On Judas Iscariot and Matthias - Never Despair of God's Mercy

Zenit News Agency ^ | October 18, 2006 | Benedict XVI

[ELS]

[ELS]

Previous catecheses on the Apostles:
Profile of St. Peter (May 17, 2006)
On Peter, the Apostle (May 24, 2006)
The Custodian of the Communion With Christ (Peter, the Rock) (June 7, 2006)
St. Andrew, the First Called (June 14, 2006)
James the Greater (June 21, 2006)
James the Less (June 28, 2006)
John, Son of Zebedee (July 5, 2006)
John, the Theologian (August 9, 2006)
Apostle John, the Seer of Patmos (August 23, 2006)
On St. Matthew, A Model of Acceptance of God's Mercy (August 30. 2006)
The Apostle Philip, He Invites Us to Come and See Jesus (September 6, 2006)
The Apostle Thomas, His Question Gives Us the Right ... to Ask Jesus for Explanations (September 27, 2006)
The Apostle Bartholomew, His Words Present a Double Aspect of Jesus' Identity (October 4, 2006)
Apostles Simon and Jude Thaddaeus, Our Identity Is Not to Be Toyed With (October 11, 2006)

[ELS]

Weekly audience ping!

Please let me know if you want to be on or off this list.

[BipolarBob]

"On concluding, we wish to recall also he who, after Easter, was chosen to replace the traitor." Some KJ versions have Easter in the text but it should read Passover.

[Tax-chick]

Unless the Holy Father was speaking in English or German, I doubt he said "Easter." Most other languages have some cognate of "Passover."

Same thing, anyway. Matthias was chosen to replace Judas after what we English speakers call "Easter," the day of the Lord's Resurrection.

[BipolarBob]

Not wishing to be contrarian, but the only thing Easter and Passover have in common is the date. Jews would not be celebrating Eater at the time of Jesus because Easter had not been invented. Easter does have pagan fertility orgins while Passover has God-inspired orgins.

[Pyro7480]

Easter does have pagan fertility orgins while Passover has God-inspired orgins.

It's matter of language. Many of the languages in traditionally-Christian countries use a varient on "Pascha," and English is an exception.

[Campion]

Not wishing to be contrarian, but the only thing Easter and Passover have in common is the date. Jews would not be celebrating Eater at the time of Jesus because Easter had not been invented. Easter does have pagan fertility orgins while Passover has God-inspired orgins.

Bob, the word "Easter" in English (and German, and Dutch) has a pagan origin. But Christian festival called "Easter" in English is called by a name derived from "Passover" in all Romance languages, and in Greek. The Pope would have been speaking in Italian, where "Easter" is "Pasqua", clearly cognate to the Greek "Pascha", which comes straight from the Hebrew pesach.

The "Easter is pagan because the name comes from a pagan goddess" argument is bogus. It falls apart as soon as you realize that Christianity was brought to England and Germany by people who spoke Latin and carried a Bible translated from Greek, and who knew all about the Christian festival of "Pascha" and nothing of the Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre.

[BipolarBob]

I guess pagans (or Celts) never borrowed Christian traditions for their own fertility rites. I still maintain neither Jesus nor His disciples celebrated or had even heard of Easter.

[Campion]

I still maintain neither Jesus nor His disciples celebrated or had even heard of Easter.

Of course they had never heard of the word "Easter".

If you mean to claim that the early Christians didn't have a special celebration commemorating the resurrection, which they called (if they were Greek speakers), pascha, then I should point out to you that there were disagreements over the date on which Easter (Pascha, Pesach, Passover) was to be celebrated before the last apostle had reached room temperature. Google "Quartodeciman controversy".

Easter (or Pascha, if you prefer) is the earliest distinctively Christian celebration we know of, except for the celebration of Sunday as the Lord's Day.

[BipolarBob]

except for the celebration of Sunday as the Lord's Day

Another tender spot. Another celebration Christ (or his disciples) didn't celebrate. I know , I know they met on the first day of the week (as well as other days of the week). If Christ is our example - why don't we follow His example? What day is the Lords Day pray tell? Hint see Mark 2:28. Also I understand the change from Sabbath to Sunday was early on in the churches history. With no Biblical reason. If we love Him - we should do what? Hint John 14:15.

[Pyro7480]

Colossians 2:14-17 - "Blotting out the handwriting of the decree that was against us, which was contrary to us. And he hath taken the same out of the way, fastening it to the cross. And despoiling the principalities and powers, he hath exposed them confidently in open shew, triumphing over them in himself. Let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink, or in respect of a festival day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ."

"Festivals, new moons, and sabbaths were the three kinds of feast days of the Mosaic calendar (see Neh. 10:33, Lev. 23, Num. 29:6). Paul thus states that the whole Jewish festal calendar, sabbath days included, is not binding on Christians." (James Akin, Catholic Answers)

[BipolarBob]

Actually there were additional sabbaths and holy days mentioned in the OT . As far as let no man judge regarding . . . . . I agree let God do the judging. He does a lot better job than we can. What was blotted out and was contrary to us was trying to follow the law of our own will and power. The new covenant says He will instill in us a new heart. If we will follow Him, we can change our way of thinking, our desires will become in harmony with His and we will ignore the values the world tries to impose on us. Through prayer, reading the Bible and meditating on the life of Christ one may receice this new heart.

[Tax-chick]

I didn't realize your post was the introduction to a polemic. I'm glad I went to bed when I did, all things considered.

[bornacatholic]

Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you.

*Do you have life in you, Bob?

[bornacatholic]

Who cares what you maintain? You have opinions but no authority.

The New Testament is a collection of texts written by Catholics to an already existing, nascent, Catholic Church. It is solely due to the authority of the Catholic Church you even have a New Testament to try and attack the Church Jesus established (Matt 16: 18,19). Google "Didache" and see what the Disciples of Jesus did.

Unless you are part of a Church which worships Jesus as He Himself taught us to Worship God, then you are on the wrong path and wasting your time castigating long dead pagans.

To worsship God in spirt and truth one must participate in the Sacrifice of the New Covenant and the New Covenant meal. That IS what the early Christians did - it is even in the Bible. Ask me sometime and I weill point it out to you :)

[BipolarBob]

I have a little life in me, yes. Thanks be to God. I didn't realize the Apostles were all Catholic. My mistake (or not). Jesus lived a simple life and taught simple values about the love of God. He continually ran into problems with the local religious leaders because of their "traditions". Generally the older a churches history the more traditions and rituals they acquire. I prefer to meditate on Christs life than the teachings of any church. Who cares what you maintain Noone. I only have the authority of free will granted to me by God. And that's authority enough for me.

[BipolarBob]

"Unless you are part of a Church which worships Jesus as He Himself taught us to Worship God, then you are on the wrong path and wasting your time castigating long dead pagans."

Now who is doing the judging?

"It is solely due to the authority of the Catholic Church you even have a New Testament"

I attribute the Bible and its contents to God. Glory be to God in the highest for He is forever merciful. As you have stated I only have my opinions.

[bornacatholic]

So, when Jesus establsihed His church upon the Papacy, and commanded His Apostles offer the Sacrifice of the New Covenant and consume the New Covenant meal, He was just teachinh simple values?

[bornacatholic]

19 And taking bread, he gave thanks, and brake; and gave to them, saying: This is my body, which is given for you. Do this for a commemoration of me. 20 In like manner the chalice also, after he had supped, saying: This is the chalice, the new testament in my blood, which shall be shed for you.

*You have free will. you can read the Bible and make up your own way of folllowing Jesus, or, you can join the Church He established and participate in the Sacrifice of the New Covenant and the Meal of the New Covenant