This is more journal entry for public viewing that it is anything else, but I have something I want to share.
I've had this thought for a while now, about the Church and how we can revitalize ourselves as a faith, globally and locally.
I have this thought a lot, but I talk myself down. I feel like maybe it is too unloving or too harsh to follow through with. I feel like it might do more harm than good. But for more than five years I've been having it and it keeps coming back.
So here it is.
I would like every priest at every mass this Sunday to stand up during the homily and tell the people what the Church really believes as best he can in 45 minutes to an hour. And when he's finished, I'd like him to, with as much charity as possible, tell people who don't believe those things that they shouldn't receive communion and that they should take a long hard look as to whether they should be in those pews.
I'm not saying to kick folks out. Part of the role of a Church is for those strong in faith to keep bringing along those who aren't, but there are within the Church those who hold views totally contrary to the Church's incontrovertible teachings.
Say someone is opposed to priestly celibacy, that's not a problem, as that practice is a discipline the Church has, not some kind of eternal doctrine or truth.
But say someone else doesn't believe in the trinity. That's a deal breaker. Or say someone believes firmly in the sacramental equivalence between marriage and a homosexual union. Also a deal breaker. (Which to be clear, that's not the same as supporting it's legalization, which is a different issue, and technically, probably not a deal breaker).
We are not a religion that is trying to figure out what it believes. We know. We have creed and catechism. Generations of poor catechesis has created a HUGE number of cultural Catholics.
I know the Church is probably thinking practically. Were they to do this, a lot of people would walk out, collections would plummet, they'd get even more bad press. But I'd like to see the Church, at least the one that I know, the American Church, to do something like this.
I want to reignite the faith of all the drones I see around me on Sundays, but I don't know if I or anyone else can. Don't think that I believe we're all drones at mass though, it's not that bad.
For every couple of drones, I see the young mother singing loudly while holding her kid. I see the 20-something college guy who didn't bring his buddies, but at least he made it to pass. I see people who really believe and know what's going on dotted all throughout the church.
Let me stop here.....Again I've talked myself down. I don't think that would be a good idea to give that speech and send them packing. The Church, ever wise, probably realizes that as it is now, we have a way to reach those people. They'll be back next Sunday
The priests do need to do a better job of catechizing from the pulpit, but to revitalize the Church, we don't need to send anyone away.
Those of us believers who are really into it though. The ones better than me, and even the ones like me, have an obligation to do more to bring the others around.
Keeping them coming back matters, but we need to make sure that when they come back, we do our parts to teach the faith, preach the faith and live the faith.
We must be examples, but we must also teach. I feel bad asking more of an already taxed priesthood, so maybe this role really belongs to the laity. I can't reignite a parish alone, but I'm sitting here blogging to a group of less than 10 readers.
If I want change, I need to get involved in my parish. So that's what I'm going to do. If you want change in yours, friends, don't pass the buck. Become that change.
I don't know what real good I can do, but I take solace in the words of Pope Benedict XVI on the day of his election.
"I am consoled by the fact that the Lord knows how to work and how to act, even with insufficient tools, and I especially trust in your prayers."
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
The Million Dollar Question
Leslie Wolf recently asked me to explain some of my complaints about protestants, which while a completely fair question, is not easy to answer. So if you will, settle in, this will be a long one.
So for background, I'm a so-called Cradle Catholic, but not the kind that only shows up at mass on Christmas and Easter. I don't make it every Sunday like I should, and I don't get to confession but once a year or so, but I am a to-the-core-of-my-being Catholic.
Before anyone thinks I'm placing my identity with a groups above the faith itself, I am not. I believe this group, the Roman Catholic Church and those in communion with it, to be the one, holy and apostolic Church established by Jesus Christ himself and preserved by the power of the Holy Spirit through God the Father.
I believe this for several reasons. One, I think being raised in it, I'm inclined to it. Pure psychology I guess, but it should be acknowledged.
Two, I drifted for a time away from the Church, but never from Christianity at large. What I found in my limited experience in the non-Catholic Christian world was limited and in many ways felt empty to me. Certainly I didn't see a representative sample of protestantism, but I saw some of it.
In the process of drifting I started to read. I started to learn about what different groups believes. I started to read my Bible more (mostly just the gospels at that point). The more I read and the more I learned, the more it made sense to me to be Catholic. There is no way I can explain it all here, but there's one important factor.
Third, while I don't believe that sensory experiences should be a defining measure of how one chooses what is a true faith, I do believe it can be corroborating evidence. Just so, I've had one or two experiences in church after receiving the Real Presence in the Eucharist that really sealed the deal for me.
The one that really did it was back during all that drifting I did. I was really praying to God for guidance on the matter but going to mass mostly out of habit with my family. Before communion, I prayed again that God would help me out in this matter. As I prayed after communion, with music playing and people still walking around, I experienced a strange inner silence. It wasn't so supernatural as to call it a miracle, but I took it to mean that God was saying my question had been answered. I was where he wanted me to be.
Again, I didn't base the whole shebang on that, but all the reading was pointing me that way, and the experience sealed it.
Knowing that, I say that if I am correct in my view on the Church, then all others who are not with communion in the Church are risking their souls, and less importantly, spreading false information about Christ and his Church.
While the early schismatics could rightly be called heretics, I don't hold this generation in such contempt. They're not really protesting Rome anymore as much as they are living out the faith handed down to them. Nevertheless, that doesn't change the fact that if I'm right, they're not.
And if I'm right, and I firmly believe I am, then I have an obligation to share this truth with others.
So that's who I am and an oversimplified version of how I got there.
So, what are my complaints about protestants? We'll break this into some categories.
<h2>Intellectual</h2>
I believe it is inconsistent to believe in the divine origin of the Bible while simultaneously declaring the apostasy of the Church that put those books together. Surely, the spirit could have acted to assemble the right books with an evil Church doing the work, but I believe it makes more sense to say the Spirit guided the true Church through the process.
I believe the idea of Sola Scriptura to be a bad idea. Any written sentence can be interpreted several ways. The establishment of a Church to guide in these interpretations would be needed. The protestant model of not having an established worldwide hierarchy doesn't cut it, as different denominations come up with different views.
Moreover on that point, the Bible contains all the info we need for salvation, but how blessed are we to have a Church? When Acts of the Apostles ends, the story doesn't. The Church went on. If not for the existence of the Church, we'd likely know very little about the early Church and we'd be without many great teachings.
I believe that there are too many theological differences between me and the hundreds of protestant varieties to bother going into all of those at this time, but suffice it to say, I hold with Rome.
<h2>Supernatural</h2>
This is more a reason why I believe in the Church, than a problem I have with Protestantism.
I believe the Church's continuation is a sign of it's protection by God. Despite being run by sinful men, and at times even led by arguably evil men, the Church has continued on, teaching the truth. That such a massive organization could even exist for 100 years, but for 2,000+, or 1,500 according to some, is nothing short of a miracle. And it hasn't just existed, it thrived. Nearly 1/6 of the world's population is Catholic...That's proof of nothing, I know, but it's impressive.
I believe the miracle of the sun and the miracles at Lourdes to be further evidence of the Church being the true faith.
With all those things considered, I believe the never-ending division within protestantism is a sign that it is not protected by Christ's promise that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. As such, it cannot be the true Church.
On that note, it may have been GK Chesterton that said one of the greatest signs of the Church's divinity is that it has survived it's churchmen. lol.
<h2>Historical</h2>
The Church traces it's unbroken history from our current pope to St. Peter, and we all know who his direct boss was. Admittedly, historical evidence is sketchy from 0-100 or so (estimating), but once history shows up, there is The Church, not a bunch of unaffiliated Christian communities.
That's not to say there weren't dissenters, but they existed even in the time of Paul and just as he worked to correct those who were wrong, so too did the early Church exercise it's authority to do the same.
The Church survived the dark ages, almost singlehandedly preserving western culture in the process. Guess this could go as supernatural too, but that has to count for something.
<h2>The Random</h2>
I can't help but just feel the truth in the Church. I feel God's presence at mass and I feel his spirit working in my life as a Catholic. I believe he works elsewhere too of course, but I believe he gave us one Church. I believe he intended it to be a real, earthly organization, and I believe it is Rome.
I can't help but feel I haven't addressed the full scope of this issue, but I don't think I'm up for it. Lately I'm not feeling it when it comes to writing blogs this long. Nevertheless, a question was asked and I've endeavored to answer it. I hope I did so well.
Let me also add that I consider protestants to be brothers and sisters in Christ, though they reject the fullness of his truth. I believe God works through so many people, not just his Church. That said, the means to salvation are primarily through the Church and it is my goal that one day everyone come to see that.
Again, I don't mean to seem overbearing, but I want to make my views understood.
So for background, I'm a so-called Cradle Catholic, but not the kind that only shows up at mass on Christmas and Easter. I don't make it every Sunday like I should, and I don't get to confession but once a year or so, but I am a to-the-core-of-my-being Catholic.
Before anyone thinks I'm placing my identity with a groups above the faith itself, I am not. I believe this group, the Roman Catholic Church and those in communion with it, to be the one, holy and apostolic Church established by Jesus Christ himself and preserved by the power of the Holy Spirit through God the Father.
I believe this for several reasons. One, I think being raised in it, I'm inclined to it. Pure psychology I guess, but it should be acknowledged.
Two, I drifted for a time away from the Church, but never from Christianity at large. What I found in my limited experience in the non-Catholic Christian world was limited and in many ways felt empty to me. Certainly I didn't see a representative sample of protestantism, but I saw some of it.
In the process of drifting I started to read. I started to learn about what different groups believes. I started to read my Bible more (mostly just the gospels at that point). The more I read and the more I learned, the more it made sense to me to be Catholic. There is no way I can explain it all here, but there's one important factor.
Third, while I don't believe that sensory experiences should be a defining measure of how one chooses what is a true faith, I do believe it can be corroborating evidence. Just so, I've had one or two experiences in church after receiving the Real Presence in the Eucharist that really sealed the deal for me.
The one that really did it was back during all that drifting I did. I was really praying to God for guidance on the matter but going to mass mostly out of habit with my family. Before communion, I prayed again that God would help me out in this matter. As I prayed after communion, with music playing and people still walking around, I experienced a strange inner silence. It wasn't so supernatural as to call it a miracle, but I took it to mean that God was saying my question had been answered. I was where he wanted me to be.
Again, I didn't base the whole shebang on that, but all the reading was pointing me that way, and the experience sealed it.
Knowing that, I say that if I am correct in my view on the Church, then all others who are not with communion in the Church are risking their souls, and less importantly, spreading false information about Christ and his Church.
While the early schismatics could rightly be called heretics, I don't hold this generation in such contempt. They're not really protesting Rome anymore as much as they are living out the faith handed down to them. Nevertheless, that doesn't change the fact that if I'm right, they're not.
And if I'm right, and I firmly believe I am, then I have an obligation to share this truth with others.
So that's who I am and an oversimplified version of how I got there.
So, what are my complaints about protestants? We'll break this into some categories.
<h2>Intellectual</h2>
I believe it is inconsistent to believe in the divine origin of the Bible while simultaneously declaring the apostasy of the Church that put those books together. Surely, the spirit could have acted to assemble the right books with an evil Church doing the work, but I believe it makes more sense to say the Spirit guided the true Church through the process.
I believe the idea of Sola Scriptura to be a bad idea. Any written sentence can be interpreted several ways. The establishment of a Church to guide in these interpretations would be needed. The protestant model of not having an established worldwide hierarchy doesn't cut it, as different denominations come up with different views.
Moreover on that point, the Bible contains all the info we need for salvation, but how blessed are we to have a Church? When Acts of the Apostles ends, the story doesn't. The Church went on. If not for the existence of the Church, we'd likely know very little about the early Church and we'd be without many great teachings.
I believe that there are too many theological differences between me and the hundreds of protestant varieties to bother going into all of those at this time, but suffice it to say, I hold with Rome.
<h2>Supernatural</h2>
This is more a reason why I believe in the Church, than a problem I have with Protestantism.
I believe the Church's continuation is a sign of it's protection by God. Despite being run by sinful men, and at times even led by arguably evil men, the Church has continued on, teaching the truth. That such a massive organization could even exist for 100 years, but for 2,000+, or 1,500 according to some, is nothing short of a miracle. And it hasn't just existed, it thrived. Nearly 1/6 of the world's population is Catholic...That's proof of nothing, I know, but it's impressive.
I believe the miracle of the sun and the miracles at Lourdes to be further evidence of the Church being the true faith.
With all those things considered, I believe the never-ending division within protestantism is a sign that it is not protected by Christ's promise that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. As such, it cannot be the true Church.
On that note, it may have been GK Chesterton that said one of the greatest signs of the Church's divinity is that it has survived it's churchmen. lol.
<h2>Historical</h2>
The Church traces it's unbroken history from our current pope to St. Peter, and we all know who his direct boss was. Admittedly, historical evidence is sketchy from 0-100 or so (estimating), but once history shows up, there is The Church, not a bunch of unaffiliated Christian communities.
That's not to say there weren't dissenters, but they existed even in the time of Paul and just as he worked to correct those who were wrong, so too did the early Church exercise it's authority to do the same.
The Church survived the dark ages, almost singlehandedly preserving western culture in the process. Guess this could go as supernatural too, but that has to count for something.
<h2>The Random</h2>
I can't help but just feel the truth in the Church. I feel God's presence at mass and I feel his spirit working in my life as a Catholic. I believe he works elsewhere too of course, but I believe he gave us one Church. I believe he intended it to be a real, earthly organization, and I believe it is Rome.
I can't help but feel I haven't addressed the full scope of this issue, but I don't think I'm up for it. Lately I'm not feeling it when it comes to writing blogs this long. Nevertheless, a question was asked and I've endeavored to answer it. I hope I did so well.
Let me also add that I consider protestants to be brothers and sisters in Christ, though they reject the fullness of his truth. I believe God works through so many people, not just his Church. That said, the means to salvation are primarily through the Church and it is my goal that one day everyone come to see that.
Again, I don't mean to seem overbearing, but I want to make my views understood.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
On Protestants
I didn't give up on this topic FYI, I'm working on day two of the draft. Stay tuned. Hopefully I finish this week.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Been thinking, on Love and Doctrine
So I've been reading some other blogs lately, and I've been reading the news as always and I've come across a thing that I'm having a hard time with.
Background
A blogger by the username Leslie Wolf, by all accounts and educated and faith-filled individual, has recently written about problems in the "Reformed Church" that center around, if I may cruelly shorten his point, Christians not having enough love.
He was talking in the blog about a smugness of doctrine that he has experienced in some churches and some meanness with pastors and teachers saying inaccurate or just mean things about Christians in other groups.
Also, I was reading about a recent meeting of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI with the Anglican patriarch, and some other news surrounding that, which you can google if you want. Short story, a while back there were some Anglicans ticked that the Catholic Church was making it easier for Anglicans to convert.
Anyways, all this has me thinking. Are we too obsessed with who is right, and not concerned enough with loving our neighbors as the Lord commanded?
Well the short answer is yes, I can agree with that. But I'm afraid of the pendulum swinging to far the other way.
I guess one can ask if one can follow the Lord's commands "too much," but I would say yes to that.
The line from Luke 10:27 reads "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind: and thy neighbour as thyself."
So yes that love of neighbor is so important, but the man speaking to Jesus in this line, which Jesus affirms as true, doesn't start off with the bit about his neighbor. He starts it off with God.
We have tremendous duty to love and care for each other, all of us, no matter the denomination or faith or lack of it. We are called to love all God's people. This is true, and critical.
But our first duty is to God, who is truth. If we were to deny any truth out of a misguided attempt to love, we would be in the wrong. We would be disrespecting the Lord.
I believe most people make this distinction OK. But some in these days seem to feel that to show love means to grant acceptance, either blatant acceptance, or acceptance by silence, or things that are not true, and of ways that are not right.
Members of the Church are seen as intolerant to rightly proclaim the belief that while all persons are made in God's image and have the dignity there associated, those who participate in sinful activities such as premarital sex, or abortions or anything else, are in the wrong.
Who are you to judge, they ask. Who indeed.
But we are called to judge actions. Not rashly. Not harshly. To quote John "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
I've gone and rambled again.
But my point is, that truth, and that truth which is preserved by right doctrine, is something that believers have a responsibility too.
We are to love God first. And to love God is to be faithful to his commands. One of his commands is to love one another, and so the key is strike the right balance in this regard.
I don't believe I do this very well, and I pray that God gives me the wherewithal to get better at it. In practice and in person, I believe I show acceptable charity to those who engage me in spiritual debates, but online, I often do not.
I often lump all Protestants, or an even more frequent target of mine in non-denominationalists, into one groups with straw-man ideologies.
This is bad, and for it, I'm sorry, and I'll try to do better.
I can do a better job of being a loving member of Christ's Church, and I will. I bet most of us can do better, and should.
In the process, let's try to remember that we can be loving, without giving ground on the truth.
Background
A blogger by the username Leslie Wolf, by all accounts and educated and faith-filled individual, has recently written about problems in the "Reformed Church" that center around, if I may cruelly shorten his point, Christians not having enough love.
He was talking in the blog about a smugness of doctrine that he has experienced in some churches and some meanness with pastors and teachers saying inaccurate or just mean things about Christians in other groups.
Also, I was reading about a recent meeting of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI with the Anglican patriarch, and some other news surrounding that, which you can google if you want. Short story, a while back there were some Anglicans ticked that the Catholic Church was making it easier for Anglicans to convert.
Anyways, all this has me thinking. Are we too obsessed with who is right, and not concerned enough with loving our neighbors as the Lord commanded?
Well the short answer is yes, I can agree with that. But I'm afraid of the pendulum swinging to far the other way.
I guess one can ask if one can follow the Lord's commands "too much," but I would say yes to that.
The line from Luke 10:27 reads "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind: and thy neighbour as thyself."
So yes that love of neighbor is so important, but the man speaking to Jesus in this line, which Jesus affirms as true, doesn't start off with the bit about his neighbor. He starts it off with God.
We have tremendous duty to love and care for each other, all of us, no matter the denomination or faith or lack of it. We are called to love all God's people. This is true, and critical.
But our first duty is to God, who is truth. If we were to deny any truth out of a misguided attempt to love, we would be in the wrong. We would be disrespecting the Lord.
I believe most people make this distinction OK. But some in these days seem to feel that to show love means to grant acceptance, either blatant acceptance, or acceptance by silence, or things that are not true, and of ways that are not right.
Members of the Church are seen as intolerant to rightly proclaim the belief that while all persons are made in God's image and have the dignity there associated, those who participate in sinful activities such as premarital sex, or abortions or anything else, are in the wrong.
Who are you to judge, they ask. Who indeed.
But we are called to judge actions. Not rashly. Not harshly. To quote John "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
I've gone and rambled again.
But my point is, that truth, and that truth which is preserved by right doctrine, is something that believers have a responsibility too.
We are to love God first. And to love God is to be faithful to his commands. One of his commands is to love one another, and so the key is strike the right balance in this regard.
I don't believe I do this very well, and I pray that God gives me the wherewithal to get better at it. In practice and in person, I believe I show acceptable charity to those who engage me in spiritual debates, but online, I often do not.
I often lump all Protestants, or an even more frequent target of mine in non-denominationalists, into one groups with straw-man ideologies.
This is bad, and for it, I'm sorry, and I'll try to do better.
I can do a better job of being a loving member of Christ's Church, and I will. I bet most of us can do better, and should.
In the process, let's try to remember that we can be loving, without giving ground on the truth.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
To Christian politicians
The following is an expanded version of a post I made to facebook the other day.
This is a message to Rick Santorum, and any politician that claims to be Catholic or Christian.
You do all the rest of us believers a disservice when you fail to recognize the call to compassion. An integral part of our theology and beliefs is service and care to one another, regardless of our feelings toward them. We are called to love our enemies, but we don't have to agree with them.
We share beliefs that are unpopular. To you and I, human life should be protected from conception til natural death. We believe that marriage is not just whatever the state defines it to be. If we're really Christians, we believe that war isn't always the answer and we believe that immigrants and the poor need our help.
We believe that right and wrong are real and objective. We stand up together for what we feel is right. For much of that, I thank you.
But you, Rick Santorum, and others like you fail to realize something.
The people on the other side of the aisle, the people on the other side of the sexual orientation line, the people who will never, ever vote for you, are all made in the image and likeness of the same God as you, and have dignity.
We can say they're wrong. We can say their ideas aren't best for this nation. We can say we find some of their thoughts outright insane (they feel the same about us BTW). But we need to do it all in a spirit of love and compassion for them as fellow human beings first and foremost, and also as fellow Americans.
They deserve your respect, and when they're wrong, your RESPECTFUL disagreement. Whether they reciprocate it or not.
This isn't just aimed at republicans. The left has politicians that claim to be Christian, but oppose Christian ideals at almost every legislative turn. They want other Christians to be forced to keep their ideas totally out of the public square. They're all for helping the poor, but not for protecting the unborn. They're half in.
On the right, we say get a job to the poor, but at least we care for the innocent unborn. We're also only half in.
We cannot have it both ways, fellow Christians. We do not fit into the two party system. I know we must work within it for now, however.
As we do so, I simply ask that we all remember that to be a Christian is to be all in.
Love they neighbor on the other side of the aisle. Separate the viewpoint from the person. We don't need to be jackasses to each other. We can do better.
Sincerely,
John Stegeman
and others like me
This is a message to Rick Santorum, and any politician that claims to be Catholic or Christian.
You do all the rest of us believers a disservice when you fail to recognize the call to compassion. An integral part of our theology and beliefs is service and care to one another, regardless of our feelings toward them. We are called to love our enemies, but we don't have to agree with them.
We share beliefs that are unpopular. To you and I, human life should be protected from conception til natural death. We believe that marriage is not just whatever the state defines it to be. If we're really Christians, we believe that war isn't always the answer and we believe that immigrants and the poor need our help.
We believe that right and wrong are real and objective. We stand up together for what we feel is right. For much of that, I thank you.
But you, Rick Santorum, and others like you fail to realize something.
The people on the other side of the aisle, the people on the other side of the sexual orientation line, the people who will never, ever vote for you, are all made in the image and likeness of the same God as you, and have dignity.
We can say they're wrong. We can say their ideas aren't best for this nation. We can say we find some of their thoughts outright insane (they feel the same about us BTW). But we need to do it all in a spirit of love and compassion for them as fellow human beings first and foremost, and also as fellow Americans.
They deserve your respect, and when they're wrong, your RESPECTFUL disagreement. Whether they reciprocate it or not.
This isn't just aimed at republicans. The left has politicians that claim to be Christian, but oppose Christian ideals at almost every legislative turn. They want other Christians to be forced to keep their ideas totally out of the public square. They're all for helping the poor, but not for protecting the unborn. They're half in.
On the right, we say get a job to the poor, but at least we care for the innocent unborn. We're also only half in.
We cannot have it both ways, fellow Christians. We do not fit into the two party system. I know we must work within it for now, however.
As we do so, I simply ask that we all remember that to be a Christian is to be all in.
Love they neighbor on the other side of the aisle. Separate the viewpoint from the person. We don't need to be jackasses to each other. We can do better.
Sincerely,
John Stegeman
and others like me
Monday, March 5, 2012
The Telos 5000
As my last entry noted, I've been thinking a lot about telos lately. Telos by the way is smart-folk philosophical speak for purpose or end.
I think, and google confirms, that the Catholic faith is very much a teleological system of philosophy. It's very much about purpose.
It's this, I think, that makes us more than blind slaves, following our lord and master without thought. There is nothing wrong with obeying the will of God because it comes from God. You don't NEED to know any more than that, per se.
But unless you've been blessed with a more direct line to the Father than the rest of us, you need a way to know what is his will. You need a way to form your conscience.
Certainly, we all have some internal moral sensor. This is part of our humanity and, I speculate here, an example of our likeness to God. But our sensor doesn't always work right, which I suspect is the result of original sin.
For example, because we love God, and know that he loves us, we sometimes try to impose our human sense of a loving relationship on him. I love my wife, and she loves me. So it follows in my mind that since she loves me, she wants me to be happy. As such, she may modify her own wants from time to time to conform to mine, making me happy. I do the same.
We often do that, but we must not when thinking about God. God wants us to be happy, this is true, but happiness comes in our submission and obedience, and, I argue, in our understanding. Happiness comes in remaining in his grace.
In the Gospel of John 15:15 we read "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you."
We are still to be obedient, we are not egalitarian friends, like we are with our neighbors and buddies. God is still above us. But he has chosen to let us know what he is doing. No longer, with the advent of Jesus, are we forced to simply obey blindly. Surely we still must obey, but we know the long plan. We're involved in the process now, and we have a role to play.
We have a purpose.
And in our life, as we strive to do God's will, we can do it better by understanding the purpose of things.
Here's an exercise.
Fact: I shouldn't have sex outside of marriage.
Why: God says so.
Why: Because the purpose of sex is to be open to conception. The place worthy of conception, is within a marriage. The purpose of a marriage is to have and raise children.
So if all you know is the first why, you'll be alright. But if you know the second, all the better.
If you start to understand how things should be, as opposed to how things are, it will help you to discern God's will all the better.
The question is, though, how can we determine a things purpose ourselves. And in the grand scheme, I'm not sure we can by ourselves. But in conjunction with the Word of God, the Holy Church and our own reason, we can.
It takes time and study, and I'm certainly not there yet, but I can tell anyone else seeking to follow Christ, that I've managed to reach a point where my own judgement more often than not matches up correctly. My actions on the other hand are a different story... but we're working on that too.
So how do we do this?
Pray. Study. Think. Pray.
At the risk of sounding like Patch from the movie Dodgeball I'll repeat that.
Pray. Study. Think. Pray.
Pray, to put yourself in the right frame of mind. Ask God to help you conform your will to His.
Study. Read the scriptures, the Gospels are a great starting point for newbies. But don't stop there. Study the teachings of the Church fathers (Aquinas is a favorite) and study the teachings of the Church. Remember that from the time of Jesus until 1530 or thereabouts, there was only one type of Christianity. It was the Church. Even if you disagree with where it is now, study it's earlier teachings. They are the history of all Christians. It is also not a bad idea to read some of the classical philosophers as well.
Think. God gave us our reason for a reason. Our purpose is to use it. If we use it right, and form ourselves right, our reason will only lead us to Him.
Pray. Pray that you will stay on this path. Pray that you will remember your purpose. If you are a Christian, remember, at least a part of your purpose is to go and spread the word. Pray for the strength to do that. And thank God in prayer as well.
I wanted to get into more specifics here, but I'm out of time for the day.
Take care folks and have and continue to have a blessed Lent.
I think, and google confirms, that the Catholic faith is very much a teleological system of philosophy. It's very much about purpose.
It's this, I think, that makes us more than blind slaves, following our lord and master without thought. There is nothing wrong with obeying the will of God because it comes from God. You don't NEED to know any more than that, per se.
But unless you've been blessed with a more direct line to the Father than the rest of us, you need a way to know what is his will. You need a way to form your conscience.
Certainly, we all have some internal moral sensor. This is part of our humanity and, I speculate here, an example of our likeness to God. But our sensor doesn't always work right, which I suspect is the result of original sin.
For example, because we love God, and know that he loves us, we sometimes try to impose our human sense of a loving relationship on him. I love my wife, and she loves me. So it follows in my mind that since she loves me, she wants me to be happy. As such, she may modify her own wants from time to time to conform to mine, making me happy. I do the same.
We often do that, but we must not when thinking about God. God wants us to be happy, this is true, but happiness comes in our submission and obedience, and, I argue, in our understanding. Happiness comes in remaining in his grace.
In the Gospel of John 15:15 we read "No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you."
We are still to be obedient, we are not egalitarian friends, like we are with our neighbors and buddies. God is still above us. But he has chosen to let us know what he is doing. No longer, with the advent of Jesus, are we forced to simply obey blindly. Surely we still must obey, but we know the long plan. We're involved in the process now, and we have a role to play.
We have a purpose.
And in our life, as we strive to do God's will, we can do it better by understanding the purpose of things.
Here's an exercise.
Fact: I shouldn't have sex outside of marriage.
Why: God says so.
Why: Because the purpose of sex is to be open to conception. The place worthy of conception, is within a marriage. The purpose of a marriage is to have and raise children.
So if all you know is the first why, you'll be alright. But if you know the second, all the better.
If you start to understand how things should be, as opposed to how things are, it will help you to discern God's will all the better.
The question is, though, how can we determine a things purpose ourselves. And in the grand scheme, I'm not sure we can by ourselves. But in conjunction with the Word of God, the Holy Church and our own reason, we can.
It takes time and study, and I'm certainly not there yet, but I can tell anyone else seeking to follow Christ, that I've managed to reach a point where my own judgement more often than not matches up correctly. My actions on the other hand are a different story... but we're working on that too.
So how do we do this?
Pray. Study. Think. Pray.
At the risk of sounding like Patch from the movie Dodgeball I'll repeat that.
Pray. Study. Think. Pray.
Pray, to put yourself in the right frame of mind. Ask God to help you conform your will to His.
Study. Read the scriptures, the Gospels are a great starting point for newbies. But don't stop there. Study the teachings of the Church fathers (Aquinas is a favorite) and study the teachings of the Church. Remember that from the time of Jesus until 1530 or thereabouts, there was only one type of Christianity. It was the Church. Even if you disagree with where it is now, study it's earlier teachings. They are the history of all Christians. It is also not a bad idea to read some of the classical philosophers as well.
Think. God gave us our reason for a reason. Our purpose is to use it. If we use it right, and form ourselves right, our reason will only lead us to Him.
Pray. Pray that you will stay on this path. Pray that you will remember your purpose. If you are a Christian, remember, at least a part of your purpose is to go and spread the word. Pray for the strength to do that. And thank God in prayer as well.
I wanted to get into more specifics here, but I'm out of time for the day.
Take care folks and have and continue to have a blessed Lent.
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