Did Baby Jesus Cry?
Don’t dismiss the question. The answer unlocks a profound truth.
ThatAnneGirl asked the question after reading St. Augustine’s Confessions:
It was a fitting question for Christmas Eve. Here’s my answer.
I think what Augustine was getting at here is that in Christ there is a reversal of the curse of Genesis 3:17, “Cursed is the ground…”
The idea is that there’s no bitterness in Jesus’ labor. That means no crying for His food or sweating from His toil.
That makes it all the more remarkable when later He experiences the bitterness of His passion.
He had never known the effects of the curse, and now, here He was, experiencing them with such ferocity that He sweat blood. He, as Paul says, came to know sin who knew no sin (2 Corinthians 5:21).
(By the same reasoning, I once heard a Roman priest say that Mary experienced no pain during labor because she too was without sin.)
This is all, I think, Augustine is getting at: Jesus did not suffer from the curse, hence He could save us from it.
I don’t think Augustine is necessarily saying that any other child is committing a particular sin when he cries for milk, only that the child’s cry proves he is under the curse and in need of redemption.
May our merciful Lord hear these cries.
(Link to my original X post here.)
A Death Penalty Primer
Last week, President Biden commuted the federal death penalty sentences for 37 inmates. I won’t opine about that here, but it did prompt me to post a primer on the biblical basis for the death penalty on X.
It seems some Christians are genuinely confused about the death penalty. There are two reasons why.
The is first is ignorance of (or deliberately ignoring) the divine commandment to apply the death penalty in Genesis 9:6.
The second is ascribing to the state (or “society”) the messianic power to rehabilitate a sinner.
Only Jesus Christ can do that.
You can read my thread on X here.
Writing to Political Prisoners in Connecticut
I read about Jean Marshall last week and that she would appreciate “words of encouragement.”
According to the National Catholic Register, under the current administration, “the DOJ increased its prosecution of pro-life activists under the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act.”
That’s why Jean Marshall is in federal prison.
Here’s what I wrote to her.
JEAN MARSHALL 93609-509
FCI DANBURY
FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION ROUTE 37
DANBURY, CT 06811December 22, 2024
Advent 4Dear Jean,
I read of your incarceration in the Family Institute of Connecticut’s recent blog post. Leslie Wolfgang wrote that you would appreciate letters of encouragement.
I wanted to write to you to let you know that my wife and I are praying for you. I am the pastor of an old Congregational Church in Woodbury. I was called here last month.
You are a living martyr and, as you know, the mystery of Our Lord’s life, death, and resurrection teaches us that when His faithful suffer (or even lose their freedom or their lives) great victories in heaven are won.
Visible defeat here below means invisible victory in heaven above.
Yet the promise of Advent as it turns to Christmas and then Epiphany is that the fruit of martyrdom will be made manifest. Victory will be made manifest and even the ungodly will come to see and acknowledge the justice of God. May your witness turn their hearts before it is too late.
This cannot be an easy time for you, physically or emotionally. I read that you need a hip replacement. I pray that you will have that soon. I am also praying that president-elect Trump will pardon you next month.
I will keep this brief, but know that you have friends and supporters that you have never met.
God bless you.
The Rev. Jacob W. Dell
A Thank You to Readers and Supporters
On Christmas Eve, I sent a thank you post to the paid subscribers of this Substack. I have since removed the paywall, so that all my readers and supporters can read what I had to say.
2024 was quite a year, a year in which I learned a bit about what it means to become “antifragile.” That’s something I think a lot of us will need to learn in the coming years.
I also describe my journey from Episcopal priest to Congregationalist minister.
I’ve been called a “real-life Puritan.” Click here to read why.
Parsonage Open House
Sasha and I will be hosting an open house at the parsonage on New Year’s Day from 12 to 3 PM. Please stop by! No need to RSVP.
The Installation of Pastor Jake Dell
Mark your calendars for Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 1 PM for the installation service. Pastor Scott Harris of Grace Bible Church in Wappingers Falls, New York will preach. Pastor Harris and his wife, Diane, have been good friends to Pastor Jake and Sasha, and we are honored to have him preach at the installation.
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