Latest / The Uncensored Catholic / Show 147: Christian Hope part 2

Transcript

Show 147: Christian Hope part 2 · The Uncensored Catholic

0:41
The f a Hey, y'all, welcome to today's chef. We'll pick up
1:03
where we left off last time. The questioner, well, I would say,
1:10
asks, but I guess more, posits a statement to the priests,
1:14
and radio replies They say, I am loyal to Christ, not to any
1:18
supposed representative on earth. The priest's answer, No one wants you to be
1:23
loyal to any supposed representative on earth, but loyalty to Christ demands loyalty to
1:29
those commissioned by Him to teach and guide in his name. Test the claims
1:34
before you reject them on prejudice only, and the person says, whilst I
1:40
walk in the spirit, I do not think it necessary to be subject to
1:42
any visible organization. Now, how many people say that today they don't believe
1:47
in any organized religion, even though Jesus founded a church and organized or religion.
1:53
But they answer, you may say that you believe it unnecessary, but
1:59
pay attention to the words of Christ. I have just quoted. He thought
2:01
it necessary, and he has the right to map out the kind of religion
2:06
we are to accept. If Christians had to accept such disciplinary authority in the
2:10
time of the Apostles, they must accept it now, Christianity is Christianity.
2:15
It does not change for the ages. If it did, it would lose
2:17
its character and not remain the religion of Christ, to which religion alone he
2:23
attached his promises. And remember his prediction that his flock would be one fold
2:30
with one shepherd John ten fourteen, you would have sheep, but not gathered
2:34
into one fold, but straying everywhere and anywhere, having no shepherd, and
2:38
having no shepherd with any real authority over them. Person says, I admit
2:45
that the way Catholics are taught by their hierarchy is the most successful policy,
2:49
And they answer, the Catholic method is not merely a method of human policy.
2:53
We accept it because Christ imposed it. Yet the mere fact that Christ's
2:58
alone shows such a method is a guarantee of its wisdom. And the skepticism
3:05
and irreligion which are the fruits of non Catholic systems, are a but further
3:08
tribute to the wisdom of Christ. And as far as the promises of Christ,
3:15
I'm going to run through those again real quick in case you didn't here
3:16
yesterday's show. If you're just picking up on this one. They said,
3:22
However, the explicit steps in establishing an authoritative hierarchy. You're clear Christ chose
3:28
to ordain special men. You have not chosen me, but I have chosen
3:31
you, John fifteen sixteen. He gave them his own mission. As the
3:36
Father has sent me, I also send you John twenty twenty one. The
3:39
commission include his teaching authority. Teach all nations whatsoever I have commanded you.
3:46
That's Matthew twenty eight nineteen. His power to sanctify, baptizing them Matthew twenty
3:53
eight nineteen. Forgiving sins. Who sends you shall forgive they are forgiven.
3:58
That's John three, offering sacrifice. Do this for a commemoration of Me First
4:02
Corinthians eleven twenty four. His legislative or disciplinary power. He who hears you
4:09
hears me, And he who despises you despises me. Luke ten sixteen.
4:15
Whatsoever you shall bind on earth should be bound also in heaven Matthew twenty eight
4:18
eighteen. If a man will not hear the church, let him be to
4:21
thee as a heathen Matthew eighteen seventeen. The apostles certainly exercise these powers.
4:28
At the beginning we read in the Acts of the Apostles they were all preserving
4:31
in the doctrines of the apostles. Saint Paul himself did not hesitate to excommunicate
4:38
the incestuous Corinthian in One Corinthians five to four, and he wrote to the
4:42
Hebrews, obey your prelates and be subject to them Hebrews thirteen seventeen. And
4:48
we'll finish with the question, why do you reserve the hierarchical authority to men?
4:55
Why not give women a chance? Very popular topic in these days,
5:00
isn't it? And they answer nowhere to Christ ever commission women to teach in
5:04
His name and with his authority. Saint Paul explicitly forbids women to attempt to
5:10
exercise such functions in One Timothy two eleven through twelve and One Corinthians fourteen thirty
5:16
four. People who would ordain women in the church seem to believe that they
5:20
know more about Christianity than Saint Paul. All right, and we'll leave it.
5:28
There are the radio replies, and get back into the exhaustive catechism of
5:32
the Catholic Church. And we continue on our theme from yesterday in Christian hope.
5:40
This is part two of Christian Hope. He who hopes in God enjoys
5:45
the special protection of God. Examples may be seen in the Three Children in
5:48
the Furnace, in Joseph and the Egyptian prison, and in Our Blessed Lady
5:54
when Saint Joseph had thoughts of putting her away. Modern history also has its
5:59
examples. When Vienna was besieged by the Turks in sixteen eight three. Those
6:02
were the Muslim Turkish. Two hundred and fifty thousand Turks were invading the city,
6:08
which was defended by a garrison of sixteen thousand Christians, so they're vastly
6:13
outnumbered. This is one of the great moments of Christian history. By the
6:15
way, again and again were the enemy repults, though the ramparts have been
6:19
undermined and blown up. Yet as the case of the Christians became more desperate,
6:25
so increased their trust in God. And at the last extremity there appeared
6:30
Sobieski's force, an army of some ninety thousand men. The battle lasted but
6:34
a day, and the Turks were put to complete route. God protects those
6:39
who hope in Him Daniel thirteen sixty. A Christian whose hope is in God
6:44
may be oppressed, but he cannot be overcome. Says Saint Cyprian. Such
6:47
a one, add Saint Francis de sel is like a general backed by strong
6:53
reserve. They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion. That's
6:57
in Psalms. If a man puts his entire confidence in God, God takes
7:01
him under his special protection, and he may be certain that no harm will
7:05
come to him, As according to Saint Vincent de Paul. The greater our
7:10
confidence in God, the more certainly He will protect us and come to our
7:14
help in all dangers. Again, Saint Francis is Sell. No one hath
7:17
hoped in the Lord and have and been confounded. That's from Ecclesiasts Ses Ecclesiasticus.
7:25
However you want to pronounce it, spell it, I guess, or
7:28
two of its spellings two eleven. We will not have you as heathens that
7:32
have no hope. For Thessalonians four twelve, he who hopes in God contain
7:39
everything from him. For Christ said that such a one might move mountains.
7:43
Mark eleven twenty three. Saint Gregory, this is a name I have trouble
7:47
with. H it's th h a U m A t u r g u
7:54
s thalma turgus. I guess did literally move a mountain. Such was the
7:59
confident of Moses when he divided the Red Sea with his staff, and of
8:03
Elias when he prayed for rain. Hope is an arrow which pierces the heart
8:07
of Christ and opens the founts of his mercy to the soul that hopes in
8:09
him. A man gets just as much as he hopes for, said Saint
8:13
John of the Cross. He who hopes in God is strengthened by God,
8:18
so that he is not afraid of man, and is patient and courageous in
8:22
suffering, and more especially in the face of death. We have examples of
8:26
David before Goliath, and Leo before Attila. Saint Martin was once attacked by
8:30
robbers who threatened his life. When they ask him why he did not fear,
8:33
he made a reply, I am a Christian, and under God's protection,
8:37
I have no need to fear. And on the contrary, it is
8:39
youh ought to be afraid. The man whose trust is in God troubles himself
8:43
a little about the favors of the great or the sayings of his fellow men.
8:48
Such was Saint Paul's attitude in on Corinthians four to three. He who
8:52
puts trust in God will be patient and suffering, for he knows that the
8:56
sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that should
9:00
be revealed to us Romans eight eighteen. Job was patient in the midst of
9:05
his sufferings because he looked forward the resurrection Job nineteen twenty five. How can
9:09
he be unhappy who looks to the unspeakable reward of heaven? Saint Paul causes
9:16
amid Saint Paul calls to us amid his sufferings, I ecceed aboundingly with joy
9:22
and all tribulation Second Corinthians seven four. To die is gain, having a
9:26
desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ Philippians through twenty three and again
9:33
as to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice,
9:35
which is the Lord, which the Lord the Just will render me to.
9:39
The well remembered her to me in that day two Timothy four to eight.
9:43
So joyful was the death of Saint Andrew in sixty two A d that
9:48
when he saw the cross on which he was to die, he exclaimed,
9:52
Hail, blessed cross, sanctified by the death of my God, with transports
9:56
of joy I come to you, how long I have sought you, and
9:58
how long I have desired to you. Saint Ignatius, one of seven AD
10:03
Bishop of Antioch, rejoiced when he heard his condemnation from the mouth of the
10:07
Emperor Trojan, And when the Christians in Rome were planning to set him free,
10:11
he prayed them not to deprive him of his martyr's crown. He said,
10:16
I fear neither the beasts nor the rending of my limbs, if only
10:20
I can win Christ. And so we find innumerable instances in the lives of
10:24
the saints. Hope is the anchor of the soul Hebrews six p. Nineteen,
10:28
Like an eagle soaring into the light of the sun. It rises above
10:31
the cares and sorrows of the earth. He who hopes in God is impelled
10:37
to the performance of good works and history and heroic acts. Heroic acts.
10:43
This is the secret of the zeal of missionaries in the land of the Heathen.
10:46
The hope of the Christian is something more solid than that of the husbandman,
10:50
or the warrior, or the artists. He hopes for that which Truth
10:54
itself has promised, said Saint Paulinus. Our hope is as certain as though
10:58
it were already and accomplished. According to Saint Augustine and beginning on part three
11:03
now, the object of hope is Christian love. The Christian may not hope
11:07
for more or less than what God has promised. The Christian may not rely
11:11
on his own powers, on his fellow men, nor on earthly things more
11:16
than upon God. Otherwise he is sure to fail, because outside of God
11:18
nothing is to be relied upon. The hope of him who relies on earthly
11:24
means is not a heavenly nor Christian hope, but a mere human hope.
11:28
Saint Peter boasted of his strength, and yet he denied that his lord Goliath
11:31
trusted in his might, and he came to naught. Saint Francis Borgia gave
11:35
all his service to his patron, the Empress Isabella. She died, and
11:39
then he recognized the folly of it. It is better to trust in the
11:43
Lord than to trust in men. It's a quote from Psalms. To build
11:48
on the favor of men is to raise one's house on sand or snow.
11:52
Those who put their trust in men will perish, like the priests of Baal
11:56
on Mount Carmel. Period to pronounce ball by the way, but it's be
12:03
Al and I've heard people will else scape Baal and I am now confused on
12:09
how to pronounce the name of that demon. But that's okay, because I
12:11
don't guess I really need to a whole lot anyway. That's from Third Kings
12:16
of eighteen. He who relies on his own strength and not upon God has
12:24
only himself for a protector. God will not protect him because he does not
12:28
hope in his protection, says Saint Augustine. The Christian may not despair.
12:33
I he may not give up hoping that God will forgive his sins or help
12:37
him in adversity. Came to spaired when he said my sin is too great
12:41
to be forgiven. That's Genesis four thirteen. Saul despaired by throwing himself on
12:46
his sword when hard pressed by in battle by the Philistines. First Kings thirty
12:52
one. The Christian may not despair because God's mercy is infinite and God's help
12:56
is nearest when the need is great. Before sinning, fear God's justice,
13:01
said Saint Gregory the Great. After sinning trust in his mercy, who would
13:05
doubt of being able to pay off his paltry debts. If he replaced before
13:09
kingly treasures and told to help himself, much less should we doubt in God's
13:13
mercy. A spark is to the ocean, as a spark is to the
13:16
ocean. So is the wickedness of man compared to the mercy of God,
13:20
says Saint John Christostom. The greater a sinner is, the dearer he is
13:26
to God in his repentance, for more glory is given to God when the
13:30
sins that he forgives are very great. Despair often is in suicide and everlasting
13:35
death. Judas is an example of this. Despair is a sin against the
13:39
Holy Ghost that and as such, is never forgiven. That's very important,
13:43
very very important to understand. Despair giving up believing God's not going to help
13:50
you or forgive your sins. It's actually the unforgivable and unforgivable sin against the
13:56
Holy Spirit because it's precluding you from the grace of God. Just as you
14:01
know, the Jews that accused Jesus of performing miracles through the powers of demons
14:07
had closed themselves off to the grace of God, of seeing His power and
14:13
majesty. You do the same thing if you despair and I mean, we
14:16
all do it, and that's one of the main reasons we have to go
14:18
to confession. It's easy to give up hope. It's very human to give
14:22
up hope, and especially if you're prone to depression and such. But God
14:28
does understand, and that's why we have access to reconciliation. So always remember
14:33
that, Always remember that, don't ever give up, even it's just the
14:39
last flicker of hope. That's all that's necessary. God can do set huge
14:45
fires with one little spark of hope that's left. Hope, says Saint Isidoor
14:52
opens Heaven's gates, while despair closes them. Saint Augustine said that he who
14:58
despairs of God's mercy dishonort as though he did not believe in his existence,
15:03
and Saint Jerome adds that the sin of Judas into spairing of God's mercy was
15:09
greater than his sin in betraying Christ. He who sins kills his soul,
15:13
but he who despairs is already in hell. The Christian must never presume on
15:18
his trust in God's mercy, i e. He may not continue sinning with
15:24
the idea that God's mercy can never condemn him to hell. We discussed that
15:26
before. That's the sin of presumption, also a sin against the Holy Spirit.
15:31
And that's the problem with the Protestant doctrine of what saved always saved.
15:37
Martin Luther said, go sin boldly, commit adultery a thousand times a day,
15:41
I mean, and you'd be fine. You know. Yeah, Catholics
15:45
don't teach that, and it's not biblical. We believe that is horrible presumption
15:50
and actually a grave, mortal sin. Confidence in God and fear of God
15:56
must ever be equally present in us. It is wrong that there should be
16:00
only fear of God without trusting him, for this is despair. It is
16:04
also wrong that there should be no fear at all. If a man thinks
16:08
his salvation already secure, he sends by presumption despite not God's merci, says
16:15
Saint Bernard. If you would escape his justice, Christ says, unless you
16:18
shall do penance, you shall all likewise perish Luke thirteen three. No man
16:26
may safely say to himself, I can always do penance for this sin,
16:30
or I will reform before my death. Always remember you never know when death
16:33
is going to come. The Christian may never tempt God. I e.
16:38
He must never expose himself rashly to danger in the hope that God will save
16:44
him. This is also an important point. While though the martyrs went to
16:48
their deaths willingly, they did not cause their own death. They did not
16:55
purposely place themselves in danger. That's also a sin unavoidable given their station in
17:02
life, even when given the option of you know, like I think Polycarp,
17:07
he was so old, you know, I guess the Romans hesitated to
17:12
feed him to the lions, and they said, you know, you're an
17:17
old man, Just you know, do this basic, Just pretend to honor
17:22
the emperor and we'll let you go. And he said, no, he
17:26
couldn't do it. It would be such a bad example, just like in
17:29
the book of Maccabees. I cannot remember the name of the devout Jew,
17:32
and also an old man who allowed himself to be martyred rather than to give
17:37
a bad example to the younger Jews, just like Polycarp to the younger Christians.
17:45
But he did not choose his fate. It was still He just was
17:49
given an untenable choice to try to escape it. He can only hope for
17:55
help who does what God requires of him, He who is indifferent to God's
17:59
will. An acts with thoughtless rashness is deserted by God. Hence he that
18:04
loves danger shall perish in it. Ecclesiastes three twenty seven. The devil or
18:11
urged our Lord to tempt God by throwing himself from the pinnacle of the temple
18:15
Matthew four six. So a man should refuse. So a man who should
18:19
refuse to call in a doctor or to take medication in a danger of sickness
18:23
on the plea that God would come to his help, would be tempting God.
18:26
You know, Christian scientists and such who refuse all medical care believing prayer
18:30
would take care of everything. Those who in the first ages of Christianity exposed
18:34
themselves without reasonable cause to martyrdom were not accounted martyrs even when they died for
18:40
the faith. And it's yeah, very very interesting. And you know,
18:47
the Church, actually, I think we'll get into this later in the book,
18:52
used to be far more outspoken on this topic. You know, you
18:56
had your duty, and if your duty puts you in danger, that was
18:59
fine. But as you know, the Church absolutely forbids bullfighting, saying that
19:06
it's putting one's life in danger. Unnecessarily and it's cruel, which it is
19:10
to the animals. But the running with the bulls is forbidden. Did you
19:15
know the church, I don't believe this teaching has changed forbid skydiving. Yeah,
19:25
skydiving or like dangerous types of mountain climbing, things that unnecessarily put your
19:32
life in danger just for the sake of adventure or thrill are actually forbidden by
19:37
the Church. They were at least in the nineteen fifties. That was the
19:45
book I was reading that was detailing that. And I believe Father Sparago will
19:48
get really into like the bullfighting and dueling. That's another thing the Church forbids
19:52
is dueling. But that reckless disregard for your life is considered an insult to
19:59
God. You know, you made his image or his temple. What's up
20:02
to him? You know when you die? And would putting yourself in unnecessary
20:07
danger is actually forbidden? And I don't think many people know that these days.
20:12
There are probably a whole lot of thrill seeking Catholics out there that are
20:18
unaware that what they're doing is actually forbidden by the Church. So, I
20:22
mean it makes sense, it makes sense, just the same as would be
20:29
you know, cutting yourself. You know, those people would have emotional health
20:34
issues that cut themselves. That's forbidden by the church. Well, obviously,
20:41
drinking so much alcohol you poison yourself, taking drugs that are damaging to your
20:47
body and your mind, all those are forbidden by the church, and they
20:49
don't really talk about that a whole lot anymore. But yeah, it's something,
20:56
it's part of the dignity of the human being. It's you know,
21:00
it falls under the mortal sin of thou should not kill Thou should also not
21:04
kill them yourself, whether through suicide or recklessness. Drunk driving is a mortal
21:12
sin. You're endangering your own life and that of another person. These are
21:17
things that really aren't talked about much anymore. Maybe pre just kind of take
21:22
it for granted, But we live in a culture now where that can no
21:25
longer be taken for granted. We live in a really screwed up culture,
21:30
really screwed up culture, and suicide at the highest level it's ever been.
21:33
So I think it is really important that we go back to these foundational principles,
21:40
and I think it's one of the one of the reason Father Sparago's book,
21:42
written in the eighteen eighties is so valuable to us today. So anyway,
21:48
y'all, I'm going to wrap it up there. I hope you have
21:49
a wonderful evening, and I may have time to do another podcast tomorrow,
21:55
you know, depending on circumstances. If so, i'll talk to you tomorrow,
21:57
and if not, it'll probably be next week. But we're up to
22:02
what about one hundred and fifty episodes of the podcast now, so you got
22:07
a plenty, plenty, plenty of it to listen to. On days when
22:11
I don't do one, go back to the archives. But I do be
22:14
sure to share it with friends and family. I mean, you never know,
22:17
like the Father Sprague's message about despair or you know, in suicide and
22:22
reckless behavior and such, how that might help someone like you know, hope,
22:27
one little flicker of hope. That's all that's necessary. And in the
22:32
words of Saint Padre Pio, pray, hope and don't worry, and I'll
22:34
talk to you next time.