Make Straight the Way of the Lord!

** I've found a post that was never published. It seems a bit rough, because of the many lists that could be expanded for clarity, but it's timeliness cannot be disputed. Let us regard it with patience. This has been waiting for a hearing for two years. **

"Prepare ye the Way of the Lord!

Make his path straight in the wilderness!" This was the message of John the Baptist. But how do we do this? First, by proclaiming the Kingdom of God, and then explaining it to those who ask what that means. 

This is an outline of the project for evangelists.

A. Why we believe in God as good creator.

B. Mankind has sinned, and needs a Saviour.

C. What the concept of Messiah means.

D. God always wanted to be Israel's king.

E. Who is Jesus of Nazareth?

F. Why Israel failed to accept Him.

G. Jesus asks us to be merciful and holy.

H. Jesus died to forgive us and resurrected.

I. He really IS coming back very soon.

We tell them:

1. Listen long enough to Understand.

2. Suspend your Disbelief.

3. Hold back your Skeptical Arguments.

4. Consider the Reasons & Evidence.

5. Observe your own Life Honestly.

6. Open your Heart to Truth.

7. Accept the Lord's Gift.

8. Respond with Gratitude & Obedience.

9. Love One Another.

10. Receive the Holy Spirit.

11. Pray without Ceasing.

12. Trust God to Do All Things Well.

13. Reconcile your Life to the Truth.

Know this, and do not be complacent:

1. This is the Laodicean Age, neither hot nor cold. Get off the fence! Wake up!

2. Satan is real, personal and powerful, and he wants to deceive and destroy you.

3. You must live out the Way, the Truth and the Life. Walk the walk, not just talk.

4. The time is near. Today is like the time of Noah, seeking wealth, power and pleasure.

5. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is manifest by zeal for God and reform in your life.

Jesus asks us to be merciful, just as our Father in Heaven is merciful, so we try to perform the corporal works of mercy whenever we see a need. But even so, we still have to depend on the mercy of Jesus. Our own works are nothing. Only his cross can grant us forgiveness and righteousness. What we do "for the Lord" or "in his Name" is only a fraction of our due gratitude for what He has done for us. Without Jesus to speak for us, we still carry our sin. Works are not enough for salvation.

Twelve Corporal Works of Mercy:

(Matthew 25:34-40)

1. Feed the hungry.

2. Give drink to the thirsty.

3. Welcome the stranger.

4. Clothe the naked.

5. Care for the sick.

6. Visit the prisoner.

(Isaiah 58)

7. Pay a fair wage.

8. Hold back your wrath.

9. Shelter the homeless.

10. Ransom the captive.

(Tobit 1)

11. Give alms to the poor.

12. Bury the dead.

When Jesus described the Last Judgment, He gave us this example: To those who came to Jesus for mercy, He said: "What you have done for the least of my brothers and sisters, you did also for me." But to those who thought they were good enough to list good works, He replied: "What you failed to do for the least of my brothers and sisters, you failed to do to me." It's all or nothing. We only have Jesus.

When the young man who was called asked leave to go first to bury his father and return, why would Jesus have said, "Let the dead bury their dead"? Because he was letting his family stand between him and Jesus, as if that was more important than the Kingdom. It is how we care for our brothers and sisters in Christ that reveals our place in Heaven. Those who put anything else first may as well have rejected Him. They have already excluded themselves.

Meanwhile, as the opportunity to serve the physical needs of others may not often arise, we should not pass up the chance to care for their spiritual needs as well. We begin with preaching the Gospel and recounting the life of Jesus and his deeds. But for some, their need involves spiritual care and healing.

Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy:

1. Counseling the doubtful.

2. Instructing the ignorant.

3. Admonishing the sinner.

4. Comforting the sorrowful.

5. Forgiving injuries.

6. Bearing wrongs patiently.

7. Praying for those in need.

So we know how to apply the works of mercy among each other, but what about holiness? Mercy is only one side of the coin Jesus asks of us. Isn't there more? Indeed, the concept of sin itself is tied to the need to obey the Law handed down by Moses. To obey the commandments is to imitate God's holiness.

It is not very hard to read the Torah and find the Ten Commandments in the Decalogue and the two "Greatest Commandments" in the Shema. Jesus gave us two long sermons about how we should pray and treat others the way we would want to be treated, that we should share with the needy and love our enemies, and how we should give for the sake of charity. He released us from the demands of only eating kosher, but scolded us for using foul language, swearing and curses. And, He said that if we would do this, we need not worry about whether our efforts would be blessed. If we seek first of all the Kingdom of God, we will be given everything we need.

Jesus asked us to be the light of the world, to spread his message far and wide, and to try to resist the corruption that is ruining society. We do that by obeying the moral commandments and setting the best example we can for others to follow. Of course, we don't always do this, but when we fall short, we can come to Jesus to confess our sins and ask forgiveness and strength to keep trying. We need to resolve to grow in understanding and in obedience, reminding ourselves to remain humble and trusting, like little children, for of such is the Kingdom of God.

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On the Perpetual Virginity of Mary, the Mother of Jesus

  There is a presupposition among Protestant believers that the Catholic Church has a habit of building up traditions over time. This habit wants too keep adding dogmas that must be accepted on faith, because of the Church's authority. Indeed, the split in 1517 was a direct result of a spurious dogma that the Church later revised and repudiated in practice. One could cite more such accretions, mostly harmless, but doing so would prove very little.

  In "modern" times, the question has been raised as to whether Mother Mary remained a virgin after the birth of Jesus. It has been said that the Bible notes several "brothers and sisters" of our Lord in the Gospels. Further, there is a distinct lack of biographical background in the story of Joseph, and virtually no discussion of Jesus' home life as a child or as a young adult. 

  It is almost a truism to say that the human mind abhors a vacuum, so it is no surprise to hear stories or create implications based on our natural human presuppositions. There were pseudo-gospels written centuries later to fill the gaps, but none spoke up to despoil Mary's perfect reputation. 

  This doubt is actually directed against Joseph, whether he could have kept Mary in her state of innocence for decades in his home. We don't even know for sure that he lived for long after Jesus' episode in the Temple, though we might presume that he witnessed his Bar Mitzvah. There is no discussion of Joseph's relations with Mary, marital or otherwise. It's not essential to the Gospel. Personally, I find it a bit rude to lay such a charge against Joseph's equally spotless reputation, and I want to defend him.

  The argument that "incriminating" evidence has to be picked apart one piece at a time really only works if it requires multiple interventions to clear someone's name. If there is a single explanation that covers all of the objections, then it should be held in equal regard to the accusation of "natural presupposition." 

  The Protestant "sola scriptura" position that says the Bible allows for Jesus to have biological siblings may be credible on the surface, but it lacks respect for tradition. I generally want to agree with Sola Scriptura for questions arising after the Great Schism in 1054, but for earlier issues, I want to defer to the Ecumenical Councils, and especially the teachings of the Apostles and their direct students. 

  Now, let's get into the argument on this topic.

  1. We are talking about exceptionally pious people in this case. It fits perfectly for Joseph to have lots of kids before he married Mary, and that he did so because he needed help to raise them. Choosing a young woman in her middle teens, who spent more time in prayer than in chasing boys, would make good sense. 

  2. It also fits that the culture of the Jews in the first century regarded all of the cousins as if they were siblings because they gathered for the festivals several times every year. They might even share the kids around with aunts and uncles, staying in each other's homes, for bonding or convenience. 

  3. It is equally likely that Joseph died once Jesus reached teen-age years, and all of his kids were regarded as belonging to Mary because she was the surviving parent. It might be considered bad taste to say they were Joseph's kids instead of Mary's. 

  But all of this is a normal case study for Judaean culture in the 1st century. Nothing is unexpected or convoluted to happen to clear Joseph's name. Older siblings and cousins are nothing unusual.

  4. In fact, if you were Joseph, and Mary had clearly been wed to God, and had borne God's Son, despite the legality of having visibly married her, do you think you would dare to violate the sanctity of the virgin who birthed God's Son? She is clearly dedicated, set apart for God, to be regarded as holy ground. I doubt that this pious husband, who sees visions, would cross that line. God doesn't divorce, so she is still His.

  5. On the cross, Jesus tells John to take Mary as his mother, which he need not have done if his "brothers and sisters" were around to care for her. He clearly thought that She would be better off if kept by his favorite disciple, as his relatives were not yet believers. None of his "presupposed siblings" felt enough filial piety to accompany Mary and witness his execution, but John did. 

  In conclusion, I have to agree with the ancient tradition that Mary remained a perpetual virgin. Given the normal social relations among the Jews in the Galilee and Judaea, with many festivals on the calendar observed as family gatherings, the collected cadre of siblings and cousins would blend into one extended family.

  The story was likely to be real, in my opinion. What remotely religious person, much less one chosen by God for his piety and observance of the Law, would have dared to make free use of the woman he was given to protect and care for her son? The claim for Mary's perpetual virginity isn't just a pious fiction. Rather it seems quite likely to be true, and it could have originated from among the apostles, even Mary herself, if anyone had asked. And as such, it's as authoritative as anything the Church has taught.

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