Was Jesus married? Yes! - The Da Vinci Code Catechism

DaVinciCode ^ | May 2006 | John Wauk

[NYer]

The Da Vinci Code is only a novel. It is not a source of serious information, but it does raise some serious questions.

1. Was Jesus Christ really married?
Yes. Jesus was married to the Church. In the New Testament, Jesus is frequently referred to as the Bridegroom, and St. Paul tells us: “a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh. This is a tremendous mystery. I’m applying it to Christ and the Church.” (Ephesians 5:31-32) In fact, the Christian vocation is nothing less than an invitation to the eternal “wedding supper” (Rev. 19:9) of Christ and His Bride, the Church.

2. Did the Church really create the New Testament?
Yes. Without the Church, we wouldn’t know which of the many ancient texts that talk about Jesus were inspired by God; we wouldn’t have the New Testament. Jesus Christ directly gave His divine authority not to a group of texts which didn’t exist in His time, but rather to a group of men, the twelve apostles and their successors (bishops), who teach in His name and with His authority.

3. Is sex really meant to be holy?
Yes. That’s why one of the seven Christian sacraments is called Holy Matrimony (the literal meaning of “hieros gamos”). Christian marriage and the priesthood are holy and sanctifying vocations approached through special sacraments (Holy Matrimony and Holy Orders respectively). All the sacraments – like Baptism or the Eucharist, for instance - are outward signs instituted by Christ to give grace, and, in fact, the ministers of this sacrament are the bride and groom themselves.

4. Did Jesus Christ really leave descendents?
Yes. Jesus is God, and He gave all who believe in Him the power to be God’s children. In short, we are His descendents: “See what love the Father has given us so that we might be called children of God – and so we are!… Beloved, we’re now God’s children” (1 John 3:1-2). So forget about the Merovingians. We are the royal bloodline of Jesus Christ: “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9).

5. Is our culture really missing a figure of female sanctity?
Yes, in today’s world there is such a missing woman. Her name is Mary, and she should be venerated not as the wife of a mortal man but rather as the Mother of God. Happily, she is not hard to find. Hers is the most familiar female face in history, represented in countless works of art. The best place in the world to find grown men and women praying on their knees to a woman, perhaps saying the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is in a Christian church.

6. Should we really pray over the bones of Mary Magdalen?
Yes. Saint Mary Magdalen is honored by the countless churches and women named after her and by a special Mass on her feast day (July 22). In fact, for more than a millennium, Christians have made pilgrimages to pray in the Basilica of St. Maximin in southern France, where a tradition says that Saint Mary Magdalen was buried.

7. Does a Holy Grail really exist?
Yes. The popular story of “the Holy Grail” is a medieval legend, but a non-fictional Holy Grail can be found on the altar during every Mass. What made the chalice of the Last Supper so holy was the blood of Jesus Christ that it contained, and in the Holy Mass, that blood is once again present. This means that every chalice in every Mass is truly a “Holy Grail.”

8. Did a woman’s womb really carry the blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
Yes. The uterus of the Blessed Virgin Mary contained not only the blood but also the entire body of Jesus Christ for nine months. That’s why, when they pray the “Hail Mary”, Christians refer to Jesus as the fruit of her womb and praise Mary as a most honorable “Vessel”.

[Lucky9teen]

Great way to break it down. Thank you. :)

[NYer]

About the Author

My own story seems to connect perhaps “collide” would be the better word – with The Da Vinci Code in several ways.

IÂ’m an American priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei, living at the real headquarters of Opus Dei in Rome (the one that’s not in NY), which has been my home for the last ten years. I studied Renaissance history at the real Harvard University (the one without professors of “symbology”), and now I work as a professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, where I teach a course on literature and Christian faith.

[Pyro7480]

Already posted here: Catholic Caucus: The Da Vinci Catechism

[AnAmericanMother]

But this thread has the original author, rather than a reprint in a parish bulletin -- plus a nice picture!

[trimom]

Lovely! Thanks for the good work.

[Pyro7480]

Actually, I got it from Father's blog. I didn't feel like retyping it when I knew it was probably on the Internet somewhere. ;-)

[AnAmericanMother]

Well, attribution is only fair.

[Pyro7480]

I did. I have the link at the top of my post.

[Kenny Bunkport]

I'm not a Catholic, but that's a great article!

[Notwithstanding]

Thanks to Brown and Howard Opus Dei is getting milliions of dollars of free PR!

Opus Dei has now become mainstream!

What a cool development. I bet there are boatloads of new inquiries.

[AnAmericanMother]

OK - well I like the picture then. < /failure of careful reading comprehension >

[Pyro7480]

It's ok. :-)

[TheStickman]

Beautiful!!!

Thank you for sharing

[Jeff Chandler]

>>Thanks to Brown and (Opie Dei) Howard Opus Dei is getting milliions of dollars of free PR!

[Salvation]

Outstanding!

[guinnessman]

Just some good ol' common sense from a native Chicagoan.

[Victoria Delsoul]

Bumpity bump.

[Maeve]

SLAM DUNK!