‘The Church’ Category

  1. Why do Catholics have idols everywhere? That’s like in the 10 Commandments

    17 September, 2011 by Alexa Chipman

    I hear this a lot, but ultimately it is more of a decorating question than a difference in theology. When you walk into most Evangelical churches, you’ll see things like banners and maybe a picture or two. Often in the more progressive churches, there is a Powerpoint presentation during the service with additional images of nature and even statues of Biblical characters like you’d see in a Catholic church.

    If you walk into the average Roman Catholic church, you’ll see statues in almost all the corners, and a lot more sculptures in general lining the walls and altar area. If you spend most of your time in Evangelical style churches, it will be a bit of a shock to walk in and see what, on first glance, appear to be idols everywhere.

    3D—not a new thing
    Movies everywhere are trying to draw people back to the theatres by offering 3D experiences, so think of it that way. Instead of illustrations printed on banners, Catholics use 3D statues. What’s the difference? Well…one is flat…and one is round…and Christians have been doing it for centuries dating back to before there even were Evangelical churches. Are banners and modern illustrations better? Maybe, maybe not, it just means it is a different decorating aesthetic, that is all.

    Well we don’t use statues!
    Guess again—what do you probably put out every Christmas? A nativity scene or creche of some sort. I’ve seen Evangelical churches even do living creches which I think are awesome. What’s the difference between the little nativity on your table at Christmas and the big statues in Catholic churches? They’re bigger…

    But they have weird people I don’t know!
    It is easy to freak out at the word “saint” but really they are  men and women who trusted God that we can look up to and whose lives we can think about. I’ve seen little boys play with Abraham and King David dolls, nothing wrong with that—they are definitely not idols. Most of the statues will have a cheat sheet plaque to tell you who they are, and if not feel free to ask someone in the Church to tell you their story. Usually they were donated by someone for whom that particular person had special meaning. At the parish I attend, there is one of John the Baptist that has a lovely story with it, for example.

    Category Religious, The Church | Tags: ,,,,,, | 2 Comments

  2. Pain and Suffering Doesn’t Always Have Meaning

    4 September, 2011 by Alexa Chipman

    Watch the charge of the riders of Rohan: http://youtu.be/sdnqZcmWk8U

    (Embed disabled so watch at YouTube)

    Orders are given
    The king explains what he expects of the Riders of Rohan in the battle, and of course ultimately their goal is to save the innocents in Minas Tirith who are being attacked and brutalized. Once actually in the battle, obviously each rider has to make a lot of decisions for themselves, but there is a general structure to it. Similarly in our lives, we are given missions or important tasks by God, although the details are up to us. We also hear the king putting people into groups—much like our relationships with each other.

    Charge begins
    You have a choice—is it worth it to hand over your life to someone in order to help and protect others? Riders could have stayed on the hill and not gone to assist the people in the city. But if you take the plunge and join the charge, there are consequences.

    People go down
    Notice in the end of the clip, the Orcs begin shooting and a fair number of riders and horses are shot down to tumble into the dust in pain and death. Eru (God) did not sit there going Mmmmmm who shall I kill today, which of the people serving me shall I maim and torture.

    After the tragedy when a group of missionaries were killed by pirates, the average Christian I heard was moaning Why did God let that happen? As if he were holding every last string of our lives gleefully making an evil laugh when he doesn’t save people. I mean seriously?

    Does God “let” people suffer and die?
    This comes down to a little thing called free will—could He have made a bunch of beings that were perfectly obedient that hopped along a little track and jumped when He said jump? Yes. Did he? No. If God really interfered every time we made a bad decision where would it end? We’d end up automatons no better than the computer I am typing on. How could such things (not people) even have the capability of choosing to love? It would be programmed in and become meaningless, like a love potion in Harry Potter. Unfortunately, by giving us the freedom to make choices, a lot of people make bad ones, and some particularly horrific. So in a sense is God “letting” people suffer? Yes. Is God also “letting” people truly live? Yes. The two are intertwined.

    Does God “let” Christians suffer?
    Yes. This is the big problem I’m seeing lately—either Christians become bitter at God every time something bad happens and have an over large sense of entitlement, or they become extremely depressed and spend every moment miserably trying to see what God’s purpose was in the suffering. Okay have you not read Job? Eh? Seriously people get over it. Sometimes bad stuff happens to people because bad stuff happened. Don’t sit around blaming God, and don’t sit around wasting time trying to find deep meaning in it. Can we learn as a result of suffering? Absolutely! Was that the reason for the suffering? No, not necessarily. Put it on a shelf labeled “TBD” and don’t worry about it. Don’t cause depression by feeling like you can’t move on until finding the pain’s purpose. Stuff happens. Just because you fell down the stairs doesn’t mean it was a big cosmic event—it means you tripped and fell down the stairs. The real test is how you respond to it.

    Category Religious, The Church | Tags: ,,,, | 4 Comments

  3. Triduum Musings

    7 April, 2011 by Alexa Chipman

    St. James has been holding various educational evenings during Lent, and on recommendation I came to the Triduum lectures with Father David Pettingill. He is quite a dynamic speaker, and can quote scripture easily from memory. Here are a few highlights!

    Are we listening?
    Many times we have seen the classic scenario: a hostile reporter badgers someone with useless questions causing us to shake our heads with disbelief. I remember the classic scene in The Prisoner during the election when Number 6′s “no comment” responses were turned into three pages of erroneous copy by the enthusiastic press of The Village. Sometimes we like to do the same thing with God. We “interview” him wanting a certain response, but he gives a completely different one that we don’t want to accept. How often have we written our own copy instead of listening?

    Disincarnation
    Often we will start thinking about, “if only I were taller” or “if only I were better at languages” which is a common state for humans to find themselves in. Dwelling in that manner is not a healthy exercise and denies our personal incarnation. It is community which will help—when we realize that we work together, not necessarily as individuals. The High Holy Days help bring us together in that manner.

    Catholic (and Anglican!) Coma
    If you have been in a liturgical church for a while, you might have seen examples of this. People will spout off the words without bothering to think about them or even notice what is really going on. Example: elderly woman collapses in her pew and the pastor quickly shouts “someone call an ambulance!” and the congregation responds “and also with you.” This is extremely common and very disturbing. One of the purposes of the High Holy Days is to find the joy and excitement of the faith again.

    Not an Exhibit
    The Triduum is not about walking through a dust-covered exhibit to “remind” us of what Jesus went through. It is supposed to be an exciting community event. They should be turning the Church into an active body of believers, equipping them to do something positive and practical. It cannot be done alone, because where 2-3 are gathered there Christ will fully be.

    Children of God
    All during the week we can hear damaging notions of who we are from the media, culture and even sadly our own family. Each Sunday comes as a reminder that we are precious children of God. How much more in the Triduum?

    Community
    It is easy to become isolationists in the modern world, but it is key to remember that the gathering of community was so important to early Christians that they risked death to meet!

    Triduum?
    This refers to three days which are all one Mass. In Jewish custom, a day begins at sunset (unlike maritime when it begins at noon, or landlubbers who begin it at midnight) so it lasts from sunset on Thursday to sunset on Sunday. You know it has begun when you cannot tell a white thread from black in the dark.

    Our Example
    Jesus goes to God and comes back to us as our brother. He is everything God plans for us to be, and gives us the Holy Spirit to help us become a true child of God.

    Fasting = No to me, Yes to others
    If you feel a distance between yourself and God, a fast can help with that, but do not do it when you feel close to him—that is a time of feasting. Although, fasting is our choice now, rather than being dictated, so take the time to make that choice!

    Life Before Liturgy
    Words have no meaning  without purpose and true belief behind them. If something is not really happening, words will not make it happen. An example would be marriage: first two people relate to each other, then there is the ritual of marriage to fulfill that. The ritual does not create the relationship. We are all God’s family, so some of us are a bit of a mess, but can live again through helping each other. The Triduum is a good way to bring us closer together through healing, forgiveness, and equipping each other.

    The Otherness of God
    Lent, the Triduum, and Easter is a time of renewal, not just Jesus and one person off on their own. God is a trinity—He himself is in a relationship/family. We too are called to relate in a community, rather than just by ourselves. We often hear of helping the stranger, or giving alms, which is a reminds us to change our perspective of people who seem, on the outside, to be different. Let the person you might react to as being “different” be Christ in a way, by representing the otherness of God within our love for Him. It can become our transfiguration when we transform and renew our mind about “strangers”. You may discover the answer to prayer in other people that you did not expect it to come from.

    Q&A Session
    - A family dinner can be a type of sacrament
    - God does not love based on performance
    - Parents are an important model of love
    - Triduum is an explosion of joy
    - Breaking the ‘mold’ of religion through human interaction
    - Suffering can create a bond between us
    - Vulnerable moments are crucial to connect as a community

    Part II coming soon if I have next Monday night off work!

    Category Religious, The Church | Tags: ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, | No Comments

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