5 minute read
Ask a Franciscan
By Pat McCloskey, OFM
Pat McCloskey, OFM
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Father Pat welcomes your questions!
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Material is grouped thematically under headings such as forgiveness, prayer, saints, sacraments, and Scripture.
Jesus’ Human Soul
As fully divine and fully human, Jesus must have had a human soul, right? When did that soul come to exist, and what happened to it after Jesus died on the cross? Did it cease to exist?
Yes, Jesus had a human soul during his life on earth, the same soul he continues to have in his glorified body in heaven. He was and remains fully human and fully divine. If he now lacked a human soul, he could not be fully divine and fully human, which is what we celebrate at Christmas.
Once the Roman persecutions ended in the fourth century AD, controversies within the Church centered on how to talk about Jesus and later the Holy Spirit. What we know as the Nicene Creed began to clarify the situation: Jesus is of the same nature as God the Father. The teaching of Arius, who denied that, was rejected.
In 381, another ecumenical council was held in Constantinople. The bishops there added a final section about the Holy Spirit. The Council of Chalcedon (451) formulated the basic teaching that Orthodox, Catholic, and mainline Protestant Christians still accept.
I know that this term is strongly supported by some Christians and vigorously challenged by others. When did it originate and what does it mean?
This expression arose during the Reformation in 16th-century Western Europe. It was a challenge to the suggestion that God’s self-revelation comes through Scripture and tradition. Martin Luther and other reformers said that this slighted the importance of Scripture and justified many practices not authorized by Scripture, for example, the selling of indulgences to build St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
A problem arises because most Christians understand Scripture as the books of the Bible: its table of contents, so to speak. That table of contents, however, was not revealed in the same sense that the Book of Genesis or the Gospel of Matthew was revealed.
Some people understand Scripture alone as shorthand for saying “Only God was involved” regarding certain issues, whereas tradition is understood as meaning “Humans had a hand in this issue, and thus they should be disregarded.” Like many catchy slogans, this solution is simply not true. What is intended as a shortcut to something good can, in fact, turn out to be a dead end.
The canon (list of biblical books) was not generally agreed on until the fifth century after Christ. The Catholic Church made no official and binding declaration about this list until 1546, a year after the Council of Trent began. The community of believers (Jews for their Scriptures and Christians for theirs) played an absolutely crucial role in recognizing which writings are trustworthy sources of God’s self-revelation. Some very old writings are not part of the Bible because Jews or Christians did not find their faith reflected in those texts. A very rigid understanding of Scripture alone would mean that Christians or Jews can make no moral judgments, for example, about nuclear war because that was not possible (and, therefore, not mentioned) when the Bible was written.
On the other hand, a very loose understanding of tradition would enable its promoters to promote ideas or practices that clearly contradict what the Bible teaches.
Some people gravitate toward “either/or” language, but in many situations “both/and” language is needed in order to be faithful to God’s self-revelation in the Scriptures and within the faith community.
Attending Mass on YouTube
I have not been vaccinated and have been attending Mass via YouTube since March 2020. Does a Mass on YouTube fulfi ll my Sunday obligation?
At the moment, that may be the best that you can do. Although bishops in some areas lift ed the Sunday Mass obligation for several months, the greatly increased danger posed by the delta variant adds a signifi cant new factor for attending in-person Masses.
However, you should honestly explain to God your decision in this matter. In any case, please get vaccinated for your own protection and that of others. Protecting public health is also a serious moral obligation.
How Should I Think about German People?
How could Germans before and during World War II support Hitler’s eff orts to exterminate Jews, Gypsies, disabled people, homosexuals, and all the others whom the Nazis hated? Is it a sin for me to dislike all Germans because of that?
It is a sin to deny that God created and loves all people. Not all Germans supported these hateful policies. On this issue in Germany then—and in other places around the world even now—people sometimes lie to themselves about what is at stake in so-called “political decisions.”
Politics is simply how we promote the common good of society in general. Any attempt to scapegoat all of a group’s problems onto some minority of people is always a lie and thus a sin.
Unfortunately, our interest in the truth frequently disappears when pursuing it leads to “inconvenient truths” that we would rather deny. God has given us curiosity and intelligence; we should not deny either of them in order to preserve a status quo that we consider comfortable.
I wish I could tell you that mass self-deceptions are no longer possible, but that would be a lie.
Quick Question and Answer
My grandchildren (a 5-month-old and a 3-year-old) have never been baptized. Can and/or should I baptize them without their parents’ knowledge? I will try my best to give these grandchildren religious teaching as they grow.
No, you should not. Th e Catholic Church understands that doing so would seriously violate their parents’ rights. Please do not underestimate the powerful witness of your own life as a living witness of the Gospel.
Silent Night, Holy Night
Light a candle in memory of a loved one or for your special intention. When you light a candle on StAnthony.org this Christmas season, it will burn for three days at the National Shrine of St. Anthony in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Franciscan friars are ready to light a candle for you! LIGHT A Christmas Candle
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