"I am a Catholic." is what faithful Catholics often say when they are asked what religion they follow. They say they are Catholic because they are a member of the Roman Catholic Church. And in some cases, Episcopalians say they are Catholic because they are very much like the Roman Catholics. But what does that really mean?
The term catholic means universal. When we are catholic in faith, we are universal. We may not all agree in doctrine, but all of us Christians believe that Jesus is our savior and is the son of God. We are universal in that belief. But even that does not make us Catholics!
God gave us his greatest commandment through one important saint: Matthew. St. Matthew tells us that we must love one another as ourselves. Love is the main ingredient in human survival. And love is the most powerful thing on earth.
Jesus sacrificed himself for us because he loves us. Out of that, love conquered death. Love conquers hate. Love shines, even through the darkest of times. Love comforts. Love is found nearly everywhere.
And because love is found nearly everywhere, love is universal. It a language used by everyone around the world. Because love is universal, it is, in a sense, catholic. So catholic is love and love is catholic. And because the faithful are loving, the faithful are catholic and Catholics are love.
You cannot be a true Catholic without love. My friend, we Catholics love you. And because we love you, we say to you "We are Catholic. Welcome Home."
Welcome to X-Treme Anglican, the blog by Father William Warf! Here you will find answers to some commonly asked questions, Fr. Warf's views on debated subjects, and simple prayers and devotionals for all Anglo-Catholics!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Friday, December 7, 2012
145 Reasons Why
Some of you have asked me why I am a liberal Anglo-Catholic, let alone a priest at that. Therefore, I have compiled a list of reasons and some you will find quite funny.
1. No snake handling (a real sales feature in Kentucky).
2. You CAN believe in dinosaurs.
3. Male and female God created them, male and female we ordain them.
4. You don't have to check your brains at the door.
5. Even boxer shorts with crosses or religious icons aren't a tacky Christmas gift for the clergy.
6. The church year is color-coded to make it easier to follow.
7. You don't have to know how to swim to get baptized.
8. The church doesn't tell me what to think, but expects me to think about what I think.
9. I love the Church: good liturgy, good sermons, great music, continuing adult spiritual formation, and because worshipping together is more important than agreeing with doctrine.
10. Because we know about LOVE
11. We don't need to see eye to eye, to walk hand in hand.
12. I wasn't told to set aside my pride if I had trouble accepting a doctrine.
13. We do not have a 'party line' - we do not claim to know it all, thus leaving room to whereever the Holy Spirit may guide us.
14. I came in unsure and unchurched. It has been a long journey that had brought me to the joy of being surrounded by unconditional love of the Body of Christ.
15. We have processions instead of standing in line.
16. We are like golfers - we find debating on the rules a lot more interesting and fun than the rules themselves.
17. People can disagree AGREEABLY and still celebrate at God's table with whom you disagree. Everyone is welcome.
18. You don't feel weird if you do (or don't) pray to Mary and/or any of the other saints. The church leaves up to individual piety the application of 'encouraged by their examples, aided by their prayers, and strengthened by their fellowship' (Book of Common Prayer, page 504)
19. Leadership opportunities are out there for young people. They just need to be proactive instead of reactive.
20. The church is my 'Amazing Grace'. It has transformed me in many ways and to say 'I will with God's help'.
21. The Archbishop of Canterbury doesn't fall under the pretense of 'infallibility.'
22. The church is a home where you are loved unconditionally, both during your greatest joys and most desperate sorrow.
23. The first time I visited, the priest said 'Welcome Home' and meant it.
24. I can bring anyone I wish to church, and I am certained they will be welcome.
25. Here, God does not call us to agree, he calls us to Communion!
26. We have the best hymns, hands down... even if your hands are up while singing them.
27. The church is the perfect paradox: firmly based in tradition, but never afraid to change; deep and meaningful theology without the headaches; and a strong community of believers who don't all believe exactly the same thing, but love each other anyway.
28. Our theological method is like Baked Alaska which is at once ice and flame, soft and hard. We dare to keep extremes in a creative (and delicious) tension.
29. The perfect church for imperfect people.
30. The church focuses on love, not sin.
31. We don't just talk about the Bible... we actually read it!
32. Instead of Bible thumpers, one finds Bible thinkers. Thinking being the operative word, I am grateful the church accepts humans who think and say "Yeah, but have you ever thought it could be..."
33. A safe place for sinners, like the rest of us...
34. All of the pagentry, half the guilt.
35. All this is from God, who reconciled himself to us through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespass against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.
36. It's an embracing church for the hurting world.
37. I'm free to think on my own. That doesn't mean I can believe whatever I want, but we respect the gift that God has given us of intelligence.
38. I discovered the church was already there to greet me.
39. Because God loves you. ALL of you. Period. Class dismissed!
40. We become one with the One we receive.
41. We're a church that believes in preserving tradition but does not mummify it.
42. You come and discover why 'Holy! Holy! Holy!' is one of our most popular hymns.
43. Here, enthusiatical doubt is better than judmental certainty.
44. God made the funny bone. Let him repair yours here.
45. We honor the forgotten first commandment: Love God with your mind.
46. I am gay, and here, I am least likely to be attacked with baseball bats in the name of Jesus.
47. I can choose to read or not read whichever translation of the Bible I wish.
48. You don't have to be ordained to give a sermon in church.
49. I felt right at home here because the church is crawling with Missouri-Synod Lutherans who asked too many questions.
50. I love being an Anglo-Catholic because our Church has a glorious, age-old authoritative Tradition, free from authoritarianism, clerical despotism or brutish fundamentalisms.
51. We have intelligent, loving spirituality.
52. It is God's table, not our own. If you don't come, we many not be the Church...
53. My parish is the most functional family I have found.
54. No minimum age for full benefits!
55. Protestant and Catholic... no waiting!
56. We stand,s it, and kneel in awe of God.
57. The Calendar here is filled with heroes of every era, from Saints Peter and Paul to Saint Martin Luther King, Jr.
58. Here, it is important *that* we worship, not what we *believe* about the one we worship.
59. This wonderful, crazy Church of ours is a place where I know I am called to work out my salvation 'with fear and trembling' (Philippians 2:12) and to take my place in helping to build up the Kingdom of God.
60. We are a haven for the spiritually wondering and wounded.
61. We have the best preaching this side of Heaven: Guaranteed guilt-free!
62. We're not 'either/or' people, we are 'both/and' people.
63. Whatever you believe, here, there is at least one who agrees with you.
64. This is where Diversity is a blessing and celelebrated.
65. Where God welcomes you, you, me, and... everyone else!
66. Where the Bible is taken seriously, not literally.
67. Where the Holy Spirit is alive and well, daring to say anything new!
68. (This one is from a parishioner, and I'm the priest mentioned here) "Years ago in Adult Inquirors' Class, the priest asked me if I was ready to be confirmed. I answered, 'I don't know if I agree with everything.' 'Heck,' he said. 'I'm a priest and I don't agree with everything. You will never agree with everything.'"
69. You will almost always find good coffee in the fellowship halls of our Church. It is consumed reverently before and after services and is almost considered a Sacrament by us.
70. Any church that can contain both Bishop Spong and Bishop Stanton must be doing something right.
71. We respectfully disagree about a great many things, and can still break bread together.
72. Here, everyone loves a parade!
73. Because small-minded people can't spell 'Episcopalian'!
74. If you're a newcomer, we don't freak out or get holier-than-thou if you don't quite 'get it right' the first few times.
75. We recognize that God doesn't make junk and all people are valuable.
76. We have the Bell, Book, and Candle...
77. Catholic with your mind turned on!
78. Catholic, without the pope; and with the women; Protestant without the gloom.
79. Christ wasn't picky, and neither are we.
80. 'Episcopal' is an anagram of 'Pepsi Cola'... both are the real thing.
81. We believe in moderation of all things, including moderation.
82. We don't tend to be demonstrative, we don't expect you to shout 'Amen!' or 'Hallelujah!'... on the other hand, it's okay if you do!
83. We may spend a lot of time arguing with each other about important matters inside and outside the church. Often the arguments are very public. Sometimes they go on for years and seem to reach no definite resolution. But we're confident that through and in this kind of engagement with each other, we will become closer to understanding what God is up to and who God wants us, as a church, to be.
84. We spend less time beating on the Bible and spend more time reading it!
85. We try to love with the heart of Christ, think with the mind of Christ, and act as if we were the body of Christ.
86. Expect to see God here, often in the face of another person you'd never chose.
87. Hate is not a family value here.
88. Hearts and lives are transformed. Brains are left intact.
89. I can walk to church, hand-in-hand with my boyfriend, and no one thinks twice about it.
90. Because unity doesn't mean conformity.
91. We don't believe in organized religion. Here, chaos lurks in the narthex, the nave, the chancel, the sanctuary, the sacristy, the halls... just waiting for a chance to mess things up. Sometimes chaos gets through, but no one seems to mind greatly. We take our liturgy seriously, but no solemnly.
92. Here, I may not get the answers to all my questions about the Holy Spirit. Instead, I get enough answers to ask more questions!
93. We believe Christ died to save us from our sins, not our minds.
94. I participate, I enjoy, I laugh, I am not damned to hell. I say 'The peace of God be with you.' and it is reciprocated. Thanks be to God.
95. One is expected to ask all of those annoying questions and use his/her brain.
96. Here, doubt is so okay that we have even named some of our parishes "St. Thomas"
97. It takes three of us to screw in a light bulb: one to make the martinis, another to screw in the bulb, and the third to talk about how much prettier the old bulb was.
98. It's the one place I know where you go out for a beer after Bible study, and even talk about Bible study while in the bar.
99. It's okay to cross yourself, your fingers, your knees, or any combination of the three!
100. We're more real than any other churches... we're diverse, just like reality.
101. This place makes us want to do right rather than be right.
102. Many of our priests give birth, all do re-birth!
103. We fight like hell from 9am to 5pm but at the end of the day, we put our arms around each other and say "Oh nuts! Let's go have a drink."
104. Other churches saw the sinner, we saw as another child of God.
105. Our theology is an art form, not a law book.
106. Pope Gregory was right: not angles, but Angels! You'll find such angelic spirit here that's lacking elsewhere.
107. Religion on tap! Where discussing theology with a priest doesn't warrant a second thought.
108. Saved by faith, grace, and good taste!
109. Sermons are more about grace than guilt.
110. The calling of an Anglican is not to fill the church but to fill heaven.
111. The Church and Science comfortably co-exist.
112. The clergy here is not only smart, gifted, and spiritual, we're fun!
113. Where we continue to learn in scripture and experience in sacrament that God loves us unconditionally. Even though we will never deserve one drop of His bloody grace, He continues to drown us in his endless red sea.
114. Where we 'Seek the Truth, Come What May'
115. Where we're taught that Jesus came to challenge, not just comfort; to overturn, not maintain; to love, not judge; to include, not cast aside.
116. The 'fashion police' don't come to our church, the Holy Spirit does.
117. The only church besides the MCC that can direct God to the antique store with a sapphire throne!
118. Where The Book Of Common Prayer bids us to come to God's table for strength and renewal, not just solace and pardon only.
119. The world is beautiful, so we worship the God that created beauty.
120. There will be NO outcasts in this church!
121. This is a church that tries to open its arms to all the diversity of God's creation. Although it fails miserably at times, it never stops trying.
122. This is the only church that's as lovingly loony as your family.
123. Try us. You'll like us and we'll love you.
124. Tired of hell fire and brimstone? Try incense.
125. We believe that love without justice is cheap sentimentality.
126. Where we belong before we believe.
127. We change and transform lives in Christ without the 'turn-or-burn'.
128. We don't claim an exclusive franchise on God.
129. Wed don't get rid of our enemies, we love them as our friends.
130. We don't say 'We're right and others are wrong', we say 'Peace be with you.'
131. We have a faith not ashamed to reason and reason not ashamed to adore.
132. We partake of the wine too, not just the host. All one body are we.
133. We tackle issues that other denominations neither have the courage to face nor the theology to deal with.
134. We view the Bible as a 'Why to' and not a 'How to' manual.
135. We may not have all the answers, but we have all the questions.
136. We welcome the faithful, the seeker, and the doubter.
137. We're here for you. You can be truly you, and you will have space, and permission to grow.
138. What other church will let a priest like me walk around in wrist cuffs, jeans, boots, leather jacket, a metal band t-shirt, and black nail polish on with a rosary in my pocket?
139. Regarding confession to a priest, where all may, some should, none must.
140. Where evolution is not only taught, it also happens!
141. Where flesh is not something dirty, but something God became!
142. Where God is the only judge.
143. Where our mind, soul, and body unite with the God who created them.
144. Where the word of God is a person, not a book.
145. You know you are an Anglo-Catholic when you watch a Star Wars movie and they say 'May the force be with you' and you respond 'And also with you.'
I hope you enjoyed these reasons as to why I am an Anglo-Catholic. I got a few words to say to you when you visit the church: "Hello. Welcome to loony bin. May the peace of God be with you."
1. No snake handling (a real sales feature in Kentucky).
2. You CAN believe in dinosaurs.
3. Male and female God created them, male and female we ordain them.
4. You don't have to check your brains at the door.
5. Even boxer shorts with crosses or religious icons aren't a tacky Christmas gift for the clergy.
6. The church year is color-coded to make it easier to follow.
7. You don't have to know how to swim to get baptized.
8. The church doesn't tell me what to think, but expects me to think about what I think.
9. I love the Church: good liturgy, good sermons, great music, continuing adult spiritual formation, and because worshipping together is more important than agreeing with doctrine.
10. Because we know about LOVE
11. We don't need to see eye to eye, to walk hand in hand.
12. I wasn't told to set aside my pride if I had trouble accepting a doctrine.
13. We do not have a 'party line' - we do not claim to know it all, thus leaving room to whereever the Holy Spirit may guide us.
14. I came in unsure and unchurched. It has been a long journey that had brought me to the joy of being surrounded by unconditional love of the Body of Christ.
15. We have processions instead of standing in line.
16. We are like golfers - we find debating on the rules a lot more interesting and fun than the rules themselves.
17. People can disagree AGREEABLY and still celebrate at God's table with whom you disagree. Everyone is welcome.
18. You don't feel weird if you do (or don't) pray to Mary and/or any of the other saints. The church leaves up to individual piety the application of 'encouraged by their examples, aided by their prayers, and strengthened by their fellowship' (Book of Common Prayer, page 504)
19. Leadership opportunities are out there for young people. They just need to be proactive instead of reactive.
20. The church is my 'Amazing Grace'. It has transformed me in many ways and to say 'I will with God's help'.
21. The Archbishop of Canterbury doesn't fall under the pretense of 'infallibility.'
22. The church is a home where you are loved unconditionally, both during your greatest joys and most desperate sorrow.
23. The first time I visited, the priest said 'Welcome Home' and meant it.
24. I can bring anyone I wish to church, and I am certained they will be welcome.
25. Here, God does not call us to agree, he calls us to Communion!
26. We have the best hymns, hands down... even if your hands are up while singing them.
27. The church is the perfect paradox: firmly based in tradition, but never afraid to change; deep and meaningful theology without the headaches; and a strong community of believers who don't all believe exactly the same thing, but love each other anyway.
28. Our theological method is like Baked Alaska which is at once ice and flame, soft and hard. We dare to keep extremes in a creative (and delicious) tension.
29. The perfect church for imperfect people.
30. The church focuses on love, not sin.
31. We don't just talk about the Bible... we actually read it!
32. Instead of Bible thumpers, one finds Bible thinkers. Thinking being the operative word, I am grateful the church accepts humans who think and say "Yeah, but have you ever thought it could be..."
33. A safe place for sinners, like the rest of us...
34. All of the pagentry, half the guilt.
35. All this is from God, who reconciled himself to us through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespass against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.
36. It's an embracing church for the hurting world.
37. I'm free to think on my own. That doesn't mean I can believe whatever I want, but we respect the gift that God has given us of intelligence.
38. I discovered the church was already there to greet me.
39. Because God loves you. ALL of you. Period. Class dismissed!
40. We become one with the One we receive.
41. We're a church that believes in preserving tradition but does not mummify it.
42. You come and discover why 'Holy! Holy! Holy!' is one of our most popular hymns.
43. Here, enthusiatical doubt is better than judmental certainty.
44. God made the funny bone. Let him repair yours here.
45. We honor the forgotten first commandment: Love God with your mind.
46. I am gay, and here, I am least likely to be attacked with baseball bats in the name of Jesus.
47. I can choose to read or not read whichever translation of the Bible I wish.
48. You don't have to be ordained to give a sermon in church.
49. I felt right at home here because the church is crawling with Missouri-Synod Lutherans who asked too many questions.
50. I love being an Anglo-Catholic because our Church has a glorious, age-old authoritative Tradition, free from authoritarianism, clerical despotism or brutish fundamentalisms.
51. We have intelligent, loving spirituality.
52. It is God's table, not our own. If you don't come, we many not be the Church...
53. My parish is the most functional family I have found.
54. No minimum age for full benefits!
55. Protestant and Catholic... no waiting!
56. We stand,s it, and kneel in awe of God.
57. The Calendar here is filled with heroes of every era, from Saints Peter and Paul to Saint Martin Luther King, Jr.
58. Here, it is important *that* we worship, not what we *believe* about the one we worship.
59. This wonderful, crazy Church of ours is a place where I know I am called to work out my salvation 'with fear and trembling' (Philippians 2:12) and to take my place in helping to build up the Kingdom of God.
60. We are a haven for the spiritually wondering and wounded.
61. We have the best preaching this side of Heaven: Guaranteed guilt-free!
62. We're not 'either/or' people, we are 'both/and' people.
63. Whatever you believe, here, there is at least one who agrees with you.
64. This is where Diversity is a blessing and celelebrated.
65. Where God welcomes you, you, me, and... everyone else!
66. Where the Bible is taken seriously, not literally.
67. Where the Holy Spirit is alive and well, daring to say anything new!
68. (This one is from a parishioner, and I'm the priest mentioned here) "Years ago in Adult Inquirors' Class, the priest asked me if I was ready to be confirmed. I answered, 'I don't know if I agree with everything.' 'Heck,' he said. 'I'm a priest and I don't agree with everything. You will never agree with everything.'"
69. You will almost always find good coffee in the fellowship halls of our Church. It is consumed reverently before and after services and is almost considered a Sacrament by us.
70. Any church that can contain both Bishop Spong and Bishop Stanton must be doing something right.
71. We respectfully disagree about a great many things, and can still break bread together.
72. Here, everyone loves a parade!
73. Because small-minded people can't spell 'Episcopalian'!
74. If you're a newcomer, we don't freak out or get holier-than-thou if you don't quite 'get it right' the first few times.
75. We recognize that God doesn't make junk and all people are valuable.
76. We have the Bell, Book, and Candle...
77. Catholic with your mind turned on!
78. Catholic, without the pope; and with the women; Protestant without the gloom.
79. Christ wasn't picky, and neither are we.
80. 'Episcopal' is an anagram of 'Pepsi Cola'... both are the real thing.
81. We believe in moderation of all things, including moderation.
82. We don't tend to be demonstrative, we don't expect you to shout 'Amen!' or 'Hallelujah!'... on the other hand, it's okay if you do!
83. We may spend a lot of time arguing with each other about important matters inside and outside the church. Often the arguments are very public. Sometimes they go on for years and seem to reach no definite resolution. But we're confident that through and in this kind of engagement with each other, we will become closer to understanding what God is up to and who God wants us, as a church, to be.
84. We spend less time beating on the Bible and spend more time reading it!
85. We try to love with the heart of Christ, think with the mind of Christ, and act as if we were the body of Christ.
86. Expect to see God here, often in the face of another person you'd never chose.
87. Hate is not a family value here.
88. Hearts and lives are transformed. Brains are left intact.
89. I can walk to church, hand-in-hand with my boyfriend, and no one thinks twice about it.
90. Because unity doesn't mean conformity.
91. We don't believe in organized religion. Here, chaos lurks in the narthex, the nave, the chancel, the sanctuary, the sacristy, the halls... just waiting for a chance to mess things up. Sometimes chaos gets through, but no one seems to mind greatly. We take our liturgy seriously, but no solemnly.
92. Here, I may not get the answers to all my questions about the Holy Spirit. Instead, I get enough answers to ask more questions!
93. We believe Christ died to save us from our sins, not our minds.
94. I participate, I enjoy, I laugh, I am not damned to hell. I say 'The peace of God be with you.' and it is reciprocated. Thanks be to God.
95. One is expected to ask all of those annoying questions and use his/her brain.
96. Here, doubt is so okay that we have even named some of our parishes "St. Thomas"
97. It takes three of us to screw in a light bulb: one to make the martinis, another to screw in the bulb, and the third to talk about how much prettier the old bulb was.
98. It's the one place I know where you go out for a beer after Bible study, and even talk about Bible study while in the bar.
99. It's okay to cross yourself, your fingers, your knees, or any combination of the three!
100. We're more real than any other churches... we're diverse, just like reality.
101. This place makes us want to do right rather than be right.
102. Many of our priests give birth, all do re-birth!
103. We fight like hell from 9am to 5pm but at the end of the day, we put our arms around each other and say "Oh nuts! Let's go have a drink."
104. Other churches saw the sinner, we saw as another child of God.
105. Our theology is an art form, not a law book.
106. Pope Gregory was right: not angles, but Angels! You'll find such angelic spirit here that's lacking elsewhere.
107. Religion on tap! Where discussing theology with a priest doesn't warrant a second thought.
108. Saved by faith, grace, and good taste!
109. Sermons are more about grace than guilt.
110. The calling of an Anglican is not to fill the church but to fill heaven.
111. The Church and Science comfortably co-exist.
112. The clergy here is not only smart, gifted, and spiritual, we're fun!
113. Where we continue to learn in scripture and experience in sacrament that God loves us unconditionally. Even though we will never deserve one drop of His bloody grace, He continues to drown us in his endless red sea.
114. Where we 'Seek the Truth, Come What May'
115. Where we're taught that Jesus came to challenge, not just comfort; to overturn, not maintain; to love, not judge; to include, not cast aside.
116. The 'fashion police' don't come to our church, the Holy Spirit does.
117. The only church besides the MCC that can direct God to the antique store with a sapphire throne!
118. Where The Book Of Common Prayer bids us to come to God's table for strength and renewal, not just solace and pardon only.
119. The world is beautiful, so we worship the God that created beauty.
120. There will be NO outcasts in this church!
121. This is a church that tries to open its arms to all the diversity of God's creation. Although it fails miserably at times, it never stops trying.
122. This is the only church that's as lovingly loony as your family.
123. Try us. You'll like us and we'll love you.
124. Tired of hell fire and brimstone? Try incense.
125. We believe that love without justice is cheap sentimentality.
126. Where we belong before we believe.
127. We change and transform lives in Christ without the 'turn-or-burn'.
128. We don't claim an exclusive franchise on God.
129. Wed don't get rid of our enemies, we love them as our friends.
130. We don't say 'We're right and others are wrong', we say 'Peace be with you.'
131. We have a faith not ashamed to reason and reason not ashamed to adore.
132. We partake of the wine too, not just the host. All one body are we.
133. We tackle issues that other denominations neither have the courage to face nor the theology to deal with.
134. We view the Bible as a 'Why to' and not a 'How to' manual.
135. We may not have all the answers, but we have all the questions.
136. We welcome the faithful, the seeker, and the doubter.
137. We're here for you. You can be truly you, and you will have space, and permission to grow.
138. What other church will let a priest like me walk around in wrist cuffs, jeans, boots, leather jacket, a metal band t-shirt, and black nail polish on with a rosary in my pocket?
139. Regarding confession to a priest, where all may, some should, none must.
140. Where evolution is not only taught, it also happens!
141. Where flesh is not something dirty, but something God became!
142. Where God is the only judge.
143. Where our mind, soul, and body unite with the God who created them.
144. Where the word of God is a person, not a book.
145. You know you are an Anglo-Catholic when you watch a Star Wars movie and they say 'May the force be with you' and you respond 'And also with you.'
I hope you enjoyed these reasons as to why I am an Anglo-Catholic. I got a few words to say to you when you visit the church: "Hello. Welcome to loony bin. May the peace of God be with you."
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
ASK A CATHOLIC: Why Crucifixes, Not Crosses?
Why do Catholics have crucifixes in the church and not crosses? Don't they believe that Jesus has risen? Why keep Him on the cross? First of all you would want to check out 1 Corinthians 1:23. St. Paul says "...But we preach Christ crucified..." Why does Paul preach Christ crucified? Doesn't he know that He has risen?
Of course he does! But he also knows that it is through the crucified Christ that the bonds of sin and death are broken. As he says in verse 24: Christ crucified is the "power of God." 1 Corinthians 2:2 "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." Doesn't he know that Jesus is risen? Again, of course he did!
Paul preaches Christ crucified because an empty cross has no power. The cross that bears the beaten, battered, and bloodied body of Christ, however, that cross is the "power of God." This is why "we keep Jesus Christ on the cross" because we, too, preach Christ crucified and we too recognize the symbol of crucifix as God's power.
The crucifix not only reminds us of God's power, but also His love for us - giving His only begotten son up in suffering and death (St. John 3:16). Also, in this life we do not share so much in the glory of the Resurrection, as we do in the suffering of Jesus on the cross: after all, we must take up our crosses daily if we are to follow Jesus (St. Luke 9:23). And we must die with Christ if we are to live with Him (Romans 6:8). Where did Jesus die? On the cross. The crucifix serves to remind us of these things.
One other passage to keep in mind is Galatians 3:1. "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?" Did you catch that? Jesus was portrayed, before their "eyes", as being crucified. Sounds kind of like they may have been looking at a crucifix, doesn't it?
Of course he does! But he also knows that it is through the crucified Christ that the bonds of sin and death are broken. As he says in verse 24: Christ crucified is the "power of God." 1 Corinthians 2:2 "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." Doesn't he know that Jesus is risen? Again, of course he did!
Paul preaches Christ crucified because an empty cross has no power. The cross that bears the beaten, battered, and bloodied body of Christ, however, that cross is the "power of God." This is why "we keep Jesus Christ on the cross" because we, too, preach Christ crucified and we too recognize the symbol of crucifix as God's power.
The crucifix not only reminds us of God's power, but also His love for us - giving His only begotten son up in suffering and death (St. John 3:16). Also, in this life we do not share so much in the glory of the Resurrection, as we do in the suffering of Jesus on the cross: after all, we must take up our crosses daily if we are to follow Jesus (St. Luke 9:23). And we must die with Christ if we are to live with Him (Romans 6:8). Where did Jesus die? On the cross. The crucifix serves to remind us of these things.
One other passage to keep in mind is Galatians 3:1. "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?" Did you catch that? Jesus was portrayed, before their "eyes", as being crucified. Sounds kind of like they may have been looking at a crucifix, doesn't it?
Friday, June 24, 2011
Jesus, The Living Water
St. John 4: 1 Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, "Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John" 2 --although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized-- 3 he left Judea and started back to Galilee. 4 But he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. 7 A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." 11 The woman said to him, "Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?" 13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life." 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water." 16 Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back." 17 The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, 'I have no husband'; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!" 19 The woman said to him, "Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem." 21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." 25 The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us." 26 Jesus said to her, "I am he, the one who is speaking to you."
As I had researched that passage, I read a commentary on how that wasn't literally true. In fact, most people in Jesus' time traveled from Judea to Galilee through the Jordan Rift Valley in order to avoid passing through Samaria. They believed Samaritan people were ritually unclean and that contact with them would render a Jewish person unclean too. So Jews went out of their way. The phrase 'He had to pass' was probably a traditional way of saying the events that transpired were no accident but happened as part of God's will.
Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)
Okay, I thought this was interesting. When Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for a drink, he violated a number of ancient customs. First, the fact Jesus even started a conversation with a Samaritan demonstrated a rejection of Jewish mores of that time. Second, that Jesus would talk with that woman as an equal went against a culture of male superiority. Restrictions against speaking with women were so strict that a rabbi (or teacher, such as Jesus) wasn't even allowed to speak with his own wife, daughter, or sister in public. And third, Jesus started a conversation with a woman he knew to have a bad moral reputation was even more shocking and significant.
What this passage said to me, is how one was or is beyond the love of Jesus, regardless of their tribe or race, gender, or sexuality. In verse 18, Jesus reveals to the woman his supernatural knowledge that 'you have five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband.' Clearly, this woman's love life wasn't 'one man, one woman, till death do us part.' Jesus knew this, yet he reached out to her. He didn't try to change her. He didn't judge her. He didn't condemn her. Nor did he get in a scriptural debate. Instead, he asked her to share a cup of water with him.
It is time for the Church to stop judging and condemning and changing people. The Church's job is to love one another as ourselves (St. Mark 12:31). Jesus knew the "wrongdoings" of the Samaritan woman. Yet, he asked her to share a cup of water with him. And he reached out to her. It is time for us to do the same. To do the same, is to follow Christ... Christ Jesus, the living water.
As I had researched that passage, I read a commentary on how that wasn't literally true. In fact, most people in Jesus' time traveled from Judea to Galilee through the Jordan Rift Valley in order to avoid passing through Samaria. They believed Samaritan people were ritually unclean and that contact with them would render a Jewish person unclean too. So Jews went out of their way. The phrase 'He had to pass' was probably a traditional way of saying the events that transpired were no accident but happened as part of God's will.
Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink." 8 (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?" (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.)
Okay, I thought this was interesting. When Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for a drink, he violated a number of ancient customs. First, the fact Jesus even started a conversation with a Samaritan demonstrated a rejection of Jewish mores of that time. Second, that Jesus would talk with that woman as an equal went against a culture of male superiority. Restrictions against speaking with women were so strict that a rabbi (or teacher, such as Jesus) wasn't even allowed to speak with his own wife, daughter, or sister in public. And third, Jesus started a conversation with a woman he knew to have a bad moral reputation was even more shocking and significant.
What this passage said to me, is how one was or is beyond the love of Jesus, regardless of their tribe or race, gender, or sexuality. In verse 18, Jesus reveals to the woman his supernatural knowledge that 'you have five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband.' Clearly, this woman's love life wasn't 'one man, one woman, till death do us part.' Jesus knew this, yet he reached out to her. He didn't try to change her. He didn't judge her. He didn't condemn her. Nor did he get in a scriptural debate. Instead, he asked her to share a cup of water with him.
It is time for the Church to stop judging and condemning and changing people. The Church's job is to love one another as ourselves (St. Mark 12:31). Jesus knew the "wrongdoings" of the Samaritan woman. Yet, he asked her to share a cup of water with him. And he reached out to her. It is time for us to do the same. To do the same, is to follow Christ... Christ Jesus, the living water.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
PECUSA Episcopalians vs. Roman Catholicism
There have been many who have asked about the differences between the Protestant Episcopal Church USA and the Roman Catholic Church. Here, I will cover the most of the differences I can think of.
PRAYER TO THE SAINTS/BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Roman Catholics do ask the Saints and the Blessed Virgin Mary to intercede for them (pray on their behalf). They view the Saints and Mary as a mediatrix to God. Episcopalians are divided on this, because of our practice of personal theology. Some are like Catholics, some are like evangelicals/fundamentalists, and some are like Unitarians (belief that all religions are valid). However, the official doctrine of the Episcopal Church states that we do honor the Saints and Mary, we do not do so the same way as Roman Catholics. Note that it does not say anything about asking the saints to pray for us and with us.
THE ROSARY
Roman Catholics pray the Catholic Rosary. Episcopalians again are divided on this. Some pray the Catholic Rosary, some pray the Anglican Rosary, and some do not pray any rosary at all.
CONFESSION
Roman Catholics believe you must confess to a priest at least once a year. Episcopalians say "All may, none must, some should." This means that we do have confession to a priest available to whoever wishes for one, but it is not necessary.
HOLY COMMUNION
Roman Catholics believe that you may only partake of the sacrament if you are Catholic. And they believe in transubstantiation (that the Host literally becomes the Body and Blood in you). Episcopalians invite all who have been baptized in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to partake of the Sacrament... no matter what denomination they are from. We also believe in the literal presence of Christ in the Host, but we do not believe in transubstantiation.
THE PRIESTS
Roman Catholic priests can only be male and must be celibate. Episcopal priests can be either male or female, married or not married, and gay or straight. We also do not believe in the Pope.
If there are any other differences you would like to know about or any questions, please contact me at fatherwarf@yahoo.com
May the Peace of God be with you!
-Father Warf
PRAYER TO THE SAINTS/BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Roman Catholics do ask the Saints and the Blessed Virgin Mary to intercede for them (pray on their behalf). They view the Saints and Mary as a mediatrix to God. Episcopalians are divided on this, because of our practice of personal theology. Some are like Catholics, some are like evangelicals/fundamentalists, and some are like Unitarians (belief that all religions are valid). However, the official doctrine of the Episcopal Church states that we do honor the Saints and Mary, we do not do so the same way as Roman Catholics. Note that it does not say anything about asking the saints to pray for us and with us.
THE ROSARY
Roman Catholics pray the Catholic Rosary. Episcopalians again are divided on this. Some pray the Catholic Rosary, some pray the Anglican Rosary, and some do not pray any rosary at all.
CONFESSION
Roman Catholics believe you must confess to a priest at least once a year. Episcopalians say "All may, none must, some should." This means that we do have confession to a priest available to whoever wishes for one, but it is not necessary.
HOLY COMMUNION
Roman Catholics believe that you may only partake of the sacrament if you are Catholic. And they believe in transubstantiation (that the Host literally becomes the Body and Blood in you). Episcopalians invite all who have been baptized in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit to partake of the Sacrament... no matter what denomination they are from. We also believe in the literal presence of Christ in the Host, but we do not believe in transubstantiation.
THE PRIESTS
Roman Catholic priests can only be male and must be celibate. Episcopal priests can be either male or female, married or not married, and gay or straight. We also do not believe in the Pope.
If there are any other differences you would like to know about or any questions, please contact me at fatherwarf@yahoo.com
May the Peace of God be with you!
-Father Warf
Friday, April 29, 2011
Christless Christianity
After a friendly discussion with one of my friends today about the topic of which type of cross is correct, I had the inspiration to write a blog post.
Which cross is correct? The Crucifix? Risen Christ or Christ the King Cross? Plain Cross? Than answer is all are correct. And there's a reason why.
When asked about the Crucifix, I said this: "I prefer the Crucifix because it reminds me of the price Christ paid for us all. It also reminds me that we are not resurrected yet, and won't be until Christ returns in final victory and the believers will be risen from the grave. And a final reminder that we cannot get the triumph without trial. Whereas a plain cross makes me feel, personally that is, as if I'm trying to get the glory without the suffering."
When asked about the Risen Christ Cross, I had this to say: "The Risen Christ Cross of course reminds me that Christ is resurrected and is alive and well today. It still reminds me of the price He paid for me and for you."
When asked about the Christ the King Cross: "It shows Christ is King of Kings, that's for sure. I just see the Cross in the background, and I still know that He paid a price for his status as King of Kings."
When asked about the Plain Cross: "I know the significance for many of the plain cross, but I feel it is used too much in the sense that most Protestants have removed Christ from it... it's like trying to get the glory without paying the price. In other words, taking a candy bar to enjoy it's deliciousness without giving money for the candy bar. In order to get the joy of eternal life, we have to be spiritually crucified to the cross and it is God's job to raise us to new life. If you were to place a plain cross with a Crucifix, it would a great reminder that there is a cross waiting for us."
Why are they all correct? The cross is not meant to be a decorative item. It is more than protection. It is our spiritual destiny... to be just like Jesus. Whichever works best for you, as long as it is used in an appropriate meaning, you should go for. But always remember the true meaning of the cross, and who paid the price. For if you don't, it then becomes Christless Christianity... and Christ is the true center of Christianity.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Icons & Statues: The Point?
Sometimes anti-Catholics/anti-Episcopalians (anti-Anglican for that matter) cite Deuteronomy 5:9, where God said concerning idols, "You shall not bow down to them." Since many Catholics sometimes bow or kneel in front of statues of Jesus and the saints, anti-Anglicans confuse the legitimate veneration of a sacred image with the sin of idolatry.
Though bowing can be used as a posture in worship, not all bowing is worship. In Japan, people show respect by bowing in greeting (the equivalent of the Western handshake). Similarly, a person can kneel before a king without worshipping him as a god. In the same way, an Anglican who may kneel in front of a statue while praying isn’t worshipping the statue or even praying to it, any more than the Protestant who kneels with a Bible in his hands when praying is worshipping the Bible or praying to it.
We use statues and icons (Greek word for image) to focus our thoughts and prayers. During a plague of serpents sent to punish the Israelites during the exodus, God told Moses to "make [a statue of] a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live" (Num. 21:8–9).
One had to look at the bronze statue of the serpent to be healed, which shows that statues could be used ritually, not merely as religious decorations.
Anglicans use statues, paintings, and other artistic devices to recall the person or thing depicted. Just as it helps to remember one’s mother by looking at her photograph, so it helps to recall the example of the saints by looking at pictures of them. Anglicans also use statues as teaching tools. In the early Church they were especially useful for the instruction of the illiterate. Many Protestants have pictures of Jesus and other Bible pictures in Sunday school for teaching children. Anglicans also use statues to commemorate certain people and events, much as Protestant churches have three-dimensional nativity scenes at Christmas.
If one measured Protestants by the same rule, then by using these "graven" images, they would be practicing the "idolatry" of which they accuse Catholics/Anglicans. But there’s no idolatry going on in these situations. God forbids the worship of images as gods, but he doesn’t ban the making of images. If he had, religious movies, videos, photographs, paintings, and all similar things would be banned. But, as the case of the bronze serpent shows, God does not even forbid the ritual use of religious images.
It is when people begin to adore a statue as a god that the Lord becomes angry. Thus when people did start to worship the bronze serpent as a snake-god (whom they named "Nehushtan"), the righteous king Hezekiah had it destroyed (2 Kgs. 18:4).
Though bowing can be used as a posture in worship, not all bowing is worship. In Japan, people show respect by bowing in greeting (the equivalent of the Western handshake). Similarly, a person can kneel before a king without worshipping him as a god. In the same way, an Anglican who may kneel in front of a statue while praying isn’t worshipping the statue or even praying to it, any more than the Protestant who kneels with a Bible in his hands when praying is worshipping the Bible or praying to it.
We use statues and icons (Greek word for image) to focus our thoughts and prayers. During a plague of serpents sent to punish the Israelites during the exodus, God told Moses to "make [a statue of] a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live" (Num. 21:8–9).
One had to look at the bronze statue of the serpent to be healed, which shows that statues could be used ritually, not merely as religious decorations.
Anglicans use statues, paintings, and other artistic devices to recall the person or thing depicted. Just as it helps to remember one’s mother by looking at her photograph, so it helps to recall the example of the saints by looking at pictures of them. Anglicans also use statues as teaching tools. In the early Church they were especially useful for the instruction of the illiterate. Many Protestants have pictures of Jesus and other Bible pictures in Sunday school for teaching children. Anglicans also use statues to commemorate certain people and events, much as Protestant churches have three-dimensional nativity scenes at Christmas.
If one measured Protestants by the same rule, then by using these "graven" images, they would be practicing the "idolatry" of which they accuse Catholics/Anglicans. But there’s no idolatry going on in these situations. God forbids the worship of images as gods, but he doesn’t ban the making of images. If he had, religious movies, videos, photographs, paintings, and all similar things would be banned. But, as the case of the bronze serpent shows, God does not even forbid the ritual use of religious images.
It is when people begin to adore a statue as a god that the Lord becomes angry. Thus when people did start to worship the bronze serpent as a snake-god (whom they named "Nehushtan"), the righteous king Hezekiah had it destroyed (2 Kgs. 18:4).
This is an excerpt from my previous blog post "The Anglo-Catholics: What We Believe". "...While some of us use icons, pictures and/or statues of Saints, Martyrs and events to focus our thoughts and
prayers, we do not pray to the Saints or venerate icons or other images. Neither do we ask Saints to intercede for us with God. We pray to God directly. We do not need to have our prayers go through a priest, being able to talk with God directly. We may ask the congregation to add their prayers to ours when we are in need. We also offer thanks to Saints for the example of their lives..."I hope this helps you understand the purpose of Icons, Pictures, and Statues in the Church.
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