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Oure Faith in Resurrection
No one should have their faith tested by the TV documentary, The Lost Tomb of Jesus, that will be shown on the Discovery Channel this weekend.
The producers of the movie are claiming that they will broadcast never before revealed facts, but a prominent Israeli archaeologist says there’s nothing new here and none of it is worthy of consideration.
“I published all the details in the Antiqot journal in 1996, and I didn’t say it was the tomb of Jesus’ family,” said Amos Kloner, who wrote the original excavation report for the predecessor of the Israel Antiquities Authority and is now a professor of archaeology at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University.
The professor goes on to call the film “a very unserious work” and “all nonsense.”
One explanation that would seem to refute the film’s claims is that Jesus’ family was from Galilee and had no ties to Jerusalem, casting serious doubt that they would have had a burial cave in Jerusalem. Also, as has been pointed out by historians, the names on the ossuaries were common during that time and their discovery in the same cave is purely coincidental.
Catholic League President William Donohue rightfully points out the timing of the release of this movie. “Not a Lenten season goes by without some author or TV program seeking to cast doubt on the divinity of Jesus and/or the resurrection,” said Donohue.
Last year, it was NBC’s “Dateline” that aired discredited and laughable claims. Two years ago, it was an ABC special that questioned the Resurrection. Now, it’s the Discovery Channel’s turn to get some publicity at the expense of Christians.
It was the Discovery Channel that first tried to push this case in 2002 when it claimed to have a burial box labeled as “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.” Since then, the members of the Israeli Antiquities Authority has unanimously condemned this claim as “modern forgery.”
This latest film seems to be more of the same. It’s just another attempt to make some money and capture the imagination of the public for a few moments in time.
We are not calling for a boycott. We are not afraid of holding up our faith to the test of modern science. Ours is a faith that shatters the limits of time and history. So far, all the advances of scientific research have shown that the faith of the Church stands up to reason.
During this Lenten season, resist the pop theology of our culture. Hold steadfast to the call of the Church to search our own souls and shed them of impurities as we once again prepare the great mystery of Jesus’ Resurrection at Easter.
Marriage, No Trivial Commitment
An essay on marriage, superfluous as it may seem at first, seems most appropriate, even demanded by the headlines of the day. The assault on the institution of marriage may well leave us questioning what we are all about. The same-sex marriage “debate” currently underway in our country, is a case in point.
Any discussion of same-sex marriage must be apart from the issue of homosexuality, itself. Homosexuality is neither a disease nor a choice. It is an orientation of persons who are attracted to members of the same sex.
This issue was once one of raw prejudice and then it became one of legal standing and rights. Now that the most blatant examples of prejudice have been dealt with, the issue has turned to legalized unions of homosexuals. One may propose that this was the goal right from the beginning of the debate.
Let’s be clear — the attraction of a man to a man or a woman to a woman does not a marriage make. Marriage is part of the natural plan of creation in which God determined that there be both man and woman and that they should multiply and carry on the human race.
Marriage is fulfilled in the marital act between a man and a woman that results in the birth of a new human being. That is the origin of the family, as deduced from logic, reason and common sense.
With that love between a man and a woman comes the commitment of one to the other. Such a union has legal consequences as recognized by and established by the State. This is marriage. The Church blesses the union as a sacrament and teaches that couples administer the sacrament to each other while an ordained minister witnesses to the rite.
Matrimony is a sign of God’s love for humankind. It is a sign of Christ’s union with the Church and with each one of us. That is why the Church considers it as a permanent and lasting union.
Starlets and celebrities who jump from one partner to another mock the sacredness and seriousness of living a loving commitment in married life.
There will be calls for the legalization of same-sex marriage but we must engage the popular debate and explain the beauty and natural order of God’s plan for creation.
Spring is upon us and more brides and grooms will be taking advantage of the beautiful weather to have their marriage ceremonies. Share joyfully in these public acts of commitment. Make sure you attend the church ceremony as well as the reception, realizing that the dinner and dancing means nothing unless there is the promise of each other in church.
We call attention to the reality of life around us and the temptation to trivialize what should be a most solemn and awesome occasion.
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