January 28, 2013

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Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church 

Challenge yourself today.  Read one Question of the Summa Theologica.

St. Thomas Aquinas is a giant figure in the Catholic Church, we should all learn more about him.  Here are two little trivia factoids you might want to google.  The Dumb Ox and the Angelic Doctor.

Lectionary: 317

Reading 1
Heb 9:15, 24-28

Christ is mediator of a new covenant:
since a death has taken place
for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant,
those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.

This is a very interesting statement.  Much of which is explained in these which were skipped:

Hebrews 9:16-17
King James Version (KJV)
16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.

In other words, as I understand it, God is the Testator.  The One who wrote His LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT.  In order for those things promised in His Testament to be of force.  GOD HAD TO DIE.

Isn't that awesome!?  God literally died on the Cross.  I know, I know.  God can't die.  But have you not read in Scripture that everything is possible with God?  God took human form in order that He could die in the form of a man.  In so doing, the Old Testament was fulfilled and the promises activated.

For Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,
a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,
that he might now appear before God on our behalf.

The point that St. Paul is making is that God is not offering Himself to the Father from an earthly temple.  He is standing in the Heavenly Temple before the Throne of God:

Revelation 5:6
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,
as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary
with blood that is not his own;
if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly
from the foundation of the world.

The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is ONCE.  We consummate or consume the Sacrifice when we participate in the Eucharist.  We bring it to completion.

The Eucharisitic Sacrifice is our Passover.  In the Old Testament, the original Passover was celebrated by slaughtering the lamb, then offering it to God.  Then the people were supposed to put blood on their doors and eat the flesh.

In the Eucharistic Sacrifice, Christ was sacrificed on the Cross, this is equivalent to the slaughter of the Lamb of God.  Then He ascended to the Father to offer His Sacrifice.  Now its our turn to consume the Body and Blood of our Lord in the Holy Eucharist.

Do you see?

But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages
to take away sin by his sacrifice.

What St. Paul is speaking of here is the Sanctifying grace which Jesus Christ poured out upon the earth in His death on the Cross.  This Sanctifying grace is applied to us in the Sacraments wherein our sins are forgiven, washed away by the Holy Spirit when He applies the Sanctifying grace to our souls..

Just as it is appointed that human beings die once,
and after this the judgment, so also Christ,
offered once to take away the sins of many,
will appear a second time, not to take away sin
but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him.

I think there are a mix of ideas presented here.
1.  Jesus died once just as we all do.
2.  But his death took away the sins of those who believe in Him.
3.  He will appear again, not to die again, nor to take sin away again, but to award the faithful with eternal life:

Revelation 22:12-15
King James Version (KJV)
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.  13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.  14 Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.  15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

So, keep the Commandments.

Responsorial Psalm
PS 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4, 5-6

R. (1a) Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.

Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.

R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.

The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.

R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.

All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.

R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.

Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.

R. Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds.

The deed which is most being celebrated in these readings, is the fact that God took flesh in order to die for our sins and our salvation.  That is truly something to be celebrated!  God died that we might live!

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Mark
Mk 3:22-30

The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus,
“He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and
“By the prince of demons he drives out demons.”
Summoning them, he began to speak to them in parables,

Certain people had come from the Jews to accuse Jesus of being a servant of the Evil One and eliminating evil by the power of the Evil One.  But Jesus calmly responded to them.

“How can Satan drive out Satan?
If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house is divided against itself,
that house will not be able to stand.
And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided,
he cannot stand;
that is the end of him.

In today's jargon, Jesus replied, "Really?  You are saying that Satan is attacking himself?"

Then He describes the false logic of the situation.  Any kingdom which attacks itself will fall.  How many civil wars has this world not experienced.

But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property
unless he first ties up the strong man.
Then he can plunder his house.

Now listen and pay close attention:

Revelation 20:1-3
King James Version (KJV)
1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.  2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,  3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Jesus is now binding the Serpent.  He is now binding Satan.  Because WE are binding Satan, if we but keep the Commandments:

Revelation 12:17
King James Version (KJV)
17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies
that people utter will be forgiven them.
But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will never have forgiveness,
but is guilty of an everlasting sin.”
For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.”

Jesus is not strictly speaking of utterances here.  Although the Jews had verbally insulted the Spirit of Our Lord, which is the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Holy Trinity.  We can also insult that same Spirit by our actions and by our lack of action:

Heb 10:
29 Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
30 For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.