Christians Are Not Bound by the Old Law

Posted on August 14, 2010 by Trek to Rome

The Law of the Old Testament was only ever binding upon the Jews, who were part of the Old Covenant. The Old Law is not applicable to Christians, because we are part of the New Covenant established by Jesus Christ.

The Binding of the Old Law for the Israelites

The Old Testament describes in great detail how God gave the Law to the Israelites under the Old Covenant. Turning the pages of the Old Testament, we see how each part of the Law was imposed by God, with strict instructions as to its observance. Christ, however, established a New Covenant, not under the restrictions of the Old Law.

Proof From the New Testament

The Apostles are very clear that Christians are not bound by the Old Law.

Against Observance of Rituals and Dietary Laws

Hebrews 9 gives an extensive comparison of the Old Covenant verse the New Covenant. In Hebrews 9:10, Paul clearly states how the regulations of the Old Law were only applicable until the New Covenant was established (emphasis added–read the chapter online to see how beautiful the comparison is):

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but only in matters of food and drink and various ritual washings: regulations concerning the flesh, imposed until the time of the new order.

The Law was imposed until the time of the New Covenant.

Against Observance of Circumcision

In Galations 5:1-6, Paul takes up the controversy of those wishing to still observe the Old Law’s observance of circumcision saying (emphasis added):

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For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
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It is I, Paul, who am telling you that if you have yourselves circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you.
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Once again I declare to every man who has himself circumcised that he is bound to observe the entire law.
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You are separated from Christ, you who are trying to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
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For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness.
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For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

Can the Scriptures be any clearer? You are separated from Christ, you who are trying to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. (Galations 5:4)

Against Observance of the Sabbath

Paul makes very clear in Colossions 2:16, that Christians are not to observe the Sabbath. The Early Church Fathers, and the first Christians understood this fact very well. Colossions 2:16 (emphasis added) reads thus:

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Let no one, then, pass judgment on you in matters of food and drink or with regard to a festival or new moon or sabbath.

The blog post Why do Christians Worship on Sunday contains further proofs on why Christians are not bound to observe the Sabbath.

Against Observance of the Entire Law

If these weren’t enough, Paul clears things up in
Ephesians 2:14-16 (emphasis added):

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For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh,
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abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims, that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two, thus establishing peace,
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and might reconcile both with God, in one body, through the cross, putting that enmity to death by it.

We see in Ephesians 2:15 that Christ has “[Abolished] the law with its commandments”. Can the New Testament be any clearer?

Proof From the Writing of the Early Christians

The Early Church Fathers are very clear on Christians not being bound by the Old Law, especially concerning how Christians should worship on Sunday, not the Sabbath.

A Possible Objection

Observant readers of Scripture may recall Matthew 5:17:

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.

At first glance, this verse might appear to contradict Ephesians 2:15:

15 [Christ, who] abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims,

So how can we resolve these two verses? In Matthew 5:17, Christ is referring to the moral obligations that the Law contained (it’s purpose). The Law was meant to prepare the hearts of the Israelites for the coming of Christ. When Christ came, He worked within the framework of the Law, but began to change the Israelites’ understanding of it (healing on the Sabbath, teachings on divorce, adultery, etc.). When Christ established the New Covenant in His blood, the letter (form) of the Old Law was abolished (Ephesians 2:15).

Two New Laws

Christ let the Israelites understand that there were really only two laws. While He abolished the form of the Old Law (Ephesians 2:15), Christ explained that the purpose of the Old Law really rested on two great commandments. Matthew 22:34-40:

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When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together,
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and one of them [a scholar of the law] tested him by asking,
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“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
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He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
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This is the greatest and the first commandment.
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The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
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The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

In Summary

One can not hold to only part of the Old Law (Galations 5:3 & Entire Old Testament), as all of the Law was given by God with the same moral imperative. Moreover, the Apostle Paul (in Ephesians 2:15), clearly explains how the entire Old Law is no longer binding. This presents a dilemma for anyone who claims we must follow even part of the Old Testament law. Christians are part of a New Covenant in Christ Jesus. The moral implications (purpose) of the Law under the Old Covenant are still applicable, but the letter (form) of the law is not.

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Every Person is Priceless

Posted on August 1, 2010 by Trek to Rome

I heard a great homily today while visiting the Missionaries of Charity in Washingon, DC. Let me see if I can’t sum it up: every person is a priceless soul in the eyes of God.

Weeds and Wheat

In the parable of the weeds and wheat (Matthew 13:24-30), both weeds and wheat are allowed to grow together. Note, that this gives sinners (whom the weeds of the parable represent) time to change their ways. They aren’t just thrown away, they are priceless.

Whom Did Jesus Eat With?

Jesus ate with prostitutes and tax collectors as well as Jewish Pharisees (e.g. Luke 7:37-50). He went out and touched the poor and lepers.

When you look at these people with derision instead of compassion in your heart, who are you imitating?

Mark 2:15-17 (emphasis added) shows Our Lord’s compassion for all souls:

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While he was at table in his [Levi's] house, many tax collectors and sinners sat with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many who followed him.
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Some scribes who were Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors and said to his disciples, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
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Jesus heard this and said to them (that), “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

Our Lord did not come to call the righteous, but sinners (Mark 2:15-17). Whom did Our Lord shy away from? None, Christ came for those who were most in need–how do you see them? How do you see yourself?

Judas

Our Lord gave Judas time to change his mind–Judas didn’t have to betray Our Lord, but Christ was patient with Him even to death–giving him every possible opportunity to change his mind.

Our Father

When we pray the Lord’s prayer, we say ‘Our Father.. who art in heaven.’ That ‘Our‘ includes the people we don’t like and those who hurt us. All of us have the same loving Father in heaven whether we know it or not.

Living This Message

I think the only reason we are mean to people, is we forget that every person is a priceless soul in the eyes of God. The only reason people lust after each other, is they forget that person is a priceless soul. If God sees every soul as priceless, why should our view be any different? Another way to remember this is, Christ said that whatever we did to the least of our brothers, we did to Him. Every person represents Jesus Christ. If we are to follow Christ, then we must love as He did.

“Infinite sweetness must be lavished on a priceless soul.” – Legion of Mary Handbook

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Did Constantine Abolish the Sabbath in 321 A.D.?

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Trek to Rome

Occasionally, some may claim that Constantine abolished the Sabbath in 321 A.D.–effectively moving Christian worship from Saturday to Sunday. If this sounds like something pretty wild to you, there’s a reason for that–it is indeed a tall tale. Here’s where the misunderstanding is occurring, and what you need to know to straighten things out:

What Constantine Actually Said

Here’s what Constantine actually said in the Roman Civil Law, Volume 12, Title 12, Section 3:

3. The Emperor Constantine to Elpidius.
Let all judges, the people of cities, and those employed in all trades, remain quiet on the Holy Day of Sunday. Persons residing in the country, however, can freely and lawfully proceed with the cultivation of the fields; as it frequently happens that the sowing of grain or the planting of vines cannot be deferred to a more suitable day, and by making concessions to Heaven the advantage of the time may be lost.

Here, Constantine is instituting Sunday as a day of rest, but he not abolishing the Sabbath–in fact, both were in observance in ancient Rome among Jews and Christians.

Both Saturday and Sunday Allowed

In 321 A.D., Rome was a mixture of religions including Judaism and Christianity. Constantine (being Christian) was merely making room for the Christians on Sunday. Constantine never abolished the Sabbath day as the Jewish day of rest. The Christians had already been worshiping on Sunday for the last 288 years.

Dear reader, please don’t miss that–the Christians had already been worshiping on Sunday for the last 288 years or so.

How cool is that?

Christians had already been worshiping on Sunday–Constantine was just making sure it made it into the Civil Law. Nowhere, let the historical record show–nowhere did Constantine actually forbid (ban) worship on the Sabbath (Saturday).

Where’d the Sabbath Go Then?

The Sabbath was an observance of the Old Law under the Old Covenant. Christians are no longer bound by the Old Law. Today, Sunday fulfills the moral requirement of the Sabbath for Christians. This law by Constantine simply officially recognized the current Christian practice of resting on Sunday that was already in place for over 250 years, giving it greater recognition and sanction before the law.

So What?

Saying that Constantine abolished the Sabbath is historically incorrect. It is a grave twisting of the historical record. Moreover, what historical fact has ever been blessed and sanctioned by history that had as proof of its authenticity a single source document? Nay, for an opinion to be held as historically accurate it must be in accordance with multiple sources of record. Let those who hold such fringe opinions produce any historical document that shows the “abolishing” of the Sabbath by Constantine. The Civil Law–singularly presented in support of this falsehood is itself mute.

Buyer beware– “Quod probat nimis, probat nihil” — “What proves too much, proves nothing.”

On the venerable day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country however persons engaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits because it often happens that another day is not suitable for grain-sowing or vine planting; lest by neglecting the proper moment for such operations the bounty of heaven should be lost.

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Why Do Christians Worship on Sunday?

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Trek to Rome

Christians worship on Sunday. Jews have worshiped on Saturday for the last 3000 years or so, Christ and the Apostles kept the Sabbath–so how did we get to worshiping on Sunday anyway? The short answer is because:

  • Worshiping on Saturday only applied to the Jews
  • Christians are not bound by the Old Law
  • Christians have always worshiped on Sunday to celebrate Christ’s Resurrection on that day
Christian Tradition

Historical records show (contrary to some extreme opinions), that Christians have always worshiped on Sunday–in celebration of Christ’s Resurrection on Sunday. Interestingly enough, many early Christians who were converts from Judaism observed the Sabbath on Saturday, and then also celebrated Christ’s Resurrection on Sunday. As Christianity spread, however, Sunday became the normal day of worship. The historical documents we have from the Early Church Fathers show that even by 70 A.D., meeting on Sunday was a common practice.

The Historical Record Speaks for Itself

The Didache (one of the most reliable historical texts on early Christian practices outside the Bible) records in 70 A.D. (emphasis added):

“But every Lord’s day . . . gather yourselves together and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure. But let no one that is at variance with his fellow come together with you, until they be reconciled, that your sacrifice may not be profaned” (Didache 14 [A.D. 70]).

Ignatious of Antioch (Bishop of Antioch and student of John the Apostle) records in his Letter to the Magnesians in 110 A.D. (emphasis added):

“[T]hose who were brought up in the ancient order of things [i.e. Jews] have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord’s day, on which also our life has sprung up again by him and by his death”. (Letter to the Magnesians 8 [A.D. 110]).

Eusebius of Caesarea (Bishop of Ceasarea and noted Christian historian) writes in his Church History of 312 A.D. (emphasis added):

“They [the early saints of the Old Testament] did not care about circumcision of the body, neither do we [Christians]. They did not care about observing Sabbaths, nor do we. They did not avoid certain kinds of food, neither did they regard the other distinctions which Moses first delivered to their posterity to be observed as symbols; nor do Christians of the present day do such things” (Church History 1:4:8 [A.D. 312]).

Athanasius (Bishop of Alexandria, Doctor of the Church, and noted opponent of the Arian Heresy at the First Council of Nicea writes in his On Sabbath and Circumcision in 345 A.D. (emphasis added):

“The Sabbath was the end of the first creation, the Lord’s day was the beginning of the second, in which he renewed and restored the old in the same way as he prescribed that they should formerly observe the Sabbath as a memorial of the end of the first things, so we honor the Lord’s day as being the memorial of the new creation” (On Sabbath and Circumcision 3 [A.D. 345]).

And who can forget the great quote by Justin Martyr in his Apology to the Romans, which describes the Mass so beautifully (emphasis added):

And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, or, of the eucharistic elements. and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need. But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration. (First Apology 67 [A.D. 155]).

That’s a Lot

So we can keep quoting church Fathers all day, or you can double check with the Encyclopedia Britannica. Whatever works. Prove it for yourself–the historical record is clear–Christians have always met on Sunday.

I’d like to point out, by the way, that all of the quotes above were written even before the Canon of Scripture was decided upon in the late 300s at the Synod of Hippo by the Roman Catholic Church. If many of those same Church Fathers could put the Bible together without error–could they not also understand that observing the Sabbath on Saturday (like circumcision), was no longer applicable to Christians?

Sunday–Fulfillment of the Sabbath

Or, as more eloquently quoted from the Catechism (emphasis added):

Sunday- fulfillment of the sabbath

2175 Sunday is expressly distinguished from the sabbath which it follows chronologically every week; for Christians its ceremonial observance replaces that of the sabbath. In Christ’s Passover, Sunday fulfills the spiritual truth of the Jewish sabbath and announces man’s eternal rest in God. For worship under the Law prepared for the mystery of Christ, and what was done there prefigured some aspects of Christ: (Cf. 1 Cor 10:11.)

Those who lived according to the old order of things have come to a new hope, no longer keeping the sabbath, but the Lord’s Day, in which our life is blessed by him and by his death. (St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Magn. 9, 1: SCh 10, 88.)

2176 The celebration of Sunday observes the moral commandment inscribed by nature in the human heart to render to God an outward, visible, public, and regular worship “as a sign of his universal beneficence to all.” (St. Thomas Aquinas, STh II-II 122, 4.) Sunday worship fulfills the moral command of the Old Covenant, taking up its rhythm and spirit in the weekly celebration of the Creator and Redeemer of his people.

The Bottom Line–We’re In the New Covenant, Not the Old

At the Last Supper, Christ established a New Covenant between God and man. The observance of the Jewish Law had prepared God’s people for the coming of the Messiah, but with the establishment of the New Covenant, the observance of the Law was no longer applicable–as the Apostles and Church Fathers understood–but let’s let watch Pope Gregory I set the record straight back in 597 A.D. (emphasis added):

Pope Gregory I
“It has come to my ears that certain men of perverse spirit have sown among you some things that are wrong and opposed to the holy faith, so as to forbid any work being done on the Sabbath day. What else can I call these [men] but preachers of Antichrist, who when he comes will cause the Sabbath day as well as the Lord’s day to be kept free from all work. For because he [the Antichrist] pretends to die and rise again, he wishes the Lord’s day to be held in reverence; and because he compels the people to Judaize that he may bring back the outward rite of the law, and subject the perfidy of the Jews to himself, he wishes the Sabbath to be observed. For this which is said by the prophet, ‘You shall bring in no burden through your gates on the Sabbath day’ [Jer. 17:24] could be held to as long as it was lawful for the law to be observed according to the letter. But after that the grace of almighty God, our Lord Jesus Christ, has appeared, the commandments of the law which were spoken figuratively cannot be kept according to the letter. For if anyone says that this about the Sabbath is to be kept, he must needs say that carnal sacrifices are to be offered. He must say too that the commandment about the circumcision of the body is still to be retained. But let him hear the apostle Paul saying in opposition to him: ‘If you be circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing’ [Gal. 5:2]” (Letters 13:1 [A.D. 597]).

References:
Quotes in this article can be found in any public library, but in the interest of time, they have been copied and pasted from the articles below:

http://www.catholic.com/library/Sabbath_or_Sunday.asp

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.viii.ii.lxvii.html

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Christ’s Warning Against False Messiahs

Posted on July 11, 2010 by Trek to Rome

The WMSCOG erroneously believes that a man named Ahn Sahng-Hong was Jesus Christ, even though Jesus warned His followers against false messiahs that were to come.

Christ’s Warning

Christ warns His followers in Matthew 24:24-27 (emphasis added) to beware false messiahs proclaimed in his absence, for His return would be on the clouds and as unmistakable as lightning:

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If anyone says to you then, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it.
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False messiahs and false prophets will arise, and they will perform signs and wonders so great as to deceive, if that were possible, even the elect.
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Behold, I have told it to you beforehand.
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So if they say to you, ‘He is in the desert,’ do not go out there; if they say, ‘He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.
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For just as lightning comes from the east and is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Who is Right?

The WMSCOG says that a man named Ahn Sahng-Hong was the Messiah, but Jesus Christ says in Matthew 24:23:

If anyone says to you then, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it

What Jesus warns us about in Matthew 24:24-27 is the same as what the WMSCOG claims.

Ahn Sahng-Hong Clearly Debunked

Jesus Christ, being God, spoke truth at all times. He warned against people claiming to be the Messiah, and yet this is exactly what the WMSCOG claims. Therefore, Ahn-Sahng-Hong is just another false messiah like Jesus warned us about.

Posted in That Ahn Sahng-Hong Was a False Messiah | 2 Comments

When Insulted

Posted on July 10, 2010 by Trek to Rome

What should we do when someone insults us?

Our First Reaction

Many people might say we should return a cutting remark… but if we do this.. do we feel good about it? More than likely, something underneath doesn’t feel quite right about returning the insult.

So what should we do when someone insults us?

Return a Blessing

1 Peter 3:8-12 tells us we must not return an insult for an insult. Scripture is very clear (emphasis added):

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Finally, all of you, be of one mind, sympathetic, loving toward one another, compassionate, humble.
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Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing.
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For: “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep the tongue from evil and the lips from speaking deceit,
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must turn from evil and do good, seek peace and follow after it.
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For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears turned to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against evildoers.”

There you have it, straight from the mouth of Peter, the Apostle, the man who lived, ate, and drank with Jesus for three years, whom Our Lord chose as the rock on which to build His church.

How Can We Do This?

The next time you’re insulted, imagine Peter saying these words to you. No matter how badly you want to insult the person back, to do so would go against the words of the Apostle Peter.

Peter says to return a blessing. This could be verbal.. but it could also be a prayer for the person in your heart. It doesn’t have to be unnatural. It could be as simple as thinking “Lord, please take care of this person, throughout their life.” That’s a blessing, right?

How To Remember The Verse

Hears an easy way to remember this. Since the proof text is in verse 9, we can use the phrase “insult time-first Peter 3 : 9″.

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Ahn Sahng-Hong Had the Wrong Name

Posted on June 30, 2010 by Trek to Rome

The WMSCOG erroneously believes that a man named Ahn Sahng-Hong was Jesus Christ, even though their Bibles in Acts 4:12 read thus (emphasis added):

There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.

Therefore, Ahn Sahng-Hong was not Jesus Christ under a “new name” as the WMSCOG claims. For, there is “no other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved”.

Posted in That Ahn Sahng-Hong Was a False Messiah | 1 Comment

Dominican Republic – Day 6

Posted on May 28, 2010 by Trek to Rome

We get a tour of the School and learn about dancing…

Library

The Parish Library was built by an anonymous American donor. They sold their house here in the US, bought a smaller one, and donated the difference to build what is the newest and most modern building in town.

Stepping into the library is like stepping out of a third world country and into someplace back home. It’s kind of weird–you forget that right outside the door is Banica.. and across the river is Haiti.

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It has tile floors instead of a cement slab.. and there aren’t holes in the walls or windows. This is the only building in town with air-conditioning. The school children come here to read.. and study.

School

Before the Parish built a school, the educational system in Banica was not the best. When the children went off to college, they were ill-prepared by the public school system for what they faced in higher education classes.

One of the previous Pastor’s had the idea to build a school. It is the best school anywhere around. To give you some idea.. the Parish school dropped out of the local academic olympics with the public schools because the parish school won so much it was creating ill-will with the public schools. That’s how good the education is.

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How Much Does It Cost?

What do you charge for an education this good? Do you charge at all? I was surprised to learn that the answer is yes; but it has nothing to do with money.

The school charges a very small tuition, (while the public schools are free). This tuition is small even for residents of Banica, so what’s the point? Charging for an education:

  • Encourages parents to take an interest in their children’s education
  • Encourages children to take their education seriously
  • Teaches that an education is something of value

The most important of these seems to be to get the parents to take an interest in their children’s education. If they are paying for it (even a small amount), they are more likely to be involved in how their children are performing.

Education is the key. By producing more educated residents, things in Banica can only get better.

Ribbon Dancing

We attend a ribbon-dance class for the girls at the school. At first it doesn’t look like much to me, but Father explains to me the importance of what is happening here. The ribbon dancing

  • Provides a safe place for artistic expression
  • Teaches a wholesome form of dancing (sadly, they have clubs here even in Banica–where the dancing is not wholesome
  • Provides safe music

There’s so much more to this ribbon-dancing than I expected. On the surface things look simple–but the church is always concerned about the wellfare of souls, and there’s a lot more going on here. The music the girls are dancing to is even about true love and God.

Colors

Here in Banica, most people can’t read. Father O’Hare says “imagine how many times you read during the day and don’t even think about it. Things like opening doors, street signs, or packages of food.”

Since most can’t read, the political parties choose colors to identify themselves. They seem to get elected based upon promises of public works because everywhere you go there are bridges or light poles or buildings painted with their colors; many of them are unfinished.

Father had to made sure that the ribbons for the ribbon-dancing class were not the same as any of the political parties. :)

Today was a good day to rest, because tomorrow we’re going to head to the market and then interview the Bishop. It’s going to be awesome.

< Day 5 | Banica Trip | Day 7 >

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Dominican Republic – Day 5

Posted on May 24, 2010 by Trek to Rome

If only I had known the insane drumming I was going to witness that evening…

Dominican Coffee

IMG_3590
We’re up early (again).. now I don’t know much about coffee, but I can tell you that the Dominican Republic has some seriously good coffee. The coffee drinkers who were with me thought it was pretty serious, and I’d say it was legit. It’s very strong.. and seems to have hazelnut, but not watered down.. more the consistency of cocoa, but undeniably coffee. Over the coming days I learned to live off basically this, bread, and rice.

Medical Missionaries

This morning we get to interview the Medical Missionaries who are staying in the dorm with us. Some of them are still sick from something they ate in Haiti… real sick.

The parish in Banica serves as a staging ground for these doctors and nurses to venture into Haiti. Medical Missionaries was founded when American doctors visiting Banica realized the needs across the border were even worse. They visit Haiti regularly to serve the people there. If you work in the medical field and want to volunteer, you can contact them through their web site. They’ll even take folks skilled in other fields too. One man was there to repair a water tower damaged in the Haiti earth quake.
IMG_3601

I meet a doctor sitting on the porch.. still in his scrubs.

“Did you just get back from Haiti?” I ask

“yea” he says.. staring off blankly into the distance

“is it bad?”

He looks down at the ground.. then off again into the distance. “yea..” he says.. “it’s real bad.. ”

He looks like a man with a lot on his mind.

I wander off to learn from one of the other missionaries that if you take a #1 clear plastic bottle and put it on the roof in the sunlight, that in 8 hours you’ll have drinkable water. That’s interesting, but I think I’ll still be boiling mine.

The Medical Missionaries take these army trucks into Haiti. Someone here in the states purchases old US Army trucks, refurbishes them, and then ships them to Banica. These are the only vehicles that can navigate the roads. Even dump trucks get stuck in the mud, but these things pass the impassible.

Pedro Santana

We visit the nearby town of Pedro Santa (Elías Piña), to tour the church. From the bell tower, Haiti appears as scorched earth, yet the DR has trees. The hills on the left are Haiti. The hills on the right are the DR.

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Where are the trees? I couldn’t tell you, but they’re gone.

Catechesis in the Public Schools

In the DR, the church is invited in by the government to teach general Christian morals to the school children. All of the children wear uniforms. The missionaries help teach the kids. One of the schools we visited had solar panels installed by missionaries from Japan. They were stolen the next day. I noticed the basketball hoop wasn’t there either.

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Power Lines

If you aren’t careful here on the border with Haiti, you’re liable to walk face first into a power line. The power lines are sometimes only 5-6 feet off the ground. On top of that, they’re only held up by sticks. (I kid you not).

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Hey, at least they have power. For that, I’m grateful, but it makes me think how different the ideas on construction here can be.

Prayer Festival

In the evening we head to one of the resident’s homes for a prayer festival.

The festival starts off as you would expect, with prayers. Afterward though the locals brought out their drums (audio below).

it’s starting to rain and the drums are like thunder

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There are hundreds of religious songs here having their roots in the thousand year old Latin prayers of monks. These chants have been translated into Spanish and put over drums that’s heavily influenced by the African culture here. These songs are passed down through generations. I imagine this is something unique to this part of the world, and it’s something special to hear these people sing them.

I look around and I see the school principle leading the drumming and singing… one of the security guys at the parish is also drumming, and a kid I was just talking with is now singing with them. There’s about 50 people packed into this dirt driveway.. dancing.. singing.. it’s starting to rain and the drums are like thunder. Intense.

I try taking pictures in the dark… I only take a few with the flash out of respect for what’s going on.

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Dominican Spaghetti

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That night it’s off to another volunteer’s home for dinner. The locals always feed us well, and they’re thrilled to have us as guests.

The host mother sits and watches us talk while we eat even though she speaks no English, and we, no Spanish. She doesn’t sit at the table though.. but on a stool a few feet off watching us to make sure we’re fed.

Dominican Spaghetti rocks. There’s no doubt about it. I don’t know what’s in it.. but it tastes like salsa, olive oil, and tomato sauce. Awesomeness. Everyone loves it.

Tomorrow we’ll get to rest and tour the parish library. I’m definitely going to enjoy sleeping.

< Day 4 | Banica Trip | Day 6 >

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On Love of Neighbor

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Trek to Rome

In John 13:35 Jesus Christ says:

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This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

If all will know we are disciples of Jesus Christ by the love we have for one another, then this must be a visible love. It must be apparent.

In other words, if love for others is not visible in our lives, then we fall short of fulfilling these words.

Are our actions guided by:

  • charity
  • humility
  • kindness
  • patience
  • love?

Now, if we are honest with ourselves, I think we will see that we all may fall short of this at certain times in our lives. We are after all, only human. This isn’t reason to give up though. St. Francis de Sales remarked once something to the effect of “when you have made a mistake admit it. say to yourself ‘i have made a mistake. next time i will be more careful’”.

Perfection is not to be attained in this life, but it is to be sought after. We can not make excuses for ourselves. Does Our Lord not say to seek after perfection?

So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48

So life is about continually striving toward the good.. toward the accumulation of virtue and the shedding of vice. We must strive to love our neighbor, even when it is difficult.

If we have love for one another we will act out of love for one another. It will be visible, and we will bring the truth of Christ’s words in John 13:35 to fruition.

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