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Question 181: God said to Moses: He who sees must die. If Jesus is God, why did the people who saw him not die? (TR)
Answer: This question refers first of all to the following section from the book of Exodus (33:18-23): Then Moses said, Now show me your glory. And the LORD said, I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on which I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on which I will have compassion. But, he said, you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live. Then the LORD said, There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen.
There is such a yawning gap between the holiness of God and the unworthiness of mankind (cf. Leviticus 117:1 ff) that human beings would have to die if they saw God (cf. Exodus 19:21; Leviticus 16:2, Numbers 4:20) or merely heard him (Exodus 20:19; Deuteronomy 5:24-26; cf. 18:16). Therefore, Moses (Exodus 3:6), Elijah (1 Kings 19:13) and even the Seraphs (Isaiah 6:2) cover their faces before Yahweh. Those who keep their lives after they have seen God are gratefully surprised (Genesis 32:31; Deuteronomy 5:24) or experience religious fear and trembling (Judges 6:22-23; 13:22; Isaiah 6:5). It is rare that God grants such grace (Exodus 24:11) such as he grants Moses and his friend (Exodus 33:11; Numbers 12:7-8; Deuteronomy 34:10) and Elijah (1 Kings 19:11 f). Both become witnesses of the transfiguration of Christ, the manifestation of God (i.e. theophany) of the new covenant (Matthew 17:3b) and will be seen as the major representatives of a mystical vision of God (together with Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:1f). In the new covenant Gods majesty is revealed in Jesus (John 1:14; 11:40), but none has seen the Father but Jesus the son (John 1:18 6:46; 1 John 4:12). Human beings will only come face to face with God in the felicitousness of heaven (Matthew 5:8; 1 John 3:2; 1 Corinthians 13:12; cf. 2 Corinthians 4:4-6). Faithful Christians can recognise Gods glory in Jesus, but only through the power of faith which is given and enabled from the Holy Spirit. During his time on earth Jesus godly majesty was hidden within his human nature. Because Christ Jesus, as the hymn in the second chapter of Pauls letter to the Philippians says: who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8).
Question 182: Those who wish to be baptised into the Roman Catholic church have to spend a long time studying the catechism. What is catechism? (TR)
Answer: The Catechism of the Catholic Church frequently speaks of the catechumenate, especially in connection with the baptism of adults.
1247 Since the beginning of the Church, adult Baptism is the common practice where the proclamation of the Gospel is still new. The catechumenate (preparation for Baptism) therefore occupies an important place. This initiation into Christian faith and life should dispose the catechumen to receive the gift of God in Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist.
1248 The catechumenate, or formation of catechumens, aims at bringing their conversion and faith to maturity, in response to the divine initiative and in union with an ecclesial community. The catechumenate is to be a formation in the whole Christian life. . . during which the disciples will be joined to Christ their teacher. The catechumens should be properly initiated into the mystery of salvation and the practice of the evangelical virtues, and they should be introduced into the life of faith, liturgy, and charity of the People of God by successive sacred rites. (AG 14).
1249 Catechumens are already joined to the Church, they are already of the household of Christ, and are quite frequently already living a life of faith, hope, and charity. With love and solicitude mother Church already embraces them as her own. (LG 14).
Faith and Baptism
1253 Baptism is the sacrament of faith [cf. Mark 16:16]. But faith needs the community of believers. It is only within the faith of the Church that each of the faithful can believe. The faith required for Baptism is not a perfect and mature faith, but a beginning that is called to develop. The catechumen or the godparent is asked: What do you ask of God's Church? The response is: Faith!
1254 For all the baptized, children or adults, faith must grow after Baptism. For this reason the Church celebrates each year at the Easter Vigil the renewal of baptismal promises. Preparation for Baptism leads only to the threshold of new life. Baptism is the source of that new life in Christ from which the entire Christian life springs forth.
1255 For the grace of Baptism to unfold, the parents' help is important. So too is the role of the godfather and godmother, who must be firm believers, able and ready to help the newly baptized - child or adult on the road of Christian life [the godparents naturally are of particular importance when the parents of the child to be baptized are not members of the church]. Their task is a truly ecclesial function (officium). The whole ecclesial community bears some responsibility for the development and safeguarding of the grace given at Baptism.
Some countries have followed the practice of the Old Church and adopted a three year long introduction period, the catechumenate, where lay Christians (Godparents) play a central role by helping the baptismal candidate to discover how daily life expands with the horizon of hope. During this time the catechumens already participate in the liturgy of the Word, until, in the third year, they are baptized during the Service following the Pascal vigil at Easter and are admitted to the Eucharist. Only after this experience, that is to say during the first week of Easter, the Bishop interprets to them the central mysteries of the faith, i.e. baptism and confirmation. This reflects the depth of Christian catechesis: It is not primarily concerned with the teaching of religious truths in the form of certain units of knowledge, but with opening up the mystery of God at the innermost centre of our existence (KARL RAHNER), and the invitation to understand our personal life as a vocation in the light of Gods history with mankind. (Rolf Zerfass in W. Fürst & J. Werbick (Hg), Katholische Glaubensfibel. Freiburg: Herder, 2004, p. 183.
Question 183: What are Christian paradise and hell like? (TR)
Answer: In answer to this question we need to expand a little and consider the words of a leading modern day catholic theologian says about the dead, eternal life and therefore also about heaven (paradise) and hell.
Many of our contemporaries, even baptized Christians, struggle with the last sentence of the creed, as, indeed, did the people of Athens at the time of St Paul (Acts 17:32).
Presumably this is rooted in the apparently mythological images which the New Testament has taken over from the early Jewish apocalyptic tradition, and which were then passed on throughout the centuries through the preaching of the Church and through Christian art: that on the last day of our times, with the visible second coming of our Lord to earth, the graves will be opened and the bodies of all the dead will come to life again, so that all the people can then gather before Christ, the judge, for the last judgment.
Today many believers and the majority of theologians are convinced that we can imagine the resurrection of the dead in ways other than these strongly bodily images, without having to abandon the binding content of our faith. And so today much more emphasis is placed on the unity of body and soul, also with respect to the completion of life with God. This means: we believe that after death all human beings comes face to face with the love of God in the form of the risen Christ, with body and soul, with their whole humanity and their whole colourful life story, with everything they have experienced and suffered, done and not done. As with the Eucharist, where we receive the body of Christ (i.e. the risen Christ!), the term body refers not to the biological organism of our body (with skin, flesh and bones), but to that which St Paul calls the spiritual body of the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:44), that is to say the whole body which has been penetrated and transformed by the Holy Spirit, the giver of life. In it remains stored all that of our earthly life, of our transient physicality and its experiences of happiness, love and joy which is important for the salvation of human beings in God. This resurrection of the body is not in contrast to the immortality of the soul, because the biblical meaning of the word soul emphasizes human beings openness to God and that they can enter into a personal relationship of love and friendship with God beyond their physical connection with earth and creation. From Gods point, this love and friendship never ends and is therefore immortal. The resurrection of the dead therefore describes the salvation of the one and whole human being.
For human beings death represents the definitive end of life on earth lived across the various phases in time and space. The everlasting life after death therefore does not simply run eternally and parallel to our time, only on a higher, invisible heavenly plane. Rather, in death our life lived on earth reaches its final form with God. But this must not be misunderstood as if God then codified the result of our live forever. Rather, finality means: we bring the fruits of our life to God. He accepts it, preserves, cleanses and perfects it in the never ending conversation of love between Father and Son in the Holy Spirit. In the light of this love the fruit of our lives can reach its fullness and reach that form which God has planned for each one of us at the very beginning of our lives. Once all human beings have suffered their death and have handed over the fruits of their lives to God, then Christ will have come again to every one of them. Then the last day of history has been reached. Like all of creation, this last day is not a certain calendar date in our timeline, and can therefore not be calculated in advance.
In this final and open coming face to face with the love of God we will understand the truth of our lives, clearly and without being able to suppress it. The huge discrepancy between our lives and the love of God for us will become apparent. His love will take the form of a judging love (= judgment) which hopes to move us to the recognition of truth, acceptance of our sin and to repentance. If we then accept Gods unerring, true and endlessly merciful gaze on our lives, his love can purify the innermost part of us. Then we can truly accept Gods forgiveness and allow it to transform us, thus becoming truly fit for heaven. Tradition calls this purgatory (purification), and it represents the gates of heaven.
Heaven is defined as the blissful existence of mankind in the unity of the triune God, but also with the body of Christ, which will gather up all faithful, hopeful and loving people of the earth; and finally also with the whole creation, which is loved by God in all eternity, which together with us is still suffering birth pangs, but which shall be released from its bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God (Romans 8:21f).
And hell? Unlike Heaven God does not assign people to hell (as punishment). Of himself God only communicates himself, but only as love that desires nothing but salvation for everyone. However, human beings have been given the absolute freedom to say no to Gods mercy, however improbable such a choice may seem. For example, when they are so in love with their own achievements that they will not accept Gods salvation as pure grace but rather request it as their due. Such a negative finality can only be comprehended as a frozen fossilisation, a negation of life and all relationships, as an egocentricity that sees itself as the only absolute. We may and must hope that there is no-one for whom this will be the final word about themselves and their lives. But we cannot exclude the possibility with absolute certainty. Because the ultimate relation of Gods endless mercy and mankinds endless freedom remain a secret to us. As long as we are still on our way, they are part of the mystery of faith and hope. (Medard Kehl SJ in: W. Fürst & J. Werbick (Hg.), Katholische Glaubensfibel. Freiburg: Herder, 2004, p. 87 ff.)
Question 184: How do you evaluate the Vaticans actions during the World War II? Did the Vatican agree with the extermination of the Jews? (TR)
Answer: Unlike Benedict XV, who had been sharply criticized for his calls for peace during World War I, Pius XII was applauded for his position during World War II (1939-1945) by almost everyone, even during his own lifetime. In 1963, however, a young German writer, Ralf Hochhut, wrote a play The Deputy, which quickly became famous, and in which he accuses Pius XII not to have publicly denounced the extermination of Jews by the Nazis. Bitter controversy followed. Had Pope Pius XII lacked in courage? Had he been a Nazi sympathizer? Had he not been informed about what was happening? The positive aspect of the Hochhut controversy was that it resulted in the publication of archived documents, which shed some light on the matter. As a diplomat and Secretary of State (1929 Cardinal; 1939 Secretary of State; 1939 Pope), Pius XII had been extremely well informed about the developments in Germany. In 1933 he signed the concordat with Hitler, and in 1937 he had played an active role in the writing of the encyclical With Deep Anxiety. Although he had absolutely no sympathy for the Nazis he preferred discrete diplomatic intervention to solemn declarations.
During the years 1939-1940 Pope Pius XII tried hard to prevent an escalation of the war; then he asked Mussolini to stay out of the conflict and requested the European powers to solve their problems through negotiations. During the whole of the war he stressed again and again in a large number of speeches and Christmas messages, admittedly in general words only, the uselessness of war, the advantages of negotiations and a just peace. He set up an office for information which was managed by Mgr. Montini (who later became Paul VI., 1963-78). This office published news about prisoners of war and those missing. Jews and others in danger were secretly hidden in papal buildings and monasteries. 1943-44, when Italy became a theatre of war, Pius XII tried to protect Rome by putting pressure on the Italian king to remove Mussolini, and by protesting against the bombardments. Like Pope Benedict XV (time of office 1914-1922) Pius XII wanted to remain neutral and above the dispute. Wasnt bolshevism just as dangerous as National Socialism, if not more so?
While information about deportations and the extermination of Jews was not completely lacking, and reached the Vatican early on, this information was often vague. The madness of the information which exceeded everything imaginable, had the effect that it was not considered reliable. In the spring of 1943 Pius XII was fully informed about what happened in Hitlers sphere of influence with regard to the extermination of the Jews. Initially he was dominated by a feeling being completely helpless. In two public speeches he referred to genocide, in his Christmas message of 1942 and in a speech to Cardinals of the Curia on 2nd June 1943. The allusions were kept at a very general level, and neither Jews nor the Germans were mentioned by name. Pius XII. spoke of his concerns that his interventions could cause difficulties for those he was trying to protect. On the other hand, he allowed the Bishops to be the judges of their own initiatives and actions. The results were twofold. Some protests led to an increase in suppression and violence from the Germans. On the other hand, diplomatic intervention showed some effect in Slovakia, Croatia and Hungary, where deportations of Jews were stopped for a certain period of time. In Italy the Pope remained silent about the arrest of Jews on 16th October 1943, but his discrete intervention prevented further occurrences of this kind.
The Pope therefore said as little as possible and deliberately concentrated on diplomatic processes. After the war there were many who would have preferred a more prophetic stance from the Pope. In 1964, the Archbishop of Munich, Julius Cardinal Döpfner said: With hindsight it would be right to make the historic assessment that Pius XII should have protested more audibly. Be that as it may, under no circumstances are we entitled, nor do we have cause, to doubt the absolute sincerity of motives, of the authenticity of deepest thought and consideration displayed by Pius XII.(cf. J. Comby with D. MacCulloch, How to Read Church History, vol. 2 [From the Reformation to the present day]. London: SCM Press, 1989, S. 213-215.)
Question 185: Christs genealogy differs in two of the gospels. Which one is the correct one? (TR)
Answer: This refers to the two different descriptions of Jesus genealogy in Mt 1:1-17 and Lk 3:23-38. The genealogy in the gospel of Matthew is restricted to the Israeli ancestry of Jesus, although in V 3,5,6 it also points out non-Israeli influences from the side of the women. It is shaped by the intention to link Jesus with the two main bearers of the messianic promises, Abraham and David and with Davids line, 2 Sam 7.1+; Isa 7.14f. The genealogy in Luke goes back to Adam, the head of all mankind, and thus gains a more universal character than the one in Matthew. As a descendant of Adam and like Adam without an earthly father (1.35), Jesus establishes a new mankind; maybe Luke is thinking of the new Adam, c.f. Rom 5.12f. From David to Joseph only two names appear in both lists. The discrepancies can be explained by the fact that the legal lineage (law of the levirate, Dtn 25.5+) was equal to the natural lineage. In Matthew, the systematic character of the genealogy is emphasized by the division of Jesus ancestors into three groups of two times seven names, c.f. 6.9f; this format necessitates the omission of three kings between Jehoram and Uzziah and the double counting of Jaconiah, V11-12, (this one name, Jechonias in Greek, can be the translation of two similar sounding Hebrew names, Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin). Both lists end with Joseph, who is only the legal father of Jesus. According to the understanding in those times, the legal parentage alone (through adoption, levirate etc.) conferred hereditary rights, in this case those of the messianic family. This does not exclude the possibility that Mary, too, belongs to this lineage, but this is not mentioned by the evangelists.
Question 186: How many kinds of Catholics are there, Roman Catholics, Greek Catholics etc. Which of these are the true Catholics? (TR)
Answer: This is a question of two parts. One the one hand, the question is what does the word Catholic mean, on the other what is the difference between Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic etc. The word is derived from the Greek word καθολικός and means general or universal. In Christian literature it first appears in Ignatius of Antioch. In the course of time it acquired several meanings in Christian terminology: (1) Belonging to the universal church as opposed to local Christian communities. It is thus used to describe the faith of the whole church, i.e. the teachings which, according to Vincent of Lerin, has been believed everywhere, always and by all. 2) In the sense of orthodox as opposed to heretic or (later) to schismatic. (3) Historians use it in the sense of belonging to the unified church prior to the final schism between East and West in 1054. After that time the Western church generally referred to itself as being Catholic. (4) Since the reformation Roman Catholics have used the term more and more exclusively in reference to themselves. Anglicans and Old Catholics have also used it to describe themselves as well as the Roman Catholics and the Eastern Catholics, in the belief that these communities together represent the undivided church of the early centuries. (5) It is generally used today to describe Christians who claim to stand in a historic and continuous tradition of faith and practice, as opposed to the Protestants, who locate ultimate authority in the bible and who interpret the bible according to the principles of the reformation in the 16th century.
On the other hand, the word Catholic, if used in conjunction with the terms Greek, Coptic, Syrian etc. refers to the churches of Eastern Christianity, which are in communion with Rome and which retain their respective languages, rites and their canon law (which has been agreed with Rome). These churches distribute the Eucharist in both its forms, baptise by full immersion and permit married clergy (with the exception of bishops). The term uniates, which is used for these churches, was first coined by those who opposed the union of Brest-Litovsk in 1985. The main groups described in this way are the Marnoites (united in 1182), the Syrians under the Patriarch of Antioch and the Malankars (1930), all of which belong to the Antioch rite; the Armenians under the Patriarch of Cilicia (united 1198-1291and 1741); the Chaldeans (1551 and 1830) and the Malabares (before 1599), both of which belong to the Chaldean rite; the Copts (1741) and the Ethiopians (1839), both belonging to the Alexandrian rite. Within the Byzantine rite there are the Polish Ruthenes (1595), the Hungarians (1595), the Slovaks (1611), the Carparthian Romanians (1646), the Romanians (1601), the Melkites (1724), and certain Bulgarians (1860) and Greeks (1860). The largest group of Uniates are the Ukrainians. The term is also used for the Italian-Greek-Albanian community of Southern Italy, which follow a similar practice, although they have never been separated from Rome. In 1946 the Catholic-Ukrainian church was oppressed, in 1948 the church in Romania. The faithful of both communities were forced to become part of the Russian Orthodox and the Romanian Orthodox church. The total number of Uniates is approximately 13 million.
Question 187: How many times did the Holy Spirit come? Once Jesus breathed it after his resurrection, later, in Acts, the Holy Spirit comes again. (TR)
Answer: Biblical reports of the coming of the Holy Spirit are to be interpreted within the framework of the belief in the presence and acting of the Holy Spirit in the life of Christians. Holy Scriptures understand the Holy Spirit as the creative power of all life: he brings life to everything, holds everything together and guides everything towards the goal of eschatological salvation. He is active mainly in Jesus Christ: in his conception, his baptism, his public ministry, his death and his resurrection. In death, resurrection and glorification he brought about the beginning of the new creation, which one day will reach its completion in the transfiguration of everything that is. Thus, Jesus is the Christ, i.e. the one anointed with the Holy Spirit. According to the gospel of St Luke Jesus applies the promise of the prophet to himself: The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me(Lk 4.18; cf. Acts 10.38; Jn 1.32). Our redemption and our salvation consist in our participation in the Spirit that fills Jesus Christ. We are Christians, i.e. anointed through participating in the anointment of Christ with the Holy Spirit.
This participation in Jesus Christ is a gift from the Holy Spirit himself. Because the Spirit has been sent to actualise again and again and in perpetuity Jesus Christ, his person, his word and his acting in history. Thus, all reality is penetrated and filled with the Holy Spirit who is the spirit of Jesus Christ. Therefore, Paul can say: Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom(2 Cor 3:17). This means: the Spirit is the active presence and the present activity of the raised Lord of the church and of the world. He is not merely the gift of new life in Jesus Christ, he is also the giver of this gift; a separate own divine person. Where he acts the eschatological kingdom of freedom is already beginning in the here and now. The gift of the Holy Spirit received in faith is the reality of the new covenant (Thomas Aquinas).
Luke expressed the meaning of this in his report on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (cf. Acts 2:1-13). For the Jews, Pentecost was originally a harvest festival. In the 1./2. century A.D. it became a day to commemorate the covenant on Mount Sinai. Luke follows on from this. With his report on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit he wants to depict the beginning of the final salvific period, the fulfilment of the words of the prophets (cf. Joel 3:1-3) and the annunciation of Jesus (cf. Acts 1:8). To do this he uses biblical images which have already been used for appearances of God in the Old Testament, particularly on Mount Sinai. The rushing of the storm shows the power of the Holy Spirit, who is the breath and the storm of new life. The tongues of fire that come down on every single one of those gathered indicate that the disciples are being enabled and encouraged to witness. The speaking and understanding of foreign languages, together with the list of nations indicates that the world wide mission given to the disciples ends the Babylonian confusion of tongues and shows that the torn human race will be united again. Through mission the nations shall be gathered into a people of God. At Pentecost, the promise is fulfilled and at the end of time, the spirit of God will be poured over all flesh, over big and small, young and old, Jews and Pagans (cf. Joel 3:1-2; Acts 2:17-18; 10: 44-48) […]
Paul, too, knows extraordinary gifts of the Spirit. For him, the emphasis is not on the noticeable phenomena but on daily Christian life. The Spirit is not so much the power of the extraordinary as the power, to do the ordinary in an extraordinary way. He becomes apparent particularly in the commitment to Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Cor 12:3) and in the service for the building up of the community (cf. 1 Cor 13-14). Paul understands the Spirit also as the driving force in the life of every believer. They shall not be led by the flesh but by the Spirit (cf. Gal 5:16-17; Rom 8:12-13) and bring about the fruits of the Spirit: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22-23). Thus the Spirit effects a twofold openness in people: The openness of a person to God, which manifests itself particularly in prayer (cf. Gal 4:6; Rom 8:5-16, 26-27), as well as the openness towards our neighbour. Because the selfless service of love is the true Christian freedom (cf. Gal 5:13). This already hints at the liberation of creation from its impermanence and servitude, for which it waits and hopes. The Spirit is the first gift, that gives Christian hope a solid foundation (cf. Rom 8:18-27). (The Catholic Catechism, The Creed of the Church. Editor the German Bishops Conference 1985. p 222- Katholischer Erwachsenen-Katechismus)
Question 188: The Jehovahs Witnesses claim that Jesus was not crucified but hung on a stake. Is there historic evidence for Jesus death by crucifixion? (TR)
Answer: The cross is a tool for execution, originally a stake (Greek staurós; cf. lat. crux) the Roman version of which generally had a crossbar; to crucify (Greek staurūn) denote the corresponding type of execution. Crucifixion was generally understood to be the most cruel and terrible way of dying (Cicero, In Verrem II, 5, 64, 165). Origin and age of this kind of death penalty are unknown. Some trails lead to the Medes and the Persians. In Palestine it was used from the 1st century before Christ, although in the Old Testament only those already executed may be impaled or hung on a stake. (Gen 40:19; Deut 21:22 a.o.). According to Roman law robbery, murder, high treason, lèse majesté and insurgency are punishable by crucifixion. Because of a lack of clear instructions crucifixions could take several shapes. Most commonly the condemned person was flogged and then tied and or nailed to the crossbow (patibulum) which he himself had had to carry to the place of execution (patibulum), and then hoisted up a fixed stake, usually of low height (in t-shape: crux commissa or †-shape: crux immissa). To reduce his agony he was first given an intoxicating drink. To delay death a peg (sedile) for sitting on is fixed to the middle of the stake. The crucified suffocated to death in agony. His body was generally left on the cross for beasts of prey or until it decayed, but it could also be released.
Jesus crucifixion corresponded largely to this picture, but there are questions about the detail. Because of the flogging carried out right outside the praetorium (Mk 15:15 and parallels.; Jn 19:1) Jesus was too weak to carry his crossbar on his own up to Calvary (Mk 15.22 and parallels). According to Mk 15:23 he rejected the customary intoxicating drink. Naked (Mk 15:24 and parallels; Jn19:23f) he was probably nailed through hands and feet (Jn 20:25, Lk 24:39; Acts 2:23) to a T-shaped cross, which was barely taller than the crosses of the two co-sufferers either side of him (Mk 15:27 and parallels). A small plank which can no longer be located notes, presumably in Aramaic and Greek, name and type of guilt (Mk 15:26 and parallels; Jn 19:19). Witnesses of this cruel event were women from Galilee (Mk 15:40 and parallels; Jn 19:25ff.). The removal of Jesus body from the cross before the dawn of the sabbath by Joseph of Aramathea had the permission of Pilate (Mk 15:43; Jn 19:38). [An almost literal transcript of the essay ‚Kreuzigung, crucifixion, by Willibald Bösen, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, Bd.6 (Freiburg i. Br.: Herder, 1997). See there also for further references].
Question 189: What are your thoughts about fate? Are our lives predestined? (TR)
Answer: The belief in creation gains its final depth and its existential seriousness only through the belief in divine providence. At the same time, belief in divine providence brings with it major existential difficulties. Again and again we find ourselves in a situation in which we ask: Why do I have to suffer this? Why me? People often spoke, and still sometimes speak of a blind, a good and a bad fate. Often, they meant and mean this fate was written in the stars and that it could be discovered using astrology. In secular language we speak of someone being a darling of fortune, a Sundays child, of someone being born under a lucky star, or of someone being jinxed. Consciously or subconsciously there are still many relicts of superstition: a talisman, fear of unlucky numbers, belief in good and bad signs etc.
The Bible also assumes that life and reality as a whole have an order, which reigns over mankind like a power. But for the Bible, this power is no anonymous fate but the personal guidance from God. The Old Testament already speaks of this personal guidance in the case of some individual biblical people, such as the Egyptian Joseph, Moses who is pulled out of the Nile water thanks to Gods care, Tobias for whom God provides an angel to accompany him on his journey. This personal guidance is particularly strongly expressed in the well known psalm:
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want...
He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
(Ps 23:1, 3-4)
Similar also psalm 91 which is also a hymn: He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High (Ps 91). The book of Wisdom of Solomon witnesses divine providence in general: "For he has made the small and great, and cares for all alike." (WisSol 6:7). Jesus in particular shows again and again that his life, his ministry and his death are completely at the will of the father. Therefore he can urge us with an almost child-like trust.
Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life...
Look at the birds of the air;
they do not sow or reap or store away in barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?
So do not worry...
For the pagans run after all these things,
and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
(Mt 6:25-26, 31-32; cf. 10:26-31)
The New Testament summarises Jesus message thus: Cast all your worries on him because he cares for you (1 Pet 5:7).
All these are not idyllic thoughts of pious but unworldly people. Rather, the belief in divine providence in the Old and the New Testament stands in the context of Gods overall plan of salvation. According to this, God led mankind in many steps (the covenants with Noah, Abraham, Moses and David) to the new covenant in Jesus Christ to its fulfilment at the end of time. Through his Spirit he also leads the church to prepare through it the all encompassing Kingdom of God. Divine providence for the individual is in aid of this comprehensive plan for salvation. The key to Jesus belief in providence thus lies in the statement: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Mt 6:33). This is no mere naïve optimism. Rather, what is means is: make God and the care for his kingdom to the focus of your life, then the world changes around you.
The belief in divine providence expresses that the immense creation and Gods comprehensive salvific plan are aimed at the individual human being, indeed, that the purpose of creation and of history is being decided within each human being. Divine providence must therefore not be misunderstood as a plan that ignores peoples wishes. It assumes the cooperation of the person who trusts himself to Gods care. In as far as a person trusts Gods will and changes his life, his fate also changes. The person who achieves accord with God also achieves accord with the world. Things and events then lose their strangeness and appear to be caused by God in a special way. Where this happens to a believer, God is for him already all and in all. Even where he cannot change his external situation, it nevertheless changes because he knows that nothing can separate him from the love of Christ (cf. Rom. 8:35) and I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us(Rom 8:18).
The inner connection of Gods all encompassing providence and the freedom of human beings is particularly apparent in intercessory prayer. Being allowed to intercede in itself shows that human beings have access to God and may know themselves to be accepted. It expresses that God hears, listens to and affirms human beings. Such interceding therefore in no way reduces a person to a submissive figure. On the contrary, Gods plan includes intercession in eternity. Gods all powerful providence does not cut out peoples initiative but includes and enlists it. If a person therefore brings his situation before God in prayer he can be sure of being heard. Jesus himself tells us: Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mk 11:24, cf. Mt 7:7, 21:22; Lk 11:9).
Many will ask in surprise: If God truly answers every prayer, how about the prayers which – apparently or truly – are not being heard, where God remains silent, although we may have besieged him with payer? The answer is not easy. But in the light of Jesus clear statement we have to reply: God answers every prayer in a way which exceeds all our hopes. If he therefore does not answer a prayer in the way we would wish him to, then that is because this wish does not yet represent what is truly best for us. St Augustine expresses it like this: Good is God, who often does not give us what we want, so that he may give us what we should rather want. St Thérèse of Lisieux therefore says; If you do not answer my prayers, I love you even more. In particular when God corrects our wishes and deepens our faith, our hope and our love, he reconciles us in prayer to our situation and grants us a peace that exceeds all (cf. Phil 4:7).
All this shows that ultimately, divine providence remains his mystery, the mystery of the larger God and his larger love. The belief in divine providence does not simply dissolve the mysteries of existence, nor does it make them easily transparent. It gives us no insight into Gods thinking, nor does it explain to us the particulars of Gods providence and guidance in the world. It does not make our own life story transparent so that we should rise above all and that we should be spared darkness and challenge. Especially as regards the guidance of history God is a hidden God. (vgl. Isa 45:15).
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the lord, or who became his counselor? (Rom 11:33-34)
But that which remains incomprehensible when seen through the eyes of faith in divine providence alone, now becomes a still unfathomable but trust inspiring mystery. Whereas those who believe in fate find at its deepest core indifference and emptiness, those who believe in divine providence discover the love of the father. Although we have no insight into the how of divine ways and guidance, we can still repeatedly recognise signs, which the believer experiences as Gods guidance. Faith is thus confirmed and strengthened in the belief And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Rom 8:28). (Katholischer Erwachsenen-Katechismus, Vol 1: Das Glaubensbekenntnis der Kirche, p.102-106)
Question 190: What happens to people who have not heard of Jesus? Will they all go to hell because they are not baptised? (TR)
Answer: The church teaches that baptism is only essential for the salvation of those who have been told of baptism and who have had the opportunity to decide to be baptised. Because God wills the salvation of all people (cf. 1 Tim 2:4-6), a person who lives according to his conscience and who does Gods will as he recognises it, and who would therefore surely had desired baptism if he had known about its importance, can receive salvation on the basis of this baptism by desire. Deutscher Erwachsenen-Katechismus, Vol. 1, p. 332
Question 191: Who are the Mormons? (TR)
Answer: The theologian Dr Rüdiger Haupt writes about Mormons:
1. Founder
Joseph Smith, dob. 1805 in the US State of Vermont. In his family superstition and religious restlessness were dominant. As a young man he had tried to discover buried treasure using crystal balls and was therefore convicted of fraud. Later he reported that God and Jesus had appeared to him and had requested that he should restore the original gospel. The reason: All churches had fallen away from the true faith and were an abomination in Gods eyes. In 1827 an angel called Moroni had revealed to Smith secret writings (golden tablets) buried in a hill, which he translated and published in 1830 as the Book of Mormon. For a variety of reasons his critics had him imprisoned in the prison of Carthage/Ill in 19844, where on 27th June he was shot to death by an angry mob.
2. Genesis & History
On 6. April 1830 J. Smith and some friends founded the Church of Christ in the State of New York. This name was changed in 1983 by the General Conference to Church of the Latter Day Saints. In the same fashion, this name was again changed by the General Conference in 1938 to Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
The community soon gained numerous followers and spread towards the West: Ohio, Missouri and Illinois were the most important stages. Because of the many new revelations of their prophet stranger and stranger teachings and practices developed among the Saints over time, so that this community could soon no longer be accepted by the church based society it found itself in. And so there were constant arguments with non-Mormons but also with government bodies. After the violent death of the founder of Mormonism, the Saints, led by Brigham Young, travelled towards the West in 1845/46, and in the summer of 1847 they reached the Great Salt Lake valley in the Rocky Mountains. Here they developed their centre Salt Lake City, later capital of the US State of Utah. A flourishing cultural centre had arisen from a salt desert. Thanks to their active mission the religion of the Mormons spread across the whole world (In Germany it has existed since 1952). Today more than 8 million people are followers of this new religion, the highest growth is found in Latin America and in East Asia.
3. Teachings & Practice
The Mormons consider themselves to be the only true Christian church on earth. They claim that God was once a human being and that people too can, assuming the right conditions, eventually become God. They stress the need for new revelations. Alongside the Bible, the Book of Mormons is their sacred literature. The core of Mormon practice are the secret temple rituals:
- Vicarious Baptism for the dead;
- The Endowment. The participants receive secret instruction, gestures and signs in order to be admitted to the kingdom of God;
- Marriage (sealing) for time and eternity; married couples remain together also in the afterlife.
4. Evaluation
Because of its unbiblical teachings which are based on the new revelations and the secret temple rituals, Mormonism is not part of the broad spectrum of ecumenical Christianity. Rather, it has to be seen as an American, syncretistic new religion. The meaning of almost all terms taken from the biblical-Christian context (e.g. sin, God, Christ, creation, disciple, resurrection, baptism, salvation etc.) has been changed almost completely and has been mormonised. Also, Mormonism calls America the continent of salvation, as the centre of Gods salvation story: The Garden of Eden was in the State of Missouri; Christ appeared on the American continent after his resurrection and would reside there after his second coming in the Independence Temple, Mo etc. Conversion to Mormonism is therefore not merely a change of religion, but a complete turning away from the Christian-ecumenical communion of churches. Mormonism represents a completely different, unfamiliar world. The consequence of this is great strain on the previous relations with society and in particular within families. The extreme beliefs of Mormons and the enormous amount of time individual Mormons are required to devote to their faith by individual Mormons are a constant source of tension in mixed faith families.
5. Critical Literature
See also Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormonism
Question 192: The gospels sometimes describe topics and events differently. Did the authors misunderstand the revelation? (TR)
Answer: Please read the three Questions and Answers on this website, which deal with the variety in the gospels: Q/A 60 on page 7; Q/A 94 on page 10 and Q/A 131 on page 14.
Question 193: Why is a priest necessary for hearing confession? (TR)
Answer: The relevant Catholic doctrine is described in the Catechism of the Catholic Church under the heading: sacramental penance
The gospels report that Jesus has forgiven individual people their sins: Your sins are forgiven (Mk 2:5; Lk 7:48). He has also given this authority to the people (Mt 9:8). The church as a whole is to be a sign and a tool of reconciliation. In a special way, however, this authority has been given to the apostolic office. It has been tasked with the service of reconciliation (cf. 2 Cor 5:18); on behalf of Christ, as though God were making his appeal through us: .... be reconciled to God. (2 Cor 5:20). Therefore the church traces the authority of its office of the forgiveness of sins to the risen Lord himself: Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained. (Jn 20:22-23)
For Jesus, the forgiveness of sins always had a community aspect. Jesus reconciles sinners with God by taking them up into the Eucharistic community with him and with each other. The sinner isolates himself from God and from the brothers. Through his sin the communion of the people of God is marred and the holiness of its life lacerated. The sinner is therefore excluded from the full communion of the church (cf. 1 Cor 5:1-13; 2 Cor 2:5-11; 7:10-13); in particular, he is no longer able to participate fully in the holy Eucharist, the sacrament of unity and love. Through the confession the repenting person has to retrace the path on which reconciliation first came to him. He has to reconcile himself with his brothers in order to achieve renewed communion with God. By the same token, Gods forgiveness reconciles us also with the church, that was wounded by the sin and that aids the conversion through love, example and prayer (LG 11). This communal structure and the church dimension of penance is particularly clearly seen in Jesus words to Peter: I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Mt 16:19).
This also applies to the church as a whole (c.f. Mr 18:18). The words binding and loosing mean: who ever you exclude from your community (binding = banishing), is also excluded from the communion with God; but whoever you take up again into your community (= loosing the ban), God also takes up into Communion with him. Reconciliation with the church is thus the path to reconciliation with God. This aspect was particularly clearly expressed in the public penance in the ancient church. Correspondingly the formula for sacramental absolution that has been compulsory since 1975 says: May He grant you pardon and peace through the ministry of the church.
The sacrament of penance has had a varied history with many changes. A two-fold process has consistently been the main structure of this sacrament: The sacrament of penance consists on the one hand of human acts of conversion made possible by grace; repentance, confession and reparation. On the other hand, it consists of the acts of the church, because the church community led by the bishops and priests offers the forgiveness of sins in the name of Jesus Christ, determines the necessary reparation, prays for the sinner, vicariously repents for him and finally grants him the full communion with the church and the forgiveness of his sins. The sacrament of penance is thus a wholly personal act as well as a liturgical celebration of penance by the church. The Council of Trent therefore teaches that the actions of the repentant sinner in penance, confession and reparation are quasi the substance of the sacrament, while the absolution by the priests represents the form of the sacrament of penance (cf. DS 1673; NR 647-648). The fruit of this sacrament is the reconciliation with God and with the church. It is often accompanied by peace, a joyful conscience and enormous comfort of the soul (c.f. DS 1674-1675, NR 649).
Let us try to describe the individual elements of sacramental penance in more detail. The primary action of the penitent is contrition. It is the pain of the soul and the revulsion at the sin committed, with the resolve to sin no more from now on. This contrition is called perfect contrition when it is caused by Gods love (contritio). Such contrition has the power to grant forgiveness of every day sins; it also results in the forgiveness of serious sins if it is combined with a firm resolve of sacramental confession. Contrition is called imperfect, if it arises from considerations about the ugliness of the sin or from the fear of eternal damnation and other punishment (attrition). Such a shaking up of the conscience can merely be a beginning which is perfected by the (369) gift of grace, in particular the forgiveness of sins in the sacrament of atonement (cf. DS 1676-78, NR 650-651).
From a human point of view alone the confession of guilt has a liberating and reconciling effect. Through the confession a person faces his sinful past and takes responsibility for it, and opens himself again to God and to the communion of the church and therefore gains a new future. According to the doctrine of the church such a confession is an important and indispensable part of the sacrament of penitence in order to submit oneself to Gods merciful judgement (cf. DS 1679; 1706; NR 652; 665). It is therefore necessary to confess the major sins (mortal sins) one can remember after careful examination of ones memory, in such a way that the actual situation in terms of numbers, characteristics and circumstances is adequately expressed (cf. DS 1707; NR 666). According to Canon law, every believer having reached the age of discernment is required to confess his serious sins with sincerity at least once a year (CIC can. 989). Confessing every day sins (venial sins), which do not exclude us from communion with God is not necessary, but is recommended by the church as useful. This devotional confession is an important aid in the formation of a personal conscience and the growth in spiritual life. It is therefore highly recommended and should have a place during the penitential seasons of the church year at least.
The purpose of restoration is to redress as far as possible the damage and the vexation caused by the sin in an appropriate manner (e.g. returning of stolen goods, restoration of the reputation of others). Restoration is also an exercise in a new way of life; it is a remedy against weakness. The actual restoration should therefore correspond as far as possible with the severity and the characteristics of the sins. It can consist in prayer, sacrifice, renunciation, the service of others, and in merciful acts. Such a restoration is not an achievement by the individual achievement which earns him forgiveness; rather, it is a fruit and a sign of the penitence granted and effected by the Gods spirit (370). The absolution spoken by the priest during the sacrament of penitence is not merely a proclamation of the gospel of the forgiveness of sins, or a statement that God has forgiven the sins; the doctrine of the church states that as the a readmission into the full communion of the church, it is an act of judgement that can only be dispensed by someone who can act in the name of Jesus Christ for the whole communion of the church (cf. DS 1685; 1709-1710; NR 654; 668-669). The sacrament of penitence is, however, a merciful judgement, in which God the merciful Father in the Holy Spirit confronts the sinner with grace because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the same way, the confessor assumes the role of a judge as well as the role of a doctor. He is required to act like a father and a brother. He represents Jesus Christ who on the cross gave his blood for sinners. He should therefore proclaim and explain to the confessing person the message of the forgiveness of sins and shall advise him in order to help him toward a new life, pray for him and vicariously repent for him, and finally absolve him of his sins in the name of Jesus Christ.
Since the amendment of the Celebration of Penitence in 1974 there have been three forms of the sacramental celebration of penitence:
Form A: Celebration of reconciliation for individuals. This form too should have a certain liturgical structure: welcome by the priest, a reading from Scripture, confession of sin, imposition of penance, prayer, spreading of the priests hands with absolution followed by giving thanks and liturgical dismissal with priestly blessing. For pastoral reasons the priest can omit or shorten parts of this rite, however, the following parts must remain in full: the confession of sins and the acceptance of the imposition of penance, the request for contrition, the absolution and the dismissal. Where there is danger of death it is sufficient if the priests says the main words of the absolution: I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In practice, however this new form of the sacrament of penitence has not been generally adopted.
Form B: Corporate celebration of reconciliation with confession and absolution of the individual. This form combines the individual confession and absolution with a corporate celebration of penitence for the preparation and corporate thanksgiving. The individual confession is thus embedded in a liturgical service with the reading of Scripture and a homily, corporate search of the congregations conscience and general confession of sins, prayer, the Lords prayer and corporate thanksgiving. This congregational celebration makes the corporate church character of penitence clearer. (371)
Form C: The corporate celebration of reconciliation with general confession and general absolution. This form is only permitted if there is an urgent need. Apart from the danger of death, this need only arises when there is an insufficient number of confessors, so that there is not enough time to adequately hear the confession of the individual, and they would otherwise and not by their own fault have to remain for longer without the grace of the sacraments or of holy Communion. This presupposes the will to confess mortal sins as soon as possible on an individual basis. The decision whether there is such an urgent need is the responsibility of the diocesan bishop who consults the other members of the Bishops Conference (cf. CIC can. 961). The German Bishops Conference currently does not believe there is such an urgent need, with the exception of danger of death of a larger group.
These three forms of the sacramental celebration of penitence are not the same as services of penitence in the narrower sense. The services of penitence are expression and renewal of the conversion effected at Baptism. At those services the people of God gather to hear the Word of God, which calls for conversion and the renewal of life, and which proclaim the deliverance from sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Such a service of penitence consists of: Introduction (singing, welcome and prayer), readings from Holy Scripture interspersed by a hymn or by silence, a homily, the corporate searching of the congregations conscience and prayer for the forgiveness of sins, in particular the Lords prayer, but no sacramental absolution. These services of penitence must therefore not be confused with the celebration of the sacrament of penitence. They are, however, very useful for the conversion and purification of the heart. They can promote the spirit of Christian penitence and can help the believers in the preparation of their individual confessions, deepen the sense of the corporate character of penitence and in particular, lead children towards penitence. If there is a real spirit of conversion and perfect contrition, the forgiveness of venial sins is granted during such services of penitence. There are therefore also an effective means of salvation. They should be part of the life of every parish and should be celebrated in particular during the penitential seasons (cf. Gem. Synode, Schwerpunkte heutiger Sakramentenpastoral C 4). (Katholischer Erwachsenen-Katechismus, Vol 1, p. 367-371)
Question 194: How can a newborn baby be a sinner so that it has to be baptised? (TR)
Answer: At the beginning of a church there is naturally only the baptism of adults […] The baptism of children can only become an issue or accepted practice in the second generation. There are no direct references for it in the New Testament itself. However, the New Testament repeatedly speaks of the practice of baptising a whole household, i.e. whole families including all their servants. (cf. Acts 16:15, 33-34; 18.8; 1 Cor 1:16). It is possible that this also included children. The first clear and specific references to infant baptism date back to the 2nd century. The practice of infant baptism has therefore existed for a very long time in both the churches of the East and the West. Several popes and synods, and in particular the Council of Trent (cf. DS 1514; 1626-1627; NR 356; 544-545), confirmed and defended this doctrine and practice […]
There are three main reasons that justify the practice of infant baptism.
1. Being a Christian through Baptism is a free, unmerited grace through which God acts prior to all our acting and surrounds our lives from their beginning (cf. 1 Jn 4:10,19; Tit 3:5), and which we all need from our earliest beginning because of original sin. This grace that comes before all doing and any merit is expressed especially clearly in infant baptism. The church and the Christian parents would therefore deny the child a very important good if they did not give him the sacrament of baptism soon after his birth.
2. Faith always points to and depends on the communion of believers. Infant baptism clearly symbolises this dependence and inclusion in the overall community without which the child literally could not survive. Through his parents and Godparents the child is thus taken up in the communion of all believers who are responsible for this child before God and before the world. That is one of the reasons a child may only be baptised if the parents or relatives guarantee his subsequent Christian upbringing. Where this guarantee is not given, baptism is wisely to be postponed.
3. Faith is not an event in time but a process of growing. Growing into Christ and into faith in him is a lifelong process for the baptised Christian. The New Testament not only knows of the movement that leads from faith to baptism and that finds in baptism its most complete form of embodiment (cf. Acts 8,12-13; 18,8; 10,47 u. a.). There is also the converse movement, whereby the baptised are reminded of their baptism and led deeper and deeper into the baptismal reality (cf. Rom 6:3-4, 1 Cor 6:9-11; Eph 5:8-9; 1 Pt 2:1-5). After all, baptism is not only a sign of faith but also the source of its power; it is the sacrament of enlightenment. As such, it is the beginning of a path and a life-long growing in faith.
From this reasoning arises the necessity of a renewed system of adult preparation for baptism (Taufpastoral). Fundamentally, all pastoral care is aimed at leading people towards baptism and the development of the new life inherent in baptism in individual Christians and in the parish. The adult preparation for baptism in the narrower sense includes the adult catechumenate, and in the case of infant baptism, the baptismal preparations with the parents and godparents, pastoral care of wedding couples and newly married couples, and leading the whole congregation into a shared responsibility for the Christian upbringing of the children. Of particular importance in this context is the renewal of the congregational catechesis, through which growing children shall be introduced into the faith and the life of the church (cf. Gem. Synode, Schwerpunkte heutiger Sakramentenpastoral 2-3). The sacrament of this growth is confirmation. (Katholischer Erwachsenen-Katechismus, Vol. 1, p. 337-339)
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