Today is the commemoration of the slaughter of the innocents - when Herod ordered the death of all children, two years or younger, in and around the city of Bethlehem. The story is found in Matthew 2, but it's also referenced in Revelation 12:4, when "the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth." Of course the dragon-empowered king failed to kill Jesus, but succeeded in killing other innocent babies.
One of my favorite Christmas carols, from back in the day when I used to sing in madrigal groups, is a song called the Coventry Carol. You might not think that someone would write a Christmas carol about the slaughter of the innocents - and as a lullaby, no less - but it' s a song you never forget. Here's a link to just one version of it on YouTube, with the lyrics (for you musicians, I tried to find a version without the abomination that is the picardy third, but I couldn't - sorry). I'm sure there are better versions of the song out there, but for those who have never heard it, here's the link:
https://youtu.be/6-Kt2Fal4aA?si=46OGXf0UZa2V1s2j
Of course I can't fail to mention that the slaughter of the innocents goes on to this day, to the intolerable shame of our otherwise great country. Planned Parenthood alone has now killed more people than Hitler, and that's no exaggeration. If you haven't yet seen the film Unplanned, I highly recommend it. I'm not sure if it's available on any of the streaming services, but if you can find it, it will be worth the effort. There is actually cause for "feasting" in the progress the pro-life movement has made over the last several years, but the attacks of the culture of death and the multi-billion dollar abortion industry are only increasing, so keep praying for the innocent ones!
Here's a short (about a minute) video I took going around the Holy Column in the church of Santa Prassede. This is the column that Jesus was tied to when he was scourged by Pontius Pilate. They don't always have the barrier down, so you usually don't get to see it from all the way around. I wanted to get video of the whole thing all the way around because I ran across a note in an ancient document that said that those who made a pilgrimage (at that time to the Holy Land, since it was still in Jerusalem) could visit the Holy Column, and could see marks left from the hands of Jesus where he gripped it as he was being whipped. I assume that this is pious legend, but I figured since the column has that dark & light marble, maybe there's a place where the dark parts look like hands. I did not see it, but if you do, let me know!
I mentioned in The Journey that I wrote a song based on Isaiah 2, which is one of my favorite OT passages:
In days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain, and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it. Many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations, and set terms for many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!
I hope you like the song!
Here is our next set of texts - as we get into John chapter 6, we first encounter Jesus feeding the multitudes - in this case 5,000 families!
Now, as you know, there is also an account o Jesus feeding 4,000, and so you may also know that some scholars might speculate that these are just different versions of the same story that circulated and were handed down orally, until they were written down. Even the fact that both stories occur in the same gospel would not stop that kind of speculation. So I thought the first question I would have to ask was whether the Church fathers thought this was one event or two - BUT (and you see where this is going) I forgot that Jesus himself makes reference to two separate events (in Matthew 16 and in Mark 8) so there is no question for the Church fathers - these are two separate events. So it seems that Jesus performed this sign (miracle) of the feeding of the multitudes on two occasions. It's not just one event told two different ways, and it's also ...
My voice was still recovering from a bad cold, so not sounding my best, but this was a great conversation about pilgrimage, for the Jubilee year - more of this coming in other interviews! (FYI, I think I was the third of three guests that day, so you will have to fast forward to find me)
It seems that one way or another we need to talk about different kinds, or different levels of heresy. What I have been calling heresy vs. heterodoxy, others call heresy on fundamental doctrines vs. heresy on less fundamental doctrines. In other words, Heresy with a capital H (over fundamental doctrines like the Trinity and christology) are the kinds of heresies that move one outside the boundaries of what Christianity is, and that's because the very definition of Christianity is defined according to these fundamental doctrines. To refuse to sign the Creed at the Council of Nicaea in 325, or the Council of Constantinople in 381 - and indeed to reject any of the contents of the Creed today - means that a person is NOT a Christian.
So are the non-chalcedonians, such as the miaphysites (including St. Gregory of Narek, and today's Coptic Christians) - are they heretics? Well, like it is with a lot of things, that depends on your definition of heresy. If you include in your definition of ...
