Who are the first chosen people of God? The answer is right from the Holy Scriptures, they are the Jews! They were chosen by God through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and confirmed as the one and only chosen people of God through Moses! If you cannot swallow this, well it's too bad, then you are not even a Christian! Please, read the Bible and try to get familiar with the basics.

    Frenchie even has the guts to call us "racist"... What the heck? Are you all right, dear Frenchie?! Is this not you who wants to exclude the Jews from salvation? Is this not you who enjoy this strange talk over there at the Jungle with the two-tongued double-speaking "voice-of-faith"? Are you not the the ones who oppose the reconciliation between Catholics and Jews that Vatican II called for? Now who are the racist? Who are the deniers? I am not surprised that the disguise at Junglewatch is falling down and the real motives behind the attacks on the NeoCathechumenal Way are coming to clear light.

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    1. Dear Ernie (and Diana), I have a simple question for you. What do you understand of the meaning of the veil of the temple being rent at the time of Jesus' death on the cross?

      "50Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.* 51At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. " Matthew 27:51

      "37 Then Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom." Mark 15:38

      "44 It was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land[l] until three in the afternoon, 45 while the sun’s light failed;[m] and the curtain of the temple was torn in two." Luke 23:45

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    2. Dear Anonymous at 12:59 pm,

      You can find the answer in the following website below, which was answered by Archbishop Fulton Sheen. As you can see from the website, it had nothing to do with the Jewish people no longer being the "chosen people." The Catholic Church teach that the Jews are still the chosen people.

      http://www.catholictradition.org/Passion/passion28.htm

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  4. Fulton Sheen is excellent isn't he?

    This is a quote from your linked page:
    "The very fact that it was tom from top to bottom was to indicate that it was not done by the hand of man, but by the miraculous Hand of God Himself, Who had ordained that, as long as the Old Law should endure, the veil should hang before the Holy of Holies. Now He decreed that it should be torn asunder at His death. That which of old was sacred now remained opened and manifest before their eyes, uncovered like any *common and ordinary thing,* while before them on Calvary, as a soldier pierced His heart, was revealed the new Holy of Holies containing the ark of the New Testament and the treasures of God. The death of Christ was the deconsecration of the earthly temple, for He would raise up the new Temple in three days. Only one man, once a year, could enter into that old Holy of Holies; now that the veil was rent which separated holiness from the people,

    and separated the Jew from the Gentile, *both* would have access to the new Temple, Christ the Lord. "

    and notably:
    "Levi's House of priesthood was now dismissed.
    The Order of Melchisedech became the law in the House of Levi. The "no admittance" sign before the Holy of Holies of the earthly temple was removed. When Christ came into the world to be the fulfillment of the order of Melchisedech, the House of Levi denied Him welcome. In fact, Levi had exacted tithes of Him just a few weeks before His death in demanding temple taxes. But, as the veil of the temple was torn the priesthood of Melchisedech came into its own, and with it the true Holy of Holies, the true Ark of the New Covenant, the true Bread of Life---the Christ, the Son of the Living God. "

    What is meant by "Levi's House of priesthood" I wonder?

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    1. Dear Anonymous at 5:38 pm,

      I follow the Catholic Church, and the Catholic Church teaches that the Jews are STILL the chosen people. According to Pope Francis:

      There is a phrase from the Second Vatican Council that is essential: it says that God showed Himself to all men and rescues, first of all, the Chosen People. Since God is faithful to His promises, He did not reject them. The Church officially recognizes that the People of Israel continue to be the Chosen People. Nowhere does it say: "You lost the game, now it is our turn." It is a recognition of the People of Israel. That, I think, is the most courageous thing from Vatican II on the subject. (Jorge M. Bergoglio and Abraham Skorka, On Heaven and Earth [New York: Image, 2013], p. 188)

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