Make us to be numbered with thy saints

 

A bountiful harvest

While power outages, rationing of gasoline and shortages of medicines continue, we give thanks for bountiful harvests of eggs, avocados, mangos, passion fruit, pineapples, papaya, plantains and bananas, cacao, tomatos and peppers. We share this production with elderly people in the neighborhood who live alone because their children have left the country looking for work. This Sunday, May 9, is named Rogate Sunday on the historic church calendar and precedes the Minor Rogation Days, the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday before the Feast of the Ascension, which are dedicated to prayers for crops (I remember such prayers at this time from childhood). The Minor Rogation Days, instituted by Bishop Mamertus of Vienne (Gaul) in 470, originally were observed by processional litanies and fasting as a supplication for clement weather for the crops and deliverance from pestilence and famine. There is a good discussion of the Rogation Days tradition by Mark Braden, pastor of Zion Lutheran Church, Detroit, Michigan, on the Gottesdienst.org Web site. Pastor Braden visited Venezuela several times as a visiting professor with the Juan de Frias Theological Institute.

 Inordinate honor for an honorable man

 Friday, April 30, 2021, was a landmark day for many Venezuelans as Dr. José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros (1864-1919) was beatified at a formal ceremony in Caracas. Beatification is the penultimate stage before being officially declared a saint by the Roman church, a process that began for Dr. Hernández in 1949. He was in many ways a remarkable man, but it is an error to honor someone with a status that belongs only to Christ, or that all who receive baptismal grace may not be numbered among the saints.

When he was only 13 and a half years old, José Gregorio Hernández made the long and difficult journey from his remote village in the Andes Mountains to Caracas to embark on a career in medicine. At 17 he began his studies at the Central University of Venezuela, where he still is remembered as one of the most brilliant medical students in the university's history. After post-graduate studies at research laboratories in Paris and Berlin, he returned to Venezuela to introduce the latest scientific techniques in medicine to his country. During the height of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, which killed 23,000 people in Venezuela in three months, he took his medical practice into the poorest barrios of Caracas. Dr. Hernández, however, did not die as a result of the flu, but was struck down by an automobile, perhaps one of the first in Venezuela.

Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Roman Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name. The difference between this and full canonization is that veneration of the beatified is limited to a particular region or group of people, while full canonization means all Roman Catholics must revere the deceased as a saint.

As matter of fact, Venezuelans have prayed to Dr. Hernández for healing for years before this official recognition. Popular piety in Venezuela may be described as “Christo-paganism”. In most pre-Christian traditions, there is a distant “God above the gods” who is not interested in the daily lives of human beings. Rather it is better to pray to the many intermediate beings between men and their Creator, such as the souls of the ancestors and spirits who control the forces of nature. There is belief in an afterlife, but little hope of a happy one. The best one expect is to enjoy the good things of this life by the favor of supernatural beings. In “Christo-paganism”, the triune God of the Scriptures is placed in the role of the distant “high God” and the Virgin, saints, angels and other beings become the intermediaries.

Historically there have been three levels to this popular piety in Venezuela. The first is the veneration of the Virgin and the saints approved by the Roman church throughout the world. The second is a kind of “folk Catholicism” in which there are shrines and festivals dedicated to persons not officially recognized as saints by Rome. The church often does not actively promote these activities, but does not actively discourage them, either. The third level is the invocation and supplication of non-Christian deities, such as the goddess, Maria Lionza, and even demonic entities. The Roman church, of course, is opposed to this, notice that, aside from the approval or disapproval of the church, it is hard to differentiate between these levels and many Venezuelans do not.

So for years, devout Roman Catholics in Venezuelans have placed images of Dr. José Gregorio Hernández in their homes and chapels, but not only strict Catholics, but also followers of Santería and indigenous brujeria (witchcraft) and espiritismo (spiritism) invoke the good doctor’s name.

As Lutherans, we may recognize the achievements and moral example of Dr. Hernández, but we reject this concept of sainthood. All who die in baptismal faith enter immediately into the church triumphant with all of the surety of Christ's promises. Not by their own merits, for all have fallen short of the glory of God and none have earned merits that may be applied to others. Nor does Holy Scripture teach invocation and supplications of particular saints (heroes of the faith), for such honor belongs to Christ as the only Mediator between God and men (1 Timothy 2:5).

The Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Art. XXI (IX): Of the Invocation of Saints, says in part: “Our Confession approves honors to the saints (heroes of the faith). For here a threefold honor is to be approved. The first is thanksgiving. For we ought to give thanks to God because He has shown examples of mercy; because He has shown that He wishes to save men; because He has given teachers or other gifts to the Church. And these gifts, as they are the greatest, should be amplified, and the saints themselves should be praised, who have faithfully used these gifts, just as Christ praises faithful business-men, Matt. 25:21, 23. The second service is the strengthening of our faith; when we see the denial forgiven Peter, we also are encouraged to believe the more that grace truly superabounds over sin, Rom. 5:20. The third honor is the imitation, first, of faith, then of the other virtues, which every one should imitate according to his calling.

“But since neither a command, nor a promise, nor an example can be produced from the Scriptures concerning the invocation of saints, it follows that conscience can have nothing concerning this invocation that is certain. And since prayer ought to be made from faith, how do we know that God approves this invocation? Whence do we know without the testimony of Scripture that the saints perceive the prayers of each one?

“Again, the adversaries not only require invocation in the worship of the saints, but also apply the merits of the saints to others, and make of the saints not only intercessors, but also propitiators. This is in no way to be endured. For here the honor belonging only to Christ is altogether transferred to the saints. For they make them mediators and propitiators, and although they make a distinction between mediators of intercession and mediators [the Mediator] of redemption, yet they plainly make of the saints mediators of redemption.”

Please pray, therefore, for all the Venezuelans who do not yet understand that there is one Mediator between God and man, and that we may approach the Father in prayer through the atoning death and the intercession of His Son and with faith given and nurtured by the Holy Spirit. Also that all the baptized are numbered among the communion of saints and enter the church triumphant immediately upon passing from this life. Amen.

Speaking of pandemics

A full year passed without any reported cases of COVID-19 in La Caramuca, but now there have been three. All these people are recovering and none died. However Zugeimer Aranguren, a member of Cristo es Amor Lutheran Church, our sister congregation in Barquisimeto (three hours drive north) lost her grandfather and an aunt to COVID-19.

Reuters reported that on April 5, “Venezuela’s main academies of medicine and science on Monday urged renewed efforts to vaccinate the South American nation’s population against the coronavirus amid a spike in infections that has led the government to extend lockdown measures. The pandemic was significantly less severe than expected in Venezuela in 2020 due to widespread gasoline shortages that restricted vehicle movement, the National Academy of Medicine and the National Academy of Physical, Mathematical and Natural Sciences said in a joint statement. But Venezuela now faces a worst case scenario of limited vaccine availability, combined with an increase in infections following the relaxation of quarantine measures during the Christmas and Carnival holidays, the academies said.”

In February, Venezuela began its immunization program against the COVID-19 virus by vaccinating front-line health care personnel with the Russian vaccine Sputnik V. On April 24, Venezuela received a new shipment of some 80,000 doses of Russia's Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine. The government’s priority will inoculating healthcare workers and the elderly with the new shipment. Venezuela has also inoculated public officials, firefighters, civil protection personnel and oxygen distribution workers. It is estimated that health care professionals comprise 26 percent of those who have died from COVID-19 in Venezuela.

O God, You desire not the death of sinners, but rather that we turn from our wickedness and live. Graciously behold Your people who plead to You and spare us. Withdraw the scourge of Your wrath and be moved in mercy to turn away this pestilence from us; for the sake of Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Their angels always see the Father's face

The Day of St. Michael and All Angels is a minor festival on our church calendar. That means when the date falls on a Sunday which is not the date of a major festival (Christmas, Easter, Pentecost and a long list of others, including all the Sundays of Advent and Lent), the lessons and hymns may reflect its theme, rather than those usually appointed for that day.

So, on Sept. 29, 2019, we remembered the holy angels. In western Christendom, Sept. 29 has been the traditional date since the fifth century AD, when a basilica near Rome was dedicated to Michael, one of the two archangels named in the canonical Scriptures (the other is Gabriel and we do not count Satan). The basilica no longer exists, but there are plenty of Lutheran churches named for the archangel. One of them is St. Michael’sLutheran Church of Bloomington, Minnesota, a congregation that has supported our mission in La Caramuca from the beginning. As a member of St. Michael’s, I first traveled to Venezuela with other members on a short-term mission trip in 2002.

But let me back up. On Monday, Sept. 23, we opened a new school year in our preschool with a service of morning prayer in the chapel. The Scripture reading was Luke 18:15-17, in which Jesus blesses children, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” This, I explained, means that whether we are baptized as infants or adults, we receive do not receive the new life in Christ by our own understanding, will or merit, but as a gift of the Holy Spirit. As the Spirit continues its work of sanctification in us, His instruments include, particularly for small children, is the Christian family and the Christian school. What a blessing for a child to have the Spirit’s direction his or her entire life!

The preschool is up and running now with an enrollment of 32 students, most of them new to the program. Luz Maria has resumed afterschool tutoring with 20 to 22 older students and a waiting list of those who would like to receive her tutoring. Thanks be to God, this is despite that the fact that many surrounding preschools and elementary schools are closed for lack of teachers and students. The high school in La Caramuca will not open until October 14!

Of course, the appointed Gospel reading for St. Michael’s Day is the parallel text, Matthew 18:1-11. Jesus also says, ““Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” But, then, at the end, there is this bit about guardian angels. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”

Because I had expounded on the subject of little children on Monday, for Sunday’s sermon I focused on the Old Testament lesson, 2 Kings 6:8-17 (our Spanish hymnal, Culto Cristiano, uses a different selection of Old Testament texts than the English-language hymnals). This is the account of how the king of Syria sent troops to encircle the city of Dothan where the prophet Elisha was staying. The Syrian king had heard that Elisha knew of all his best-laid plans for war against Israel, through supernatural means, and was telling them to the king of Israel. So, early in the morning Elisha’s servant sees the Syrians surrounding the city and cried, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” And Elisha replied, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

The point being that, even though he knew there was a mighty host of angels all around, Elisha did not invoke the name of Michael or any of these created beings, but the name of the Lord God. I read this from the Smalcald Articles, Part Two, Of the Invocation of the Saints:

“And although the angels in heaven pray for us (as Christ Himself also does), as also do the saints on earth, and perhaps also in heaven, yet it does not follow thence that we should invoke and adore the angels and saints, and fast, hold festivals, celebrate Mass in their honor, make offerings, and establish churches, altars, divine worship, and in still other ways serve them, and regard them as helpers in need (as patrons and intercessors), and divide among them all kinds of help, and ascribe to each one a particular form of assistance, as the Papists teach and do. For this is idolatry, and such honor belongs alone to God.”

The invocation of angels, as well as saints, is widely practiced in Venezuela, so it is necessary to warn against this, while acknowledging the existence of angels as celestial beings sent to watch over us. It is not idolatry in itself to name a church or a day after St. Michael any more than St. Paul or St. Peter, for Luther also said that “the acknowledgment of angels is needful in the church” (Luther’s Table Talk, p. 245). Rather, it is idolatry to regard any of the angels, apostles or the Virgin Mary as intermediaries between ourselves and God. We have only the one Mediator and High Priest, who is Jesus.

Thus we pray:

O everlasting God, who has ordained and constituted the services of angels and men in a wonderful order, mercifully grant that, as Thy holy angels always do Thee service in heaven, so by Thine appointment they may help and defend us on earth, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with Thee and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Installation of new pastor in Barinas

On Friday, Sept. 20, representatives from our national church sat in on the afterschool tutoring. Our guests were Eduardo Flores, pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Caracas and acting president of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela; Eliezer Mendoza, pastor of Cristo es Amor (Christ is Love) Lutheran Church in Barquisimeto and director of the Juan de Frias Theological Institute; Roamird Castillo, legal adviser for the national church; Ginny Mendoza, deaconess and wife of Pastor Eliezer; and Sandra de Brito, wife of Raimundo Brito, who was to be installed as pastor of Corpus Christi Lutheran Church in Barinas the next day.

The Corpus Christi congregation has not had a fulltime pastor in seven years. Occasionally members of Corpus Christi have attended the Divine Service at Epiphany Lutheran Mission. Last fall I went to the hospital in Barinas to administer the sacrament of the Lord's Supper to Graciela de Brito for the last time. A few days later, I said some words over her coffin before it was taken to the place of burial, according to custom.Other national pastors have preached and administered the sacraments at Corpus Christi. But the job has become increasingly difficult with the collapse of the public transportation system.

We were able to attend Pastor Brito's installation thanks to our new (for us) car. Eduardo, Eliezer and I participated in the rite of installation. I first met Raimundo Brito in 2006, when he was studying for ordination. Later, he served as national missionary to rural church in the eastern Venezuelan state of Monagas.

We are planning a joint Reformation Sunday service with Corpus Christi here in La Caramuca on October 27. Anyi Vanesa Garrido will receive her first communion on that day.