|
Are
You Jewish? |
Consider:
*
Have
you ever considered that the Jewish religion was a preparation for
Christ? Did
you know that Christianity is not "a wholly different
religion" (so to speak), but may be called "the
completion of the Jewish religion"? (Or that Christianity isn't a repudiation of
the Jewish religion, but rather
its fulfillment.)
*
Did you
know that Christ was foretold in the Jewish Scriptures of old
(called the "Old Testament" by Christians). In fact, the first
prophecy of Christ's coming was back in Genesis where God said,
"I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed
and her seed [her seed being Jesus]: she shall crush thy
head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel." (Gen. 3:15)
Did you know that other Old Testament Scriptures also speak of Jesus - and that
Jesus (who is the Son of God, made man, and born in Bethlehem of
Judea from the line of David by the Virgin Mary) fulfilled the
prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the
Messiah? For example, consider these passages which were fulfilled
by Jesus:
Prophecies
Regarding The Birth of Christ / the Coming of Christ:
Zech.
2:14: Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell
among you, says the LORD.
Isa.
7:14: Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him
Immanuel ["God is with us"].
Isa.
30:20: The Lord will give you the bread you need and the water for
which you thirst. No longer will your Teacher hide himself, but
with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher
Micah
5:1-3: But you, Bethlehem- Ephrathah too small to be among the
clans of Judah, From you shall come forth for me one who is to be
ruler in Israel; Whose origin is from of old, from ancient times.
(Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who
is to give birth has borne, And the rest of his brethren shall
return to the children of Israel.) He shall stand firm and
shepherd his flock by the strength of the LORD, in the majestic
name of the LORD, his God; And they shall remain, for now his
greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth
Ps.132:11-12,
17-18: The LORD swore an oath to David, a pledge never to be broken:
"Your own offspring I will set upon your throne. If your sons observe my covenant, the laws I shall teach them,
Their sons, in turn, shall sit forever on your throne."... There I will make a horn sprout for David's line; I will set a lamp for my anointed. His foes I will clothe with shame, but on him my crown shall gleam."
Ezek.
34:23-24: I will appoint one shepherd over them to pasture them,
my servant David; he shall pasture them and be their shepherd. I,
the LORD, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince
among them. I, the LORD, have spoken.
Zech.
9:9-10: Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, Meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass. He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem;
The warrior's bow shall be banished, and he shall proclaim peace to the nations.
His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
2
Sam. 7:8, 12-14: Now then, speak thus to my servant David, 'The
LORD of hosts has this to say: It was I who took you from the
pasture and from the care of the flock to be commander of my
people Israel... And when your time comes and you rest with your
ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your
loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. It is he who shall build
a house for my name. And I will make his royal throne firm
forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.
Isa.
60:1-3, 6: Rise up in splendor! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples;
But upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears his glory. Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance...
Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and
Ephah; All from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.
[Note: After Jesus' birth, Magi visited and adored the newborn.
They brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh.]
Isa.
35:1-5: The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe
will rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers, and
rejoice with joyful song. The glory of Lebanon will be given to
them, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; They will see the glory
of the LORD, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the hands that
are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, Say to those whose
hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he
comes with vindication; With divine recompense he comes to save
you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the
deaf be cleared
Isa.
9:1-6: The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing, As they rejoice before you as at the harvest, as men make merry when dividing spoils. For the yoke that burdened them, the pole on their shoulder,
And the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed, as on the day of
Midian. For every boot that tramped in battle, every cloak rolled in blood, will be burned as fuel for flames. For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.
His dominion is vast and forever peaceful, From David's throne, and over his kingdom, which he confirms and sustains
By judgment and justice, both now and forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this!
Prophecies
Regarding Christ's Passion & Death:
Ps.
69:5: More numerous than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause.
Isa.
50:6: I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who
plucked my beard; My face I did not shield from buffets and
spitting.
Ps.
109:24-25: My knees totter from fasting; my flesh has wasted away. I have become a mockery to them; when they see me, they shake their heads.
Ps.
41:10: Even the friend who had my trust, who shared my table, has scorned me.
[Note: Jesus was betrayed by his own disciple, Judas.]
Ps.
34:20-21: Many are the troubles of the just, but the LORD delivers from them all. God watches over all their bones; not a one shall be broken.
[Note: Despite his cruel death, none of Jesus' bones were
broken.]
Ps
69:21-22: Insult has broken my heart, and I am weak; I looked for compassion, but there was none, for comforters, but found none. Instead they put gall in my food; for my thirst they gave me vinegar.
[Note: Jesus was given vinegar and gall during His Passion.]
Ps.
109:2-7: O God, whom I praise, do not be silent, for wicked and treacherous mouths attack me.
They speak against me with lying tongues; with hateful words they surround me, attacking me without cause. In return for my love they slander me, even though I prayed for them. They repay me evil for good, hatred for my love.
My enemies say of me: "Find a lying witness, an accuser to stand by his right hand, That he may be judged and found guilty, that his plea may be in vain."
Ps.
35:11-16: Malicious witnesses come forward, accuse me of things I do not know. They repay me evil for good and I am all alone. Yet I, when they were ill, put on sackcloth, afflicted myself with fasting, sobbed my prayers upon my bosom. I went about in grief as for my brother, bent in mourning as for my mother. Yet when I stumbled they gathered with glee, gathered against me like strangers.
They slandered me without ceasing; without respect they mocked me, gnashed their teeth against me.
Zech.
11:12-13: And they counted out my wages, thirty pieces of silver. But the LORD said to me, "Throw it in the treasury, the handsome price at which they valued me." So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the treasury in the house of the LORD.
[Note: Judas was paid thirty pieces of silver to betray Jesus.
He later returned the money by flinging it into the temple.]
Amos.
8:8-9: Shall not the land tremble because of this, and all who dwell in it mourn,
While it rises up and tosses like the Nile, and settles back like the river of Egypt? On that day, says the Lord GOD,
I will make the sun set at midday and cover the earth with darkness in broad daylight."
[Note: This corresponds with what occurred at Jesus' death
(e.g. the earthquake, the darkness)]
Wisdom
2:12-20: Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us;
he sets himself against our doings, Reproaches us for
transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our
training. He professes to have knowledge of God and styles himself
a child of the LORD. To us he is the censure of our thoughts;
merely to see him is a hardship for us, Because his life is not
like other men's, and different are his ways. He judges us
debased; he holds aloof from our paths as from things impure. He
calls blest the destiny of the just and boasts that God is his
Father. Let us see whether his words be true; let us find out what
will happen to him. For if the just one be the son of God, he will
defend him and deliver him from the hand of his foes. With
revilement and torture let us put him to the test that we may have
proof of his gentleness and try his patience. Let us condemn him
to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take
care of him.
Isa.
53:2-12: He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from
the parched earth; There was in him no stately bearing to make us
look at him, nor appearance that would attract us to him. He was
spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to
infirmity, One of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned,
and we held him in no esteem. Yet it was our infirmities that he
bore, our sufferings that he endured, While we thought of him as
stricken, as one smitten by God and afflicted. But he was pierced
for our offenses, crushed for our sins, Upon him was the
chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed.
We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way; But
the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all... Though he was
harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his mouth...
Oppressed and condemned, he was taken away, and who would have
thought any more of his destiny? When he was cut off from the land
of the living, and smitten for the sin of his people, A grave was
assigned him among the wicked and a burial place with evildoers,
Though he had done no wrong nor spoken any falsehood. (But the
LORD was pleased to crush him in infirmity.) If he gives his life
as an offering for sin, he shall see his descendants in a long
life, and the will of the LORD shall be accomplished through him.
Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of
days; Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their
guilt he shall bear. Therefore I will give him his portion among
the great, and he shall divide the spoils with the mighty, Because he surrendered himself to death and was counted among the
wicked; And he shall take away the sins of many, and win pardon
for their offenses.
Ps.
22:2-19, 24-25, 28-32: My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Why so far from my call for help, from my cries of anguish? My
God, I call by day, but you do not answer; by night, but I have no
relief. Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the glory
of Israel. In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted and you
rescued them. To you they cried out and they escaped; in you they
trusted and were not disappointed. But I am a worm, hardly human,
scorned by everyone, despised by the people. All who see me mock
me; they curl their lips and jeer; they shake their heads at me:
"You relied on the LORD - let him deliver you; if he loves
you, let him rescue you." Yet you drew me forth from the
womb, made me safe at my mother's breast. Upon you I was thrust
from the womb; since birth you are my God. Do not stay far from
me, for trouble is near, and there is no one to help. Many bulls
surround me; fierce bulls of Bashan encircle me. They open their
mouths against me, lions that rend and roar. Like water my life
drains away; all my bones grow soft. My heart has become like wax,
it melts away within me. As dry as a potsherd is my throat; my
tongue sticks to my palate; you lay me in the dust of death. Many
dogs surround me; a pack of evildoers closes in on me. So wasted
are my hands and feet that I can count all my bones. They stare at
me and gloat; they divide my garments among them; for my clothing
they cast lots... "You who fear the LORD, give praise! All
descendants of Jacob, give honor; show reverence, all descendants
of Israel! For God has not spurned or disdained the misery of this
poor wretch, Did not turn away from me, but heard me when I cried
out. All the ends of the earth will worship and turn to the LORD;
All the families of nations will bow low before you. For kingship
belongs to the LORD, the ruler over the nations. All who sleep in
the earth will bow low before God; All who have gone down into the
dust will kneel in homage. And I will live for the LORD; my
descendants will serve you. The generation to come will be told of
the Lord, that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn the
deliverance you have brought. [Note: Jesus quoted the beginning
part of this passage while hanging on the cross. The remainder of
this passage clearly saw its fulfillment at this time - especially
note the mocking, the dry throat, counting the bones, and the casting lots for his garments.]
Zech.
12:10-11: I will pour out on the house of David and on the
inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and petition; and they
shall look on him whom they have thrust through, and they shall
mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, and they shall grieve
over him as one grieves over a first-born. On that day the
mourning in Jerusalem shall be as great as the mourning of
Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
*
Did you also know that Jesus' own prophecies came true (including
his prophecy concerning the destruction of the temple which would
occur after His death)? Do not all the numerous fulfilled
prophecies (not to mention all the items which prefigure Christ)
both before and after His death testify to Jesus' claims? It is
clearly impossible for a mere man to cause prophecies to be made
about himself before he is even born!
*
Did
you know that Christ was of Jewish descent (and followed the
Jewish laws), as were his apostles? Jesus, of course, was born of
the line of David, as was prophesied.
*
Did
you know that Jesus came to fulfill the law? That He is the
Messiah that Israel had so long awaited? That He freely accepted
His passion and death in order to atone for the sins of man? Did
you know that the veil of the temple was miraculously torn at His
death? That "Christianity
is the fulfillment of the promises made to the Jews!"
*
Are you aware that Jesus did not teach competing doctrines
to the Jews. Rather, he affirmed the need to keep the Commandments
of God, especially that we need to love God and our neighbor. As
stated in the Gospel according to Matthew:
"When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them (a scholar of the law)
tested him by asking, 'Teacher, which commandment in the law is the
greatest?' [Jesus] said to him, 'You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two
commandments.'" (Mt. 22:34-40)
*
Are
you aware that it is necessary to believe in and follow Christ for
salvation? As Jesus teaches:
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
(Jn. 14:6)
"And
whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." (Lk. 10:16)
"Whoever believes in me
believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I came into the world as light, so that everyone who
believes in me might not remain in darkness. And if anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do
not condemn him, for I did not come to condemn the world but to
save the world. Whoever rejects me and does not accept my words has
something to judge him: the word that I spoke, it will condemn him
on the last day, because I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent
me commanded me what to say and speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. So what I
say, I say as the Father told me." (Jn. 12:44-50) His
chief disciple, St. Peter (also of Jewish descent) confirmed his
teaching saying, "There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved."
(Acts. 4:12)
*
Did you know that Jesus clearly taught that He was the Son of God?
In fact, that is why they sought to put Him to death. As the
Gospel of John states:
"The Jews again picked up rocks to stone him.
Jesus answered them, 'I have shown you many good works
from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone
me?' The Jews answered him, 'We are not stoning you for a
good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself
God.' Jesus answered them, 'Is it not written in your law,
'I said, 'You are gods''? If it calls them gods to whom the word of God came, and
scripture cannot be set aside, can you say that the one whom the Father has consecrated
and sent into the world blasphemes because I said, 'I am the Son
of God'? If I do not perform my Father's works, do not believe me;
but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me,
believe the works, so that you may realize (and understand) that
the Father is in me and I am in the Father." (Jn. 10:31-38)
*
Did you know that Jesus has proved His divinity through countless
miracles of healings, exorcisms, conversions, restoring sight to
the blind, raising the dead, calming the weather, walking on
water, multiplying food, etc.? Even the Jewish historian at the
time (Josephus) references his many wonders ("astonishing
feats"). As the Pharisee named Nicodemus stated "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him."
(Jn. 3:2) Did you know that
His followers have also worked numerous miracles - by the power of
God - as Christ predicted?
*
Did you know that the great
apostle St. Paul was a Jew who originally persecuted the Church,
but was later
called by Christ? As he testifies in Scripture:
"Now I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel preached by me is not of human origin.
For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus
Christ. For you heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it,
and progressed in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my race, since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions.
But when (God), who from my mother's womb had set me apart and called me through his grace, was pleased
to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult flesh and
blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; rather, I went into Arabia
and then returned to Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to confer with
Kephas [that is, St. Peter] and remained with him for fifteen days.
But I did not see any other of the apostles, only James the brother
[i.e. cousin] of the Lord. (As to what I am writing to you, behold, before God, I am not lying.)
Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. And I was unknown personally to the churches of Judea that are in Christ; they only kept hearing that
'the one who once was persecuting us is now preaching the faith he once tried to
destroy.' So they glorified God because of me." (Acts
1:11-24)
*
Are you aware that many other Jews have accepted the truth about
Christ and have converted, even happily suffering the most
unspeakable tortures due to their Christian faith?
*
Do you think that Christ couldn't be God because he was crucified?
If so, you should know that Jesus could have easily prevented His
death (Jesus proved His power over nature countless
times), but instead willingly laid down His life to atone for our sins.
And, of course, we know that Christ rose from the dead on His own
power - something obviously impossible for a mere mortal to do. Do
you doubt the resurrection? Consider what St. John Chrysostom has
said, "If Christ died and did not rise how is it that those in
the account who fled from impending danger while He was yet alive
surrounded themselves with a thousand dangers for His sake when He
was dead?" (St. John Chrysostom, c. 388 A.D.)
*
Have you considered that Scripture foretold the eventual call of
the Gentiles and that Christ left a perpetual, pure sacrifice in
his Church as foretold by the prophet Malachi: "For from the
rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among
the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is
offered to my name a clean oblation: for my name is great among
the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts." (Mal. 1:11) This
sacrifice is called the "Sacrifice of the Mass" and
consists in the actual re-presentation of Calvary, of Christ's own
sacrifice.
*
Are
you concerned because you think Christians blame Jews for the
death of Jesus? You should know that although it is a fact that a group of Jewish
persons called for the death of Jesus (and accepted the guilt for
it for themselves and their children), it was the Romans who
carried out the sentence. Further, properly educated Christians know that
Jesus really died because of sin, for which we are all
guilty. True Christians don't want to see Jews suffer because of
the death of Jesus - regardless of their unfortunate role in what
happened - but rather seek their conversion so that Jesus may save
them! True Christians love the Jews and only seek what is best for
them.
*
Do you blame the Church for persecution of Jews? Are you unaware
that Jewish persons themselves have been some of the greatest
defenders against such accusations? If you carefully research the
facts, you may come to the conclusion that the Catholic Church has
actually been the greatest protector of Jews in human
history!
*
Are you confused about the Trinity? Do you think the Catholic Church
teaches that there are three gods? If so, you should know that
this is wholly untrue. Rather, the Catholic Church teaches that
God is one, although in three persons (the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit). Christ - the Son of God - is the Second
Person of the Blessed Trinity. In the fullness of time, He took on
flesh (from the Jewish maiden, the Blessed Virgin Mary) and became
man. Although He clothed Himself in human flesh, He still remains
divine (He has two natures - one human and one divine). You can
see evidence of the Trinity even in your earliest Scriptures. For example,
consider that God speaks of Himself in the plural in Genesis, even
though you know that there is only one God... (emphasis added):
Gen.
1:26: Then God said: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the cattle, and over all the wild animals and all the creatures that crawl on the ground."
Gen.
3:22: Then the LORD God said: "See! The man has become like one of
us, knowing what is good and what is bad! Therefore, he must not be allowed to put out his hand to take fruit from the tree of life also, and thus eat of it and live forever."
Gen.
11:6-7: Then the LORD said: "If now, while they are one people, all speaking the same language, they have started to do this, nothing will later stop them from doing whatever they presume to do.
Let us then go down and there confuse their language, so that one will not understand what another says."
You
can also find references to God's Son in other parts of Old
Testament Scripture (e.g. Proverbs 30:4).
*
Did
you know that Jesus established the Catholic Church - and it alone
- to dispense His redeeming sacraments and act in His place? Did
you know that all other 'churches' who call themselves 'Christian'
were founded by mere men and are actually "breakaways" from the
Catholic Church (and are in formal opposition to Christ's true
Church, the Catholic Church)?
*
Are
you aware that the Catholic Church teaches that your worthy reception of baptism
will make you a child of the Church and will
remit not just the sin of Adam & Eve ('original sin'), but all
the other
sins you have personally committed up to that time? You will
then be a brother of Christ, a child of God, and heir to heaven.
*
Are you aware, dear soul, that you really do
need to believe in Jesus? God sent His only Son to save
you - to give you eternal life. God testified to Christ's mission
many times over and expects you to obey Him. Please consider this
seriously as your eternal salvation is at stake.
Note:
For
a sampling of Jesus teachings, try here.
"Come to me, all you who labor and are
burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
(Our Lord Jesus Christ, Mt. 11:28-30)
Closing
Quotations...
"Philip found Nathanael and told him,
'We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from
Nazareth.' But Nathanael said to him, 'Can anything good come from
Nazareth?' Philip said to him, 'Come and see.' Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him,
'Here is a true Israelite.
There is no duplicity in him.'" (Jn. 1:45-47)
"If we accept human testimony, the testimony of God is
surely greater. Now the testimony of God is this, that he has
testified on behalf of his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has this testimony within
himself. Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar by not
believing the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this
life is in his Son. Whoever possesses the Son has life; whoever does not possess
the Son of God does not have life." (1 Jn. 5:9-12)
"[Jesus] came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his
custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read
and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.' Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them,
'Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.'"
(Lk. 4:16-21)
"When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea
Philippi he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say that the Son of Man
is?' They replied, 'Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the
prophets.' He said to them, 'But who do you say that I am?' Simon Peter said in reply,
'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.' Jesus said to him in reply,
'Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the
keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven.' Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah. From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that
he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised."
(Mt.16:13-21)
"Jesus told her, 'I am the resurrection and the life;
whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do
you believe this?' She said to him, 'Yes, Lord. I have come to believe
that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one who is coming
into the world.'" (Jn.
11:25-27)
"In times past, God spoke in partial and various ways to our
ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he spoke to us through a son, whom he made
heir of all things and through whom he created the universe, who is the refulgence of his glory, the very imprint of his being, and who sustains all things by his mighty word. When he had
accomplished purification from sins, he took his seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
as far superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say: 'You are my son; this day I have begotten you'? Or again: 'I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to
me'? And again, when he leads the first-born into the world, he says: 'Let all the angels of God worship him.'
Of the angels he says: 'He makes his angels winds and his ministers a fiery flame'; but of the Son: 'Your throne, O God,
stands forever and ever; and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your
kingdom. You loved justice and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions'; and: 'At the beginning, O Lord, you established the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; and they will all grow old like a garment.
You will roll them up like a cloak, and like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.' But to which of the angels has he ever said: 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool'?
Are they not all ministering spirits sent to serve, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?"
(Heb.
1:1-14) "Now there was a man in
Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and
devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit
was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that
he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the
Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents
brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in
regard to him, he took him into his arms and blessed God, saying:
'Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to
your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you
prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to
the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.' The child's
father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and
Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 'Behold, this
child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to
be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will
pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.'
There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the
tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven
years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow
until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple, but
worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming
forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about
the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of
Jerusalem." (Lk. 2:25-38) "Then
Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed
to them, 'You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in
Jerusalem. Let this be known to you, and listen to my words. These
people are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock
in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet
Joel: 'It will come to pass in the last days,' God says, 'that I
will pour out a portion of my spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and
your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions,
your old men shall dream dreams. Indeed, upon my servants and my
handmaids I will pour out a portion of my spirit in those days,
and they shall prophesy. And I will work wonders in the heavens
above and signs on the earth below: blood, fire, and a cloud of
smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood,
before the coming of the great and splendid day of the Lord, and
it shall be that everyone shall be saved who calls on the name of
the Lord.' You who are Israelites, hear these words. Jesus the
Nazorean was a man commended to you by God with mighty deeds,
wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst, as
you yourselves know. This man, delivered up by the set plan and
foreknowledge of God, you killed, using lawless men to crucify
him. But God raised him up, releasing him from the throes of
death, because it was impossible for him to be held by it. For
David says of him: 'I saw the Lord ever before me, with him at my
right hand I shall not be disturbed. Therefore my heart has been
glad and my tongue has exulted; my flesh, too, will dwell in hope,
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld, nor will
you suffer your holy one to see corruption. You have made known to
me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.'
My brothers, one can confidently say to you about the patriarch
David that he died and was buried, and his tomb is in our midst to
this day. But since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn
an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his
throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah,
that neither was he abandoned to the netherworld nor did his flesh
see corruption. God raised this Jesus; of this we are all
witnesses. Exalted at the right hand of God, he received the
promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and poured it forth, as
you (both) see and hear. For David did not go up into heaven, but
he himself said: 'The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies your footstool.'' Therefore let the
whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both
Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.' Now when they
heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and
the other apostles, 'What are we to do, my brothers?' Peter (said)
to them, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of
Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to
you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the
Lord our God will call.' He testified with many other arguments,
and was exhorting them, 'Save yourselves from this corrupt
generation.' Those who accepted his message were baptized, and
about three thousand persons were added that day." (Acts 2:14-41)
"Learn, then, if you have any sense at all, that it is not
because He worked miracles that we believe in Christ and that He
is God, but because we have seen that in
Him were fulfilled all thing things which were announced to us
beforehand by the predictions of the prophets." {Lactantius,
c.
304-310 A.D.}
"Let
us, the Gentiles, pray for the Jews - the younger for the elder.
Every year there are some who are converted, and seek admission
into the new Israel of the Church of Christ. Right welcome are
they! May God, in His mercy, add to their number; that thus all
men may adore the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, together
with Jesus Christ, His Son, whom He sent into the world." (Gueranger)
"But
if [the Lord's many miracles] were lies invented according to a
mutual agreement among [his disciples], what a wonder it is that
such a number were able to keep their agreement about their
fabrication, even in the face of death, and that no coward among
them ever retired from the association and made a premature
repudiation of the things agreed upon; nor did they ever announce
anything in contradiction to the others, bringing to light what
had been put together among themselves." ('Proof of the
Gospel', c. 316-322 A.D.)
"When
I read the Gospel and find there testimonies from the Law and from
the Prophets, I see only Christ; I see Moses and the Prophets
and I understand them of Christ. Then when I come to the splendor
of Christ Himself, and when I gaze at that glorious sunlight, I
care not to look at the lamplight. For what light can a lamp give
when lit in the daytime? If the sun shines out, the lamplight does
not show. So, too, when Christ is present the Law and the Prophets
do not show. Not that I would detract from the Law and the
Prophets; rather do I praise them in that they show forth Christ.
But I so read the Law and the Prophets as not to abide in them but
from them to pass to Christ." (St. Jerome)
"And
how shall they accomplish this mission of preaching the Gospel to
the whole world? How shall they persuade men to believe their
word? By miracles. 'And these signs,' continues Jesus, 'shall
follow them that believe: in My name they shall cast out devils;
they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents;
and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they
shall lay their hands upon the sick, and they shall recover.' (Mk.
xvi. 17, 18) He would have miracles to be the foundation of His
Church, just as He had made them the argument of His own divine
mission. The suspension of the laws of nature proves to us that it
is God who speaks; we must receive the word, and humbly believe
it." (Dom Gueranger)
"Did Jonas come forth from the whale on the third day, and
Christ - did He not them come forth from the earth on the third
day? Was a dead man raised to life by being touched with the bones
of Eliseus and is it not now much easier for the Maker of man to
be raised by the power of the Father? Well now, He truly rose, and
having risen He was seen again by the disciples. Twelve disciples
were witness to His resurrection, and they did not bear witness
with pleasing words, but insisted upon the truth of the
resurrection even in the face of torture and death. Well,
according to the Scriptures, 'In the mouth of two witnesses or
three every word shall stand.' Twelve bear witness to the
resurrection of Christ, and are you still without faith in that
resurrection?" (St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Doctor of the Church,
c. 350 A.D.)
"Nowadays
there is much talk about the necessity of reasoning in order to
persuade men as to the reality of divine things: but that is
forgetting Scripture and history; nay, more, it is degenerating.
God has not deemed it consistent with His majesty to reason with
us. He has spoken; He has said what is and what is not; and as He
exacts faith in His word, He has sanctioned His word. But how has
He sanctioned it? After the manner of God, not of man; by works,
not by reasons: non in sermone, sed in virtute, not by arguments
of a humanly persuasive philosophy; non in persuasibilibus humanae
sapientiae verbis, but by displaying a power altogether divine:
set in ostensione spiritus et virtutis. And wherefore? For this
profound reason: Ut fides not sit in sapientia hominum, set in
virtue Dei, that faith may not rest upon the wisdom of man, but
upon the power of God. But now men will not have it so: they tell
us that in Jesus Christ the theurgist wrongs the moralist; that
miracles are a blemish in so sublime an ideal. But they cannot
reverse this order; they cannot abolish the Gospel, nor history.
Begging the pardon of the learned men of our age and their
obsequious followers: not only did Christ work miracles, but He
established the Faith upon the foundation of miracles." (Cardinal
Pie)
"Yet so it was: Jesus was put to death, and rose again
from the grave. How do we know it? By the testimony of his
Apostles; they saw him after he had risen, they touched him, they
conversed with him for forty days. But are these Apostles to be
credited? Surely they are, for never was there a testimony that
bore such internal evidence of truth. What interest could these
men have in publishing the glory of their Master, who had been put
to a death that brought ignominy both upon himself and them, if
they knew that he never rose again, as he had promised he would?
The chief priests bribed the soldiers to say that while they were
asleep his disciples, poor timid men as they were, came during the
night and stole away the Body. They thought by this to throw
discredit upon the testimony of the Apostles. But what folly! We
may justly address to them the sarcastic words of St. Augustine:
'What! Do you adduce sleeping witnesses? Surely, you yourselves
must have been asleep, to have had recourse to such a scheme as
this!' But, as for the Apostles, what motive could they have for
preaching the Resurrection, if it never took place? 'In such a
supposition,' says St. John Chrysostom, 'they would have looked
upon their Master as a false prophet and an imposter: and is it
likely that they would go and defend him against the accusations
of a whole nation? Would they expose themselves to all manner of
suffering for One who had so cruelly deceived them? What was there
to encourage them in such an undertaking? The rewards he had
promised them? But if he had not fulfilled his promise of rising
again, how could they trust to the rest of his promises?' No: we
must either deny every principle of nature and common sense, or we
must acknowledge the testimony of the Apostles to be a true
one." (Dom Gueranger)
"Are you able to point out to us or to show us among all
those magicians who ever existed through all the ages, anyone who
did anything similar, even in the thousandth part, to what Christ
did? But you do you believe these things? Yet, those who beheld
them as they took place, and who saw them done before their very
eyes, the best witnesses and the surest authorities, both believed
them themselves and handed them down to us, their descendants,
with no scanty measure of confirmation, for our belief. 'And who
might these be?' perhaps you will ask. Tribes, peoples, nations -
indeed, that incredulous human race, which, if the matter is
obvious and, as the saying goes, as plain as the day itself, would
never grant the assent of its belief to events of such a kind. But
shall we say that the men of that time were fools, liars,
sluggards and brutes to such a degree that they pretended to have
seen what they never saw? that they published with false testimony
or affirmed with childish assertions things which never happened
at all? and that when they could have lived in harmony with you
and could have established pleasant relationships, they went out
of their way to incur hatred and to be held in contempt? ... Are you
not very much afraid that these things which are so despised by
you and which provide you with material for jesting might after
all be true? And do you not consider at least within yourselves
and among your secret thoughts, the
possibility that because in obstinacy and perversity you refuse
this day to believe, time may later confute you and ceaseless
remorse punish you? Do not even these considerations give you
faith to believe - the fact that in such a brief period of time
the holy influences of this great name have spread through every
land? that already there is no nation of so barbarous a behavior
and so ignorant of civility, that it has not, under the influence
of His love, softened its harshness, and which has not, upon
adopting tranquilly, passed over into peaceful dispositions? that
men endowed with such great talents - orators, grammarians, rhetoricians, lawyers, physicians, and even
those why pry into the secrets of philosophy - eagerly seek these
teachings, despising those in which, only a little earlier, they
had confidence?" (Arnobius of Sicca,
c. 305 A.D.)
|
