A New Religion

I found this morning, during my reflection, that this is a question I had never asked. Strangely, for whatever reason, the question was not asked because this was the lesson taught. Let me share this with you.

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The question of whether Jesus intended to found a Church is a false question because it is unhistorical. The only proper way to phrase the question would be to ask whether Jesus intended to abolish the People of God or to renew it. The answer...is plain: Jesus made the old People of God into a new people by adopting those who believe in him into the community of his own self (of his "body"). ~Pope Benedict XVI in his book, Behold the Pierced One~

A New Religion

The earliest disciples were Jewish and they practiced the Jewish religion. It was only after they had fully observed the Sabbath and the Sabbath was over, that these Christians would gather to celebrate their special belief that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God.

Late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, they came together to celebrate what Jesus did on the night before he died--the Eucharist.

That is ow it came to be that Christians have celebrated the Eucharist on Sunday

It wasn't until about 70 AD (some 40 years after the death of Jesus) that there fully emerged from Judaism a religion that was separate--Christianity (though its roots still flowed from the Jewish religion.

This separation happened because by then, those who believed that Jesus was the Messiah and Son of God, were no longer allowed in the synagogues.

Thus, they began to develop as a separate group that would try to live the message Jesus preached.

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So it is that we live this Life in Christ
An identity truly Catholic, universal.
Thanks be to God!

The Gift of Community

This morning I found this picture to be a most delightful reminder of who we are and how we are to behave as a loving family of God. Kids have a way of letting us know how to love and share the love. I "love" the child in the pew in front of me, who dares me to smile at her and then when I do I am rewarded with that gorgeous grin! A distraction, maybe, but God's love is personified non-the-less. The picture accompanies a very good reflection and so it is that I share it with you.

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Consider Yourself At Home

A big part of Sunday is going to a building without a second floor. There may be a balcony or a choir loft, but basically the ground floor of the church is the only floor. The altar and pulpit are elevated so people can see, but other than that it is a prairie.

This has ramifications for community. The shopping-bag lady and the real estate man and the cop in uniform and the blind guy who everybody helps to Communion and you...all stand and kneel and sit next to each other--as if we had something in common. On Sunday you know you belong. You might not be happy with those to whom you belong, but you are not in the Lost and Found department. An entire group of motley people has arrived with a claim check.

The first Easter brought back the disbanded. They of the fast footed fear were overtaken by the Hurrying One. And everyone was welcomed, a boundless hospitality with bread and wine for all. Sunday is solidarity even after we have been lost or have run away or just have been gone too long for reasons we can no longer remember. Sunday is the day we know there is nothing between us but the walls we build.

John Shae

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Sunday, that Holy Event!!!
Thanks be to God!!!!!

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Aside: Word of the Day (sent to me by a friend): "Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck." -- George Carlin (1937- )