The world is heading into Holy Week, the holiest of times for the world's more than two billion Christians. Christians believe that Jesus of Nazareth entered Jerusalem as a king on Palm Sunday, was tortured, crucified, killed, and buried on Good Friday, and rose again on Easter Sunday. It is one of the defining weeks in human history. Even many secular atheists who deny the resurrection will concede the execution of Jesus of Nazareth 2000 years ago is the most important event in human history. As we head into Holy Week, it is appropriate to pause the politics and dwell on this.
I have committed to memory the entirety of The Serenity Prayer which many people believe, as I did in the past, is limited to, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference." But there is SO MUCH MORE to this prayer. The prayer goes on, "Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen." Reciting this prayer whenever I have down time has brought me a level of serenity I never thought I'd have. God has this, so we must let go and let God. Thanks Erick!
Erick - Thank you. We all need to pause and reflect on Jesus during this most solemn season of the liturgical year. However, I disagree with your on-air remarks yesterday that Mary had children after giving birth to the Son of God. As a Catholic, I believe in Mary's perpetual virginity - that she was a virgin before, during, and after Christ's birth. This is a profound doctrine derived from Scripture and taught by the Church to this day. Even Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin (at least in his early years) accepted it. Over the years, however, Protestantism largely tossed aside this doctrine as just another example of "Mary worship" in the Catholic Church. I could cite a lengthy list of Scriptures and early-church writings that attest to the truth of Mary's perpetual virginity but suffice to say here that "the brethren of the Lord" are the stepbrothers of Jesus through Joseph, not his half-brothers through Mary. Another possibility, based on St. Jerome's teaching in the fourth century, is that "brethren" is a Hebrew idiom for "cousin" or "kinsman." There are many examples of this in the Old Testament. An example in the New Testament is in I Cor 15:6, where St. Paul says Jesus appeared to five hundred "brothers" at the same time. Surely, he did not mean to say Mary had that many children! The perpetual virginity of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, the other three being her divine motherhood ("Theotokos"), her immaculate conception, and her glorious assumption into heaven. Taken together, the Marian dogmas point to Christ. Mary was the Ark of the New Covenant, the stainless vessel chosen by God to carry His Son. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ” (487). Mary had only one child: Jesus, the Son of Mary (Mk 6:3). The Church cannot teach a lie. When people say Jesus had brothers and sisters, they are stating their opinion, not biblical truth or historical fact.
I read Mark 8 this morning but the verses 34-38 stood out the most to me. Everyone that reads the Bible daily will learn from God thru his words what they need.
Erick- you have articulated well what I have told my family repeatedly as of late; God's sovereignty is also a reality that allows me to sleep at night.
From a human perspective, it is very difficult to see a good ending for our nation and world in current circumstances. Those of us who are believers depend upon God's complete sovereignty to find hope.
Touché. Nothing the progressive left or all the democrats in the world can do can upend the plan. And nothing all the righteous right or all the republicans in the world can do can hammer past perceived "impediments" if the impediments are the plan. It's just not possible.
> Your vote for a lesser of two evils does not advance God's Kingdom. God advances God's Kingdom.
Yes! God's got this! Pretty much everything in our world is such a mess right now that, think about it, ONLY GOD can help us - so God, you've got this - bring it on! We need you more than ever.
Thanks Eric. Always one of your strongest weeks. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for the reminder we all know but ,too often, allow the secular worldview to dominate.
1 John 4: 4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
The events of this week, the bedrocks of our faith do indeed teach us the eternal truth - God has this.
I feel a sermon coming on!
This is my favorite week of the year to listen to your show! Thank you, Erick!
I have committed to memory the entirety of The Serenity Prayer which many people believe, as I did in the past, is limited to, "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference." But there is SO MUCH MORE to this prayer. The prayer goes on, "Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His will; that I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen." Reciting this prayer whenever I have down time has brought me a level of serenity I never thought I'd have. God has this, so we must let go and let God. Thanks Erick!
Erick - Thank you. We all need to pause and reflect on Jesus during this most solemn season of the liturgical year. However, I disagree with your on-air remarks yesterday that Mary had children after giving birth to the Son of God. As a Catholic, I believe in Mary's perpetual virginity - that she was a virgin before, during, and after Christ's birth. This is a profound doctrine derived from Scripture and taught by the Church to this day. Even Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin (at least in his early years) accepted it. Over the years, however, Protestantism largely tossed aside this doctrine as just another example of "Mary worship" in the Catholic Church. I could cite a lengthy list of Scriptures and early-church writings that attest to the truth of Mary's perpetual virginity but suffice to say here that "the brethren of the Lord" are the stepbrothers of Jesus through Joseph, not his half-brothers through Mary. Another possibility, based on St. Jerome's teaching in the fourth century, is that "brethren" is a Hebrew idiom for "cousin" or "kinsman." There are many examples of this in the Old Testament. An example in the New Testament is in I Cor 15:6, where St. Paul says Jesus appeared to five hundred "brothers" at the same time. Surely, he did not mean to say Mary had that many children! The perpetual virginity of Mary is one of the four Marian dogmas of the Catholic Church, the other three being her divine motherhood ("Theotokos"), her immaculate conception, and her glorious assumption into heaven. Taken together, the Marian dogmas point to Christ. Mary was the Ark of the New Covenant, the stainless vessel chosen by God to carry His Son. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ” (487). Mary had only one child: Jesus, the Son of Mary (Mk 6:3). The Church cannot teach a lie. When people say Jesus had brothers and sisters, they are stating their opinion, not biblical truth or historical fact.
I read Mark 8 this morning but the verses 34-38 stood out the most to me. Everyone that reads the Bible daily will learn from God thru his words what they need.
Very well done.
Erick- you have articulated well what I have told my family repeatedly as of late; God's sovereignty is also a reality that allows me to sleep at night.
From a human perspective, it is very difficult to see a good ending for our nation and world in current circumstances. Those of us who are believers depend upon God's complete sovereignty to find hope.
Good words Erick. I will make it a priority to be in church this Sunday, and next. At least.
Thank you; needed that.
Thank-you & God
> God’s got this
Touché. Nothing the progressive left or all the democrats in the world can do can upend the plan. And nothing all the righteous right or all the republicans in the world can do can hammer past perceived "impediments" if the impediments are the plan. It's just not possible.
> Your vote for a lesser of two evils does not advance God's Kingdom. God advances God's Kingdom.
Here is the operative advice for this season.
What's the reference for the Lewis quote?
And all God's children said: Amen!
Yes! God's got this! Pretty much everything in our world is such a mess right now that, think about it, ONLY GOD can help us - so God, you've got this - bring it on! We need you more than ever.
Matthew 6:34 is my life motto and makes surrender much less difficult ;)