Homily: Vigil of Pentecost

Readings: Joel 3:1-5; Ps 104; Rom 8:22-27; John 7:37-39

Some years ago, back at the turn of the millennium, I watched a news show in which the host asked a historian to name the most important person in human history. I don’t remember the historian’s name, but he made a point of calling himself an agnostic. And then he said something very interesting.

"As an historian," he said, "I’d have to say that the most influential person in human history was Jesus Christ. The problem is, I can't understand how he came to be so influential. He really was a nobody, tucked away in a little corner of the world. He didn't write anything. He didn't go anywhere or do anything very important. He was executed for treason. And his followers? Just a handful of simple peasants. He should have been forgotten in a matter of days or weeks. It's truly inexplicable. But, that's history."

Yes, Mr. Historian, that is history. And this history, viewed from the perspective of the Church's teachings, becomes very explainable. You see, the three most influential events in the history of humanity all centered on the person of Jesus Christ, events that took place within eight weeks of each other. Another thing they have in common: they were actions, taken not by men, but by God Himself.

These events are true history — perhaps we should say, His Story — the story of the Creator of all things doing the most remarkable things in an almost unbelievable, inexplicable way. It’s the story of a loving Father sending His Son to suffer and die at the hands of those He created, as a perfect offering for their sins.

Our historian was at least partially right: Jesus Christ is inexplicable, until we plumb the depths of God's Love for us. And His Story doesn't end with the first event on the cross at Calvary. If it had, our historian's instincts would have been correct and Jesus would have been a mere footnote.

The Father wasn’t content to let it end there. He wanted us to know, to accept the truth. And so, three days later, the 2nd event occurs. Jesus rises from the dead, to prove His Divinity, and to give a foretaste of what lies in wait for those who love Him and keep His commandments. But even the Resurrection is insufficient, for the Father wants His Truth, and the knowledge of His infinite Love, to spread to the ends of the earth. He sacrificed His Son, not for a handful of followers, not for the Jewish people, His Chosen Ones, who for centuries preserved His Law, even if they didn’t always follow it too closely. No, this act of redemption was for all of humanity, for every person is a child of God.

Today we celebrate this third event, a relatively brief event in the history of salvation, but an event of such impact that it permanently and profoundly altered the very history of the world. For what took place in Jerusalem on that Sunday morning almost 2,000 years ago is God's lasting gift to His children. He had sent His Son to suffer and die as a redemptive sacrifice, to free us from the slavery of sin and death and to give us the hope of eternal life. Now He sends His Holy Spirit, the giver of life, the personification of the Divine Love between Father and Son.

And what power the Spirit has! Suddenly, 120 men and women, this fearful little band of followers, are transformed. If someone’s never been afraid – really afraid, afraid that he might suffer a violent death any moment -- the kind of fear that those who’ve survived combat know all too well – then he probably doesn’t know how the disciples felt that day. They had seen what happened to Jesus, and they feared it might well happen to them.

But as they gathered in prayer around our Blessed Mother in the upper room, the mighty breath of God and the fire of the Spirit’s presence engulfed them and they were changed forever. The Holy Spirit manifested in them the new, eternal covenant with God, the covenant Jesus instituted at the Last Supper. And so the Spirit formed them into the Church through which they would bring God's message of salvation to the world.

How had Jesus put it just ten days earlier? "Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always until the close of the age." Now, for the first time, they began to understand what this mission entailed. And just as suddenly, all of Jesus' teachings, all of His promises, the words of the Word of God that had seemed so cryptic, became perfectly clear. Inspired by the Spirit with this new understanding, and overflowing with enthusiasm for the mission He’d given them, they poured into the crowded streets of Jerusalem to share the Good News.

But the Holy Spirit had only just begun, and from those 120 disciples, He calls one in particular to lead the way. For in the second chapter of Acts, it is Peter, the fisherman -- full of bluster and human weakness, the man who’d betrayed his Lord in those final hours…It’s Peter who now leads the way. And so, Peter, the Rock upon whom Jesus promised to build His Church, is confirmed by the Spirit as the first Vicar of Christ on earth. For on that first Pentecost Sunday, the Church is born.

What happens that first day? Miracle followed miracle and three thousand were baptized. For the work of the Spirit can’t be stopped. And so it was no accident that this all occurred on the Jewish feast of Pentecost, a day when Jerusalem was filled with pilgrims from all over the empire – pilgrims who would return to their homes carrying their new Faith and the Holy Spirit with them. It wasn’t’ the local church of Jerusalem that was born that day; no, it was the universal Church, the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. Brought into being on that first Pentecost, it remains with us today, still guided by the Holy Spirit, still led by Christ's Vicar, still committed to the apostolic mission of bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the world.

But it’s not a mission reserved solely to the apostles and their successors, the pope and the bishops. No, this is a universal mission. Each one of us is called and this is our great challenge as Catholic Christians. Why this mission? Just look around you. It’s in all our lives…the sadness and hopelessness and confusion and sinfulness that plague so many. These are God's children. They don’t need our condemnation or pity;they need evangelization, for the Father wants to bring them to Himself, and He calls each of us to take part in this holy work of His.

Does this call, this mission, frighten you? Are you basically terrified of the idea of evangelizing others? You shouldn’t be…because just like Peter and the disciples, you won’t be alone. Just like them, we can’t do God’s work without the Spirit. How did St. Paul put it in his Letter to the Romans which we heard earlier? “…the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness.” And later Paul told the Corinthians: "There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service, but the same Lord...To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit."

Do you see what he is telling us? We have the same mission, even though we carry it out in different ways, and it’s the Holy Spirit who inspires and guides each of us. Pentecost reminds us that we need to be roused from the comfort and safety and solitude of our own upper rooms. It reminds us that we need to be amazed — that our faith should be accompanied by the sound of wind, the heat of flames, the cacophony of different voices, and the presence of the Holy Spirit, proclaiming the mighty acts of God. It reminds us that we all have a mission to the world, a world that waits just beyond the walls of this building…a world that’s often confused, divided, fearful…a world that calls us to look outward as well as inward…a world that waits to be astounded by the mighty acts of God and by a message of hope that only we Christians can bring.

And brothers and sisters, this mission isn’t an option, something we’re simply encouraged to do. It’s a command from God Himself, an essential element of our lives as Catholic Christians. Now there’s nothing wrong with finding comfort in the midst of our family or parish community. Just don’t get too comfortable, for on Pentecost God took the disciples by the hand and turned their little circle inside out. Suddenly they faced not each other, but a world waiting to hear the Good News.

Yes, this can be a frightening thing. But remember, when we carry God’s love and truth to others, we will never, ever be alone. For that’s God’s promise: the Holy Spirit will be with us, guiding us, his wisdom flowing through us…if only we will invite Him into our lives. How did Jesus put it in? “Rivers of living water will flow from within him who believes in me.” Let us welcome the Spirit into our lives…and through us, through you and me, He will renew the face of the earth. Do it today, and experience the wonders He will bring about.

Summer Reading

Back when I was a student -- and that's way back -- each spring I would prepare a list of books I intended to read during the summer months. Naturally, in those youthful days the summer held other attractions besides reading, so I usually considered it a success when I completed maybe half the books on my list. Oddly enough, once my schooling was behind me I continued to make my summer reading list, even though free time was just as scarce in the summer as it was in any other season. That's one thing about work: it has a way of homogenizing the seasons so that summer can sometimes come and go almost unnoticed. Maybe that was why I continued to make my list, as a way of acknowledging that summer had arrived and forcing myself to make good use of what leisure time I managed to squeeze out of the warm months. Of course, now that I'm retired and living in Florida, the seasons are even less distinct...but I still make my list.

Usually, and this year is no exception, I begin my list-making in the fall and continue adding books to it throughout the year. Once I pick up a copy of a reading-list book I set it aside, placing it on a separate bookshelf. Sometimes I cheat and read a book ahead of time, and so must remove it from the list. I suppose I kept my cheating to a minimum this year, because my summer reading list seems much more ambitious than those of recent years, almost half-again as long. Perhaps it's because I've included more fiction than usual. Something I noticed on previous lists is that I've usually read most of the included authors before, with only a few being new to me. I do tend to feed my prejudices when it comes to reading. I find an author I enjoy, and then want to read everything he's written. This year is really no different, although the list contains a few new authors and Ive tried to ensure no author has more than two books on the list. Perhaps this will force me to broaden my reading a bit. Finally, I've included several books I've read before, but with one exception I read them years ago and decided it was time to reread them. Maybe my older and, I hope, wiser self will develop a new and different appreciation of these works.

And so, here is this year's list:

V. S. Naipaul, Among the Believers: An Islamic Journey (1981 -- out of print). Naipaul, an ethnic Indian originally from Trinidad, is a Nobel Prize-winning author who has written extensively on the aftermath of the colonialism of the British Empire. I have read many of his novels and several of his non-fiction works and enjoyed them all, but just never got around to reading this detailed description of his journey through four Islamic nations: Iran, Pakistan, Malaysia and Indonesia. Naipaul is a keen observer of people and culture, and since his journey took place over 30 years ago, I look forward to reading his observations and comparing them to today's reality. (Although out of print, used copies are available online at very reasonable prices. Click on the title link above.)

Sigrid Undset, Kristin Lavransdatter (1920). Sigrid Undset was a remarkable woman, a Norwegian author who won a Nobel Prize for this three-volume novel, Kristin Lavransdatter, a book that chronicled life in medieval Scandinavia.

Brought up in an atheistic household, Undset converted to Catholicism in her early forties and became a lay Dominican. When the Nazis occupied Norway in 1940 she was forced to flee to neutral Sweden and ultimately to the United States. Because her books were banned in Germany and she had openly criticized Hitler, she would no doubt have been imprisoned or executed. While in the US during the war she worked tirelessly on behalf of her native Norway and for Europe's Jews. She returned to Norway after the war and died in 1949. Over the years I've read a number of her other books and enjoyed them all. I first read this particular novel over 40 years ago and believe it's time to read it again.

Anthony Esolen, The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization (2008). Dr. Esolen, a professor of English at Providence College, is a true man of letters and one of those remarkable people whose works have a civilizing effect on those who read them. He is also a translator of Dante's Divine Comedy which in itself is a remarkable accomplishment, especially since his translation is so wonderfully readable. I got to know Dr. Esolen slightly during the few years I was employed at Providence College, and thoroughly enjoyed our occasional conversations. I expect this book to be equally rewarding.

Although it's not on my list, because I read it just last year, I highly recommend another of Dr. Esolen's books, Ironies of Faith: The Laughter at the Heart of Christian Literature, published by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI). Read it and you will come to a whole new appreciation of Christian literature.

E. C. Bentley, Trent's Last Case (1913). Edmund Clerihew Bentley was an English novelist, journalist, and humorist, as well as the inventor of the Clerihew, the light, humorous verse-form named after him. Two volumes, filled with Bentley's Clerihews, sit on my bookshelves and never fail to bring me a little joy when I open them. They are strange little verses, for example;

St. Francis of Assisi
Was all nasty and greasy;
But in spite of that
He wore a halo round his hat.

Bentley was also a schoolmate (St. Paul's School, London) and lifelong friend of my favorite Englishman, G. K. Chesterton. Indeed, Chesterton, who was also a clever artist, illustrated Bentley's volumes of Clerihews.

This novel, Bentley's detective story written before the First World War, is often praised as the first modern detective mystery. Two of Bentley's more well-known contemporaries, Dorothy Sayers, who penned the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries, and Chesterton, who wrote the Father Brown mysteries, both thought very highly of the book Some years ago a friend, knowing I enjoy a good mystery, gave me a copy, along with a copy of its sequel, Trent's Own Case, but I never got around to reading either. I think it's time I do so.

Charles Williams, Many Dimensions (1931). Charles Williams, novelist, poet and literary critic, was also a close friend of C. S. Lewis and a member of the famous Oxford literary group, the Inklings. Between 1930 and his untimely death in 1945, Williams wrote a series of seven novels that can best be described as -- in the words of T. S. Eliot -- "supernatural thrillers".Over the years I have purchased and read six of the seven Williams novels and while I certainly have my favorites -- All Hallows Eve, for example -- I enjoyed every last one of them. But for some reason I never got around to buying a copy of Many Dimensions, the second of Williams' novels. And then last month, when we were visiting family on Cape Cod, I found a hardcover copy in one of my favorite bookstores, Parnassus Books in Yarmouthport, MA. I can hardly wait to begin reading it.


Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, Volume 2 (2011). I purchased this second volume of Pope Benedict's major work on Jesus Christ several months ago and began reading it immediately. I read it much too quickly, however, and have placed it on my summer reading list in the hope of reading it again, more slowly this time, with my Bible at my side as I do so. The first volume covers virtually all of Jesus' public ministry, from His Baptism by John in the Jordan to His Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. I had previously read many books by Pope Benedict, but this book made me realize how blessed we are to have a pope who is such a learned and deeply spiritual scriptural scholar. If you have not yet read the first volume, by all means do so. This second volume focuses on Holy Week, from Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem to His Resurrection. I enjoyed it the first time, and look forward to learning even more the second time around.

James Boswell. The Life of Samuel Johnson (First published, 1791). Like the plays of Shakespeare, or the novels of Jane Austen, Boswell's Johnson is one of those books that every English-speaking human being should read at least once in his life. As for myself, I did so back in 1962 when I was a freshman at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. It wasn't assigned reading for any course; I had simply read some excerpts during my senior year in high school and became fascinated by this man, Samuel Johnson. And when I came across a used copy of the unabridged edition, I parted with a few of my scarce dollars and bought it. I probably spent far too much study time reading Boswell when I should have been pouring over the uninspired readings assigned by my professors. But in hindsight I think I can honestly say that perhaps 80% of the courses I took during my seven years of college and graduate school have been absolutely useless to me. Certainly, they were nowhere near as useful as this one book. If you haven't read it, you should. Pick up a copy and read a bit every day. As you know if you've read it, it is a substantial book, and my current edition runs well over 1,200 pages.


Joseph M. Callewaert, The World of St. Paul (2011). This book was given to me recently by a friend and, after glancing through it and reading a few pages here and there, I decided to add it to my list.

I was completely unfamiliar with the author, but it seems he is quite the authority on St. Paul's life. Callewaert has based his interpretation of Paul's life on both Scripture and the apostolic tradition held by the Church over the ages.

A book like this might well perform a needed service by placing St. Paul in a real historical, cultural and religious context, helping us better understand both his writings and his missionary work. It should be a nice introduction to the Apostle to the Gentiles. I will see if it is.

Patrick O'Brien, The Far Side of the World (1984). This was, I believe, the 10th of Patrick O'Brien's swashbuckling novels of the Royal Navy during the time of Nelson and Napoleon. After one has read a few of these wonderfully written stories, O'Brien's main characters, Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, become close friends of the reader. O'Brien died in 2000 at the age of 85.

The series consists of some 20 novels, but I have never actually read even one of them; and yet I know most of the stories and their characters well. You see, years ago, as I commuted 90 miles (one way) between my home on Cape Cod and Providence, RI, I would listen to O'Brien's books on tape. (Dear Diane worked in a public library and would regularly provide me with audio books.) I believe I listened to probably 15 of the novels in this series, and The Far Side of the World is one of the few I missed. When I spotted a copy on the "bargain table" in a bookstore not long ago, I grabbed it for all of $2.

Alice Thomas Ellis, Fairy Tale (1996) and Pillars of Gold (2000). Ellis (real name, Anna Haycraft) was an English novelist who died in 2005. Of Welsh and Finnish stock, she was raised in an actively atheistic home but converted to Catholicism when she was 19. She even spent some time in a convent, but had to leave due to health problems. She later married and she and her publisher husband had seven children. Despite her large family, she apparently found time to write, publishing her first novel in 1977. In addition to her novels, she also wrote several best-selling cookbooks and for years wrote a column in a Catholic newspaper.

I have already read a few of her novels, wonderful stories which are always touched slightly by the supernatural. I particularly enjoyed Unexplained Laughter and The 27th Kingdom. And then, late last year, while browsing in a used book store in St. Augustine, Florida, I found these two and bought them. I look forward to reading them.


Edward Crankshaw, The Fall of the House of Habsburg (1963 -- out of print). This is another book that caught my eye in a used book store some months ago. When I was a Midshipman at the Naval Academy back in the early sixties, I didn't get home too often. But during one of those brief visits with my parents, I remember sitting in their family room and asking my mother what she was reading with such obvious interest. She held up the book and said, "It's a marvelous book. You should read it. It's all about the last years of the Habsburgs", and then returned to her reading. Isn't memory a very strange thing? I can remember and picture this brief, seemingly inconsequential incident as if it happened only moments ago, and yet I can recall for certain nothing else that occurred during that long weekend visit. It would seem there's a reason I can remember this incident so clearly after 45 years; and so, when I spotted this book in that bookstore, I simply had to buy it...for all of $8.00. Although out of print you can find inexpensive copies of this book online -- click on the title link above. I hope to discover what my dear mother found so fascinating.

Milton Walsh, Second Friends: C. S. Lewis and Ronald Knox in Conversation (2008). As a fan of both C. S. Lewis and Ronald Knox, I couldn't resist buying this book. These two Christian apologists, one Protestant and the other Catholic, were neighbors in Oxford and yet knew each other only slightly. The author, however, looks deeply into their writings and beliefs shows how each man's work supports that of the other. It promises to be a good read.

Well...that's it! That's my complete summer reading list, unless another book or two or three come along and catch my fancy.
God's peace...

America Still Believes in God

If you listened to much of the mainstream media, you'd think the new atheists had taken hold of the minds and hearts of most Americans and led them into the paradise of a godless humanism. But apparently, most Americans, even though they spend more time watching reality shows than praying and worshiping, have managed to hold onto their belief in God. Check out the below table prepared by the pollsters at Gallup:

And here's Gallup's explanation of the poll's history:

"Despite the many changes that have rippled through American society over the last 6 ½ decades, belief in God as measured in this direct way has remained high and relatively stable. Gallup initially used this question wording in November 1944, when 96% said "yes." That percentage dropped to 94% in 1947, but increased to 98% in several Gallup surveys conducted in the 1950s and 1960s. Gallup stopped using this question format in the 1960s, before including it again in Gallup's May 5-8 survey this year."

It would be interesting to compare these poll results with similar data from Western Europe. Based on my personal experience, I suspect the numbers would be quite different.

For additional details, go directly to the Gallup site here.

Homily: Wednesday, 7th Week in Ordinary Time

Readings: Acts 20:28-38; Ps 68; Jn 17:11b-19

Let me tell you a few poorly kept secrets: First, it’s hard not being of the world while living in the world; it’s hard to be like Jesus Christ. Second, unity among Christians is no easier, because unity implies acceptance and obedience, two things we human beings really dislike. And third, few people, Christians included, want to hear the Truth, especially when it conflicts with what they want to do.

Indeed, all of these things -- being Christ-like, maintaining unity, and being consecrated in the truth – are not only hard, they’re flat-out impossible. Well, they’re humanly impossible. And yet, in today’s Gospel reading, Jesus prays for all three, because He knows it’s only through the active help of the Holy Spirit that we can turn these hopes of His into reality.

Let’s just look at one of these hopes: Jesus’ prayer for unity. He’s actually praying for a unity that transcends normal human relationships. Unity’s the main theme of His high priestly prayer at the Last Supper, a prayer that concludes with a petition for Christian unity among all who profess Jesus Christ as Lord. Jesus prays for all men and women who will follow Him as His disciples. And He prays, not just for the Apostles, but for all members of His Body the Church, that we’ll be one as He and the Father are one – in a unity of total love and obedience, a unity based on the strongest of personal relationships, the relationship that exists within the Trinity itself. And, of course, the prayer of Jesus bears fruit, for His prayer is always efficacious.

We see this throughout the Acts of the Apostles, how the disciples, despite divergent opinions, ultimately come together as one, united in their faith and their teaching. The Holy Spirit is the great consensus-maker. Indeed, the distinctive mark of Jesus’ disciples is their love and unity – a unity foretold in Psalm 133: “How good and pleasant it is when the brothers dwell in unity.”

Jesus’ prayer on the eve of His sacrifice shows the love and trust He extends to His friends. Although He knows they will abandon Him in His hour of greatest need, He still entrusts them with the seemingly impossible task of spreading his name throughout the world and to the end of time.  But He leaves His love to support them, and the Spirit to guide them.

Jesus loved us first. In Baptism we are united to Him and to each other; and so we are called to live in a unity of love. He wants no one to be lost. And so He entrust us with the same mission, to make Him known and loved by all. For it is only through unity in Him that the world knows Jesus was sent to redeem us all. This is why Christian disunity is such a scandal.

But Jesus' prayer is also a promise, a promise to be with us as we struggle to follow Him. He will not leave us alone. His gift of the Spirit is our constant help in times of sadness and suffering, of joy and triumph, and a reminder of the great love of Our Savior. Jesus’ prayer reminds us that we, too, must pray for unity, that we can love one another – a prayer as necessary today as it was then. Jesus knows unity is hard for us; it’s not easy to love each other as Christ loves us.

In His Sermon on the Mount He even tells us to love and pray for our enemies, something the world considers the height of folly. Can you imagine praying for the soul of Osama bin Laden? Well, yes, I can, because we’re asked to be different from the world. We’re asked to be like Jesus Himself. You see, the unity Jesus prays for is manifested by how we love and serve all of God's people, not just those who share our Catholic faith. When we exclude others from our lives and concerns, we work against Christian unity.

This doesn’t mean we must water down our Faith so that others, in their disbelief, might accept it. Not at all! Remember what I said earlier: achieving true unity is not humanly, but only divinely possible. And so we must pray and teach and preach God’s complete Word, and let the Holy Spirit bring others to Him and His one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church. And we must do so in love.

Do we really love and accept all God’s people as our brothers and sisters in Christ? Do we treat everyone we encounter with the love that Christ extends to us? Or do we pick and choose? Today let’s pray that, like St Paul, God will give us the courage to speak the truth and to work for unity among all those whom the Father has given to his Son.

For it’s through us that His work will be done.

In Case You Havne't Seen It: Medieval Help Desk

In the event you're not one of the couple of million people who have checked out this video, you might as well join the crowd and enjoy a few laughs.

Be sure to put on your reading glasses because you have to read subtitles.

Maryland Episcopal Parish Joins Catholic Church

St. Luke's Church in Bladensburg, Maryland will become the first Episcopal parish to make the change to the Catholic Church since the Vatican promulgated the new guidelines for such transitions in October 2009. Although other parishes are involved in the same process, St. Luke's is the first to obtain approval. They will complete the process in a few months. The parish was able to negotiate a lease to buy agreement with Episcopal Bishop John Bryson Chane, enabling St. Luke's to continue using its current church property. Cardinal Donald Wuerl, the Archbishop of Washington, welcomed "the St. Luke community warmly into our family of faith."

Interior of St. Luke's Church in Bladensburg, MD

The parish voted in January to make the move to the Catholic Church, with only one family voting against it. As Rev. Mark Lewis, the rector of St. Luke's, stated "I am deeply grateful to Cardinal Wuerl and to Bishop Chane for their support throughout this discernment...We look forward to continuing to worship in the Anglican tradition, while at the same time being in full communion with the Holy See of Peter."


You can read more here, and view the parish's website here.

Ancient Codices, Real or Fake?

You might recall a post back in late March in which I mentioned an archaeological find that purported to be of early, perhaps first-century, Jewish and Christian origin. (See: Major Archaeological Find.) The find consists of 70 small books, each with five to fifteen leaves made of lead and copper, containing what appears to be ancient Hebrew writing, possibly some coded text, as well as Jewish and Christian images.

One of the lead codices

If the codices are authentic, they represent a significant find. Their provenance, however, seems a bit shaky. I don't think most archaeologists like "accidental" finds, and would prefer such artifacts to be uncovered during well-planned, scientifically conducted digs. And there was nothing scientific about this find. One version claims the codices were discovered in a cave by a Jordanian Bedouin, finally ending up in the possession of his great-grandson, an Israeli Bedouin, who says they have been in his family for a century or more. Another story suggests the codices were found in Jordan only five years ago when they surfaced after a flash flood. They then made their way to the antiquities black market and were sold to an Israeli dealer. Like most things in the Middle East, it's all very strange. Whatever the truth, these revelations have led the Jordanian government to claim ownership since the codices were supposedly found originally in Jordanian territory.

The more important issue, however, is the authenticity of the codices. If they turn out to be fakes, ownership becomes unimportant; but it they are authentic, resolving the ownership issue could take quite a while. I suppose if these items had been discovered 200 years ago there would have been little doubt as to their authenticity. But in recent years things have changed drastically in the archaeology "business". As both the legitimate and the underground markets for ancient artifacts has expanded, the value of such items has skyrocketed, leading to the development of a whole new industry: the manufacture of fake antiquities. Some of these fakes are apparently quite good and have regularly fooled the experts and even ended up in museums. In this particular case, the Israeli Antiquities Authority doubts the authenticity of the codices, claiming that they display a "mixture of incompatible periods and styles without any connection or logic. Such forged motifs can be found in their thousands in the antiquities markets of Jordan and elsewhere in the Middle East." The IAA is not alone in believing the codices are fake.

Others, however, disagree and a number of archaeologists, researchers and academics believe the items are authentic. Ziad Saad. head of the Jordanian Department of Antiquities appears to be waiting before passing judgment. He recently told The Jordan Times, “There has been a debate all over the net - some think they are fakes, some think they are very genuine - but we have yet to have a definitive conclusion based on a scientific approach.” In the meantime, the "debate" as he calls it can get pretty nasty, as archaeologists, metallurgists, historians, biblical scholars and other academics all make their claims, in most instances, without having examined the items. I suppose, given time, the experts will eventually arrive at a consensus. Until then, I must confess, I enjoy watching the archaeological soap opera as it plays out.

Of course, some elements of the soap opera are a bit odd. One YouTube video claims -- without any discussion or supporting evidence whatsoever -- that the find verifies the prophesies of Joseph Smith found in the Book of Mormon. And then, of course, Art Bell on his weird, conspiracy-theory radio show, Coast to Coast AM, has predictably given the find some airtime. Yes, it's all very strange.

If you are truly interested in this story and would enjoy reading a lively overview of how it has been distorted by a mainstream media that loves to sensationalize (and also by bloggers...oops!), then check out Thomas Verenna's review of the entire story: Artifacts and the Media.

I find archaeology interesting simply because it opens a different sort of window to the past. It is also remarkable that so many recent finds strongly support the historical accuracy of Sacred Scripture. But my faith is a wonderful gift from God and certainly doesn't need archaeological support.

...to know the mind of God?

Over the past few months I've been studying and reading and rereading the Book of Genesis, along with a number of excellent commentaries addressing the book's remarkable first three chapters. Genesis has always intrigued me, ever since I opened our family Bible for the first time as a child and encountered the dramatic illustrations by Gustave Doré, illustrations that brought the creation story to life. I no longer have that particular Bible, but I can still remember several of the illustrations: God creating light; the creation of Eve; and the eviction from the Garden of Eden. Such images are extremely powerful, for even today, almost 60 years later, when I read those passages from Genesis, these images instantly appear in my mind's eye. 

Gustave Doré: Adam and Eve driven out of Eden

This recent study of Genesis has on occasion generated peripheral thoughts that lead me away, sometimes far away, from the book itself. For example, in Genesis we find Adam and Eve enjoying a preternatural existence that apparently included a close personal relationship with God Himself, who from the first couple's perspective must have been the true and perfect Father. While their relationship with God could not even begin to approach the level of intimacy that exists within the Trinity, it was certainly far closer than that which exists between God and man after the fall.

Now this has led me to think about the different ways we humans have tried to reclaim this close relationship with God. For me prayer, Scripture, meditation, and the sacraments -- especially the Eucharist -- have been the most rewarding means. But for some people it seems these disciplines are too demanding. Instead of coming to God in prayer, humbly opening themselves to Him, they come to God demanding that He open Himself to them. They want an Eden kind of relationship with God. No, that's not correct. They want a relationship with a god who will do their bidding.They are searching for a god who isn't there. They want a god created in their image, or in an image they have imagined. They really want themselves wrapped in a false cloak of divinity, a god they can fully comprehend, a god who is like them, one they can grasp and understand. 

The theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking, in his best-selling book, A Brief History of Time, typified this attitude when he concluded the book with these words (p. 193):

"However, if we discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable by everyone, not just by a few scientists. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists and just ordinary people, be able to take part in the discussion of the question of why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason -- for then we should know the mind of God."

"...we should know the mind of God." This is the great temptation to which so many succumb. To know the mind of God is to be like Him, to be a god. Do you hear the echo of the serpent's words in Eden? "...your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods" [Gen 3:5].

This is a temptation that follows God's people throughout salvation history. It appears again at the foot of Mount Sinai when the Chosen People decided the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses was too unapproachable, to "other", and had Aaron construct the golden calf, a god they could see, and touch, and understand because they had created it themselves. And as we can see by Dr. Hawking's comment above, it's a temptation that remains with us today.

But the Father, who knows the human heart so well, disrupts Satan's plans through the remarkable gift of the Incarnation. He sends His Son, God Himself, to take on our nature, to become one of us, to save us from our sinfulness and folly. And so for the first time God becomes truly approachable. Jesus Christ in His humanity is one with us and in His divinity one with the Father. Our Redeemer, our Intercessor pleads for us at the right hand of the Father, for He is like us in all things except sin.

This isn't all though. For Christ doesn't leave us orphans, but promises to be with us always until the end of time. To fulfill this promise He gives us His Word, especially the Gospel. But He also offers us the gift of Himself in the Eucharist; and through this gift we are united with Him, Body, Blood Soul and Divinity. 

You and I don't need to search for a comprehensible God, one we can fully grasp within our finite minds, or try to mold God by transforming Him into something He isn't. All we have to do is accept God just as He is, turn to Him who became one like us, and let the love and mercy and forgiveness of Jesus transform us.

Blessings...