Henry VIII On Luther

Indeed it is no ridiculous desire of Luther that the things he wrote previously should be burned, because many of them deserved it.

Yet much more should this new proposition of his be destroyed by fire, which he desires to be preserved after the rest are burned, as though it were worthy of eternity.

What man, if he had not know his malice, would not be startled at his inconstancy in this matter ?

In the first place, he denied the Pope’s Supremacy to be of divine right or Law and allowed it to be of human right.

But now, contradicting himself, he affirms it to be of neither of the, but rather that the Papcy has assumed and usurped tyranny by mere force.

Formerly he was of the opinion that power over the Universal Church was given to Roman Bishops by human ocnsent, and for the public good.

He was so much of that opinion that he detested the schism of the Bohemians – who denied any obedience to the See of Rome – saying that ‘they sinned damnably who did not obey the Pope‘.

Shortly after having written these things, Luther embraces now what he detested then.

The same stability he has in this: after he preached in a sermon to the people that ‘excommunication is a medicine, and to be suffereed with patience and obedience’; he himself, a while after being justly excommunicated, was so impatient of that sentence that, mad with rage, he broke forth into intolerable quarrels, reproaches and blasphemies.

So, by his fury, it plainly appears that those who are driven from the bosom of their Holy Mother Church are immediately siezed, possessed with furies and tormented by devils.

Defence of the Seven Sacraments, Henry VIII ( New Millenium Edition ) p.40-41

The words of Henry VIII say it far better than I ever could.

St. Clement of Rome

Today is the commemoration of St. Clement of Rome.   Clement was martyred by the Romans who tied a anchor around his neck and threw him overboard.   This is why the anchor is called the cross of Clement.

Clement knew St. Paul the Apostle and was commended by him.  Here is what Paul said :

Clement of Rome -- Artist Unknown

Therefore, my brethren, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. I entreat Euo’dia and I entreat Syn’tyche to agree in the Lord. And I ask you also, true yokefellow, help these women, for they have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. — Phillipians 4:1-3 RSV

Clement a leader in the church was the 3rd bishop of Rome after Peter. The first being Linus, mentioned by Peter in his epistles, but who we have nothing written to examine.

The church in Corinth, to which Paul addressed two epistles, continued to have problems after Paul’s death.   They asked Clement and Rome to provide guidance and assistance.    We have a copy of the letter that Clement sent to the church in Corinth.

The full copy of the epistle is located here : http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.ii.ii.i.html

The issues facing the church in Corinth had deteriorated.   The appointed clergy had been deposed and the congregation had selected its own priests and elders to oversee them.    The new leaders were teaching novel doctrines but that issue was secondary to the issue of ecclesiastical appointments, power and authority.  Listen to what Clement says in response. I have excerpted his comments from a rather lengthy epistle. I have not changed the order of the quotes at all. Listen to the words of Clement.

The Church of God which sojourns at Rome, to the Church of God sojourning at Corinth, to them that are called and sanctified by the will of God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, from Almighty God through Jesus Christ, be multiplied. … we feel that we have been somewhat tardy in turning our attention to the points respecting which you consulted us; and especially to that shameful and detestable sedition, utterly abhorrent to the elect of God, which a few rash and self-confident persons have kindled to such a pitch of frenzy, that your venerable and illustrious name, worthy to be universally loved, has suffered grievous injury.

…

Ye were sincere and uncorrupted, and forgetful of injuries between one another. Every kind of faction and schism was abominable in your sight.

…

” Hence flowed emulation and envy, strife and sedition, persecution and disorder, war and captivity. So the worthless rose up against the honoured, those of no reputation against such as were renowned, the foolish against the wise, the young against those advanced in years. For this reason righteousness and peace are now far departed from you, inasmuch as every one abandons the fear of God, and is become blind in His faith, neither walks in the ordinances of His appointment, nor acts a part becoming a Christian but walks after his own wicked lusts, resuming the practice of an unrighteous and ungodly envy, by which death itself entered into the world.

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These things, beloved, we write unto you, not merely to admonish you of your duty, but also to remind ourselves.

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Wherefore, let us yield obedience to His excellent and glorious will; and imploring His mercy and loving-kindness, while we forsake all fruitless labours, and strife, and envy, which leads to death, let us turn and have recourse to His compassions

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Let us therefore, brethren, be of humble mind, laying aside all haughtiness, and pride, and foolishness, and angry feelings; and let us act according to that which is written …For the holy word saith, “On whom shall I look, but on him that is meek and peaceable, and that trembleth at My words?”

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It is right and holy therefore, men and brethren, rather to obey God than to follow those who, through pride and sedition, have become the leaders of a detestable emulation. For we shall incur no slight injury, but rather great danger, if we rashly yield ourselves to the inclinations of men who aim at exciting strife and tumults, so as to draw us away from what is good.

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For Christ is of those who are humble-minded, and not of those who exalt themselves over His flock.

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Let us then, men and brethren, with all energy act the part of soldiers, in accordance with His holy commandments. Let us consider those who serve under our generals, with what order, obedience, and submissiveness they perform the things which are commanded them. All are not prefects, nor commanders of a thousand, nor of a hundred, nor of fifty, nor the like, but each one in his own rank performs the things commanded by the king and the generals. The great cannot subsist without the small, nor the small without the great. There is a kind of mixture in all things, and thence arises mutual advantage. Let us take our body for an example. The head is nothing without the feet, and the feet are nothing without the head; yea, the very smallest members of our body are necessary and useful to the whole body. But all work harmoniously together, and are under one common rule for the preservation of the whole body.

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The apostles have preached the Gospel to us from the Lord Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ [has done so from God. Christ therefore was sent forth by God, and the apostles by Christ. Both these appointments, then, were made in an orderly way, according to the will of God. Having therefore received their orders, and being fully assured by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and established in the word of God, with full assurance of the Holy Ghost, they went forth proclaiming that the kingdom of God was at hand. And thus preaching through countries and cities, they appointed the first-fruits [of their labours], having first proved them by the Spirit, to be bishops and deacons of those who should afterwards believe. Nor was this any new thing, since indeed many ages before it was written concerning bishops and deacons. For thus saith the Scripture a certain place, “I will appoint their bishops in righteousness, and their deacons in faith.”

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Our apostles also knew, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and there would be strife on account of the office of the episcopate. For this reason, therefore, inasmuch as they had obtained a perfect fore-knowledge of this, they appointed those [ministers] already mentioned, and afterwards gave instructions, that when these should fall asleep, other approved men should succeed them in their ministry. We are of opinion, therefore, that those appointed by them, or afterwards by other eminent men, with the consent of the whole Church, and who have blame-lessly served the flock of Christ in a humble, peaceable, and disinterested spirit, and have for a long time possessed the good opinion of all, cannot be justly dismissed from the ministry. For our sin will not be small, if we eject from the episcopate those who have blamelessly and holily fulfilled its duties. Blessed are those presbyters who, having finished their course before now, have obtained a fruitful and perfect departure [from this world]; for they have no fear lest any one deprive them of the place now appointed them. But we see that ye have removed some men of excellent behaviour from the ministry, which they fulfilled blamelessly and with honour.

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Ye are fond of contention, brethren, and full of zeal about things which do not pertain to salvation. Look carefully into the Scriptures, which are the true utterances of the Holy Spirit. Observe that nothing of an unjust or counterfeit character is written in them. There you will not find that the righteous were cast off by men who themselves were holy. The righteous were indeed persecuted, but only by the wicked.

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Let us therefore implore forgiveness for all those transgressions which through any [suggestion] of the adversary we have committed. And those who have been the leaders of sedition and disagreement ought to have respect to the common hope.

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Who then among you is noble-minded? who compassionate? who full of love? Let him declare, “If on my account sedition and disagreement and schisms have arisen, I will depart, I will go away whithersoever ye desire, and I will do whatever the majorit) commands; only let the flock of Christ live on terms of peace with the presbyters set over it.”

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Ye therefore, who laid the foundation of this sedition, submit yourselves to the presbyters, and receive correction so as to repent, bending the knees of your hearts. Learn to be subject, laying aside the proud and arrogant self-confidence of your tongue. For it is better for you that ye should occupy a humble but honourable place in the flock of Christ, than that, being highly exalted, ye should be cast out from the hope of His people.

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Send back speedily to us in peace and with joy these our messengers to you: Claudius Ephebus and Valerius Bito, with Fortunatus: that they may the sooner announce to us the peace and harmony we so earnestly desire and long for [among you], and that we may the more quickly rejoice over the good order re-established among you.

The Church in Corinth writes to Rome about the matter. Rome answers and excpects a report back that the matter has been settled. The secession of the episcopate, its apostolic establishement, submission to authority, the presence of authority, the notion of rank and role within the church,and on and on. Through the quotes of scripture throughout his epistle we see Clement using the LXX for his scriptural citations including references to Judith and to Wisdom of Solomon.

The Church is what the Church has always been.  The Church does not change.

The Mythical Luder

All protestants hail Martin Luther.    He was the whizbang brilliant theologian who stood up to Rome and tried to make a few reforms but Rome wouldn’t have any of it.   Yet protestants would not accept Luthers arguments if they actually read them.   Martin Luther, if he taught the things he taught at the time of the Diet at Worms where he was asked to recant, would be thrown out of every single congregation of protestants, except perhaps the ECLA.

Everyone assumes that they know what Luther taught.   They further think that he taught what they agree with, for the most part.

The reality is no one has a clue what Luther taught they never read him.

Preparing for Yom Kippur

Preparations for Yom Kippur, the day of atonements.

Korahs Rebellion

What is it that Jude is saying when he condemns those who will arise as those who participate in Korahs rebellion.    In Jude he says this :

For admission has been secretly gained by some who long ago were designated for this condemnation…Yet in like manner these men in their dreamings defile the flesh, reject authority and revile the glorious ones. … Woe to them! For they walk in the way of Cain, and abandon themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error, and perish in Korah’s rebellion. — Jude 1:4,8,11 RSV

The rebellion of Korah is described in Numbers 16.    Specifically it was  a rebellion against the existence of a priesthood on the grounds that all members of Israel were equally holy, that God was with each individual person, and so there was no need for a seperate priesthood, the very idea of a seperate priesthood was wrong.

1 Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abi’ram the sons of Eli’ab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, 2 took men; and they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men; 3 and they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said to them, “You have gone too far! For all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them; why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?” — Numbers 16:1-4 RSV

Jude expressly warns of those who do not respect authority and decide that there is not really an ordained priesthood but instead teach that all people in the Church are equal.

The error of Cain was that he offered to God other than what God had commanded.

The error of Baalam was that he allied himself with princes against the people of God.

 

Feast of the Presentation of Mary

Today is the feast of the presentation of Mary in the temple.    

How Many Angels ?

When we were married we only had two angels appointed to guard our home.   Now we have four angels to guard our home.   Kids bring a real blessing.

Acts of Mercy

When Christ returns he will not ask us of what great sermons we’ve done, or Bible studies we’ve made.   He will ask us “When I was hungry did you feed me ?”    And the answer is very important.    Today’s saint is St. Elizabeth of Hungary.   Daughter of a king, wife of a landgrave, and mother of three she devoted herself to the care of the material needs, like food, of the poor.

(Painting by Edmund Blair-Leighton 1853-1922 in 1915)

At The Passing

In Jewish funeral proceedings it is customary to recite the following psalm amongst others while standing in the presence of the deceased.

You Who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, Who abides in the shadow of the Omnipotent,
I say [to you] of the Lord Who is my refuge and my stronghold, my G-d in Whom I trust,
that He will save you from the ensnaring trap, from the destructive pestilence.
He will cover you with His pinions and you will find refuge under His wings; His truth is a shield and an armor.
You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
the pestilence that prowls in the darkness, nor the destruction that ravages at noon.
A thousand may fall at your [left] side, and ten thousand at your right, but it shall not reach you.
You need only look with your eyes, and you will see the retribution of the wicked.
Because you [have said,] “The Lord is my shelter,” and you have made the Most High your haven,
no evil will befall you, no plague will come near your tent.
For He will instruct His angels in your behalf, to guard you in all your ways.
They will carry you in their hands, lest you hurt your foot on a rock.
You will tread upon the lion and the viper; you will trample upon the young lion and the serpent.
Because he desires Me, I will deliver him; I will fortify him for he knows My Name.
When he calls on Me, I will answer him; I am with him in distress, I will deliver him and honor him.
I will satisfy him with long life, and show him My deliverance.

http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/367830/jewish/Selected-Psalms.htm

The understanding of this Psalm within the context of standing in front of the deceased and speaking to them is precisely the manner it is meant.   It is recited while asking the deceased to forgive you for anything you may have done against them.   It is part of other prayers and recitations for the soul that has just left.

Another Psalm of the Jewish funeral recitations, said at the passing, is the 23rd Psalm.   With the phrase “and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” spoken with the understanding that the departed soul will now dwell with All Israel before God.

Sacrifice Once For All

11	And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins.
12	But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God,
13	then to wait until his enemies should be made a stool for his feet.
14	For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
18	Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. — Hebrews 10:11-14,18 RSV

This Sundays reading will be from Hebrews and the sacrifice of Christ once for all.   While reading it today a light went on in my head and I understood.    There is no contradiction or even any tension in the fact that Christ died once for all, our sacrifice once for all, and the idea that each week, or even each day, we offer the sacrifice of Christ on the altar and eat of his true body and blood.

The sacrifice was first slain and then taken to the altar and offered upon the altar in the temple and was then eaten of by the priests and the people.    With the sacrifice of Christ it is the same way.   He is the sacrifice slain once for all that we do not need to offer again and again.   Because his sacrifice was once for all we partake of his sacrifice on the altar with the priests and the people.   And we obtain the body and blood of the lord upon the altar in the same way as Christ when he instituted this.   He took bread and wine and after blessing it said “This is my body” and “This is my blood”.    So the Church has always done, taking bread and wine, and having blessed it saying “The body and blood of Christ”.

Thus we partake of the sacrifice once for all on a weekly or even daily basis in which the sacrifice once for all becomes truly present among us.   Sacrificed once for all, offered and eaten forever until he comes.

Profound.