Friday May 15 readings

This is part of the Acts story read today, a letter sent by the apostles with the news that Christians are not required t adhere to the mosaic law:

"The Apostles and the presbyters, your brothers,
to the brothers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia
of Gentile origin: greetings.
Since we have heard that some of our number
who went out without any mandate from us
have upset you with their teachings
and disturbed your peace of mind,
we have with one accord decided to choose representatives
and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

And the gospel:

Jn 15:12-17

Jesus said to his disciples:
"This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one's life for one's friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another."

My comment is on the first reading, particularly this section: "we have heard that some of our number who went out without any mandate from us have upset you with their teachings and disturbed your peace of mind, we have with one accord decided to choose representatives and to send them to you."

It's amazing how quickly the church experiences heresy, how the heresy comes from those without a mandate from the apostles, how the heresy disturbs the peace of mind, and how the apostles rectify the problem by choosing representatives to clarify the official church teachings. All of these moves are typically described as being much later, even post-Constantine, but they're all right there in the first generation.

Joe, that's funny, before I read your comments, that is what popped into my head.

The word and concept of heresey actually comes from the Jews. There were constantly groups that practiced their own interpretation of Judaism. Typically how the Saudees and Pharisees dealt with it was to invite the upstart group into the fold, as if there new interpretation were perfectly acceptable. Once the group was in control of the heiracy, the Saudees and Pharisees would slowly egsponge (sp) the new practices.

The Enccenes were such a group and they were militant. They were seeking to reform the corrupt practices of the Suadees and Pharisees. John the Baptist was a member.

This is how Christianity was (largely) grounded out in Jeruselem.

What I find interesting is Early Christianity had to find that balance between maintaining its core identity while still allowing for the inclusion of local customs and flavor.

that is a terrific insight, that problem of seeking the "balance between maintaining its core identity while still allowing for the inclusion of local customs and flavor." I wouldn't have put those two together, but absolutely, that's a very fine line. And that captures a bit of the paradox of how it is I love the church: on the one hand, I love that it is inclusive and converts yule trees to Christmas trees and pagan fertility rodents to Easter bunnies, etc. On the other, I love the way it expresses clearly and reasonably its definitions of orthodoxy in no uncertain terms. So at once it's both fluid and rigid, inclusive and exclusive.

Conversely, sometimes we're attacked for being too inclusive, a la "half of what you guys worship is just warmed over paganism," and sometimes we're attacked for being too exclusive, a la "you all think you have the answers and won't take in what other people believe or think." As it turns out, we take in what we can while maintaining the truth as we know it.

I'll keep the cheer going.

I now have an appreciation of how the Catholic Church serves to keep the rest of Christianity grounded. In the modern sense (with regard to Catholic Doctrine) heresy is defined as claiming something to be Catholic Doctirne when it isn't. In the good old days, when the Catholic Church had more of a monopoly on Chrisitanity, heresy included any claim of something to be Christian that was contrary to Catholic Doctirne.

Today, one can claim anything to be Christian without fear of being labled a heretic so long as you aren't claiming to represent Catholic Doctrine.

So there are what?, 1,800 different "Christian" sects, that keep spinning of one another when somebody is digruntled or looking to make a living.

If it weren't for the Magistrum of the Catholic Church I doubt anybody would remember what Christianity was meant to be.

I don't care for the abuse of authority, it should always be checked, but, I do apreciate that it safe guards the original Faith.