This week's blog...
The difference between the ‘canons’
The Greek word ‘canon’ means ‘measuring rod.’ Today, it’s almost a technical term for a list of the inspired books of the Bible. However, not everyone agrees on whose list is best. We take up the question, as our recent Old Testament readings have been from books not accepted as inspired by most Protestants, 1 & 2 Maccabees and Wisdom.
Without attempting to decide the issue, here are its broad strokes. The Jews of antiquity referred to their Sacred Literature as books “that defile the hands.” “Inspired” is a very old idea! At root, there are two canons, the Alexandrian and the Palestinian, and these relate to the Old Testament only; there is no current argument concerning the New Testament list.
The Alexandrian canon gets its name from the Greek Bible translated there between 285 and 246 BC. Thought to have been the work of 72 scholars in 72 days, Septuagint, LXX = 70. This Hebrew translation was made for Jews outside Palestine whose first language came to be Greek. This Bible also came to include Old Testament books written between its inception and the time of Jesus. It was known and used by the early Christians and would have been the only Old Testament Scriptures available to most of the Greek-speaking Gentile converts.
For three centuries this Bible was virtually accepted by all Christians. Meanwhile, the Jews, wishing to distance themselves from Christianity, created their own list (100 AD), known as the Palestinian canon. They excluded books written outside Palestine or in Greek. Beginning late 4th century, some Church fathers, particularly in the East, leaned towards the Jewish canon. Western Fathers who leaned towards the Palestinian canon were Origin, Athanasius and Jerome, while Augustine was the staunch defender of the Alexandrian canon. When Luther broke from Rome, he sided with those favorng the Palestinian canon. Translating the Bible from Latin to German, he printed the extra, “Catholic” OT books in the Appendix of his Bible. He called these books “useful and good to read,” but not inspired. They include the books of Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch and 1 and 2 Maccabees.
For Catholics, the Inspired List of Scripture was finally and formally decided at the Council of Trent (1545-63), basically endorsing the Septuagint Bible. This Greek Old Testament remains the official Bible of the Greek Orthodox Church and also the Catholic Church of the Greek rite. My feeling for those outside the Catholic fold: Try the taste test (cfDaniel Chap.1); read and judge for yourself. At the very least, hear Luther: These books are “useful and good to read.” – Brother Caedfile
Major Update: Below our week’s lectionary comments, you will find a special Remembrance section on “Little Henry” --- Henry Studer --- who is featured in Chapter 4 of our recently published history of St. Benedict’s Farm entitled ‘Small Barn, Crude Manger.’
Note: Our daily reading comments were made from the readings of each day's liturgy, as posted at Today's Readings. Doubleclick on the day's calendar date and the readings will appear. Since moving from an E-mail to a Web Posting of these commentaries, we do not hear from as many of you as of old. We are posting our E-mail address here. So if you have a reaction, whatever it might be, we invite you as always, send email to John of SBF . You can find an edited version of Brother Caedfiles Blog on the Google blogsite at Brother Caedfile speaks. Blessings to all. John
Monday-Friday, November 16-20, 2009
Monday, Nov. 16: ‘Jesus is passing by’
1 Maccabees 1: 10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63; Luke 18:35-43: It was a simple question. “What’s the commotion,” the blind man by the roadside asked. It was a cosmic answer: “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” For centuries, the world had been in darkness, blind to the Way to Life. Then, for thirty-odd years, “Jesus was passing by,” reaching out to all who called to him beyond the Logic of the Crowd. “The people walking in front of Jesus rebuked the blind man, telling him to be silent.” “But he kept calling out all the more.” Seeing his faith, the Master restored his sight. This drama played out for ancient Israel, as we discover in our first reading. Following “the logic of the crowd,” some Israelites propose abandoning their Covenant: “Let us go and make an alliance with the Gentiles all around us,” they argue. Since we separated from them, many evils have come upon us.” Soon thereafter, the ‘Gentile way’ became law. The King of the Greeks “wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people, each abandoning his particular customs.” Some in Israel, however, preferred Kingdom Logic to Crowd Logic, refusing to abandon their faith. The Prophet writes: “They preferred to die rather than to be defiled with unclean food or to profane the holy covenant …and they did die.” Today, 2000 years later, in the Church – the Body of Christ -- Jesus is still “passing by,” still offering eternal life to those whom the crowd cannot silence. Seeing this -- like those who witnessed the cure of the blind man by the road -- “let us all give praise to God.”
Tuesday, Nov. 17: “Come down quickly!”
2 Maccabees 6:18-31; Luke 19:1-10: Two amazing stories in today’s readings: First, a man who “wanted to see Jesus” climbs a sycamore tree because he is too short to see over the crowd. Imagine his joy when the Master stops beneath the tree, calling him by name! “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” Now Zacchaeus was one of the hated Tax Collectors, Jews who collected revenues for the Romans, (and often got rich doing it!) They were traitors according to popular opinion. Luke writes, “When the crowd saw this, they began to grumble, saying, ‘He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.’” An EX-sinner! “Zacchaeus stood there and said to Jesus, ‘Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over.’” Another remarkable miracle takes place in our first reading. At that time in Israel, Greek rulers required Israelite citizens to abandon their customs and worship false gods. Eleazar, an ancient of that city, preferred death! Surely he too must have heard Jesus say: “Eleazar, ‘come down quickly,’ for today I must stay at your house.” Eleazar “came down,” that is, he lowered himself, refusing to accept “a way out” of death offered by the officials that would have surely misled the others. The old man refused the sacrificial pork and paid for it with his life. Hear his noble confession: “I am not only enduring terrible pain in my body but also suffering it with joy in my soul because of my devotion to God.” Are you ready if Jesus should call your name: “Come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house”?
Wednesday, Nov. 18: ‘Faithful in Small Matters’
2 Maccabees 7:1, 20-31; Luke 19:11-28: On the eve of a journey - in today’s gospel - a nobleman gives 10 of his servants a gold coin, telling them, “Engage in trade with these until I return.” Upon his return, the first servant shows his master 10 additional coins he has earned. His lord responds: “Well done, good servant! You have been faithful in this very small matter; take charge of 10 cities.” A second servant brings 5 more gold coins, and is similarly praised. But the next one gives his master the original coin back, saying “I kept it stored in a handkerchief.” The lesson is clear: Even in small matters, we need to “invest” the talents God has given each of us, for his Kingdom. “Take the gold coin from him,” the owner says of his timid servant, “and give it to the one who has ten.” Our first reading likewise is a story about fidelity in small matters. As was the case with Eleazar yesterday, 7 brothers could save their lives by the simple act of eating a piece of pork. Their very brave mother, however, urges them to be faithful to God’s law. It’s a small matter, maybe, but one with grave and terrible consequences. The first 6 brothers, having died bravely, the wicked king seeks to bribe the youngest, promising him great gifts for eating the pork. Again, the brave mother urges her last remaining son: “Do not be afraid of this executioner, but be worthy of your brothers and accept death, so that in the time of mercy I may receive you again with them.” The 7th son dies bravely. As he did so, surely he heard the Psalmist’s words: “Keep me as the apple of your eye, hide me in the shadow of your wings. In justice I shall behold your face; on waking I shall be content in your presence.” Some ‘small things,’ indeed, are worth dying for!
Thursday, Nov. 19: “Perfect in Beauty”
1 Maccabees 2:15-29; Luke 19:41-44: Our header comes from our Psalm: “From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth.” Zion has always been a symbol for Jerusalem, the People of God, and by extension the Church …but only when we remain faithful. The Psalmist sings further: “Gather my faithful ones before me, those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” Surely God was not shining forth from that Jerusalem Jesus weeps over in today’s gospel. “Your enemies,” he cried, “will not leave one stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” Appropriately, today all that is left of that temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, is called The Wailing Wall. Flash back 150 years or so before Christ, to the time of the Maccabees. Surely God did not “shine forth” from Israel in that day when many Jews abandoned their covenant at the behest of the Greeks. To save their lives, many of them ate pork and burned sacrifice to false gods! However, the Lord was surely pleased when Mattathias and his sons “gathered in a group apart” in defiance of the Greek mandate. Mattathias shouted to the pagan messenger: “We will not obey the words of the king nor depart from our religion in the slightest degree.” Then this warrior went through the city shouting, “Let everyone who is zealous for the law and who stands by the covenant follow after me!” Knowing they would be pursued unto death, this faithful band fled to the mountains “leaving behind all their possessions.” Are we ready to abandon all that hinders us from “offering praise to God as our sacrifice”? Let us “fulfill our vows to the Most High”! Finding in us no cause to weep, Jesus will “shine forth” from our midst.
Friday, Nov. 20: ‘Hanging on his Words’
1 Maccabees 4:36-37, 52-59; Luke 19:45-48: All four Evangelists record the act of Jesus driving the money changers out of the Temple with the prophet’s cry: “My house shall be called a House of Prayer for all people.” (Isaiah 56:7) This violent act of Jesus to “purify the Temple” is reflected perfectly in our first reading. The warrior Judas and his brothers go up to Mt. Zion to rededicate the Temple altar, for it had been desecrated by Gentiles. Celebrating the cleansing of the Temple for 8 days, they decree that Jews must remember this rededication each year. Today, centuries later, this feast of Lights is remembered by the name Hanukkah. It is observed with great reverence by Israelites. It is a phrase at the end of today’s gospel, however, that most keenly arrests our attention in today’s readings. Luke records: “The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people were seeking to put Jesus to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words.” If we, both as a group and as individual Christians, want to make the temple of our bodies “a house of Prayer,” we too must “hang on Jesus’ words.” This is the age-old and ever challenging task of the disciple. Speaking through the prophet, God instructs each individually and all collectively: “Come to me heedfully, listen, that you may have life. I will renew with you the everlasting covenant, the benefits assured to David.” (Isaiah55:3) Brothers and sisters, let us pray for our Church, which “is always in need of reform.” And let us “stir into flame” the gift of the Spirit we have each received from the hands of Christ. With the help of this Spirit, not a day need go by when we do not “hang on the words of Jesus.”
From time to time we hope to bring into this part of our website, material from our recently published book, Small Barn, Crude Manger. In this What's New? update, we fondly "remember" our brother "Little Henry," whose story appears in Chapter 4. Henry Arthur Studer was born January 22, 1925, in Houston, Texas, to Henry Sr. and Mary Coleman Studer. This native Texas breathed his last during Holy Week, April 8, 1998, in Gonzales, Texas, and is buried here at the Farm.
In this remembrance, we recall Henry the writer... of Journals, poetry and newspaper columns. First, his Journals: He began keeping them in Corpus Christi, Texas, as a Benedictine monk there; also, in San Antonio, as a charismatic Christian; and finaly, during the 22 years he spent here, from 1976 till his death in 1998. In these Journals, he often did side-by-side illustrations. I was surprised to see these after his death, as he only spoke of writing, not illustrating. But somewhere, he learned to express himself in pictures as well as words. I believe he did not start writing poems until his years here at the Farm. His Journal tells of the help he received from LaClaire with his poetry writing. But all of Henry's writings have a poetic flair. Finally, for a few years in the early 1990's, he authored a nature column called Henry's Hollow Log, for the Gonzales, Inquirer. Other areas of this native Texan's life we might have chosen to write about include his interest in History, or birding, of which he was very accomplished.
Henry's nature column, Henry's Hollow Log, began appearing in the Gonzales Inquirer, in September of 1990. His last column submitted there was six years later, September of 1996. On October 3, of 1990, Henry published the column we print here below. Of all the writing to come from the pen of myself or George, and there is a lot of it, none received more public praise than Henry's Hollow Log. With his bird watching, his cooking and gardening, Henry glorified God. And especially with his simple writing, a sample of which appears below...
Henry’s Hollow Log ...#3 October 3, 1990 ...A Poem Called ‘October’
Summer is nearly over and we joyfully ease into cooler temperatures and the myriad joys of Autumn. October is one of my favorite months and this may explain why I wrote this poem some time ago.
A fleeting thing, October;
long desired
forever past,
marvelous season
of golden days
and velvet nights,
elusive as a vixen,
slipping thru my fingers
as sifting sand,
no more to be held back
than the setting sun.
October and cooler weather has been long in coming after the driest sum¬mer in recent history. Now I can take those long walks through the woods I love, and visit some of my favorite places like Swainson's Thrush Grove, Bluebird Corner and Cedar Pond.
I may even hike over to Lost Swamp. The swamp is not lost, but I named it fondly that way because I never manage to get there and back without getting somewhat, lost myself. Those are DEEP woods around the swamp and it makes sense to carry a compass.
The green canopy of frees along Peach Creek also beckons to me and I go with anticipation of seeing Warblers, Vireos and Chickadees. Summer is the worst time for birding. I rejoice that Autumn is almost here.
Henry of St. Benedict's Farm
American Gothic
For sure Henry could be salty and out of sorts. But there was a lot of leprechaun in him as well. Underneath his sometimes grumpy exterior, the little boy was always in there ready to come out. For several years he did Wacky Guacamole, a clown ministry, and he would enjoy it as much here at home with just a few kids is the living room, as he would at one of our Fiesta parades. The "American Gothic" picture he did with LaClaire has always been one of my favorites. Henry loved to make-believe, and he did this annualy at Gonzales' Pioneer Village. At all their historical reenactments, Henry was a regular.
Grandmother Coleman: One of Henry's boyhood idols was his Grandmother Coleman. Eva Studer, wife of Gene and Henry's sister-in-law, told me Grandmother Coleman was a poet herself, even putting her recipes to rhyme. It sounded to me like, for sure that's where Henry got his interest in writing. And possibly in baking too; Henry loved to bring his friends into Grandma's kitchen for fresh baked cookies. Henry's special was apple pie, and was he ever good at it! Grandma' Coleman could have been instrumental in Henry becoming a Christian too, as Henry was immersed in her Christian Church as he came of age. He later joined the Episcopal Church, and finally, after a motorcycle accident, "Little Henry" became a Catholic.
Corpus Christi Abbey, 1965
Henry spent his first years as a monk at Corpus Christi Benedictine Abbey. Corpus Christi Abbey was a foundation made from Subiaco Abbey, Subiaco, Arkansas. Around 2000 this abbey closed its doors, as members and funds grew exceptionally thin. The remaining monks went to various monasteries throughout America. Many years before - in 1968 - Henry left the Abbey for work in San Antonio. While there, he joined the Catholic Charismatic movement. From San Antonio, he came to St. Benedict's Farm, April 1, 1976. Amen and praises to God for the live of Henry Arthur Studer, aka, "Wacky Guacamole."
Pancho, the Talking Donkey, says: Come back soon, ya hear!
Pancho
In honor of the PBS Detective of yesteryear, Brother Cadfael (say 'CAD-file'), we have adopted his persona for our blogs. Brother Cadfael also reminds me of my very favorite monk of yesteryear -- the Venerable Bede (672-735). Fr. Bede loved to study, teach and write about the word of God. He was a celebrated historian; his book on the Church in England is still being read and studied. He was interested in the natural sciences. This humble monk never travelled very far from his Northumbrian, England Monasteries of Sts. Peter and Paul.
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