The Jesus Question

Prophets and holy men claim to speak for God. Jesus, on the other hand, claimed to be God. Was Jesus telling the truth or was he simply a madman?

There are numerous references in the Gospels to Jesus referring to himself as God. Here are a couple of obvious ones: 

• "I and the Father are one." John 10:30
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• Jesus said of them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I proceeded and came forth from God; I came not of my own account, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word." John 8:42-43

I personally think that C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, summed it up best:

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." Mere Christianity, pages 40-41.

There should be no real debate as to whether or not Jesus claimed to be God.

The other part of the question, dealing with the role of Jesus as the Son of God, involves the doctrine of the Trinity. Christianity maintains that in the unity of the Godhead there are three separate and distinct Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus himself states as much:

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." Matthew 28:18-20.

There are numerous times in the Gospels where Jesus' words and actions demonstrate the distinct nature of the three persons. For example, when Jesus prays to God in the Garden of Gethsemane, ("My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." Matthew 26:39) and when Jesus asks God to forgive during the crucifixion ("Father, forgive them; for they know no what they do." Luke 23:34). God the Father is clearly someone separate and distinct from Jesus the Son.

The same is true with regard to the Holy Spirit. For example, Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit on three occasions during the Last Supper discourse, indicating it is someone separate and distinct from himself and God the Father: 

• "And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counsellor, to be with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you." John 14:16-17. 
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• "The Advocate, the Holy Spirit that the Father will send in my name, he will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you." John 14:26.
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• "But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in me; of righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak of his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you." John 16:5-15.

The question is not whether Jesus considered himself to be God. The question is whether or not you believe him.

Widows 1, Scribes nil

In the story of the widow's mite, Mk 12:38-44, Jesus provides us with an illustration of the type of people we should and should not imitate:

In the course of his teaching Jesus said to the crowds, "Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues,
and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext recite lengthy prayers. They will receive a very severe condemnation."

He sat down opposite the treasury and observed how the crowd put money into the treasury.
Many rich people put in large sums. A poor widow also came and put in two small coins worth a few cents.

 Calling his disciples to himself, he said to them,

"Amen, I say to you, this poor widow put in more
than all the other contributors to the treasury.
For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had,
her whole livelihood." Mk 12:38-44

According to the The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, p.622, the scribes were the interpreters of the Old Testament law, in other words the ancient Jewish version of lawyers.

Scribes typically served as trustees of widows' estates. Their fee for such a service was a share of the funds in the estate.  So as to improve their chances of getting appointed to such a position (and thus devour the houses of widows), the scribes strove to improve their reputation of piety.  They would do this by wearing long robes designed to enhance their prestige and honor, seek out places of honor and publicly demonstrate their holiness . Jesus is warning against such behavior:

Beware of the scribes, who like to go around in long robes and accept greetings in the marketplaces, seats of honor in synagogues, and places of honor at banquets. They devour the houses of widows and, as a pretext recite lengthy prayers.

It should be noted that the scribes will receive a just reward for their actions.

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The second part of the reading contrasts the conduct of the scribes with that of the widow. The two copper coins (lepta) were the smallest coins in circulation.  Jesus' observes that "this poor woman put in more than all the others contribution." He then goes on to explain that the widow made a real sacrifice to support the Temple, whereas the rich simply gave out of their surplus: For they have all contributed from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has contributed all she had, her whole livelihood. [bold added].

The 19th Century Catholic mystic, Ven. Anne Catherine Emmerich, in her private revelation The Life of Jesus Christ and Biblical Revelations, gives further details as to what occurred in the Temple:

In the center of the hall, or rather, nearer to the entrance,  stood the money box, an angular pillar, about half the height of a man, in which were three funnel-shaped openings to receive the money offerings, and at its foot was a little door. The box was covered with a red cloth over which hung a white transparent one. To the left was the seat for the priest who maintained order, and a table upon which could be laid doves and other objects brought as offerings. To the right and left of the entrance stood the seats for the women and the men, respectively. The rear of the hall was cut off by a grating, behind which the alter had been put up when Mary presented the Child Jesus in the Temple.

Jesus today took the seat by the money box. It was an offering day for all that desired to purify themselves for the Paschal feast. The Pharisees, on coming later, were greatly put out at finding Jesus there, but they declined His offer to yield to them His place. The Apostles stood near Him, two and two. The men came first to the money box, then the women, and after making their offering, they went out by another door to the left. The crowd stood without awaiting their turn, only five being allowed to enter at a time. Jesus sat there three hours.

Toward midday, as a general thing, the offerings ended, but Jesus remained much longer, to the discontent of the Pharisees. This was the hall in which He had acquitted the woman taken in adultery. The Temple was like three churches, one behind the other, each standing under an immense arch. In the first was the circular lecture hall. The place of offering in which Jesus was, lay to the right of this hall, a little toward the Sanctuary. A long corridor led to it. The last offering was made by a poor, timid widow. No one could see how much the offering was, but Jesus knew what she had given and He told His disciples that she had given more than all the rest, for she had put into the money box all that she had left to buy herself food for that day. He sent her word to wait for Him near the house of John Mark. The Life of Jesus Christ and Biblical Revelations, Vol. 4, pp. 28-30.

The importance of the widow's offering cannot be underestimated.  In the Eastern rite of the Roman Catholic Church, for instance, it is mentioned in the Divine Liturgy of St. Mark, the ancient, traditional main Liturgy of the Orthodox Church of Alexandria. The widow's offering is on par with other great sacrifices made to God:

As You accepted the sacrifice of our father Abraham, the incense of Zacharias, the alms of Cornelius, and the widow's two mites, accept also the thank-offerings of these, and give them for the things of time the things of eternity, and for the things of earth the things of heaven.

St. John Chrysostom, one of the four Doctors of the Church coming from the  Eastern (Greek speaking) Roman empire,  reminded us why we ourselves need to imitate the widow in her sacrifice:

For what is required is that we give, not much or little, but not less than is in our power. Think we on him with the five talents, and on him with the two.  Think we on her who cast in those two mites. Think we on the widow in Elijah's days. She who threw in those two mites said not, What harm if I keep the one mite for myself, and give the other? But gave her whole living. But you, in the midst of so great plenty, art morepenurious than she. Let us then not be careless of our own salvation, but apply ourselves to almsgiving. Homily 1 on Colossians

Something to do whilst waiting for a red light

Our Lord told St. Gertrude the Great, that the following prayer would release 1,000 souls from Purgatory each time it is said:

Eternal Father,
I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus,
in union with the Masses said throughout the world today,
for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory,
for sinners everywhere,
for sinners in the Universal Church,
those in my own home and within my family. Amen.

Who was St. Gertrude the Great?

Born in 1256, St. Gertrude died at age 46 on November 17, 1302. At the age of five she began to study at the convent, most likely because she had become an orphan. As she reached her early twenties, she began to be burned out on religious life and then she had a conversion.  Soon thereafter,  she began to have visions which lasted through the remaining years of her life.

St. Gertrude was never formally canonized, but a liturgical office of prayer, readings, and hymns in her honor was approved by Rome in 1606. Pope Benedict XIV gave her the title "the Great" to distinguish her from another famous Catholic Gertrude (Abbess Gertrude of Hackeborn who was little Gertrude's teacher) and to recognize the depth of her spiritual and theological insight.

The Life and Revelations of St. Gertrude can be found on the internet. While they do not contain the specific prayer set forth above, it appears to be a paraphrase of various passages and a common theme running through her writing:

Nevertheless, as I gathered up all my strength to make a last effort to gain Thee by my loving caresses, I perceived that all this was of no avail, until I commenced praying for sinners, for the souls in Purgatory, or for those who were in any affliction, when I knew that I was heard; but still more one evening, when I formed the resolution of commencing the prayers which I say for the deceased offering them for those most beloved by Thee, with the Collect, Omnipotens, sempiterne Deus, cui nunquam sine spe, instead of commencing, as I had been accustomed to do, by praying for those related to me, with the Collect, Deus, qui nos patrem et matrem, and it seemed to me that this change was very pleasing to Thee. Book Two, Chapter 15.

At the hour at which the Saint was to communicate was now near, she prayed God to show mercy to as many sinners as would be saved (for she dared not to pray for the reprobate) as He had that day delivered souls from Purgatory by the merit of the prayers which had been offered. But Our Lord reproved her timidity, saying: Is not the offering of My spotless Body and My precious Blood sufficient merit to recall even those who walk in the ways of perdition to a better life? Then Gertrude, reflecting on the infinite goodness testified by these words, exclaimed: "Since Thine ineffable charity will condescend to my unworthy prayers, I beseech Thee to deliver as many persons who live in sin and are in peril thereby as Thou hast delivered souls in Purgatory, without preferring those who are my friends with we by consanguinity or proximity". Our Lord accepted this petition graciously and certified its acceptance to her. "I would know further, I Lord," she continued, "what I shall add to these prayers to make them yet more efficacious?" Then, as she received no answer, she continued: "Lord. I fear that my unfaithfulness does not merit a reply to this question because Thou, who seest the hearts of all, knowest that I will not comply with Thy command." Then Our Lord, turning towards her with a countenance full of sweetness, replied: Confidence alone can easily obtain all things, but if your devotion urges you to add anything further, say the Psalm Laudate Dominum, omnes gentes three hundred and sixty-five times, in order to supply for those praises which men fail in offering Me. Book 3, Chapter 8.

The Psalm Laudate Dominum is Psalm 117:

Praise the Lord, all nations;

Praise Him, all people.

For He has bestowed

His mercy upon us,

And the truth of the Lord endures forever.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and forever,

and for generations of generations.

Amen.

So, if your devotion urges you to do so, consider saying the prayer of St. Gertrude the Great and repeat the above Psalm 365 times.