Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:01 Okay.
Speaker 1 00:01 The past few months I found myself, uh, spending a good deal of time answering questions put to me by a various good Catholics, uh, questions, uh, about limbo, about purgatory, about the pope, about counsels, about bishops, about salvation outside of the church and on and on.
Speaker 1 00:22 But one of the things that became very apparent to me just from the whole nature of the questions and thinking about what's really sourced these is there's a great number of very good people that have a very confused understanding or just plain flat wrong understanding of the very nature of the Church that Christ is established. All of these questions, almost all them were related to real confusion about something called ecclesiology or about the nature of the church itself. Okay. So it wasn't surprising given the current state of things. Uh, but it's not malicious, but it's just confused or wrong. So I thought we'd spend some time over the course of sermons periodically trying to make sure that that can't be said about us. So this morning we'll start by taking a look at the Fondation at the beginning when you're talking about a building you that you better start with the foundation and we'll start with a foundation.
Speaker 1 01:20 We'll look at how our Lord founded the church to do that. Today we'll be looking at Matthew chapter 16 in later Sherman's. We'll, we'll go from the foundation obviously to what we have right now, but it's important to start with first principles. So anyway, when you're looking at Matthew Chapter 16 talk about this elsewhere to some degree, but in order to understand what's going on in Matthew Chapter 16 first we need to make sure that we all know just what a threshing floor is. Kay Pottery. So what is a threshing floor? Back in the olden days, a threshing floor was a big old flat, a circular area of land B, hard ground. It range anywhere from 50 to 300 feet in diameter. Typically it was located out in some breezy, open part of the country or up on a flat hilltop. What would happen is small grains like wheat or barley or first harvested with a sickle then bound into sheaves.
Speaker 1 02:19 And then the Sheaves were carted off to the threshing floor on a threshing floor. They tossed those sheaves out there under the threshing floor and then the grain would be thrashed up. Now there's different ways of doing it. One typical way is using a flail. It's where we get the word flailing a Bach. But a flail ha is to put pieces of wood that are like sticks ones about four foot long and was about three foot long, the four foot long ones, the handle, and then you have a piece of leather join them together and you just go to whack and on the, on what you're flailing seer whacking on those sheaves and it knocks the grain loose. Okay. So the people beat the sheaves of the flails and that that knocked the grain loose and the result is a big old mess of Straw and grain and chaff and dust all over the threshing floor.
Speaker 1 02:57 Uh, they, they sometimes they'd a harness up livestock and drag a sledge over and grind up. There's different ways, but a flails real typical winnowing is the next step that either involved using a basket called a winnowing fan. Now this kind of basket looks just like a, it's a basket that looks just like the hand, a grain scoop without a handle. And the reason for that is that's what you're doing with it. It's a basket shape like a scope or do they do as a long wooden fork, which is called a winnowing fork. And what you did with that is toss the grain and Straw under the air and the grain just falls right back down. But the breeze blows away the straw and the chaff and the dust from the grain. That's where you get that old scene separating the wheat from the chaff that comes from a combine does this nowadays with the fans and all that.
Speaker 1 03:39 Anybody that worked on comma last step in the whole process and the same thing that combine has a two, but to shake the grain in a sieve and that which sort out the little pebbles and and debris like that. So now we know what a threshing floor is and how grain was thrashed in the olden days. Now what does this have to do with anything? Well, if we look in first chronicles chapter 21 that pops, right? Everybody's mind right now as I say that, you know what we're talking about? King David buys a threshing floor along with the oxen in the sledges cause they're using oxen to thrash out that Grand Dragon. The surgeon, he buys it from a man named Orin and the Jebusite and then he built an altar right in at threshy floor. It's really interesting the reasons, but it doesn't matter for this right now.
Speaker 1 04:21 He builds an altar and offers up holocaust and peace offerings, okay, so burn offerings, right? They're a sacrifice. It was so pleasing to God that God sent fire down from heaven to consume those sacrifice. So fire falls from heaven on this altar that's built on the thrashing floor of, of Oren, and the GIB GBCI and consumes the sacrifice is, you know, God is happy with something when he sends fire Don, okay? In that way. It isn't to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, but to consume the sacrifice being offered to him. Okay. Three important details we want to consider today about this particular threshing floor with David bought and built the author in second chronicles chapter three we read that the son of David King Solomon built the temple on Mount Moriah on that very threshing floor, the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebusite, so first important detail, the very site where King David built that altar and offered a sacrifice that was so pleasing to God, that fire fell from heaven to consume it.
Speaker 1 05:20 That very site is also the site of the Temple of Solomon. That's the first important detail. Second important detail. If we look in Genesis chapter 22 the top of Mount Mariah was a very same hilltop on which Abraham had been ordered to offer his son. Isaac is a burnt offering. That's right on the altar. That's the one on the epistle side, on the bottom there. That's it. That's a little relief pitcher of of Abraham Offering Isaac sell bound in the angels, holding Abraham's arm back from sacrifice. That's the same threshing floor right there. So were Abraham offered Isaac and sacrifice where King David built to alter and fire fro from heaven or Oren and the Jebusite thrashed out grain is also our king. Solomon built the temple. Hold those points. Okay. It also turns out that after King Solomon died, the Son who replaced placed in king, who was such a royal jerk, that 10 out of the 12 tribes revolted against him, broke away and formed the northern Kingdom of Israel.
Speaker 1 06:17 So the 10 tribes had legitimate gripes. But the important point here is not only did the 10 northern tribes make a political break with the Kingdom of Judah, they also made a religious break. When they broke away from his reign, they broke away from the temple too. They didn't have to do that. But instead of worshiping at the temple, built on Mount Moriah on a set of Abraham's sacrifice on the side of the threshing floor of orange energy IB site, they set up other centers of worship, not on that particular threshing floor. Okay. We said there were three important details in regards that they're asking for. The first one is it's not only the site where King David erected that altar, offered a sacrifice that was so pleasing to God, that fire fell from heaven. It's also the side of the temple. That's the first point in the second one was that it's a very site in which Abraham had been ordered to offer up his son Isaac as a burnt offering.
Speaker 1 07:10 So what is the third important point? The third important point is that this very site, there's also a large flat stone. It's an outcropping. It's a big old piece of exposed bedrock out in the middle of the threshing floor. The stone is an important detail. You're choking, right? Believe it or not, this is an important stone and the temple of Solomon. This rock was actually on the floor of the holy of holies and it's the actual surface on which the arc of the covenant was placed. So the floor of the holy of holies is this stone and arc of the covenant would be placed on it when it was still there. Before Jeremiah hit it today, you can see that stone, there's a huge mosque built over the top of it and it's called the dom with a rock, and the reason it's called the Dome of the Rock is because that's the rock there.
Speaker 1 07:58 So the that rock is what it's built over, so it's right there inside the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is this stone. Now, since ancient times, the Jews have had the called this particular stone, the foundation stone, they call it the foundation stone. There's all kinds of legends about it. For example, since ancient times, they claim that this rock is like a capstone, and what it does is it holds back disorder and chaos from the underworld and prevents it from erupting out and flooding the world. All that, that's a legend, but all that's background for it, the Gospel time up, because remember our Lord is speaking to the apostles and they know all this stuff. This might be news to us, but they know all this. They're familiar with all this so that it gives us a context. So all that. By way of background, we're looking at Matthew Chapter 16 we see our Lord saying this deposit assignment quote, I say to thee that Thou Art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it and I will give to the the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Speaker 1 08:59 Whatever they'll shall bind upon earth that shall be bound also in Helen whatsoever. They'll shut loose upon earth that shall be loosed also in heaven. Close quote, inspired, inerrant word of God. Now in light of what we've seen already, let's spend a few moments unpacking three important points just made by our Lord in Matthew 16 when he's talking about the foundation of the church, first point the art Peter, and upon this rock, I'll build my church. Here we see our Lord Changing Simon's name to Peter, which means rock. That's why when we talk about something being petrified, it's the same word. It means it turned into stone, right? So Peter Means Rock. In other words, our Lord is saying to Simon, that rock and on this rock, I will build my church. Earlier in the gospel of Saint Matthew. If you look in chapter seven our Lord says that the wise man builds his house upon a rock.
Speaker 1 09:50 The wise man builds his house on a rock. Who's the wisest man in the Old Testament? You don't need me to tell you. Everybody knows it's King Solomon. So justice king som had built a temple on a rock, this foundation stone. So also our Lord who said of himself that he was greater than Solomon, built his church on a rock, a living rock, a new foundation, Stone St Peter the Apostle. In other words, what we have with the foundation stone was the temple. Saint Peter is to our Lord's Church. The foundation stone itself is a type of prefigurement of St Peter. The remarkable difference. Here's our Lord built his church on a Livingstone and with living stones. And you'll notice St Peter using these exact words in chapter two of the second epistle. And St Paul uses that same idea in chapter two of his letter to the fusions.
Speaker 1 10:44 So Solomon the king, the son of David, built his temple on the foundation stone of Mount Moriah. And now we see Christ the king, the son of David, building his church on a new living foundation, Stone Peter, which then he moves to a new hill, the Vatican Hill in Rome. So that first important point here is Saint Peter is a foundation stone for the Church of Jesus Christ. Second Point, the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Our Lord is pointing out that his new foundation stone, St Peter, is a new capstone responsible for suppressing disorder and chaos of the underworld. In other words, the second point is Saint Peter new foundation stone has a crucial role in preventing all hell from breaking loose. Third Point I will give to the the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven Whatsoever Thou shall bind upon earth that should be bound in heaven, whatever, without shall loose Uponor, it shall be loosed.
Speaker 1 11:39 Also in heaven. In the olden days, cities had walls with gates. So being given the keys to the city was symbol of being given a position of very great trust and honor being trusted with a safety of populous. We still do this. I mean, a lot of people don't know why they're giving the keys to the city. You know, I have this thing in the mayor gives somebody like this big wooden key. The key to this, we don't have the big barricades and all that with a gate, but it's still a sign of honor, at least in small towns where I'm from. Maybe they don't do that down here anymore. But anyway, our Lord here is referring to an event in the 22nd chapter of the Prophet Isaiah. Remember again who he's talking to. They know the scriptures. These apostles know the Scriptures and the 22nd chapter of Isaiah we see through the Prophet Isaiah, the Lord ordering the king, a descendant of David to replace his old prime minister with a new prime minister.
Speaker 1 12:28 The Lord also says that the new prime minister quote shall be as a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will lay the key of the house of David upon his shoulder and he shall open and none shall shut and he shall shut and none shall open. Close quote. What's the point? Jerusalem had prime ministers that ruled in the name of the Davidic kings. These prime ministers were to act as fathers to the king subject and were given the keys to the kingdom. So our Lord, the son of David, has just appointed prime minister over his kingdom here on earth and he expects his Prime Minister St Peter to act as a father to his subjects, which is why we call it a Lord's, a prime minister. Our Holy Father, our Lord gives the Holy Father The keys to the new eternal Davidic kingdom along with the part of buying and Lewis the power to pass judgements named Lord.
Speaker 1 13:22 Even the comedians recognizes. That's why we have all these crazy jokes with Saint Peter up there at the pearly gates. Everybody recognizes in some confused way. At any rate, the third point is our Lord has just appointed Saint Peter to be his prime minister and given power over his kingdom. Let's tie everything together today, the threshing floor of Ornan prefigures a number of things, certainly at one level to type the church that's clear not only from the context, but also from other scriptural passages. For example, St John the Baptist uses this exact imagery when he's speaking of our Lord. So here's St John the Baptist referring to our lord quote, his winnowing fork is in his hand and he will clear his threshing floor and gather the wheat into his grainery, but the chaff who will burn with unquenchable fire. Close quote, the fact that the foundation stone is right there in the midst of the threshing floor symbolize the necessity of our union with the foundation stone of our Lord, our Holy Father, the pope of course, the sacrifices of the temple, all of which took place in that very same spot.
Speaker 1 14:27 Also prefigured the holy sacrifice of the mass being offered in union with the pope. There's not a lot of time to go into great detail about this today, but there's something in the traditional, a Roman right of the mass. What we do here, there's actually a ceremony which is a sign and a pledge expressing that this mass is being offered in union with the pope. It happens right after the fractionation of the host because after the host broken and then another piece is broken off, and then that piece, when the priest is singing park's Domany sits semper fall, Biscoe may the peace of the Lord be always with you. When the priest is saying, then he drops that fraction of the host into the precious blood. Great. So how does that say to find anything to do with our union, with the foundation stone or the Holy Father of the <inaudible>?
Speaker 1 15:10 What does that have to do with anything? Well, in the old days in Rome, the pope used to send out a fraction of a host consecrated at his mass to the Roman priests that were in union with him. And at that point of the mass, this part of a host was dropped into the chart to show that the mass was being said in union with and in communion with the Holy Father. So that's what's going on in POCs. Domini sits Samper full Bascom. Anyway, that's enough on liturgy. The situation which the king was such an inseparable jerk that 10 northern tribes revolted against him, broke away. And instead of worshiping at the side of the foundation stone set up their own centers of worship elsewhere. None of that particular threshing floor prefigures, all those who down through the ages starting with people like Simon Magase and we'll end with at the crack of doom, all those who broke away from union with the foundation stone of our Lord's Church, the pope, and set up their own centers of worship.
Speaker 1 16:07 What be fell. Those 10 tribes is also a prefigurement. God put up with their rebellion for awhile, sent the prophets to them, calling them back to union with him, but when their time ran out, they were smashed and completely swept away by the Syrians. Let's close taking a brief look at the foundation stone of our Lord's Church or Holy Father, the pope, just starting with first things and then we're going to go later on to look in greater detail at the nature of the church as it is today and every day. Let's ask our lady to preserve our holy father, the pope, to preserve our union with him and to bring all those who lack the true faith, or for whatever reason, lack true union safely back into the threshing floor of the Lord.
Speaker 2 16:54 Yeah.
