On Being

Program Particulars
*Times indicated refer to web version of audio

(01:48–02:30) Music:
"The Multiples of One" from Awakening, performed by Joseph Curiale

(01:53) Reference to The Da Vinci Code
In the program, "Deciphering the Da Vinci Code," Speaking of Faith uses Dan Brown's best-selling fictional work The Da Vinci Code as a launching point to focus on gathering a basic picture of what really happened in the fluid early years of Christianity. Theologians Bernadette Brooten and Luke Timothy Johnson discuss the formation of the early texts that were included in the Bible and explain why many modern Christians hold an erroneous views of women in the early Church, including Mary Magdalene.

(02:06) Communion and Senator Kerry
During the 2004 presidential race, a number of Catholic bishops publicly criticized Sen. Kerry because of his stance on abortion and called on other ministers to withhold Communion from any person who holds a public position contrary to the church's stance on the issue. In response, a task force of U.S. bishops met in June 2004 to consider whether the church should take action against Catholic politicians who advocate positions contrary to Catholic teaching.

The United States Council of Catholic Bishops then issued a series of reports emphasizing that the denial of Communion must be the last resort and that "such decisions rest with the individual bishop."

(02:23) Reference to Eucharist
The ritual of Holy Communion has been identified in many ways over the centuries. The term Eucharist (from the Greek eucharista, meaning "thanksgiving") can be found in the writings of early church scholars such as Ignatius, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus. Other expressions include the Lord's Supper (in Latin, Coena Domini), the Table of the Lord (Mensa Domini), the Lord's Body (Corpus Domini), and the Holy of Holies (Sanctissimum). In the early days of Christianity, it was referred to as a Love Feast, or agape meal.

(02:31–04:42) Music:
"Saraab" from Blue Flame, performed by Simon Shaheen And Qantara

(03:00) Reading from 1 Corinthians
The language used in most traditional Communion rituals most closely resembles the apostle Paul's account of witnessing Jesus after the resurrection. The following passage was excerpted from 1 Corinthians, chapter 11, verses 23-34 of the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible:

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

(03:42) Reference to United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Protestant church that was formed in 1968 in Dallas, Texas. After a series of schisms and reunifications of the Methodist movement since its American beginning in the 1760s, the United Methodist Church merged The Methodist Church—grounded in its British origins and teachings of John Wesley—and the Evangelical United Brethren Church—primarily of German background.

The church is governed by bishops and is divided into geographic areas. Methodists believe that one should live a life of personal holiness and fellowship as laid out in the Bible.

(04:46) Reference to Manna
Saliers cites a passage from the book of Exodus describing the people of Israel's journey out of the land of Egypt. In this passage, Moses commands the Israelites to observe the sabbath and set aside food for the day of rest:

"The Lord has given you the sabbath, therefore on the sixth day he gives you food for two days; each of you stay where you are; do not leave your place on the seventh day." So the people rested on the seventh day. The house of Israel called it manna; it was like coriander seed, white, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey. Moses said, "This is what the Lord has commanded: "Let an omer of it be kept throughout your generations, in order that they may see the food with which I fed you in the wilderness, when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.'"

(05:27) Jesus Eating with Tax Collectors
To read more about these accounts, see the gospels of Matthew 9:9–13 and 21:28–32; and Mark 2:13–17.

(06:33) Passages in the New Testament
The accounts of Jesus breaking bread with his disciples the night before his crucifixion, upon which the rite of Holy Communion is based, can be found in four books of the New Testament: Matthew 26:26–28, Mark 14:22–24, Luke 22:17–20, and Paul's first letter to the Corinthians 11:23–25. Also, Christians believe that the letters of Paul and the Acts of the Apostles established that this was a ritual that should be continued and celebrated in anticipation of the rewards one would receive in the Kingdom of God.

(07:21) Reference to First House Church
Dura-Europos is an ancient city located in the eastern desert of Syria that was destroyed by war during the middle of the 3rd century CE. Archaeological excavations have uncovered a painted synagogue and an early Christian house church.

(07:46) Timeline of Early Christian Writings
Gain a better understanding of when the early Christian texts were written, including the New Testament, and read the complete texts.

(09:15) Reference to Justin Martyr
Justin Martyr (circa 100–150 CE) is considered one of the most important apologists in the early Christian church. His writings successfully reconciled some of the ideas of Greek philosophy with the concept of Christian revelation. He maintained that a convergence of Christian and Platonic philosophy is rooted in the relationship between human reason and the divine mind, or in Greek, logos. To articulate this would enable mankind to understand basic truths about the world and its creation, including the ability to recognize good and evil.

It's Justin Martyr's descriptions of the sacramental celebrations of baptism and the Eucharist (as can be found in the sixty-sixth chapter of The First Apology) that serve as a principal source for the history of the Christian church. And, through his quoting and paraphrasing of New Testament writings, he provides one of the first accounts of the existence these important sacred works.

(10:30–12:06) Music:
"Ave Donna Santissima" from Soir, dit elle: Words of the Angel, performed by Trio Mediaeval

(11:20) Miracle of Transubstantiation
In many Christian denominations, transubstantiation is the doctrine holding that the bread and wine of the Eucharist (in Greek, eucharista, meaning "thanksgiving") become transformed into the real presence of Jesus Christ—that being His body and blood, even though the physical appearance of the bread and wine remain the same.

Transubstantiation was incorporated into doctrinal practice during the 13th to the 15th centuries. Some Roman Catholic theologians in the mid-20th century shifted the emphasis from a change of substance to a change of meaning, using the terms transsignification and transfinalization instead of transubstantiation. But, in 1965, Pope Paul VI issued his encyclical Mysterium Fidei, which called for a retention of the dogma of transubstantiation.

(16:50) Lateran Council of 1215
The Lateran Councils were a series of five ecumenical councils of the Roman Catholic Church that took place in the Lateran Palace in Rome, with the first meeting being held in 1123 and the final one beginning in 1512 and ending in 1517. In 1215, Pope Innocent III convened the fourth Lateran Council, which is considered the most important of the five councils because of the broad representation—including hundreds of bishops and clergymen, envoys of European royalty, and personal ambassadors of Frederick II, who would later become the Holy Roman Emperor in 1220— and its lasting impact.

The council's two primary objectives were to reform the church and recover the Holy Land of current-day Israel and Palestine. It obliged Catholics to make a yearly confession and to receive communion during the Easter season as a minimum requirement for membership in the church. It's during this time that the word transubstantiation was deemed to be the correct expression of eucharistic doctrine. Also, Pope Innocent III ordered a truce among Christian rulers so that a new crusade could be launched.

Evening Falls(18:22–18:39) Music:
"Evening Air" from Evening Falls, composed by Jacob Young

(18:43) Actuality from Solomon's Porch
Solomon's Porch is an independent, Christian congregation that is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

(22:42) Communion of Saints
The Communion of Saints in Christian theology is a belief that points to the whole company of the faithful—both the living and the dead—are united with Jesus Christ through baptism. This belief is often professed through prayer, as in the Apostles' Creed, and affirms that those saints who are in the presence of God in Heaven continue to help their fellow Christians.

(25:42–25:58) Music Collage
"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" from A New Baroque, performed by Yolanda Kondonassis

(25:52–26:04) Music Collage
"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" from The Great Recordings, performed by Christopher Parkening

(26:02–26:16) Music Collage
"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" from Popular Encores, performed by Tzimon Barto

(26:11–26:23) Music Collage
"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" from The Wedding Album, performed by Anthony Newman

(26:19–26:33) Music Collage
"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" from Simply Baroque, performed by Yo-Yo Ma

(26:27–26:52) Music Collage
"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" from Fantastic Voyage with The North Wind Quintet, performed by the North Wind Quartet

(26:36–27:09) Music Collage
"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" from The Bach Variations, performed by Andy Narell

(27:11–28:09) Music Collage
"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" from A New Baroque, performed by Yolanda Kondonassis

(28:10–28:47) Music Collage
"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" from The Bach Variations, performed by Andy Narell

(26:20) Reference to Emily Saliers
Don Saliers' daughter, Emily, is best known as part of the musical group, the Indigo Girls.

(29:03–30:26) Music:
"Agnus Dei I" from The Mystery of Santo Domingo de Silos: Gregorian Chant from Spain, performed by Chorus of Monks of the Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos

(34:48–35:34) Music:
"Ave Donna Santissima" from Soir, dit elle: Words of the Angel, performed by Trio Mediaeval

(36:08) Great Sins in Early Church
The term schism (from the Greek schisma, meaning "rent" or "division") refers to a break in the unity of the church. The term often refers to sects separating from the communion with others in the community.

On the other hand, heresy involves a matter of doctrinal error but an individual or a group remains a part of the church. Whereas a schism occurs through the act of a member separating himself/herself from the church, heresy often involves the church excommunicating a member for holding doctrinal views in contradiction with the church.

Apostasy involves the total rejection of Christianity by a baptized person who, having at one time professed the faith, publicly rejects it. It is distinguished from heresy in that an apostate rejects all Christian doctrine and adherence to Jesus Christ.

(39:08) Pope Pius X and Age of Communion

Pope Pius X was a staunchly political and religiously conservative Italian pope who headed the church from 1903 to 1914. He encouraged the frequent partaking of the Holy Communion for all Roman Catholics and recommended that "the faithful are obliged, as soon as they arrive at the years of discretion, to receive the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Eucharist at least once a year." In his papal decree "Quam Singulari" issued on August 8, 1910, he states:

However, in the precise determination of "the age of reason or discretion" not a few errors and deplorable abuses have crept in during the course of time. There were some who maintained that one age of discretion must be assigned to reception of the Sacrament of Penance and another to the Holy Eucharist. They held that for Confession the age of discretion is reached when one can distinguish right from wrong, hence can commit sin; for Holy Eucharist, however, a greater age is required in which a full knowledge of matters of faith and a better preparation of the soul can be had. As a consequence, owing to various local customs and opinions, the age determined for the reception of First Communion was placed at ten years or twelve, and in places fourteen years or even more were required; and until that age children and youth were prohibited from Eucharistic Communion.

(39:48) Book by Menninger
The work cited by Foley was Whatever Became of Sin? and written by Dr. Karl Menninger.

(42:01–43:35) Music:
"Tantum Ergo" from Fauré: Requiem, performed by Schola Cantorum of Oxford

(42:23) Citation from Tertullian
Foley's citation, "See how they love one another," can be found in the 39th chapter of Tertullian's Apologeticum.

(42:46) Reading from the Book of Acts
In this extended passage from the Book of Acts 2:42–47, the practice of communion is linked with outward charity:

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

(43:46) Reference to Vatican II

In 1962, Pope John XXIII, named Man of the Year in 1963 by Time magazine, opened the Second Vatican Council with the intention of increasing the fervor and energy of Catholics to serve the needs of Christian people. When asked about his motivation for convening the council, Pope John XXIII moved to the window and threw open the sash — his rationale being, "I want to throw open the windows of the Church so that we can see out and the people can see in."

The Council published 16 documents producing some visible changes in Catholic doctrine: ritual practices concerning the church sacraments, the Mass being conducted in vernacular languages rather than exclusively in Latin, an openness to the beliefs and practices of other Christians and Jews, and many others. Pope Paul VI closed the Council in 1965. To many Catholics, it is viewed as a modernizing force that has relaxed certain aspects of rules within the Church — in particular, the rigidity of Catholic education.

In "The Abuse of Power" originally published in America, Foley writes that the Catholic Church should look to the ideas of the Second Vatican Council in dealing with the myriad issues it is facing, including the administering of the eucharistic sacrament:

One of the most memorable statements of the "Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy" concerns active participation: "In the restoration and promotion of the sacred liturgy the full and active participation by all the people is the aim to be considered before all else, for it is the primary and indispensable source from which the faithful are to derive the true Christian spirit" (No. 14). If the liturgy is truly the font and summit of the church's life, such active participation cannot be narrowly understood or confined to ritual enactment within the Sunday assembly. Full, conscious and active participation is needed in the liturgy and in the shaping of the liturgy. It is also needed in the shaping of our whole ecclesial life. Sensus fidelium is not the passive assent of believers but a dynamic reservoir of the Holy Spirit.

For a more recent papal report, read Pope John Paul II's encyclical "Ecclesia de Eucharistia".

(44:52) Reference to Joseph Cardinal Bernardin
Cardinal Bernardin was the highest-ranking figure in the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. for nearly three decades. As part of the Gannon Lecture entitled "A Consistent Ethic of Life: An American-Catholic Dialogue" delivered at Fordham University on December 6, 1983, Cardinal Bernardin discusses his belief in the need for a "defense of life in a comprehensive and consistent manner."

(46:40) Denial of Communion to Non-Catholics
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops provides a succinct overview of why non-Catholics cannot take part in sacramental communion.

(49:50–52:37) Music:
"Bread and Wine" from Passion: Music For The Last Temptation Of Christ, performed by Peter Gabriel