*BEST OF DTB #122* The Catholic Defender: We Want A King

 (Editors note) The last calender Sunday of the Liturgical year is the Feast of Christ the King.  Pope John XXIII instituted this Feast to remind modern man that no matter how technical and sophisticated man becomes, Christ is still the King.

"In his old age Samuel appointed his sons judges over Israel. His first-born was named Joel, his second son, Abijah; they judged at Beersheba. His sons did not follow his example but sought illicit gain and accepted bribes, perverting justice. Therefore all the elders of Israel came in a body to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, 'Now that you are old, and your sons do not follow your example, appoint a king over us, as other nations have, to judge us" (1 Samuel 8:1-5).

This is a most important scripture because the people of God were asking for a man to be placed in a position to judge the people. Up to this point, God was their King, he lead the nation using Judges such as Samuel.

Previously, at Mount Sinai, the people gathered to hear the word of the Lord given to Moses, "On the morning of the third day there were peals of thunder and lightning, and a heavy cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. But Moses led the people out of the camp to meet God, and they stationed themselves at the foot of the mountain from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently. The trumpet blast grew louder and louder, while Moses was speaking and God answering him with thunder. When the Lord came down to the top of Mount Sinai, he summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up to him. Then the Lord told Moses, 'Go down and warn the people not to break through toward the Lord in order to see him; otherwise many of them will be struck down. The priests, too, who approach the Lord must sanctify themselves; else he will vent his anger upon them".

Moses received the 10 Commandments from the hand of God, the bible says, "When the people witnessed the thunder and lightening, the trumpet blast and the mountain smoking, they all feared and trembled. So they took up a position much farther away and said to Moses, 'You speak to us, or we shall die'. Moses answered the people, 'Do not be afraid, for God has come to you only to test you and put his fear upon you, lest you should sin. Still the people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the cloud where God was" (Exodus 20:18-21).

Up to this time, the Lord had been speaking to Moses, but the people were able to know that the Lord was with them, leading them, a cloud by day and fire by night. Samuel marks the end of the time of the Prophets and begins the time of the Kings.

Saul would be the first King of Israel, but because of his disobedience, his throne was given over to another, King David. This is highly important because God promised David that his linage would last forever.

At the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel told Mary "Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom there will be no end".

Jesus literally is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, He is the Priest, Prophet, and King. What the people could not accept at Mount Sinai, Jesus fulfills, what the people couldn't accept at Ramah, Jesus again fulfills.

Today, we have largely lost the concept of a King because of our democracy. Our society wants to make the Church a democracy. That will not happen as the Catholic Church is the kingdom of God on earth. Jesus is the head of the Church, however, until He returns, Jesus placed St. Peter in charge, the keys of the Kingdom belong to the Pope.

One of the constant struggles of the Church is to spread the word of the Lord to all the nations. The past 2,000 years, there have been much progress, yet, we have much to go in accomplishing our mission.

The Roman Empire was brutal for centuries against the Church. This past Christmas, my wife got me a movie entitled, "The Eagle" staring Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell. I really liked this movie and I came away with a unique perspective as it is centered in about 120 A.D. Britanica (England).

Rome had been developing countries, building roads, conquering much of the known world. The Lord would certainly utilize this opportunity to spread His Church. There were some attributes that the Romans held that were strong bonds. Their word was their bond.

In the movie "The Robe", Richard Burton starred as a Roman Soldier who crucified Christ and the story is about the Robe and it's affect on him. When he came to terms with who Jesus is, the Soldier offers St. Peter his sword, his possessions, his whole being.

That is important and this was plainly seen in the movie "The Eagle". The Quest to regain his Father's honor, Marcus Aquila with the help of a slave, went into the highlands to retrieve the golden eagle lost by his father in a battle. The story builds when they find the eagle.

The Church would ultimately convert the Roman Empire about 200 years later with the conversion of Constantine, who served in Britain. I have been raised to have a deep love for America and the Flag of the United States. The Church is to go to all the nations and bring the gospel to all who will accept it.

Jesus uses the cultures many times to reach the nations. Jesus is King of Kings and this can convert cultures. The Blackfoot Indians on their Reservation during the season of Lent would carry crosses 7 miles doing the Stations of the Cross. The oldest to the youngest capable for the journey would carry crosses wearing ancestral clothing.

The Polish have a similar tradition. Honor and integrity are important attributes to have as did the Roman, Christ restores all peoples into a friendship with God through His Church.

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The Catholic Defender: Oh Jacob

I was reading in Genesis the story of Jacob and I was captivated by his life in this highly recognized biblical drama. From the very beginning, he was in competition with his brother Esau.

Many today can relate to their rivalry being brothers. The customs then were vastly different than what we see today.

Most would think nothing of a "birthright" today, but in the time of Jacob, this was huge. Esau was willing to sell his birthright for a bowl of stew. The biggest deception that played the most importance was Jacob obtaining Esau's "special blessing".

Isaac was not able to recognize Esau as Jacob concealed himself so that his father thought he was Esau. How many Fathers give their children a "special blessing" today? How many children follow the faith of their fathers deserving of that blessing?

Many times, it is a father's prayer for their children that they keep the faith. Worse yet, how many father's even care what their children do? Does it matter that your children follow the Catholic Faith?

Many father's can understand what it means to be a "prodigal father", but many do not mind, in fact many are themselves prodigals?

What does God the Father say about all this? We know in His Word, the Lord sees rebellion as like the sin of witchcraft (1 Samuel 15:23).

To worship false gods is like falling into harletry, adultery (Ezekiel 16:35-38). In the case of Jacob, God honored Isaac's blessing. "Let peoples serve you, and nations pay you homage; Be master of your brothers, and may your mother's sons bow down to you. Cursed be those who curse you, and blessed be those who bless you" (Genesis 27:29).

Jacob would serve his uncle Laban for 14 years for both his Daughters, Leah and Rachel. What a story this is. Jacob's love was for Rachel but the night of the wedding, Laban switches his Daughters so that Jacob marries Leah.

I could not imagine how Jacob would not recognize the switch, but that is what happens. So in the end, he married both of them. In the Old Testament, it was common for the men to have multiple wives. This was changed in the time of the Lord, and the Catholic Church has done much to liberate women.

It was highly unfortunate for Leah as she felt the frustration that Jacob favored Rachel. Maybe this is why God blessed Leah with a number of children. Rachel would end up having two Son's, Joseph and Benjamin.

The story of Joseph being sold into slavery by his older brothers is one of the most important of all the Old Testament. No question that God was with Joseph as Joseph was true to God! God used the situation to bring about a great good in saving Jacob's family from a severe drought.

This would eventually lead to the Israelites into bondage into Egypt and the coming of Moses, which would ultimately bring us Jesus in time. The Mass replacing the Passover sacrifice. Do you wonder what the meaning of Jacob's dream at Bethel was? The Old Testament is filled with "types" that give a foundation for the New Testament.

The Angels going up and down the stairs to heaven and earth. The Lord was standing next to Jacob telling him that He is the God of Abraham and Isaac! I see a prophecy about the Catholic Faith offered as God said:

"the land on which you are lying, I will give to you and your descendants. These shall be as plentiful as the dust of the earth, and through them you shall spread out east and west, north and south. In you and your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing" (Genesis 28:13-14).

It wasn't until the beginning of the Catholic Church that this prophecy became a reality. The story of Jacob is very important laying the foundation of the Catholic Faith. Jacob wrestling with the Angel and recieving the name "Israel" is very important. It is important when God changes the name of a person as this indicates a Covenant.

It is important to stress more on Jacob and his family coming to Egypt. Joseph was blessed by God, no matter what he did as a slave, God blessed him. When Potiphar's wife tried to seduce Joseph, he refused despite the fact that he would go to prison. God gave the gift of interpretation of dreams to Joseph and this helped save Egypt through this severe droubt.

The Pharaoh made Joseph second in Command only behind the Pharaoh. This position of Joseph would become important in the time of King David, as he positioned a "chief stewart" in his cabinent. This would be the one who held the "key" of authority in the household of David (Isaiah 22:22) which would lead to the Keys given to Simon Peter (Matthew 16:19).

Jesus has the authority to supercede the keys from the household of David to the "Chair of Peter". So the Old Testament is much more than simply stories of heroic figures. They point to a promise that is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Still, when you read these stories such as Jacob, these were real people living in with real conditions.

I can't help but think of Jacob's love for Rachel. If you think of Jacob as a "Mama's boy", that he was somehow the son who was weak, I put that thought away when I read about Jacobs first meeting with Rachel! The women were waiting for men to remove the stone so that they could water their sheep.

When Rachel came with her father's flock, Jacob moved this rock by himself that took a number of men to do (Genesis 29:4:11)!

Rachel would die giving birth to Benjamin and was buried on the road to Ephrath which is modern day Bethlehem.

This would be where the Messiah was born into the world, it was also the place that Herod killed the male children 2 years old and under fulfilling Jeremiah's prophecy (Jeremiah 31:15). The Church remembers the Holy Innocents on Dec 28th, honoring those who died brutally at the hands of King Herod.

We see this again during the time of Moses (Exodus 1:22) showing that Moses was spared by God for his divine purpose. A prefiguration of Jesus Christ.

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