I have enjoyed the assigned readings for the Master Catechist course. I have scribbled more notes than I have done in many years for my education courses. The following are my notes from the readings. Hopefully, I can actually read my writing.
The Birth of the Messiah - Raymond Brown
Christology is the discovery of Christ. We are in a continuous search for his true identity. There is no real knowledge that any or all of the infancy material came from a tradition for which there was a corroborating witness. There are many differences in Matthew's and Luke's gospels of which I was not aware. Makes me embarrassed about my knowledge of scripture.
Matthew has the star, the Magi, Herod's plot against Jesus, the massacre of the innocents, and the flight to Egypt. Jesus' birth is patterned on the birth of Moses. Infancy narratives not an afterthought. Infancy naratives were written to make Jesus' origins intelligible against the background of the fullfillment of the Old Testament expectations. Matthew's gospel was written in the '80's for Greekk speaking Christian Jews.
Matthew is primarily aninstruction and exhortation to a Christian community consisting of both Jews and gentiles enlightening them to their faith.
Matthew is concerned about showing Jesus has always had meaning for both Jews and gentiles. His intent was to instruct his community about the kingdom of heaven. Matthew's organization made this the best gospel to serve as catechetical text.
Contemporary Christology: Getting One's Bearings - Sara Butler
We have to make the faith our own - intrinsic to us - yet ultimately we come back to the church. The foundation is the church. We deal with the world with the strength of that foundation. We may stray from it, but through experience and maturity we ultimately come back to the wisdom of the church. We seem to need to reinvent the wheel even when we have a wonderful vehicle.
We have a need to find the humaness of Jesus. We want to see ourselves in him. Maybe that helps us see the divine in ourselves - where hop comes from for our redemption.
The church's faith must be the starting point for Christology - A good point made in the article. If we don't have faith then historical actions are just vinyettes with no significance. They become circumstancial.
The continual discussion over Jesus' nature seems a bit inane to me. One either believes or doesn't believe. For those who believe in Jesus as both human and divine there is no need to discuss down to the molecule as to how this is possible. That is the nature of God - all things are possible. For those who do not believe there is no use explaining - nothing is possible. Of course if they took their argument a little farther - how do we exist? We are not possible if you go at a scientific explanation. That need for control of information causes so many to give up on the greatness and glory of God.
Catholic Update: Four Ways to Follow Jesus - Steve Mueller
Confirms that Jesus showed us how to live as well as Matthew's disciples are just like us. We profess to know and want to be liek Jesus, but we continually forget and lose our way. We must be reminded and retaught because we get it wrong.
John calls us to relationship while the other gospels call us to an outward action. John calls us to the inward action of love/relationship.
Catholic Update: The Four faces of Jesus - Virginia Smith
I like Mark's account of Jesus - a guy on the move. Evident that Jesus knew that he didn't have much time.
Matthhew is the teacher. He has a lesson plan with 5 major components.
This article is a repeat of what I have been hearing from my husband for years. Obviously, this validates his education at Loyola Marymount.
