Why did Catholics add books to the Bible?

They didn’t.

How do we know the Bible is the inspired word of God?

“I warn everyone who hears the prophetic words in this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words in this prophetic book, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city described in this book.” –Revelation 22:18-19

If anyone adds to the Bible, doom, and if anyone takes away from the Bible, gloom. Sorry to start with a doom-and-gloom verse, but this is perhaps one of the most well-known verses about the Bible because of the two kinds of Bibles floating around. Either somebody added to the Bible (Catholics), or somebody took away from it (Protestants). Which was it?

To know that, we have to know what books were first included in the Bible (before anyone added/took away) and where the Bible came from in the first place. But how can we know what’s to be included in the Bible as the word of God when God didn’t give us a list?

“All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” -2 Timothy 3:16

Okay, so Paul says in the Bible, in his second letter to Timothy, that all scripture is inspired by God. That’s awesome. But what counts as scripture? At the time of this letter, the only official scripture was the Old Testament. Yes, scripture is indeed inspired by God, and so this statement refers to the New Testament as well in this day and age, but you need a second witness. If I write a book and in that book, I claim that it was inspired by God, no one would believe me without someone else (probably more than one someone else) attesting to that fact as well.

Even Jesus needed more than one witness. In John 8:13-20, the Pharisees demand another person to verify his testimony, because according to the law the testimony of two men can be verified. And Jesus provides this second witness in the form of His Father.

So who is this second witness to the authenticity of the Bible? The Catholic Church!

How was the Bible created?

The Bible is composed of two parts which were created at two different times. The Old Testament originated as the scripture of the Jews, and the New Testament is a compilation of some of the writings of the early Christians. The final form of the New Testament, as we know it today, was set in stone by the Council of Laodicea in 363 A.D. It is important to note, however, that no church created the Bible. God knew which books He wanted included, and He made that known to those present at the Council of Laodicea and the subsequent councils that confirmed it.

Until the invention of the printing press in 1440, the Bible was only preserved through the painstaking copying by monks. Without the Catholic Church, we wouldn’t even have a Bible, let alone know which books should go in it.

What’s the difference between Catholic and Protestant Bibles?

The difference actually does not concern the New Testament like most would imagine. There are seven books in the Old Testament that Catholics argue should be there and Protestants argue should not be. They are referred to by Protestants as the Apocrypha and by Catholics as the Deuterocanonical books.

During Jesus’ time, those seven books were included in the Old Testament, in a translation called the Septuagint. This was the accepted Greek Bible for the Jews for 100 years before Jesus was even born. New Testament writers reference these books two dozen times, and there were many messianic prophecies included in them.

In 90 A.D. the Jewish leaders revised their canon to remove any books not written in Hebrew or did not clearly have Hebrew origins – the seven books of the Apocrypha. This revision is known as the Palestine Canon. By excluding those books and the messianic prophecies contained in them, the Jews could deny that Jesus was the Messiah. But the Christians continued using those books since they had been used since the first century.

The reformers later removed these books for the same reason the Jewish leaders in 90 A.D. did – they did not like some of the teachings included in them. The Apocrypha not only includes messianic prophecies, but also references to salvation, praying for the dead, and purgatory. They used the Palestine Canon even though it wasn’t Christian.

Do Catholics even read the Bible?

Yes, as a matter of fact, they do. They read from the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Gospels at every Mass, and the entire Mass itself is based on Scripture. Catholics are encouraged to read and study the Bible every day.

Many people point their fingers to the Middle Ages, when the Catholic Church burned Bibles and kept them chained up away from the people, and claim this is because the Church does not want the faithful to read it. This is not true.

When the Church burned Bibles, it was because they were incredibly poor translations, and the Church did not want Christians to miscomprehend something because of it. They did provide replacement Bibles, though.

As to keeping the Bible locked away, that was a group of bishops in medieval France, not the Church as a whole. At the time there were heretics misusing Scripture to deny the humanity of Jesus and promote promiscuity, homosexuality, bestiality, and suicide, among other things. These bishops prohibited the reading of the Bible to stifle these heretics. In hindsight, that was probably not the best way to deal with it, but not much to be done about it now. Obviously all are welcome to read the Bible now.

Who’s right?

Well, I’m going to go with the Catholics. However, I’m obviously a little biased, so I’ve called on my second witness – history.

God bless,

Jill

St. Philip Neri

Since I’m not on my laptop during lunch anymore (thank you, Lent), I had a chance to read more about St. Philip, my patron saint for the year. Man, what an awesome dude. Here are two of the things I learned today:

You can’t have a spirit of prayer without humility. If I want my prayer life to take off, I need to severely humble myself. St. Philip despised himself and never thought he did any good. When he thought he was getting too proud, he would do things like only shave half his beard. He gave penitents (people who came to him to have their confessions heard) similar mortifications, but he tailored each penance to each person’s needs. One woman who struggled with vanity came to confession twice in one day, and instead of hearing her confession a second time, St. Philip loudly chastised her in front of everyone. She was probably incredibly embarrassed, but she learned the lesson.

I need to identify what causes me to be too proud, and do things to humble myself in those areas. Perhaps I’m too proud of my clothes; I could wear sweats all week. But, before I make any decisions like that, I’m going to go to confession and see what my confessor/Jesus has to say.

      Pray constantly. The book discussed St. Philip’s advocacy of mental prayer, though it didn’t say what mental prayer. I assume it means praying in your head rather than out loud. I like to think I do that a lot, but St. Philip means be in a constant conversation with God.

I text my friends all the time. I should be talking to God even more than that, because He should be my very best friend.

St. Philip is such a cool guy; there are so many more lessons to learn through his life. The lives of all the saints are treasure troves of practical knowledge! I mean, they’re in heaven, so they obviously did something right. Sometimes I can FEEL them praying for me and helping God teach me. God is so good for providing me with such a loving and helpful faith family!

God bless,

Jill

Pope Benedict's Resignation

In case you didn’t see the headlines, statuses, Tweets, or hear any of the conversations, Pope Benedict XVI announced his intent to resign from the papal office at the end of the month. February 28, to be exact.

This announcement came on February 11, two days before the start of Lent, the World Day of Sick, the feast day of Our Lady of Lourdes, and a Monday to boot. I remember, for some reason, carefully avoiding getting on the computer that morning before going to Daily Mass. Perhaps that was the Holy Spirit wanting me to hear the news from Fr. Simon instead of Facebook.

I was . . . absolutely shocked. My jaw dropped. It was so unexpected, and I didn’t have much of an idea of how to cope with the news. All I could really think as I drove home and got ready for class was How am I supposed to go to class with this going on?

I sought out my Catholic friends and made it through the day. I tried to ignore all the negative comments and prayed over and over for Pope Benedict’s health and for his successor, and in thanksgiving for the wisdom the Lord God has blessed him with.

Worry plagued me the rest of the day. Worry for Papa Bene’s health, and worry for the Church. He said he wasn’t strong enough to lead the Church anymore. That got me thinking. Obviously the Pope is incredibly close to God, perhaps closer than anyone else on Earth, which leads to his wisdom. I get the feeling that Pope Benedict expects something big to happen to the Church, and he knows we need a warrior pope that he, in his age, cannot be.

Spiritual war sounds really scary. I’m kind of afraid. But the Lord won’t leave His Church; I can trust that “the gates of hell will not prevail against it.”

I don’t begrudge Papa Bene’s decision at all. I know he’s doing what he believes best for the Church, and I am happy to have that beautiful example of humility to follow in my own life. The resignation was a jolt, considering the last time a pope resigned was 600 years ago to avoid civil war, but it’s certainly not unprecedented and completely possible.

I’m very thankful he doesn’t have much to do with the Internet – the mainstream media and celebrities have been absolutely cruel. And I don’t know how many times I heard or read, “Maybe the new pope will bring the Catholic Church out of the Dark Ages!” One pope will and can NOT change the doctrine of the Church, especially per the whim of the world. The gates of hell will not prevail against it, remember? Even if what the Church is teaching is not popular, it’s still Christ’s Church and Christ’s teachings, and no amount of legislation, complaints, or rainbows can make it change.

Besides, the Church has been around for 2000 years, longer than most if not all nations around today. It’s obviously doing something right.

Pope Benedict will officially resign on February 28. Fifteen days after that, the conclave (comprised of cardinals under the age of 80) will convene at the Vatican to vote for a new pope, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. There has to be a two-thirds majority in order for the papacy to be offered to a man (fun fact, it took four votes for Pope Benedict to be elected). Any Catholic man is eligible, not just cardinals or bishops or priests, though it is quite unlikely a non-cardinal will be elected.

I don’t know who the next pope will be. But the Holy Spirit does, and I will sleep well through the fifteen days without a pope knowing there is a great leader on the way.

God bless you, Papa Bene. Thank you for your wonderful service to the Church.

God bless,

Jill

Veiling

This was a column I wrote for The Message, a newspaper for the Diocese of Evansville. I hope you enjoy it! Expect a post about Lent and Pope Benedict in the near future. Thanks for bearing with me and my recent inactivity.
God bless,
Jill

A few weeks ago, I went to adoration and daily Mass after class. I decided to pray a Rosary before Mass, and I meditated on the glorious mysteries. The third mystery gave me pause – “Descent of the Holy Spirit.”

“All were filled with the Holy Spirit. They began to express themselves in foreign tongues and make bold proclamation as the Spirit prompted them.” Acts 2:4

My little pamphlet said the fruit of this mystery was “love of God.” Now what did the descent of the Holy Spirit have to do with love of God? I started praying my ten Hail Marys, trying to find the connection.

“Oh,” I thought to myself, “they loved God so much they were willing to make ‘bold proclamation’ whenever He asked them to, no matter what it might mean for their earthly lives. That’s really cool.”

Just then, a friend of mine walked into the chapel, wearing her veil like always.

“She really loves God, and she shows it by wearing her veil,” I thought. “. . .Very funny, God.”

By my friend’s precisely timed entrance, God answered a question I’d been asking Him and myself for over year. Should I wear a veil to Mass?

When the idea first came to me last year, I didn’t know much about the practice, just that I only ever saw little old ladies doing it. So, like any good teenager, I asked Google for some more information.

I learned that wearing the practice of wearing a veil to Mass basically ended with Vatican II, though it’s not forbidden and is actually encouraged. Women who aren’t married typically wear white veils and women who are married wear black.

A month or so passed, and I still felt a little nagging in the back of my brain. However, I still wasn’t completely sold on the idea. I asked God why I should do it, and over the course of the next year I picked up a reason here or there.

For one, it’s a reminder that time spent at Mass is incredibly special and should be treated as such. When I go into a Catholic church, I am truly entering the presence of Christ. Wearing a veil, which is not something I normally do, can be a reminder that I am leaving my ordinary life and stepping into something extraordinary.

Imitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is another reason. Is Mama Mary ever pictured without her veil? As the perfect image of humility and obedience to God’s will, she is someone I want to imitate.

As Paul says in 1 Corinthians, a woman’s long hair is her glory. By covering up her glory, a woman opens herself to God’s glory and shows that she is for God’s glory, not her own. Archbishop Fulton Sheen compared our Blessed Mother to the moon reflecting the light of the Sun, Christ. Wearing a veil during Mass and covering up one’s glory is the same concept.

Perhaps my favorite reason is wearing it as an expression of modesty and chastity and femininity. All three are important virtues, and dressing appropriately for Mass is a good way to practice them. Keeping shoulders covered shows modesty, and wearing a skirt or dress and a veil shows femininity.

Finally, with a rosary and a well-timed entrance, God gave me the reason that sealed the deal: it’s an expression of love for Him. It’s not about looking holier than the person next to you. It’s not about standing out at church. It’s an expression of love for God, and it’s about listening to and following the promptings of the Holy Spirit because of that love.

“Woman is not independent of man or man of woman in the Lord. For just as woman came from man, so man is born of woman; but all things are from God. Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled? Does not nature itself teach you that if a man wears his hair long it is a disgrace to him, whereas if a woman has long hair it is her glory, because long hair has been given [her] for a covering?” 1 Corinthians 11:11-15
 

Today at Mass - January 21

I posted two days in a row, then visited home and disappeared from the face of the Internet. Sorry about that. Resolution for the week: post every day.
God bless,
Jill

MONDAY, JANUARY 21, 2013 - Memorial of Saint Agnes, Virgin and Martyr

1st Reading - Hebrews 5:1-10
Brothers and sisters:
Every high priest is taken from among men
and made their representative before God,
to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.
He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring,
for he himself is beset by weakness
and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself
as well as for the people.
No one takes this honor upon himself
but only when called by God,
just as Aaron was.
In the same way,
it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest,
but rather the one who said to him:
You are my Son:
this day I have begotten you;
just as he says in another place,
You are a priest forever
according to the order of Melchizedek.
In the days when he was in the Flesh,
he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
to the one who was able to save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverence.
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 110:1, 2, 3, 4
R.(4b) You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand
till I make your enemies your footstool.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The scepter of your power the LORD will stretch forth from Zion:
“Rule in the midst of your enemies.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
“Yours is princely power in the day of your birth, in holy splendor;
before the daystar, like the dew, I have begotten you.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.
The LORD has sworn, and he will not repent:
“You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.”
R. You are a priest for ever, in the line of Melchizedek.

Gospel - Mark 2:18-22
The disciples of John and of the Pharisees were accustomed to fast.
People came to Jesus and objected,
“Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast,
but your disciples do not fast?”
Jesus answered them,
“Can the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them?
As long as they have the bridegroom with them they cannot fast.
But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them,
and then they will fast on that day.
No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak.
If he does, its fullness pulls away,
the new from the old, and the tear gets worse.
Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.
Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins,
and both the wine and the skins are ruined.
Rather, new wine is poured into fresh wineskins.”

From the Homily
Be persistent yet gentle when sharing your faith in Christ with others. The process of conversion takes time, and you do not want to tear the cloak or burst the wineskin.