Episode 130: Year C
In today’s episode, we focus on three details, one per reading for this upcoming 5th Sunday of Easter, Year C. The detail in the first reading, which is Acts 14:21-27, relates to the objection posed by some Protestants that there were no first century rank of bishops but merely elders/presbyters. The second reading, which is taken from Revelation 21:1-5a, includes a detail that isn’t necessarily apologetical in nature, but nevertheless is important as it relates to the Church’s teaching on what’s going to happen to the physical world at the end of time. Finally, the detail in the Gospel reading, taken from John 13:31-33a, 34-35, provides an opportunity to reflect on the necessity of loving actions for salvation.
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Hey everyone,
Welcome to The Sunday Catholic Word, a podcast where we reflect on the upcoming Sunday Mass readings and pick out the details that are relevant for explaining and defending our Catholic faith.
I’m Dr. Karlo Broussard, staff apologist and speaker for Catholic Answers, and the host for this podcast.
In today’s episode, we’re going to focus on three details, one per reading for this upcoming 5th Sunday of Easter, Year C. The detail in the first reading, which is Acts 14:21-27, relates to the objection posed by some Protestants that there were no first century rank of bishops but merely elders/presbyters. The second reading, which is taken from Revelation 21:1-5a, includes a detail that isn’t necessarily apologetical in nature, but nevertheless is important as it relates to the Church’s teaching on what’s going to happen to the physical world at the end of time. Finally, the detail in the Gospel reading, taken from John 13:31-33a, 34-35, provides an opportunity to reflect on the necessity of loving actions for salvation.
Let’s start with the first reading, again, taken from Acts 14:21-27. I’m only going to read the first half of the passage as the remaining half is of no concern for our purposes here. Here’s what Luke records:
After Paul and Barnabas had proclaimed the good news
to that city
and made a considerable number of disciples,
they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.
They strengthened the spirits of the disciples
and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying,
“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
to enter the kingdom of God.”
They appointed elders for them in each church and,
with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord
in whom they had put their faith.
The detail that I want to highlight is the statement that Paul and Barnabas “appointed elders for them in each church.” For some Protestants, this is evidence that there was no such thing as the office of a bishop, a higher rank of presbyter that would have and exercise oversight of other presbyters, like in the Catholic and Orthodox communities.
Protestant apologist Gavin Ortlund made this argument on the Gospel Simplicity podcast in a discussion with my colleague Joe Heschmeyer entitled “INTENSE Discussion on the Papacy.” He also makes the argument in his own video “A Protestant Takes on Ignatius.”
So, what can we say in response?
Well, one response would be to go through Paul’s letters to Timothy and Titus and show that Paul envisions Timothy and Titus to succeed his apostolic ministry as bishops. Unfortunately, that would require too much time for this episode. I recommend you check out the episode of Joe’s podcast entitled “Are bishops biblical?”
There is a response, however, that we can give here. Ortlund is right insofar as Paul and Barnabas appoint “elders” in each church. But he’s wrong to infer from this is that there were no bishops and that the local churches were governed by a collective body of presbyters.
One reason is that the “elders” they appointed could have been bishops in the Catholic sense. Ortlund admits, along with most biblical scholars, that the terms “bishops” and “elder” were used interchangeably. However, he assumes they’re merely “elders” in the general sense, not bishops. But given the evidence that Timothy and Titus are bishops, as Joe argues in the previously mentioned episode of his podcast, it’s at least possible that such “elders” would have been bishops like Timothy and Titus.
Now, most likely these “elders” were simply “elders” in the general sense and not bishops. But that doesn’t prove the apostles never intended bishops to succeed them with apostolic authority. Perhaps, at least for some time, Paul and/or Barnabas simply intended to oversee these elders on their own, with the intention to eventually appoint someone to oversee these elders, like Paul did with Timothy and Titus for their respective local churches. There would have been no need to appoint “bishops” to occupy this role if they were up to the task themselves.
So, Acts 14:23 doesn’t disprove the existence of the office of bishop in the first century.
Now we turn to the second reading, which, again, is taken from Revelation 21:1-5a. Here’s what John records:
Then I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth.
The former heaven and the former earth had passed away,
and the sea was no more.
I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem,
coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race.
He will dwell with them and they will be his people
and God himself will always be with them as their God.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes,
and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain,
for the old order has passed away.”
The One who sat on the throne said,
“Behold, I make all things new.”
The detail that I want to focus on is the revelation of the “new heaven and new earth,” which John begins to elaborate on to some degree throughout the rest of the passage. This detail doesn’t really have apologetical value. But it is important for catechetical purposes. To this end, I’m going to employ the Catechism of the Catholic Church to enlighten us. It provides commentary on this text and others in paragraphs 1042 to 1049.
First, the Catechism affirms “the universe will be renewed.” This implies that the physical cosmos will continue to exist. But it will enter a new state of existence, or as the Catechism puts it will be “transformed.” The Catechism quotes Lumen Gentium 48 for further elaboration:
The Church … will receive her perfection only in the glory of heaven, when will come the time of the renewal of all things. At that time, together with the human race, the universe itself, which is so closely related to man and which attains its destiny through him, will be perfectly re-established in Christ.
This teaching from Lumen Gentium has its roots in Romans 8:9-13, where Paul writes,
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God … in hope because the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay.… We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
With this in hand, the Catechism concludes,
1047 The visible universe, then, is itself destined to be transformed, “so that the world itself, restored to its original state, facing no further obstacles, should be at the service of the just,” [St. Irenaeus] sharing their glorification in the risen Jesus Christ.
Now, this is about as far as the Church goes in its teaching on the renewed cosmos. The Catechism acknowledges that we do not know the time of this consummation of the earth and man, which will take place at the end of time after Christ conducts the final judgment. Nor do we know “the way in which the universe will be transformed.” All we know, as the Catechism states, is that “this world, distorted by sin, is passing away, and we are taught that God is preparing a new dwelling and a new earth in which righteousness dwells, in which happiness will fill and surpass all the desires of peace arising in the hearts of men.”
There is a question that arises for many as this point: If the world will be renewed at the end of time anyway, then why should we care about the earth now? The Catechism provides the following answer:
1049 “Far from diminishing our concern to develop this earth, the expectancy of a new earth should spur us on, for it is here that the body of a new human family grows, foreshadowing in some way the age which is to come. That is why, although we must be careful to distinguish earthly progress clearly from the increase of the kingdom of Christ, such progress is of vital concern to the kingdom of God, insofar as it can contribute to the better ordering of human society.”
So, although the second reading doesn’t provide us with any apologetical material per se, it does provide us with material that’s fruitful for catechetical purposes.
I’d like now to turn to the detail in the Gospel reading, which is taken from John 13:31-33a, 34-35. Rather than reading the whole passage, here is the portion that’s relevant for our purposes:
I give you a new commandment: love one another.
As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.
This is how all will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love for one another.”
Notice loving others is a condition for being a disciple of Christ. It’s true that Jesus says that our love will show to others that we’re his disciples. But the implication is that by love we are truly, in reality, his disciples. Why is this apologetically significant?
For some Christians, works of love do not pertain to our salvation in anyway whatsoever but are merely fruits that flow from genuine faith. But we see our Lord teach something different.
First, he commands us to love others. How could we possibly be in a saving relationship with Christ if we don’t obey his command?
Second, insofar as we are his disciples we are in a saving relationship with Christ—not subject to condemnation. Jesus reveals love of others to be a necessary condition to have such a relationship. Therefore, love of others, which is expressed in works, is necessary for salvation.
Conclusion
Well, my friends, that does it for this episode of the Sunday Catholic Word. The readings for this upcoming fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C, provide us with a few apologetical and catechetical details:
- Luke’s record of Paul and Barnabas appointing “elders” in churches does not prove there were no bishops in the first century,
- The “new heaven and new earth” in John’s revelation roots our belief that the physical cosmos will remain but be renewed.
- We’re taught that love of neighbor is necessary for salvation.
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You might also want to check out the other great podcasts in our Catholic Answers podcast network: Trent Horn’s The Counsel of Trent, Joe Heschmeyer’s Shameless Popery, Jimmy Akin’s The Jimmy Akin podcast, all of which can be found at catholic.com. And if you want to follow more of my own work, check out my website at karlobroussard.com
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I hope you have a blessed fifth Sunday of Easter, Year C. Until next time, God Bless.