Was It Real, or a Myth?

Was there a real person who was called Jesus Christ, or are the stories in Scripture describing his birth, life, death, Resurrection, and Ascension totally made-up stories, pure legend, a total myth?  Made-up stories and a total myth would be how modern atheists and Secular Humanists would describe Christ.  One such person, one Lee Strobel, who, in 1981, was a graduate of Yale Law School and an award-winning legal editor of the Chicago Tribune newspaper, was such a spiritual skeptic … until 1981.  What happened?  It was then that he began to research and write a series of books that attempt to answer that very question … real or myth? 

His research involved extensive travel to the offices of a host of experts in order to get their answers to some hard-hitting questions that would get to the heart of the matter.  The series of books he then wrote as a result are titled “The Case for a Creator,” “The Case for Christ,” The Case for Faith,” and “The Case for Easter.”  I purchased and read all of these over the years.  Fascinating!  Since we are so close to Easter, 2019, I picked up and re-read “The Case for Easter,” a 90-page account of his interviews with three such experts that get to the heart of the matter – the miracle of the Resurrection.  First was a prominent physician who had extensively studied the historical, archaeological, and medical data relevant to the death of Jesus.  Second was a well-known Scripture scholar with impressive credentials as a theologian with two PhDs and extensive writings on the subject of the Resurrection and the existence of God.  The third was another PhD who had written his dissertation on the subject of the Resurrection and also wrote seven books and over one hundred articles on the subject.

Here are some conclusions drawn following his three interviews.  First, after interviewing the physician, there was no doubt that Jesus died on the cross.  There is simply no way that Jesus could have survived the brutal treatment of his body by the soldiers.  Before He even got on the cross, his body was in such a weakened state from the flogging and the march to Calvary.  Then, while hanging on the cross, he would have had trouble breathing due to the weight of his body not being supported and, before long, would have succumbed to asphyxiation.  Finally, the piercing of his lungs and heart with the soldier’s lance would have been the final death blow. 

Second, after interviewing the theologian, there can be no doubt that Jesus body was not found in the tomb.  The tomb was found to be empty, the body missing.  While there exists several theories as to how the body could have gone missing, all of them were clearly and convincingly debunked.  There could be no doubt now that Jesus was dead and his body was laid in the tomb late in the day on that first Good Friday and was found missing on the first Easter morning.  A miracle of staggering proportions had occurred – Jesus had risen from the dead.

Third, after interviewing the expert on the Resurrection, once again there were convincing arguments in favor of this miracle.  Simply put, dead people simply do not rise up, walk away from the tomb and be seen by, converse with, and eat with former friends.  Passages from Scripture were used as evidence.  St. Paul had personally spoken to Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-5) and mentioned it in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).  It was not a second-hand account.

Today, Lee Strobel is a Christian, having converted from his atheism as a result of his extensive research and writing.  Have a Happy Easter everyone!

Disgusting, Filthy People

The passion of Jesus Christ includes two very cruel actions:  a flogging, or scourging, and a crowning with thorns.  Very little detail of each of these is actually found in Scripture.  St. Matthew’s Gospel says this about the flogging:  “Then he [Pilate] released Barabbas to them, but after he had Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified.”  (Matt 27:26).  St. John’s Gospel states it this way:  “Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.”  (John 19:1).  St. Luke’s Gospel has Pilate threatening to flog Jesus, but that is all. 

Similarly, the crowning with thorns is mentioned in three gospels (Matthew, Mark, and John) as part of a mocking of Jesus because He had been identified as a king by His followers.  The most detail is probably given in St. John’s Gospel:  “And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on His head, and clothed Him in a purple cloak, and they came to Him and said, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’  And they struck Him repeatedly.”  (John 19:2-3). 

These passages leave much to the imagination, so, as I often try to do, let us try to fill in the blanks.  I’m thinking that it was the soldiers under Pilate’s command that actually performed these deeds.  So I think that they were not Jews but Roman soldiers who had contempt for the Jewish religion.  As such, they would have wanted to inflict as much physical and emotional pain as they possibly could, while laughing and mocking, proud of the ideas of the crown made of thorns and using whips that had hooks on the tips of leather straps as shown in the photo of the painting that accompanies this post. 

They likely were strong, muscular, uneducated men who must have cared very little about the Jewish people, perhaps were even pagans themselves.  I picture them as having dirty, sweaty faces, only a few yellow teeth and unkempt hair and beards.  In other words, disgusting, filthy people.  And here they are, whips and branches of bushes with very long and sharp thorns in their hands, pounding the crown into the top of Jesus’s head and flogging Him, while tied to a granite pillar, causing pieces of flesh to be torn from the skin on His back.  The loss of blood would have been astounding, not to mention extreme weakness inflicted on the sacred Victim.

Today, the Scourging at the Pillar and the Crowning with Thorns are two Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary in the Catholic Church.  The Rosary is a meditation prayer, so I think, with so little to go on from Scripture, we have to use our imagination as I have done here as part of our meditation so that the blanks can be filled.  It works for me.  God bless my faithful readers as we come into Holy Week next week!  Have a blessed ending to your season of Lent.  Amen!   

That Word "Hope"

For those who believe in Jesus Christ, there is much hope because of what the Scriptures say He promised.  Consider the following words of Jesus from the Gospel of St. John:  “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes in the one who sent me has eternal life and will not come to condemnation, but has passed to life.”  (John 5:24). 

One might ask what is meant by “the one who sent me?”  We take this to mean God the Father, the first person of the Blessed Trinity.  In other words, God.  One might also ask what is meant by “eternal life?”  Christians believe that this refers to the afterlife and that it is a place called “heaven.”  Heaven is a place where both soul and body will eventually be for all eternity if a person is “saved.”  On the other hand, if a person is not saved, they will “come to condemnation,” which means the body and soul will go to a place we call “hell,” sometimes referred to in Scripture as “Gehenna,” a place of torment, for all eternity.

The following Scripture passage is found a few lines later in John’s Gospel, again words of Jesus:  “Do not be amazed at this, because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice and will come out, those who have done good deeds to the resurrection of life, but those who have done wicked deeds to the resurrection of condemnation.”  (John 5:28-29).  This makes it clear to me that simple belief (faith by itself, or “faith alone”) is not sufficient, but one must also perform “good deeds.”  This is a point of contention between Protestant Christians and Catholics Christians.  Faith alone, or “Sola Fide,” is a Protestant doctrine, and not a Catholic doctrine.  Catholics believe that true faith will be accompanied by good deeds (Sacraments, assistance to the marginalized, etc.).

But whatever your interpretation of Scripture entails, even if you are an atheist, that word “hope” that I used in the first sentence of this post is a key to our happiness in our earthly existence.  Hope is the virtue that says that extreme happiness is in our future.  We will one day escape the confines of this wicked world and come to a place that is free from all that is evil.  What great joy and love is ahead of us if we would only “repent and believe in the Gospels.”  That is why I believe.  I delight in this great hope we call eternal life and it makes for a beautiful and blissful time on earth despite the evil.  Think tulips everyone!  Happy spring!

The Conversation With God

Have you ever felt abandoned by the people you love?  Think back to a time when you had a dire need for love and understanding.  Perhaps it was a time when a friend became angry and belittled you because of something you did.  Or maybe it was a time when a family member falsely accused you of some serious transgression and yelled and screamed at you.  Or maybe it was a serious argument over some political issue that could not be immediately resolved.  Or perhaps you really did do something seriously wrong and it weighed heavily on your psyche.  Yes, you felt abandoned and alone.  What do you do?

One solution would be to seek consolation with a family member who always seems to understand, or a friend who had a knack for comforting you – someone you could trust.  Perhaps it was a counselor, or a therapist.  But what if this person was not immediately available and you needed help NOW?

Well, I’ve been in this position many times in my life.  I’m a sensitive guy who can get to feeling unloved seemingly at the drop of a hat.  My solution?  Rush to a place where I can have a conversation with God.  I’ve been known to run to the nearest Catholic church or chapel where I can kneel before the Blessed Sacrament and lay it all out there for God to see and have Him say to me “don’t worry, I love you and will never abandon you.”

Recently I was reminded of this when I heard this passage from Scripture that sounded like God was speaking to me:  “I will be your God and you will be my people.”  I googled this quote this morning and discovered that there are forty-three different Scripture passages that express some form of this sentiment, both in the Old Testament and the New. 

Think about this and what a comfort in can be.  The Supreme Being who created all things, who keeps this universe humming, who performs His miracles every second of every day on your behalf – He is there for you, because you are among his people and He is your God.  What a simple, but hope-filled expression of His love.  It gives me hope in these times of trial.  May God bless you and may He keep you in the palm of his hand through all eternity.  Amen!

A Major Announcement

March 25 is exactly nine months before Christmas.  And so, on March 25, this coming Monday, we celebrate the day that Mary became pregnant with Jesus, a feast in the Catholic Church known as the “Annunciation.”  The word “annunciation” is the noun form for the verb to “announce.”  You would think that this noun form might be “announcement” rather than “annunciation.”  But, I digress.  You also might ask the question, “Was something ‘announced’ on that day, or what?”  The answer is yes, it is the day we celebrate the fact that the Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and “announced” to her that “the Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”  See Luke 1:35.  The announcement was that she was to become the Mother of God.  A major announcement!

Some people object to the Catholic Church giving her the title “Mother of God.”  They say she is the mother of Jesus, yes, but not the Mother of God, since God is eternal, no beginning and no end.  They say that she did not become pregnant with God or give birth to God.  They say that no one can be called God’s mother.  I think confusion occurs because of the doctrine of the “Blessed Trinity.  The Blessed Trinity refers to the idea that there are three persons in the one God.  It is one of the great mysteries of our faith.  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, all three, are mentioned many times in the New Testament.  All three are God, and there is just one God.  The three are the three persons in the one God.  St. Patrick explained it by holding up a shamrock and pointing to three leaves on one stem.  But it is still a great mystery.

Since the Son, Jesus, is God, and since Mary conceived and gave birth to Jesus, one of her many titles should therefore indeed be the “Mother of God.”

The photograph accompanying this post is of the Annunciation painting found in the Basilica of the Holy Rosary in Lourdes, France.  The Annunciation is the first joyful mystery of the rosary, a wonderful point for reflection for us Catholics as we pray using this great sacramental, the rosary.  Happy Annunciation Day everyone!

Agony and Ecstasy

Today I’m thinking  about Our Lord’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane following the Last Supper and before His arrest by the Jewish and Roman authorities.  The gospels say that He goes for a walk with His apostles Peter, James, and John.  He stops, asks the three of them to wait while He walks ahead “a stone’s throw” and prays, saying:  “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.”  (Luke 22:42).  He knew what was about to happen to Him and He asked His Father to intervene.  Luke says, “He was in such agony and He prayed so fervently that His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.”  (Luke 22:44).

Matthew’s gospel records that He returned to the three apostles three times and found them sleeping each time.  Among other things, He says, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  (Matt 26:41).  Shortly after, He was arrested, flogged, crowned with thorns and crucified.

What are we to make of the details and of Jesus’ behavior in this scene?  I remember a physician turned priest once told me that it is indeed possible, when a person is under extreme duress, for blood to squeeze through the wall of a vessel and intermingle with sweat.  That presumably explains the drops of blood.  But why ask God the Father to “take this cup away?”  Isn’t He supposed to suffer and die so that mankind can be saved from their sins?  Well, yes to the second question.

I think what we must remember is that Jesus has two natures … a human nature and a divine nature.  Some refer to Him as the “God-man.”   So because Jesus has a human nature, He must experience human pain and emotion.  He knew what was ahead of Him … a painful and relentless flogging at the hands of His enemies and, once greatly weakened from the loss of blood and a painful scarring on his torso, a pushing and shoving way of the cross, the cross on his shoulders, to the hill of Calvary, and then the piercing and shooting pain from nails through his hands and feet that held him on the cross until, finally, death.  His human nature simply could not endure it, could not handle it.  Yes, Father, take this cup away from me, please, please, please.

As death overtook Him, the chains of sin were lifted from my body and your body.  Once that act was completed, His divine nature took over … a glorious Resurrection.

Friends, please don’t let the great miracles associated with the life, death and Resurrection of Christ pass you by on this Earth.  He suffered and died for me.  He suffered and died for you.  To use modern language, please love Him “to the moon and back” for this terrific, soul-saving gift from our God.  I’m fully aware, of course, that indeed, “the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” and that you likely will fall asleep and commit sin, for I have the same human nature as you!  But I also know that your love for God will produce eternal ecstasy in heaven for all of us if we just “repent and believe in the Gospel.”  I pray that your Lenten journey continues to be grace-filled and holy.  Amen!

The Words of Lent

The season of Lent began yesterday.  So today I’m having my “preparation for Easter” thoughts.  Words like repentance, confession, forgiveness, absolution, contrition and penance come to mind.  These are important words because they lead to a clean heart and a clean soul with which to celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord and receive the Eucharist at the Easter Mass. 

In the Catholic Church, we have a prayer that sums it up.  It is called the Act of Contrition.  I’m writing it down below in a way that I hope will indicate the awesomeness of each little phrase.  Catholics will recognize it as the prayer that a penitent sinner recites as our final statement after confessing his/her sins to a priest in the confessional.

Oh, My God … I am heartily sorry for having offended thee ... and I detest all my sins … because I dread the loss of heaven … and the pain of hell, ...  but most of all because they offend thee, my God … who are all good … and deserving of all my love.  I firmly resolve, with of help of thy grace … to confess my sins … do penance … and amend my life.  Amen.

Tears often come to my eyes while reciting this prayer in a slow, deliberate manner in the confessional each time I receive the sacrament.  How awesome and comforting it is to know that we have a compassionate, merciful, and loving God standing at the ready to forgive even our most serious of sins. 

I wish all my readers the holiest and most blessed Lent ever.  Amen!