Why wait? (Infant baptism: sooner than later)

So now that the word is out that we are pregnant with sweet little bear there have been multiple times that the discussion of baptism has come up.... Are we going to baptize little bear in Colorado or go back to Texas? Are we going to wait until our family can come for a visit? You have already talked to a priest about preparations for baptism?! etc. etc.

I have actually been pretty surprised at the shocked responses that we have received when we state that we have already gone through the steps of preparation with our parish/priest and will be baptizing little bear the sunday following the birth unless some unforeseen reason comes up with the parish/priest. 

Common response: "Are you serious?! Why so soon?!" 

to which I usually reply: 

Below is a post that I came across that I think really helps address the importance/stance of the church on infant baptism and why we are not planning on waiting any more time than necessary to bring our little bear to the catholic church to be gifted with his/her first sacrament. I have yet to hear any substantial reason to wait that would trump the importance and desire that we have as a family to embrace the sacrament sooner than later. 

"Baptism is God's most beautiful and magnificent gift. (CCC #1216)"    

"The Church and parents deny a child the priceless grace of becoming a child of God were they not to confer baptism shortly after birth. (CCC # 1250)"

Soooooo.... why are so many shocked that we are not planning to wait long to baptize little bear???

Below is the text from the post. Here is the link to the original posting. :) 

Really great read. Especially for parents/ those getting married soon. :) 

There is a trend that has set up for years now, and that is that Catholics are waiting many months to get their children baptized. I suspect that what we have here is a combination of a much lower infant mortality rate and, also, a less fervent practice of the faith by many. Further, there seems little sense among the faithful today that an unbaptized infant would be excluded from heaven.

As regards the last point, I think it is pastorally sound to trust in God’s mercy for infants who die before baptism. However, I do not think it follows that we ought to disregard or substantially delay a sacrament which Jesus commands, and which the Church indicates ought not to be delayed. The Code of Canon Law says the following:

Parents are obliged to see that their infants are baptised within the first few weeks. As soon as possible after the birth, indeed even before it, they are to approach the parish priest to ask for the sacrament for their child, and to be themselves duly prepared for it. If the infant is in danger of death, it is to be baptised without any delay. Can. 867 §1,§2

The Catechism also states: The Church and parents deny a child the priceless grace of becoming a child of God were they not to confer baptism shortly after birth. (CCC # 1250) So it seems clear that a higher priority should be given to scheduling the baptism of babies within the first few weeks after birth.

Protestant practice departs from the received Tradition – Another factor for American Catholics is that many are influenced by the Protestants. Protestants, (though not all of them) disagree with our Catholic practice of baptizing infants. They usually wait until a child is between 8 and 12 to baptize,  reasoning that the child will know and understand what is happening and be able to claim Christ for themselves.

But, I hope you see the supreme irony of this in the fact that the Protestants, who so emphasize that salvation does not come from works, delay baptism on the grounds that the infant has not achieved (i.e. worked up to) the proper level of maturity. To know, requires one to learn, which is a work. And we Catholics, who supposedly teach salvation through works (we do not), baptize infants who can work no work.

Novelty – Indeed, the Protestant denominations (mostly Baptists (another irony), Pentecostals, Fundamentalist and Evangelicals) who refuse baptism to infants, engage in a novelty unknown to the Church until recent times.

It is a simple historical fact that the Church has always baptized infants. Even our earliest documents speak of the practice. For example the Apostolic Tradition written about 215 A.D. has this to say:

The children shall be baptized first. All of the children who can answer for themselves, let them answer. If there are any children who cannot answer for themselves, let their parents answer for them, or someone else from their family. (Apostolic Tradition # 21)

Scripture too confirms that infants should be baptized if you do the math. For example

People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. (Luke 18:15-17 NIV)

So the Kingdom of God belongs to the little children (in Greek βρέφη (brephe) indicating infants and little children still held in the arms, babes).

And yet elsewhere Jesus also reminds that it is necessary to be baptized in order to enter the Kingdom of God: Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. (John 3:5 NIV)

If the Kingdom of God belongs to little children, and we are taught that we cannot inherit it without baptism, then it follows that baptizing infants is necessary, and that to fail to do so, is a hindering of the little children which Jesus forbade his apostles to do. So both Tradition and Scripture affirm the practice of baptizing infants.

Many of the Protestants who do refuse infant baptism also water down (pardon the pun!) the fuller meaning of baptism, no longer seeing it as washing away sins and conferring righteousness per se, but more as a symbol of faith that they claim to have already received when they said the “sinners prayer” and accepted Christ as their savior. But what a tragic loss for them, since baptism and particularly the baptism of infants, says some very wonderful things about the complete gratuity of salvation and the goodness of God. Consider these points:

1. The baptism of infants is a powerful testimony to the absolute gratuity (gift) of salvation. Infants have achieved nothing, have not worked, have not done anything to “merit” salvation. The Catechism puts it this way: The sheer gratuitousness of the grace of salvation is particularly manifest in infant baptism. (CCC # 1250) The Church is clear, salvation cannot be earned or merited and infant baptism teaches that most clearly. Salvation is pure gift. How strange and ironic that some of the very denominations which claim that Catholics teach salvation by works (we do not) also refuse, themselves, to baptize infants. They claim that a certain age of maturity is required so that the person understands what they are doing. But this sounds like achievement to me. That the child must meet some requirement, seems like a work, or the attainment of some meritorious status wherein one is now old enough to “qualify” for baptism and salvation. “Qualifications….Achievement (of age)….Requirements….it all sounds like what they accuse us of: namely works and merit. To be clear then, the Catholic understanding of the gratuity of salvation is far more radical than many non-Catholics understand. We baptize infants who are not capable of meriting, attaining or earning.

2. The Baptism of infants also powerfully attests to the fact that the beauty of holiness and righteousness is available to everyone regardless of age. To be baptized means to be washed. Washed of what? Original Sin. At first this seems like a downer, “Are you saying my baby has sin?” Yep. All of us inherit Original Sin from Adam and Eve. We are born into a state of alienation from God that is caused by sin. The Scriptures are clear: [S]in entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned (Rom 5:12). So even infants are in need of the saving touch of God. Now why would we wish to delay this salvation and resulting holiness for 7 to 12 years? The Catechism says this,

Born with a fallen human nature and tainted by Original Sin, children also have need of new birth in Baptism to be freed from the power of darkness and be brought into the realm of the freedom of the children of God….The Church and parents would deny a child the priceless grace of becoming a child of God were they not to confer baptism shortly after birth. (CCC # 1250).

St. Cyprian Bishop of Carthage in the 3rd Century was asked if it was OK to wait to the 8th day to baptize since baptism had replaced circumcision. He respond with a strong no:

But in respect of the case of the infants, which you say ought not to be baptized within the second or third day after their birth, and that the law of ancient circumcision should be regarded, so that you think that one who is just born should not be baptized and sanctified within the eighth day We [the bishops] all thought very differently in our council. For in this course which you thought was to be taken, no one agreed; but we all rather judge that the mercy and grace of God is not to be refused to any one born of man. (Epist# 58).

So then here is the beauty, that infants are summoned to receive the precious gift of holiness and righteousness and that they are summoned to a right relationship with God by having their sin purged and holiness infused. Infants are called to this dignity and should not be denied it. With this done, some of the holiest and most innocent days of our lives may well be our first years. Then, as the will begins to manifest, and reason begins to dawn, the grace of holiness gives us extra strength to fight against the sinful world that looms.

3. The Baptism of Infants also attests to the fact that faith is gift for every stage of development- To be baptized is to receive the gift of faith. It is baptism that gives the true faith. Even with adults, true faith does not come until baptism. Prior to that there is a kind of prevenient faith, but it is not the Theological Virtue of Faith.

Now faith is not only an intellectual assent to revealed doctrine. It is that, but it is more. To have faith is also be be in a righteous and trusting relationship with God. An infant relates to his parents long before he speaks or his rational mind is fully formed. He trusts his parents and depends on them. It is the same with God. Thus the infant can well trust and depend on God and be in a right relationship with God, in an age appropriate way.

With his parents, his or her relationship of trust with parents, leads the infant to begin to speak and understand as he or she grows. It is the same with God. As the infant’s mind awakens, the infant’s faith grows. It will continue to grow until the day he or she dies (hopefully) as an old man or woman.

That faith accompanies us through every stage of our life, and develops as we do, is essential to its nature. An infant needs faith no less than an old man. An infant benefits from faith no less than a teenager or an adult. To argue, as some Protestants do, that you have to be a certain age before faith can exist, hardly seems to respect the progressive nature of faith which is able to bless EVERY stage of our human journey.

I have some very vivid memories of my experience of God prior to seven years of age and I will say that God was very powerfully present to me in my early years, in many ways even more so than now, when my mind sometimes “gets in the way.”

Too many Catholics are waiting months, even years to have their children baptized. Precious time is lost by this delay. Infant Baptism speaks powerfully of the love that God has for everyone he has created and of his desire to have everyone in a right and saving relationship with Him. Surely baptism alone isn’t enough. The child must be raised in the faith. It is the nature of faith that it grows by hearing and seeing. Children must have faith given at baptism but that faith must be explained and unwrapped like a precious gift for them.

Don’t delay. Get started early and teach your child the faith they have received every day.

I wonder... I wonder....

I wonder....

Pregnancy, although there have been many struggles, has been such a precious time. Everyday I try to set aside "baby time" to spend some time with little bear. Usually afterward I go on with my day but I always find myself wondering what little bear is going to look like.

Will little bear have Anastacios joyful smile? My family crooked pinkies? Anastacios thick black hair? Little freckles like mama? Whose little toes will little bear have?

There are so many possibilities! How amazing that this little one was made so uniquely by God! I can't wait to see and hold little bear in my arms but until then I will continue to enjoy mama and baby time and continue to wonder.... :)


                             Mama Bear                                                                            Papi Bear

              

 

 

 

       

SO SO SOOOO HaPpY!!!!!!! :D (Video)

Happy Sunday! Please keep us in your prayers. :)))

Sorry in advance for the goofy dance moves.... :P

Love, The Hinojosa Family :) 

Coming Soon to Denver: Traditional Carmelite Monastery!!! :)

This Sunday I was more than excited to find out that the Carmelite brother from brazil who has been attending Mass at our parish for the past few weeks is here working with our parish to find a location in the Denver area to start a Traditional Carmelite Monastery (The Brothers and Sisters Hermits of the Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel)! How exciting is that?! :) 

  

While checking out their website I found some beautiful words spoken about the traditional liturgy that I just had to share. :) 

"As the Church teaches, the Liturgy is the Prayer of Christ.  The Church is born from the Liturgy, as from the side of Christ pierced as He prays on the Cross and commends Himself to the Father for our Salvation as our High Priest.  The Liturgy is the heart of our life as Christians, for it in Christ Our Head acts in and for His Body and Bride, the Church.  The Mystery of God, into which we are incorporated by the Sacraments, is the living Source and absolute Summit of the life of each soul.  All discipline, prayer, sacrifices, penance, study, and work exist for the sake of discovery and living reception of and saving transformation in the Mystery of Christ, to which we have real, efficacious access through the Sacraments and Liturgy of the Church. 

The Carmelite life is oriented toward the reception and fruition of divine, eternal life, which is the Mystery of Christ in the soul.  “To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27).  The Mystery of God given to us in Christ is the union of God and Man which Christ is  in the unity of His Person. "Abide in me and I in you.  He who eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood abides in me, and  I in him.  As the living Father Sent me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me will live because of Me!" (John 15:4; 6:56-57). 

Through the Holy Sacrifice of our great High Priest and divine Head, we pass beyond the veil and enter Heaven, even while we remain on earth.  Furthermore, we bear in our souls Heaven: the dwelling of the God who gives Himself to us in Christ and His Spirit as he draws us to Himself and His Glory.  Henceforth we live by the life of God, in the eternal, infinite Love that unites the Father and Son and which is their Life and Glory.  We receive that Life through the eternal Sacrifice of Christ perpetuated in the Mass.  The Cross of Christ, through which this Life is given to fallen mankind, dead in its sin, is our glory, and we seek to reverently and devoutly celebrate that eternal Liturgy in Holy Mass and in the Divine Office and then live that Mystery in our souls in our prayer, study, work, and service...until the day we too finally pass through the veil of death and enter the Light of Christ's immortal Glory."

Check out their website to learn more about their beautiful charism and devotion to our Lord in the Eucharist! :) 
http://www.eremitaecarmeli.org/


"God Himself teaches us to go forth with our hand in His by means of the Church's liturgy." - Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

EWTN's TV series "Extraordinary Faith" Episode 1

Below is the link for the EWTN's TV series "Extraordinary Faith" Episode 1.

During this episode they reveal some of the beautiful parishes in the LA area that are celebrating the Traditional Latin Mass and exploding from the seams. They also talk with various people on why they attend that Mass as well as some interesting Latin Mass organizations that are helping to train priests, altar servers, and musicians in order to help start the Latin Mass back up again in YOUR parish.

Hope you enjoy! :)

http://vimeo.com/63988205

We are all very little at the foot of the Cross, and yet what the world judges to be a "barrier" to participation is in fact precisely what we need nowadays to draw close to the throne of saving grace.

The Timeless Draw Of The Traditional Latin Mass.

By Fr. Calvin Goodwin, FSSP.

I recently read an article on the influence that current media has on young people. The import of the article was that most young people today have their eyes (and attention) divided at any given moment among their Playstation, their cell phone, and the Internet. Hence the phenomenon amongst young people today - which any longtime teacher can testify to - of the "shrinking span of attention". So what has common perception to do with the Traditional Rite of holy Mass?

Well, when Pope Benedict XVI, in Summorum Pontificum, informed the Catholic world that the Traditional Latin Mass had not in fact been banned after the last ecumenical council and that he wanted that form of Mass to become a common experience in ALL catholic churches, he also mentioned that his was not an exercise in religious nostalgia, but a sign of living growth in the Church - precisely because the "Latin Mass movement" had become a movement of the young. The question, then is: Why are young people drawn in such numbers to the Traditional Latin Mass?

One would have imagined that, with the attested shorter attention span, a Mass that is (a) in Latin, (b) celebrated with "the priest's back to the people," and (c) largely celebrated amidst long periods of silent prayer, would have been exactly what young people would NOT want. But to conclude thus would only be repeating a common error of out time - to think that the Mass must "appeal" to us, and if it doesn't, then we must reshape it so that it will do so.

But what IS the Mass? It is the re-presentation upon the altar, in an unbloody manner, of the Sacrifice of Calvary. This sacrifice of Christ does not need to be made "relevant" to us - we need to conform ourselves to it! And it is a testimony to the truth of this principle that God is leading young people, in large numbers, to the Mass that makes Sacrifice clearly and specifically present.

The Mass, as celebrated since ancient times in the Catholic Church, draws us out of our everyday experience. The Fathers of the Church used to say that it is not even so much that at the Consecration Our Lord comes down upon the altar as that he draws us upwards to the realm where He dwells in everlasting glory. There, at Mass, we all - young and old - are the ones about whom Our Lord said, "Let the little ones come to me and do not hinder them." (Mk 10:14) We are all very little at the foot of the Cross, and yet what the world judges to be a "barrier" to participation is in fact precisely what we need nowadays to draw close to the throne of saving grace. 

A sacramental building??? huh???

An other article. This one written by our wise and humble pastor. :) My favorite article on the subject thus far. I never thought about the church building being sacramental! Mind blown! :)

Church Architecture
By FR. James Jackson, FSSP.

From the earliest days, the Church has been zealous for the building in which God is worshipped, and the reason is intimately connected with the liturgy. For we need eyes to see God as both the Fountain of beauty in this life and the Fountain of holiness in the next.

Unfortunately, cultivating such vision is difficult in our times, when most of what our world is producing is surpassingly uninspiring and even ugly, and this banality has extended even to Church architecture. In contrast to this modern tendency, we have Beseleel and Ooliab, the architects of the first tabernacle, who were "filled with the spirit of God in wisdom, and in understanding, and n knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver and in brass, and in cutting of stones to set them, and in carving of timber." (ex. 31:3-5) When the first tabernacle was built, there was no effort to pander to the whims of the architect's profession or of a church committee!

Sacramentality is the feature that distinguishes traditional ecclesiastical architecture from the modernist architecture of our times. By the outward and visible form is signified something inward and spiritual. Mere reality is not sufficient, for what can be more real than a pyramid - and less Christian? In a parallel universe, many would desire that the words of our Lord to be plain, unadorned and simple. But the words of Christ were in fact parabolic, figurative, descriptive, and allegorical; just so the church building ought to imitate her Master.

Church architecture should thus itself be sacramental, a material fabric which figures the purpose for which it was designed. The distinction between a contemporary church (which might look like a mall or some prop from Star Wars) and the traditional church is not found simply in an association of ideas, correctness of detail, mechanical construction, or in quaintness, but in sacramentality. Remember the definition of a sacrament from the catechism: "A sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give santifying grace." So the church building should be sacramental, an outward sign of what is really happening inside it, and above all what should be happening in the soul.

Fumbling through the '62: "Sacred Music in the Life of the Parish."

Another article that I talked about in the last '62 post. :)

La LaALaLaALalalalalaaaaaaaa!!! :)

Hope you enjoy! :)

"Sacred Music In The Life Of The Parish" 
By Fr. Gerard Saguto, FSSP.

Music has played a significant role in humanity throughout history. From our earliest years, we were soothed by lullabies, the "alphabet song" taught us our ABC's and "Do, RE, Mi" helped us learn to sing. Music actively affects our ability to work, relax, study, or pray-for better or worse. It is intuitively clear that music is formative and thus has an effect upon our souls: It either builds virtue or promotes vice, based on the type and amount that is listened to. 

The selection of music used in sacred worship is therefore of great importance because it will profoundly influence our perception of sacred and of morality. Accordingly, music accompanying befitting worship of God must convey holiness, mystery, and goodness. This precept serves to ensure, safeguard, and transmit a proper understanding of God, so we may render what is due to Him. Man owes to God that which is highest and most beautiful, and so the rites and music employed in public worship must reflect this dignity.

As the majority of our formal worship of GOd takes place at a parish level, it is of great importance that the parish promote the sacred tradition of the Church's liturgical music. Such promotion includes Gregorian chant, polyphony, hymnody, and simpler compositions that bear resemblance to these. The parish today must also be a bright beacon of light, a sign of contraction and a haven for hungry souls in an ever-secularizing world. This mission is carried out first and foremost by the outward expression of its worship of God. For reason, the Missa Solemnis or Missa Cantata should have a prominent and regular place in the liturgical schedule of the parish. The regularity of these more solemn forms of worship will make sacred music normative for the faithful, and whatever is normative becomes formative.

The realization of this ideal requires dedication and hard work, both for the choir and for the pastor. A pastor's active support of sacred music is indispensable towards the presence of good music in the parish for years to come. The sacred music of the Church truly is a treasury and an instrument to holiness: Let us pray for its universal restoration in our churches. 

Fumbling through the '62: "The Full Catholic Life of an Apostolate."

So life has been beyond crazy and while the hubby and I have had a million and one things that we can write on and would like to write on we have yet to finish one and post it. Until that free time comes (**Cross your fingers** jaja) I am going to try to post some articles that where published in a catholic magazine that we came across on the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter of which our parish is apart of. One of the articles I was surprised to see was written by our extremely humble and wise priest here... surprise, surprise he didn't tell anyone. jaja.

Anywhooo, here is one of the articles. I hope you read it with an open and prayerful heart. :)

(my additional comments are in red. Feel free to skip over them. jaja. :P )

The Full Catholic Life of an Apostolate. 

By Fr. Paul Jared McCambridge, FSSP

Among those of all ages and walks of life who choose to attend the Traditional Latin Mass, you will find some that always know and loved it. Some found it as a refuge from liturgical abuse they had experienced(X marks the spot for this girl), while still others sought it out as being an inherently beautiful and fitting form of worship (the reason I personally continue to attend).

Regardless, “traditional Catholicism” means far more than simply assisting at Mass in the ancient rite. Those who arrive at the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter often remark that they were attracted to the “full parish life” in our apostolates. While liturgy and the sacraments come foremost (<-- Beautifully awesome to see this lived out in a parish! Its not about the million and one groups that seems to be offered at many parishes which are great and all, but rather is about Christ Himself humbling Himself to be present in the Eucharist that should be the center of the parish life. All other things should permeate from that.), there is also a great deal more.

These Catholics want real distinction between “the world” and the environment in which they and their families lives. They seek to be among Catholics who are one, not just in belief, but in the way they manifest the Faith and live it daily. The traditional Liturgy provides a welcome antidote to the imagery and noise of modern media and “pop” culture through the ordered dignity of the ceremonies, the interplay of sacred music and silence, and the profundity of the prayers themselves. These foster the love of true beauty in art, music, and literature- and ultimately, the desire for all one’s life to be consistent with it.

In a culture contemptuous of the wisdom of the past, the apostolate provides a profound love and reverence for the Tradition of Faith. It deepens ones faith and spirituality by offering retreats and days of recollection, providing the fertile ground for one’s faith to grow, along with the hope and love of God. Members seeking to be ever more closely integrated into the Mystical Body of Christ form strong friendships within the community upon the solid foundation they hold in common.

While the modern world rejects the sanctity of human life and the ideas of marriage and the family as God created them, an apostolate of the Fraternity attracts those who cherish life and the traditional family. The presence of many large families within them testifies to this. The doctrinal and substantive preaching they hear from well-formed priest helps their families flourish in knowledge and love of God. (Check. I have heard some of the best homilies in my life at this parish. no fluff. no shying away from important things. Each homily you get catechized. Nothing watered down. Each homily building you closer and closer to a fuller knowledge of Christ and the faith of His church and then calling you out to put that faith into action. By the time it is time to receive our Lord I feel like I am fighting back tears with the love and awe that has been laid in my lap. Okay I'm ranting...sorryyy. :P)

However the initial attraction to the Traditional Latin Mass comes about, those who experience it regularly come to desire its spirituality to permeate their lives. The Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter seeks to facilitate this integrity through its apostolates. 

Fatherhood: A Lesson from the Abbey

Saint Benedict of Nursia provided a Rule that was made for monks to find holiness in leading a life that the Gospels call for. Saint Benedict established a system that was meant to be lived within an abbey. The abbey is a place of solitude, prayer, soul-searching, and finding God. I believe that most of The Rule can be applied to everyday living, but his call “[t]o obey the commands of the Abbot in all things, even though he himself (which Heaven forbid) act otherwise, mindful of that precept of the Lord: "What they say, do ye; what they do, do ye not" (Mt 23:3)”¹ seems to share a distinct relationship with a father in a household. Thus, I believe that the practice of this particular rule could lead to exponential growth of the virtues obedience and humility for all the persons within the household, including the father.

First, it is appropriate to analyze Benedict's Rule from its foundation: Sacred Scripture. Saint Benedict references the Gospel of Matthew to form this rule. The passage reads:

Then Jesus said to the crowds and the disciples, 'The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice. They bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the market places, and being called rabbi by men. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren. And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ. He who is greatest among you shall be your servant; whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted (Mt. 23:1-12, RSV).

With the Scripture as background to The Rule, it is clearly seen that this calls the onlookers to obedience and humility. The portion of the Gospel points to respect for the authority established by God in covenant with Israel and the Davidic Kingdom. This establishment moves the disciples towards an understanding of Christ's earlier message: a call to the Kingdom of God. This Kingdom, not being of this world but other-worldly, pushes the Christian to a new-found way of life.

Jesus stresses that the Pharisees must be respected despite their lack of piety and practice. Jesus, acknowledging that all the Pharisaical actions are for show, demonstrates respect is due to the Pharisees despite not listening to the call of the Lord. This manifests itself in the abbey by mirroring the respect given to the old authority of 'Moses' seat'² to the new authority of the Church through the Apostles and those who give up all things and secure for themselves a place in Heaven (cf. Mt. 19:28-30). Thus, Saint Benedict calls for an Abbot who “hates his own will,”³ as stated in the rule prior to this examined rule. This Abbot, therefore, follows a will not of his own, but rather through his prayer-life follows the Divine Will.

The relationship of the Abbot to the brothers is one of leadership whilst the God-Man does not reside with them. It is fully acknowledged that the Abbot is safeguarding their well-being spiritually and physically, and stands as the head of the community, but remains a part of the greater Church and is subject to the Lord. This prompts the motion from religious life to what is not called religious life, but very much is religious life: the domestic church. During the reign of Blessed John Paul II, the Holy Father issued the Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio. In this work, Blessed John Paul II examines the call of the family to holiness and defines the role of the Christian family: “Accordingly, the family must go back to the "beginning" of God's creative act, if it is to attain self-knowledge and self-realization in accordance with the inner truth not only of what it is but also of what it does in history. And since in God's plan it has been established as an "intimate community of life and love,"(44) the family has the mission to become more and more what it is, that is to say, a community of life and love, in an effort that will find fulfillment, as will everything created and redeemed, in the Kingdom of God. Looking at it in such a way as to reach its very roots, we must say that the essence and role of the family are in the final analysis specified by love. Hence the family has the mission to guard, reveal and communicate love, and this is a living reflection of and a real sharing in God's love for humanity and the love of Christ the Lord for the Church His bride.”⁴

Very much like the abbey, the family is a place where souls can learn about, find, and experience love. The love that is given is not solely of the individuals within the walls, but from the Creator Who causes all things and gives the love to be given (cf. 1 Jn 4:12-17). Thus, the brother in a religious family loves analogously to the sibling. Providentially, the Lord entrusts His children to other children of the Kingdom. It is the parental responsibility to “form a community of persons, serve life, participate in the development of society, and share in the life and mission of the Church.”⁵ Thus, with analogous community structures, it can be seen that the father is responsible to guard his wife and children as an Abbot guards his community spiritually and physically (cf. Ephesians 5:21-33).

With the given structure, the father must act with great humility and obedience understanding that he is meant to be the spiritual leader of his home. As spelled out in Saint Paul's letter to the Ephesians, the couple must be “subject to one another out of reverence for Christ,” and the Scripture goes on to explain how the husband is “the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the Church, his body, and is himself its Savior” (Eph 5:21-23). Thus, the father of the household, like Christ, is responsible for the salvation of his family, just as the Church is a family under the head of Christ. Therefore, the father is called to develop character in the areas of humility and obedience: listening to the Will of God and humbly acting out what he believes the Lord is leading his house to do in all things. Saint Joseph serves as a very good example of trusting in physical and spiritual matters that may be referenced as a barometer of prudence (cf. Mt 2:13-23).

As stated previously, the Lord has entrusted this man with the care of the family and ought to be considerate of all the opinions and weigh the spiritual and physical ramifications. Progressively, this structure allows for growth in obedience and humility for the mother and children. The blind assent to the father's prayer-life and union with the Father, trusting in his prudence, while also respectfully indicating feelings about decisions, is important and vital to the father's role as executor and is instrumental to the growth of humility and obedience for all parties. With these things in mind, communication and consequently unified action within the household serves to be a union of hearts, minds, and will that is on the level of supernatural.

Lastly, the rule indicates that the community must do as the teachings, in union with good conscience, call to. Thus, a father, like the Abbot who “[fulfills] daily the commandments of God by works,”⁶ must do the same in order that he leads not by commands but rather by actions and example. This shows that the actions flow from the head of the family. It is the call of the leader of the household, like the Abbot, to silently, yet resiliently carry his cross with a Christ-like habit that allows for an example for children and serves as a motivator for his wife. This is done by sanctifying the work day, whether it be schoolwork, physical labor, prayer, etc. All things must be renewed in Christ to move the Kingdom of God out into the darkness of the secular world and brighten the world to become a world both of God and Man coinciding.

Therefore, Saint Benedict's Rule can be for all. Saint Benedict established a system that was meant to be lived within an abbey, but finds itself amplifying daily life of even the domestic church. The household can become the place of solitude, prayer, soul-searching, and finding God as it is called to be. With The Rule applied to everyday living, the call “[t]o obey the commands of the [father] in all things, even though he himself (which Heaven forbid) act otherwise, mindful of that precept of the Lord: "What they say, do ye; what they do, do ye not" (Mt 23:3)”⁷ leads a household to Heaven and brings the Kingdom of God evermore to earth. Thus, with a society desperately in need of a witness, the practice of this particular rule will lead to exponential growth of the virtues obedience and humility for all the persons within the household, and possibly serve to inspire others to take up their cross and follow the Lord in all things and all states of life.

1 St. Benedict of Nursia. "The Holy Rule of Saint Benedict." http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d/0480-0547,_Benedictus_Nursinus,_Regola,_EN.pdf (accessed February 21, 2014).

2 Ibid.

3 Ibid.

4 Blessed John Paul II. “APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION FAMILIARIS CONSORTIO.” http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-familiaris-consortio-_en.html (accessed March 13, 2014).

5 Ibid.

6 St. Benedict of Nursia. "The Holy Rule of Saint Benedict." http://www.documentacatholicaomnia.eu/03d/0480-0547,_Benedictus_Nursinus,_Regola,_EN.pdf (accessed February 21, 2014).

7 Ibid.

TRADITION OF THE ELDERS OR TRADITION OF GOD?

During Jesus' ministry, Christ encounters many challenges from the scribes and Pharisees. Blatant attacks against His teachings and followers all attempt to move people from considering following Him to focusing on following the Pharisees and the scribes from their comfortable positions atop the Judaic hierarchy. One of the many instances of this blatant abuse of power and influence is found at the beginning of the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew where the Pharisees question Jesus in regard to why Jesus' “disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat” (Mt 15:2, RSV). Jesus is about to use this moment to teach a lesson that forever changes the understanding of the Law and how it is to be cared for.

[15:1] “Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem [...]” From its beginnings, the evangelist wishes for us to understand the setting of our location, for it has a significance. In the previous chapter, Jesus arrives at Gennesaret, which is located on the “northwest shore on the Sea of Galilee.”¹ Many gathered after His arrival, and the people brought all who were diseased and needed to be healed. These were not the only to arrive to visit Our Lord and hear His words. The mention of the location points to the Pharisees went out of their way to pay Him a visit: they made a point to come all the way from Jerusalem, a long journey, which is estimated to be sixty miles away.

[15:2] After arriving the evangelist wastes no time in showing how the Pharisees and scribes have come to question and dampen this mission. Immediately they ask, “Why do your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat” (Mt 15:2). It is important to note that “[t]he Pharisees, as a heightened expression of piety, applied this priestly standard of purity to all Israel, requiring even laypeople throughout the land to cleans their hands before taking a meal.”² Simply put, this is an extra law. A law that is not from God, but rather from man, which serves to be a rather big issue as the discussion unfolds. Nevertheless, the intellectual battle has begun, the leaders of Israel have questioned the author of the Law. Thus, the teacher, the Man Who speaks with Authority will begin to teach by questioning.

In regard to the subject of the precepts of the extraordinary laws, St. Thomas Aquinas had much to say. St. Thomas Aquinas wrote: “Deuteronomy 4, 2: 'You shall not add to the word that I speak to you, neither shall you take away from it.' Hence, by adding traditions, they were acting contrary to the Law; not because it was not allowed to make an ordinance, but because they were ordering that their decrees be observed just like Lord's Law.”³ This has serious ramifications, when seen in its context, the Pharisees are adding “ordinances” that they are claiming to be equal to the Law of the Lord. If the Law of the Lord is held equal to the law of men serious ramifications will follow, because man and his understanding are not equal to that of God. Therefore, this is an early indicator that the Pharisees, in practice, lack the humility of fully understanding the Law from its heart and, therefore, cannot enforce and regulate its practice justly or prudently.

The Philosopher also sheds light on why the Apostles did not wash their hands: “It was because they were so preoccupied with the word of God that they did not even have time: hence, due to their preoccupation for spiritual things, they were not washing their hands in the manner that the Jews did, as it is stated in Mark 7, because all the Jews do not eat without often washing their hands: for that reason, the disciples were not washing their hands according to their ritual.”⁴ The Apostles were worrying about things more important than the external, the internal. With the serious focus, the Apostles ate the words of the Word, and were being purified by His Message. The Lord, by His Message, sanctifies those who hear and believe. Just as the Gospel of John states, “And from his fulness have we all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses: grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (Jn 1:16-17).

[15:3] “And why do you transgress the commandment of God for the sake of tradition?” This practice of questioning is common amongst the rabbis of Jerusalem. The unlearned carpenter from Nazareth is utilizing their methods of discussion. Jesus is immediately showcasing His expertise, cunning, but, most importantly, His Authority over the Law.

[15:4] “For God commanded, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'He who speaks evil of father or mother let him surely die.'” The Lord's words are very strong and are very familiar to the Pharisees and scribes because it is straight from the Scriptures they hold so dearly. Despite two clear lines distinctly being noted, Christ is referencing four different pieces of Scripture: Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16, Exodus 21:17, and Leviticus 20:9. These four verses share the same basic idea, but must be looked at to understand the fullness of the Scriptural background. Exodus chapter twenty, verse twelve, commands honoring of mother and father in order “that your days may be long in the land which the LORD your God gives you” (Ex 20:12). This verse flows continuously from the original ideas found as early as Abraham that one who follows the ways of the Lord shall be blessed. Deuteronomy reiterates the main idea of the previous verse, while adding “and that it may go well with you, in the land which the LORD your God gives you” (Dt 5:16). The reiteration serves to remind the people of the seriousness and sacredness of these words, which do not come from man, but from YHWH. Additionally, this idea being mentioned in two books is no coincidence, and brings to mind the idea of a nation/Kingdom that had once been established and was anticipated to be reestablished by all in Israel. Recalling infidelity to the Law, Jesus calls further on the curses of not obeying the precepts. The Pharisees and scribes recall the lessons that when a man who breaks the covenant between God and His people will incur struggles and an end: death (cf. Ex 21:17). This is only furthered by a memory of “one who curses his father or his mother shall be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother, his blood is upon him” (Lev 20:9). Leviticus is taking it further to recall that it is not permitted to work dark magic wishing the demise of their family. Thus, Jesus is calling the Pharisees and scribes out in regard to fidelity in both word and deed, and the bait has been hooked, with all eyes and ears attentively awaiting the next words.

With the suspense built, Jesus moves on to state, “But you say, 'If any one tells his father or his mother, What you would have gained from me is given to God, he need not honor his father'” (Mt 15:5). Jesus has drawn the intellectual sword and thrust it through the Pharisees and scribes' complacent guarding of the Law. Jesus is bearing witness to a teaching that the scribes passively promoted, “By dedicating his property to God, i.e., to the temple, a man could avoid having to help his parents, without actually giving up what he had. The scribes held such a vow to be valid without necessarily approving it” (Mt. 15:5, footnote). The Book of Proverbs, also, sheds a great deal of light on this matter stating: “He who robs his father or his mother and says, 'That is no transgression,' is the companion of a man who destroys” (Proverbs 28:24). This, clearly, is avoiding the fourth commandment. Simultaneously, the teaching shares a serious case of adverse selection and moral hazard on the part of the scribes and Pharisees. Of course, Jesus does not waste much time.

Jesus ushers in His closing remarks to the scribes and Pharisees before He teaches to the crowds and disciples saying, “So, for the sake of your tradition, you have made void the word of God” (Mt. 15:6). The beginning of the closing statement. An accusation from the Author of the Law has been issued. Christ indicates that the “word of God,” which can also be translated as “the law of God,” has been left, forgotten, and absconded by those who claim to hold it so dearly to their heart. The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks to matters of the law by saying, “The perfect fulfillment of the Law could be the work of none but the divine legislator, born subject to the Law in the person of the Son. In Jesus, the Law no longer appears engraved on tables of stone but 'upon the heart' of the Servant who becomes 'a covenant to the people,' because he will faithfully bring forth justice.'”⁵ Thus, Jesus has the Law written on His Heart, and the Apostles have followed Him and trusted Him in all things. Therefore, the Apostles have followed the Law by following the Living Law, Christ.

Closing, Jesus points out how the Pharisees and scribes have fulfilled a prophecy in a way that no good Jew would want to. Jesus exclaims: “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you when he said: 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men'” (Mt 15:7-9). The term hypocrite, widely misunderstood, has a clear, precise, burn to it as Jesus shouts in passion. The Lord is declaring them to be “Men […] who entered into the theater, and had one personality and pretended to have another by using masks. Therefore, these men are hypocrites, who outwardly pretend to be something different than they are inwardly; hence, they were inwardly intending profit, and outwardly they were inducing men to offer gifts to God.”⁶ This bold assertion not only communicates a question of individual fidelity to the Law, but outright puts a question of whether or not their motives are really centered on God. Jesus is removing the darkness over the people's eyes and showing how the Pharisees and scribes are using a holy structure for personal gain. Which points to the heart of the problem that St. Thomas points out “the more greed there is, the less charity there is (cf. Jer 12:2).”⁷

As clearly seen, the prophecy is a message of the hypocrisy of the scribes' teaching about avoiding honoring one's father or mother, as well as taking the law into their own hands. As a master of the word, He points out that their words mean nothing, as stated in earlier pieces of Scripture for they do not follow the precepts of the Lord, and their heart is not after YHWH's, but rather is after their own precepts: “the precepts of men.” By these laws, they claim their ordinances to be equal with that of God's. This calls to mind Job's admonition stating, “I will not level God with man” (Job 32:21). Later this is solidified in the Acts of the Apostles which states, “We ought to obey God rather than man” (Acts 5:29). Thus, their worship and all things, while not living the covenant, is in vain. As supported by the Book of Sirach, which states, “The Most High is not pleased with the offerings of the ungodly; and he is not propitiated for sins by a multitude of sacrifices” (Sir. 34:19).

N. T. Wright expounds on the idea of the heart saying, “Jesus, in the course of cryptically subverting the Jewish food laws, explains that what really matters is not physical substances that pass into someone's body, but thoughts and intentions that emerge from (what we would call) the personality. This distinction between outward act and attitude of heart was quite frequent in the Hebrew Bible, and there is no reason at all why Jesus should not have used the idea and indeed made it central to this part of his agenda [… This makes] him a good Jew, recognizing that YHWH desires to recreate human beings as wholes.”⁸ Therefore, Jesus' lesson stands as a proof of His position as an authority of the Scriptures. This moment serves as a very important moment between Christ, the Pharisees, and the scribes. The scribes and Pharisees traveled a long way to ask a question, which was intended to cause Christ's stumble, but rather led to the self-inflicted wound of hypocrisy.

This passage serves as a very serious and necessary reminder that precepts of the Lord must be learned, practiced, but truly lived. Christ looks for those who desire to find the truth in practicum, while also sharing a heart to know the Law. Ultimately, Christ is looking for disciples who are so caught up in Him and His message that they might forget to follow little practices, but are still at the feet of the Master consumed by His Life and willing to transform their lives to live like Christ. Of course, this is found in daily life. As N. T. Wright points out, the good Christian, like the good Jew must always be searching for holistic human growth, and not simply the outward appearance. Additionally, Christians must carefully examine their lives in regards to legalism and find a healthy balance of a true, Christian life of works amplified by love with integrity.

In regard to the Church teachings immediately relevant is the Church teaching on honoring our father and mother according to the fourth commandment. The Church teaches, “Adult children should give their parents material and moral support whenever they find themselves in situations of distress, sickness, loneliness, or old age.”⁹ Of course, when one practices living like Christ, Christ points towards caring for His mother, even at His death. Therefore, it is not something that is lost, but finds new life in a Christian's heart.

Thus, despite Christ's many challenges from the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus topples the oppositions' argument and, consequently, begins to establish His Authority as the Messiah. In the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew where the Pharisees question Jesus in regard to why Jesus' “disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat” (Mt 15:2, RSV). Jesus, in His Infinite Wisdom, transformed an attempted intellectual ambush into a moment of evangelization and a call to a conversion of heart. With the visit from the Pharisees and scribes, the Messiah not only spread His Message further, but also taught a oneness of heart, mind, and soul conformed to the precepts of the Lord and not of man. Thus, Christ teaches the purpose of the Law: the unity of the personal and Divine hearts, minds, and souls. Furthermore, Christ provides an example in the Apostles, who although may have been distracted away from the custom of washing the hands, were truly immersing themselves in the Word of God, which all are called to do.

Bibliography Page

Aquinas, St. Thomas. Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Matthew. 2012. (accessed March 10, 2014).

Catechism of the Catholic Church. Washington, D.C.: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, (accessed January 20, 2014).

Compendium. Washington, D.C.: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, (accessed January 20, 2014).

Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010. (accessed January 20, 2014).

Wright, N. T. Jesus and the Victory of God: Christian Origins and the Question of God, Volume 2. London: Great Britain Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1996. (accessed January 20, 2014).

1Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010. (accessed January 20, 2014).

2Ibid.

3Aquinas, St. Thomas. Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Matthew. 2012. (accessed March 10, 2014).

4Ibid.

5CCC, 580.

6Aquinas, St. Thomas. Commentary on the Gospel of Saint Matthew. 2012. (accessed March 10, 2014).

7Ibid.

8Wright, N. T. Jesus and the Victory of God: Christian Origins and the Question of God, Volume 2. London: Great Britain Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 1996. (accessed January 20, 2014).

9Compendium of the Catholic Church, 459.