Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives



 

By

Anthony Esolen

Dec. 16, 2012 4:21 p.m. ET

Imagine touring the Sistine Chapel with someone who has done more than merely read some learned commentary on the paintings of Michelangelo. He has looked at them, pondered them, loved them, even waited upon them to reveal their inner harmony, and now he seeks to hand on to you what he has found. Imagine listening to a master organist, not playing the whole St. Matthew Passion but showing you, as he touches a chord here and makes a progression there, some hint of the grandeur of Bach's composition that you might miss in the overwhelming storm of its performance. Then you have an idea of what Pope Benedict XVI has attempted in his three-volume work on the life of Jesus, but most humbly and sweetly in the "Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives."

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Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives

By Joseph Ratzinger
(Image, 132 pages, $20)
 

Modern men too often see things only by the guttering firelight of politics. Pope Benedict, who wrote many works of deep scholarship while simple Joseph Ratzinger, also served as the head of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, earning him a reputation among the ignorant as combative—"God's Rottweiler." It may surprise some, then, to read that Pope Benedict has written about one topic all his life long. Love is the key to his work, as it is the theme and lesson of this work. Indeed, the Pope has written that in Jesus, the man and the mission are one, and the mission is the holiness of love—of being entirely for and with God, and for and with mankind, without reserve. Now Benedict shows how this understanding of Jesus is manifest from the beginning, in his conception, his birth and his childhood.

Any scholar who would write on the first few chapters of Matthew and Luke faces two problems. The first is the opinion that the narratives about the birth of Jesus are add-ons, not central to the mission and the person of Jesus. The second is that we are too familiar with them. We have heard the carols and seen the crèches. We do not see the shadow of the cross fall upon the stable at Bethlehem.

Benedict addresses both problems at once, affirming the historicity of the narratives and showing that the question of who Jesus is hinges upon the question of whence he has come. People who encountered Jesus, whether they chose to follow him or not, claimed that they knew exactly where he came from, the no-account village of Nazareth. Yet they did not know where he came from—whence he derived his authority. The early Christians, by contrast, saw the life of Jesus as a coherent whole. The end of Matthew's Gospel, says Benedict, when Jesus commissions his disciples to go forth to the ends of the earth, baptizing all nations, is present in the beginning, in the genealogy that links Jesus with Abraham and God's promise of universality. Abraham is the essential wayfarer, Benedict writes, whose "whole life points forward," a dynamic of "walking along the path of what is to come."

Even to those who think themselves familiar with these texts, every page of "Jesus of Nazareth" will present some pearl of great value, something that should have been obvious but that has been passed over in haste or inattention. For example, when Luke places Jesus' birth in the context of the Augustan empire, and notes that Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem to register for the tax, he expects his readers, Benedict argues, to compare one "prince of peace" with another, for that is what Augustus styled himself ("Princeps Pacis"). The epithet was more than propaganda, Benedict says. It expressed a heartfelt longing in the people of the time, racked by the Roman civil wars and conflicts between the Roman empire and her rivals to the east. We might see how seriously it was taken if we study Augustus's Altar of Peace in Rome, consecrated a few years before Jesus' birth. It was so placed that on the emperor's birthday, between morning and evening, the sun cast the shadow of an obelisk, says the Pope, along a line that struck the very center of the altar, where Augustus himself was portrayed as supreme pontiff.

But Augustus belongs to the past, Benedict notes, while Jesus "is the present and the future." That is because the salvation we yearn for is not simply a truce, with some economic prosperity, but the healing of our very selves. Man is "a relational being," Benedict writes, by which he means that we only know ourselves when we give ourselves away in love. More to the point, Benedict teaches, God allows us to know Him by giving Himself in love to us. This gift, though grand, is necessarily also secret and humble, seeking not to overmaster but to invite.

In speaking of an intimate love, all the Gospel writers speak the same language, Benedict explains, whether it is Matthew showing that the birth of Jesus occurs outside of and against the predilections of the grand court of Herod, or Luke stressing the quiet interior life of Mary, or John saying that God has pitched his tent among us, submitting to the infirmities of the flesh, and to rejection.

This love is no mere sentiment. It is the ground of our being. Yet Benedict points to the gospels themselves for examples of how often we seek less than love, even while we believe we are seeking more. Jesus' own disciples believed that he would reestablish the earthly kingdom of David—and Matthew takes trouble both to establish Jesus' descent from David (it is why Joseph had to travel to the city of David, Bethlehem) and to show that this kingship is wholly new, and not of this earth.

Thus Joseph is told that the child's name will be called Jesus, a name derived from the Hebrew word meaning "to rescue," because "he will save people from their sins." That seems at once too little and too much, Benedict says. He compares the verse with the episode of the paralytic in Luke, who hears Jesus say, "Your sins are forgiven." But he wanted to walk—and the Jews wanted freedom from their overlords. The paralytic would indeed rise up and walk, but the point is clear: The gospel calls people to no less than complete love of God and neighbor—to the surrender of illusions that we can heal ourselves.

"The Infancy Narratives" is a short volume but for that very reason may be an ideal introduction to Benedict's writings, and for that matter Jesus' message of love.

 

Mr. Esolen, a professor at Providence College, is the author of "Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child."

 

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Taken from: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324024004578171632468816580

"I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets". Pope Francis.





Pope Francis: No more business as usual

By Daniel Burke, Belief Blog Co-editor

(CNN) - Pope Francis on Tuesday called for big changes in the Roman Catholic Church – including at the very top – saying he knows it will be a messy business but he expects his flock to dive in feet first.
"I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security," the Pope said in a major new statement.
"I do not want a Church concerned with being at the center and then ends by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures," Francis added.
The Pope's address, called an "apostolic exhortation," is basically a pep talk from the throne of St. Peter. But Francis' bold language and sweeping call for change are likely to surprise even those who've grown accustomed to his unconventional papacy.
"Not everyone will like this document," said the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and author in New York. "For it poses a fierce challenge to the status quo."
Officially known in Latin as "Evangelii Gaudium" (The Joy of the Gospel), the 85-page document is the first official papal document written entirely by Francis. (An earlier document was co-written by Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.)
Although Francis sprinkles the statement with citations of previous popes and Catholic luminaries like St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine, the new pontiff makes a bold call for the church to rethink even long-held traditions.
"In her ongoing discernment, the Church can also come to see that certain customs not directly connected to the heart of the Gospel, even some which have deep historical roots, are no longer properly understood and appreciated," the Pope said.
"Some of these customs may be beautiful, but they no longer serve as means of communicating the Gospel. We should not be afraid to re-examine them. At the same time, the Church has rules or precepts which may have been quite effective in their time, but no longer have the same usefulness for directing and shaping people’s lives."
Such statements mark a sharp break from Benedict XVI, a more tradition-bound pope who focused on cleaning up cobwebs of unorthodoxy in the church.
By contrast, in "Evangelii" Francis repeats his calls for Catholics to stop "obsessing" about culture war issues and enforcing church rules, and to focus more on spreading the Gospel, especially to the poor and marginalized.
The outside world, particularly economic equalities, didn't escape Francis' notice either.
In a section of "Evangelii" entitled "some challenges to today's world," he sharply criticized what he called an "idolatry of money" and "the inequality that spawns violence."
"Today’s economic mechanisms promote inordinate consumption, yet it is evident that unbridled consumerism combined with inequality proves doubly damaging to the social fabric," the Pope wrote.
But the bulk of Francis' statement addresses the church, which, he said, should not be afraid to "get its shoes soiled by the mud of the street."
The Pope also hinted that he wants to see an end to the so-called "wafer wars," in which Catholic politicians who support abortion rights are denied Holy Communion. His comments could also be taken as another sign that he plans to reform church rules that prevent divorced Catholics from receiving the Eucharist.
"Everyone can share in some way in the life of the Church; everyone can be part of the community, nor should the doors of the sacraments be closed for simply any reason," Francis said.
"The Eucharist, although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak."
Even so, Francis reiterated the church's stand against abortion, defending it against critics who call such arguments "ideological, obscurantist and conservative."
"Precisely because this involves the internal consistency of our message about the value of the human person, the Church cannot be expected to change her position on this question," Francis said.
The Pope also reiterated previous rejections on ordaining women, saying the topic is "not open for discussion."
But that doesn't mean the church values men more than women, he said.
"We need to create still broader opportunities for a more incisive female presence in the Church," the Pope said.
Francis also said he expects other parts of the church to change, and called on Catholics to be unafraid of trying new things.
"More than by fear of going astray, my hope is that we will be moved by the fear of remaining shut up within structures which give us a false sense of security, within rules which make us harsh judges, within habits which make us feel safe, while at our door people are starving."
Francis didn't mention specific changes, but made it clear he expects them to start at the top and include even long-held Catholic practices.
"Since I am called to put into practice what I ask of others, I too must think about a conversion of the papacy," he said.
The church's centralization, where all roads lead to Rome, and the "we've always done it this way" type of thinking have hindered Catholics' ability to minister to local people in far-flung places, Francis suggested.
"I invite everyone to be bold and creative in this task of rethinking the goals, structures, style and methods of evangelization in their respective communities," the Pope said.
Martin, the Jesuit priest, said, "I cannot remember ever reading a papal document that was so thought-provoking, surprising and invigorating."
"The document’s main message is that Catholics should be unafraid of new ways of proclaiming the Gospel and new ways of thinking about the church," said Martin, who is also an editor-at-large at America Magazine in New York.

Daniel Burke - CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor Filed under: Catholic Church • Christianity • Faith Now • Pope Francis Share this on: Facebook Twitter Digg del.icio.us reddit MySpace StumbleUpon

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Taken from: http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/11/26/pope-calls-for-big-changes-in-the-church/

Pope: our strength, hope is in the mercy of God



 

By Elise Harris

3 Comments

51

 

 

Pope Francis celebrates Mass in remembrance of Bishops and Cardinals who died during the past year on November 4, 2013. Credit: Alberto Chincilla/CNA.

Vatican City, Nov 5, 2013 / 12:10 am (CNA/EWTN News).- At a special Mass honoring all of the bishops and cardinals who have died during the past year, Pope Francis emphasized that nothing can separate us from the love of our merciful God.

“It is not by chance that Jesus wanted to preserve the wounds on his hands to make us feel his mercy. This is our strength and our hope!” the Pope said during his homily at a Nov. 4 Mass at the Altar of the Chair inside St. Peter’s Basilica.

In the month of November, “which is marked by the memory of the faithful departed,” reflected the Pope, “we remember our brother Cardinals and Bishops from around the world who have returned to the Father's house during the past year.”

Turning to the day’s readings, Pope Francis centered his homily on the words of St. Paul to the Romans, in which the apostle affirms that “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love of God, which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Saint Paul, he reflected, refers to the love of God as “the deepest, most invincible motive for our trust in Christian hope,” especially in listing those things which can oppose and threaten our faith.

However, continued the pontiff, the apostle “states with confidence that even if our entire existence is surrounded by threats, nothing will ever separate us from the love that Christ himself gained for us, giving of himself completely.”

“Even evil powers that are hostile to man are powerless in the face to the intimate union of love between Jesus and those who welcome him with faith.”

The reality of God’s faithful love for each of us helps us to face our daily lives, which are often “slow and tiring,” with “serenity and strength,” the Pope stressed.

He pointed out that the only thing capable of breaking this bond is our sin, but that “even in this case God will always go in search for him to restore that union that lasts even after death.”

This certainty of God’s love, he explained, gives “a new and full meaning to earthly life and opens us to hope for life beyond death.”

Each time that we face the death of a loved one, we naturally ask what will become of their life, work and service to the Church, noted the Holy Father, emphasizing to those in attendance that Scripture assures us “that they are in God's hands!”

These pastors, “who have dedicated their lives to the service of God and to their brothers are in the hands of God. They are well looked after and they will not be corroded by death.”

“All their days interwoven with joys and sufferings, hopes and labors, fidelity to the Gospel and passion for the spiritual and material salvation of their flocks, are in the hands of God,” observed the Pope, reflecting that our sins too are in the hands of God, “those merciful hands with their ‘wounds’ of love.”

“This reality, which is full of hope,” said the pontiff, “is the prospect of final resurrection, of eternal life, to which the ‘righteous,’ those who accept the Word of God and are obedient to His Spirit are destined.”

With this hope, the Holy Father called to mind “our brother” Bishops and Cardinals who are deceased as “men who were devoted to their vocations and to their service to the Church, which they loved as one loves a bride.”

“In prayer, we entrust them to the mercy of the Lord, through the intercession of Our Lady and of St. Joseph, so they be welcomed into his kingdom of light and peace, where the just and those who have been faithful witnesses to the Gospel live eternally.”

Pope Francis concluded his homily by praying that the Lord prepare each one of us for this encounter, stressing that “We do not know the date, but that encounter will take place!”

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Taken from: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-our-strength-hope-is-in-the-mercy-of-god/

“Like Mary, the mother of Christ, Pope Francis continually points to Christ".

With new pictures and stories going viral every week, our 76-year-old Holy Father is dominating the conversation on the Internet. But is the Gospel message getting across?

12.11.2013
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Brantly Millegan

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Jeffrey Bruno

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We already know he’s the most influential world leader on Twitter, but a new report shows Pope Francis’ reach on the digital continent goes far beyond that. According to Global Language Monitor’s 14th annual global survey of the English language, “Pope Francis” is the most discussed name on the 1.83 billion person English-language portion of the Internet.

And “name” here is understood fairly broadly, encompassing not only people but also organizations, programs, and even laws. The next five most discussed names are “Obamacare”, “NSA”, “Ed Snowden”, “Kate Middleton”, and “IRS” - and Pope Francis bests them all.

Among the most commonly used words in the English-language portion of the Internet, “@Pontifex” (Pope Francis’ English username on Twitter) comes in at fourth, beating out terms like “drones”, “surveillance”, “deficit”, and “twerking”, and losing out only to “404”, “fail”, and “hashtag”.

Seemingly without even trying, and in spite of a Vatican media team that at times has been known for its comical inadequacies, Pope Francis simply can’t stay out of the news. With new pictures, statements, and stories going viral every week, it’s fully confirmed: Pope Francis is a mega-celebrity of the highest order.

He’s also a mega-celebrity of a different kind of order. While others are famous for lying, twerking, or their supposed good looks, Pope Francis seems to be uber-famous for the best of reasons. He’s the supreme leader of a 1.2 billion member religion, yet he goes out of his way to embrace a man with a disfigured face. He personally calls up an unwed mother and offers to baptize her child. When the world seems to be on the brink of war, he organizes and leads a world day of prayer for peace - and it works.

But should we be surprised?


“Jesus Christ’s Representative”

“It's not at all surprising that Pope Francis is the most talked about name on the Internet,” says Tim Drake, New Evangelization Coordinator with the Holdingford Area Catholic Community in the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minnesota. “He is, after all, Jesus Christ's representative, and the leader of the Roman Catholic Church and its more than one billion worldwide members.”

Drake compares Pope Francis to Jesus. “Some have said that Pope Francis is shaking things up, and this is why he's drawing so much attention. Again, Christ was an unconventional figure. He shook up the establishment of His time, and out of love embraced the lost, the forgotten, the broken, and those who needed healing. Pope Francis, as demonstrated through the many press reports and photos that show him reaching out to those in prison, the handicapped, the ill, and the disfigured, appears to be doing the same. He's not drawing the attention for himself, but to demonstrate Christ's love. Thus, he's being talked about for good reasons.”

“Like Mary, the mother of Christ, Pope Francis continually points to Christ. Therefore, any attention he is getting only serves to give attention to Christ. That is a great thing. Our world needs Christ more than ever.”

Fr. Roger Landry, an expert on the teachings of Pope Bl. John Paul II, also sees Jesus behind Pope Francis’ fame. “I think the fundamental reason has less to do with Pope Francis the man and much more with what, or better Whom, he represents. People are searching for God, hungering for signs of his presence, his mercy, his love, his goodness in the world. Pope Francis lives, acts, speaks and embraces in a way that not only doesn't contradict people's expectations for God but are fully consistent with them. The interest in him is fundamentally positive.”

Andrew Seeley, professor at Thomas Aquinas College and the Executive Director of the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education, thinks Pope Francis’ method of pastoring is similar to Jesus’. “From my vantage point, it looks as though Pope Francis wants to shepherd his flock as Our Lord did, not simply as Chief Teacher, but more intimately, through sharing his heart and soul with us.

“As hearing about Our Lord caused many to ask about Him, ‘Who is this man?’, so much of what hear about Pope Francis causes people to wonder about him. Many were content to judge Our Lord based on the reports about Him, but for some, like Nicodemus, the reports led them to seek Him out, to get to know Him more intimately. The interest that reports about Pope Francis has generated are having a similar effect. The social media possibilities today allow for us to get know Francis more intimately than ever. We should take advantage of them and not be content with what is simply reported to us. What we will find, I believe, is a heart aflame with the love for us inspired by Our Lord and His Church.”


“A Great Help for the New Evangelization”

Church historian Fr. C. John McCloskey sees Francis’ popularity as contributing to the work begun by his predecessors. “It is a sign that the world is indeed attracted to the Church and it's new leader. They are at least listening and watching. This is a great help for the New Evangelization that our last three popes have pushed during their pontificates.”

Ronald J. Rychlak, Butler Snow Lecturer and Professor of Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law, thinks Pope Francis is bringing to light long-standing Church teaching that wasn’t always well-known. “Pope Francis captures the fascination of the public because he has brought some emphasis to aspects of the Catholic faith that are often overlooked by the popular media.The teachings are no different, and Francis is quite orthodox when it comes to traditional Catholic social positions. With a new face and a new voice, however, people are finally seeing and hearing a message that has always been there. That is a very good thing, both for those who are hearing this message for the first time and for those who have a deep understanding of the Catholic faith.”

Msgr. Charles M. Mangan, Director of the Office of the Marian Apostolate Diocese of Sioux Falls, thinks Francis’ message of love is drawing spiritual seekers. "In a rather short time, Pope Francis has caught the attention of millions of persons. His gestures and words have encouraged many to look again at the Gospel of Christ and His Church. The Holy Spirit chose Pope Francis, as He did his Predecessors, to proclaim the message of Jesus. It is not surprising that we 'searchers,' in the midst of these perilous times, find in Pope Francis a much appreciated reassurance that God deeply loves us and cares for us."

Lawrence DiPaolo, Jr., Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Sacred Scripture at the University of St. Thomas, points out that Pope Francis isn’t simply in the news, but is in the news for positive reasons. “It is not surprising to me in the least that Pope Francis is the most talked about name on the internet. What is particularly noteworthy in the coverage is that it is almost without exception universally positive.”

“Whether it is Pope Francis embracing a child with cerebral palsy at St. Peter's Basilica, kissing a disfigured man or laughing as a child sits in his chair, the images show a very human Pontiff. Anytime a Pope becomes popular owing to his humility, charity and love for the people of God, that is indeed a good thing for the Church.”


“The Real Litmus Test”

Not everyone is convinced Pope Francis is famous for the right reasons, though. Fr. George Rutler is worried some his fame comes from an expectation among liberals he will fundamentally change the Church. “Many uninformed people are using Pope Francis as a sort of Rorschach inkblot test. What they see in him says more about themselves than about him.”

“His recent excommunication of an heretical Australian priest, and recent appointments of solid bishops are indications of his grasp of true reform. Those who have cast the Pope in the image of their own desires, will soon complain that he has not lived up to their expectations: rather like Blessed Pius IX and, in our own day, Blessed John Paul II.”

Writing for The Catholic Thing, Randall Smith, Professor of Theology at the University of St Thomas in Houston, says he likes Pope Francis but is worried his personality might be eclipsing his message in the media. “[A]lthough personally I enjoy Pope Francis, I also have a concern. Not because he says goofy things or does press conferences he probably shouldn’t. [...] No, what concerns me about Pope Francis’s current situation is a concern I think he would share if he became aware of the problem. My concern is that, increasingly, Francis is becoming the message. And if I understand Francis correctly, I think he would find that, not only odd, but practically intolerable.”

“Pope Francis isn’t exactly what most people would call ‘media savvy.’ The problem for a man of humility who has no real concern for the media is that he may not understand the degree to which his own personality and style has come to dominate the message. He has become ‘the story.’ It was similar for Pope John Paul II in his early days. But then he wrote Redemptor Hominis and Familiaris Consortio and defended Humanae Vitae with his ‘the theology of the body,’ and things started to change.”

Fr. Landry is tentative about whether Pope Francis’ celebrity is will turn out to be good for the Church. “In and of itself, his celebrity is a great opportunity, but whether it turns out to be a good or bad thing depends on whether people get beyond his celebrity status to ponder his words and example.”

“Many of those who are fascinated by Pope Francis readily say that the reason they ‘love’ him is because they don't think he judges them or is as interested as they believe most leaders of the Church are in getting them and the world to convert on those subjects where popular opinion and Church teaching aren't aligned.”

Fr. Landry thinks this confusion comes from a misreading of Francis. “But even a superficial following of Pope Francis reveals that the fundamental theme of his papacy is mercy. To talk about mercy implies the need for mercy. Pope Francis has called himself a sinner on whom the Lord has looked with mercy.”

“The real litmus test of whether his celebrity turns out to be a good or a bad thing for the Church is whether all of us will recognize that we, too, are sinners under the merciful glance of the Lord and called to come to receive his forgiveness and share it with others. It's not enough for people to like Pope Francis. It's far more important that people follow his Christian example. The Pope is interested not in winning popularity contests, but in saving people in the great field hospital of the Church.”


The following Aleteia Experts contribute to this article:

Lawrence DiPaolo, Jr. is Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Sacred Scripture at the University of St. Thomas.

Tim Drake is the New Evangelization Coordinator with the Holdingford Area Catholic Community in the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minnesota. He is an award-winning journalist, the author of six books on religion and culture, and a former radio host.

Fr. Roger Landry speaks widely on the thought of Pope John Paul II, Theology of the Body, apologetics, and on contemporary issues in the Church.

Msgr. Charles M. Mangan is Director of the Office of the Marian Apostolate Diocese of Sioux Falls, the Vicar for Consecrated Life, and the Canonical Adviser to the Most Reverend Paul J. Swain, D.D., the Bishop of Sioux Falls.

Fr. C. John McCloskey is a Church historian and Research Fellow at the Faith and Reason Institute in Washington DC. His personal website is www.frmccloskey.com.

Fr. George Rutler is pastor of the Church of St. Michael and administrator of the Church of the Holy Innocents, both in Manhattan. He has made documentary films in the United States and England, contributes to numerous scholarly and popular journals and has published 16 books.

Ronald J. Rychlak is the Butler Snow Lecturer and Professor of Law at the University of Mississippi School of Law.

Andrew T. Seeley is a professor at Thomas Aquinas College and the Executive Director of the Institute for Catholic Liberal Education. He co-authored 'Declaration Statesmanship: A Course in American Government'.

Randall Smith is holds the Scanlan Chair in Theology at the University of St Thomas in Houston.

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Taken from: http://www.aleteia.org/en/religion/article/pope-francis-internet-mega-celebrity-13734001