Synodality, Agreement

 The Catholic Bishops’ Synod on Synodality 2021-2024 (also called the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops) was initiated by the late Pope Francis. Its Final Document for a Synodal Church, here called the Final Synod Document, has been written (link to PDF HERE). The next phase, Implementation, has recently begun. 

During the synodal process, Pope Francis invited all Catholics, including pastors and laity who are not experts, to meet in groups, freely (but respectfully) air their opinions, experiences, and feelings about the Church, along with fully listening to each other. He put a heavy emphasis on following the Holy Spirit, encouraging all to pray “each day for the presence of the Holy Spirit,” so that He, Who is of one essence with the Father and Son, would be the lead and guide of the Synod of Bishops (Justin McClellen from Catholic News Service, link HERE ).

Inevitably, tensions and difficulties are revealed in the discussions, a few focusing on the meaning of “synodality” itself. Some have said simpler terms are needed so people can understand it better. The Pope taught that synodality is not a one-time event but ongoing. The process continues in a cycle, with groups of people repeating prayer, contemplation, and discussion, trying to discern a way forward. Pope Leo XIV wants to continue the practice, reported on Vatican News as saying, “Synodality is the path God expects of the Church in the third millennium” (link HERE).

Along with the Synod Documents themselves, many experts have already written about synodality. Also, the Holy Father at the time of the 2021-2024 Synod appointed study groups for further development of thought. The Study Group 9 worked on some controversial subjects pertaining to the Church, issuing a Final Report this past May (link HERE for the full name and access to the report). They revealed that they had used the Biblical book of Acts, Chapters 10-15, as a basis for a “shift in paradigm” of methodology. Other theologians have related synodality to this particular moment in Church history (one example, by Andrew Likoudis on the Where Peter Is website, is HERE). 

I’d also like to focus on the events revealed in these passages of Acts, which I will get to shortly, though am not an expert as these writers are. Church leaders and influencers are often well-educated and even brilliant but sometimes intimidating. Intellectuals may think and speak in such lofty terms that they go over the heads of the less scholarly, who may have different opinions or perspectives but are afraid to express them. That may be one problem with the term “synodality” itself. But, Jesus called all of us to love each other, and everyone has that capability. For the Church to be inclusive, every member needs to be embraced, admittedly a challenge for any attempt of synodality. I got the feeling, though, that great efforts were made throughout the Synod to include people from many cultures and stations of life. 

In the Final Synod Document the word “discernment” is used frequently, pointing to one of the main elements of synodality. For some time I have thought that the closest thing in the Bible that synodality aligns with is “agreement.” Yet, the words “discern” and “agree” and their derivatives (words with the same base) are not fully interchangeable, The Final Synod Document uses “agreement” much less than “discernment.” On the other hand, “agreement” appears in the Bible in the events of Acts 10-15, and “synodality” and “discern” don’t (in the NABRE version which I will describe below). The word “discern” in a quick Google search means “to perceive, recognize or make out something that is not immediately obvious.” The meaning of “agree” is pretty straightforward, and either people agree or they don’t on a particular point. 

 

I’ve put links on my blog to the Synod on Synodality main website in the past (once again HERE), but in this post I’d like to elaborate on a few personal thoughts about it, using the Biblical source. When I mention a Bible book, chapter, and/ or verse, I’ll have a link to the chapter of the USCCB Bible where the verse is, within that text. Their version is the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE).

The book of Acts in the Bible describes the beginning activities of Christian apostles. They were Jews by birth and were given the Jewish (Mosaic) Law by God through Moses. In Acts 15 of the Bible, a situation is described which became known as the Council of Jerusalem of 49 AD. There were various strands that led up to this meeting. 

A short time previously, Jesus Christ had lived a perfect life on Earth, died on the cross for our sins, and then rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven. Immediately before He disappeared into the sky, He told His disciples, “But you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

At what is called Pentecost, the disciples of Christ, having remained in Jerusalem, experienced a noise like a great wind and “there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit…” (Acts 2:1-4). Then one of the disciples, Peter, explained to his “fellow Israelites,” as he called those in the crowd, who Jesus Christ was and that He had been put to death but rose back to life. They were sorrowful about what had happened, but many repented and became Christians (cf. cf. Acts 2:22-41).

So when Christ first left the disciples, they received the Holy Spirit to teach them how to proceed, but it wasn’t as though they knew everything immediately.  In Acts 10, a situation arises that shows Peter still apparently thought he should follow the Jewish Law. Though he eventually changed his mind, notice what he says immediately after his vision.

Jews at that time did not enter homes of non-Jews, called Gentiles, and were used to keeping separate from them. Some apparently did not expect to welcome people without Jewish heritage into the group of Christian believers. But one day a Gentile centurion (soldier) named Cornelius, who found the favor of God, was told by an angel to seek out the disciple Peter. Cornelius sent out some trusted servants to get Peter, who was staying in another city. In the meantime, Peter had a vision concerning food. He was hungry and went into a trance.

He saw the heaven opened and something resembling a large sheet coming down, lowered to the ground by its four corners. In it were all the earth’s four-legged animals and reptiles and the birds of the sky. A voice said to him, "Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat." But Peter said, "Certainly not, sir. For never have I eaten anything profane and unclean." The voice spoke to him again, a second time, "What God has made clean, you are not to call profane." This happened three times, and then the object was taken up into the sky (Acts 10:11-16).

The servants of Cornelius found Peter and eventually Peter traveled there with some “circumcised believers” (those who had been Jewish and had followed the Law). Peter and his companions made their way into the soldier's house. Cornelius had invited friends and family for the occasion. Peter said, “In truth, I see that God shows no partially” (Acts 10:34). He proceeded to tell them in detail about Jesus Christ. 

Then, even as Peter spoke, “the holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word. The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the holy Spirit should have been poured out on the Gentiles also” (Acts 10:44-45). Peter responded, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people, who have received the holy Spirit even as we have? He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 10:47-48).

Another thread toward the Council of Jerusalem came from the apostle Paul, who became a convert from Judaism after a direct encounter with the Lord (Acts 9). He had traveled to many cities to evangelize about Jesus Christ being God, and returned to a previous one, Antioch. There, others had come from Judea (now part of Israel) and were instructing their brothers that they had to follow the ancient Jewish Law in order to become Christian. Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem where they met with the apostles and presbyters (other leaders) and described this matter. “But some from the party of the Pharisees who had become believers stood up and said, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them and direct them to observe the Mosaic Law’” (Acts 15:5).

So now we have several questions. The fact some of the believers were astounded that the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Gentiles certainly points to at least some of them expecting the religion to remain within the Jewish heritage. And, if Gentiles could become Christians, must they follow Jewish Laws? Circumcision, the removal of the foreskin of the penis, was part of the Jewish Law at the time. This added to a different question of whether Christians of Jewish heritage could now accept certain changes in their own practices of the Mosaic Law, since Christ had died for their sins. And so a Council was called, presided by James in Jerusalem in AD. 49. Again from the Bible:

The apostles and the presbyters met together to see about this matter. After much debate had taken place, Peter got up and said to them, "My brothers, you are well aware that from early days God made his choice among you that through my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness by granting them the holy Spirit just as he did us. He made no distinction between us and them, for by faith he purified their hearts. Why, then, are you now putting God to the test by placing on the shoulders of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they." The whole assembly fell silent, and they listened while Paul and Barnabas described the signs and wonders God had worked among the Gentiles through them (Acts 15:6-12). 

The group once again fell silent, and then one of them, James, spoke. He quoted a prophet of the Scriptures from their past that predicted the Gentiles would be included in God's people (in the Bible, this particular prediction is in Amos 9:11-12). He said, “‘It is my judgment, therefore, that we ought to stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God, but tell them by letter to avoid pollution from idols, unlawful marriage, the meat of strangled animals, and blood'” (Acts 15:19-20). The chapter continues:

Then the apostles and presbyters, in agreement with the whole church, decided to choose representatives and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. The ones chosen were Judas, who was called Barsabbas, and Silas, leaders among the brothers. This is the letter delivered by them: "The apostles and the presbyters, your brothers, to the brothers of Antioch, Syria and Cilicia of Gentile origin: greetings. Since we have heard that some of our number [who went out] without any mandate from us have upset you with their teachings and disturbed your peace of mind, we have with one accord decided to choose representatives and to send them to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, who have dedicated their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we are sending Judas and Silas who will also convey this same message by word of mouth. 'It is the decision of the holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right. Farewell.'" And so they were sent on their journey. Upon their arrival in Antioch they called the assembly together and delivered the letter. When the people read it, they were delighted with the exhortation (Acts 15:22-31).

At the Council of Jerusalem, all persons ended in agreement, even those who disagreed at first. There were former Pharisees, who had been tightly tied to the Jewish law.  Though inevitably transformed by turning to Jesus Christ, they were used to being the big-wigs of the Jewish religion and hung on to some previous ways. In fact, they were the ones who caused the Council to take place since they taught differently than Paul. 

A vote could have been called at the start of the meeting, and whichever side had the most people obviously would have won. In our day, Pope Francis warned the Church against this type of democracy. Even after discussion, one group can have more ecclesiastical power than another and get their way, leaving the other side disgruntled.

Though not all the Pharisees were the worst of villains at the time of Jesus, they sure didn’t look good as a group. But during the Council, they listened to the testimony of Peter and Paul, who had experiences of seeing how the Gentiles were believing in Jesus. If these Pharisees had not been moved to think differently about following the Jewish Law, James could not have written “in agreement with the whole church,” or “with one accord,” or ”It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us” in his letter.

Looking at the various aspects, we see that the converted Pharisees were considered a part of the assembly, able to voice their opinions. Peter, who was considered a leader among disciples, was given a vision by God. But Peter was “secular” as far as religious background, having been a fisherman, and had also not done himself proud when he denied knowing Christ before He was crucified. Paul had persecuted Christians before he had a conversion experience directly with Jesus, so had not been perfect either. But here they were all trying to follow the Holy Spirit to find the right answer: what God wanted.

When it was acknowledged that the “whole church agreed,” Peter and Paul at the time of the Council already had pretty good ideas about the questions that had been presented. So it must have been the Pharisees who were willing to listen and change their minds because of the meeting. We assume they were moved by the Holy Spirit, so that the Truth was revealed for all of them in their unity. In the end, the whole group seemed confident that the Holy Spirit was with them in their decision. The agreement in itself during the First Church Council showed the way toward God’s will.

It was God who gave Peter the vision; it was God who brought signs and wonders to the Gentiles through the apostles. Those were experiences for the Jews to see and hear as well as the Gentiles. And it was very probably God the Holy Spirit who moved the Pharisees and other Jewish converts to look at things differently when they were willing to listen, so that a letter could be sent to Antioch “in agreement with the whole church,” a letter which included the phrase, “It is the decision of the holy Spirit and of us.” 

Though I definitely believe the Council of 49 AD came up with the right answer, it was the Truth itself, by God’s help, that all the members recognized as important. If we only care about who is in charge, or who gets to write the letter, we are just back where the Church had drifted, into hierarchical clericalism as Pope Francis called it, before he promoted synodality. And whoever the Catholic Church designated as "all members" back then (probably meaning male Magisterium), Pope Francis stressed "all" (meaning ALL) members now, impractical as that may sound. Yet, in the case of enthusiastic laity, their focus on the "sense of the faithful" must not overlook clerical leadership, and also be honest with themselves and others about real differences between believers. Though I’m all for women, the poor, and the marginalized having much more of a voice in the Church, I would not want to see balances go from one extreme to another.

With God, all things are possible. But I believe that for the accomplishment of synodality (dare I call it agreement?) we need very wise leadership. They must assess what needs to be considered separately under time limitations and what can wait for further discussion, listening, and prayer. In important matters, they must not rush those who do not at first agree. This process could take much time, but be very fruitful, just as we desire.

What Is Spiritual Warfare?

I sometimes read articles on the website, Where Peter Is. I find the contributions interesting whether I agree or not. Mike Lewis is the founding managing editor there and has much experience in writing about and working with Catholic leadership. Lewis recently wrote an article, “Deception Day” (found HERE), about the current attention of many people concerning aliens and whether they exist as real creatures from other planets or are disguised demons, evil spiritual entities. As I understand it, one of his concerns is that some Catholic exorcists have become rather famous, mostly through social media, and promote the “aliens are demons” theory. In turn, questions lead to whether we are engaged in increasing spiritual warfare at this juncture.

To be truthful, I know little about alleged alien sightings. What I anyway say about aliens relates to probabilities of the random beginning of life and evolution. Adherents of the Intelligent Design movement have pointed out some of the known or estimated physical properties of the entire universe to prove mathematically the basically impossible chance of life starting anywhere by random movements of atoms. These factors include the total number of particles in the whole universe, the age of it assuming a Big Bang beginning (billions of years), and the possible amount of atomic interactions within each second. These numbers apply over the whole universe, and to any life where building blocks of molecular complexity are similar to ours, presumably in civilizations smart enough for vast space travel. When equations are applied correctly, they show the incredible improbability that functional biological structures, like our DNA and proteins, would form by chance. (If you are interested in details, see my post, “Exponents,” HERE , or for even more details, my booklet Creation Biology HERE.) I have similar thoughts about probabilities in any parallel universes.

Many people are unaware of these physical facts. They think the chances are good for real, intelligent civilizations to exist on other planets, formed by chance as it is often presumed humans are. But for any life to have started or evolved from random movements in any part of the universe, the probabilities are infinitesimally small to the point of impossible, water present or not. In any case, the whole world or worlds are under the sovereignty of the one and only Lord.

 

Now, Catholic exorcists are involved in expelling demons from people who are possessed by them. The devil, Satan, is an angel who rebelled against God, and is the leader of demons. The Catholic Church acknowledges the need for exorcists and bishops are in charge of assigning them. They usually have special training, and work with physical and mental health professionals to determine the best approach toward the affected person, who often has debilitating symptoms. Mr. Lewis is concerned that some exorcists are more interested in having a fan base than helping individuals. Yet if people are truly worried about demonic attacks, it is not surprising they seek information from those who are supposedly in a position to know about them and what to do. (Personally, I do think that exorcists are knowledgeable but I'm not endorsing everything they say).

Jesus Christ expelled many demons from individuals in His time on Earth, and since they seemed rather prevalent then, it's not hard to imagine they are still around. Pope Francis warned to never dialogue with the devil or seek him out (article HERE). I don't want to dwell on this subject, although just in discussing it we can't avoid it totally. The Holy Father reminded us that Christ used God's word, found in the Bible, to rebuke Satan in the desert. These Scriptures are inspired by the Holy Spirit, one of the three Persons of God, the same Essence as that of Christ Himself. One Bible verse from the letters of the disciple Paul tells us, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, for training in righteousness,” (2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible passes on the Lord’s truth to humans. May we immerse ourselves in this wisdom.

I've heard snippets from various sources which allude to the expulsion of demons from individuals as spiritual warfare. Though this practice holds a real need, I think it is perhaps a “branch” of spiritual warfare, something like hand-to-hand combat. 

From an Earthly, natural perspective, warfare infers fighting enemies, whether of a whole country or group such as terrorists. The conflicts might be over territory or in defense of unfair aggression. Some people do not like for Christians to use war terminology at all and want only references to peace. But there are differences between being a citizen of a physical political group and a member of Christ's spiritual Kingdom. Though each realm affects individuals, we also need to consider them separately.

 

Without doubt, for Earthly countries, peace is the best way. The current Pope, Leo XIV, is constantly reminding world leaders to dialogue and work out problems. At stake are the physical lives of their citizens and whether they can thrive.

Going from the physical to the spiritual, in Christ's Kingdom of Heaven, peace exists for believers who have died. But at some supernatural level, "good vs. bad" fluctuates, and interacts with the natural. Though Christ defeated Satan when He sacrificed Himself by living a perfect life and dying in our place on the cross, the devil is still “allowed” some power to try to influence living human beings. He wants to obtain as many souls as he can, perhaps to share his misery. 

Many persons ask why the Lord permits evil in the world. I think most Christians accept He created human beings to have free will for right and wrong. We should be sorry for bad choices and recognize that we need help to be worthy to live in God’s presence.

For the spiritual world as much as the physical, we must define what is at stake. Christians hold that humans have souls, whose everlasting happiness depends on being with the Lord in the afterlife. To obtain this bliss, we are called to have faith that Jesus Christ came from Heaven to live on Earth and redeem us from our sins. Christians need to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and help others find their way to the same. If persons die without faith in Jesus in this way, we believe he or she is doomed to eternal anguish. (As an aside, for those who never heard of Christ, it is for God to judge. Before Christ came, the Old Testament tells that the Lord required people to be just and merciful, but His followers often failed.)

There are evil ideas and notions which seemingly come from spiritual sources to humans, affecting the ultimate end of Non-Christian souls. The process is at least partly on the supernatural plane, which goes beyond full human understanding. But any forces that keep individuals from believing in Jesus Christ as their Savior, turning them away from the Truth of the Trinity, are enemies resisting God. They use lies as weapons, untruths which affect non-believers, such as doubt that Jesus Christ is the true God or whether God even exists. These are lined against the armaments of Christians who believe in the Lord. The Bible describes the armor of God, such as the shield of faith to quench the flaming arrows of the evil one, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God (cf. Ephesians 6:10-17).

Once we believe in Jesus Christ as we should, we can continue to walk straighter in our faith and more successfully resist evil thoughts, which still attempt to derail us. The more we read the Bible, pray, and partake of Church benefits, the better we can do so.

Christians are involved in spiritual warfare, but we do not succeed by driving non-believers away. We win by winning persons over. War takes courage, no matter the realm, and it's reasonable to be wary. “But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one” (2 Thess. 3:3).

Jesus Christ's Works Testify

 The Bible’s New Testament tells about Jesus Christ. The first four books, the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John), were written by witnesses of His ministry on Earth, or at least investigated shortly thereafter. From the beginning, Jesus preached about His Kingdom of Heaven, and He also performed countless miracles. He became famous in Israel where He lived and even beyond. Hoards of people came to Him so they could learn from Him and be healed (cf. Matthew 4:23-25). 

[Note: my Bible links go to the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE), at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). They bring up the entire chapter of the reference, where the verses can be easily found. The exception is where, for some reason, the USCCB links don’t work, in which case I connect with BibleGateway, using the same version of the Bible.]

In one specific example, John Chapter 5 relates that Jesus Christ healed a man who had been unable to walk for 38 years. It is worthwhile to read the whole chapter. Some Jews, probably indicating leaders of the religious sects, saw the healing but criticized Christ for doing it on the Sabbath, since doing work on that day was against their religious laws. In response, Christ spoke about the prophet who came before Him, John the Baptist. John testified about the truth, meaning that of Christ being the Son of God. Then Jesus says, “But I have a greater testimony than John’s. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf that the Father has sent me” (John 5:36).

Backtracking in John 5 a bit, Christ had said, “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work” (John 5:17). The next verse relates, “For this reason, the Jews tried all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath but He called God His own Father, making Himself equal to God” (John 5:18). 

Christ’s use of the word “works” may go beyond “miracles,” perhaps also meant to include the suffering for which He was headed on behalf of humankind. But we can associate the healing miracles with His works since He used the word in this context. In these cases, affected people were cured instantly. They were not given pills or operated upon. 

 

So, some people saw physical wonders, yet squirmed out of directly considering the phenomena. They accused Jesus Christ of disobeying the religious laws, which they, in their own way, carried to the extreme.

 

Other people accepted the miracles for what they were. Certainly 2000 years ago, they did not understand medicine as we do today. But they knew that never otherwise would lepers spontaneously heal at a touch (Matthew 8:1-4), or crippled persons instantaneously walk with a few words (John 5:1-15). Never before had the blind been able to see with an application of mud (John 9), or the dead respond to commands to return to life (Mark 5:21-43; John 11:1-44).  

And the works went beyond healing humans. Storms ceased (Mark 4:35-41), food was replicated (Matthew 14:15-21), among many other things (John 21:25).

 

It is worth contemplating that in His particular time on Earth, Christ placed so much emphasis on these miracles, to the point of using them to prove He is God.

 

How did Christ mend the failed biological systems of human bodies so they could once again function? He had to have a fundamental understanding of what organs and circulatory systems are, down to the cells and their extremely intricate makeup. He obviously had to have the ability to re-build tissue which was damaged and destroyed by disease and aging, and do so immediately. How did he change the trajectory of the wind? He probably knew all about the Earth’s weather patterns and systems. But having information about these things and commanding them to change immediately are two different things.

 

God is way above our possible knowledge. Humanity has come a long way in understanding natural laws, but what the Bible describes about the miracles is at a supernatural level. To blame Christ for healing on the Sabbath is a poor excuse for denying the Divine.

Though the terms "supernatural," "mystical," and "spiritual," may all bring certain ideas to our minds, I admit I don't have the meanings completely in my grasp. The words represent realities beyond the natural plane and above full human comprehension. Some of the Church's great thinkers have speculated on the supernatural, including St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas. An interesting point that St. Thomas asserted was that an infinite power, referring to God the First Mover, "can move immediately any bodies whatever" (Summa Theologiae, I Q.105, A. 2). By "immediately," he means that no time passes in creative acts.

Atheists don't believe in God at all, and I don't think I'm exaggerating that many secular scientists hold that our intellects will use science to reveal all the physical properties of our universe. Some Christians seem to acknowledge God and yet not the supernatural in any sense that pertains to us. Many think our universe came about by purely natural causes, and they also refuse even the possibility that God may have created different living species directly.

 

Of course, Christians have become gun-shy about science relating to religion. Medicine changed when people realized that diseases are caused by natural agents instead of spirits or evil gods. We all know about the revolution of understanding of the universe since Copernicus and Galileo. St. Augustine warned in so many words that the Bible is not a science book (The Literal Meaning of Genesis). However, St. Thomas recognized that experts can disagree and "facts" be replaced. We know this to be true from progress in the understanding of scientists, such as from Newtonian gravity to the relativity of Einstein, and from determinism of atoms to the discoveries of quantum physics. St. Thomas advised to rely on what is taught about God from revelation (cf. Summa Theologiae II-II, Q. 2, AA. 3,4).

When one speaks of balance, it is difficult to avoid the pull of the natural. Biology, physics, chemistry, are magnificent and continue to amaze. But a person needs to consider the supernatural, which goes beyond what many scientists have limited reality to be. To think everything is only natural is also an extreme. He or she does not have to believe in a young Earth to believe in Christ’s miracles. We must be careful against making false associations that bring “all or nothing” conclusions, but, at least for a time, consider separate fields of study separately and then, where appropriate, integrate them.

The denial of Christ performing supernatural works is one area where Christian theology has gone wrong in the last few centuries: the historical-critical method where miracles can be negated, primarily due to our progress in science and associated fields. Various theologians attributed the Biblical information to unreliable stories, contemporary misunderstandings, or downright fabrications. Alfred Loisy (1857-1940) is considered the father of the Catholic modern movement, but theologians from other denominations were already sharing these ideas before him.

To some degree there has been a backlash to the historical-critical method, with Pope Benedict XVI one of the most influential persons in re-establishing a balance of factual investigation and allowance for Divine reality. He addressed this need in several places, including the Foreword to his book, Jesus of Nazareth, Part II.

However, I think there is still a strong impression among many Christians that God made humans capable of knowing all physical properties and laws, and we must find the subsequent sequences of all causes that got us to our present state. Christ’s amazing miracles, for many, do not fit in the step-wise logic.

Where does anti-supernaturalism stop? Catholics should believe the hosts in Mass are changed to Christ’s body and blood, yet many do not. We are told in the Scriptures that the Holy Spirit is living within believers (1 Corinthians 6:19 is one example). The late Pope Francis, who initiated the Synods on Synodality, asked us to pray that the Holy Spirit guide us in these proceedings. Once again, we are talking about a supernatural level.

God uses His judgment to do what is best. It is not for us to tell Him what that is, but to accept and appreciate what He has done and ask Him to continue to work in our lives. There's nothing in that to stop us from learning all we can about His Divine actions and the physical laws around us, and seek discernment to get a better idea of each realm.

Jesus Christ performed miracles during His life on Earth, which did testify He is God. People who were there saw these demonstrations of Divine power. Many believed, and some wrote them down so that other people could know about them and believe too.

About Science Links

 As biological science advances at breath-taking rates, the websites for institutions such as research universities also change. I’ve been pleased that at least some of my links, such as to protein information at NCBI (National Center for Biotechnology Information) still exist after several years. But some sites have been removed, changed address, or are deemed insecure. Whether I write anymore or not, at this point I’m planning to move on with different theological interests, or at least different aspects of past interests. With time limits for various pursuits, I don't intend to go through my whole blog to update all links.

This post has a few important biology sites. The link to this post will be put on the blog’s side column marked "About Science Links." The side column is on the desktop version. I apologize for any inconvenience and frustration when past links are outdated. If the sites still exist but with changed addresses, you should be able to find them with an Internet search.

National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) HOME.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

Protein Site Guide NCBI 

Listsed under Databases:  BioProject Link (formerly Genome Project), large biological databases. 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/guide/proteins/

Telomere to Telomere Project (T2T): The first complete, gapless sequence of a human genome.

https://www.genome.gov/about-genomics/telomere-to-telomere

Uniprot: Database of Proteins.

https://www.uniprot.org/

RCSB PDB (Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank).
https://www.rcsb.org/

RCSB PDB Molecule of the Month by Category (amazing illustrations of biological molecules):

https://pdb101.rcsb.org/motm/motm-by-category

KEGG: Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes

https://www.genome.jp/kegg/

Read the Bible

The late Pope Francis encouraged Catholics to read at least a few verses of the Bible every day (related Vatican News article HERE). This Pope even suggested you take a pocket Bible with you wherever you go. The entire New Testament can be found in this pint size. And both Testaments are as close as your smart phone since there are Bibles online as well, such as in the version offered by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops HERE: The New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE). Even though Bible passages are read at every mass, the repeating cycle of the liturgy doesn’t cover all of the book. It makes a difference to read the Bible in sequence, and even more so when there are study notes.

I just finished reading through the whole Bible, New and Old Testaments, for the second time. The first time was very long ago and I didn’t use study notes. There are different versions of the Bible, such as the King James (KJV) and New International (NIV). This time, using the NABRE, I read all the notes along with the Bible verses.

It is humbling to realize the extent of Biblical expertise that the writers of the study notes have. However, scholars can disagree, change their minds, and sometimes be wrong. Therefore the notes are not on the same level as the Bible itself, and if they disagree with the reader's faith understanding, they can be investigated further by means of the many books and commentaries that deeply explore aspects of the Bible. In general, though, the notes help the reader learn about the Lord, the persons described, the relationship between New and Old Testaments, etc. The study Bibles often have maps of the  background settings. It’s worthwhile to have these, although you can look up maps on the internet if you don’t have them in your particular Bible. 

The Bible is a long book, and with the study notes it seems twice as long. But it is incomparable in delving into the most intriguing aspects of reality – the truth and yet mystery of God and how He relates to us humans.

Image link HERE.

Cardinal Consistory

Pope Leo XIV called an “Extraordinary Consistory” of Catholic Cardinals from all over the world for January 7-8 (link to the article with photo is HERE). This event was held for support and guidance for Leo for the direction of the Church. At first, there were four possible topics presented, summarized as Evangelization, Liturgy, Synodality, and the Roman Curia service to the local churches. Due to time constraints, these were reduced to two, as reported in the article:

By a “clear majority,” the roughly 170 cardinals gathered for the Extraordinary Consistory convened by Pope Leo XIV—the first of his pontificate—voted for “Synod and synodality” and “Evangelization and mission in the Church in the light of Evangelii gaudium” as the themes on which to reflect during these two days of work.

I was glad to see the focus starts with Evangelization and Synodality. Though the other topics are important, the method to gain cooperation between conflicting ideas and opinions comes before them. And Evangelization is of utmost importance to the Church. It’s encouraging to see Catholic Cardinals from around the world agreeing on these matters.

Another Vatican News webpage describes some thoughts shared by Pope Leo to the Cardinals during the Consistory Mass HERE.

Christmas 2025

May you have a blessed Christmas, whether celebrating it for many years or for the first time. I'm praying for all persons to see the truth of Jesus Christ. 

I'd also like to see all Christians, including myself, make every effort to love others as Christ asks. Help us to do so, Lord.