Being perfect is not a prerequisite of accomplishment

The church has traditionally observed June 29 as the Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul; both believed to have been martyred on the same day in 67 CE. Peter was crucified while Paul, being a Roman citizen, was slain by a sword.

The two are the best-known and revered by the church, and for good reasons. It is known too, that the two did not quite get along at first. Individually too, they have a lot against them. Paul – when he was Saul – was the greatest enemy of the first Christians.

Peter was the only disciple to have pulled Jesus aside and rebuke Him (Mt. 16: 22). He resorted to violence when Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mk. 14:47) and later in the High Priest’s courtyard, he three times denied knowing Jesus (Lk. 22:54 –62).

How is it possible that the universal church, as it stands today, began with the ministry of these two ordinary and even imperfect individuals – one to the Jews and the other to the Gentiles?

There are some people in Cincinnati who think poverty and homelessness are problems beyond their ability. May be there are some family issues that someone considers far too complex to deal with.

Many people think they are not qualified; or they have too many weaknesses, or even that they are imperfect. What can be learned on this Feast of Saints Peter and Paul is that one does not have to be perfect to accomplish great deeds. Willingness to be of service is all that matters.

Emperor Justinian's lasting legacy to Christianity

Previous articles have looked at the Christological discussions and developments that dominated the early church and especially the first 500 years of Christianity. Emperor Justinian who died on November 14, 565 is considered one of the most important rulers of Late Antiquity, with crucial influence in Christianity, even to this day. He won major military victories which also facilitated the spread of Christianity. Christian history sees Pax Romana as a divine instrument.

Well educated in Roman history, theology and law, Justinian became a promoter of Orthodoxy. In 529 he put the Academy in Athens under state control. Famous for having being founded by Plato, the academy was the training school for Hellenism – the intellectual form of paganism that dominated the Greco-Roman world.

He banned the worship of Ammon in Libya and Isis in Egypt. He legally proclaimed the belief in the Trinity and Incarnation. Furthermore, he gave the four Ecumenical Councils legal status and convened the Fifth Ecumenical Council in 553. In all his endeavors, he tried, unsuccessfully, unfortunately, to unite the Chalcedonian and the non-Chalcedonian Christians.

Under Justinian's direction, 90 new churches were built, the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople and St. Catherine monastery in Sinai, among the most magnificent. He also promoted education for the clergy and monks, emphasizing rhetoric, theology and philosophy.

Perhaps the greatest achievement of Justinian is the Corpus Juris Civilis which includes the basis of canon law, or ecclesia vivit lege romana (the church lives under Roman law).

There is no doubt that Justinian saw himself as a new Constantine. His vision was of a Christian empire, united religiously, politically and economically, and under one Christian Emperor.

The modern world obviously reeks at any idea of a state and religion united – and for good reasons – but Justinian's time was different from today.

How are they to hear without someone to proclaim the message?

The exact biblical verse reads: “But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him?” (Rom.10: 14).

The puzzle applies equally to the poor and homeless in their predicament and society’s desire to see them win over their circumstances.

Cincinnati’s City Gospel Mission emphasizes a relational approach in helping the afflicted out of misery. There is a false notion in every society that the poor can simply shake off their poverty if they so choose and if they don’t it is their fault.

Think of Saint Irenaeus who is commemorated today, June 28.

He served the Lord for 80 years, the latter part of his life as the second Bishop of Lyons where he vigorously combated Gnosticism and other “heresies”, transforming the province into a dynamic, thriving, Christian community. (It is like combating societal systems in Over the Rhine, today).

Irenaeus shepherded his flock with his life as a model. He too was a protégé of another Christian saint, Polycarp, most remembered by his response to the proconsul before his execution: “Eighty and six years have I served him, and he never once wronged me; how then shall I blaspheme my King, who has saved me?”

How did Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, become the person revered to this day? He was a protégé of Saint John the Apostle.

Without the Apostle John, there would have been no Polycarp, without who there would not have been a day of remembrance for Irenaeus.

This is the model that City Gospel Mission and its volunteers emulate to help change lives and transform the Over the Rhine community.

Remembering William Tyndale

During his visit to his homeland last week, Pope Benedict XVI visited the Augustinian Priory at Erfut where Martin Luther resided as a priest and monk, and today is an ecumenical center. There had been some high expectations that his visit there would advance ecumenism and unity within the church body.

He dashed those hopes when he emphasized that there would be no unity without recognition of the supremacy of the bishop of Rome (the pope). It sounds like the pre-Vatican II position of "no salvation outside the (Roman Catholic) church".

On October 6, 1536, William Tyndale, an English reformer was strangled to death after being hunted down around Europe. As if that was not death enough, his body was burned at the stake! His crime? Translating and publishing the New Testament in English, in defiance of the church.

Last Friday, September 30, was a remembrance for St.Jerome who died on September 30, 420 in Bethlehem where he translated the bible into Latin - the Vulgate. Unlike Tyndale, he was canonized.

Because of reformers like Tyndale and Martin Luther who defied the ordinances of one man, today the bible is the all-time best seller and is found in millions of homes, in hotel suites, hospitals and many public places.

After these many years, one wonders: Does the church ever learn from its mistakes?

A few years ago, some nuns in the U.S. publicly voiced opinions about the role of women in the church. In response, the Vatican initiated an Apostolic Investigation of the Women Religious. The aim? Silence and compliance of all the faithful outside the hierarchy.

The church, and religion in general, have borne the blame for grievous errors made by hierarchies "on behalf of the faithful" but without the latter's input. And in some measure the faithful have been complicit.

Perhaps, remembering William Tyndale will inspire courageous men and women to question church hierarchies for the good and health of the church body.

Spirituality transcends all forms of boundaries

During the cold war when the east was separated from the west ideologically and even physically too, the World Council of Churches provided a forum of dialogue between the two sides. This was possible because spirituality binds all creation into one.

Even before the cold war and the establishment of the World Council of Churches on August 23, 1948, its predecessor bodies - the International Missionary Council, the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs, and the Ecumenical Institute - were involved internationally, in social ministries, relief services for refugees, migrants and the poor.

The World Council of Churches is a "fellowship of churches which accept our Lord Jesus Christ as God and Savior". That is what binds the 349 member mostly Protestant and Orthodox churches together. The bond gives them strength to transcend boundaries they would not overcome alone.

There are certainly some differences on doctrinal matters involving theology, sacraments, ordinances, ministry and so forth. Nevertheless, the member churches are one in proclaiming the lordship of Jesus Christ.

That is the singleness of mind that goes beyond differences in the individual members. In Romans 12:16 Paul urges his audience to be of one mind in their endeavors. There is no better advice for the people of Cincinnati in the task of creating a better community for everyone.

Whether it is Agenda 360, Vision 2015, or Appreciative Inquiry systems thinking and design, they are all expressions of the common endeavor. The spiritual passion that comes into these tasks is a force that can move mountains

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St. Benedict's influence of Western Christianity is still significant today

It is for good reasons that the Middle Ages are also known as the "Benedictine centuries". The final years of the Dark Ages and the emergence of the Middle Ages were depressing following the fall of the Roman Empire. Military incursions were rampant and people were burdened - physically, materially and spiritually - by wars. It was a time of moral decline and schism in the church.

St. Benedict's hermitic and monastic life was not an attempt to withdraw from the world around him. On the contrary, he desired a life away from the busy city while connecting with the community around. Indeed, the shift from hermitic to community life is one of the greatest contributions of St. Benedict.

The Rule of St. Benedict, with its emphasis on how to live a Christocentric life is a spiritual model for every Christian. Its emphasis on obedience and humility is not only a Christian virtue, but is also the requirement for Jesus' followers.

St. Paul reminds believers that they are called "to the obedience that comes from faith" (Rom. 1: 5) and that "obedience leads to righteousness" (Rom. 6: 16).

On this day of St. Benedict, there is much that the Christian community in Cincinnati can reflect on, cherish and even advance to an even higher level.

First, there is the sense of community for which Cincinnati is exemplary. Indeed, this transcends the Christian community and includes the Jewish, Asian and business communities. The second is the model of moderation and charity, in spirit and in action, which is also a Cincinnati asset. 

From these models it is possible to begin seeing every aspect of work as God's work - Opus Dei - as St. Benedict did.

The socio-political climate today is reminiscent of St. Benedict's days. Nevertheless, there is no reason for despair. There are guides and models for communities to sustain hope and purpose.

The development of Christology and ecumenical councils

It was pointed out in the last article that the Apostles Creed and the more detailed Nicene and Athanasian Creeds were statements of faith intended to respond to issues of Christology in the Early Church. Those issues prompted the convention of the councils.

Four ecumenical councils were convened in the first 500 years of the Christian era – all of them actually in the latter half.

Arianism, the doctrine propounded by Arius, was possibly the biggest challenge. The doctrine denied the divine nature of Christ. Instead it taught that Jesus was the highest created being, reminiscent of “John the Baptist…Elijah…Jeremiah, or one of the prophets” (Mt. 16:14).

The Council of Nicaea was convened in 325 and endorsed a doctrine of Christology that countered Arianism and promulgated the Nicene Creed. In 381 the First Council of Constantinople was convened and affirmed the doctrine of the Council of Nicaea.

There followed the Council of Ephesus in 431, which reaffirmed the teachings of the preceding councils. The fourth and last ecumenical council (according to Lutheran and Anglican tradition) was the Council of Chalcedon (October 8 to November 1, 451.

In addition to Arianism, there was also the Monophysite theology, which rejected Jesus’ human nature. Today this is the theology of Coptic and Syrian Christians. There was, too, Docetism, which taught that Jesus’ humanity was only apparent, like a phantom, but not real. Even his crucifixion and death were staged but not real.

In the second century Ignatius of Antioch was in the front line in opposing Docetism and Gnosticism in general.

You have probably come across some groups that hold doctrines resembling the above. Indeed, orthodoxy itself faces challenges as “free thinking” questions the legitimacy of “orthodoxy”. Yet, the challenges go back to the very beginning of Christianity

The Holy Week brings Christians together more than generally realized.

Greater Cincinnati's landscape is dotted with churches. In old neighborhoods like Over the Rhine, Walnut Hills or Price Hill church spires soar high into the sky. The first European immigrants who brought European Christianity to the new lands built some, if not most, of these churches.

On the other extreme are some newer churches that adhere to various doctrines ranging from non-denominational to Pentecostal and everything in between. On many street corners are some small church buildings that were once liquor stores or bars. One major intersection in Florence - US 42 and Main Street - has four or five churches around it.

There is something quite inspirational in this entire quest for spiritual experience.

The significance of the Holy Week for every Christian of any creed and doctrine is the Resurrection of Christ, which took place "on the first day of the week" (Matt.28:1; Mk.16:2; Lk.24:1; John 20:1). The first day of the week, or Yom rishon in Hebrew, is Sunday. The Gospels give an account of Jesus suffering, or passion, leading to the Crucifixion in that final week.

This is the motif of the Holy Week and no Christian disputes that. It is the basis of every Christian's hope and without it there would be no Christianity. It is what binds Christians together.

Yet, during this Holy Week too much controversy among some Christians, supported by Atheists and non-believers, takes precedence regarding the origins and background of Easter to the point of diluting the central motif. It has often been remarked that some within the Christian fold seek to be identified by what they disagree with.

We should note too that Christianity was not meant to remain in Galilee or Jerusalem. It is a transforming power and in its spread it has transformed cultures, customs and people for a better relationship with God.

Let us join together in celebrating the gift of salvation, which is commemorated in the Holy Week.

The quest for Christology

It is common practice in most churches of Western Christianity – particularly, Roman Catholic, Lutheran and Episcopal – to confess the Nicene or Apostles Creed during worship services – typically before beginning the liturgy for Holy Communion. On some occasions too, the Athanasian Creed may be recited.

St. Paul wrote as follows to the church in Rome: “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9). Nevertheless, the Early Church formulated the creeds in response to issues related to Christology and not necessarily Paul’s teaching.

It was at Banias, or Caesarea Philippi, that Jesus asked his disciples, a) “what do people say the Son of Man is” and b) “what do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16: 13 –15).

For Christians, Jesus is not just a good and gifted person who performed miracles, healed and raised people from the dead, a kind of “John the Baptist…Elijah…Jeremiah, or one of the prophets” (Mtt.16: 14). The question of the person of Jesus Christ has been at the center of conflicting Christology’s, between “orthodoxy” and “heresy” (which is which depended on the winner).

The version of the Apostles Creed confessed in churches today first appeared intact in Latin in St. Pirminius De singulis libris canonicis scarapsus (Concerning the single canonical book Scarapsus). It was written between 710 and 724 by the monk Pirmin who used it for instruction to newly baptized believers.

The Apostles Creed has remained the statement of faith for Western Christianity, its Christology defining who is true or quasi Christian. However, 400 years before St. Pirminius Latin text of the creed appeared, the Council of Nicaea had formulated the Nicene Creed in 325

Similarity is not an attribute of the church

On January 25, the church commemorates the Conversion of St. Paul.

In his defense before King Agrippa in Acts 26 Paul recounts his earlier life in Judaism. “According to the strictest sect of my religion, I lived as a Pharisee” (Acts 26:5). Writing to the church in Galatia, he noted: “I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers” (Gal.1:14).

That was Paul before that miracle on the way to Damascus. Not only was he a staunch advocate and strict observer of orthodoxy, he also expected everyone to be like him. He firmly believed that those who were not like him deserved death.

From his testimony, letters and many other accounts, there is no doubt that Paul was very well educated; he was a brilliant mind and could articulate ideas, and he was an excellent debater.

By contrast, Peter, whose one of the many commemorations was exactly a week ago on January 18, was an ordinary mind – may be even less than ordinary! He is best known for denying Jesus not long after declaring he would die with him. He tried to walk on water after Jesus but lacked the courage and confidence for it. He wanted to remain on top of Mount Tabor (The Mount of Transfiguration) surrounded by glory rather than going down the mountain to the daily call of discipleship.

These two giants of the church – and hence the commemorations – are a lesson into the journey of the church here on earth. That God could use such different – even opposite – figures to advance the Kingdom of Heaven ought to be a humbling lesson to the church today.

What did the Council of Trent achieve?

While supporters of the Protestant Reformation might have felt that the Council of Trent lost a unique opportunity for reconciliation – after all it dragged on for 18 years! - those on the opposite side may have achieved their purpose.

First, the council became, indeed, Counter-Reformation. Before its convention, in 1540, Pope Paul III recognized a new religious order of intellectuals – the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits, - whose objective was to counter the claims of the Reformation. In 1541 it appeared as though reconciliation was possible when the Diet of Regensberg produced a statement of agreement on the issue of justification.

The Catholic side was represented by Cardinal Contarini and on the Protestant side were Martin Bucer, Philip Melanchton and John Calvin. The agreement did not go far beyond the Diet of Regensberg. It was repudiated and even Cardinal Contarini accused of heresy.

Indeed, all the demands by the Protestants for sola scriptura, solus Christus, sola fide – meaning the authority of scripture alone, Christ only, by faith only – were rejected by the end of the first session (1545 -1547). Not only that, but the doctrine of magisterium – interpretation of scripture by the church only – was proclaimed.

Clearly these were measures to respond to the Protestant Reformation, and to do so by reaffirming even more strongly what the reformers questioned. At the end of the third session (1562 -1563) the hardline position was sealed with the proclamation of the pope as Vicar of Christ.

Thus supreme authority in the church would reside not in councils but in the papacy, contrary to the expectations of some of those who pushed for the Council in the first place.

This is an example of what needs to be juxtaposed with the “phantom heresy” of Americanism in the coming piece.

The Lenten journey with Church Fathers

In this season of Lent, we can also draw inspiration from some of the Church Fathers whose lives, persecution and even martyrdom serve as a model for Jesus' followers. The Gospel Reading for this Sunday, The First Sunday in Lent, shows Jesus being driven by the Spirit “out into the wilderness” where he was tempted by Satan for forty days. (Forty days could be figurative for a period very much longer).

One such Church Father is Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna – modern Izmir, in Turkey – who is believed to have been martyred on February 23, 156 at the age of 86. He was, in addition, a disciple of John the Apostle and a prominent leader of the churches of Asia Minor.

Furthermore, he wrote many letters, the best known and preserved being his Letter to the Philippians. In it he wrote: “For neither I, nor any other such one, can come up to the wisdom of the blessed and glorified Paul. He, when among you, accurately and steadfastly taught the word of truth in the presence of those who were then alive. And when absent from you, he wrote you a letter,...”

In Chapter IV of his letter, a section of various exhortations, he reminds us of our mortality – one of the themes of Ash Wednesday. He wrote: “Knowing, therefore, that as we brought nothing into the world, so we can carry nothing out, let us arm ourselves with the armour of righteousness...”

In Chapter VII he has words that strike a chord with Lent: “Let us return to the word which has been handed down to us from the beginning; watching unto prayer, and persevering in fasting; beseeching in our supplications the all-seeing God not to lead us into temptation, as the Lord has said: “The spirit is truly willing, but the flesh is weak”.

What would you like your vision to be?

On February 24, 1208 – as we entered into the second day of Lent – St. Francis of Assisi experienced a vision – one of several – in the Church of Portunicula in Italy. Often, many believers associate visions with Paul's (Saul) encounter with the Resurrected Jesus on the Road to Damascus (Acts 9). Sometimes too, visions are reminiscent of Moses and the burning bush on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 3).

The truth is: We encounter God in different forms of visions all the time. Often we may not recognize them or we are simply not looking for them.

In any case, St. Francis had a vision on this day, which convinced him – yes, he recognized it as a special message. It convinced him to begin preaching repentance, singing, helping and caring for the poor and lepers, the most vulnerable.

Christians can certainly share the same vision during this Lenten season.

One picture of St. Francis, familiar with Christians and non-Christians alike is his preaching to birds! And when you think of the First Reading for this coming Sunday, the First Sunday in Lent, God establishes a covenant with Noah and his descendants. He says, “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you...” (Genesis 9:8 -17).

It is God's covenant with all creation, initiated and created by God according to His mercy and grace.

Thinking of Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, and St. Francis of Assisi, what visions are you having for Cincinnati or your community wherever it may be, and for your life in this Season of Lent?