Where is Your Belief Leading You?

Do you believe in God?

Is this God all-good? Or all-bad? Or a little of each?

If He is all-bad, where did all the beauty in this world come from, and why would you believe in Him?

If He is sometimes good, and sometimes bad, how can He be God, who is always constant, and never capricious?

God must be all-good.

His plan, therefore, must also be good, because He is good.

Since we are here, we must be part of His good plan; and His plan for us must be good, as well.

Does God ever stop loving us, ever stop being aware of us? The answer must be no, since God is constant. He always loves us and is always aware of us.

Everything we receive, that which we like and don’t like is part of this all-good God’s plan for us. We just don’t know why these things happen! And, we don’t know where they will lead? This not knowing, however, if we let it, can erode our trust in God. We can wind up not trusting the very One, whose good plan for us permits these things to happen.

And so, we vainly replace our trust in God with trust in ourselves, our abilities, our thoughts, our desires. We, like Adam, seek to be our own little god. In abandoning our trust in God and substituting trust in our own judgments, we begin our own private hell. Always striving to trust something else, while not knowing who or what, like a fish on a boat deck, we flounder aimlessly trying to get back into the waters of belief.

Oh Lord, I believe. I want to believe. Help my unbelief.

Trust in God vs. Fear to Relinquish Control

Security and Trust

      I read something this morning that equated the trust, which peaceful people have in God, with an infant sleeping in the arms of its mother. “The infant is close to the mother’s womb from which it came and secure under the watchful eye of the person who gave him his existence”.-1 This sentence was like being hit with a 2×4 across the side of my head. It shouted,“WAKE UP”!!
      Our brain says, “I know that God loves me. He takes care of me, even when I don’t think He is.” Our heart says, “I don’t really believe that. Why do bad things happen? And, it would be worse, if I didn’t take steps to prevent them”. And so, the argument goes on, between brain and heart. The brain proceeds without emotion, thinking logically, as best it can. The heart harbors fears and doubts and cannot let go to move onward to God. The struggle goes on throughout our entire lives.
      What is trust? Why is it so difficult for us to place ourselves in the hands of someone else? We allow a doctor to operate on us….but that is because we have no other recourse, and we fear the alternative even more than the doctor. When you come right down to it, FEAR is the anchor that holds us in one place. It prevents us from venturing into uncertainty, even when there are indications that tell us that all will be alright.
      What are we afraid of? Why are we afraid? We trust only in ourselves, even though we have so many instances in our life that tell us, we can fail and fail miserably. Yet we only trust ourselves. God, who is a God of love, who IS love has created us and the world that we live in, because of His love. He redeemed us because He loves us. And, He continues to this day to bestow His love on us. If our brain is telling all of this to us, and we still lack trust in Him, then something is wrong…WITH US!
      We cannot swim to the other side of the pool, if we do not let go of the ledge that we are clutching. We can’t take the first step, if we have tied our feet together. Christ has His hand outstretched to us. He offers the security which we hunger after. Trust is not only reaching for His hand, but knowing, in our heart, that the security which we crave will be there, as well.
      To reach out with our opened hand to receive His, we have to let go of the things that we are clutching. Of what significance is that second job that we are thinking of taking? Is our family healthy? Then we already have what we need. What worries are we pre-occupied with? Does our being anxious about them, resolve them? What possessions would you like to have and why? Are they required for your life, or do you want them because you envy other peoples’ lifestyles? What pleasures do you seek? Does the life of you and your family, demand them? Or, are they just something that you have grown accustomed to wanting, and now that wanting has become a need in your mind? All of these “concerns” prevent us from becoming loving, trusting children of God. We fear losing them. And this fear prevents us from reaching out to God with open hands. To do so, we must let go of these things. Drop them. Throw them away, for they are robbing us of the very life which we crave, a trusting relationship with our God.

 

-1 Paraphrase of words in Living Faith for October 2nd.

The Forgiveness of Sins,

 

(14^th in a series of a presentation on The Apostles Creed)

        The gift of free will enables man to rise to the heights of heaven, itself. But this same gift, when misused, will turn man away from God and focus inwardly on his own wants, desires and pleasures. We know what is to be done. We know what loving unity with God will result in when we act in accord with that unity. But we willingly choose to ignore this path. Rather, our thoughts flow out, “That path is too hard”, or “Just this time, I want to do this, experience that”. And so we move steadily away from God, as “this time”, happens again and again.
      God in his infinite goodness recognizes the weakness of man. Would an infinitely loving God, allow man to wallow in this wretched state? Christ said to His Apostles, “Receive the Holy Spirit, whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven them; whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.” ^-1 Christ’s references to the Holy Spirit are always a reference to the Spirit of God, of Truth, of Love. Receiving the Spirit, the Apostles, the known Church at that time, were given the power of forgiving or retaining sins. So, in addition to Baptism, “…He who believes and is baptized, will be saved”^-2, Jesus provides still another way that man may be freed of his sins.
      The words, “God loves us, not because we are good, but because He is good” should shake us out of our complacency, our smugness. Viewing our lives with their many false starts, with their fleeting promises to do better, we realize just how fickle and insincere we can be. And yet, in spite of our weakness, God loves us with a love incomprehensible. He saw our weakness and provided us a means to overcome even that. He says to each of us, “Just love Me in return. Love Me so thoroughly, so completely that your sole desire is to be always united with Me.” With such a love, our focus cannot be on our own petty wants.
      And so, in the Creed, we proclaim yes, we believe in God and the Resurrection and the Ascension, and all the other articles of faith. But because of the love that God has for us, because of the words of Christ that ring down through the ages, we believe in the forgiveness of sins, as well. God created us in love. He redeemed us because of love. He promises His love to be with us for the remainder of time. And all He wants is for us to love Him back.   

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-1   John 20: 22-23

-2   Mark 16:16

The Communion of Saints,

Intercession of Saints

(13^th in a series of a presentation on The Apostles Creed)

      This phrase is really a continuation of the presentation on the Church. The Church, as was stated, flows directly from Christ. In this unity with Christ, the Church (all of us, not the building) is sanctified, is made holy. Christ ascends into Heaven, so that He may send to us the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the binding love of God. It all blends together, think about it. From the start of time, God’s love is being bestowed on creation, on mankind. Christ’s entrance into this world, a result of God’s love; Jesus’ life and death, a fulfillment of God’s love; the sending of the Spirit to His people, a promise of love for all time. Christ establishes His church, a means to grow in love and at the same time attain fulfillment in love. All mankind is called to be part of this holiness. We are called to be holy, to be saints.
      The holiness of Christ flows through to His Church. Christ then is the Head of this Mystical Body. We, the believing Church, make up the rest of the Mystical Body. Our belief in Christ, our desire to be one with Christ, these enable us to participate in this Mystical Body. We are the eyes, mouth, hands and feet of this Body. Through us, Christ will, if we let Him use us, see the world’s needs, speak out against wrongs, help the sick, the dying, the needy, and go to where help is needed. In short, what we become, whatever good we do, whatever level of love we attain will help bring Christ to the world. We are part of the Communion of Saints.
      Saints? We don’t think of ourselves, very often, in that capacity. Yes, we are tainted, we have our shortcomings. But our belief in Jesus, our cooperation with the love that Jesus offers draws us into this Mystical Body. We are His disciples, here on earth, who continue to spread His word and work.
      Those who have died and rest in Christ’s peace, but not yet dwelling in Heaven, they too are in this communion of saints. Their suffering, like ours, continues until such time that all vestige of sin has been removed.  They are as much a part of the Mystical Body of Christ, as we are. Our good works, our prayers, our sensitivity toward others can and does extend to these souls. And their good works flow to us, as well.
      Those who are recognized on earth for living good and holy lives while they lived, these are the ones we usually think of when we refer to saints. Their holiness strengthens the church. Though in Heaven, they continually intercede for us either alive or dead. The merits of their good works on earth, they present, through Christ, for our benefit. So we, the Church on earth, are continually sanctified and strengthened.
      This communion of saints is not some pretty poetry. It isn’t just some nice thoughts brought about by someone. This is, and has been, in the Divine Plan from the beginning. God’s intent for us, as gleaned from the Old Testament and New, from the writings of the Fathers, as handed down to us through Tradition, God’s intent has always been to be with us. His desire has always been that mankind should perceive, recognize, understand that His love has been and will be with us always. God will be with us always. What we see and call love is our limited view of God. To live our lives in love for others is to live in God.
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The Holy Catholic Church,

Our love touches one another

(12^th in a series of a presentation on The Apostles Creed)

      If we hear the question asked, “Who or what is the Catholic Church?” What will our response be? Do we think of the church as just a building? Do we get lost in all the hierarchy and feel it is a gigantic organization? Or, maybe we feel that it is just a ploy to take our hard-earned dollars? How sad. How very sad that we are so willing to leave ourselves out in the cold. We overlook the very spirit of God that is to dwell in us, and push it off like so much lint on our sleeves. How often we hear comments like, “Oh, I can pray anywhere”, “I don’t need a church to pray in”, and “the sky’s canopy is my church”. They are all true, but sorely lacking in a fundamental truth. Let’s delve into what is the church.
      First, let us put to rest that the word Catholic, as contained here, does not refer to the Roman Catholic Church. This word in the Creed simply means universal, that is: She is not limited by any one kingdom, or to any one group of peoples, but embraces all mankind with her love. This Holy entity, flowing from Christ, can be nothing but holy. And, flowing from Christ, who came to save every one, must be universal.
       The church, “ecclesia”, means a gathering, an assemblage, a group of people, a congregation. Over time we have gotten used to calling the building “the church”. We may say, “Look at that great set of wheels”, referring to a good looking car (synecdoche). Common usage today says “church” but thinks of the building rather than the peoples who congregate there. It has confused the building with the people who are drawn there. The church is not brick and mortar, it is people. It is you and I. We are the church. God’s love brought mankind into existence. The same love brought Christ into the world. We know He walked among us, worked among us and died for us. His love for us prompted all of this. He sends the Holy Spirit to us. Why? To ensure the flow of love to all of us will continue forever. This love bonds us, joins us, and permeates us. It draws us to come together and flows through us. This love is really our God at work in the world.
      Yes, we can pray anywhere. No, we don’t need a building to pray in. The sky is indeed beautiful, impressive and inspirational. But it is not a church. A church is people, people who feel the love bonding them with their God and each other. This love is God in us. We need this church just as we need our life’s blood.
      The church is how we will build up our love for God and our fellow man, AND it is also the purpose of why man was put on this earth. God, love, permeates all of creation. We were created for one purpose and one purpose only. Man was given free will so that he could/would use it to freely allow himself to be drawn back to God, to choose God. This is man’s purpose to be united again with God…here on earth, not just in Heaven. This is the church!
       How is this to be done? How can this be accomplished? Again, we must look to the church, the people of God. The church, through Christ, has been entrusted with all the necessary means for salvation. The Sacraments, the Mass, the Word of God all of these are to be found within the people of God. These are all designed to uplift us, to cleanse us, to strengthen us. In short, they are there because of God’s love. Their purpose is to build up our love for God and our fellow man.
       So, we can understand the words, “The Church is both the means and the goal of God’s plan”^-1. We may not like certain things about the building that we go into to pray. There may also be other things that may annoy us, or make us uneasy. But we cannot say, “We don’t need the church”. For to treat it as a piece of lint and flick it away, is to flick away salvation. We are the church, we are God’s people. We are bound and surrounded by His love. We are drawn to each other by His love. We are renewed by each other’s love. In this love is our salvation.              goto next segment

-1 Catechism of the Catholic Church, art. 778

I Believe in the Holy Spirit

Come Holy Spirit, Come

(11^th in a series of a presentation on The Apostles Creed)

      Six words! In today’s world, they sound like something from the movie, “Ghost Busters”, or from a séance. They don’t sound real in today’s hectic, fast moving pace. But make no mistake, they are very real. The Holy Spirit is not only present in this world but is active in it, as well. In all honesty, I feel very insecure in trying to write something about the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, I will try to write what my feelings, my beliefs are.
      There is so much to try to get our arms around, when we speak of one of the three Persons in God. Our belief immediately is called into play. How do we, finite persons, think we can adequately describe or attempt to explain the inexplicable? And yet, we try. Maybe it is pride on our part. Maybe it stems from our desire to understand, to behold, and to further adore.
      My belief is this, we must first try to, in some way, try to explain what the Trinity means to ourselves. For some reason, those of us who believe in God, find it easier (or at least less difficult) to associate all of Creation to God the Father. Maybe this is so, because we think of Him as being the older one of the group. But, we believe, we know there is only one God, but three Persons. We can only shake our head in wonder. But the belief that we have been given is a grace. We don’t believe because we know, because we understand, because it seems very logical to us. No, we believe, because it is God’s gift to us.
      So, we associate creation to the Father Almighty. Likewise, we attach salvation and redemption to the Son. All the while, we know that the two, together with the Holy Spirit, are the Triune God. As we said earlier, this is not something that can be easily said nor comprehended. What then is the task of the Holy Spirit? Keep in mind we are talking about the One God who created us, who loves us, and want us to be joined with Him forever in Heaven. God came to us, in the person of Jesus Christ, to save us, to show us what was necessary for salvation, to show us the importance of love for God, to show us the extent of the love of God. And so, we see Jesus saying to His disciples, “But I tell you the truth: it is expedient for you that I go: for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you: but if I go, I will send him to you -3”. We begin to discern that Jesus saved us, redeemed us, and showed us how we must live. He died and rose for us. And now, when He ascends into Heaven, then and only then, will He send the Spirit. What work was left undone? What else is required?
      The Holy Spirit has one task and continues to this day to have the same task. He, the Holy Spirit, will renew us with his spirit. He will remind us, daily, what our lives are all about. He will give us the strength to live and cope with the problems of the day. He will continually bolster our faith, repair our shaken faith, or freely give the seed of faith to mankind. It is the Sprit who breathes life into us. Not the life of living and dying, but the life that refreshes, renews and elevates us. We can call it grace. We can call it faith. We can call it good works. But however we look at it, it still remains the gift that our God continually bestows on us. For the Holy Spirit IS the spirit of God. He is our Paradise. In the Holy Spirit resides our Garden of Eden. Come Holy Spirit, come. Fill the hearts of your faithful. Enkindle in us the fire of your love. Renew us, again and again. Help us to understand our role, our responsibilities in this world. Surround us. Flow through us. Permeate us with your love, which we know is the Love of our God for us.      goto next segment

-1 Each is distinct from the other two Persons, but of one Divine essence or substance.
-2 Catholic Encyclopedia, topic Holy Spirit: Synopsis of the Dogma
-3 John 16:7

He Ascended into Heaven

Ascension of Jesus

(9^th in a series of a presentation on The Apostles Creed)

      He was crucified, died and was buried. On Easter morning, He rises from the dead, as had been prophesied, and as He had said. He was seen, and spoken to, a number of times; indeed He ate with them, as well^-1.  He had truly conquered death.  For the next Forty Days, He continues His teaching of the Apostles. During this time He helps them understand that all that had happened had been foretold. He explains that His connection to the Father is a forerunner of their connection to Jesus.^-2 it was during this time, that He gave the apostles the authority to forgive sins. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them: and whose you shall retain, they are retained ^-3. Many other things are taught and discussed, during this time as well.
      When this brief forty days was over, He and the disciples are next mentioned as being on Mount Olivet. Just before the Ascension, he tells them, “But you shall receive the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you, and you shall be witnesses unto me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the uttermost part of the earth”^-4. He then ascends into heaven, in full view of the disciples. Men of Galilee, why stand you looking up to heaven? This Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, so shall he come as you have seen him going into heaven^-5 .   
      The Apostles are next mentioned as gathering in a room, behind locked doors. Their humanity has overcome their belief, and they are afraid, alone and fearful of what will happen to them. They were only too happy to follow Jesus’ words and not depart from Jerusalem, and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Behind the locked doors was their added touch. These next nine days are construed to be the first novena. Nine days spent in prayer, trying to prepare for the coming of this Holy Ghost, this Spirit of God.
      So what are we to make of all of this? The Ascension, of what importance is this to us? Why did Jesus choose to Ascend into Heaven? Heaven is not up, or over, or any other direction. Was He not showing us, that we, like Him, would also move from this life to the next? Once again, Jesus was using the moment, His Ascension this time, to show unmistakably that He would go before us and prepare the way for us. He had told His disciples that He would go and send the paraclete (the Holy Spirit) to them. Through the Holy Spirit, they would lose their fear; they would understand more completely all that Jesus had been teaching; they would realize, finally, their relationship to God was not one of legal teachings but rather of love. Through the Spirit of God, the words of Jesus, “….you shall be witnesses unto me…” bore fruit in them. They were able to go among their friends and acquaintances and speak to them of the goodness of Christ, without fear.  
      For us, it is no different. We have heard Christ speak. We know of His actions. We have heard the words of the Gospels, and the teachings of all the peoples down through the ages. We know and believe that Christ walked this earth, and died for us. And now, we have His Ascension to His Father in Heaven. It is laid out for us, just as it was for His disciples and Apostles. Like them, we hide ourselves in a room of doubts. We lock ourselves behind our fears of what will people think if we act this way, or that. How can I talk about Jesus, without sounding hypocritical? All of these fears and doubts are preventing us from letting people know about Christ. They are preventing us from letting people know the goodness and love that is Jesus. They are preventing us from knowing the goodness and love that is Jesus. Like the disciples, we too, need the Holy Spirit. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful. And kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your spirit, Lord, and they shall be created. And thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
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-1 Acts 1:4 …And eating with them, he commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but should wait for the promise of the Father (the Holy Ghost)
-2 John 2:21 As the Father hath sent me, I also send you
-3 John 2:23
-4 Acts 1:8
-5 Acts 1:11