Christmas Eve Mass, Easter, and other thoughts…

In 1992, the Charismatic Episcopal Church (http://www.iccec.org) was founded, led by retired Patriarch A. Randolph Adler. Their mission: To make visible the void. Since, many other groups, such as the CEEC (http://www.theceec.org) have formed, as well as splinter groups, such as the Communion of Christ the Redeemer (http://www.coctr.org). Again, the premise, to make visible the void. What is this void? The discovery of the ancient Church, i.e., the liturgy and Sacraments, the teachings of the Church Fathers, and so on, and then blending them with the already established Charismatic and Evangelical foundation. This became known as the Convergence Movement, the blending of the “three streams” of Christianity.

Saying this, one would think that the full incorporation, of all three streams, would be “enforced,” especially in the services of “importance,” or obligation, such as Christmas (Eve or Day) and Easter, however, this is not always the case.

Before I go further, I want to state that I am not attacking anyone or any church, just expressing an opinion held deep within my own belief structure. Now, with that, I believe a Christmas Eve service, expecially in one of the Convergence style groups, should be just that, a “proper” Christmas Eve service, i.e. Christmas Eve Mass… not just a Communion and prayer service, but a service that trumps every other service, maybe even the Easter Mass, and is full of the pagentry that makes one, not only Charismatic and Evangelical, but also Liturgical and Sacramental. The reason for this is not so we can feel good about ourselves, nor is it a dog and pony shoy to show off fancy vestments and proove some sort of “superiority,” but to be a sign and symbol to the entire community, especially if that church is a cathedral church.

The most attented services thoughout the year are both Easter and Christmas Eve. This attendance goes beyond the normal membership and patronship of the church. Family members arrive, as well as members of the community who are either curious, or who, for the sake of escaping the commecial aspect of what Christmas has become, decide to go and worship God and celebrate the coming of His Son. The Cathedral of St. Michael and All Angels (ICCEC) in Thomaston, GA, the church founded by my father, Bishop John Holloway, celebrated its first service in the buildings that the church occupies now on Christmas Eve in 1999. This service was probably the grandest service, besides the consecration of Bishop Holloway in 1997, that Thomaston, Upson County, Georgia had ever seen. The church was packed, even with the lack of pews, and the meaning went far beyond Christmas Eve. St. Michael’s had literally been fighting for, praying for, and standing in faith for these buildings for seven years. There were many prophetic words given about those buildings, and the church stood since its inception to occupy those buildings. The service began with the ringing of the bell, one time for each year that the church had not been occupied by a Christian organization, and the Christmas Eve service was filled with not only angelic dancers, but incence, praise and worship, liturgical prayer and structure, and evangelical sermon/homily, and then most inportantly, with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. For eight years, until Christmas Eve of 2007, this was always the case. For eight years, the Christmas Eve Mass at the cathedral stood as a sign an symbol of the majesty of God, and the grand importance – or as the Episcopal Bishop of Atlanta said in his Christmas Eve homily, the “big deal” of the Incarnation – not only to the members of the cathedral and diocese, but to the whole city and country, including the surrounding area.

Now, I believe talent shows are wonderful, likewise, I believe prayer services are a very important part of the Christian worship experience, however, I do not believe they should take the place of Mass on Christmas Eve. A Communion service is a great thing, but if it should be the mark of what the Christmas Eve service should be, I do not believe the “guides” of the liturgical expressions – i.e. the Roman Catholics, the Orthodox, and the Anglicans – would have specific services and rubrics for the occasion. I do not believe the Anglicans, whose prayer book many convergence groups use, including the ICCEC, whould have specified a service in their Book of Occasional Services, which is a book madated for Cathedrals to use in the Episcopal Church, etc, to use for Christmas Eve Mass.

I do not know why churches make the decision to scale down the Christmas Eve experience. maybe its because the service traditionally starts so late… even though ever since I was a young boy, I hardly slept anyways on Christmas Eve. Maybe its because there is a belief the parishoners are really tired after a long and stressful pre-Christmas season, but then again, if Christmas stresses you out too much, maybe you should re-evaluate what Christmas really means to you. Msybe its to make it easier on the clergy, again though, The Incarnation is not about making it easier for us, but to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Again, I do not know the reason why some desire to scale it down, but at least I was able to enjoy the taped Midnight Mass from St. Peter’s Basillica in Vatican City.

Final though, Mass, which makes up the second part of the word Christmas, does not just mean Communion, but the entire liturgical and sacramental experience. To me, one can not pick and choose what parts we like and do not like once the precendent has been set, otherwise, it does not constitute the Mass, just a part and parcel of the whole.

Seven Deadly Sins – Part 6, Accidie (Sloth) – Rev. Canon Robert Wills, Th.D.

This is the sixth of a multi-part series on the Seven Deadly Sins written by Father Robert Wills, Canon Theologian of the Mid-South Diocese, ICCEC. A new part will be posted on a regular basis. As a note, Canon Wills notes these are the Seven Deadly Sins recognized by a group of monks in the 5th Century.

JZ Holloway.

6. Accidie or Sloth—A Form of Despair Keeping God’s Purposes In One’s Life from Being Fulfilled.

Envy often produces another deadly sin—that of sloth, which comes from the ancient term accidie. This term, translated “sloth” in the Bible is the biblical term for despair and depression, which keeps people from being fulfilled and from fulfilling God’s purposes in their lives. It is a spiritual listlessness that causes us to fail to respond to God. They withdraw from Christian fellowship, make little effort to worship, and use all manner of excuse to keep from actively participating in the work of God’s Kingdom.

Slothful describes a loose, undisciplined person. The Hebrew term can refer to a bow not strung or equipped with an arrow for action (Ps. 78:57; Hos. 7:16). A same or related Hebrew root describes a loose tongue or mind as deceitful (Job 13:7; 27:4; Pss. 32:2; 52:4; Mic. 6:12).

Look at what Proverbs 6 says about an envious and slothful person.

Prov 6:6  Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise,

Prov 6:7  Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler,

Prov 6:8  Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.

Prov 6:9  How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?

Prov 6:10  A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep;

Prov 6:11  So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.

Prov 6:12  A worthless person, a wicked man, Walks with a perverse mouth;

Prov 6:13  He winks with his eyes, He shuffles his feet, He points with his fingers;

Prov 6:14  Perversity is in his heart, He devises evil continually, He sows discord.

Prov 6:15  Therefore his calamity shall come suddenly; Suddenly he shall be broken without remedy.

Prov 6:16  These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:

Prov 6:17  A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,

Prov 6:18  A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil,

Prov 6:19  A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren.

A second Hebrew term refers to that which is difficult, heavy, hindered and indicates foolish laziness or sluggishness. The tribe of Dan was encouraged to take the new territory and not be slothful or reluctant (Judg. 18:9). The wise, hardworking ant illustrates the opposite of sloth (Prov. 6:6), while the slothful wants only to sleep (Prov. 6:9; compare 10:26; 13:4; 15:19; 19:24; 20:4; 21:25; 22:13; 24:30; 26:16). The virtuous woman is the opposite of slothful, not having to live with the results of idle sloth (Prov. 31:27). Ecclesiastes apparently coined a word for slothfulness twice over and the resulting decay of present gain (10:18). Jesus condemned a wicked, slothful servant (Matt. 25:26) but praised and rewarded the “good and faithful servant” (Matt. 25:23).

The slothful person cannot lead but becomes subjected to another’s rule.

Prov 18:9  He who is slothful in his work Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.

Prov 10:4  He who has a slack hand becomes poor, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Prov 10:5  He who gathers in summer is a wise son; He who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.

God’s work must not be done in such a spirit.

Jer 48:10 Cursed is he who does the work of the LORD deceitfully, And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.

Eccl 10:18 Because of laziness the building decays, And through idleness of hands the house leaks.

St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonian Church concerning accidie, referring to those infected by slothfulness, as being “disorderly” and unwilling to work.

2 Th 3:7  For you yourselves know how you ought to follow us, for we were not disorderly among you;

2 Th 3:8-9  nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, not because we do not have authority, but to make ourselves an example of how you should follow us.

2 Th 3:10-11  For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat.  For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies.

2 Th 3:12-13  Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread. But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary in doing good.

When not confessed as sins, sloth (accidie) and envy lead to despair. That sense of utter hopelessness that characterizes those whose spirits have been so crushed by tragic events or by their own guilt that they do not see any meaning to their lives. In the Scriptures despair is described in such rich but bitter terms and images as  “languish,” “wailing,” “anguish,” “terror,” “desolation,” “gloom,” “dwelling in darkness,” “cowering in ashes,” “torn to pieces,” “wormwood and gall,” “teeth grinding on gravel,” “depths of the pit,” “soul in tumult,” “gnashing of teeth,” or “heavy chains” Jeremiah’s sense of despair is recorded in Lamentations 3:5-20.

Events can strike with such devastating force that both Job and Jeremiah curse the day of their birth and wish they had died in delivery (Job 3:3ff.; Jer. 20:14-18). As the saying went, Rachel in Ramah laments and weeps bitterly for her children and refuses to be comforted (Jer. 31:15). Koheleth despairs of the seeming vanity and injustice of human striving (Eccles. 2:20).

Paul describes his own life as reaching the border of despair in his helplessness before the law and the desertion, persecution, and perplexity that the life of faith brings. Yet he proclaims confidence in the power of Christ to deliver from sin, and he affirms that the Christian’s precarious walk of faith does not ultimately lead to despair and destruction but rather brings life and joy (Rom. 7:7-25; 2 Cor. 4:8-12; see also Rom. 8:35-39).

That the Christian often lives near the edges of despair was noted by Augustine and theologically developed by Martin Luther. Luther maintained that despair is a redeeming force in the salvation of the sinner. The believer shudders before the crucified Christ as he or she experiences with Christ the painful withdrawal of God in the face of human sin. Luther asserted, “All honest and pious Christians are like Jonah; they are thrown into the sea, yes, into the depths of hell…All saints must also descend with their Lord into the inferno.” Nevertheless, at the cross the Christian also recognizes the overwhelming love of God expressed in Christ’s sacrificial death. Thus,  in the very midst of that despair caused by God’s turning away from the Son who bears the world’s sins, God’s love is most fully comprehended and experienced.

Illustration

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen.

She filled three pots with water. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil without saying a word. In about twenty minuets she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, “Tell me what do you see?” “Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” she replied. She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked. “What’s the point, mother?”

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity–boiling water–but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. the ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water they had changed the water.

“Which are you?” she asked her daughter. ” When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot , an egg, or a coffee bean?” Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity, do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after death , a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest do you elevate to another level?

It is not unusual for Christians to be driven to the edges of darkness because of unforeseen tragic events or heinous sins they or others have committed. However, the children of God never lose hope by dwelling on the question “Why?” Rather, they humbly accept God’s sovereignty and God’s justifying acts with fortitude and with the expectation that they are instruments of God’s redemptive change in a fragmented and misery filled world.

Keep the “Mass” in Christmas – Bishop David Epps

For years now, as Christmas approaches, I have seen buttons and signs proclaiming “Jesus is the reason of the season.” Recently, I passed by a church and the sign outside admonished passers-by to “Keep Christ in Christmas.” I, of course, agree with these sentiments. More and more, Christmas has come under attack as something of a politically correct embarrassment.

A local resident wrote to be about this situation and talked about the “…war on Christmas by the politically correct crowd in retail, industry, the media, education and government… I’m referring to the growing number of stores – right here in the middle of the Bible belt – such as Barnes & Nobles, Best Buy, Kmart, Home Depot, Pet Smart (just the tip of the iceberg.) who refuse to recognize our Christmas season.   Try and find a single decoration in any of these stores. In some cases, employees are forbidden to even say Merry Christmas… Remember how lovely the stores, malls and restaurants were decorated during the Christmas season in the days of our youth?”

John continued, “I will share with you a personal experience of how times have changed.  I was in the … Pet Smart a few weeks ago, and I complimented them on their pretty Christmas decorations in the front of the store.  I went back yesterday, and they were all gone! When I asked a clerk, ‘Why?’ she quietly told me they were told to take them down by corporate management.  Can you believe that?”

Yes, John, I can believe that. For my part, I say, “Merry Christmas” to everyone this time of year. No “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” for me. And, for the record, I hope that the Jewish believers have a “Happy Hanukkah” and that those who celebrate Kwanzaa enjoy their time, too. But it’s also the Christmas season, for Christ’s sake! (Forgive the pun).

Anyway, not only do I believe that we should reclaim our season, I strongly feel that if we’re going to do Christmas, then let’s do all of it. So, I propose that all churches keep the “Mass” in Christmas. If it’s too late to do it this year, then plan now for next year’s Christmas.

The World Book Encyclopedia defines “Christmas” as follows:  “The word Christmas comes from ‘Cristes Maesse.’ an early English phrase that means “Mass of Christ.” The “Mass,” of course, is the word the Catholic Church uses for what Protestants call “The Lord’s Supper” or “Holy Communion.” The Anglicans and Episcopalians among us refer to this event as “The Holy Eucharist,” or “The Great Thanksgiving.” The Orthodox churches refer to the sacraments, including Communion, as “The Holy Mysteries,” and the bread and wine offered at the Table are called “the holy gifts.”

In any event, isn’t time we all went back to the Table? For two thousand years, the Church has come to the Table of the Lord to celebrate Christ-mass, or Christmas. For twelve years, since our beginning, our church has celebrated Holy Eucharist, or The Mass, on Christmas Eve. Many churches are open and conduct Services of Holy Communion on Christmas Day. A growing number of Protestant churches, including, evangelicals, charismatics, and Pentecostals are celebrating The Lord’s Supper on the Sunday before Christmas or even on Christmas Eve.

Jesus is, indeed, the reason for the season, no matter what the Grinches of the world proclaim. Keep Christ in Christmas—and don’t forget the “Mass!”

David Epps serves as a bishop to the Diocese of the Mid-South (ICCEC) encompassing Georgia and Tennessee. He is also the founding pastor of Christ the King Church, 4881 Hwy 34 E., Sharpsburg, GA 30277 between Peachtree City and Newnan. Services are held Sundays at 8:00 and 10:00 a.m. Bishop Epps is also the Mission Pastor  of Christ the King Church in Champaign, IL. He may be contacted at frepps@ctkcec.org

Seven Deadly Sins – Part 5, Envy – Rev. Canon Robert Wills, Th.D.

This is the fifth of a multi-part series on the Seven Deadly Sins written by Father Robert Wills, Canon Theologian of the Mid-South Diocese, ICCEC. A new part will be posted on a regular basis. As a note, Canon Wills notes these are the Seven Deadly Sins recognized by a group of monks in the 5th Century.

JZ Holloway.

5. ENVY—Hatred and Contempt Leading to the Desire for Greater Personal Power.

The term ENVY comes from the Roman word invidia—a word that signifies a “withering look” or the “evil eye.” It is a look of hatred or contempt that looks down upon and degrades others. It is a rejection of who God has created us to be, and a desire to prevent others from fulfilling who they were created to be. It is a desire to be god-like or to have god-like power without developing Godly character. Envious people do not respond to God, because they convince themselves that they must look out for themselves and promote themselves because God short changed them when they were created, and He probably doesn’t care about them anyway.

Envious people wish that they could become more powerful.

Prov 3:31  Do not envy the oppressor, And choose none of his ways;

The envious person has little compassion for the needy.

Prov 14:30-31  A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones. He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.

Envy brings the judgement of God upon people and nations.

Ezek 35:11  “therefore, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “I will do according to your anger and according to the envy which you showed in your hatred against them; and I will make Myself known among them when I judge you.

Envy leads to a rejection of Christ and a failure to embrace what God is doing in the earth.

Mat 27:17  Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”

Mat 27:18  For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.

Acts 13:45  But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul.

Acts 13:46  Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.

Envy leads to placing carnal desires ahead of the work of the Spirit.

1 Cor 3:3  for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?

Envy is the opposite of love.

1 Cor 13:4  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

Envy ministers for selfish ambition and enslaves the Body of Christ.

Phil 1:15  Some indeed preach Christ even from envy and strife, and some also from good will:

Phil 1:16  The former preach Christ from selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my chains;

Phil 1:17  but the latter out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel.

Envy causes confusion and dissention in the Church.

1 Tim 6:3  If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness,

1 Tim 6:4  he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions,

1 Tim 6:5  useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.

Envy is an enemy of the truth and does not submit to Godly authority in the Church.

James 3:14, 16  But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.

Publius Vergilius Maro: The Life and Works of Virgil

Publius Vergilius Maro: The Life and Works of Virgil

Publius Vergilius Maro is one of the greatest Roman writers and poets who ever lived. Vergilius, or better known in English as Virgil, was born on October 1, 70 B.C. He was born in the village of Andes, which was near Mantua in Cisalpine Gaul. He went from being the son of a farmer to being considered the greatest poet of Rome . He had three major works, the Eclogues, the Georgics, and the

A bust of Virgil, from the entrance to his tomb in Naples, Italy.

Aeneid. Also, some minor works are also attributed to him.
In Roman legend, it is said that Virgil began his education at the age of five years old. Later, going to Rome to learn, he studied rhetoric, medicine and astronomy. However, he would abandon these studies to focus completely on philosophy. It was during this period in which he studied under Siro, who was an Epicurean philosopher, and this is also when he began to write poetry.
A group of short poems, dubbed the Appendix Vergiliana, are often attributed to Virgil and would have been written during his period of education. One, which is called the Catalepton, consists of fourteen short poems. Another one of these is called the Culex, which in Latin means “the gnat.” These series of short poems were attributed to Virgil as early as the first part of the First Century A.D.
After Octavian and Mark Antony defeat Brutus and Cassius at Philippi in 42 B.C., they paid their men for their military service by taking lands in Northern Italy and giving it to their men. Virgil, by inference in the Eclogues, seems to claim that one of his estates near Mantua was one of the ones taken and given away. In his Eclogues, Virgil expresses both anger for the loss of land, but also a sense of promise towards the figure of Octavian Caesar.

The Eclogues, From the “Roman Virgil,” Vatican Library, Vatican City

The Eclogues of Virgil consist of ten parts. The Eclogues, also known as the Bucolics, after the Greek term meaning “on the care of cattle, consist of discussions between cattle herdsmen on the revolutionary change occurring in Rome at the time. The First Eclogue focused on Roman power, while the Second and Third focused on love. Both Homosexuality, found in the Second Eclogue, and panerotic in the Third Eclogue, are discussed. Both the Fourth and Fifth Eclogues dealt again with Roman power. In the remaining Eclogues, Virgil seems to gradually create a new myth concerning his own poetry.  He takes

Les Bergers d’Arcadie by Nicolas Poussin.

the home of the god Pan, which is a region in Greece known as Arcadia, and casts it as the birthplace and origin of poetry itself. He continues to write about erotic themes. These include love that is both returned and not, in both heterosexual and homosexual themes. Also, he includes references to elusive women having tragic love and to the “magical powers” of song in getting an elusive boy to return. Virgil then concludes his Eclogues by returning to his theme of Arcadia. He casts Arcadia as the “poetic ideal,” and this idea can still be seen and felt in Western arts and literature.
Though most modern historical and classics scholars refuse to use fictitious works as biographical sources, many people since the writing of the Eclogues have often identified Virgil in some of the characters in the work. These include the old rustic who shows gratitude to a new god in the first Eclogue, the love of a rustic singer for a distant boy in the second Eclogue, and the master singer’s claim in the fifth Eclogue to have written many eclogues. These are all seen by many as reflections by Virgil on himself.
Soon after finishing the Eclogues, It appears that Virgil would join company with Maecenas, who was Octavian’s Agent of Affairs. Through Maecenas, who was attempting to bring literary figures in with Octavian to garner support with the people away from Mark Antony, he also gained connections with other literary figures such as Horace and Varius Rufus. It is most important that he had gained connections with Rufus, for he would later help Virgil with the completion of the Aeneid at the end of his life. It was at this point also, somewhere from 37 – 29 B.C., that Virgil would work on his second great work, the Georgics.
While the Eclogues, also called the Bucolics, were written in homage to the Greek Theocritus, who had been the first poet to write with the theme of herdsmen, the Georgics are so called due to their theme of farming. Georgics is the Greek term for, “On Working the Earth,” and is styled in the tradition of

The Battle of Actium, by Lorenzo A. Castro, 1672.

the Greek Hesiod. On the completion of the Georgics, Virgil would dedicate the book to Maecenas. Also, on the their return from the Battle of Actium, in 31 B.C., where Octavian and Marcus Agrippa had just defeated Mark Antony and the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra, both Virgil and Maecenas took turns reading excerpts from the Georgics to Octavian.
The Georgics, completely published in 29 B.C., are written in the form of what is known a “didactic” poetry. The Georgics are so called due to their being intended for instruction and not entertainment. Its subject is farming and rural life and the Greek writer Hesiod’s Works and Days can be seen as an incredible influence. Also, Hellenistic poets Aratus and Nicander are heavily referenced as well.
Virgil also drew greatly from the work of Lucretius called De Re

Georgics Book III, Shepherd with Flocks, Vatican

Rarum, or, On the Nature of Things. This work by Virgil includes 2,188 hexametrical verses divided up into four books. The first two books consist of instruction in agriculture. This includes topics such as field crops, trees, small animals and legumes. The third book deals primarily with the raising of cattle and other forms of livestock, including rams, boars, and wildebeests. The fourth and final book deals solely with bees and beekeeping. Included in this book are discussions on the lives of bees, wasps and hornets. Though the topics in the Georgics concern the subject of farming and life in the country, today it is believed by some that these topics masked Virgil’s true intentions on writing the Georgics. This debate is fueled by Virgil’s digression form agriculture throughout the work, and still continues today. The entire work is marked by the opening lines:

What makes the cornfield smile; beneath what star,/

From the “Roman Virgil,” Vatican Library, Vatican City

Maecenas, it is meet to turn the sod/
Or marry elm with vine; how tend the steer;/
What pains for cattle-keeping, or what proof/
Of patient trial serves for thrifty bees;-/
Such are my themes. (English Translation from
Project Gutenberg).

In these lines, the subjects contained in the Georgics, as well as Virgil’s dedication of the work to Maecenas, can be seen.
For the final ten years of Virgil’s life, which ended on September 21, 19 B.C., he worked on his greatest and final epic, the Aeneid. The Aeneid consists of twelve books, written in dactylic hexameter, which can be broken down into two distinct parts. The entire epic work is based on the Greek poet Homer. The first six books are based on Homer’s Odyssey, while the last six are the Roman “answer” to his Iliad. Though spending ten years on the work, Virgil never fully completed it, for he died after catching a fever in the harbor of Brundisium. Virgil’s own wish was that the poem be burned, since he was not able to complete is, but Augustus Caesar, formerly Octavian, ordered poets Varius Rufus and Plotius Tucca to publish it, with as little editorial changes as possible.

Aeneas flees burning Troy, Federico Barocci, 1598

The Aeneid tells the legendary story of Aeneas, who was a Trojan prince who traveled to Italy, where Virgil claims he became the ancestor of the Romans. The hero Aeneas was known before Virgil’s Aeneid in both
Greek and Roman mythology, since
he was a character in Homer’s Iliad, and Virgil, taking Aeneas’s slim connection with the founding of Rome, created a massive national epic for the young empire. He used the notion of the piety of Aeneas to glorify the virtues of Rome as well as legitimize the Julio-Claudian dynasty as being direct descendants of the founders of Rome, who, according to Virgil and tradition, were heroes and gods of both Rome and Troy.
The first six books of the Aeneid describe the journey of Aeneas and his followers from Troy to Italy. He begins the epic first with his theme: Arma virumque cano, “I sing of arms and of a man.,” As well as with an invocation to the Muse: Musa, mihi causas memora, “O Muse, recall to me the reasons.” After this he explains the central focus of his plot, which is the hatred of Juno, the goddess wife of Jupiter, towards the Trojans. Aeneas travels from Troy heading to Italy, but he and his followers are thrown of course by Juno, due to the fates have declared that the descendants of Aeneas will destroy her favored people who live in Carthage. Also influencing Juno’s hatred are other facts. First, Ganymede, who was also a Trojan prince, was chosen by Jupiter to be the cup-bearer of the gods, this was done because Jupiter was in love with Ganymede. Juno is also angry because of Paris, yet again another Trojan prince, choose Venus over her and Minerva in the contest over which goddess was the fairest. Because of her anger, Juno is able to

Aeolus, King of the Winds

convince the King of the Winds, Aeolus, to cause a storm. However, Neptune eventually finds out and calms the storm due to his unhappiness with Juno meddling in his territory, the sea. Ironically, once the storm settles, Aeneas and his ships land on the Northern coast of Africa, near Carthage. Venus, told to be the mother of Aeneas, convinces him to seek out the city, which he does, and there he finds favor with the Queen of Carthage, Dido. During a banquet, held by Dido in honor of the wayward Trojans, Aeneas recounts what had happened in Troy, concerning the Trojan War. These events described by Aeneas would have happened after the ones told in Homer’s Iliad. Venus sends Cupid, disguised as the son of Aeneas, to cause Dido to fall in love with Aeneas, and he is successful. Although Dido has sworn her fidelity to her fallen husband, she yields, and during a hunting trip in which she and Aeneas find themselves taking shelter together in a cave from a storm, she offers her love to him. Aeneas gladly accepts, and once they have had sexual relations in the cave, Dido presumes that the two are married. However, Jupiter sends the winged messenger Mercury to remind Aeneas of his duty, which is to continue on to Italy, and he realizes that he must leave Dido and travel on. Upon realizing that she is being left, her heart is broken and Dido commits suicide. Aeneas looks back

Aeneas Bearing Anchises from Troy, by Carle van Loo, 1729

and sees the funeral pyre of Dido and is saddened, but he continues on to Italy. Once they leave, they stop on Sicily, where Aeneas had quickly buried his father Anchises before they had landed near Carthage. Once they land there, they hold funeral games in his honor. Once Aeneas and his fleet reach the mainland of Italy, Aeneas, with the help of the Cumaean Sibyl, descends into the underworld. Once there, he both sees the spirit of his father, as well has a vision of destiny of Rome. Once he has left the underworld, Aeneas leads his people to Latium, and there they settle, and it is here also where he courts Lavinia, the daughter of king Latinus.
The final six books of the Aeneid  tells of the war that ensued once Aeneas and his people settle in Latium. The war, which Aeneas wished to avoid, is attributed greatly to the scheming of Juno. She is able to convince the wife of Latinus, Amata, that their daughter Lavinia should be married, not to Aeneas, but to Turnus, who is the king of the Rutuli people. To ensure that war breaks out, Juno even summons the Fury Alecto. Seeing the massive army that Turnus has raised against him, Aeneas seeks help from the Tuscans, where he meets Evander who is their king. Pallas, who is the son of Evander, agrees to help Aeneas in the fight, but when they return to where

Nisus and Euryalus (1827) by Jean-Baptist Roman

Aeneas’s people are, they are being besieged by Turnus and his armies. Although the city held until Aeneas was able to return, both Nisus and his lover Eurylasus tragically lose their lives.  As the fighting continues, many great heroes are killed, including Pallas who is slain by both Turnus and his close associate Menzentius, who also died when he challenged Aeneas to single combat. Also, Camilla, who was a virgin devoted to the goddess Diana, was also slain in battle. Eventually, Aeneas and Turnus also face off in single combat. Turnus’ strength fades from him, and he soon begs Aeneas for mercy. Aeneas is actually inclined to show mercy, but in the end he sees the belt of Pallas on Turnus’ person and he is overcome by rage and he kills him.
With the death of Turnus at the hand of Aeneas, the Aeneid ends. Though it is known that the epic work was left unfinished by the death of Virgil, it is unknown if the story itself was complete or not. Many have argued that Virgil would have continued and ended the epic with the marriage of Aeneas to Lavinia, others contend that by ending with the execution of Turnus, that Virgil ends the poem with his view of the darker, more vengeful side of humanity.
Even after his death in 19 B.C., Virgil remained, and still remains one of the most influential of the writers of Rome. Eventually, Virgil was even “Christianized,” which would make his works more palatable for the religious. Reasons for this were that, in the Aeneid, he describes the founding of Rome, which was considered to be the Holy City, and in which Vatican City, the spiritual home for the Roman Catholic Church, remains to this day. Also, an important point in his Christianization was his seemingly prophetic vision of the coming of Christ in his Fourth Eclogue. In this Eclogue, Virgil writes:

…justice returns, returns old Saturn’s reign,
with a new breed of men sent down from heaven.
Only do thou, at the boy’s birth in whom
the iron shall cease, the golden race arise,…
(Fourth Eclogue, translation by the Perseus Project)

These lines were seen by some of the Fathers the Christian Church, especially in the Middle Ages, of speaking prophetically of the coming of Christ.
The tomb of Virgil is found in Naples, Italy, at the entrance of the tunnel in the Parco di Virgilio. Though it is believed that a church was built on the site to “Christianize” the location, a tripod burner, originally dedicated to the god Apollo, still stands. Though he may have been “Christianized” by those who came after him, this burner is a sure sign of the beliefs that Virgil held.
Though Virgil died just over two-thousand years ago, his writings and his life, still hold power and sway today. His legacy is that his greatest epic, the Aeneid, has almost as many different translations of it as the Bible. All of his works have been passed down through the centuries, and they have been read, studied, and cherished by many. Though not all would call Virgil the greatest Roman poet, it can be denied by no one how great his influence has been. From Octavian and Maecenas, to Dante, who claims in his Divine Comedy Virgil himself gave him the tour of Hell. To painters and sculptors, and now to school children and college students, his influence and his works continue to hold sway.

A stamp featuring a mosaic of Virgil which was discovered in a Tunisian villa from the 3rd century CE.

Bibliography

Boardman, John, Griffin, Jasper, & Murray, Oswyn. The Oxford History of the Roman World. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001.

Ferry, David, translator. The Eclogues of Virgil: Bilingual Edition. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1999

Ferry, David, translator. The Georgics of Virgil: Bilingual Edition. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006

Kebric, Robert B. The Roman People, 4^th Edition. Boston: McGraw Hill, 2005.

Levi, Peter. Virgil: His Life and Times. London: Duckworth Publishing, 2001

Mandelbaum, Allen, translator. The Aeneid of Virgil. New York: Bantam Classic, 1971.

Suetonius. The Life of Virgil (Loeb Translation). http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/pwh/suet-vergil.html. December 3, 2008

Virgil. Wikipedia Article with References. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virgil. December 4, 2008

Take Joy In Trials And Tribulations? – Father Michael Birdsong

This is an article written by Father Michael Birdsong. It was posted on http://www.midsouthdiocese.org/ as well as sent out by email. This article is posted by request of the author who is a regular contributor on this blog. JZ Holloway

Over the past few months I have been trying my best to rationalize why we go through some of the things we as Christians do. We all love those times of refreshing but what about the hard times? The world will tell us at times that the things that don’t kill us will make us stronger. Well, it really doesn’t make it easier does it? During these times I try and remember an olive, yep an olive. Such a little fruit but so many uses, yet the process that the olive goes through for a greater good reminds me of the things we endure at times. This is also when I remember the word, “Gethsemane.”

Gethsemene

Christians are familiar with the word “Gethsemene” because it is the name of the garden where Jesus was taken into custody the night before His Crucifixion.

In Hebrew, the word Gethsemene means “olive press.”

In its natural state the olive is good for food but, its purpose could be so much more. For that purpose to come to pass the oil of the olive has to be extracted and a time of crushing has to take place. The olives oil in Biblical times was burned in lamps, served as a preserving agent, healing agent, as well for cooking. It had great value in daily life.

The process used to extract olive oil was a laborious one. Whole olives were put into a circular stone basin in which a millstone sat. A donkey or other animal was then harnessed to the millstone and walked in a circle, rolling the stone over the olives and crushing them.

The cracked olives were scooped up into burlap bags, which were then stacked beneath a large stone column–a Gethsemene. The enormous weight forced the precious oil to drip from the fruit into a groove and on into a pit at the base of the gethsemene, from which it was collected.

We must receive the picture here that the olive while in natural form is good for food it must be crushed for the better good. Many people in the body of Christ have gone through, or are going through times of crushing. It is through these times that the will of the Father can be performed and revealed in our lives so the better good can be performed in our lives. This is why St. Paul tells us to take joy in our trials and tribulations, knowing that it produces patience, patience character and character hope.

We can see in Matthew’s account of the Gospel a glimpse into the last night before the crucifixion of Christ.

Matthew 26

14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver. 16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

33 Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”

Here in this chapter Jesus is celebrating the feast of Passover with his disciples, instituting his own Passover feast and telling them that the time has come and his heart is feeling heavy of the sacrifice that he is about to face. Right away Judas leaves to betray him, Peter is about to deny him after boldly stating that he would die first he is now about to find himself totally alone.

It is now that Jesus finds himself as we would see it a dreadful place called Gethsemene, the oil press. Everything that could stand in the way of the will of the Father is about to be removed from the life of Christ. It is in this place that we can almost hear the words of Christ as he prays.

38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

Jesus is speaking here of the Suffering that was about to take place. He would partake of the cup of wrath and suffering for all mankind. That we may inherit eternal life and once more have right standing with the Father.

42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, *if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, Your will be done.”

We must understand that Christ while fully God made flesh, he also was fully man. He wept, cried, mourned, laughed, danced and loved. Jesus knew that this suffering would be tremendous. That is why he asked if there be any other way. But his love for the Father, his love for the world, he remembered his words there is no other way to the Father except through me that strengthened him for this suffering. The greater good for all mankind.

Saints, we are no different. We mourn, cry, laugh, dance sing just as everyone else and just as everyone else we go through times of the oil press. But remember we have the same strength that caused Christ to say, “Nevertheless.” We have the very presence of God the Father living in us.

The Apostle Paul viewed our life as a great race that we all must finish. We have a choice in that race, to quit or finish. I challenge you today to face these times of pressing and know that he who has began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it. St. Paul wrote to Timothy the following:

2 Timothy 4

6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

I have finished the race St. Paul stated. I have stayed the course. I have kept the faith knowing that it is Christ in me that is the hope of glory. Through shipwrecks, beatings, left for dead, being in prison and betrayals it was Christ in him that sustained him.

I leave you with these words and may we finish well.

Romans 8

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”* 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Seven Deadly Sins – Part 4, Anger – Rev. Canon Robert Wills, Th.D.

This is the fourth of a multi-part series on the Seven Deadly Sins written by Father Robert Wills, Canon Theologian of the Mid-South Diocese, ICCEC. A new part will be posted on a regular basis. As a note, Canon Wills notes these are the Seven Deadly Sins recognized by a group of monks in the 5th Century.

JZ Holloway.

4.  ANGER—Emotionally intense Personal Irritation and Wrath

WHAT IS ANGER?

We  all know the person who stands at the elevator door and  jabs  at the button repeatedly when the car fails to promptly arrive. In  conversation, this individual finishes your sentences for you or glances constantly at the time.  You are very cautious about what you do or say to people like this because the can ignite suddenly into anger.

These  people  are exhibiting what scientists call  TYPE-A  BEHAVIOR.  Such people are motivated by either the desire for gain or by anger.   They are  always  impatient,  highly motivated to achievement, and  of  a  quick temper. Anger or greed seems to be the primary motivations of type-A people.

TYPE-B  BEHAVIOR, on the other hand is laid back, calm, slow to anger,  and less  concerned about time.  Type-B people are motivated by either fear  of loss or general anxiety, and are perceived by type-A people to be lazy  and slow.  Satan can use both of these personality types against each other, by accentuating the negative attributes of each one.

Sometimes Satan can actually kill a person by causing that individual to  become stressed out to the point where anger or fear can  effect  organ failure and chronic diseases.  Doctors have found that type-A people have a greater  risk of heart attacks and strokes because hostility  provokes  the body  to  create unhealthy doses of chemicals which can  damage  the  heart, blood vessels, and stomach.  For hostile people anger can be a poison.

This emotion is rich in Hebrew terminology, being represented by seven words, but by only two in Greek. Because the nose was prominent in the hard breathing accompanying an increase in blood adrenalin, anger was         commonly rendered by “nose,” The intensity of anger was expressed by such words as “fury,” “heat,” “rage,” “burn with

anger” or “be irritated,” “be grieved” The NT employed thymos to describe emotionally intense wrath and orge as the consequence of a moral judgment.

The anger of God is a deliberate reaction to all that violates his holy nature. His covenant people were commanded to imitate God’s holiness (Lev. 11:44), and when they failed to do so, they felt his anger, whether through natural circumstances (Num. 21:6) or other nations (Isa. 10:5). Even God’s chosen servants experienced God’s         punishing wrath, as with Moses (Exod. 4:14), Miriam (Num. 12:9), Jonah (Jonah 1:4), and others. All violations of the covenant agreement exposed the Israelites to God’s anger, which could only be averted by true repentance.

Jesus became angry with his disciples when they forbade children to be brought to him (Mark 10:14) and with the hardhearted members of the Capernaum synagogue (Mark 3:5). Similar expressions of anger were directed at the Sadducees (Mark 12:24-27), the scribes and Pharisees        (Matt. 23:13-36), and Peter (Matt. 16:23), and on each occasion represented his rejection of unrighteousness. Human anger could be selfish (Gen. 4:5; Num. 24:10), righteous (Exod. 16:20; II Sam. 12:5), or a combination of both (Gen. 34:7; II Sam. 13:21). In the NT anger is usually condemned (Gal. 5:19-21; Col. 3:8).

When does anger become sin?

Sinful anger is a destructive movement against another person for one’s own purposes and apart from God. It may take the following seven forms:

1.        Violent thought or wishing of harm to someone.

2.        Verbally lashing out at someone.

3.        Backbiting: Talking against a person behind his or her back.

4.        Murder or violent action.

5.        Enjoying the destruction of someone that you don’t like.

6.        Hatred and/or the desire for revenge at any cost.

7.        Prejudice and racism.

In sinful anger the irritable response turns around a basically selfish set of assumptions about reality, so that what we perceive may not be what is really taking place. We may imagine hurts or become paranoid, becoming even more angry for no valid reason. The person with whom we are angry may have no idea why we are angry and may have done nothing to deserve our anger, which has become irrational.

Intense striving toward poorly defined goals, obsession with the  way in which things are done, free-floating hostility toward other people, or a general  fear of circumstances can exacerbate whatever dominant  motivation is  present, causing potential long-term problems.  Free-floating anger  or

free-floating  fear  seems to be the single greatest cause of  pysical  and psychological problems.  Free-floating anger is a general hostility that is looking for someone to become the object of that anger.  Free-floating fear is  a general fear or anxiety that is looking for a circumstance or  situa­tion in order to manifest itself.  Anger is usually directed toward  people and fear is usually directed toward circumstances.

There  are several stages that can lead to the development  of  free-floating anger.

Stage one: distrust of others– expecting someone to take advantage of you or expecting an adverse situation to arise. In other words, look for an excuse to be angry.

Stage two: feeling a general anger toward a person or fearful of the circumstances. Let things get you upset.

Stage  three: Showing anger by lashing out verbally or physically or showing fear by withdrawing from the situation, while blaming and having anger toward those who we think caused the situation to develop.

Stage four: blame a person or group for your hurts and for your problems and imagine how your life would have been different if they had not done something bad to you.

Stage five: becoming irrational in our hatred and desire for revenge, the destruction of our perceived enemy, and a blaming of a person or group for our problems.

The Examples of the Anger of Cain and King Saul

Gen 4:5  but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.

Gen 4:6  So the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?

Gen 4:7  “If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

Gen 4:8  Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

1 Sam 18:8  Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?”

1 Sam 18:9  So Saul eyed David from that day forward.

1 Sam 18:10  And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times; but there was a spear in Saul’s hand.

1 Sam 18:11  And Saul cast the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” But David escaped his presence twice.

1 Sam 18:12  Now Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, but had departed from Saul.

1 Sam 18:13  Therefore Saul removed him from his presence, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people.

What Does God’s Word Say About Anger?

Psa 4:4  Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still. Selah

Psa 4:5  Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the LORD.

Prov 21:19  Better to dwell in the wilderness, Than with a contentious and angry woman.

Prov 22:24  Make no friendship with an angry man, And with a furious man do not go,

Prov 22:25  Lest you learn his ways And set a snare for your soul.

Prov 25:23  The north wind brings forth rain, And a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.

Prov 29:22  An angry man stirs up strife, And a furious man abounds in transgression.

Eccl 7:9  Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools.

Mat 5:22  “But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.

Mat 5:23  “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

Mat 5:24  “leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Mat 5:25  “Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.

Eph 4:26  “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,

Eph 4:27  nor give place to the devil.

Eph 4:28  Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.

Eph 4:29  Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

Eph 4:30  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Eph 4:31  Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.

Eph 4:32  And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.

How Can Anger Be Overcome?

1. Confess our anger as sin.

2. Forgive the person or group with whom we are angry.

3. Seek reconciliation with those who were the object of our anger.

4. Stop any overt actions such as snide remarks, backstabbing, discrimination, or other expressions of anger.

5. Discipline ourselves to see the world from God’s perspective, seeing those with whom we are angry the way God views them.

Seven Deadly Sins – Part 3, Avarice – Rev. Canon Robert Wills, Th.D.

This is the third of a multi-part series on the Seven Deadly Sins written by Father Robert Wills, Canon Theologian of the Mid-South Diocese, ICCEC. A new part will be posted on a regular basis. As a note, Canon Wills notes these are the Seven Deadly Sins recognized by a group of monks in the 5th Century.
JZ Holloway.

3. Avarice—The Desire for Material Things Above Everything Else

Avarice is rooted in the material level of human life. It is the natural human relation to the material world gone wrong. It is the splitting of our creativity and relation to material creation from God, the Creator.

There are seven other sins that result from avarice.

1.        Avarice produces covetousness– the inordinate desire to possess what belongs to another, usually tangible things.

2. When we put material things or objects in place of God, this leads to idolatry, which is a result of avarice.

3. Avarice also involves the withholding of our tithes, offerings, and alms from God and from God’s people.

4.  Lying to God by lying to God’s leaders for personal gain.

5. Avarice causes us to place material prosperity above all else, making us lovers of money, rather than lovers of God.

6. Avarice can lead to selfishness and self will, that cause us to put our wants and desires before God’s will.

7. Avarice leads us to seek comfort and pleasure in drugs or alcohol.

Covetousness

In the Tenth Commandment covetousness means an ungoverned and selfish desire that threatens the basic rights of others. Coveting was sinful because it focused greedily on the property of a neighbor that was his share in the land God had promised His people. After Israel’s defeat at Ai, Achan confessed that his selfish desire for treasure was so great that he disobeyed God’s specific commandment to destroy the enemy’s goods.

We know that God often allows the wealth or possessions of the wicked to become the possessions of God’s people.

Prov 13:22  A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

But in certain cases God commanded the possessions of the enemy to be destroyed because they had been used in idolatry. A man named Achan disobeyed God in this.

Josh 7:20  And Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and this is what I have done:

Josh 7:21  “When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.”

Josh 7:22  So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver under it.

Josh 7:23  And they took them from the midst of the tent, brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the LORD.

Josh 7:24  Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor.

Josh 7:25  And Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? The LORD will trouble you this day.” So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.

Achan was guilty of wanting to possess things for their own sake, without being grateful to God. Jesus addressed this attitude in Luke 12.

Luke 12:15  And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”

Luke 12:16  Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully.

Luke 12:17  “And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’

Luke 12:18  “So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.

Luke 12:19  ‘And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”‘

Luke 12:20  “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

Luke 12:21  “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Luke 12:22  Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.

Luke 12:23  “Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.

Luke 12:24  “Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds?

Luke 12:25  “And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

Luke 12:26  “If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?

Luke 12:27  “Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Luke 12:28  “If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith?

Luke 12:29  “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind.

Luke 12:30  “For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things.

Luke 12:31  “But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

Luke 12:32  “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

Idolatry

St. Paul classifies covetousness with idolatry—the second sin cause by avarice.

Eph 5:5  For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Biblical writers often denounced idolatry. None is more graphic and devastating than that in Isaiah 44:9-20. The idol is made by a workman but is powerless to sustain the workman to complete his task. Further, the idol begins as a leftover piece of a tree from which a person makes a god. He then worships no more than a block of wood.

Many scholars believe that the threat of idolatry was much less in the Jewish community after the Babylonian Exile and that it continued to be diminished though still present throughout New Testament times. The most noted problem in the New Testament concerns the propriety of eating meat, which has previously been offered to an idol (1 Cor. 8-10). Paul seemingly broadened the scope of idolatry for Christianity when he identified covetousness with idolatry. (Col. 3:5).

Col 3:5  Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Col 3:6  Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,

Col 3:7  in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.

Of all of the Biblical writers, Isaiah makes one of the most poignant arguments against idolatry.

Isa 44:9  Those who make an image, all of them are useless, And their precious things shall not profit; They are their own witnesses; They neither see nor know, that they may be ashamed.

Isa 44:10  Who would form a god or mold an image That profits him nothing?

Isa 44:11  Surely all his companions would be ashamed; And the workmen, they are mere men. Let them all be gathered together, Let them stand up; Yet they shall fear, They shall be ashamed together.

Isa 44:14  He cuts down cedars for himself, And takes the cypress and the oak; He secures it for himself among the trees of the forest. He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it.

Isa 44:15  Then it shall be for a man to burn, For he will take some of it and warm himself; Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread; Indeed he makes a god and worships it; He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.

Isa 44:16  He burns half of it in the fire; With this half he eats meat; He roasts a roast, and is satisfied. He even warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm, I have seen the fire.”

Isa 44:17  And the rest of it he makes into a god, His carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, Prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”

Isa 44:18  They do not know nor understand; For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, And their hearts, so that they cannot understand.

Isa 44:19  And no one considers in his heart, Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say, “I have burned half of it in the fire, Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals; I have roasted meat and eaten it; And shall I make the rest of it an abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”

Isa 44:20  He feeds on ashes; A deceived heart has turned him aside; And he cannot deliver his soul, Nor say, “Is there not a lie in my right hand?”

Isa 44:21  “Remember these, O Jacob, And Israel, for you are My servant; I have formed you, you are My servant; O Israel, you will not be forgotten by Me!

Isa 44:22  I have blotted out, like a thick cloud, your transgressions, And like a cloud, your sins. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.”

withholding tithes, offerings, and alms

Mal 3:8  “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.

Mal 3:9  You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation.

Mal 3:10  Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it.

Mal 3:11  “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the LORD of hosts;

Mal 3:12  “And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the LORD of hosts.

Lying to God’s Leaders

They saw none of it as their own. All of it came from the loving heart of God. That is why the sin of selfishness of Ananias and Sapphira was so serious (Acts 5).

Acts 5:1  But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.

Acts 5:2  And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Acts 5:3  But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?

Acts 5:4  “While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

Acts 5:5  Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.

Acts 5:6  And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.

Acts 5:7  Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.

Acts 5:8  And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She said, “Yes, for so much.”

Acts 5:9  Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

Acts 5:10  Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband.

We are reminded of the authority that Christ gives to his royal priesthood.

John 20:21  So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

John 20:22  And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

John 20:23  “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Lovers of Money

People fail to pay tithes and offerings, and lie to God’s leaders because they are lovers of money, rather than truly lovers of God.

Luke 16:14  Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.

2 Tim 3:2  For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

2 Tim 3:3  unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,

2 Tim 3:4  traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,

2 Tim 3:5  having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” He meant that no one can be a slave of God and worldly wealth at the same time. The undivided concentration of mind to money-getting is incompatible with wholehearted devotion to God and to His service (Col. 3:5). In the parable of the unjust steward (Luke 15:1-13), Jesus commended the steward’s foresight, not his method. His object was to point out how one may best use wealth, tainted or otherwise, with a view to the future. Look at what Jesus said about being lovers of money (mammon), as recorded in Luke 16.

Luke 16:9  “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.

Luke 16:10  “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.

Luke 16:11  “Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?

Luke 16:12  “And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?

Luke 16:13  “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Self Will

To be self willed is to do something arbitrarily without divine permission; to act on one’s own decision rather than considering the needs of others and the purpose of God. Jacob rebuked Simeon and Levi for wanton, undisciplined actions (Gen. 49:6). Whenever people act through self will, instead of seeking God’s will, they create problems in their lives. Often self willed people become stubborn or arrogant and often alcoholics. For this reason, Titus 1:7 teaches that a bishop cannot be self-willed, stubborn or arrogant.

Titus 1:7  For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money.

Peter defines self willed people as presumptuous, self-willed, and speaking evil of dignitaries. Our love of money often makes us speak evil of those who have or control money, because we covet what they have, wishing we were like them.

2 Pet 2:9  then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment,

2 Pet 2:10  and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries,

Turning to Drugs or Alcohol

People filled with avarice often turn to material things such as drugs or alcohol for solace because they are unhappy with their lives, wishing for wealth or power that they do not have. Instead of turning to God with their problems, they drown them in alcohol or in drug induced stupor. But God can help and deliver such people, if they repent and turn to Him.

Psa 107:27  They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits’ end.

Psa 107:28  Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses.

Prov 23:20  Do not mix with winebibbers, Or with gluttonous eaters of meat;

Prov 23:21  For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, And drowsiness will clothe a man with rags.

Jesus warned that the cares of life may lead to anxiety and drunkenness (Luke 21:34). Paul repeatedly warned against the dangers of drunkenness (Rom. 13:13; 1 Cor. 5:11; Gal. 5:21; 1 Thess. 5:7). Timothy 3:3 and Titus 1:7 warn church leaders they must not be drunkards. Drunkenness is a pagan custom, not a Christian one (1 Pet. 4:3).

Luke 21:34  “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.

Luke 21:35  “For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.

Luke 21:36  “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

1 Pet 4:3 For we have spent enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles; when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.

Rom 13:13  Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.

Rom 13:14  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.

1 Th 5:6  Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.

1 Th 5:7  For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.

1 Th 5:8  But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

God’s answer to Avarice

The apostle Paul preached and taught a single-minded commitment to Christ. He reminded the Philippians that the source of thanksgiving was not in things but in our relationship to God in Christ (Phil. 3:13-14).

Phil 3:13  Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,

Phil 3:14  I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.