A common question is presented the Pastor
GRAVEN IMAGES
“There’s something that still troubles me, Ben.”
“And what would that be, Janice?”
“Where does the Catholic Church get off changing God’s Ten Commandments?”
The quizzical look on the class leader’s face turns to a smile. I think it’s a question he’s heard before.
“Well,” he says chuckling and turning to the tall distinguished man in the black golf shirt, slacks, and swept back silver-grey hair, sitting in the corner. “That’s why I brought in the “big gun” this evening …
“…Father Bob, care to comment?”
Hi, Tony here. We’re sitting in the back of St Kate’s OCIA class this fine Tuesday evening. It’s been a good session so far, and the class has grown by a number of new ‘students’, several of whom are Catholics wishing to fill in some of the “holes” in their own understanding of their faith.
Tonight’s session is an open one with no dedicated “lesson” on tap. What Ben and Joey have done is pass out a summary of the Church’s teaching on the Ten Commandments. Last week, Ben explained that they would do this as the Ten Commandments are not unique to the Church, and the exposition of them as accomplished in the Catechism is quite extensive. To delve into them, and do them justice, would be more time consuming than the program allows for.
Tonight is a session for questions; either pertaining to the commandments or any other topic previously covered. And as it would be, our friend Janice has one.
I think Ben’s glad the pastor decided to stop by tonight. Janice has acquired a reputation as somewhat the class comedienne. Not in an adversarial sense, but for her humor and penetrating, sometimes confrontational, questions. I know both Joey and Ben appreciate the parish priests adding their knowledge and authority to their efforts.
Tonight, knowing Father Bob, I’m sure Janice will be satisfied with his response.
Let’s listen in …
“So, changing God’s commandments, Janice? I’m not sure I follow?” the pastor asks.
“Well, the traditional listing I learned has one more and one less than the Catholic version. I was always taught one was ‘Thou shalt make no graven image.’”
“And we eliminate that and add, ‘Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife,’ as a distinct commandment,” the priest says, a soft chuckle in his voice. "That’s the burr under your saddle?"
“Yes. Where did that come from? I mean, in every Catholic Church I’ve ever been in, I’ve seen all kinds of statures, stained glass windows, and other things that qualify as ‘graven images’ that seem to violate that commandment.”
Several heads nod in agreement as a nascent smile wanders across the priest’s lips.
“Yes, Janice, I have to admit that seems problematic when you read the passages in Exodus.”
“So why did the Church change them?” she asks.
“Well, I wasn’t present in the Vatican when that decision was made," the pastor says, winking at the class.
Chuckles greet his remark.
“But I’d say, not so much as changing them, but rather for emphasis and clarity."
“How do you mean.” Janice asks tentatively as the laughter dies down.
"Well, to begin with, the church understands ‘graven images’ as something considered ‘divine’ … competing with the one true God … worthy of worship; a strange god. So, ‘Thou shalt not have strange Gods before me,’ followed by ‘make no graven image’ is redundant; wouldn’t you say?"
“Okay,” Janice says quietly; nodding her head thoughtfully.
“As to the ninth commandment, it was done for emphasis. ‘Thou shalt not covet they neighbor’s wife’ addresses the sin of lust; ‘thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods’ addresses the sin of avarice or greed. By breaking those words of scripture into two distinct commands places a heightened emphasis on the esteem in which God holds the union of husband and wife, and the respect for another’s property.”
“Might it also have something to do with a changing attitude toward women?” Margaret Tillman asks.
“I'd say so, Margaret. At the time the commandments were given, women generally were considered little more than property; her value seen only in her procreative and domestic role. Beyond that, women had few formal rights ….
… “And, it is a teaching of Judaism that, as God created, his creation took on a greater dignity. So, what was did God create last?” Ben asks, extending Father’s thought.
“Woman,” comes a whispered reply from the back of the room.
“Exactly,” the pastor says. “This wording emphasizes the dignity of women while adding extra emphasis on the sanctity of marriage …
… “As to the last commandment, the prohibition of coveting a neighbor' s goods, the church highlights the proper attitude toward a neighbor’s life, his property, and his home.”
“So, the protestant version is wrong?” Dave Palmer asks.
“Not at all. If you read “Catholic” versions of Scripture you’ll find the original language present. The Church’s teaching isn’t so much changing Scripture, as attempting to expand it and highlight the meanings of the commandments in a more understandable and contemporary manner."
"And emphasize principles that might not have existed at that time?” Margaret asks.
“Right.” Remember, the commandments were given to Moses in a much different culture and at a much more pagan time. Idols, like the golden calf were widespread and common. As pagan ‘religions faded from history, their “graven images” as gods to be worshipped, faded too."
“Okay, then how about all the graven images in your churches?” Jennifer Jordan asks. “I’ve been in several large churches and there are all kinds of statues and stained-glass windows in them.”
“Well, in answer, Jennifer, the Catholic church goes back almost two-thousand years. Much of what you see today is something present hundreds, even thousands of years ago. It’s our heritage.”
“Heritage?”
“Well for instance, and this is a small thing, but in all churches aligned with Rome you will never see electric candles used in the mass.”
"Why?"
“Because in the early church, especially in the Roman empire, worship was driven underground; held in secret. Candles were used to light the catacombs and meeting places where communal worship was held. Our use of wax candles today reminds us of the times when attending mass could get you tortured or killed. Something our ancestors faced.”
"Okay, but how does that relate to all the statues and images in today’s churches?”
“Because in times such as the dark ages or even Middle Ages those statues and stained-glass windows were incorporated in the worship service.”
“As decoration?” Barbara Larsen asks.
“No, as textbooks.”
“Textbooks?” Barbara asks, chuckling and shaking her head.
Sipping a glass of water, Father Bob nods.
“In earlier times, the laity were, for the most part, illiterate. Widespread literacy is a nineteenth, even twentieth century innovation.”
“And prior to Guttenberg’s printing press, bibles were generally only found in larger churches and cathedrals,” Ben adds. “They were large volumes, painstakingly hand copied in monasteries. One edition could take months, even years to complete.”
“You mean you couldn’t just amble on down to the local Barnes and Noble and pick up a King James?” Tom Taylor chuckles.
“No, Tom” laughs the pastor. “Back then, Joe Barnes and Tommy Noble were probably just a couple of goat herders trying to make a buck.”
Again, a soft undercurrent of laughter ripples through the class. “But back to my point,” the priest says.
“When the celebrant wanted to teach about, oh, let’s say, the prodigal son or Jesus driving the moneychangers from the temple, he would direct the congregation’s attention to a stained-glass window or some other visual representation. They provided a more concrete impression for those in the pews. Those “graven images” as you call them, were the textbooks of yesteryear.”
“So, Catholics don’t worship those statues?” Jennifer asks.
“No more than you worship the pictures of your loved ones in your wallet.”
The class falls silent. No quizzical looks remain.
“So, have I answered your question, Jennifer?”
"Yes, you have. Thank you, Father.”
Father Bob smiles. “Anytime. Any questions, please ask.” Then pausing a minute, he chuckles. “And from what the guys tell me …
… I’m sure you will.”
The eminent Bishop Fulton Sheen once said, “there aren’t a hundred people who hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they think the Catholic Church is.”
When Christ instituted His church on the apostle Peter, He gave Peter the authority and the mission to teach. To do so, the successors of Peter and the apostles needed to interpret scripture in a manner consistent with the teachings Christ passed on. and continually examine that teaching in light of the times in which the church finds itself.
The Bible is one of the foundations of Catholic worship and teaching. If one were to attend a Catholic Mass, one would understand that fact … if one listens, and asks questions. After all, as Joey would say…
... There are no stupid questions.
Thinkaboutit … I’m Tony Baggz
Copyright© 2021 Tres Angeli LLC
TONY'S TOWN RERUNS
Here we offer a previously offered episode of Tony's Town. It might be a request from a reader who joined the folks in our neighborhood after the episode was "aired," or a previously offered episode that resonates with current events. Or maybe we want to offer it again, just for the fun of it. So, please enjoy.
A Catholic priest dances with his wife ... again...
At This Moment
“Father John … that song … it has a special meaning?”
Startled, the priest chuckles and snaps back to reality. “Sorry, Nick … got lost for a moment,” he says, a ‘you caught me’ look on his face. “Laura and I loved it. I remember we danced to it at a club like Mike’s Place just a couple of days before she went into the hospital.”
Nick smiles. “I’ve always liked it too. So does Andrea. That man is definitely singing from his heart.”
“That he is,” the priest says, nodding his head slightly. “And it has an even deeper meaning for me … and for all of us, I’d say.”
“How do you mean …?” Bobby “Pretzels” asks.
“It brings so much into focus.”
“Again, how so?” Nick asks
“Well, Nick, because if God sang a song to us, He might use words something like these.”
Hi, I’m Tony Baggz. We’re here in the rectory at St. Kate’s. It’s poker night and Father Bob was the big winner last week … brought home the grand total of sixty-five cents. So, it’s his turn to host. However, the good pastor got called to the hospital.
Nick Kossarides, “Uncle” Joey, and Bobby “Pretzels” showed up early and seems they’ve caught Father John in the middle of setting the refreshments out. They walked in on the priest staring off in space, a pitcher of iced tea in one hand, a tray of cheese and crackers in the other; listening to the stereo playing the song … “At this Moment.”*
For those of you new to our neighborhood, Father John was married once. He lost his beloved Laura about twelve years ago and found a second calling to the ministry. His love for his lady, though, is still very much alive in his heart and soul – as it should be, and Billy’s song evidently brought back a memory. Something I think the three men find intriguing. Knowing these guys, and Father John’s penchant for exploring hidden meanings, we could be in for an interesting conversation. Hey, look, Rabbi Green just walked in the door.
What do you say we listen in? …
Pretzels chuckles and raises an eyebrow. “Please, Father … explain … ya gotta admit, from the lyrics, it’s a strange love song.”
“Well, once when we were dating, Laura wanted to break it off. I didn’t want to and this song was popular at the time. I talked her out of it, and it sorta became our song.”
A furtive smile ambles across Bobby’s face. “But knowing you, Father, I get the feeling it means something more?” he says.
“Yea, Bobby, you're right.
"Why."
"Well, you see, in God’s time, we’ll live that moment again. I’ll hold her again and dance across heaven’s ballroom floor.”
“Because…?”
“Because that song will be playing in God’s time … this moment … this eternal present moment.”
“God’s understanding of time?” Joey says, a knowing smile in his eyes.
Saying nothing, Father John smiles and slowly nods his head.
“And that understanding is …?” Bobby asks.
“That the only place we can live with God is in this present moment.”
“Ah, a very important idea in Jewish thinking,” Rabbi Josh chuckles.
“How so, rabbi?” Nick asks.
“It’s a question the Rabbis of old posed. What is the most important time in history?”
“The Exodus,” Bobby says tentatively.
“No.”
“Yom Kippur … Rosh Hashanah?” Nick asks, softly.
“No.”
“What then?”
“… this present moment. It is sacred,” Josh says, softly.
“You know, many people, if they even consider it at all, fail to understand time as it relates to our God," Joey says. "They consign The Eternal to our finite understanding of past, present, and future.”
Father John and Rabbi Josh nod in unison; recognition of a shared understanding, as an inquisitive look ambles across Nick’s face.
“So, Joey,” Nick says, “how do you explain time in our relationship with God in your RCIA classes? If you do.”
“Simple, He is an eternal being; not constrained by our experience of past and future. An understanding emphasized by the name he gives Himself to Moses on Sinai; I Am.”
“God doesn’t understand our past or our future?” Bobby asks.
“Understand, Bobby, … yes … subject to them, no. All of eternity is present to God in this single present moment, and it is in this moment we are present to Him. Our God is omniscient, ‘all knowing;’ and it is the only time we can live with Him. We cannot plead our past actions or future intentions as justification for our present worth.”
Nodding, Father John pours himself a cup of coffee. “You can’t do what a lot of people today find themselves doing, he says.”
“And that is?”
“Well, I’m thinking of the person who’s a prisoner of guilt, believing past actions render him beyond God’s salvation … beyond His mercy. Sure, our past is known to God, but it’s not His desire we remain in that pain, hurt, or sorrow. He desires us to choose His law and His love; to break the chains of the past, and live a life of hope, faith, joy, and love of ourselves, and others, now, in this present moment. God sees us as He created us; in His own image and likeness, not a shattered soul, unworthy of His love.”
Sipping his coffee, the priest pauses as Joey takes up the conversation.
“And the idea of God’s time is critical to our understanding of the faith we share and our belief in, and understanding of, our sacraments, Bobby. Especially, the Eucharist.”
“How so?”
“As I said, all eternity is present to God in this single present moment. Jesus’ action, two thousand years ago is present to God, right now.”
On Bobby’s face is the look of a light going on in. “And what is present to God in this moment, even though it happened for us almost two thousand years ago, he makes present to us, he says”
“Exactly, Pretzels. Listen to the priest’s words of consecration; ‘Lord let your spirit come upon these gifts like the dewfall, so that they may become the body and blood of your Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ.”
“Whatever you ask of the Father in My name, He will give it to you,” Bobby says.
“And in that moment, the Lord becomes actually present on the altar,” Nick says, quietly … “because that moment in time, almost two thousand years ago in our time, is present to God now. And He makes what is present to Him, present to us at our request ... a re-presentation of that Last supper, two thousand years ago.”
“It’s as if we are approaching that table in that upper room with the Lord, and the twelve apostles," Bobby says quietly, the amazement of a man realizing something for the first time in his voice. “Taking the bread and wine, the body and blood of our Lord, from the priest.”
“… Who stands in the person of Christ; in persona Christi, as the church teaches,” Joey says quietly.
The kitchen falls quiet.
“Then how about eternal punishment?” Rabbi Josh asks, after a moment.
“Well, Josh, if living with God is in the present moment, separation from Him is also the present moment … a moment that is unending.”
Pausing, a smile breaks over the priest’s face. “And, that is a danger for those having a seriously flawed understanding of God’s time.”
“And that understanding is?” Josh chuckles, the look in his eyes betraying a shared secret.
“… believing one can continue to live contrary to God’s law and then make it all up at the last minute,” Father John laughs.
“You mean, like the person who goes on a ninety-day diet to lose twenty pounds, makes no changes, then thinks they can make it up the last week,” the rabbi says, a devilish twinkle in his eyes …
… “I’ve been there. And I can tall you …
… it doesn’t work.”
“You’re thinking as man thinks, not as God thinks, Peter.” Our Lord’s words.
Hell is eternal separation from God. Has a person consigned to Hell been sentenced to unending suffering as we understand time? Or merely be granted one’s choice to live apart from God for a moment … one that is unending?
Isn’t divine justice, simply granting us what we ask for?
In our journey with and to Him, this present moment is all that is available to us. Turn our back on God in this moment and we live apart from Him. Until we choose another present moment to reverse that choice. And it is a choice.
One we all must make …
… in this moment.
Thinkaboutit … I’m Tony Baggz.
*At this Moment – Billy Vera and the Beaters, 1981, written by Billy Vera.
© 2018 Tres Angeli Publishing, LLC
