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Ask a Franciscan
Pat McCloskey, OFM
Father Pat welcomes your questions!
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StAnthonyMessenger.org
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Ask@FranciscanMedia.org
MAIL:
Ask a Franciscan 28 W. Liberty St. Cincinnati, OH 45202
All questions sent by mail need to include a self-addressed stamped envelope. By Pat McCloskey, OFM
Who Informed the Biblical Writers? How did the gentlemen who gathered together to write the Bible do so? Where did their information come from? The holy Bible is beautifully written. When was it written? How did they know all the details?
Ultimately, God inspired them to convey the unique divine self-revelation that we find in the Bible. We need to accept the Bible on its own terms. We may mistakenly think of it as entirely eyewitness accounts in which the biblical writers act like court reporters, giving us a verbatim account. Although most biblical writers do not claim to be eyewitnesses to the events described, the Jewish people and later the Christians recognize these writings as inspired by God.
If biblical writers were giving verbatim accounts, why does the Book of Genesis open with two very different accounts of creation: the Priestly account (1:1—2:4a) and the Yahwist account (2:4b—4:26)? Why do the oldest books of the Old Testament deny that there is a life after this one while some of its newest books Tertius (left) takes St. Paul’s dictation of the Letter to the Romans are open to that idea? Why did some New (woodcut by Julius Schorr von Carolsfeld, d. 1872). Testament writers expect Jesus to return imminently and others did not? Also, your question assumes that the biblical writers were all men, but that might not be true.
The Old Testament books were written over a period of 1,700 years (from the time of Moses to shortly before the birth of Jesus), and the New Testament books were completed in approximately 75 years.
If you could gather all the biblical writers in one place, and if they all spoke the same language, you might witness some rather heated debates. The Bible is indeed a wonderful collection of books, but we must accept it on its own terms without imposing our expectations on it.
For example, because Tatian in the middle of the second century was bothered by different Gospel accounts, he tried to homogenize them into a single text called the Diatessaron rather than admit that God could and did inspire four Gospels with different details in places but identical in affirming Jesus Christ as God’s best self-revelation.
WANT MORE? Visit our website: StAnthonyMessenger.org
WE HAVE A DIGITAL archive of Q & As, going back to March 2013. Just click: • the Ask link and then • the Archive link. Material is grouped thematically under headings such as forgiveness, Jesus, moral issues, prayer, saints, redemption, sacraments, Scripture—and many more!
‘I’ve Always Wondered . . . ‘ How did St. Francis of Assisi and Sultan Malik al-Kamil become friends? What led to the ending of that friendship?
They met only once in late 1219, for about two weeks. Francis and Brother Illuminato went to preach the Gospel to the sultan, who immediately recognized Francis as a very spiritual man. The sultan was a very devout Sunni Muslim. He gave Francis an ivory horn that is displayed in Assisi’s Basilica of St. Francis. Francis died in 1226; the sultan died 12 years later.
During the Fifth Crusade when Christians and Muslims were killing one another, Francis risked his life to announce the Good News of Jesus Christ to the sultan, who respected him deeply.
I recently read that a prenuptial agreement invalidates any marriage in the Catholic Church. Is that true?
No. The Catholic Church rejects any prenuptial agreement that contradicts the public declarations made in the Catholic Rite of Marriage (regardless of where the wedding took place or who officiated). A prenuptial agreement could not, for example: 1) sanction a genital relationship with someone other than the spouse in this agreement, 2) set a time limit for how long this marriage will last (five years, 12 years, etc.), or 3) rule out the possibility of children from this marriage.
Why do Catholic liturgies so often ask God to show us mercy? That has already been done through Jesus Christ!
These references to God’s mercy are not there because we fear that God will forget to be merciful. They are there because we might forget that. “How we pray reflects what we believe,” the Church has taught for centuries.
When is it appropriate to pray the Liturgy of the Hours’ “Office of the Dead” besides All Souls’ Day?
It can be prayed at the death of a friend, relative, someone you greatly admire—or for a group of people on a special anniversary.
The word peace is used five times in the Mass prayers immediately before Communion. What does peace mean in this
context?
It means living in right relationship with God, oneself, and others. Any lies that I tell myself will undermine the Eucharist that I am about to receive. If ever there is a time for radical honesty, this is it. Perhaps that is why Jesus encouraged reconciliation before offering one’s gift at the altar (Mt 5:23–24).
When did celebrating Mass begin?
Christians have been celebrating the Eucharist since the time of Jesus—to fulfill his command, “Do this in memory of me.” Although it has evolved over time, the Eucharist has always linked worshippers in a unique way with the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
YOU ARE INVITED TO join us online!
At the National Shrine of St. Anthony, we celebrate the Novena to St. Anthony with benediction every Tuesday at 2:30 PM (EST). Visit StAnthony.org/Live to join us LIVE each week and to download the prayers for the service.
WHEN Tuesdays at 2:30 PM (EST) WHERE Your chosen location! HOW Visit StAnthony.org/LIVE
The Franciscan Friars, Province of St. John the Baptist 1615 Vine St, Ste 1 Cincinnati, OH 45202-6492 513-721-4700, ext. 3219
