Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 5-August 2,1973
<
\
The Lutheran Religion
BY WILLIAM J. WHALEN
The Lutheran communion is not only the oldest Protestant
denomination but is also the largest on a worldwide basis.
Seventy-five million Lutherans are concentrated in Germany,
the Scandinavian countries of Sweden, Norway, Denmark and
Finland, Brazil, Argentina and the United States.
Except for small movements, the unity of Western
Christendom remained more or less intact until the start of the
16th century. Then this unity was broken by a German
Augustinian friar, Martin Luther, who challenged the exercise
and claims of papal authority and the condition of Church life
at this time.
Luther left the study of law after a frightening experience in
a thunderstorm in which he vowed to enter a monastery. Two
years after joining the Augustinian order he was ordained a
priest and in 1512 he received a doctorate in Scripture. He was
assigned to teach at the new University of Wittenberg.
Luther and Faith
BY FATHER CARL J. PFEIFER, S. J.
“Man, God is not angry with you. You are angry with God.
Don’t you know that God commands you to hope?”
The words have a contemporary ring. Actually they were
spoken by a wise old priest to an anxious young man some 400
years ago. The young man’s name was Martin Luther.
Like many a young person today, Luther was torn with
questions and doubts. He anguished over how he could ever be
saved. His inner torment kept him awake at night, but he
continued his search for meaning. He searched through the
Bible, he prayed, he sought counsel from others.
Finally one day he found the key to his search for peace. He
was reading St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans and stopped short
at verse 21 of Chapter 1: “The just man shall live by faith.”
At last he found an answer to his anxiety. It is through faith
in God’s grace that it is possible to be saved. Salvation is God’s
gift, not the result of personal achievement. Therefore one
needs to trust oneself to God’s love.
What followed in Luther’s life grew out of this radical insight
into the importance of faith in God, whose love and grace
reaches man through Jesus Christ. The two facets-faith and
grace-are complementary. One can only place one’s life
trustingly in God’s hands if one is deeply convinced of his love,
his grace. His grace in turn enables man to believe. As St. Paul
wrote to the Christians at Rome: “All depends on faith,
everything is grace (Rom 4:16).
Insight into the role of faith brought some measure of peace
to Luther’s anguished spirit. He shared his insight with his
students and with his fellow theologians. Gradually for a variety
of reasons, his teaching and preaching led to confrontation with
Church authorities. Christinaity was divided in spite of Luther’s
intent. Heated argument on both sides solidified mutual
misunderstandings and false interpretations.
Today, after the polemic fog is lifted, and serious efforts at
ecumenism progress, it becomes clearer how sound and
traditional Luther’s germinal idea really was. It is through faith
that man can hope for salvation. Faith that trustingly opens the
mind and heart of God’s saving grace or love. In fact Luther’s
emphasis on faith and grace is close to the heart of the New
Testament ( and Old Testament) message.
St. Paul, who anguished through the same kind of inner
struggle Luther experienced, pointed out that it is not the law,
nor ritual, that is most important. The one thing that counts for
anything, he wrote to the Galatians is “only faith, which
expresses itself in love.” (Gal 5:6). Or as he writes so clearly to
the Ephesians: “I repeat, it is owing to his favor that salvation is
yours through faith” (Eph 2:8).
Recalling other New Testament passages we discover that a
person becomes mature in faith by becoming like a
child-trusting and open. Faith recognizes that there is more to
life than any man can grasp or control. Faith admits that God is
greater than man’s heart.
The person of faith places himself, his life, his future in God’s
hands, fully confident that his grace is sufficient. By faith we
recognize that God is not angry with us. Faith allows us to
hope.
While differences still remain between Roman Catholics and
Lutherans, we are mutually discovering that many of the
differences rest on mutual misunderstandings. We can be
grateful to Luther and the great Luther tradition for preserving
so clearly a central part of Christ’s Gospel, namely that the just
man lives by faith. Faith expresses itself, for Catholic and
Lutheran alike, in justice, love, and service.
Today Luther’s wish is approaching realization: “I beg that
my name be passed over in silence, and that men will call
themselves not Lutherans but Christians. What is Luther? My
teaching is not mine . . .Let us root our party names and call
ourselves Christians, for it is Christ’s gospel we have.”
At this stage of his life Martin Luther was preoccupied with
the question: “What must I do to be saved?” He found no sure
answers in his prayers, penances, fasting and faithful adherence
to the rules of his order. But while reading St. Paul’s Epistle to
the Romans he was struck by the passage “The just man lives by
faith” (Rom. 1:17). This would be the cornerstone of his
religious system.
Along with specific criticisms of abuses in the Church be
proposed the main elements of his theology in his famous 95
theses. According to the custom of his time he nailed a list of
theses or propositions to be debated on the church door at
Wittenberg on Oct. 31,1517.
He had no intention to disrupt the unity of the Church by his
act but as the years passed the basic differences grew. Luther
was excommunicated in 1521. By the time he died in 1546 the
Churches of the reformation and the Roman Catholic Church
were separate bodies.
The Catholic Church in Luther’s day was vulnerable to
attack. Some bishops, priests, religious and laity lived saintly
lives but others were corrupt. The popes often acted more like
war lords or feudal kings than spiritual fathers. Poor philosophy
and theology produced a folk religion which promised
forgiveness of sins and attainment of salvation through
purchased indulgences and “bargains” with God.
Lutheranism rests on two fundamental principles: man is
restored to friendship with God by faith in Jesus Christ alone,
and the Bible is the only source and guide of faith and life.
Luther rejected the authority claimed by the pope, the
necessity of having bishops, reduced the role of tradition in
comparison with the Bible, and regarded only Baptism and Holy
Communion as sacraments clearly authorized by Sacred
Scripture. Worship was conducted in vernacular instead of
Latin, clergymen were allowed to marry, and the laity received
both bread and wine in Holy Communion.
In retrospect Luther can be viewed as a conservative
Reformer. He was repelled by the extreme positions of the
Anabaptists who denied the validity of infant baptism. He
argued with the Calvinists over such questions as predestination
and the Real Presence in the Eucharist.
In Germany, Lutherans eventually outnumbered the
Catholics while in the Scandinavian countries the establishment
of state Lutheran churches practically wiped out Catholic
influence. The first Lutheran immigrants came to America in
the 17th century and were the forerunners of the nearly 9
million U.S. Lutherans. Among Protestant denominations
Lutherans rank after Baptists and Methodists.
Once bitterly hostile, the Roman Catholics and Lutherans in
this country and in Germany are probably friendlier now than
at any time during the 450 year separation. Basic doctrinal
disagreements still exist but the gulf has narrowed through
theological dialogue and efforts to erase misunderstanding.
Archeology Is
BY STEVE LANDREGAN
There is a great deal the Bible doesn’t tell us concerning the
lands of the Bible. In fact the sacred authors weren’t interested
in relating information about everyday living, or geography, or
history, unless it had a direct bearing on the message they were
inspired to write.
They took it for granted their readers would be able to fill in
the gaps from their own knowledge, or by asking an elder of the
tribe. That might have worked well 2,600 years ago, but it leaves
a lot to be desired in 1973.
Bible students today have many questions. Some of them due
to curiosity, some to the relization that the more you know
about how a person or a group of people lives, the more you
understand about them.
You can learn much about people by their garbage. If you sift
carefully through a family’s trash, you can learn how and what
they eat, what they wear, what they read, and what they write,
and so on.
Looking through your neighbors’ garbage or trash is frowned
upon today. But if that trash happens to belong to someone
who lived several thousand years ago, you’re not a trash picker,
you’re an archeologist.
Perhaps I will have to defend myself against irate
archeologists who resent being compared to trash pickers, but
the comparison may help us understand what their science is all
about.
“WHAT SHATTERED the unity of the Catholic
Church in Europe was the challenge of a German
Augustinian friar, Martin Luther, to papal authority
The word “archeology” comes from a Greek word
“archaiologia”. It means science of the past, and was first used
by a Jewish-historian-turned-Roman, Flavius Josephus. Josephus
wrote in about the year 93 A. D., and while his writings are
recognized as somewhat slanted, nevertheless, they are
fascinating and informative. Within the past few months an
ancient manuscript was discovered that quotes Josephus’ writing
about Christ. Scholars at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem
say it may be the oldest reference to Christ found to date
outside of the Bible.
It is an interesting coincidence that something written by the
man who coined the term archeology, sheds new light on the
past 1,900 years later.
Of course there have been some publicized archeological
discoveries like the Dead Sea Scrolls, but most archeological
finds are less spectacular. But nonetheless significant.
Back to the idea of garbage. Two thousand years from now,
some future archeologist may dig up a plastic bleach bottle, or a
food carton, that will help identify his find as mid-20th century,
probably between 1965 and 1975. Such bottles and cartons are
different today than they were 20 years ago, or, than they will
be 20 years from now.
BY FATHER JOSEPH M. CHAMPLIN
Sisters Marilyn Goulet arid Mary Seeley last year taught in
Catholic schools of the Syracuse diocese. This year they work as
full time “Parish helpers” at Holy Family, coordinating the
religious education program and planning with others our
liturgical celebrations.
These two Sisters enjoyed in their previous positions
excellent reputations as competent teachers, but they felt
strongly the need to enter a more diversified type of apostolate.
The job description we offered them and which they have
followed attempts to take this approach. It is definite and
varied, but open-ended, leaving room for creativity and
flexibility.
Their major efforts have gone in these directions:
-Coordination of religious education classes for public school
students in grades 1-12. The New York State released time
provision and a most cooperative local board of education give
us, time-wise, an excellent arrangement.
Grades 7-12 meet in the instruction center on either Tuesday,
Wednesday, or Thursday mornings at 8:00, then walk to their
school for the second period class. The youngsters of grades 1-6
come on Thursdays (by foot or bus) from 10:30-11:30 a.m.
and traditional doctrines.” A sketch of Martin Luther.
(NC Photo courtesy Claretian Publications)
Along with the bleach bottle and food carton the archeologist
of the future may find some printed material that tells of the
first trip of a president of the United States to China. Eureka!
The find may make it possible to confirm what had been
suspected but never known for sure . . .that President Nixon of
the United States visited China in the early 1970’s.
Now let’s move the whole procedure back several thousand
years. The archeologist lives in 1973. He is digging in Israel at
the site of ancient Shechem. Instead of finding a bleach bottle
and a food carton, he finds a scrap of pottery jar and a bowl.
Because of the work of hundreds of other scientists before
him, he can identify, from their shape and design, the date the
pottery jar and bowl were made. Along with the pottery scraps
is a small stone with ancient writing carved upon it. The writing
tells of an attack upon the City of Shechem by Habirus from
the mountains and others from across the river. Eureka! The
find indicates that the Israelites joined forces with local tribes in
attacking Schechem during the conquest of Joshua. Something
suspected from the Bible, but never confirmed.
The point of the story is that archeology is a science that
helps us to fill in the gaps left by the sacred writers. As such, it
is an indispensable aid to find out all about the lands of the
Bible.
-Sacramental preparation programs. Our adult religious
education activity this year concentrated on the First
Communion parents.
In different houses for three consecutive months clusters of
couples gathered for film strips, a movie, verbal presentations,
group discussion, explanations of the children’s text and,
finally, a well received home Mass with the young ones in
attendance.
-Planning and executing Sunday liturgies. Every few months
my priest partner in the parish, these two sisters, and our
organist choir director spend several hours determining the
general themes of Masses for the next period in the Church year.
With those established, each begins different tasks which will
develop appropriate liturgies for specific Sundays.
This means for the nuns, arranging gift bearers for four of the
Masses, assisting different families who will take a unique part in
certain celebrations, designing a participation leaflet and
sometimes acting as lectors in the service itself.
-Preparing worship services for special occasions. These
include, for example, Advent and Lenten penance celebrations,
a “Family Day of Prayer,” the Three Hour Devotion on Good
Friday, class Masses for the religious education courses.
Religions of the World Series--
(All Articles On This Page Copyrighted 1973 by N.C. News Service)
Know Y our F ai
Science Which Fills in the Gaps
Full Time Parish Helpers
“SISTERS MARILYN GOULET and Mary Seeley
work as full time ‘parish helpers’ at Holy Family,
coordinating the religious education program and
planning with others our liturgical celebrations.”
Visiting the Joseph Stewart family in Fulton, N.Y.,
Sister Marilyn (second from left) and Sister Mary
(third from left) plan a parish Mass involving all the
Stewarts except the baby. (NC Photo by Larry Hoyt)
Professionalism in such programs takes money, time and
personnel. Books and equipment mean substantial cash outlays.
Sizable numbers, of students demand extensive organization and
careful class planning. A large staff of volunteer instructors
require faculty meetings and frequent communications.
-Regular hospital and home visitation. We have divided each
week between the two priests and two sisters in such a way that
normally every day someone from Holy Family visits sick
parishioners at our local hospital.