In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.
Some people reading the first drafts of the Gospel according to Saint Luke might have remembered quite well "the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar." They might have said, "I was in Rome at the time, just learning to read and write and add Roman numerals." Or they might have said, "That was the year my child was born." or "...when my husband died."
I do that all the time. If I meet a Veteran who says he was drafted in 1986, I think, "I was in Prior Lake at the time." Human beings live and locate ourselves in real time. We might entertain our children with "Once upon a time..." but eventually they'll ask, "Was I born yet?" We want to know where things happened, when they happened, and who was involved.
A fellow told me about a meeting of "Communists" in Berkeley California who plotted the downfall of America. But he couldn't tell me what year that was, which hotel, or who attended the meeting. Obviously, he wants to believe in scary, once-upon-a-time stories; I can't be bothered.
Pope Leo the Great did not attend the Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D. but his emissaries did and the bishops who gathered for the meeting recognized his wisdom and authority when he condemned the heresy of monophysitism. That doctrine, which is still around, insists that Jesus was always God but his humanity dissolved like a drop of ink in the ocean when he ascended into heaven. In other words, his human nature is not important; it is no guide for us and we need have no allegiance to it.
That God actually appeared in human history, that he was a near-Eastern Jew, subject of the Roman empire, and born of a woman: these are not important to monophysitism. Were a Martian to discover the sacred text on that red planet even before the long-expected encounter with an Earthling, they might be saved by the spirit without the flesh.
In the monophysite universe, there is no need for the Church, the sacraments, or the prayers and patronage of the saints. Mary is not the Mother of God. We need not study the history of the Church since we can start our own history right here, right now, with any translation of the Bible. Tiberius Caesar is no more important to knowing Jesus than Frodo, Gandalf, or Sauron.
The Bible, written in Hebrew and Greek languages, and especially this text from Saint Luke, dismisses that once-upon-a-time myth of Jesus. The Bible is an earthy, earthly text which helps us to connect to our ancestral Church and the Son of Mary who founded it. Those who cannot read the original languages receive the Bible from our Church which sponsors reliable experts to translate. We cannot simply buy a copy at Walmart and interpret it to mean whatever feels right. Americans should buy those authorized by the Bishops of the United States for Roman Catholics.
I meet a lot of lonely Veterans in the VA who have no membership or connection to a church. Some used to attend but don't anymore; they feel no obligation to worship with the Church. They don't miss it, nor are they missed. Their religion is voluntary, not covenanted. When they assure me they believe in "God," I don't know which god that might be. We have nothing in common.
I sometimes ask the Catholic Veterans, "What Church would you attend if you went?" and they name the local parish. Some are quite familiar with it. There is often a powerful, perhaps unspeakable, reason for their not attending. I pray that they might unearth that tragic story and let it be known.
Our belonging to the Roman Catholic Church comes with Baptism; it is the foundation of our faith. "You shall be my people, and I will be your God.*" says the Lord. It's more than a feeling or sentiment. It's a fact, like the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea...."
* [30:22] Jer 24:7; 31:1, 33; 32:38; Lv 26:12; Ez 11:20; 36:28.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.