You Are the Temple of the Holy Spirit

Do you not know that your body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body.                                                                                       
                                                                                                     - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

We live in a world where the exploitation of the human body is seen as a badge of honor. There are those who claim that we are at an all time low, but history shows that various levels of depravity have existed over the years in various parts of the world. Yet, many of these people were at times spared further consequences of their actions once they received the truth of God's plan that was intended for the human body.

Paul's quote from 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 was written to a community that he established in the city of Corinth. This city can be described as: a commercial crossroads...a melting pot full of devotees of various pagan cults and marked by a measure of moral depravity not unusual in a great seaport.  

Still, the apostle was able to establish a Christian community in such a place. Therefore, we must be reminded that while we continue to do the same work in our communities that we are also empowered by the same Spirit that guided the apostle Paul.


The Body is a Temple 

There are some Christians who have very negative views of the body and such an idea goes back to the early days of the Church. According to William Barclay: 

The Greeks always looked down on the body. There was a proverbial saying, "The body is a tomb." Epictetus said, "I am a poor soul shackled in a human corpse." The important thing was the soul, the spirit of a man; the body was a thing that did not matter. 

This led to two responses from those in the early Church. According to Barclay: That produced one of two attitudes: Either it issued in the most rigorous asceticism in which everything was done to subject and humiliate the desires and instincts of the body. Or--and in Corinth it was this second outlook which was prevalent-- it was taken to mean that, since the body was of no importance, you could do what you liked with it; you could let it sate its appetites. 

Thankfully, we had St. Paul as well as the Jewish philosopher Philo to teach something entirely different. As James D. G. Dunn tells us: Paul's reply to such thinking was very clear: "You are God's temple" (1 Corinthians 3:16-17); "your body is the temple of the living God" (2 Corinthians 6:16). The thought is not particularly new. Philo speaks of the body as "a sacred dwelling place or shrine for the reasonable soul." To further expand St. Paul's point about the body Barclay says: God's Spirit dwells in us (so) we have become a temple of God; and so our very bodies are sacred. And more-Christ died to save not a bit of a man, but the whole man, body and soul. Christ gave His life to give a man a redeemed soul and a pure body. 

If we take the time to reflect on these words we can see the echo of God's plan from the beginning when He declared that all that He had created was good (Genesis 1:31). That includes humanity and we need to reflect on what this really means for each of us. Yes, we live in a world distorted by sin but that does not take away the goodness of who we are as well as how we are seen in the eyes of God. That is why we need to recognize that God's commands are not an imposition but a guide for all of us. This is why good theology must give us more of the why rather than just the what. 


A Deeper Meaning

Following Saint Paul's teaching on the sacredness of the body, we will now discuss one of the whys from the Lord's commands.  In Exodus 20:14 the Lord states: You shall not commit adultery. Further, we know that Jesus expanded the definition of adultery when He stated: You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery,' but I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. This would be an example of Jesus fulfilling the law (Matthew 5:17), by giving us a greater understanding of the law. Further, we are also commanded by the Lord to: teach them to observe all that I have commanded you (Matthew 28:20) and in today's world, we need to convey the message of Jesus to others with the method that would work best for our audience. In that regard, it will always serve us best to use any other discipline to expand our understanding of the why behind Jesus' teaching. 

During the time of Moses the main purpose of not committing adultery was, as stated in the Harper's Bible Dictionary: (to guard) marriage and family against the intrusion of third parties and the socially disruptive questions of the legitimacy of children and the transfer of the family legacy. This is an important concept of a nation looking to establish its social order after being free from centuries of bondage in Egypt. Later, the nation of Israel was established and the people would go through their own challenges when it came to following the Law before Jesus comes to give a more personal understanding of the Commandment. Therefore, the Israelites went from knowing what not to do to understanding how they were called to see their neighbor. This fulfilled the words of the prophet Jeremiah in 31:33 when he said: I will place My law within them, and write it upon their hearts.

Today we have those who call the teachings of the Church outdated and unrealistic with many leaders offering answers lacking in depth. Take for example some biblical literalists who focus simply on what is commanded in scripture. In taking that approach they fail to recognize all that we have discovered about the body that God created and how this knowledge gives us a deeper understanding of why we shouldn't commit adultery.

Let's begin with the words of Jesus from Matthew 19:4-6: Have you not read from the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become on flesh? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together no human being must separate. 

This is a very beautiful statement and seen by many as a nice metaphor for marriage. Yet, many fail to realize that this whole two becoming one flesh phrase also speaks a deep truth about what happens between two people who have been intimate with each other. Of course if this is done as God intended, within the context of a faithful marriage, then it is a beautiful and unitive experience. Still, that is not without the challenge of maintaining and chaste way of living. As Barclay says: The great fact of the Christian faith is, not that it makes a man free to sin, but that it makes a man free not to sin. It is so easy to allow habits to master us; but the Christian strength enables us to master them. 

Our bodies are not something that we have as it is also a part of who we are. So, when we go against God's design while also including someone else's body we can cause great harm to ourselves as well as the other person. Consider this comment from the Jerome Biblical Commentary on the human body: Although the body serves as the instrument of sin in other vices (IE, drunkenness and gluttony) it is not intimately united to another person, handed over to the power of another, as it is in fornication. The fornicator sins against his own body, his own person, because he tears it away from the Lord and deprives it from its glorious destiny. To add more from Barclay again: Because of that a man's body is not his own to do with as he likes; it is Christ's and he must use it, not for the satisfaction of his own lusts, but for the glory of Christ. 

With the sin of lust being one of the deadly sins we must also consider the words of Raymond Brown when he says: People do not live in a neutral environment. To indulge in loose behavior is not freedom but bondage to compulsions that enslave. Sexual permissiveness affects the Christian's body, which should be evaluated as a member of Christ's body. In other words, it does great harm to us whether we intend for that to be the end result or not. Consider this exchange from the movie Vanilla Sky:  

Vanilla Sky excerpt


We also have to remember that it is more than just the two people involved in the sexual act. Being a Christian also produces certain realities, such as the baptized person being united with Christ. If Christ is indeed united to us it will not only be ourselves when we are acting as the Body of Christ in this world. He is also united to us when we engage in sexual acts. As Brown says: One's body is a means of self-communication, and so intercourse produces a union between the partners. Union of one who is a member of Christ with an unworthy partner, such as a prostitute, disgraces Christ, just as marital union glorifies God. 

Practicing the Christian faith does not excuse us from sin. As Christ says in Matthew 5:27-28: You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery,' but I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Notice He does not say that such a woman would not include one's wife. If there was anyone to look at with the most chaste eyes it would be one's wife but we are still broken with sin and in need of forgiveness. Therefore, let us not allow the reality of marriage to lead us to believe that we are without the ability to sin against our spouse. 

That is why Hebrews 13:4 says: Let marriage be honored among all and the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge the immoral and adulterers. It is most interesting that the author of Hebrews speaks of God judging the immoral and adulterers after he speaks of keeping the marital bed holy. Yes, married couples can behave in immoral ways. And, if adultery is as Jesus says, more than the act of simply having relations with someone other than one's spouse, then such a sin can also occur between two people who are also married and not living a chaste life with each other. 


Wired To Sin 

Today we see a movement to care for the human mind, which has thankfully led many people to speak with less hesitation about going to therapy. Aside from that we also have people who at times take days off from work or school in order to rest their minds. As a high school teacher I have also seen anxiety now become the one of the biggest problems for our young people so I am very happy to see our culture embracing the importance of caring for one's mental health along with their physical health.

Being a musician I know both the impact of this beautiful art both as a performer and as a fan. As a performer I have always appreciated every opportunity to express myself before an audience while also having the chance to work with so many great musicians. Deane Alban says it best in the following article: 

How Music Affects the Brain

While accepting the positive impact that music we cannot ignore the impact that a negative musical message or mood can have on our culture. I listen to all kinds of music because of the fact that my mood varies but I have also removed some music from my collection because of the negative impact it had on me. Mind you that I have never liked or purchased music that is filled with excessive profanity so I can only wonder the negative impact such songs would have on a listener who is accustomed to listening to such music. That and dialogue that we see in films today...and we wonder why we can't seem to go anywhere anymore without encountering people who are speaking in the same way. 

Speaking of film, we cannot ignore the frightening reality of addiction to pornography. There are some who not only deny such a claim but also question the moral dilemma behind viewing pornography due to the fact that such people are only viewing the sexual act. Still, the words of Jesus from Matthew 5:27-28 stand out even more because of the way such people, specially women, are being objectified in such films. Here are some of the serious consequences that come from viewing pornographic material on a regular basis: 

The scary effects of pornography: how the 21st century's acute addiction is rewiring our brains

Besides looking at Christ's words in Matthew 5:27-28 we also have to consider what He says in Matthew 5:29-30: If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

Powerful words indeed and if we reflect deeply we can see that the sin of lust is indeed a great struggle as the fascination and excitement that comes with it runs deep into the core of our being to the point where it can actually rewire our minds. Therefore, to conquer this sin we need to accept that fact that it is going to take God's grace as well as the acceptance that it is not going to be without great struggle. The pain would probably rival the feeling one has when they lose a part of their body, especially if one's sin includes the participation of another person as the bodies will again do what they were designed to do while participating in the sexual act. Further, the main reason Jesus wants us to rid ourselves of the thing that is causing us to sin is because it has an impact on our whole body. This is most important because if we in fact are our bodies then it can be argued that the human body is a reflection of the human soul so it would not be incorrect to say that our sin actually has an impact on our entire being and not just our bodies.

Regardless of the challenge of lust, Christ can strengthen us if we accept His message and allow His grace to change us. The reason why chaste living helps us see through the media messages in terms of what our culture teaches us about sex is because a deeper understanding of the body gives us a greater insight on the reason for living a life of both modesty and moderation. We would know first, what we don't want to do to ourselves and second, what we would not want to do to another. Again, the Christian message is never just about us as we are always called to love our neighbor.

So many sinners give in to social expectations due to the fear of rejection. How different would our culture be if we really took the time to understand and accept the truth of the human body with a confidence that could only come from the Holy Spirit. In doing so we would truly be free.

If we are truly in Christ we would be as stated in Matthew Henry's Commentary: There is a liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, in which we must stand fast. But surely he would never carry this liberty so far as to put himself into the power of any bodily appetite. 


The Whole Person 

There are times when Christians tend to focus solely on sexual purity and not the well being of their whole body. For example, what is the point of living a chaste life if we ignore the importance of adhering to a good diet while also taking the time to exercise? Our bodies were also meant to work and for various forms of expression including how we worship the Lord so how are we to do that if we do not prepare for and/or maintain our ability to do such things?

What some people may not know about me is that aside from working full time as a high school theology teacher I am a also a professional drummer that works part time in the local music scene and occasionally in the recording studio. Most of my performances are 3-4 hours in length and that is no cakewalk for a drummer. I am not getting any younger and to do this while carrying a full work load during the week along with my family obligations takes a lot of strength and endurance. Therefore, I do some regular strength training and cardio activity while also doing what I can to take part in a healthy diet. That and the fact that my father passed away in his 60's after a long illness, which caused me to question my own mortality. Overall, it made me think of my desire to be there for my family as long as I can and while there are certain things I can't control I do not want to my passing to be because of the things I should have done to better myself.

We as Christians have to look beyond sexual purity, which in turn would show ourselves and the rest of the world how much we value the bodies that God gave us. As Cathi Douglas said: Paul warned against sexual immorality, but there are numerous other pitfalls we must avoid to honor our physical selves. Self-respect and respect for God means that as adults we need to refrain from destructive actions such as heavy drinking, overeating, unsafe driving and extreme risk-taking. As children, we need to be taught personal hygiene, including bathing, brushing our teeth and wearing clean clothing.  

This is in fact something that is part of our Church's legacy from the very beginning. As stated by Cheryl Dickow: The health of the body is so important that, even after Jesus’ ascension, the apostles are able to carry on His work of healing.  In Acts 3:1-10 Peter heals the Crippled Beggar.  We see in this passage that a healthy body, as well as the gift of healing, glorifies God. The apostles certainly also healed people for the same reasons that Jesus did, to be signs of God's Kingdom (Luke 11:20). 

However, Christians are also called to continue the work of Christ. As stated by Dickow: Oftentimes, we come to know illness as a cross to bear or as a part of our earthly journey.  But at other times we ought to look at illness as an impediment to our ability to do God’s work.  We also have to remind our children, who are not just the future of the Church but members of the Church right now that they need to care for themselves. Again, Dickow says: Helping our children become aware that they are spiritual entities connected to God, and yet live in physical bodies that require care, will help them learn to live a life of balance and good choices.  Teaching them to treat their bodies, and one another’s bodies, as temples to the Holy Spirit translates into a mind, body, soul, and spirit ready to be devoted to our Lord. 

Aside from our physical health we also need to ask ourselves if we are caring for our entire being. What type of relationships do we have with others? How do we care for ourselves in terms of getting enough rest? Then of course there are the other things that have already been cited in this discussion. Still, take a moment to see what JB Cachila has to say: 

What Does a Healthy Lifestyle Look like According to the Bible?

So we need to ask ourselves: how do we live? Do we eat a diet that glorifies the bodies that God gave us? Do we also not consider many of the natural delicacies that God has provided for us that were meant to nourish and sustain our bodies? Do we exercise as a way to strengthen our bodies in order to take care ourselves, our loved ones while also doing the will of the Lord? Do we also understand that our ability to do such movements is in fact a gift because we are still able use our bodies in this way? Finally, do we understand that a healthy body is a reflection of our attitude towards the body? Think of the evangelizing that can be done with this approach especially when we state that our healthy attitude towards our bodies come from Christ, who is not just the source of our joy but also the author of the human body?

Again, to paraphrase St. Paul: We are a Temple of the Holy Spirit. Temples are sacred therefore you are sacred. Therefore, glorify God with your bodies knowing that there are so many ways for us to express our holiness.

Carlos Solorzano

• BA & MA in Religious Studies from Cal State Long Beach 
• Certified Through the Theology of the Body Institute  
• Speaker with Catholic Speakers Organization 

 

 

Sources

• New American Bible including the Introduction to The First Letter to the Corinthians p. 1229
• Dunn, James D. G. The Theology of Paul the Apostle William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company Grand Rapids, MI/Cambridge U. K. (pgs. 545-546) 
• Barclay, William. The Letters to the Corinthians The Westminster Press Philadelphia, PA (pgs. 55-57) 
• Brown, Raymond M. An Introduction to the New Testament. Doubleday 1996 (p. 518-519) 
• The Jerome Biblical Commentary Volume II Prentice-hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey (p. 262) 
• Matthew Henry's Commentary. Zondervan Publishing House Grand Rapids, MI
• Harper's Bible Dictionary. Harper San Francisco (pgs. 791 & 1034) 
• https://occatholic.com/our-bodies-his-temples/ 
• http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2010/04/your-body-is-a-temple-of-the-holy-spirit/ 
• http://www.chastitysf.com/q_temple.htm 
• http://www.usccb.org/bible/1corinthians/6 
• https://bebrainfit.com/music-brain/ 
• https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/thinking-man/scary-effects-pornography-21st-centurys-accute-addiction-rewiring/ 
• https://www.christianpost.com/trends/what-does-a-healthy-lifestyle-look-like-according-to-the-bible.html 

 

An Exploration of Purgatory

One of the most misunderstood teachings of the Roman Catholic Church is the one on Purgatory. Many Catholics themselves do not fully understand this teaching and of course many false claims have been made by non-Catholics in terms of the origin and meaning of this doctrine. In this discussion we will take an in depth look at this teaching from a variety of sources while reflecting on some ideas that may further clarify what this teaching is all about.

What is Purgatory? 

For many the idea of an intermediary state between this life and heaven almost seems to personally offend them as the God of love could not possibly have created anything in the afterlife for the just other than heaven. Unfortunately, such people fail to see that the existence of purgatory is not a belief in God's lack of ability to save us but is in fact another reality of a loving and merciful God that continues to find a way to save us due to the various ways that we lack the holiness required to be in His presence.

Purgatory comes from the Lain word "purgare," which means to make clean or to purify. As stated by the New Advent website: "It is a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in God's grace, are, not entirely free from venial faults, or have not fully paid the satisfaction due to their transgressions."

Notice the choice of words: place or condition. Part of knowing God and His will is to recognize that much of what we actually know about either is in fact a mystery, which is a word that the Church is not afraid to use in her own official documents because after all, how do finite beings understand an infinite God? However, the Church does teach that there is in fact a reality for those who do not merit the immediate privilege of heaven who are also not in a state of permanent condemnation.

What is this lack of perfection? 1 John 5:17 tells us that, "All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly." This is certainly referring to those venial faults that were cited earlier that, while leaving us in an imperfect state do not keep us from the hope of the Resurrection.

Karl Keating tells us that: "In purgatory all remaining love of self is transformed into love of God. At death one's soul goes to heaven, if it is completely fit for heaven; to purgatory, if it is not quite fit for heaven, but not worthy of condemnation; or to hell, it it is completely unfit for heaven. Purgatory is a temporary state. Everyone who enters will get to heaven, and, after the last soul leaves purgatory for heaven, purgatory will cease to exist."

The reality is that there are those that are not in a perfect state, which should not surprise any of us since we live in a world tainted by original sin. Further, Catholics also believe that salvation, as stated by Keating, depends on the state of the soul at death. In other words, our salvation is not based on answering an altar call. Life itself is not about important moments that supposedly define us because we still have to live our lives after such moments and/or we are also experiencing other aspects of our lives that are unknown to those who witnessed one of what many call defining moments at a specific time and place that still do not tell our full story.

According to Alan Schreck, "Purgatory is a sign of God's mercy on those who have honestly sought to know God and to do His will in this life, and yet who die in some degree of bondage to sin or the effects of sin." This is of course an absolutely possibility, which is why Jesus said in Luke 12:59, "I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny." Such and idea would only be a threat to a person who dies in a state of mortal sin.

Why is this so? Why can't God just free us from our sins and allow us to be in His presence? Such a question is asked if we think that our salvation is all about us when we forget that we have a relationship with God. With that in mind, we must also think of the reality of God and why our sinful state, regardless of our level of corruption, does in fact, require a state of purification.

As stated by Schreck, we must be fully cleansed, "Because of God's holiness. Sin and God are diametrically opposed. God is so pure, so holy, that nothing impure or sinful can enter into His presence (see Revelation 21:27). Sin is burned away by God's holiness, by His anger against sin, and by His love of the repentant sinner, for our God is a consuming fire ( see Hebrews 12:29). Purgatory means that as a person is drawn nearer to God and finally drawn into the fully glory of His presence, the remaining sin in a person's life is just burned away by the consuming fire of God's hatred of sin and His love for the one bound to it. Sin is purged because it cannot exist in the presence of the all-holy God."

Such a reality is not something we have not seen before. As Schreck says, "The doctrine of purgatory is related to Isaiah's experience" (See Isaiah 6:1-3). After having a vision of God on his throne Isaiah states: Woe is me, I am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips, living among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts! Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember which he had taken with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth with it, 'See,' he said. 'now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin is purged.'

There is a reason why there are images with fire with purgatory is because, as Schreck says, "purgation is painful but also cleansing and purifying. This is not an unfamiliar idea; even in this life we experience pain when God breaks us from patterns of sin."


Forgiveness After Death? 

Many Christians reject the idea that sins can be forgiven after death because they continue to attach themselves to what they see as that defining moment of salvation. What's most interesting about this teaching is when we become aware of a born again Christian who later in life commits a very serious sin. At that moment if the reality of their salvation is in fact challenged the response is usually that they were never really saved. How can this be if they did the same thing that the other saved people did by answering the preacher's altar call? Or, does this show that we in fact don't know a person's heart based only on what we see, which is why God is not only the judge of that person but also the source of their purification regardless of whether it happens in this life or the next one?

Instead of splitting hairs over this why don't we simply look at the bible to see if in fact a person can be forgiven of some sins after death.

In Matthew 12:31 Jesus says, "...whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit (the sin of attributing to Satan what is the work of the Spirit of God) will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."  To unfold this teaching a bit more, Dave Armstrong tells us that, "...it is clear that Jesus is presupposing that there are other sins that are forgiven after death." Further, Armstrong states that, if the forgiveness of sins after death was a categorical impossibility then, "He (Jesus) would have never mentioned even its theoretical potentiality. He simply wouldn't bring it up at all. He doesn't teach falsehood, being God and omniscient."

One final point is that in searching through many Protestant bibles it is fascinating to see that many of the editors have removed the portion that states in this age or in the age to come. Is this perhaps an alteration to the text to fit a theological agenda? It is one thing to base one's teaching on a different translation but to remove a portion of the text  that is supposed to be the Word of God is most disturbing.

We can see now see that the claim that the Catholic Church's teaching on purgatory not being found in the bible is in fact false. While there is no direct statement about it from Jesus, the patriarchs or the prophets we must understand that doing theology is more than finding a statement from the bible, interpreting it our own way and then creating a theology around it. It is true that Jesus did not stand on Mount Sinai and say, "Blessed are those who believe that purgatory exists." However, it is a biblical fact that He did speak of the reality of some sins that are forgiven after death.

The belief of such was also very well known by many of the early Church Fathers, which is why many of them encouraged Christians to pray for the dead. This included individuals such as Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, Ambrose, Augustine (whose own mother asked for him to offer Masses for her after she passed away), Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom and Pope Gregory the Great. Meanwhile, Schreck tells us that 4th century Christian Gregory of Nyssa wrote that, "after the departure from the body (a soul that is not purified)...will not be able to participate in divinity, unless the cleansing fire will have purged away all stains of the soul." This is also why there was also a prayer by St. John of Chrysostom that Schreck tells us says, Let us pray also for the repose of the souls of the departed servants of God and for the forgiveness of their every transgression, deliberate and indeliberate." All of this seems to go with quite well with the canonical status given by the Roman Catholic Church to the Old Testament book of 2 Maccabees, which is not included in the Protestant canon. A key statement from this book says that we should, pray for the dead that they might be loosed from their sins (12:46). 

As Schreck says, "Praying for the dead makes sense only if those prayers can benefit the dead." This could only make sense with the existence of purgatory because as Keating says, "Prayers are not needed by those in heaven, and they cannot help those in hell. That means some people must be in a third place, at least temporarily."

In conclusion, we can see first that the bible does in fact speak of sins that can be forgiven after death. We also see the practice of early Christians acting on behalf of those in a purgative state with their prayers. So, if we are looking for someone to best to guide us on the validity of this practice should we look to those who participated in what was obviously a regular practice during the early days of the Church, which was closer to the time period when Jesus spoke of this teaching? Or, do we look to those who came centuries later who were already participating in a practice to remove things from the their own faith expressions that they identified as too Roman Catholic? Either way, regardless of how one wants to interpret scripture they cannot say that the belief in praying for the dead as well as the belief in purgatory that goes with this practice is not without biblical reference.

 

Carlos Solorzano 

• BA & MA in Religious Studies from Cal State Long Beach  
• Certified through the Theology of the Body Institute  
• Instructor of Theology at St. Augustine Catholic High School 

 

 

Sources

• Keating, Karl. Catholicism and Fundamentalism: The Attack on Romanism by Bible Christians. Ignatius Press San Francisco 1988
• Schreck, Alan. Catholic and Christian: An Exploration of Commonly Misunderstood Catholic Beliefs. Servant Book Ann Arbor, Michigan 1984
• Bokenkotter, Thomas. A Concise History of the Catholic Church Image Books Doubleday 2004  
• http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12575a.htm 
• http://www.ncregister.com/blog/darmstrong/does-matthew-1232-suggest-or-disprove-purgatory

Pentecost and Beyond

            It shall come to pass I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. 

                                                                                                                    -Joel 3:1 

This prophecy from the Book of Joel foretold the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-13). It would be further foretold by Jesus in the Gospel of John: 

John 16:7-8: But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation. 

John 16:13: But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. 

Therefore, we can only imagine the excitement experienced by the apostles seeing this event fulfilled in their lifetimes. Not just with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit but also with the way it inspired the apostles in their preaching and actions. 

One of the most inspiring examples is in Acts 3-4 when Peter and John confidently cured the crippled beggar and stood before the Sanhedrin and proclaimed their beliefs and mission even though they were being ordered to stop. 

Acts 4:13 - Observing the boldness of Peter and John and perceiving them to be uneducated, ordinary men, they were amazed, and they recognized them as the companions of Jesus.

We must remember that this is the same Sanhedrin that took Jesus to Pontius Pilate with the intention of having Him crucified. Knowing this at that time, many of the apostles hid out of fear with Peter being the one to deny Christ three times. Now we have Peter and the one who stood at the foot of the cross standing before the Sanhedrin with a courage that could only come from being filled with the Holy Spirit, which prompted the Sanhedrin to acknowledge their boldness. 

The courage given to the apostles at that moment is inspiring enough but we must remember that the work of the Holy Spirit continued to pour out for others. We hear of this happening in Acts 19:7 when St. Paul laid hands upon followers of John the Baptist. We are told that they spoke in tongues and prophesied, which means that these other 12 men experienced the same thing that occurred at Pentecost.  

Still, there is much more to come and in the following we see that the Spirit not only came upon certain people but in a way that revealed more to the apostles than what was foretold in the Book of Joel (see Isaiah 56:1-7). 

Samaritan Pentecost 

(Acts 8:4-25) 

When a great persecution broke out in Jerusalem it was said that many followers were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Philip went to Samaria and proclaimed the Gospel while also performing many great deeds. Upon hearing this, the apostles sent Peter and John who laid hands upon them, which led to the Samaritans receiving the Holy Spirit. 

The Jews saw the Samaritans as a heretical and schismatic group even though they had a common religious heritage (John 4 12). They were detested even more than the pagans because they were descendants of a mixed population. They also had some canonical differences, different legal traditions and worshipped at Mount Gerizim. 

Meanwhile, the same Holy Spirit who descended on the Church in Jerusalem also fell upon the Samaritans after Peter and John laid hands upon them.    

Gentile Pentecost 

Acts 10:1-49

In this extensive story from Acts we see the Holy Spirit come upon the Gentiles while they listened to the words of Peter. Prior to that, Peter had already seen that God showed no partiality because, as stated in verse 35: ....in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him. What is most interesting in this account was that the Gentiles received the Holy Spirit before being baptized, which was probably necessary because Peter could see the will of God, again, in the same Holy Spirit who came upon him and the other apostles at Pentecost. 

Gentiles were non-Jews that were seen as idolaters who were subjected to every vice possible. This is why Jews were expected to maintain strict separation from them in matters of religion, marriage and politics. However, these Gentiles had proven a true fear of the Lord that allowed them to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  

Conclusion 

If we choose to live as the Lord commanded while also being open to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit we too will find ourselves in the same position as the followers of John the Baptist, the Samaritans as well as the Gentiles. This is our response to Jesus who promised to send the Holy Spirit. 

In Matthew 5:16 the Lord says, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father. This is important because we are called to show the source of our joy and remind the rest of the world that this came from Jesus' promise to send the Holy Spirit. 

However, we must remind ourselves that this gift is not to be taken for granted. As stated in Matthew 5:13: You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 

We are the ones who cause the salt to lose its taste when we forget that we are called to a life of holiness that comes from a constant conversion. In doing this we continue to allow God to transform us into the people He made us to be. Thankfully, that is done through the work of the Holy Spirit, which is the same Spirit that transformed the lives of the apostles who then worked through the apostles when it came to changing the world. 

Now we are called to continue with that work in both receiving the Spirit and sharing it with others. 

Sources 

• https://bible.usccb.org/bible 
  
• https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/the-laying-on-of-hands 
  
• McKenzie, John L., S. J. Dictionary of the Bible. MacMillan Publishing Company New York. Collier MacMillan Publishers London 1965 pgs. 303 & 765-766 
• Achtemeier, Paul J. (editor). Harper's Bible Dictionary. Harper San Francisco 1985 pgs. 338-339 & 898-900

 

Carlos Solorzano 

• BA & MA in Religious Studies from Cal State Long Beach  
• Certified Through the Theology of the Body Institute  
• Instructor of Theology at St. Augustine Catholic High School  

Lessons From the Doubting Thomas

It's amazing how one moment in history or one exchange of words between two people and a person is labeled forever. Everyone of us knows that we all have our bad days, our bad moments as well as those stunning moments where we just don't know how to respond to a specific situation. In most cases the people who have labeled us have seen the way we usually act so while we expect them to be surprised we should also assume that they would be the first to offer us the benefit of the doubt.

Then there are those whose actions are misinterpreted but still, once they are labeled then such an identity sticks with them. In most cases many see them in a negative light because the person doesn't just accept what they are told but ask questions to better understand what is going on around them. It should be easy for us to understand that we all see things a certain way and/or that some people need more time to understand the situation around them. Still, when we don't want to take the time to address such concerns we find it easier to label the person who doesn't go along with the rest of us. 

This exists in all communities including the Church and as we will see it goes back to the very beginning, specifically when it comes to St. Thomas who is also known as Doubting Thomas. However, it is my hope that after this discussion we will remove all negatives from the word Doubting in this case and realize that his doubts were based on his desire to have a truly authentic faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. 


The Gospels 

Thomas is only cited in the Synoptic Gospels when the authors list the names of the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus (Matthew 10:2-4, Mark 3:16-19 & Luke 6:14-16). This alone is very important because of the role that the apostles played in comparison to just the regular disciples of Jesus. According to John McKenzie, the word apostle is defined as to send forth and The Twelve that Jesus chose were, His constant companions and given full instruction of the truths which He proclaims.

The Gospel of John though gives us a better glimpse of Thomas the follower of Jesus. During the Raising of Lazarus we see Thomas' zeal for his Master to the point where he is willing to accept death if he were to accompany Jesus back to Judea, which is there the Jews had threatened to stone Him (John 11:1-8). Thomas' reply according to John 11:16: So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go to die with Him." 

Does this sound like a man who doubted who Jesus was? He is openly saying that he will go and die with Jesus not because of what Jesus was about to do but because of who Jesus is. Thomas is already a man of deep faith. In the words of C. Bernard Ruffin: It was only Thomas who showed no reluctance to go. It was he who rallied the other apostles. 

Of course the moment in question that gave the apostle the Doubting label is from John 20:24-29. At the beginning of this passage it said that Thomas was not with the other apostles when Jesus had appeared to them. His response to them in verse 25 after they had informed that they had seen the Lord was: Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger in  the nail marks and put my hand into His side, I will not believe. 

Imagine the complexity of emotions that Thomas must have been feeling at that moment. First, he and the other apostles are already frightened because they are in hiding (John 20:19). Then he hears that the other apostles have seen the Risen Lord? There certainly must have been a sense of joy that he didn't expect at that moment but it shouldn't surprise us if he also felt a certain amount of anger considering the fact that the last time he and the other apostles were in danger that he was the one who spoke out in terms of his willingness to die with Jesus....and now it is the other apostles who have seen Him again?

Let us also consider the following points:

• Jesus was executed in a most horrific way and Thomas knew of the likelihood of his Master being dead and buried for good, just like all of the other Messianic leaders who were executed before Him. But, if Thomas were to see the wounds that he knew would come from someone that was crucified he would be able to believe in this miracle with a greater faith than when he saw Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead. Keep in mind that Thomas was not told about Lazarus coming out of the tomb: he was there and witnessed it with his own eyes! This is why it is fair to consider these words from Ruffin: The incident involved Thomas'  doubting shows him a practical man of common sense who demanded empirical proof.
• Like the other apostles, Thomas was a first century Jew and such people had to see a physical body in order to believe that someone had been raised from the dead.  Of course after Jesus' appearance had convinced the now eleven apostles that He had indeed been raised from the dead the Lord interacted with them in ways that demonstrated it was Him in the flesh, in His glorified body and that it was in fact a human body before them and not a ghost or an hallucination. Even to this day such an idea sounds far fetched, which is why Ruffin said the following about Thomas' condition for believing that Jesus was in fact raised from the dead: Thomas' reaction was eminently reasonable. He knew as well as anybody else that people who were really and truly dead did not come to life again.
• Thomas was an apostle and if that meant that he was supposed to be given full truths from Jesus that he should have a full vision of the Lord as the others had? Therefore, could it be argued that he should also have the right to see the Risen Jesus since the Lord had in fact called him to be in the same role as the other apostles who had already seen the Risen Lord?  Even St. Paul, who was not one of the original twelve but is still regarded as an apostle saw the Risen Lord (1 Corinthians 9:1). In the words of Ruffin: He wanted to have the same experience that his colleagues had in order to prove to himself that the Resurrection was physical and material, rather than intellectual.

When the Lord finally did appear to the apostles again and this time when Thomas was also in their presence He approached Thomas directly and invited him to do exactly what Thomas said he would have to do in order to believe (John 20:27).  The Gospel never says if Thomas in fact did do these things. It simply has Thomas reply with his famous words, My Lord and my God! Would a skeptic be so easily convinced if it was in his nature to question everything around him? Would seeing the actual wounds really convinced such a person that Jesus was in fact raised from the dead or would they at least wonder, even for a brief moment, if there was some way that Jesus could have possibly made Himself appear in this way?

Let me offer a few other observations:

• First, if Thomas was such a skeptic why isn't he portrayed in questioning the things that Jesus did during other moments of His ministry, especially when they were all among those in the crowd who expressed their doubts and/or lack of belief. 
• Second, when Jesus told the apostles prior to their arrival in Bethany that Lazarus had died one would think that Thomas would find good reason to stop the Master and ask how He could bring someone back from the dead. Instead, he continued to focus on the threat that Jesus had already faced and then he stated his willingness to die with Jesus if that was in fact what needed to happen. 
• Finally, Thomas never said that Jesus had obviously failed in His mission following his crucifixion. He simply said that he wanted to see the same evidence as the other apostles so he too could believe. In other words, there is a difference between saying the words I will not believe instead of  I do not believe. In other words, if one looks carefully at John 20:25 Thomas was not convinced that Jesus would fail him, which is why he responded with the words My Lord and my God once he had finally had the same experience as the other apostles.

It's amazing that Thomas has been criticized for his lack of faith for simply wanting to have the same experience as the other apostles when we see in John 20:14 that Mary of Magdala saw the Risen Jesus but did not recognize Him. The same thing happened to seven disciples in John 21:4 and this was after they had already seen Him risen from the dead. We see a similar account in Luke 24:16 but none of these other disciples are criticized for their lack of faith the same way as Thomas.

Consider the words of Jack Zavada in this matter: All of the disciples, except John, deserted Jesus at the cross. They misunderstood and doubted Jesus, but the Apostle Thomas is singled out in the gospels because he put his doubt into words. It is worth noting that Jesus did not scold Thomas for his doubt. Instead of rebuking Thomas, he had compassion for his human struggle with doubt. In fact, Jesus invited Thomas to touch his wounds and see for himself. Jesus understands our battles with doubt and invites us to come near and believe.


The Beginning of the Church 

The book of Acts of the Apostles begins with Jesus continuing to appear before His apostles for 40 days while continuing His instruction about the Kingdom of God. In Acts 1:8 the Lord states: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. After that the Lord made His Ascension into heaven and it was time for the apostles to get to work.

Yes, they had seen the Lord raised from the dead. Yes, they would be empowered by the Holy Spirit who would remind them of all that Jesus taught while empowering the apostles with a grace to allow these simple men to share the Good News with everyone that they encountered. This would have to do because only the Holy Spirit could carry such a message in a world that would certainly demand various forms of proof in order to believe many of the claims that would be made by the apostles.

Still, there would be those who would follow them and for the apostles to be proper witnesses of the faith it would include the following from Acts of the Apostles:

• 2:42- Teaching their faith community
• 4:33- Bearing witness to the Resurrection of Jesus
• 4:34-37- Providing for the needs of the less fortunate 
• 5:12- Performed signs & wonders among the people
• 6:2-6- Created the ministry of the Diaconate
• 15:1-29- Called and ruled over the Council of Jerusalem

All of this occurred after facing threats from the same Sanhedrin that arrested Jesus before handing Him over to Pontius Pilate in order to be crucified (Acts 4:1-22). Thomas was a part of this leadership that was obedient to Jesus to the point where Acts 4:33 tells us that they received great favor for their efforts.  


Thomistic Traditions 

Traditions tell us that Thomas took his ministry outside of his native country even though the story of Thomas visiting India is met with skepticism. This is because the earliest claims come from the Acts of Thomas, which was written in the second century. The stories in this account between Thomas and an Indian king named Gundaphor seem to be legendary tales that cause great suspicion among historians.

There were those who even questioned the existence of Gundaphor until 1834 when ancient coins were discovered in the Kabul Valley of Afghanistan that bore the pictures and names of forgotten kings, which included Gundaphor. Later discoveries would soon follow as more coins were found from Bactria to Punjab. Research on these coins dated them from the first century AD.

As the 19th century drew to a close a stone tablet was discovered in ruins near Peshawar that, according to Samuel Hugh Moffett: not only named King Gundaphor, it dated him squarely in the early first century AD, making him a contemporary of the apostle Thomas just as the much maligned Acts of Thomas had described him. Further deciphering of the tablet sets, the inception of Gundaphor's reign in AD 19. He would still have been ruling, therefore, in 45 or 46, very near to the traditional date of the arrival of Thomas to India.

Prior to his supposed time in India Thomas is said to have ministered in Osroene, which was located in Upper Mesopotamia. Thomistic traditions claim that Thomas returned from Osroene to Jerusalem in 49 AD, perhaps for the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-29), which is also the time where it was said that the apostle met a Jewish Christian named Abban who was the royal trade commissioner for King Gundaphor.

While the Thomistic traditions remained unsolved we cannot totally dismiss the possibility that Thomas did in fact preach the Gospel in India due to the fact that this was also stated by the early Church Fathers and, as Moffett says: Travel back and forth between India and the Roman Empire was far more commonplace in the first century than some earlier skeptics had once thought possible.  Evaluating both the Thomistic traditions as well as the complex travel routes is quite extensive so I would suggest anyone interested in such things to see pgs. 29-36 in Moffett's The History of Christianity in Asia Volume I. 

There are also varying accounts of Thomas' death but in each case he died a martyr's death. Therefore, let us be reminded that he not only lived the life of a devoted follower of Jesus both before and after he encountered the Risen Lord while also showing his love for the Lord by offering his life for his Christian mission. 



Following Thomas' Lead 

Earlier in this discussion we saw why Thomas approached Jesus' Resurrection the way he did and there is so much we can learn from that in today's world.

First, in regards to a life of faith: prayer is such an important way for us to know our Lord and we are asked in faith to receive all of the graces that He has to offer us. But we cannot forget that part of being a good believer is to take the time to learn more about our faith. There are certainly times when we have to stay the course and be patient in terms of understanding the purpose of the things that happen in our lives. But there are other parts of our faith that require us to use our intellect to better understand such things. As teachers of the faith we have to deliver such truths to our brethren whether it comes from us or another resource that may be better informed on the topic in question. In other words, allow the person who is searching to ask for the evidence that they need in the same way as our apostolic father Thomas did as such insight may also allow them to show the same devotion to our Lord as Thomas did once he received the answers that he needed at that important moment of his life.

Second, today's world is filled with too much information and in many cases that's not a good thing. Although there are some who will ask, what is the source of your story? that is still not happening enough. Meanwhile, we know that there are too many times when a news outlet purposely misleads the public in order to promote their own agenda or political bias. Sadly, too many people still take what was reported as truth and then the war of words begins.

We don't necessarily have to imitate the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates whose Socratic method, according to John Chaffee, used a dynamic approach of questioning and intellectual analysis to draw answers out of people rather than lecture them, but it sure wouldn't hurt considering all of the lies that are being perpetuated in so many ways.

Therefore, don't be afraid to ask questions. It doesn't matter if it's that inquisitive five year old, a customer who wants more detail about a product that is on sale that they are being pressured to purchase or the information that is being shared both on cable news or on the internet. Most importantly, we should also be asking questions when it comes to our faith. Such skepticism is not necessarily a bad thing as long as the person accepts the truth once it is before them, which will in turn bring them peace. As teachers we have to accept the fact that we may never see that moment but we must do all that we can to make sure we either offer the right information to the person asking or at least point them in the right direction.

This is the great lesson from St.Thomas the Apostle. So let us find the answers to our faith that we seek and then once we take them in let us share them with the rest of the world, regardless of the trials and tribulations that we will encounter along the way.   

Prayers to St. Thomas the Apostle: https://statucson.org/prayers-to-st-thomas-the-apostle

Carlos Solorzano 

• BA & MA in Religious Studies from Cal State Long Beach  
• Certified Through the Theology of the Body Institute  
• Speaker with Catholic Speakers Organization

 

 

Sources

• New American Bible 
• Moffett, Samuel Hugh. A History of Christianity in Asia Volume I Orbis Book Maryknoll, NY October 2001 (pgs. 29 & 31) 
• Ruffin, C. Bernard. The Twelve: The Lives of the Apostles After Calvary Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division Huntington, IN 1997 (pgs. 121-123, 125 , 128) 
• Chaffee, John. The Philosopher's Way. Thinking Critically About Profound Ideas Upper Saddle River New Jersey 2005 (pgs. 48, 52-53)
• Mckenzie, John L. Dictionary of the Bible MacMillan Publishing Inc. NY 1965 ( pgs. 46-47)
• https://www.learnreligions.com/apostle-known-as-doubting-thomas-701057 
• https://statucson.org/prayers-to-st-thomas-the-apostle

Where Are We in the Crowd?

Many years ago I heard a Presbyterian minister make the point that many in the crowd who called for the life of Jesus were also in the crowd welcoming Him as their King. At first glance, they cried Hosanna as the Lord rode into Jerusalem with Jesus recognizing the need for the crowd to proclaim the truth, even in the midst of those who did not want to hear it (Luke 19: 39-40).  

She reflected on how amazed she was when she realized the number of people who turned on Jesus in less than a week. To go from welcoming Him as the source of their hopes and dreams to crying for His blood as if He were the greatest traitor of all. Further, they were so convinced of what they were demanding that they were willing to take responsibility for it while also putting such blame on later generations (Matthew 27:25). 

How could this happen? Why did this happen? What did the Lord do to cause the people to turn on Him? Or, the biggest question of all, how many in the crowd were sincere in their proclamation of Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest (Matthew 21:9).  

Following the Herd 

Humans are communal beings who were always meant to live with others. While we certainly love our families and at times, peer groups, we have also been taught by some anthropologists that many of our ancestors may have sought out the company of others for the sake of their own survival. We certainly see that in the world today. 

Whether it is a group of friends, teammates on a sports team, classmates, social groups, etc., there is certainly a way for us to find an identity in a group of people. Unfortunately, the social approval that one could experience in such settings may not actually come from people of good character or people who speak the truth. Sadly, this could also come from a church and/or religious groups. One simply needs to recall the actions of Westboro Baptist Church along with the devotion that these people showed when it came to not only speaking their message but also traveling the country to speak such a message.

One could only wonder how such people would react to Jesus had they lived during the time of our Lord. After all, every person who met the Lord was challenged by many of His teachings, which is why so many of them left and returned to their previous way of life (John 6:66). We experience the same thing on a daily basis because each day we are confronted with the choice to live as Jesus did or to reject Him and offer our justifications for abandoning Him along with all that He taught.

When we reject the Lord we are not necessarily yelling, Crucify Him! However, our sins are what put Jesus on the cross so we certainly say it with our actions. There are times we do it because we seek fulfillment in ungodly things while there are other times we do it for the approval of other sinners. Either way, such moments put us among in the crowd of people who called for the Lord's life even though we have some sort of recognition of who He really is.  When it comes to our daily activities it would be when we choose to reject the Christian way of life.

Community of Faith 

The hope from the moment of Jesus' entry in Jerusalem is that people are still the way that God made them, which is good. With that in mind, we must recognize those who not only welcomed our Lord with cheers but also remained faithful to Him. Perhaps some of them were among those in the crowd who asked Pontius Pilate to release him rather than Barabbas. We must also recognize the moments in our lives when we were also faithful to the Lord. 

It happened and it will happen again so with that being said, we can say with certainty that we are all capable of being disciples of Jesus. Further, when we live in that way we are in fact a community of faith and not just members of the crowd seeking an identity. 

Such a community is one filled with love because it is a community that is living in the truth. And what are these truths? It is a community of sinners and when members of this community fall into sin the rest of us lift them up and encourage them to get back on the path of truth. Showing such love to one's neighbor also acknowledges their dignity and in doing that the sinner sees their true worth. Meanwhile, those who lifted up the sinner are allowing the Lord to live through them. 

Think of the love that the sinner feels. Think of the joy that the vessel of the Lord feels from the grace that guided their actions. Feeling the Lord's mercy through one's community. Feeling what it is like to love one's neighbor who needed to feel that love. That would only lead to one response from all, as we cry out in praise to the source of our joy: 

Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.  

Carlos Solorzano 

• BA & MA in Religious Studies from Cal State Long Beach  
• Certified by the Theology of the Body Institute 
• Instructor of Theology at St. Augustine Catholic High School