In last week’s article we saw one of the internal issues that the early Church fathers had to address was Christianity’s relationship with Judaism.  While reflecting on the disputes between different group of Christians on various practices and interpretations of Judaism, it is clear that there is no one clear-cut answers to those questions.  So, how are we supposed to deal with these disputes? I think it will boil down to how we view our Church.  A church is a building, a church is a community of people.  These are all true and these are essential.  However, there is one more fundamental truth about our Catholic Church.  That is, the understanding that the Church is an extension of Heaven.  Heaven is the Kingdom of God.  Jesus Christ our Lord is the King.  In our day-to-day spiritual life decision making, these factors must be the prime consideration.  When I go to Mass, I am partaking in the Heavenly feast.  The question is am I contributing to the wellness of the community?  Am I contributing to the upkeep of the building?  Am I preaching the Gospels by my actions and walk beside Jesus in the Salvation history?  In the first century, early Christians were working hard to define Christianity.  Our Lord Jesus and all the apostles were Jews.  They not only were required to believe that God is one, but also to do certain things throughout the year.  So, they had a Jewish calendar.  Rosh Hashanah (New Year), Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), Pesach (The Passover) were part of their calendar.  Christians, however, had no religious calendar.  St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote about Sunday as the “day our life arose”.  He was referring to our Lord Jesus as “our life”.  Initially Christians were celebrating Christ’s Passion, death, and resurrection all in one day.  Good Friday and Easter together.  In this Paschal celebration the account of Passover is read from Exodus 12.  This began in the evening and ended in the morning with the Eucharist.  The disagreement came as to when the fast that preceded this celebration should end.  Some thought it should end on the 14^th of the month of Nissan, the date of the Passover in the Jewish calendar; others thought the celebration should fall on a Sunday, the day of Christ’s resurrection.  Pope Anicetus worked with Polycarp of Smyrna (Apostle John’s disciple) and kept both the camps in harmony.  Pope Victor I, however thought that all Catholics should fall in line and urged his fellow bishops to oppose the Asian church celebrating on Nissan 14.  This issue was later resolved in the Council of Nicaea in A.D 325.  Next week we will investigate the controversy of Gnosticism. 

In last week’s article we saw one of the internal issues that the early Church fathers had to address was Christianity’s relationship with Judaism.  While reflecting on the disputes between different group of Christians on various practices and interpretations of Judaism, it is clear that there is no one clear-cut answers to those questions.  So, how are we supposed to deal with these disputes? I think it will boil down to how we view our Church.  A church is a building, a church is a community of people.  These are all true and these are essential.  However, there is one more fundamental truth about our Catholic Church.  That is, the understanding that the Church is an extension of Heaven.  Heaven is the Kingdom of God.  Jesus Christ our Lord is the King.  In our day-to-day spiritual life decision making, these factors must be the prime consideration.  When I go to Mass, I am partaking in the Heavenly feast.  The question is am I contributing to the wellness of the community?  Am I contributing to the upkeep of the building?  Am I preaching the Gospels by my actions and walk beside Jesus in the Salvation history?  In the first century, early Christians were working hard to define Christianity.  Our Lord Jesus and all the apostles were Jews.  They not only were required to believe that God is one, but also to do certain things throughout the year.  So, they had a Jewish calendar.  Rosh Hashanah (New Year), Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), Pesach (The Passover) were part of their calendar.  Christians, however, had no religious calendar.  St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote about Sunday as the “day our life arose”.  He was referring to our Lord Jesus as “our life”.  Initially Christians were celebrating Christ’s Passion, death, and resurrection all in one day.  Good Friday and Easter together.  In this Paschal celebration the account of Passover is read from Exodus 12.  This began in the evening and ended in the morning with the Eucharist.  The disagreement came as to when the fast that preceded this celebration should end.  Some thought it should end on the 14^th of the month of Nissan, the date of the Passover in the Jewish calendar; others thought the celebration should fall on a Sunday, the day of Christ’s resurrection.  Pope Anicetus worked with Polycarp of Smyrna (Apostle John’s disciple) and kept both the camps in harmony.  Pope Victor I, however thought that all Catholics should fall in line and urged his fellow bishops to oppose the Asian church celebrating on Nissan 14.  This issue was later resolved in the Council of Nicaea in A.D 325.  Next week we will investigate the controversy of Gnosticism.