Subjects:
Obligation
Liturgy Practices
Hell
Priesthood
Church History
[26/Nov/2002:21:02:43]
<Father Phillip> greetings one and all!
[26/Nov/2002:21:03:13] <Father Phillip> if you have a question,
please type it into the white line, hit 'enter' and i will see it and do my
best to respond...
[26/Nov/2002:21:03:16] <Father Phillip> glad you're here!
[26/Nov/2002:21:24:55] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: Hello, is anyone
there?
[26/Nov/2002:21:25:00] <Father Phillip> hi...yep...i'm here
[26/Nov/2002:21:25:06] <Father Phillip> can i help in some way?
[26/Nov/2002:21:25:41] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: This is my first
time here. are there others listening in here?
[26/Nov/2002:21:25:49] <Father Phillip> nope -- not right now...just
the two of us :-)
[26/Nov/2002:21:26:23] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: if others enter
and you need to address their questions, just let me know.
[26/Nov/2002:21:26:31] <Father Phillip> not a problem...will be
happy to do that
[26/Nov/2002:21:26:59] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: I've got some
random questions to ask, so here goes...
[26/Nov/2002:21:27:05] <Father Phillip> go for it
[26/Nov/2002:21:28:28] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: I have not attended
mass in a long time. Can you speak to current doctrine on mass attendance?
[26/Nov/2002:21:28:42] <Father Phillip> well, it's clear that since
you're here, you certainly a person of faith
[26/Nov/2002:21:28:50] <Father Phillip> so that's really good!
[26/Nov/2002:21:30:17] <Father Phillip> the Church's feeling now
is that we ought to go to Mass every weekend
[26/Nov/2002:21:31:06] <Father Phillip> of course, if illness or
some other grace reason prevents us from attending, that's understandable
[26/Nov/2002:21:31:19] <Father Phillip> but we ought not just NOT
GO because we don't want to!
[26/Nov/2002:21:32:13] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: should you attend
on a Sunday rather than another day of the week?
[26/Nov/2002:21:33:06] <Father Phillip> we can meet our "Sunday
obligation" for attending Liturg y (Mass) at a Vigil Mass on Saturday evening
or any other Mass on Sunday
[26/Nov/2002:21:33:51] <Father Phillip> going to Mass during the
week is a good thing of course, but Sunday is really the day we need to be with
the community worshipping our God
[26/Nov/2002:21:34:56] <Father Phillip> it MIGHT be that you would
feel comfortable sort of "re-entering" the world of Mass by attending
a weekday Mass just to get the feel of it after a long 'vacation'
[26/Nov/2002:21:35:08] <Father Phillip> but Sunday is definitely
"the day"
[26/Nov/2002:21:35:45] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: is Vigil Mass
the same as your basic Sat. early evening mass or like a midnight mass?
[26/Nov/2002:21:36:15] <Father Phillip> Saturday Vigil Mass is
just your basic Sunday Mass; it's not particularly solemn or high
[26/Nov/2002:21:37:11] <Father Phillip> in fact, we don't really
have "solemn" or "high" Masses any more...
[26/Nov/2002:21:37:29] <Father Phillip> all Sunday Masses are supposed
to be done with "noble simplicity"
[26/Nov/2002:21:37:34] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: my question
is what time does the vigil mass occur?
[26/Nov/2002:21:37:40] <Father Phillip> that varies from parish
to parish
[26/Nov/2002:21:38:11] <Father Phillip> the rule of the Church,
generally, is that a vigil Mass has to be 'after' the sun sets
[26/Nov/2002:21:39:00] <Father Phillip> in parishes with lots of
older people, sometimes the Vigil Mass will be as early as 3:30 p.m., but in
most parishes the Vigil Mass will begin at 5:00 p.m., 5:15 p.m., or 5:30p.m.
[26/Nov/2002:21:39:12] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: is it the mass
the generally occurs in the early evening at a parish or later in the evening?
[26/Nov/2002:21:39:17] <Father Phillip> early evening, i'd say
[26/Nov/2002:21:39:26] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: I am to the
point where I want to attend
[26/Nov/2002:21:39:55] <Father Phillip> i really want to encourage
you to attend! i think you will get a real blessing from the experience and
i'm sure the community will be blessed by having you to worship with them
[26/Nov/2002:21:39:59] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: okay, thank
you on that one. my next question...
[26/Nov/2002:21:40:03] <Father Phillip> ok...go ahead
[26/Nov/2002:21:40:50] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: you once told
me that you feel that Hell is an empty place. I have also not heard you speak
of Satan. do you have any beliefs about Satan.
[26/Nov/2002:21:41:43] <Father Phillip> well, i guess what i probably
should have said is that we may be surprised at how FEW people actually end
up in hell...nobody but God knows who goes to heaven or hell...so i'll just
leave it at that
[26/Nov/2002:21:41:54] <Father Phillip> with regard to satan...
[26/Nov/2002:21:42:07] <Father Phillip> well, the truth is that
i don't like to give satan "air time"
[26/Nov/2002:21:42:14] <Father Phillip> i don't like to mention
that name
[26/Nov/2002:21:42:23] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: is Satan just
there for show or is he corrupting us?
[26/Nov/2002:21:43:23] <Father Phillip> Saint Ignatius of Loyola,
the founder of the Jesuits, called satan "the enemy of our human nature"
and "the counter spirit"...those two names are ones that i understand
and so i tend to speak of satan in those words when i do feel compelled to speak
of him at all
[26/Nov/2002:21:43:39] <Father Phillip> the enemy of our human
nature is real
[26/Nov/2002:21:43:45] <Father Phillip> the counter spirit is powerful
[26/Nov/2002:21:44:04] <Father Phillip> the evil one is not to
be messed with in any way , shape, form, or fashion
[26/Nov/2002:21:44:10] <Father Phillip> God protect us both and
all!!!!
[26/Nov/2002:21:44:16] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: I don't like
him either
[26/Nov/2002:21:44:27] <Father Phillip> good -- i'm glad you don't
like him!
[26/Nov/2002:21:44:31] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: I just want
to be aware of the risk, so I can avoid it
[26/Nov/2002:21:44:34] <Father Phillip> that's very wise!
[26/Nov/2002:21:45:21] <Father Phillip> don't ever putz around
with anything having to do with the enemy of our human nature, with the occult,
with ouija boards, palm readers, seances...stay away from all the stuff!
[26/Nov/2002:21:45:28] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: I think it is
important that the risk be communicated to us so we are not naieve
[26/Nov/2002:21:45:32] <Father Phillip> i agree with you
[26/Nov/2002:21:45:43] <Father Phillip> when people ask, i try
to tell them...
[26/Nov/2002:21:46:11] <Father Phillip> but since i don't like
to give the enemy of our human nature "air time" i rarely bring up
the subject -- except when i am asked
[26/Nov/2002:21:46:15] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: you don't have
to worry about that with me. never even considered it.
[26/Nov/2002:21:46:19] <Father Phillip> good for you!!!!!!
[26/Nov/2002:21:47:04] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: who are the
Jesuits and how are they related to Catholicism?
[26/Nov/2002:21:47:40] <Father Phillip> the Jesuits are an order
(though they would say a "society") of priests who were founded in
the 16th century
[26/Nov/2002:21:48:16] <Father Phillip> their founder, Saint Ignatius
was a Basque from Spain who had been a soldier but was converted to living faith...living,
real Catholic Christian faith
[26/Nov/2002:21:48:31] <Father Phillip> though he had been a baptized
Catholic since birth
[26/Nov/2002:21:48:59] <Father Phillip> but after a grave injury
sustained in battle, he had a religious conversion experience while recovering
from his injury
[26/Nov/2002:21:49:11] <Father Phillip> he educated himself very
thoroughly
[26/Nov/2002:21:49:19] <Father Phillip> went to Rome and received
the approval of the Pope
[26/Nov/2002:21:49:30] <Father Phillip> and began this order of
priests
[26/Nov/2002:21:49:42] <Father Phillip> they have been known for
many things, but three especially
[26/Nov/2002:21:50:04] <Father Phillip> 1. they are well known
for their commitment to education at all levels but especially in colleges and
universities
[26/Nov/2002:21:50:44] <Father Phillip> 2. they are respected throughout
the world as great spiritual directors and guides because they learn a method
of prayer and discernment which comes to them from St. Ignatius their founder
[26/Nov/2002:21:51:15] <Father Phillip> 3. they were especially
known for being very, very loyal to the Pope especially in their first centuries
of existencet
[26/Nov/2002:21:51:40] <Father Phillip> their relation to the Catholic
Church has been complicated
[26/Nov/2002:21:51:59] <Father Phillip> at certain times in their
history they were the Pope's most loyal servants
[26/Nov/2002:21:52:20] <Father Phillip> at other times they have
been known as theologians who challenged the accepted wisdom of Catholic theology
[26/Nov/2002:21:52:38] <Father Phillip> and at other times they
have been great missionaries carrying the Gospel to all corners of the world
[26/Nov/2002:21:53:35] <Father Phillip> at one point the Jesuits
were actually disbanded in the 17th century ( i believe), only to come back
after a few years stronger than ever
[26/Nov/2002:21:53:39] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: how do they
mesh with the Vatican right now?
[26/Nov/2002:21:53:45] <Father Phillip> i don't know really
[26/Nov/2002:21:54:07] <Father Phillip> in the first years of Pope
John Paul II's pontificate, i think there was a good bit of tension
[26/Nov/2002:21:54:20] <Father Phillip> but today i think they
get along pretty well with the Vatican...
[26/Nov/2002:21:55:06] <Father Phillip> in the late '80s they elected
a new General Superior -- a successor to Saint Ignatius -- Father Kolvenbach,
and i think he's worked hard to bring the Jesuits and the Vatican into a harmonious
working relationship
[26/Nov/2002:21:56:05] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: so they are
two separate "groups?"
[26/Nov/2002:21:56:13] <Father Phillip> i don't understand what
you're asking
Three different kinds of male servants of the Church
[26/Nov/2002:21:56:54] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: i mean, they
are not similar to bishops that directly "report" to the Vatican in
one way or another
[26/Nov/2002:21:56:57] <Father Phillip> oh, i see
[26/Nov/2002:21:57:01] <Father Phillip> good question
[26/Nov/2002:21:57:08] <Father Phillip> well, that is VERY complicated
[26/Nov/2002:21:57:18] <Father Phillip> basically, it's sort of
like this
[26/Nov/2002:21:57:59] <Father Phillip> in the Catholic Church,
there are -- more or less -- three 'kinds' or 'types' of "groups"
(to use your word) of men who serve the Church
[26/Nov/2002:21:58:22] <Father Phillip> 1. Monks -- who take four
vows: poverty, chastity, obedience and stability
[26/Nov/2002:21:58:50] <Father Phillip> monks "report"
to their Abbot, who reports to the Abbot General of the order, who, in turn,
"reports" to the Pope
[26/Nov/2002:21:59:08] <Father Phillip> the vow of stability means
that the monk is going to stay in his particular monastery for his entire life
[26/Nov/2002:21:59:28] <Father Phillip> 2. Religious -- who take
three vows: poverty, chastity, obedience
[26/Nov/2002:21:59:54] <Father Phillip> these are probably the
most famous -- they include Jesuits, Franciscans, Dominicans, Augustinians,
and many others
[26/Nov/2002:22:00:30] <Father Phillip> the vow of "poverty"
means that they do not own anything personally -- all property is owned by the
order for the good of the whole order
[26/Nov/2002:22:01:26] <Father Phillip> these men report to their
local superior, who reports to a regional superior (usually in what is called
a "province"), who "reports" to a General Superior for the
whole order, and this General Superior "reports" to the Pope
[26/Nov/2002:22:01:57] <Father Phillip> 3. Secular -- who make
two promises: obedience directly to the Bishop and his successors in office
and chastity
[26/Nov/2002:22:02:34] <Father Phillip> most priests who work in
local parishes are secular priests -- the word "secular" means that
these priests work in the "saeculum" or "world"
[26/Nov/2002:22:02:46] <Father Phillip> i am a secular priest
[26/Nov/2002:22:02:59] <Father Phillip> we can own stuff personally
[26/Nov/2002:22:03:23] <Father Phillip> usually -- though not always
-- a bishop is chosen by the Pope from among secular priests
[26/Nov/2002:22:04:22] <Father Phillip> secular priests "report"
to their diocesan bishop -- who is also called the "ordinary" (since
he is the one who has 'power' in his diocese "ordinarily") -- and
the diocesan bishop "reports" to the Pope
[26/Nov/2002:22:04:26] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: but i hear the
term "Franciscan monk", is this referring to #2, but not #1?
[26/Nov/2002:22:04:42] <Father Phillip> yeah...as i said: this
stuff is very complicated!
[26/Nov/2002:22:06:16] <Father Phillip> usually a Franciscan is
a Religious priest or brother...but since some Franciscans feel called to a
life that is, more or less, lived within a monastery, they sometimes refer to
themselves or are referred to as "monks" but technically they aren't
[26/Nov/2002:22:06:29] <Father Phillip> the better word for Franciscans,
especially, is "friar"
[26/Nov/2002:22:06:33] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: i appreciate
your explanations
[26/Nov/2002:22:06:35] <Father Phillip> thanks!
[26/Nov/2002:22:06:40] <Father Phillip> that's what we're here
for :-)
Eastern Orthodox Church and some of its history
[26/Nov/2002:22:07:11] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: can you explain
the eastern Orthodox church and how it relates to the Catholic church?
[26/Nov/2002:22:07:14] <Father Phillip> sure!
[26/Nov/2002:22:07:18] <Father Phillip> how much time do you have?!!?!?!
[26/Nov/2002:22:07:20] <Father Phillip> :-)
[26/Nov/2002:22:07:38] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: all the time
in the world
[26/Nov/2002:22:07:42] <Father Phillip> that's good to hear!
[26/Nov/2002:22:07:46] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: but you can
give me the in a nutshell version
[26/Nov/2002:22:08:11] <Father Phillip> i'll try to do just that
-- so, a nutshell lesson on the Eastern Orthodox Church
[26/Nov/2002:22:08:22] <Father Phillip> let
[26/Nov/2002:22:08:24] <Father Phillip> oops
[26/Nov/2002:22:08:26] <Father Phillip> sorry
[26/Nov/2002:22:08:32] <Father Phillip> let's see...where to begin?
[26/Nov/2002:22:08:41] <Father Phillip> are you still here????
[26/Nov/2002:22:11:39] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: if you said
anything about the eastern Orthodox question, I need it repeated
[26/Nov/2002:22:11:52] <Father Phillip> ok...i saw that you left
the room and so i just waited
[26/Nov/2002:22:11:57] <Father Phillip> glad you're back ...
[26/Nov/2002:22:13:02] <Father Phillip> when the Roman Emperor
Constantine legalized Christianity in the early 4th century, there was really
only "Catholicism" or "Christianity"
[26/Nov/2002:22:14:01] <Father Phillip> but the way Christians
celebrated their rites, Sacraments, and ceremonies; the ways they read the Scriptures
and heard homilies/sermons -- these things were all pretty much based on the
local language and culture
[26/Nov/2002:22:14:41] <Father Phillip> so, if the language of
commerce and the military and education was Latin -- as it was in the western
part of the Roman Empire -- then Latin tended to be the language of the Church,
after Constantine
[26/Nov/2002:22:15:45] <Father Phillip> however, if the language
of the Imperial Court (which had moved to Byzantium or Constaninople by this
time) or the military or commerce was Greek -- then the language of the Church
in those areas of the eastern part of the Roman Empire was also Greek
[26/Nov/2002:22:16:23] <Father Phillip> languages arise in the
context of culture, so not only were the languages of the two parts of the Empire
different, but so were their cultures different
[26/Nov/2002:22:17:02] <Father Phillip> and the Church as it lived
it's life in these two very different parts of the Empire became imbued with
the culture of these two different languages and of these two different parts
of the Empire
[26/Nov/2002:22:17:42] <Father Phillip> in the west the authority
of the Empire eroded fairly rapidly
[26/Nov/2002:22:18:22] <Father Phillip> and the Latin speaking
Church authorities--mostly the Bishop of the most important city in the west,
Rome --took up a lot of the 'slack' that the decline in imperial authority occassioned
[26/Nov/2002:22:18:39] <Father Phillip> in the east, however, imperial
authority tended to last longer
[26/Nov/2002:22:19:13] <Father Phillip> and so the Church, Greek
speaking as was the imperial court and the rest of society, tended to be 'subservient'
to the Emperor in the east
[26/Nov/2002:22:19:34] <Father Phillip> the western Latin-speaking
Church became the Roman Catholic Church that we know today
[26/Nov/2002:22:19:56] <Father Phillip> but the eastern Greek-speaking
Church 'evolved' along a different path
[26/Nov/2002:22:21:00] <Father Phillip> the eastern empire lost
bits and pieces of its territory and authority over a long period of time, culminating
in the Muslim take-over of Constantinople in the early part of the 16th century
when imperial authory ceased in the east
[26/Nov/2002:22:21:39] <Father Phillip> as each of these bits and
pieces of the eastern "roman" empire was lost of imperial authority,
the Christians in those areas took responsibility for governing themselves
[26/Nov/2002:22:22:01] <Father Phillip> they fashioned their Liturgy
and customs along the lines of their own culture
[26/Nov/2002:22:22:30] <Father Phillip> and so many of these Christians
who had begun as Greek-speaking Christians, under the authority of the Patriarch
of Constantinople, became self-governing
[26/Nov/2002:22:23:02] <Father Phillip> and they even changed the
language in which they celebrate their Mass and Sacraments to the language of
their own people and culture
[26/Nov/2002:22:23:45] <Father Phillip> so the Eastern Orthodox
Church really became a kind of "association" of a number of different
Churches, each headed by its own Patriarch, with it's own language and culture
[26/Nov/2002:22:24:16] <Father Phillip> the thing that binds them
together is a common respect for the Patriarch of Constantinople as the "first
among equals" of his brother Patriarchs AND
[26/Nov/2002:22:25:19] <Father Phillip> the fact that they all
trace their heritage back to the original Greek-speaking Church on the imperial
city of Constantinople when the Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity and
moved his capital to Byzantium and renamed the ancient city Constantinople
Similarity of Orthodox and Catholic Churches
[26/Nov/2002:22:25:25] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: do they differ
much from ours?
[26/Nov/2002:22:25:28] <Father Phillip> YES!
[26/Nov/2002:22:25:37] <Father Phillip> they have the same seven
Sacraments as we do
[26/Nov/2002:22:25:54] <Father Phillip> they have the same three-fold
ministry -- deacon, priest, bishop -- as we do
[26/Nov/2002:22:26:17] <Father Phillip> but if you went to one
of their services you probably wouldn't recognize anything they did or said
[26/Nov/2002:22:26:26] <Father Phillip> heck, for that matter,
i probably won't either!
[26/Nov/2002:22:27:56] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: is there a current
day Patriarch?
[26/Nov/2002:22:28:15] <Father Phillip> sure -- i presume you mean
in Constantinople which is now called Istanbul...
[26/Nov/2002:22:28:39] <Father Phillip> i forget the name of the
current Patriarch of Constantinople...but there definitely is a Patriarch
[26/Nov/2002:22:28:46] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: similar to our
Pope?
[26/Nov/2002:22:28:53] <Father Phillip> well...er...yes and no
[26/Nov/2002:22:29:16] <Father Phillip> certainly the Patriarch
of Constantinople is similar to our Pope in some ways:
[26/Nov/2002:22:29:25] <Father Phillip> they are both bishops of
ancient cities
[26/Nov/2002:22:29:43] <Father Phillip> they both are recognize
as the most important bishop in their respective Churches
[26/Nov/2002:22:29:56] <Father Phillip> but they are different
in important ways
[26/Nov/2002:22:30:00] <Father Phillip> for example,
[26/Nov/2002:22:30:28] <Father Phillip> the Pope can speak infallibly
on matters of faith and morals, but the Patriarch does not claim this privilege
[26/Nov/2002:22:31:04] <Father Phillip> the Pope names bishops
in every Roman Catholic diocese in the world, but the bishops in the Eastern
Orthodox Church are named through a rather complex system of election
[26/Nov/2002:22:31:21] <Father Phillip> so there are some important
similarities, but some very significant differences
Russian Orthodox Church, its history and theology
[26/Nov/2002:22:31:51] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: is the eastern
orthodox church the primary church in Russia?
[26/Nov/2002:22:31:57] <Father Phillip> well, again, yes and no
[26/Nov/2002:22:32:10] <Father Phillip> the Russian Orthodox Church
is the primary Church in Russia
[26/Nov/2002:22:32:43] <Father Phillip> the russian Christians
trace their heritage back to the Greek-speaking Church in Constantinople
[26/Nov/2002:22:32:58] <Father Phillip> but the Russian Orthodox
Church is Russian speaking and always has been
[26/Nov/2002:22:33:16] <Father Phillip> they have their own Patriarch
[26/Nov/2002:22:33:31] <Father Phillip> and they have this "theory"
called the "three Romes"
[26/Nov/2002:22:33:43] <Father Phillip> the Rome of Peter and Paul
was the "first Rome"
[26/Nov/2002:22:33:53] <Father Phillip> Constantinople was the
"second Rome"
[26/Nov/2002:22:34:00] <Father Phillip> and Moscow is the "third
Rome"
[26/Nov/2002:22:34:34] <Father Phillip> so the fullness of what
the Russian Orthodox Church believes God wants for the Church is found, according
to them, in the Russian Orthodox Church
[26/Nov/2002:22:34:40] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: wow, that must
not have gone under well with Stalin
[26/Nov/2002:22:34:50] <Father Phillip> well, er...again...it's
very complicated!
[26/Nov/2002:22:34:55] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: we humans seemed
to have complicated things over the last 2000 years
[26/Nov/2002:22:35:00] <Father Phillip> indeed, we have!
[26/Nov/2002:22:35:30] <Father Phillip> all of the Eastern Orthodox
Churches, including the Russian Orthodox Church, abide by what is called "caesaropapism"
[26/Nov/2002:22:36:30] <Father Phillip> according to this theory
the state -- preferably the Roman Emperor or the Russian Tsar -- is ordained
by God and the Church has to be subservient to the divinely established ruler
[26/Nov/2002:22:36:52] <Father Phillip> so that complicated things
A LOT for the Russian Orthodox Church under communist rule
[26/Nov/2002:22:37:33] <Father Phillip> but the Russian Orthodox
Church has a long history -- since A.D. 900 -- of cooperating with the "caesar"
-- whoever he (or she) may have been
[26/Nov/2002:22:37:45] <Father Phillip> as i said, it's really,
really complicated
Rome and its connection to Peter and Paul
[26/Nov/2002:22:37:49] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: where is the
Rome of Peter and Paul?
[26/Nov/2002:22:38:01] <Father Phillip> the Rome of Peter and Paul
is the city of Rome in Italy
[26/Nov/2002:22:38:11] <Father Phillip> Peter was the first Bishop
of Rome
[26/Nov/2002:22:38:58] <Father Phillip> and the Christian Church
in Rome was the only one of the ancient Churches founded by two Apostles --
that is, by Saint Peter and Saint Paul
Modern relationship of Russian Orthodoxy to the State
[26/Nov/2002:22:39:04] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: does the Russion
Orthodox Church apply this caeseropapism to Putin?
[26/Nov/2002:22:39:21] <Father Phillip> i'm no authority of the
current state of the Russian Orthodox Church
[26/Nov/2002:22:39:37] <Father Phillip> but i would think that
they find President Putin considerably better than Stalin
[26/Nov/2002:22:40:00] <Father Phillip> so, my guess is that they
probably do apply some version of caesaropapism to Putin
[26/Nov/2002:22:40:09] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: how did Peter
Paul get to Rome from the middle east?
[26/Nov/2002:22:40:20] <Father Phillip> not to be flip...but they
got to Rome by boat
[26/Nov/2002:22:40:58] <Father Phillip> in fact, in the Scriptures
we have Paul's account of his ship travels to Rome and around the Mediterranean
[26/Nov/2002:22:41:02] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: was there a
particular reason they went there?
[26/Nov/2002:22:41:09] <Father Phillip> with Paul we know for sure
[26/Nov/2002:22:41:28] <Father Phillip> he was convicted of sedition
by a Roman provincial governor
[26/Nov/2002:22:41:57] <Father Phillip> but since Paul was a Roman
citizen he had the right to appeal his conviction to the Emperor himself...and
Paul did make that appeal
[26/Nov/2002:22:42:30] <Father Phillip> most biblical scholars
speculate that Paul wanted to go to Rome so that he could proclaim the Gospel
there in the Imperial Capital
[26/Nov/2002:22:42:48] <Father Phillip> once he got there, he was
kept under 'house arrest' for quite some time
[26/Nov/2002:22:42:55] <Father Phillip> and during that time he
made many converts
[26/Nov/2002:22:43:03] <Father Phillip> even among the Imperial
household
[26/Nov/2002:22:43:55] <Father Phillip> eventually, Paul was beheaded
-- the way capital punishment was carried out for Roman citizens (as compared
to crucifixion or some other crueler means of execution for non-Roman citizens)
[26/Nov/2002:22:44:11] <Father Phillip> we don't really know why
Peter went there
[26/Nov/2002:22:44:24] <Father Phillip> we just know that the very
earliest sources all say that he did
[26/Nov/2002:22:45:35] <Father Phillip> probably -- but it's only
a guess on my part -- Peter realized that he was something like the head of
the Christian movement and he recognized that Rome was the head of the empire,
so he may have felt that he needed to go there to witness to his faith in Jesus
[26/Nov/2002:22:45:39] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: well, i should
get going to bed. but I thank you heartily for your time.
[26/Nov/2002:22:45:44] <Father Phillip> you're most welcome!
[26/Nov/2002:22:45:48] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: do you know
when you are next scheduled for a session?
[26/Nov/2002:22:45:51] <Father Phillip> me personally?
[26/Nov/2002:22:46:02] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: yes
[26/Nov/2002:22:46:06] <Father Phillip> no, i really don't
[26/Nov/2002:22:46:12] <Father Phillip> i'm such a space cadet
[26/Nov/2002:22:46:25] <Father Phillip> somebody else does all
my scheduling...i just do what she tells me to
[26/Nov/2002:22:46:31] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: i know you've
got the history training on my religious questions
[26/Nov/2002:22:46:38] <Father Phillip> be happy to help whenever
i can
[26/Nov/2002:22:46:48] <Father Phillip> and think about going to
Mass soon!
[26/Nov/2002:22:46:52] <Father Phillip> God bless!
[26/Nov/2002:22:47:29] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: I sure will.
thank you again.
[26/Nov/2002:22:47:39] <Father Phillip> stpatrick: enjoy West Wing
tomorrow night
[26/Nov/2002:22:47:44] <Father Phillip> POSITIVELY!!!
[26/Nov/2002:22:47:49] <Father Phillip> good night!