Archive for October, 2008
Five Truths on the Virgin Mary: Victory Over Death
Thursday, October 30th, 2008
“The Catholic Miscellany”
By Father Jeff Kirby
Editor’s Note: This is the final column of a five-part series of columns Father Jeffrey Kirby is writing for the month of October, which is dedicated to Mary and the rosary.
Fifth truth: At death, life is changed, not ended.
Awhile back, while ministering to a person with a terminal illness, I was asked, “Father, should I be afraid?”
I reminded the person of the resurrection of Jesus, and confidently assured the person that there is nothing to fear. But it’s a question that reflects our contemporary mindset.
Why is it that nothing seems to clear a room faster than a conversation on death and dying? It’s as if we have something to fear from the very topic of death. If we look into it, we will find that God has lessons for us on this issue as seen in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Death is one of humanity’s most pressing questions because it appears to be a contradiction of the life we live now. It seems to be at odds with our will to live.
Death relativizes the freedom that we normally cherish and protect. Oftentimes, aroused by fear, we see dying as a terrible evil. These are not abstract ideas or emotions. They reveal very concrete and personal concerns.
Within the forum of this restlessness and fear, the Lord Jesus gives humanity the gift of his mother and her glorious assumption into heaven.
Among the many psychological and emotional answers to our questions on death, we have to remind ourselves of the biblical answer: We were not meant to die.
Death is a consequence of sin and our fallen nature. When God created Adam and Eve, the body shared in the immortality of the human soul. The discord of sin changed that harmony. The awareness of this truth rests within each of us with the belief that death is not supposed to happen.
The Lord Jesus, however, destroyed the power of sin and death in our world. While we still feel the effects of our fallen nature, they no longer have the last word. Rather than an ending, death is now a transition from one state of life to another. In Christ, an everlasting life is offered to humanity.
In Mary, we see the first fruits of the Lord’s victory over sin and death. In her assumption, we see a perfected model and shining example of the saving fruits won by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
In Mary’s passage of body and soul from life to eternal life, the effects of the redemption are played out. We can see in Mary what God wants to do in the life of all his children. In her assumption, we see in personal form what will happen at the end of life to all those who are transformed by God’s goodness.
Mary’s life on earth ended as it had always been lived, in trust and closeness to God.
To all the faithful, her life is a witness to hope in God’s grace and eternal life.
Father Kirby is the parochial vicar at St. Mary Help of Christians Church in Aiken. To read more, visit his web site at www.jeffrey-kirby.com.
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Five truths on the Virgin Mary: Virginity as a Sign of Perfection
Thursday, October 23rd, 2008
“The Catholic Miscellany”
By Father Jeff Kirby
Editor’s Note: This is the fourth of a five-part series of columns Father Jeffrey Kirby is writing for the month of October, which is dedicated to Mary and the rosary.
Fourth truth: We stand before God with empty hands.
Awhile back, the topic of the perpetual virginity of Mary came up in a conversation with a good friend.
This friend argued that “it was clear” in the Bible that Mary was a virgin when she bore Christ. And it was also clear that she later had other children and was not a virgin her entire life.
He did not understand the church’s teaching on Mary’s perpetual virginity and dismissed it as “another example” of the Catholic Church’s obsession and negativity towards human sexuality.
This friend asked me why it was so important that Mary remained a virgin. “Who cares?”
The views of my friend, however, seem themselves to express an unnoticed, contemporary obsession with sex. Perhaps Mary’s virginity isn’t a negative thing, but a positive reality that is meant to direct us to something higher.
The church could agree with our culture and ask who cares whether Mary was a virgin her entire life. But why does the culture care whether Mary was a virgin? What is the culture’s ideal and goal? What is its point?
In posing a counter-question, however, the church explains why it has received, believes and teaches Mary’s lifelong virginity. The church wants to present the ideal and goal of God in doing such a marvelous work in Mary. God wants us to understand his point.
Mary’s perpetual virginity is an exceptional gift to her and to us. It teaches us a lot about the creative power of God’s grace. As human beings, we stand with empty hands before God. We are unable to do anything without him.
As a young virgin, Mary could not bear a son, but God can do all things. The Lord overshadowed her and a virgin conceived a son (Lk 1:35). In Mary’s virginity, we see a symbol of our own inability before God. More importantly, we see God’s complete power and ability to accomplish great things in us.
The teaching on Mary’s perpetual virginity is not a negative view of sexuality, but a sign of its perfection within the higher order of the spiritual life. The dual purposes of the sexual act are unitive and procreative: to unite the couple and be open to life. Both of these purposes reach their climax in Mary’s virginity.
Mary’s empty hands before the Lord began the time of fulfillment of God’s promises and preparations. The Messiah arrived, and God would again be united to his people. Mary’s “yes” to God began a new creation.
In his conception by the Holy Spirit and in his birth, Jesus did not diminish his mother’s virginal integrity, but sanctified it for all time. Joseph remained her chaste spouse throughout his life, surrounded by Jesus’ cousins or half-siblings, perhaps from a previous marriage by Joseph.
Jesus was Mary’s only son, but he was the first-born of many brothers and sisters (Rm 8:29; Rv 12:17) adopted in the Holy Spirit through faith.
The focus of the church’s important teaching on Mary’s perpetual virginity is not her virginity in and of itself or her lack of sexual expression, but the wonderful plan and providence of God in salvation history.
Mary’s untouched body is an enduring icon of God’s utter holiness and of his creative power within and among us. As Mary herself tells us, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Lk 1:46-47).
Father Kirby is the parochial vicar at St. Mary Help of Christians Church in Aiken. To read more, visit his web site at www.jeffrey-kirby.com.
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Five truths on the Virgin Mary: The First to be Saved
Thursday, October 16th, 2008
“The Catholic Miscellany”
By Father Jeff Kirby
Editor’s Note: This is the third of a five-part series of columns Father Jeffrey Kirby is writing for the month of October, which is dedicated to Mary and the rosary.
Third truth: God’s dwelling place will be holy.
Several years ago, I was invited to a social function. I misunderstood how formal the event was, and I showed up greatly underdressed. It was awkward. I certainly didn’t fit in with the other guests.
Sometimes in life we can see how one thing doesn’t fit in with the others. When we approach God, we should use this same ability of discernment Sometimes we forget how holy God’s presence is and we try to approach him underdressed.
Sin cannot withstand the majesty of God’s presence and utter holiness. Only grace makes a fitting garment for God’s company.
In the saving mission of God the Son, a special body was prepared to hold and carry his incarnated divinity. A special handmaid was fashioned to hold the presence of God on earth.
At the very conception of Mary of Nazareth by her parents, God preserved her from all stain of original sin. Three decades before the actual historical events, Mary experienced the redemptive effects of her Son’s cross and resurrection. God applied the graces of salvation to Mary, and she became the first to be saved by Jesus Christ.
Mary received this singular grace and privilege because God was sanctifying the future temple of his Son. God was preparing Mary to be the new Ark of the Covenant.
In the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant was a sacred container that housed the presence of God. It held various testimonies of God’s covenant with humanity, mainly the tablets of the Ten Commandments, portions of manna, and the rod of the High Priest Aaron.
Containing God’s presence, the Ark was holy. God himself ordered its construction, dictated who built it, consecrated those who cared for it, and blessed its completion through Moses. The Ark was a sign of God’s loving presence. It was regarded with holy fear and strict reverence by the Jewish people.
King David was filled with awe at the sight of the Ark. He danced before it, and exclaimed, “How can the Ark of the Lord come to me?” (2 Samuel 6:9).
As in the old covenant, God would fashion an Ark for his covenant. Rather than a box or container, the new ark would be a bodily temple and a loving mother. God preserved Mary from sin, nurtured her with devotion and filled her with grace. She was to be freely and completely holy for the Son of God.
After the announcement of God’s incarnation in her womb, Mary went to her relative Elizabeth. In a scene reminiscent of King David, the unborn St. John the Baptist danced before Mary, and St. Elizabeth exclaimed, “And why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Lk 1:43).
In her Immaculate Conception, Mary was being liberated and prepared by God for her role in salvation history. As the Lord’s own mother, she would become the sanctified Ark of the New Covenant.
Father Kirby is the parochial vicar at St. Mary Help of Christians Church in Aiken. To read more, visit his web site at www.jeffrey-kirby.com.
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Five truths on the Virgin Mary: Life is a Family Affair
Thursday, October 9th, 2008
“The Catholic Miscellany”
By Father Jeff Kirby
Editor’s Note: This is the second of a five-part series of columns Father Jeffrey Kirby is writing for the month of October, which is dedicated to Mary and the rosary.
Second truth: Life is a family affair.
Life has an amazing inner focus on community, and most of it surrounds the family. Weddings, birthday parties, funerals, and celebrations of all types involve the men and women we call relatives.
Family life is central to our lives as human beings.
Whether we like it or not, whether we enjoy their company or not, we all know that there is something important about being together in a family. Even if it’s the sorrow of not having a family, we all have a deep family sense in our hearts and a desire to be with others who know us and are known by us.
Something so fundamentally human could not be missing from the earthly life of Jesus Christ. This basic aspect of reality is plainly seen in his life and mission. Fully human, Jesus belonged to a family and a chosen people. His work as our redeemer is marked by this astute family sense and identity.
This seems peculiar to our contemporary, Western world. So many of us struggle to define ourselves in individualistic terms. We want to be independent, autonomous and left alone. We see our relationship with Jesus in exclusive terms, it’s “me and Jesus.” The interior move towards family life and true relationship is repressed and oftentimes forgotten.
In this arena, the role of Jesus’ mother, the saints and angels, all seem like distractions and barriers to our encounter with Christ.
Jesus’ approach to us, however, is much different. As seen in the Bible and in our tradition, the initiatives of Jesus always have a strong emphasis on a covenant with a people. God wants a family, and it’s not just about the individual. It’s about the person as a member of God’s greater family.
In his public ministry, Jesus sought to clearly teach this lesson. Once, his mother and relatives came and called to him. He was told, “Your mother and your kinsmen are outside, asking for you.” He replied, “Here are my mother and my kinsmen. Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister, and mother” (Mk 3:31-35). Rather than dismissing his natural family, Jesus is opening up his family to all who do the will of his heavenly Father.
Jesus comes to heal wounds, unite what has fallen apart and bring home those who have lost their way.
In Christ, we can realize the family relationship that God wants to have with us. Rather than distractions and barriers, the Virgin Mary and the saints become a part of us, and a gift from God to us along the way of life. We see Jesus’ mother as a consolation and a help to us. We see the saints, the friends of God, as our older brothers and sisters who encourage and protect us. Our inner desire for family finds its fulfillment and greatest expression in the family of God through Jesus Christ.
Father Kirby is the parochial vicar at St. Mary Help of Christians Church in Aiken. To read more, visit his web site at www.jeffrey-kirby.com.
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Stewardship and Challenge
Sunday, October 5th, 2008
“Aiken Standard”
By Rev. Jeff Kirby
Guest columnist
Yesterday, various Christian communities celebrated the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Known for his intense love for nature, popular images of the saint preaching to the birds or caressing the wolf of Gubbio can be seen in art and statuary throughout the world. The saint’s love can be felt in his poetry and songs, especially the noted “Canticle of Brother Sun”.
Our society today is keenly aware and attentive to the environment and several issues surrounding it. Sometimes, however, it seems as if our environmental concern lacks a certain depth and richness. The feast day of such a saintly lover of nature can be a good time for us to consider and evaluate our views on nature and the environment. The feast day provides us with an opportunity to review the contribution of the Christian message to the ecological issues of our day.
For St. Francis, love for nature and the environment stemmed from his love for God. He saw creation as a gift from God, a gift which must be cared for and respected. In his worldview, he wouldn’t have been able to fathom a love for the environment without God.
Grounded on the belief of creation as God’s gift, only then would Francis adamantly argue and demand that people have a religious reverence for the world, animals, plants and the greater environment. For Francis, being human meant caring for the world.
Some perspectives, however, dismiss the Christian teaching on environmental stewardship as condescending and belittling. It is suspected that by teaching that the human person is the crown of creation, the Christian message sees the rest of the world as having no role or essential importance.
The authentic Christian understanding, however, knows that the hierarchy within creation is a hierarchy of service and complementarity. Nothing is self-sufficient, There is an active interdependence between all creatures, with each one complementing the other and living in service to it. This reality gives a breathing solidarity to creation, revealing its inner order and value.
The human person stands as the summit of creation in order to serve and sustain creation and its harmony. Creation can be seen as a type of republic, with each component having its own dignity and autonomy, and yet a part of a greater whole with responsibilities and a greater identity within the larger entity. Within such a republic, the human person lives as a chosen leader for humble service and benevolent governance of the environment. This is the proper order given and blessed by God.
As a consequence of an authentic Christian understanding of the environment, we realize that the human person’s governance of the world is not absolute. It is limited by concern for others and society. It is humbled by gratitude to God, and tempered by a religious respect for the integrity of creation itself.
The environment is not humanity’s to do with whatever it pleases. It is a gift in which humanity lives, and we have the privilege and responsibility to care for, serve, and sanctify it. It is a stewardship and challenge.
Perhaps these thoughts on our world and our environment can be St. Francis’ lesson to us as we celebrate his life and actions. Hopefully, we can each imitate some of his gratitude and passion in our lives.
Rev Jeff Kirby is the parochial vicar at St. Mary Help of Christians Catholic Church.
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Five Truths on the Virgin Mary: A Mother’s Essential Role
Thursday, October 2nd, 2008
“The Catholic Miscellany”
By Father Jeff Kirby
Editor’s Note: This is the first of a five-part series of columns Father Jeffrey Kirby is writing for the month of October, which is dedicated to Mary and the rosary.
First truth: A mother’s role is essential.
Whenever my mom visits the parish, it’s amazing how much she inquires about my life and how much she inspects the environment: food, cleanliness, people and personalities.
If she wasn’t my mother, her approach might be considered pushy and intrusive. But she’s my mom.
It’s interesting to see how much access and leeway mothers have in the lives of their children. It’s a basic human reality that moms can go where no one else can. They uniquely understand their children. Our moms carried us, brought us into the world, and our lives are always a gift from them.
We shouldn’t be surprised when we see this universal truth played out in the earthly life of Jesus Christ. In the fullness of time, God the Father sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to bring redemption to humanity (Gal 4:4-5).
Jesus didn’t just appear as an adult, or fall from the sky. He was born of a woman, and had a human mother.
The archangel announced to Mary of Nazareth that she was “full of grace,” and was chosen to be the Mother of the long-awaited Messiah. It was Mary who first heard and believed in the glad tidings of the savior’s arrival.
Virginally conceived, Jesus was born surrounded by his mother’s faith and his people’s hope.
After his displacement and birth in Bethlehem and his flight into Egypt, Jesus settled and was raised in Nazareth. He worked with human hands, prayed with human words and loved with a human heart. Under the care and teaching of his mother and foster father, Jesus’ human nature was slowly prepared for his saving mission.
Jesus honored Mary as his mother and showed her the love of a devoted son. With her maternal heart, she held a privileged place in his life and mission. At the wedding feast of Cana, the Lord was hesitant to work a miracle, “My hour has not yet come.” It was Mary who prompted his actions, and with it the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Her instructions to the servants at Cana about Jesus are her last recorded words in the Bible: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5).
At one point in Jesus’ public ministry, someone yells to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked.”
Jesus, however, shows the depth of his love and honor for his mother when he responds, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Lk 11:27-28). As his mother, Mary was especially prepared to be his most adamant follower.
Mary understood who Jesus was and what he was called to do. From the crib to the cross, from Pentecost to her Assumption, Mary loved her Son and faithfully served her savior.
Father Kirby is the parochial vicar at St. Mary Help of Christians Church in Aiken. To read more, visit his web site at www.jeffrey-kirby.com.
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