Monday, October 31, 2011
A Month of Gratitude
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Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Ask Ellen- What is the apocrypha? -Cindy, NC
Great question, Cindy. Thanks. The Apocrypha is a name given by some to the seven books that have been removed from Protestant Bibles. Catholics do not call these books the Apocrypha because they are part of our Bible. The books are: Sirach, Tobit, Wisdom, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, and Baruch, as well as longer versions of Daniel and Esther
To put it in the simplest terms I can, Luther and many after him rejected these books based on the fact that they were not part of the Hebrew Canon at the time of the Reformation. Most Protestant Bibles do not contain these seven books or have them in section in the back known to them as The Apocrypha.
The Catholic Bible accepts the books for two reasons. Firstly, the Jewish Canon was not fixed in Jesus’ time. Therefore, we cannot be completely sure which books were included. But more importantly, the first Christians, including Paul, used the Septuagint to preach to the Greek-speaking world. This version contained these seven books. Jesus Himself actually quoted Scripture from the Septuagint. When the Catholic Church developed its canon it used the Greek translation of the Septuagint that the Apostles and early Church Fathers used which included these books.
If you’d like to learn more about this, I recommend the following article: http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0120.html
Oh and one more thing that bugs Ask Ellen….If you throw out Maccabees, how do you explain Hanukkah? It seriously perplexes me.
To put it in the simplest terms I can, Luther and many after him rejected these books based on the fact that they were not part of the Hebrew Canon at the time of the Reformation. Most Protestant Bibles do not contain these seven books or have them in section in the back known to them as The Apocrypha.
The Catholic Bible accepts the books for two reasons. Firstly, the Jewish Canon was not fixed in Jesus’ time. Therefore, we cannot be completely sure which books were included. But more importantly, the first Christians, including Paul, used the Septuagint to preach to the Greek-speaking world. This version contained these seven books. Jesus Himself actually quoted Scripture from the Septuagint. When the Catholic Church developed its canon it used the Greek translation of the Septuagint that the Apostles and early Church Fathers used which included these books.
If you’d like to learn more about this, I recommend the following article: http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0120.html
Oh and one more thing that bugs Ask Ellen….If you throw out Maccabees, how do you explain Hanukkah? It seriously perplexes me.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
When Life Throws A Curve
I plan the AGOG weeks about a month out. I must admit a month ago I hoped that this would be a week dedicated to talking about my favorite team, the Philadelphia Phillies, in the World Series. As many of you know this is not the case. The Phillies were eliminated weeks ago. If you do not follow baseball, this might mean nothing to you. If you do know something about baseball, you probably know that the Phillies had the best record in baseball and were the favorites of many to win it all. But, if you are a Phillies fan, you might have known better than the experts.
As a lifelong Phillies fan, I have grown accustomed to disappointment. For most of my life, the Phils simply stunk. This has not been the case in recent history. Yet, almost all of the time, they fall short. This year was no exception.
Those closest to me were very concerned the days following the Phillies elimination. In past years this has not been pretty. There has been some whining and moping in my house. One friend asked before the last game, “If this doesn’t go your way, how bad is it going to be?” Another texted the morning after the loss, “How long of a mourning period?” So, you get the picture. But this year I refused to allow it. I knew I had to answer to you and I knew there had to be some moral lesson in it for Ask Ellen herself and for you, my gentle reader. But what was it? Obviously, we could discuss the fact that often when we are picked to win it, we fall short. Just look at Moses. He was certainly on top of his game. He led the whining Israelites faithfully for years. He lost his temper, struck the rock and boom…he was out. I see the similarities with the Phillies. They kept winning and winning until they couldn’t. In fact, they couldn’t even score one run to save themselves in the end. That happens. We all have bad days and blow a sure thing.
But I think the bigger lesson for me and maybe for you if you are a Phillies fan or have been through seasons of disappointment of any kind, is what to do with it. Let’s look at those same Israelites that Moses led. They suffered some disappointments. Wandering around in circles for forty years and not reaching the Promised Land sounds like it to me. What was their attitude? They grumbled, complained and whined. They looked down their noses on the things God gave them like manna and quail and shoes that never wore out. In short, their attitudes were in desperate need of adjustment.
Now I am not comparing the Phillies plot to the Israelites. Well, maybe I am. I do so tongue in cheek. But I think it holds a life lesson for any disappointments we experience. I admit it would be great if my biggest disappointment in life was Ryan Howard striking out. But it isn’t and there are far many worse ones to come. Yet, the lesson remains the same. There are no guarantees in life, even when you have the best record. Disappointments and tragedies happen. And we have a choice on how we deal with them. We can bitch and moan or we can dig deep and try to learn something. We can become stronger. We can help others who are going through the same thing. We can do what out mothers told us and “offer it up.” Sounds silly and trite but it is actually quite profound. We can simply say, “God, this didn’t go my way, but thanks anyway.”
I am very aware that is this much easier done over baseball than real life. But I hope you see my point. As for me, here’s what I plan to do about my beloved Phils: I will wander another forty years (God willing), cheering and being disappointed. Hoping every once in awhile for that sweet win. After all, they are sweeter when they are few and far between. And if you are looking for me in March, I will be at Spring Training because I’m not about to give up on my boys. Are you with me?
As a lifelong Phillies fan, I have grown accustomed to disappointment. For most of my life, the Phils simply stunk. This has not been the case in recent history. Yet, almost all of the time, they fall short. This year was no exception.
Those closest to me were very concerned the days following the Phillies elimination. In past years this has not been pretty. There has been some whining and moping in my house. One friend asked before the last game, “If this doesn’t go your way, how bad is it going to be?” Another texted the morning after the loss, “How long of a mourning period?” So, you get the picture. But this year I refused to allow it. I knew I had to answer to you and I knew there had to be some moral lesson in it for Ask Ellen herself and for you, my gentle reader. But what was it? Obviously, we could discuss the fact that often when we are picked to win it, we fall short. Just look at Moses. He was certainly on top of his game. He led the whining Israelites faithfully for years. He lost his temper, struck the rock and boom…he was out. I see the similarities with the Phillies. They kept winning and winning until they couldn’t. In fact, they couldn’t even score one run to save themselves in the end. That happens. We all have bad days and blow a sure thing.
But I think the bigger lesson for me and maybe for you if you are a Phillies fan or have been through seasons of disappointment of any kind, is what to do with it. Let’s look at those same Israelites that Moses led. They suffered some disappointments. Wandering around in circles for forty years and not reaching the Promised Land sounds like it to me. What was their attitude? They grumbled, complained and whined. They looked down their noses on the things God gave them like manna and quail and shoes that never wore out. In short, their attitudes were in desperate need of adjustment.
Now I am not comparing the Phillies plot to the Israelites. Well, maybe I am. I do so tongue in cheek. But I think it holds a life lesson for any disappointments we experience. I admit it would be great if my biggest disappointment in life was Ryan Howard striking out. But it isn’t and there are far many worse ones to come. Yet, the lesson remains the same. There are no guarantees in life, even when you have the best record. Disappointments and tragedies happen. And we have a choice on how we deal with them. We can bitch and moan or we can dig deep and try to learn something. We can become stronger. We can help others who are going through the same thing. We can do what out mothers told us and “offer it up.” Sounds silly and trite but it is actually quite profound. We can simply say, “God, this didn’t go my way, but thanks anyway.”
I am very aware that is this much easier done over baseball than real life. But I hope you see my point. As for me, here’s what I plan to do about my beloved Phils: I will wander another forty years (God willing), cheering and being disappointed. Hoping every once in awhile for that sweet win. After all, they are sweeter when they are few and far between. And if you are looking for me in March, I will be at Spring Training because I’m not about to give up on my boys. Are you with me?
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Gracieland Tuesday: We Will Be #1
Click on the Gracieland icon on the bottom right of the page to reveal this week's webstrip.
Monday, October 24, 2011
World Series Week
Click on the Gracenotes link above to hear this week's podcast. Check back tomorrow for a new Gracieland webstrip.
Friday, October 21, 2011
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